hen Scott Warden goes with a friend to see a mysterious object in the
forests of Thailand, the decision is made on a whim. He little appreciates
that the choice will change his life forever. As he gazes upon the immense
statue that has emerged out of nothingness in the forest, his daughter
Kaitlin becomes seriously ill. By the time he returns home, his marriage
and Kaitlin's hearing have both been irretrievably damaged.
The monument in Thailand is only the first arrival. The massive pillars, known as
Chronoliths, appear out of thin air, heralded by a
destructive shock wave of freezing air. Their purposes, the science that
created them and their ability to crush human structures are terrifying
and inscrutable. As they flatten cities across Southeast Asia, scientific
teams translate their inscriptions. They discover that the Chronoliths purport
to be monuments to the military victories of a warlord named Kuin ... and
they commemorate battles dated some 20 years in the future!
Over the following decades, Scott is drawn repeatedly into events tied
up with the Chronoliths. He ends up working with a brilliant scientist, Sue
Chopra, who believes that the monuments have a strategic purpose. By
announcing his victories before they even happen, Kuin is creating an aura
of invincibility. The Chronoliths are a do-it-yourself destiny package,
making the warlord an inevitable success.
Sue believes that she knows a way to disrupt Kuin's plans, and that
Scott—who only wants a stable life with his family—is the key to
defeating the future. But there is a terrible dilemma at the heart of their
research. By studying the very technology they hope to defeat, Scott and
Sue must face the possibility that they may be doomed to invent it.
Grappling with a dark destiny
In The Chronoliths, Robert Charles Wilson turns a stunning
concept into a story that sucks readers in and refuses to let go. While the
Chronoliths topple world capitals and alter political landscapes, Scott
Warden struggles with smaller concerns: staying employed and mending his
relationship with his daughter.
No simple adventure, the book tackles head-on the ancient question of
destiny versus free will. By sending word of his victories into the past,
Kuin creates a seductive myth. He has a body of followers before anyone
knows who he is. His opponents are left to wonder how to fight an enemy who
has known their every move for 20 years. And, while the grand story
unfolds, Wilson never loses sight of the small picture: one man, trying to
hold his family together in an increasingly unstable United States.
With so much to recommend it, The Chronoliths does have
disquieting undertones. Scott, with his guilt-ridden persona, is a tough
man to warm up to. The other characters are very much in his orbit: less
developed, vivid and convincing in their choices. What's more, the story
brings Scott full circle in a disturbing fashion. During Kaitlin's illness
at the opening of the book, his absence at her bedside is the result of a
moment's thoughtlessness. By the novel's end, Scott makes informed
decisions which put him in a similar position. The consequences are vastly
more horrifying the second time around, and yet the price he pays is
smaller. Like the world, Scott has changed for the worse. Readers may shy
away from the harshness of the worldview this represents.
The inventiveness of the story, however, more than makes up for the
darkness within. The Chronoliths is not always a fun read, but it is
certainly worthwhile.
