chayote reviewed Zeroth Law by Guerric Haché
Review of 'Zeroth Law' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Zeroth Law is the first installment of the six-book Digitesque series. It takes place in a fascinating science fantasy world, with an ambitious mash-up of sci-fi and fantasy elements, though I think I would personally categorize it further on the sci-fi side of the scale. It is certainly the first book of a series, doing a lot of worldbuilding and setup of our characters and situation. I found it to be a compelling and satisfying start and definitely intend to pick up the next book in the series.
After a cataclysmic event known only as The Fall some thousand years ago, humanity lost its history and knowledge of its own technology. The remnants of Ancient technology and infrastructure are scattered throughout the world, some usable but not understood, and sometimes revered as holy relics of the gods. In addition to the ancient technology, something considered to be magic exists in …
Zeroth Law is the first installment of the six-book Digitesque series. It takes place in a fascinating science fantasy world, with an ambitious mash-up of sci-fi and fantasy elements, though I think I would personally categorize it further on the sci-fi side of the scale. It is certainly the first book of a series, doing a lot of worldbuilding and setup of our characters and situation. I found it to be a compelling and satisfying start and definitely intend to pick up the next book in the series.
After a cataclysmic event known only as The Fall some thousand years ago, humanity lost its history and knowledge of its own technology. The remnants of Ancient technology and infrastructure are scattered throughout the world, some usable but not understood, and sometimes revered as holy relics of the gods. In addition to the ancient technology, something considered to be magic exists in the form of Gifts. A variety of Gifts exist, each granting the user a specific skillset and certain enhanced senses. These Gifts are a one-per-person situation and are inborn talents, generally appearing at a certain age and unable to be learned or acquired.
The story is told in dual-perspective, with our heroines Ada Liu and Isavel Valdéz each trying to find their place in the world. Ada is a talented and curious coder—able to interact with the Ancient technology to some degree—but apparently incapable of respecting authority or following rules, she is cast out of the Institute where the other coders of the world congregate. Alone and rather directionless, Ada stumbles across and starts interacting with Ancient technology in ways previously forbidden to her. She is inquisitive and intelligent, but disdainful of the people around her, unable to forgive them for their ignorance. Isavel, on the other hand, has lived her life as an ungifted villager and begins the story by dying, along with everyone in her village. It doesn’t stick though, and she wakes back up from death no longer ungifted—an impossibility made moreso by the fact that she has multiple Gifts—and no remaining friends or family. Also now alone and rather directionless, Isavel places her faith and future in the hands of the gods and embarks on a journey to the nearest large city to find a temple and hopefully be told what her second life and Gifts are for.
A rarity for me, the world here is what really drew me in and got me engaged in this story. It felt new and unique, with a little bit of everything thrown in but without feeling too disconnected or muddled. The characters are a little hard to love right off, Ada being rather unfriendly and arrogant and Isavel at first feeling like she lacks agency in the story. As the story progressed, I found myself more sympathetic toward Ada and enjoyed her journey through the book. However, Isavel finding purpose in an almost-scary dedication to what she believes to be the gods’ plans for her was sometimes offputting and some of her interactions with people occasionally stretched the suspension of disbelief. Ada came out as the clear favorite for me, though I do feel that Isavel’s less-endearing character is likely going somewhere interesting. I found the story engaging and quickly paced; I look forward to seeing where the next book takes Ada and Isavel, and how their paths will continue to tangle.
Recommended Audience
- Readers who like the premise of forgotten history, ancient technology, and rediscovering lost knowledge. Readers who are interested in a look at how humanity might change if cut off from our understanding of ourselves.
- Readers who enjoy characters who are not the stereotypical hero, are sometimes dickish to those around them, or are kind of religious zealots.
- Readers who want a story told from two very different (perhaps sometimes opposing) points of view.
