Humanity’s future lies in space. Unfortunately, that future is dominated by a multinational enterprise with its own cavalcade of indentured female servants, called ‘loxies’.
In his science fiction adventure novel, Space Race I: Solar Flare, writer Del Herring spells out a wonderfully graphic and dystopian future of servility ruled by an autocratic corporation.
These disadvantaged loxies are treated as poorly as humanity has seen anywhere on Earth. The corporation recruits them for their small size and low oxygen requirements to be the brains behind the machines that do the heavy lifting.
Because of their overexposure to low gravity, the loxies are physically weak, and are thus capable of being subjugated into hard labor and blind obedience.
The loxies are contract-bound by their ancestors to work in dangerous conditions off-planet. By paying off their bonds, the loxies can retire on Earth. Unfortunately, no one loxie has ever been able to pay off her bond.
Vendi, the story’s protagonist, is an overconfident loxie laboring around a moon base. While her wit and tenacity obviously surpasses her colleagues’, she is still subject to severe mistreatment and distrust from her superiors. Through staunch perseverance, could Vendi be the first loxie to pay off her debt and return to Earth?
What happens when the oppression of the meek that has persisted throughout history collides with another unrelenting characteristic of humanity: Hope?
This book dives into the future of civil engineering and asks the questions; who is human? Who is humane?
Herring has an intricate and creative storytelling process, with well-developed characters and imagery, unfolded in a beautifully eccentric space race for equality.
You can follow Chandler on Twitter @Maletero37.
