Saturation Point review: Adrian Tchaikovsky imagines a world that doesn’t need us
Adrian Tchaikovsky’s short eco-horror novella imagines a future where climate change hasn’t destroyed nature. It has simply made parts of the planet impossible for humans to survive.
I’ve only read a couple of Adrian Tchaikovsky books, and he seems to enjoy picking an interesting scientific idea, following it down a slightly horrifying path, then chucking a group of humans into the mix.
Children of Time did this well (you can read my review here). It works, so why not?
Saturation Point follows this pattern. The novella is set in a near future where rising temperatures have turned large chunks of the equator into an incredibly hot and humid region that is deadly to humans.
If you know what a wet-bulb temperature is, then the entire zone has a wet-bulb temperature higher than a human can survive. If you don’t know about this, then it means it is so warm and humid that a human body can no longer cool itself by sweating.
tldr; It’s really hot. So hot, people have to wear air-conditioned hazmat suits to go in. But other creatures thrive in the sweaty and swamp-like jungles. Snakes, lizards, and crocodiles love it.
Essentially, the point is that climate change might be hard for us to survive, but nature will adapt.
Into the Zone
The story follows Dr Jasmine Marks, a scientist returning to the Zone as part of an expedition investigating strange developments deep inside it.
Getting there requires specialised suits and equipment simply to survive. Even a relatively small failure can become fatal extremely quickly.
That immediately gives Saturation Point the feeling of an expedition to another planet. They’re like astronauts on a hellish, Degobah-style planet. Except it is Earth.
There are hints of Annihilation, with scientists and soldiers in an alien landscape, but Tchaikovsky leans heavily on science, and the book feels a lot more realistic.
Predictably, once in the Zone, things go tits up and get even weirder.
Is Saturation Point worth a read?
It’s a novella, which means you don’t get massive character-driven arcs, but it’s long enough, and well-written enough, that you empathise with the main characters. This is more idea-based sci-fi, so it depends what you’re after.
I described it as eco-horror at the start, and you may disagree. It isn’t massively scary, but it is a more unsettling kind of horror. Humans are no longer the dominant species, and there are things in the Zone that are mysterious and deadly.
I won’t go into it any further.
Saturation Point is a great idea, but a novella was the right length. I would definitely read a sequel, but it would need a new story.
I really enjoyed it and read the whole thing in two bursts. It was a lot of fun and reminded me to read more Tchaikovsky books in the future.
Especially as we may soon be doomed.
Saturation Point by Adrian Tchaikovsky is short, fun, and has a great central premise, although it is a tad pessimistic. It won’t be for everyone, but I liked it.
You can check out his other books here.
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