Book Review: ‘Creation Node’ by Stephen Baxter

Creation Node by Stephen Baxter is a futuristic space opera featuring first contact with an alien race, political disputes, the strength of found family and it is jammed-packed science facts and theories.

The story builds slowly, starting in the year 2255. We follow the twenty year old Salma and the six-strong crew of the Shadow as they reach Planet Nine – a miniature black hole at the very edge of our solar system. The crew quickly realise things are not as they first seemed as the black hole transforms into a solid planet – featureless except for a capsule containing a feathered alien (creatively named Feathers). At the exact moment of Planet Nine’s transformation a new pulsar appears and its rays are trained on Earth. With no thought to the wishes of Feathers and the Shadow’s crew, a tense race ensues between Earth, the Lunar Consortium and the Conservators (who launched the Shadow) to establish a dominant presence over the mysterious planet. But what will befall Feathers when everyone arrives?

I really liked Baxter’s choice to gradually introduce his readers to the world of Creation Node. By starting with Salma and her fellow crew members, the story initially only focuses on what is happening in the moment. I quickly became invested in the lives and family-like relationships between this small group of characters. After taking 35 years to reach Planet Nine, the crew’s whole world has been reduced to six people and one small ship. Over the course of the novel, they are shown to have an unshakeable bond that even the arrival of the rest of the solar system can’t break.

The book’s blurb only focuses on Salma. When I picked up Creation Node I had expected the plot to solely follow her and the changing events on Planet Nine; so I was thrown when the story suddenly shifted perspective to both Earth and the Moon. Baxter introduces us to a host of new characters, including: Earth’s pragmatic scientific advisor Elizabeth Vasta, the adventure-hungry pilot Jeorg North, the young and headstrong Doria Dohm from the Lunar Consortium, and rule-abiding Conservator representative John Smith. At first I was worried I wasn’t going like this new group but the political chess match between the three parties ended up being one of the strongest parts of the novel – especially the dramatic ship vs ship showdown around Saturn.

The novel is a good blend of fact and fiction as Baxter uses existing theories to predict what humanity’s life could be like in the future. There are many examples in the book, from the solar sails of the Shadow to the underground colony on the Moon to the environmental impacts of long-term global warming on Earth. In between the moments of action are long sections of analysis as Baxter, through his characters, explores how life could develop on other planets and what Feathers’ existence could mean for humanity as they draw closer to venturing deeper into the Milky Way.

I don’t normally read science-heavy sci-fi books but in Creation Node Baxter manages to find a good balance between entertainment and informative. Even though I had my doubts about the unexpected shifts in perspective, the novel continued to surprise me and I found myself enjoying the story more and more as I continued reading. Overall I would call this book a strong success.

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