Senan Gil Senan has created in Beyond the Pale a very
believable world, were two sets of humans have evolved in two very different
ways. The character of River; a young Native American or outlander who lives a
hidden existence outside of the city bounds and its controls; is the embodiment
of the group that have re-embraced a more tribal way of life. He seems to be in
tune with his environment and his own body. The differences between the groups
become clear when River saves Nathan Carlson; a security officer from the
fortified city of New Denver. Even though Nathan is grateful for River saving
his life, he can’t avoid him being taken captive by the cities forces. He does
however succeed in taking custody of River and he brings him home to live with
his family. Here the differences become even clearer when we see how the somewhat
dysfunctional Carlson offspring deals with life. Both children had their intelligence
artificially enhanced at birth, but in their society social skills seem less
important. Anton the son is so involved with all his gadgets that he rather
deals with a virtual woman than a real girl. Audrina is the epitome of a hedonistic society
that needs technology, drugs and sex for entertainment. River falls in love
with Audrina and a relationship develops. It doesn’t make for comfortable
reading, when Audrina plays games and pushes River into her dysfunctional
world. Here our hero shows his moral fibre and stands up to her.
There is plenty of action in this book and I found it hard
to put down. I wanted to rush to the end to find out how River ended up. The
descriptions of the new ‘advanced’ world are vivid without overwhelming the
reader with techno-babble. The writer also brought the Colorado landscape (or
the outlands) to life for me. There are plenty more questions to be answered at
the end of the book and I’m pleased that there is already a follow up to this
book; The Fifth Seed.
