I hadn't picked up a Walter Mosley book in about a decade, having read trough a few early Easy Rawlin's mysteries (Devil in a Blue Dress, White Butterfly etc...) but moved on. When I found this in a bookstore I couldn't resist seeing how Mr. Mosley would tackle science fiction.Early on I had a problem digesting his prose style. I thought it was strange and forced, as if he was fighting off his hard boiled schtick, but Mosley's prose is nothing if not propulsive and after a while you let it pull you through the book.The form on display is the type of science fiction that is more allegorical than science-based, "soft" science fiction like Phil Dick's or Ursula LeGuin. His main character, Errol, finds that his "father" has returned from the grave but as a young man, who claims he has emerged from the "wave." The Department of Homeland Security will have nothing of this and captures Errol suspecting he may be 'infected,' by the wave. You see, while the inhabitants of the wave look like us, they are almost indestructible, having a very different cellular makeup and communicate on a cellular level, making them de facto dangerous to the head of the DHS team - an insane plastic surgeon. Don't let my description send you running the other way, while it seems like a clunky premise (and sometimes it is), Mosely truly does have a way with words and characters, and while The Wave is a bit thin in every respect, it is an engaging, dramatic and fun read.The other notable fact is that Mosley is one of the rare African American writers currently tackling science fiction, the other great practitioner, Octavia Butler, sadly passed away a couple of years ago.
I haven't read WM for at least 15 years and I liked his Easy Rawlins mysteries quite a lot. My tastes have evolved since then, admittedly, but when I saw he'd written a sci-fi novel my interest was piqued. If his other sci-fi is like this, he should probably stick to the detective mysteries. This story is a new take on the zombie trope,with the odd addition of sentient alien virus type thing? So yeah, the science was weak, but the science in most zombie alien tales are weak, so I was willing to play along. But it never really got much better. Characterization was thin. Like really thin. Errol, the main character, has more sex than is strictly safe in real life, and in fake alien zombie land it's far more than I need to read about. Honestly, it felt like whenever WM couldn't think of what to write next he summoned some willing comely gorgeous nymph to poof on the scene and offer her bountiful comfort. Really? Just no. No. No. No. No. Motivations weren't always clear. Characters act all out of character. This is like an Octavia Butler parody, only worse. Plusses are this book was short and it was compelling enough to complete. But I think that's about it.
What do You think about The Wave (2007)?
You think you are reading about a simple man and his simple, perhaps downtrodden life. And you are. And then it creeps up on you...you are reading about good vs. evil, the origins and future of humanity, universal synergy & empathy, and other mind-blowing (yet never overwhelming) plot driving themes. Appealing characters, characters you love to hate, and characters you don't quite get - but in a good way - populate this strange multiverse woven into some odd and quiet spaces of every day life.Even if you don't often go for sci-first-fantasy, read The Wave for the skilled writing. Walter Mosley is genius at packing big ideas into little words and short phrases. Upon finishing I was surprised that such an expansive story with such knowable characters was over in such few pages.
—Katie
Strolling through the library with the grandgirls I saw this Playaway by Walter Mosley. I have read some of his mysteries and thought it would be fun. Instead this is much more science fiction, which is fine. Errol Porter wakes up in the middle of the night to answer a phone call. A voice tells Errol he's cold, he is Errol's father, and that he is in a cemetary. My husband would not have rescued him from the cemetary, thus ending the book. Errol,of course, does, and problems ensue. G.T. has a lot of information about Errol and his family that only his father could know. Listening to the Playaway narration before bed has been helpful in avoiding past, present and future thoughts. Something I don't like in books is the constant "He said" and this book suffers from a lot of "saids." It's been fine to listen to for free, but I wouldn't pay big bucks for this.
—Lynetta
This was probably the most character-specific alien invasion story I have ever read. It's an intriguing concept, but I never really felt fully engaged with the protagonist and felt a little distanced from what happened in the book. Also, for a supposed everyman character, the protagonist seems to have as many trysts with the fairer sex as James Bond does in a typical film.
—Jeff
