Chaos from the Cosmos by Pal A. Hvistendahl A tenuous battleground in orbit

Uneducated Jackie Jill knows how to play the game, and how to play it well. The previous period of American politics had been dominated by populism—to the economic detriment of millions, as well as damaging the nation’s hegemonic status on the global stage.

Her swift ascension into power progresses faster than anyone could’ve predicted. She soon assumes the role of a decisive player, dealing in matters concerning the largest and least predictable operational domain: cislunar space. Where the rules of engagement lay unwritten, and malicious disturbances result in disastrous consequences to every person living down below.

The fragility of the systems on which humanity has grown overly dependent is brought into stark focus. One geopolitical event could be all it would take to reverse decades of technological evolution.

Looming in the background lies the mounting tension between man and machine, biding its time until Artificial Intelligence is capable of usurping control over the cyber domain, influencing tangible outcomes with the same authority as a red-blooded human being would.

Spoiler-Free Plot

Political popularity can be achieved by following a simple formula: charisma, cunning, and active listening can project a nobody into the heights of global diplomacy.

Jackie Jill is a testament to the effectiveness of this method. She is often underestimated, thanks to her modest background, her appearance, and her appointment as the head of the National Space Council is a reflection of others’ perceptions of her capabilities—viewing her as a hindrance in matters of importance so a relegation to a realm of lesser value would help keep brash and loud Jackie Jill from meddling in “real business”. Unlikely allies bolster her performance, boosting her upward trajectory.

There is room enough for one more leap up the rung of a ladder, and Jackie Jill is determined to seize it by wielding the circumstance into her advantage.

Patrick Bradford, a promising president-elect, sets the wheels of unprecedented, non-terrestrial action in motion. Historical context is the flaming beacon he has chosen to light the way out of the darkness of the past towards a brighter future. Jackie Jill is nothing more than a pawn on his chessboard. As are the heads of state across the world, of allied nations and sworn enemies alike. The intricate web he has positioned himself at the center of should hold until he gets exactly what he hoped for.

Dramas beyond the heavens are not a priority in the grand scheme of his abstractions. Especially not when the threads he laid out so carefully trap their prey, exactly as intended. He would leave those space things to silly Jackie Jill. There are more important things at hand, right here on solid ground.

My Take on Chaos from the Cosmos

Within the genre of science fiction, you rarely ever experience an author filling in the empty space on the timeline. As far as space stories are concerned, they often detail a far-flung existence, both in time and distance, including fantastical elements that are merely conceptual in the present.

Chaos from the Cosmos is different. Using the knowledge we currently have, and maybe with the minor tweaking made possible through the allocation of funding required to drive scientific breakthroughs, we are not very far off from the contents of this story becoming a reality. That is what makes Hvistendahl’s writing feel so poignant.

Our investment in the story is heightened because it feels like the sequence of events—written so vividly— is waiting for us, just around the corner from where we are today.

It is always important to create primary characters with depth; that much should be a given, a reasonable expectation to hold every author to. As we all know, secondary and tertiary characters exist to add to the richness of the narrative, mainly established by the lead personalities.

The supplementary figures in this book do not fade into the background at all. The likes of Jintao and Arne and their snippets of chapters contained moments my mind harkened back to whenever the consequences or implications of their actions reflected onto the situation the main characters were tasked with making sense of.

All it took was a few, short pages to spark intrigue in characters who would only stick around for a brief moment. I enjoyed the fact that none of the main characters ever interacted with or mentioned these tertiary characters. It is very reminiscent of life, really. How a single person is capable of creating an outcome so magnitudinous, yet remains in near total obscurity.

This being the first installment in a series frustrates and excites me in equal measure—I will wait for the second, albeit impatiently, but I am thrilled that a sequel is sure to come!

Chaos from the Cosmos is an illuminating read on an emergent frontier that most rarely lends critical thought to. You simply cannot pull your eyes away from this literary omen of our near future, suspended in zero gravity.

Age Rating

14 years and above

Content Warnings

Foul Language, Mild Sexual Themes.

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