Book Review: The Phoenix Descent by Chuck Grossart
I discovered Chuck Grossart’s deftly written, 2016 sci-fi novel, The Phoenix Descent while searching for an editor for my own book. As part of that search, I read the Amazon excerpts from nearly a hundred books, scanning each for signs of competent editing. While many a book review claims to have been hooked from the first pages of such-and-such book, I can assure you from my experience reading all these excerpts that such claims are mostly hyperbole. The majority of opening pages I encountered were forgettable. But The Phoenix Descent was an exception. I was hooked. I had found my editor and, fast-forward to now, I’ve sat down to finish the book that helped make my decision. I was not disappointed.
The Phoenix Descent opens with a premise that reminded me of The Andromeda Strain: a prologue built out of official documents that reveal, piece by piece, the events leading up to an apocalypse. The book then launches into a cinematic, in media res opening: the apocalypse unfolding (based on real science that is still unfolding today!), as seen through the eyes of a doomed soldier. It’s a clever, potent hook that propels the reader into a plot that reads like a lost Michael Crichton novel. Pages flip quickly as we enjoy the bumps and twists from two interleaved storylines, each following a strong female lead, and each embedded with a deep mystery.
These two primary storylines, each compelling in its own right, at first seem unlikely to collide, one taking place on a mission to mars, the other taking place in the regressive world of post-apocalyptic Earth. But as readers, we know that they must eventually intersect. The fuel that propels us forward is the simple question, How? Grossart accomplishes the feat convincingly, launching the reader into an exhilarating second act centered on the dynamic between the book’s two female leads. A third storyline, barely perceptible at first, steadily grows in scope, introducing additional mystery. My only complaint is that this third storyline seems underdeveloped compared with the others, and I wonder if Grossart missed a trick by not pulling its characters forward in the novel. This small nit aside, the book remains a legitimate page turner through to the very last sentence.
The Phoenix Descent recalls another piece of sci-fi from the same era which also offered interleaved plots and strong female protagonists—The 100, by Kass Morgan, released as a series of novels almost in parallel with its excellent television adaptation on the CW network. Fans of that work, as well as fans of Crichton, might find old itches scratched within Grossart’s pages. It’s one of those books that reminds us of other sci-fi we love, while still giving us something completely new.
T. R. Thorsen is the author of The Germans Have a Word for It, a speculative fiction novel.