The novel “Light” by M. John Harrison was published for the first time in 2002. It won the James Tiptree, Jr. Award and the Finnish Tähtivaeltaja Award. It’s the first book in the Kefahuchi Tract sequence.

In 1999 , Michael Kearney is going to achieve a considerable advancement in the field of quantum physics with his colleague Brian Tate but is haunted by a kind of spectrum he calls Shrander. He’s convinced that this creature wants him to kill someone periodically, what does all this have to do with the Kefahuchi Tract, a strange cosmic disturbance recently discovered?

In 2400, Seria Mau Genlicher is a K-ship pilot. This means that she’s become part of the starship through surgery and various implants. She stole her spaceship and has become a freelance killer. A job the brings her to face the mysteries of the Kefahuchi Tract.

Ed Chianese is a former space pilot who looks for excitement seeking technological artifacts left by ancient races that have ventured close near the Kefahuchi Tract. He has a sort of addiction to virtual reality and owes money to the Cray sisters, two criminals he’s fleeing from.

“Light” is split into three subplots with three different protagonists, one set in 1999 and two in 2400. The presence of many references to quantum physics and the fact that the subplot set at the end of 20th century has as its protagonist a scientist whose discoveries have enormous importance in the future may suggest that the novel is similar to Stephen Baxter’s “Timelike Infinity“. Soon, however, the reader can clearly see that it’s very different and that the elements of hard science fiction are not paramount.

In telling the Michael Kearney’s story, M. John Harrison doesn’t seem interested in his scientific research. On the contrary, he seems more interested in the ordinary life of this character, including the sexual one. However, it doesn’t take long to realize that ordinary moments of his life are mixed with other definitely abnormal.

Michael Kearney keeps on have a relationship with his ex-wife Anna, even after their divorce. It’s a sick relationship and their sexual liaison is more frustrating than satisfying. The two of them seem stuck in a negative situation and fail to really break up and move on.

As if that weren’t enough, Michael Kearney is a murderer. For many years, he’s been haunted by a mysterious creature he calls Shrander and thinks that it wants him to kill someone. The Shrander is somehow tied to the Kefahuchi Tract, the mysterious cosmic disturbance that has influenced many alien civilizations for an incredibly long time and will influence human civilization in the future.

The protagonists of the two subplots set in 2400 also have mental problems of various kinds, very different but with some similarities to those of Michael Kearney because for all the three of them there is a rift between their real lives and their mental perception of what they expect, what they want and what they need in life.

In the case of Ed Chianese, this rift is explicit in the sense that this character seeks refuge in virtual reality to try to find what he doesn’t have in his physical life. In the case of Seria Mau Genlicher, the problem is that when she was a young girl she became a K-ship pilot and for this reason she’s been turned into a cyborg, more machine than human directly interfaced with the starship. After years of that life, she wants to go back but that’s impossible.

Despite the hard science fiction elements, “Light” is a character-based novel. M. John Harrison digs into the psychology through flashbacks, fantasies, hallucinations and assorted thoughts of the protagonists. Also because of their psychological state, the story ends up being chaotic and not always easy to follow.

Honestly, sometimes the story is composed of hallucinatory ravings and may give the impression of being fragmentary and inconclusive. This novel may seem more style than substance, also for the many references to popular culture. Many chapter titles are titled after rock songs and albums, there are references to Alfred Bester’s novel “The Stars My Destination” and others to the TV show “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, including the name of Seria Mau Genlicher that echoes that of the show’s star, Sarah Michelle Gellar.

This mix of such heterogeneous elements is in some ways the strength but for others the weakness of the “Light”. M. John Harrison mixes quantum physics and sexuality, along with many other elements ranging from space opera to cyberpunk and genetic engineering, in a brilliant way and in the end you can also see the connections among the various subplots. Probably, this is the kind of novel that gives an even better impression at the second reading, which provides insight into some details included here and there.

However, “Light” also has a number of problems. First of all, it’s really hard to feel sympathy for the protagonists. The consequence is that it can be really hard to follow their stories with interest. The moments that should be dramatic may be dull because in the end they’re mostly victims of their personal obsessions so it can be hard to feel for them. Sometimes there are objective reasons for their situation but it’s partly their fault that they have ended up so bad.

“Light” is the first novel in a series connected to the Kefahuchi Tract, however, the story has a conclusion. That means that you can read it and only then decide of to go ahead with the other novels in the series.

Because of its characteristics, “Light” is a highly controversial novel and the opinions about it are even more fragmented than the story! Personally, I think it has more merits than flaws but because of its unique characteristics it’s difficult to recommend it. If you like mixes of genres and subgenres and you have no problems to dip into the darkest depths of the human mind it might be right for you.