Note: I received an ARC of Trap Line from NetGalley.
Trap Line is a sci-fi short story that I wish spawns a full length novel in the future. Timothy Zahn, the author who gave us books about the infamous Thrawn in the Star Wars universe, comes at us with a very different but interesting short story far from the typical Star Wars fare I’ve been used to seeing from him. Trap Line takes place at a time when humanity has discovered a way to traverse large distances by means of projecting one’s astral self (consciousness) across bodies separated by vast distances. This is easier said than done as only one human has showed significant promise in this, and it is him, our protagonist, that we follow as he embarks on a maiden test to gauge the effectiveness of this projection across a previously untested distance.
Unfortunately, things go awry when he finds himself not in his other replicate body, safe, but in a weird enclosure and still in his astral incorporeal self. If this didn’t unnerve him enough, the fact that he encounters alien species definitely seemed to do it. Outside of the captors, some of these alien species also seem to be trapped in their astral forms. What is a very novel scientific development for humanity seems to have been a common mode of transport and control for the universe at large. By control we learn that aliens have been using their astral projections to control ships and other equipment but so far not another body, which makes our protagonist feel a little better about not being so far behind. With news of a war raging on in a part of the universe, traps have been set across patches of the galaxy to snare any astral projections, which in this case seems to have caught our woefully ignorant human as well.
What follows is a story, primarily of escape, but also of empathy. We see an alliance form despite differences, the sharing of cultures, and the understanding and trust borne from a shared situation. The short story gives just enough details for us to understand the larger context while also leaving us wanting more. Oh, I quite liked how the story was all tied up but the larger context feels like it would be one hell of a story to tell, and I sincerely hope we get, either more stories from this universe, or a full length novel in the future.
Trap Line is a nice intro to the sci-fi genre for people who want to dip their toes in without feeling overwhelmed. A nice and cosy sci-fi read. Definitely Recommended.
Rating: 3/5
Links:
Liminal Ramblings 