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A review by jlynnelseauthor
Halfskin by Tony Bertauski
4.0
3.5 stars
Halfskin deals mainly with technology and its impact on society. However, its main flaw is in its lack of character balance. There is only 1 religious person in the novel, and he’s an extreme conservative. He’s what the media likes to make Christians out to be, intolerant and stubborn. While Bertauski religious fanatic’s reasonings made logical sense and portrayed the character as genuinely seeing his job as saving humanity, I really wanted to see another religious person who was accepting of the technology. Everyone else was an atheist. So I found this disappointing. The question is raised: At what point are we no longer human? I’m not sure that was ever answered fully. I appreciated Nix’s argument that God gave us a brain to think and create and grow. But the rest of the characters seem to rail against God about their lives. Yes, that happens, but there was no counter argument to balance things out. Christianity is not meant to be intolerant. Jesus never taught intolerance. Its people, sadly, that make doctrines suit their own beliefs. I would have liked another person as a counterpoint to the antagonist’s crazy religious strictness.
Bertauski wallops the reader with a HUGE surprise near the end. I thought the story was headed the way of “Inception” when Cali notices something off with her bio readings. But the true discovery of what was not reality was a shocking turning point! And it gave heart to the brother-sister relationship. What a concept to explore! Using biomites not only to cope but also to alter reality so it becomes less painful after heavy personal loss… would you do it if you could? More of Cali’s healing after the discovery would have added nice depth, but I think there was enough to finish this novel up reasonably. The ending, however, was not strong like the rest of the storyline. It kind of fizzled out quietly. I wanted that big revelation moment perhaps in the future when Cali and Nix are 100% biomites and see how they interact and feel at that time. I’m sure that’s for the next novels though.
The world depicted by Tony Bertauski is close enough to our own for a reader to quickly find their way in it. The story’s foundation is grounded solidly in a relatable reality. I found the story, plot, and characters easy to understand. However, the short M0THER blogs were not consistent. At first I thought it was Cali blogging. Then it seemed as if there was another omnipotent narrator out there. Perhaps the major mother machine of them all: M0THER? It was never clarified. I really liked the delvings into the development of the biomite technology, very interesting, and they did shed light on the pros and cons of biomite technology through society. However, the blogs were not consistent as to how the narrative was being given. I liked it, but it seemed more like random thoughts and perhaps should have been titled/presented differently. We’re not spoon fed answers but given questions to chew on slowly and digest. I appreciate that quality in stories. The concept as a whole is quite the thought-provoker: the biomites that once saved lives are now the cause of the end of lives. Is it worth its price?
I like how the good as well as the consequences are explored when it comes to technological advances. There is another question raised: Just because we can does not mean we should. Medicine can cure any ill in Bertauski’s reality. Unfortunately, the organic cells eventually become overrun with synthetic (is resistance futile???). Does this mean the end of humanity? Could this be considered evolution? These concepts are touched upon. I hope they are explored more in the next novel of this series. However, the story does not give much in the way of answers. Since we do not know Cali before her seeding, we do not know how she’s changed as her biomite cells gradually accumulate her up to half-skin status. So it’s hard to gauge how this changes her humanity. I wanted a little more exploration. Bertauski has his characters go through a lot of introspection, but I never felt I knew the characters enough to see their growth in the story. The only truly personal portion is when Cali RE-discovers her loss and Nix comes to her side to save her.
Summary: A compelling story which I found at times I couldn't put it down. But there were other aspects that could have been explored. How would a hypochondriac react to having biomites put into their bodies to multiply and replace their cells? Wouldn’t that seem creepy to some people? And, of course, another religious-based more-tolerant character was needed.
Overall, this is a story you can envision happening in real life. The advantages are society altering, but the consequences on a personal level are staggering. I would read more from this author. He has a good narrative style. I hope the next book in this series carries the same page-turning quality and explores more of the concepts the author introduces through this futuristic setting.
Halfskin deals mainly with technology and its impact on society. However, its main flaw is in its lack of character balance. There is only 1 religious person in the novel, and he’s an extreme conservative. He’s what the media likes to make Christians out to be, intolerant and stubborn. While Bertauski religious fanatic’s reasonings made logical sense and portrayed the character as genuinely seeing his job as saving humanity, I really wanted to see another religious person who was accepting of the technology. Everyone else was an atheist. So I found this disappointing. The question is raised: At what point are we no longer human? I’m not sure that was ever answered fully. I appreciated Nix’s argument that God gave us a brain to think and create and grow. But the rest of the characters seem to rail against God about their lives. Yes, that happens, but there was no counter argument to balance things out. Christianity is not meant to be intolerant. Jesus never taught intolerance. Its people, sadly, that make doctrines suit their own beliefs. I would have liked another person as a counterpoint to the antagonist’s crazy religious strictness.
Bertauski wallops the reader with a HUGE surprise near the end. I thought the story was headed the way of “Inception” when Cali notices something off with her bio readings. But the true discovery of what was not reality was a shocking turning point! And it gave heart to the brother-sister relationship. What a concept to explore! Using biomites not only to cope but also to alter reality so it becomes less painful after heavy personal loss… would you do it if you could? More of Cali’s healing after the discovery would have added nice depth, but I think there was enough to finish this novel up reasonably. The ending, however, was not strong like the rest of the storyline. It kind of fizzled out quietly. I wanted that big revelation moment perhaps in the future when Cali and Nix are 100% biomites and see how they interact and feel at that time. I’m sure that’s for the next novels though.
The world depicted by Tony Bertauski is close enough to our own for a reader to quickly find their way in it. The story’s foundation is grounded solidly in a relatable reality. I found the story, plot, and characters easy to understand. However, the short M0THER blogs were not consistent. At first I thought it was Cali blogging. Then it seemed as if there was another omnipotent narrator out there. Perhaps the major mother machine of them all: M0THER? It was never clarified. I really liked the delvings into the development of the biomite technology, very interesting, and they did shed light on the pros and cons of biomite technology through society. However, the blogs were not consistent as to how the narrative was being given. I liked it, but it seemed more like random thoughts and perhaps should have been titled/presented differently. We’re not spoon fed answers but given questions to chew on slowly and digest. I appreciate that quality in stories. The concept as a whole is quite the thought-provoker: the biomites that once saved lives are now the cause of the end of lives. Is it worth its price?
I like how the good as well as the consequences are explored when it comes to technological advances. There is another question raised: Just because we can does not mean we should. Medicine can cure any ill in Bertauski’s reality. Unfortunately, the organic cells eventually become overrun with synthetic (is resistance futile???). Does this mean the end of humanity? Could this be considered evolution? These concepts are touched upon. I hope they are explored more in the next novel of this series. However, the story does not give much in the way of answers. Since we do not know Cali before her seeding, we do not know how she’s changed as her biomite cells gradually accumulate her up to half-skin status. So it’s hard to gauge how this changes her humanity. I wanted a little more exploration. Bertauski has his characters go through a lot of introspection, but I never felt I knew the characters enough to see their growth in the story. The only truly personal portion is when Cali RE-discovers her loss and Nix comes to her side to save her.
Summary: A compelling story which I found at times I couldn't put it down. But there were other aspects that could have been explored. How would a hypochondriac react to having biomites put into their bodies to multiply and replace their cells? Wouldn’t that seem creepy to some people? And, of course, another religious-based more-tolerant character was needed.
Overall, this is a story you can envision happening in real life. The advantages are society altering, but the consequences on a personal level are staggering. I would read more from this author. He has a good narrative style. I hope the next book in this series carries the same page-turning quality and explores more of the concepts the author introduces through this futuristic setting.