Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty
Reviewed by: Jonathan Richardson, Reference Assistant
Genre: Science Fiction, Murder Mystery
Suggested Age: Adults
What is the book about?: In the future, a starship travels from Earth to a distant star. A small crew of only six people pilot the ship on its centuries-long journey. They are clones, destined to repeatedly download their consciousness into new bodies. They are also convicts, their only hope of redemption to successfully transport 2500 travelers to a new world. Suddenly, the entire crew awakens from cloning at once, surrounded by the corpses of their former selves, with no memories of the past twenty-five years.
My Review: I really liked the concept of this book, a sci-fi take on the locked-room murder mystery genre. Using the clones’ histories of their former lives (before they joined the ship’s crew) the reader is able to start piecing together possible suspects and motives. The author gives insight into each of the characters’ minds rather than only having the story unfold through the eyes of a single crewmember, so the reader is allowed to see more of the whole picture. I wish the author would have given more description of the spaceship or the technologies involved, but that’s a personal preference, and the reader doesn’t miss anything from the main story arc by not getting to see those details. There were some nice surprises and interesting characters; an overall good read!
Three Words That Describe This Book: Interwoven, Suspenseful, Hidden
Give This a Try if You Like… Clue, Murder on the Orient Express, Sherlock Holmes
Rating: 4/5
About FDL Reads
Welcome to FDL Reads, weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library. Librarians (and possibly some other guest reviewers) review all types of books, from children’s picture books, young adult favorites, to the latest adult thriller, and share their thoughts each week at fondulaclibrary.org. If the book is owned by Fondulac District Library (or another local library), you’ll see a direct link to the catalog entry and whether or not it is available. If it is checked out or at another local library, you will be able to place a hold as long as you have your library card and PIN numbers. As with any book review, these are our opinions…we disagree amongst ourselves about books frequently. We all have different likes and dislikes, which is what makes the world an interesting place. Please enjoy, and keep on reading!