New Scientist Book Club Review: “Circular Motion” – A Dystopia Strikingly Familiar

The New Scientist Book Club has taken a turn by revisiting Alex Foster’s Circular Motion, moving from Adam Roberts’ futuristic Lake of Darkness, set thousands of years ahead in a world eerily similar to ours. However, a significant distinction exists; Foster’s universe is dominated by massive aircraft that can traverse the globe in mere hours. This “westerly circuit” not only facilitates rapid travel for the wealthy but also speeds up the Earth’s rotation as the narrative unfolds, especially evident by the conclusion where just two hours have profound implications.

As I mentioned, this book left a strong impression on me. It ticked all my boxes for science fiction: an impending apocalyptic event of nightmarish scale? Absolutely. A society desperately trying to maintain a facade of normalcy? Definitely. A cast of engaging and relatable characters? Yes, indeed. From a science fiction standpoint, it has become my favorite (new) read thus far. I ponder whether it leaned more towards grand physical phenomena (storms, gravity shifts) or more intimate experiences (the psychological burden of merely two hours in this world).

Yet, I found myself at odds with my two-sentence summary. (And isn’t that the charm of a book club, where different interpretations bloom?) While I relish a good dystopia, Neil Leighton found Foster’s grim portrayal of life on Earth a bit overwhelming. “I appreciated it and am glad I read it, but it was overly dystopian, and I’m not likely to recommend it as a gift,” he shared in our Facebook group. “I will say it is solid literary science fiction, but I struggled to suspend my disbelief, and it felt somewhat forced at times. It struck a decent balance between character work and ideas, yet was too dystopian for my palate.”

I wasn’t the only one grappling with the narrative. “I typically have no issues with suspending disbelief, but Circular Motion challenged that,” Jennifer Marano admitted. “Furthermore, the dystopian elements felt too oppressive for Gothia Fulmanik. The narrative felt uncomfortably close to home.”

I am thankful that Gosia highlighted the theme of climate change in this context. Video Interview The book is intended to draw parallels to our current reality. Instead of halting aircraft operations, the protagonists resort to constructing a colossal, vacant “shell” as a technological solution to the very issues they created within the Western Circuit. Many of you witnessed Foster’s characters facing calamities that resonate with our daily existence. “The theme of hubris (attempting to build shields to rectify issues with pods, circuits, gravity, and time) was a poignant and overt lesson,” Steve Swann remarked. It became a discussion point where we all tried to align the world correctly, only to end up exclaiming, “Well, there’s nothing we can do about it.”

For Niall, “as someone concerned about climate change, it serves as a more profound cautionary tale, replete with wise critiques of ineffective technical fixes.”

One aspect that perplexed me was Foster’s dating system, presented as “AH 976,314:17.” Many of you shared the same confusion. Eliza Rose echoed my thoughts, stating, “I didn’t grasp it, nor did I attempt to. I just read along, assuming it wasn’t crucial to the plot.” Phil added, “I would have liked an explanation of the new AH time-measurement system and its introduction.” Thankfully, Paul Jonas provided clarity: “It translates to hundreds of thousands of hours, consistent globally. 970,000 corresponds to 11 years, but good luck wrapping your head around it unless you reset.”

Members of the New Scientist Book Club expressed a desire for more substantial science within this science fiction work. “I felt that the scientific elements were secondary to the characters’ narratives,” articulated one member. “What I longed for was speculation on how an accelerating Earth impacts non-human life forms. This would have significant repercussions for flora and fauna. Gosia, too, expressed a wish for Foster to delve into the experiences of less privileged communities amid the apocalypse (especially considering how climate change disproportionately affects the Global South).

“I craved deeper insights into the systems responsible for the escalating issues surrounding time and travel. For me, it fell short of being authentically science fiction,” Paul remarked.

We aspire that our next reading fulfills those expectations: it is one of the most lauded science fiction novels in history—the award-winning anarchist utopian work by Ursula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed, released long before 1974. We haven’t tackled classics in a while. Le Guin has been recommended by several of you as the next author, so I’m enthusiastically on board! Book Club members can also enjoy essays from Theo Downs Le Guin, the son of the late Le Guin, who offers unique insights as both a son and a reader (which is fantastic). Join us on our Facebook group for a discussion about this timeless classic and share your thoughts.