Terraforming – the megascale-engineering of a planet’s surface to one more Earth-like – is now commonplace across the Solar System, and Pluto’s is set to be the most ambitious transformation yet. Four billion miles from the Sun and two hundred degrees below zero, what this worldlet needs is light and heat. Through captured asteroids and solar mirrors, humanity’s finest scientists and engineers are set to deliver them.
What nobody factored in was a saboteur – but who, and why?
From the start, terraformer Lucian is intrigued by nine-year-old Nou, silent since a horrifying incident that shook the base and upended her family into chaos. If he could reach her, perhaps he could understand what happened that day – and what she knows about the secrets of Pluto.
Plutoshine is a novel that I was intrigued by when it was first released in 2022, and I eventually picked up a copy late last year. While novels about terraforming aren’t uncommon, I was intrigued by the Plutonian setting – a unique choice, as far as I’m aware – and as a nuclear scientist with a PhD in planetary chemistry, Dr Lucy Kissick certainly has the credentials to give an authentic view on the topic.
The novel focusses predominantly on two individuals with a wonderful supporting cast of characters. Nou was born on Pluto, but despite being approximately 10 (Earth) years old, doesn’t talk when we first meet her, having been rendered mute following an incident that is gradually revealed to the reader. She is an incredibly sympathetic character, and seems to have no one who really cares for her. Her father lies in a comatose state – the result of the same incident that has caused Nou’s silence – and her older brother by some 20 or so (Earth) years is cold and detached, unapproachable and dismissive of Nou. It’s clear that the two used to be close, and I was desperate to know what had come between them and how he could turn his back on an adorable young girl who really just seems like she needs a hug throughout the novel.
Enter Lucian Merriweather. Lucian is part of a team of terraformers who arrive to improve the living conditions for those based on Pluto, although their plans will take years to come to fruition. Lucian takes an immediate interest in Nou, and becomes a surrogate big brother, all but replacing the one who has seemingly abandoned her. Lucian gradually earns Nou’s trust, and teaches her sign language, giving her a non-verbal means to communicate with those around her. I have to admit that Lucian seems a little too good to be true. Kind, caring, intelligent, he’s a scientist and musician, and becomes a teacher and pseudo-guardian to Nou. He’s exactly what she needs at that time in her life, but perhaps seemed a little too good for the cynic in me to fully accept.
I did find the novel to be a little bit of a struggle at first – the first quarter or so is a little slow paced and frustrating. While Kissick certainly has the knowledge to write authentically, I found – and possibly for that same reason – that I didn’t fully understand the science behind the terraformer’s plans to increase the amount of sunlight on Pluto through the use of asteroids and solar mirrors. I got the gist of it, but in the end chose not to worry about the technical detail behind it, finding the characters and their respective dramas more engaging. The pace does pick up after the initial scene-setting, particularly as the first phase of the terraformer’s plans is sabotaged. By whom and for what reason isn’t immediately apparent, introducing an element of mystery and excitement to the novel as things get a little hairy.
There is also an underlying note to the narrative that questions the wisdom of attempting to colonise and make other planets habitable at all and which I read in the context of those who use their vast wealth to launch themselves into space, although in the novel it’s raised in the context of the potential impact on extra-terrestrial (microscopic) lifeforms. This balances nicely with the plot without overwhelming or distracting from it, and essentially questions whether we’d better taking our skills, knowledge, and science (and obscene wealth in some cases) and directing them at improving the planet we have rather than heading elsewhere and potentially repeating the same mistakes again. Food for thought.
After a bit of a slow start for me personally, I found myself thoroughly enjoying Plutoshine once the initial scene was set and the characters established, although I found the more human aspects to be of more interest than the science behind the more technical elements. I loved the gradual reveal of the incident that rendered Nou mute and that seemed to cause Nou’s brother to distance himself from her, and couldn’t wait for that mystery – alongside the question of who the saboteur(s) were – to be revealed. Recommended for those who enjoy science fiction with a strong character focus.
Jo's Book Blog 
Sounds interesting but also slow that might make me hesitate to pick this up.
I understand that. It’s an interesting novel and worth a read, but I did struggle a little at first. That may just be me, but I’ve got to be honest in my review that that was my experience.