Book Review: The Salvage Crew

…what doesn’t kill you makes you stranger.

From The Salvage Crew by Yudhanjaya Wijeratne

There couldn’t have been a better year, I think, for The Salvage Crew to be in the world, because Urmagon Beta treats the members of the titular crew, like 2020 is treating us Earthlings — they just can’t catch a break.

You will have heard, if you’ve heard of this book before, about how the poetry in it was co-written by open source AI, how the planet itself was created by a modified version of a planet generator, and how the weather on said planet too is tech generated. Yudhanjaya Wijeratne lays out the details of it all in his foreword to the book, and I’m sure there are better people out there to talk about how all that contributes to making The Salvage Crew a great read. Me, I’m a non-techie. My grasp on science is largely high-school level, and maths barely even that. I can use a computer — but that’s about it.

So, why did I enjoy The Salvage Crew?

Image Source: Goodreads

For one, I like the characters. Simon, Anna, Milo, and OC despite being from worlds and futures that are alien, are relatable. I understand them and their motivations. I care about them.

The plot, in the way it carries these characters, also kept me hooked. Urmagon Beta keeps throwing challenges at our characters, and I kept looking forward to see how they would adapt to each one.

The most important reason, for why I loved the book — language. I do love languages, and it was fascinating to see how the idea of language and communication fit into this book. I can’t risk saying more, because spoilers. In addition, the ‘voice’ of the OC — laden with sarcasm and irreverence, is something that I greatly enjoyed.

And the poetry! I knew there would be poetry — I wasn’t expecting it to be such a revelation. There is some truly moving poetry here, as also some verses that are tongue-in-cheek. There is a rather entertaining game of words being played here, and I’m all for it.

Which is why, I’ve attempted to write the rest of this review in verse. I daresay though, that it’s hardly a match for the poetry in The Salvage Crew. Here we go, nevertheless:

broken humans on a broken planet
and a voice in their head
like shards of glass.
survival should be simple
for those carrying the burden of their histories;
for those whose mortal homes
know hunger, thirst, love, and loss.
And yet, the siren songs are louder.
It is silence that is unlocked,
the truth that is salvaged.
The crew — pieces on the Go board,
that flicker and burn,
incandescent in the dusk of change.
we dance into the unknown
temporary companions to anxious yearnings.
it all becomes so much like sand
— the slipping away, the flowing
the seeking and the finding.
poetry is guide map, language the key,
the loudest secrets are the unspoken ones,
on other worlds, and our own.
So read, and break the ice,
that encloses frozen thoughts,
and go forth on adventures
that unleash the seas within.

TLDR: Just read The Salvage Crew, okay?

Have you read this book? What did you think of it? Have you read any other books by this author? Share your thoughts with me in the comments!

Listen to an excerpt from The Salvage Crew, narrated by Nathan Fillion, here: https://m.facebook.com/watch/?v=361569928622189&_rdr

Catch an upcoming reading and discussion of The Salvage Crew, with Yudhanjaya Wijeratne by registering here (Moderators — T G Shenoy, Vijayalakshmi Harish): https://hasgeek.com/geekclubs/yudhanjayawijeratne-thesalvagecrew/

Author Bio:https://yudhanjaya.com/