Ten Sigma: Boldly Literal Military SciFi
Here we are with another review! I’m slowly making my way through my massive early 2020 list (I expect Ada Palmer’s Too Like the Lightning to be next).
Ten Sigma: A Military Science Fiction Novel by A. W. Wang, tells an intriguing story based on a simple premise at its core. It asks: “What if the military could train supersoldiers by putting human minds through a virtual gauntlet of thousands of battles inside a super-computer?”
Science fiction is designed, as a genre, to ask questions like this one. Consider a real (or hypothetical) technology, and explore human interaction/reaction to it. In Ten Sigma, Wang identifies a compelling SciFi idea, crafts a character and story to fit the mold, and focuses the narrative for over 400 pages.
At this point in the review, I should provide Content Warnings. Not for the review, but for Wang’s book. The story includes intense violence and sexual content, including sexual violence. So if the question posed intrigues you, be prepared to deal with some particularly visceral scenes.
So let’s talk about Brin, the central character of Ten Sigma. Thrust into a virtual world in an effort to escape pain—in an effort to give her family a better life—she must navigate a world where the goal is to become the best. A Ten Sigma. Moving up the ranks, fighting battles, that’s the only choice anyone has.
But not everyone in the virtual world has the same goals. She wants to find a way out to reach her family again. Others revel in the violence.
I don’t want to spoil too much of the book, but here’s what I’ll say overall before moving on to my scores. Ten Sigma is a brutal story. It’s raw. And it’s long. For my tastes, maybe a tad too long, but I understand the need for length in a tale like this. Brin’s journey isn’t supposed to be easy, so if the story started and ended in 200 pages, the stakes wouldn’t feel real. For 400 pages, the narrative drags Brin through these fights and scenarios, ensuring the reader understands, almost painfully so, how gruesome and harrowing her situation truly is.
Here’s the real highlight of Ten Sigma.
The words. The writing. The prose.
Wang has a talent for close-first-person-present-tense. I loved it. You’re in Brin’s head the whole time, and the words flowed on the page naturally and cohesively. The writing flows with the length of the book—readers will feel the pain of Brin stuck in this world for what feels like forever because you’re always in her head.
On to the scores!
Writing: 9/10. Loved it. As an editor, this is the type of writing a crave to see!
Plot: 7/10. I loved the core SciFi question, but I didn’t particularly enjoy how it pushed the question toward sexual violence.
Setting: 7/10. The virtual world as a place for military training is cool!
Characters. 8/10. In addition to Brin, a few really awesome characters stand out, and you’ll get attached to them quickly. Be wary—being attached to a character in Ten Sigma is dangerous.
Overall: 7.75/10. Four stars! I highly recommend for anyone looking for an AI/Virtual World/Military SciFi Thriller!