This review is part of Melody’s Summer Reading: Diversity Spotlight. Enjoy!
A Cost-Benefit Analysis of the Proposed Trade-Offs for the Overhaul of the Barricade by John Chu
Release Date: July 30, 2014
Publisher: Tor.com
Genre: Science Fiction, Short Story
Source: Read Online
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Generation after generation, engineers have maintained the barricade, a shield that protects civilization against Turbulence, this strange force that destroys both minds and machines. As Turbulence grows ever more intense and the barricade begins to fail, can Ritter live up to the demands of his father, an engineer the equal of any hero in the Five Great Classical Novels, as they struggle to prevent this civilization from falling like every civilization has before it?
What a really solid, thought provoking story! While I didn’t fall in love with the writing style, I found the story of A Cost-Benefit Analysis of the Proposed Trade-Offs for the Overhaul of the Barricade to be creative, exciting, and emotionally gripping, even at times, humorous. I loved following Ritter on the job, a job that everyone answers to his father on. The strained relationship between father and son was portrayed so well and I loved the complexity and authenticity of it all. I loved that his father really, truly wants what’s best for him and not just wants what’s best for the family image. There’s a goal at hand for this generation to survive and in that, his father is determined. Of course, there is pushback and nobody wants to be told what to do or have their life planned out for them no matter the greatest of intentions.
This is a story about Ritter keeping destruction out of his community but also keeping himself from destructing and the relationship he has with his father is just the beginning of what there is to unpack here in the midst of it all. What a fascinating story about barriers, physical and mental that keep us in place. It’s about the truth and the lies we tell ourselves that keep us limited. The expectations of others and unrealistic expectations from ourselves. And the sacrifices we make for the people we love, even at the end of the world. The trade offs we make for a better world, even if it means putting the people we love in the middle. This story is about so many things and while at times, the writing was a bit too dull for me and at times confusing, I really do appreciate the themes tackled here and would recommend this for anyone who liked the concept behind The Archived by Victoria Schwab because I got some Archived vibes while reading this and that’s always a good thing.
Favorite Line:
“Deck, how alike are minds and libraries? You repair minds the way you repair shelves and restore books, right?”
A Cost-Benefit Analysis of the Proposed Trade-Offs for the Overhaul of the Barricade by John Chu is available today.