Assessment:
Plot/Idea: Using elements of Man vs. Man and Man vs. Nature, Gurgu exposes the reader to a dire situation where resources are at a premium and the wrong people are in charge.
Prose: Straightforward with nothing to sidetrack the reader, the plot moves at a brisk pace and begins building an intriguing but grim world. Gurgu delivers precise, striking descriptions illustrating the devastating loss of a vital resource and the impact of drinking gelled water on the human body.
Originality: The idea of corrosive water that turns to gel and causes humans to become deformed is highly original. The author develops a full and complex set of circumstances in a manner that feels both conceivable and chilling.
Character/Execution: Gurgu offers convincing and immersive worldbuilding, establishing a clear social and governmental hierarchy and populating the setting with traumatized, militant, and often untrustworthy figures. Geo emerges as a formidable protagonist with an ability to see the humanity beneath disfigurement and desperation.
Date Submitted: June 23, 2023
From the decadence of Boris' palace life as well as the daily struggles of the shopkeeper Stev and the old revolutionary Jon, Gurgu immerses readers in the day to day details of life of the Corrosives and their world, his emphasis on the senses—the stench of death and of predators called Nightmares—as well as the organization of society. The story begins with Geo, an ambassador of the Woodman Clan, negotiating with Boris over a potential treaty. His people retained their humanity because they didn't have to drink the altered water supply after the Black Rain. That's the beginning of a series of complicated plot twists involving Boris, his concubine/right hand Lena, his vicious brother Silver Star, and a series of manipulations of Geo.
Ultimately, this is a story about how, even in the darkest times, the cold facts of science must be tempered with humanism. Geo wants to save everyone from another Black Rain and faces down opposition from his own people as well as Boris, and he's willing to pay any price to do so. At times, this hefty novel feels long, but it all builds to some tremendous, high-stakes, imaginatively crafted action, especially as the Corrosives mold their own body parts into weapons. Gurgu blends tense action, tenderness, romance, and a subtle undercurrent of ecological commentary.
Takeaway: Richly imagined post-apocalypse of mutations, humanity, and wild action.
Comparable Titles: Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Cage of Souls, M. R. Carey’s Rampart trilogy.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
"Full of fresh ideas and dynamic action sequences, Costi Gurgu has created a fine, detailed eco-based sci-fi thriller in GREEN CORROSION, with heroes and villains who walk a bleak landscape that serves as a stark warning for the future of planet Earth."
