SciFi/Fantasy Novella Review: The Million by Karl Schroeder

The Million by Karl Schroeder

The Million is a Science Fiction novella set in the same universe as Schroeder's 2014 novel "Lockstep," although as far as I can tell it has no direct connection to that novel.  I haven't read the novel (or had even heard of it prior to hearing of this novella) and had no problem understanding enjoying The Million or its main premise.

That premise?  That for all but one month every thirty years, most of humanity on Earth - over 30 billion people - lie dormant in hibernation, in the "Lockstep".  During the other 359 months of every 30 years, the planet is cared for by "The Million"one million people - no fewer, no more - chosen to living on the planet in luxury, ruling and caring for it.  That premise gives rise to a really interesting novella and I hope it is not the last novella in this world, although if it is, it's still a very satisfying novella that I would recommend.

Plot Summary:  Gavin Penn-of-Chafee doesn't just have a secret- he is a secret, an unauthorized person living on Earth supposed to be in the "Lockstep" - in hibernation for all but one month every thirty years.  Instead he lives with his brother and father who are part of The Million caring for the planet, hidden from the outside world who would see him put back into Hibernation.  But when Gavin's father is killed and his brother framed by an attack of the "auditors" - the people meant to enforce the rules that ensure only a million people live on the world - Gavin finds himself having to take on a dead man's identity in order to infiltrate the auditors in order to save his brother.  But having no experience in the world beyond his family's manor, can he really find out what's going on without betraying his true identity?

Thoughts:  The Million takes an interesting premise - the treaty between the Million and the Lockstep and makes a really interesting thriller out of it, led by its two strong main characters:  Gavin, who simply at first wants to try and save his brother at any cost while desperately trying to stay hidden (often badly - he's helped by how unthinkable his actions are) - and Elana, a member of the Hundred (the most prestigious families of The Million) who joins Gavin in auditor training with the idea of trying to reform the organization for justice, and finds more than she bargained for.  The novella teases a cat and mouse game between the two with a romance involved, but goes in a different direction, one that uses its premise to set up a thought-provoking resolution, which can either set up sequels or wrap this one up tightly.  The very concept of this setting might seem a little far-fetched to a reader, but the book makes it work and the resolution plays on that incredibility in a really interesting way.

Definitely recommended and I am trying to get hold of the novel soon, so I can read more in this world.