Sprawling, immersive, and riveting from start to finish, Canalis by John J. Holshoe is a top-tier sci-fi debut that shines with inspired visions of the world to come.
A century in the future, Mars has been colonized, while a fleet of mining transport ships skates through an interplanetary network of ice canals beneath the surface of the Red Planet. Sandin, an orphan crewman of the Westward Star, accidentally falls overboard during a foolish stunt and is left behind in the freezing tunnel, only to be rescued by a mysterious group of aliens from a secondary dimension.
Their assistance comes at a price - in return for delivering him safely back to his crew, they ask him to champion their cause: help the remaining survivors of their species escape Mars before a catastrophic pole reversal that will doom every inhabitant, human, and Mylin alike. In exchange for saving these advanced beings from the coming cataclysm, they offer the gift of Oni, a powerfully refined ore that could advance humanity's technology by light-years, even allowing for the passage between worlds.
Entrusted with a seemingly impossible mission, and armed with unknown gifts due to his birth on Mars, Sandin must convince one of the most powerful and manipulative men in the solar system to help an alien civilization for the good of all. With the help of Mari, another Martian-born human who has a dream-world connection to the Mylin, not to mention being the woman he loves, Sandin faces the monumental burden of saving every soul on Mars and protecting the greatest secret in human history. To do that, he and Mari will need to survive long enough to expose a devious scheme, recover a priceless treasure, and outmatch the murderous forces of greed that will sacrifice everything for ultimate power.
Original and eerily prophetic, this visionary novel speculates on the looming arrival of humanity on Mars, and the fascinating unknowns of extraterrestrial colonization, which feels strangely plausible, even with the fantastical nature of the interdimensional storyline. Sandin and Mari are a brilliant and relatable duo at the heart of this plot, but supporting stars like Denlan and Gregg are essential foils who remind readers that otherness is something to be cherished, rather than feared.
On a more poignant level, the story is a thinly veiled critique of rapacious capitalism, and its trajectory towards self-destruction, regardless of planet, century, or species. The threat of planetary destruction on Mars, albeit through a pole reversal, echoes the dangers that Earth currently faces from climate change, and the way short-term gain overrides long-term consequences, making the novel a powerful warning for contemporary readers, which matches the prophetic intensity of other sci-fi classics.
Holshoe's world-building is remarkably thorough and neatly designed, though there are some plot points that require the suspension of disbelief, namely the dimension-breaking ability of a refined alien metal. This won't be much of a stretch for longtime sci-fi fans, but it does stand out as a vague loophole in an otherwise tightly researched thriller. Aside from that minor critique, the editing is meticulous, the dialogue is believable, the nuances of the Mylin species are innovative, and the unexpected twists - as well as satisfying comeuppance - will keep readers glued to every line.
Relentlessly good storytelling and a prescient near-future forecast of humanity's fate make this a piece of speculative fiction at its finest.
★★★★½
