In the future, love is complicated and death is not necessarily the end. Love Minus Eighty follows several interconnected people in a disquieting vision of romantic life in the century to come. In this daring and big-hearted novel based on the Hugo-winning short story, the lovelorn navigate a world in which technology has reached the outer limits of morality and romance.
Author Will McIntosh’s new novel, Love Minus Eighty, is the book you give to your friends in hopes of igniting a passion for science fiction. With its focus on deeply connected interpersonal relationships, the novel draws in the literary fiction reader and with its ever-present science fictional elements it also holds a strong attraction for fans of genre fiction.
Worldbuilding? This world is already built. With a deft touch Will McIntosh has imagined a highly-interactive future that is built so solidly on the foundation of our present internet-driven, social-media-obsessed culture that it succeeds in being both imaginative and accessible. The oft-despised info dump is non-existent. This future and the characters who inhabit it are initially quite shallow, but as circumstances stir the waters McIntosh plumbs the depths of several interesting characters. The reader will find themselves having conflicting emotions regarding various characters as the story unfolds, making the act of reading Love Minus Eighty an engaging experience.
In my review of the January 2013 issue of Asimov’s Science Fiction I mentioned that Will McIntosh was “fast becoming one of those short story authors whose name on the cover will make me buy a magazine”. Love Minus Eighty has made me want to read everything the author has ever written.
If you appreciate novels about the complexity of relationships, featuring a variety of interesting characters–and just so happen to get excited about slick technological advances–Love Minus Eighty will not disappoint.
9/10 stars
What follows is an entirely non-spoiler review. If you haven’t already rushed off to your favorite internet site or local bookstore to purchase a copy of Love Minus Eighty, I would caution you to avoid the temptation to read the cover copy or any description of the book. The opening quote for this review was culled from the Amazon description, heavily edited to remove anything that would spoil reading experience.
In Will McIntosh’s future, those rich enough and/or fortunate enough to have good insurance can pay to have themselves revived after death, time and time again. While this medical advancement does not lead to immortality, it does extend life for a very long time. This future Earth is no less dominated by big corporations than our present, and one company in particular has capitalized on this advancement by creating a service whereby women who meet a certain level of attractiveness, but cannot afford to have themselves revived, can opt for a second chance at life by being a part of an expensive dating service. Unaffectionately dubbed the “bridesicle” program, woman are kept cryogenically frozen, their minds and faces awoken to consciousness for brief windows of time when rich men and women can afford to pay to “date” them in order to determine compatibility. If a bridesicle is lucky enough, she will find herself revived by her new spouse.
Will McItosh’s future also showcases the advancement of technology to the point where those who can afford to do so wear fully interactive systems which overlay the mundane world and allow the wearer full access to the world at large. Imagine being able to have your Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. audience and all the internet access that you could want surrounding you at all times and you will get some idea of the immersion of our lives into technology that McIntosh has imagined. It sounds both exciting and horrifying, doesn’t it? Will McIntosh plays with these feelings throughout the novel to create an inspired view of the future that is both fanciful and plausible at the same time.
What makes Love Minus Eighty such a treat is that those tantalizing science fictional elements are fully present throughout the story while allowing the majority of the novel to focus on the characters, which hearkens back to earlier comments about spoilers. Love Minus Eighty follows the alternating viewpoints of three main characters, one of whom is part of the bridesicle program. We experience this future through the eyes of Rob, Veronika and Mina but at the same time we are introduced to several other characters all of whom become more real and tangible as the story unfolds. Early on in the story Rob is involved in a life-changing event that is the catalyst for everything that happens afterward and descriptions I have read quickly point out that event. As it happens early in the novel it might be argued that this is not a “spoiler”, but for my money I enjoyed going into the novel with no clue where it would lead.
Though each chapter is revealed through the eyes of one of these three main protagonists, the larger cast of Love Minus Eighty is drawn into a complex web of relationships that bring them into contact with one another. This creates the interesting phenomenon of seeing the characters through different eyes, allowing the reader to form and re-form opinions about each character as their lives intersect. Often throughout the story the reader will find their opinions of characters challenged. You might be rooting for someone one minute and then writing them off as hopelessly self-obsessed the next. In a novel about relationships it is not surprising that hopes and expectations will arise as to which characters may end up together when all is said and done and it is a credit to the storytelling ability of Will McIntosh that those expectations grow and change throughout the novel.
The only complaint to be leveled at Love Minus Eighty is a feeling that things were rushed at the end. At a little over 400 pages, there is adequate space to tell an involved, fully-realized story and Will McIntosh does this, leaving the reader with a good deal of closure. There is no feeling of being cheated at the end. However, the climactic events read as if there was some hurry to bring things to a close with no apparent reason as to why this would be the case. Please do not misunderstand. This is not one of those novels that surges ahead with great promise only to see the wheels come off at the end. There is no doubt that Will McIntosh knew where he wanted to take the story and he brought it there intact. It is simply this reviewer’s opinion that a little more time could have been taken with the climax and denouement.
Love Minus Eighty comes highly recommended. You will care about these characters, or at the very least some of these characters, and will find your imagination stimulated by Will McIntosh’s vision of the future. There are books that you pick up and do not want to put down. Love Minus Eighty is one of those books.
Will McIntosh is an award-winning science fiction author whose short stories have appeared in a variety of publications including Asimov’s, Interzone, Lightspeed and Strange Horizons. He has had two novels published by Night Shade Books: Soft Apocalypse and Hitchers. His short story “Bridesicle” won the 2010 Hugo Award and it is this story that Orbit books asked McIntosh to expand into what became Love Minus Eighty. Kudos must be given to the person(s) at Orbit with the foresight to make this happen.
Dude I’m sold. However, I should say I’m starting to dislike putting books into genres. I used to do it all the time and I missed books from certain genres because I thought of them as a horror novel, a science fiction novel…now I like to think of books as books and just read. I picked up The Shining the other day and I’m loving it. Ten years ago I would have said, “I don’t like horror.” How did I know if I didn’t read any?
You’ll enjoy this one.
I have a love/hate relationship with genre. I love being able to go into a bookstore and see a Science Fiction and Fantasy section as I get a distinct thrill out of looking at the covers and reading the backs of books that I know are in the two genres that I love the most.
On the other hand I hate that this classification system will cause some people to avoid sections of a bookstore or library, or avoid books in general, because of that label.
As you point out, how do you know you don’t like something unless you’ve tried it? I fully believe there are books in EVERY genre and (almost) every subgenre that would appeal to a reader. It is just a matter of finding that right book.
I agree with you completely. When I worked at Borders a few years back I shelved books. That’s when I really started to discover that there were books in the sci fi, fantasy, and horror aisles that I wanted to read. So many of their covers are mind-blowing. I wish I paid closer attention to the artists. I wonder how many Whelan covers turned my head.
The great thing is that even though you don’t work at the bookstore anymore (I ache still that Borders is closed), it is not too late to pay attention to the cover illustrators. Of course being an illustrator evangelist it isn’t too surprising that I would encourage everyone to take that extra second to look to see who did cover work and the patronize their websites, let them know how you feel. They do amazing work and appreciate being given kudos for doing so. Trust me.
So depressing that Borders closed. I didn’t like the particular store I worked in, but I loved the bookstores. My store was managed by someone who I found out later on was stealing. No wonder I didn’t get along with him 🙂 I do take notice of covers now and I think the credit goes to you. And I never thought of letting the artists know how much I appreciate them. I should start doing that. I hope you have a wonderful weekend, Carl.
Yes it is. We had a couple of really nice ones here, one reasonably close to my house. It was great to be able to take bookstore trips and hit both the local Borders and Barnes and Noble.
Sad to think a manager was stealing from the store.
Hey, thanks for that. I do like to promote artists and their work, especially when it comes to book covers.
I just finished this one the other day, and I’m working on my review of it. What an amazing book! and you’re right, I’d give this to my non-genre-reading friends in a heartbeat.
I know the story is “about” Rob and Winter, but for me, the most important person was Veronika. before I’d even finished the book, I listened to the podcast of Bridesicle, it think it was on PodCastle?
Did you see the series of articles Stefan over at Far Beyond Reality did? A review, a guest post from Mr. McIntosh, and a guest post from the art director who did the cover, which I think you’ll be the most interested in:
http://farbeyondreality.com/2013/06/12/guest-post-designing-the-cover-of-will-mcintoshs-love-minus-eighty-by-kirk-benshoff-art-director-at-orbit/
I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed it as much as I did and look forward to your sure-to-be insightful review. I found Veronika to be my favorite character too and, without getting spoilery, it was in large part because she was one of those characters that I could not get an early bead on her. I actually enjoyed each character, even Lorelei, but Veronika is probably my favorite.
I hadn’t seen those links, so thanks for pointing them out. I will definitely check them out later.
Interesting that one is from the art director. I have a love/hate relationship with the cover too. I think in design it is really well done. Execution isn’t the best and that solely has to do with the use of flimsy vellum as part of the cover image. All the copies at my local Barnes and Noble looked like they had been used as hockey pucks on the very first day they came in. It is terribly unfortunate because it is a really neat idea that conveys the whole cryo concept really well but what you are left with is books that cannot hold up to shipping, let alone hanging out on the shelf. They should have but a coating on the vellum to give it some stability.
yikes, I didn’t think about the Vellum getting all marked up at the bookstore. I’m sure just getting rubbed up against another book would leave a mark. You’re right, a coating on the vellum would have helped. 🙁
I’d gotten my copy through the mail, and it was in perfect condition when I got it. I’m sure had it been marked up, or had I seen marked up copies at the bookstore, I’d feel a lot different about it.
Gaiman’s Fragile Things hardback did the same thing and my copy still looks pristine, but more and more I’m finding books in my local Barnes and Noble arrive beat up. It is really frustrating. The spines of all the Love Minus Eighty books were crinkled and crushed…the just looked awful.
I love science fiction and fantasy, but agree that many say they won’t read these genres and are, therefore, missing some terrific stories.
Thanks for this review…will check it out!
I hope you do, JenClair. I think you might enjoy this one. And I agree with you that people do miss out on terrific stories when they make a hard and fast decision that they don’t like, and thus won’t try, a specific genre, whatever that genre may be.
I’m picking this one up tonight. I loved Bridesicle, and have high hopes for the novel. Speaking of fantastic short stories, did you see that Rachel Swirsky is finally getting a collection? Sooooo long to wait!
Yay!!!
Yes, I did hear that about Rachel Swirsky. Plan to pick that one up. Not sure but I think I heard about it on an episode of the Coode Street Podcast.
Okay, 9/10. This is going on the list. Carl, you are not assisting my TBR challenge – but in a good way!! I must say that I seem to pick up more and more books at the moment that would be difficult to put into any particular genre. I think perhaps this is a good ploy by authors in order to not be defined as one thing and encourage more readers to get involved out of their comfort zone. This is a great review.
Thanks
Lynn 😀
I’m happy to hear it, Lynn. I definitely consider it TBR-pile-worthy. I was listening to author E. Lily Yu on the Coode Street podcast today and they were asking her about her decisions about writing in genre and she shared what I think many authors are doing which is just writing the stories they like, throwing in the fantastical and/or science fictional if it fits and is something they are interested in. This leaves us with stories that are most certainly genre stories and others that are less easy to define but, in my opinion, have the potential of being gateway stories for people to discover genre fiction and for genre lovers to discover literary fiction.
Yes, it’s a bit like the book I just read called The Shining Girls. It’s a sort of horror/murder mystery – with a serial killer and a time travelling house! There’s probably a teeny bit of sci fi thrown in for good measure (i.e. the time travelling) but I guess some people might give this a go who wouldn’t normally or would be put off with the more supernatural element of the story.
Lynn 😀
I need to get over there and read your review. I’ve almost picked this book up several times over the last week but as I’m not a big fan of serial killers/violence towards women I’ve been really reluctant to do so. It all depends on just how explicit the book is, I guess. It sounds SOOO fascinating though and I have yet to try Beukes’ work.
Yeah, I really wanted to read this one – the concept sounded really unusual and I wanted to see how the author could make it work. I like what she’s done – which is basically to keep it fairly simple. She’s not come up with a bunch of over elaborate reasons on why this or that works so it’s kind of left up to you to an extent. I must admit that the murders were a bit ‘eugh’ in parts – I don’t know that I’d say they’re overly explicit but I do think they were a little bit uncomfortable or more to the point sad because you were just getting a feel for the character – I suppose that adds to the horror element of the story? What the book really made me want to do though was to back track and pick up some of the author’s previous works so that’s all good and shows that I enjoyed this.
Lynn 😀
I’m still on the fence, so that isn’t a bad thing. It means I haven’t given it a definite ‘no’ yet. I really should try Zoo City first as it has gotten so much praise. And it has a John Picacio cover! 🙂
Was there much sexual violence in the story, or mostly just implied?
Zoo City is the book I want to pick up next. I liked The Shining Girls and I think it’s a really interesting idea. There wasn’t really sexual violence just more the murders themselves and the fact there’s quite a few of them. I wouldn’t say they’re overly graphic – a couple of them are more detailed and there’s certainly a bit of creepiness. Especially as the murderer is able to stalk his victims over different periods of time, paying them a visit when they’re young and then returning as they become more mature.
Lynn 😀
Hmmm…may need to just snag this one from the library and give it a try. I am such a sucker for time travel in books anyway and this one has been intriguing to me from the moment I heard about it despite my lack of affection for serial killer stories.
Thanks for throwing this recommendation my way… I had seen this book mentioned in a few places but was wavering on whether I thought it interesting enough to actually read. Clearly, it is, but it’ll have to wait until my library has money to buy books again!
You are welcome Alison, I hope you give it a whirl and enjoy it. And I hope that your library has money very, very soon, not just to buy this book but to buy many others.
I hardly ever read book descriptions, most especially before I read the book. I rely on reviews and word of mouth. With that said, I thank you for caution against reading the cover copy of this book. I will say, I remember you liking this book, just recently, on Facebook. The title and cover intrigued me along with the fact that you showed interest in the book. I did go and read the description — just enough to immediately feel this incredible urge to read the book…to buy it. I have not bought it because I just bought The Ocean at the End of the Lane. After reading the beginning of your post and seeing your goodreads recommendation, I now want this book in my possession and to read it right after Gaiman’s book.
I go back and forth. Any book that I pick up randomly from the shelf will have me reading the cover copy, but if it is an author I know I like I’ll do my best to stay away from any mention of what the book is about. I mostly did that with Ocean and the End of the Lane. I’ve read about a third of the book and have no idea what the jacket flap copy says.
You definitely did not oversell this book. While I agree that the author seemed in a bit of a rush to wrap it all up, I was not disappointed in the ending. The description of the city geography was interesting, as were the wearable computers.
You read the whole thing already? Talk about gorging on a birthday present!!!
So glad you liked it, I had hoped you would.
I finished Caliban’s War last night. Time for you to get back to that one. Whoa!
I know, it’s terrible. I had intended to stop after the first part, but then I decided to read a bit more. Isn’t that what sick days are for? And it was such a lovely surprise. Thank you to both of you.
Sick days are very much for reading. I can understand tearing through this one. I wasn’t able to devote the time to read it all in one day, but I went through it pretty quickly and was thinking about it all the time that I wasn’t reading it.
Just finished the book after your review. I really enjoyed this book. The story is thought provoking, not pandering. I loved the juxtaposition of High Town and Low Town. The book allowed for great mental imagery of New York in the near future. The set up of social media AND the human response and manipulation was well developed. Thanks for the review. I love this blog!!
Thanks Tony, so glad you decided to give it a try and that my review didn’t steer you wrong. It remains one of my favorite reads of the year and one I will keep recommending to people. I wish it was getting more buzz because it is a great book.