Overthrowing Heaven

By Mark L. Van Name
Baen Books, $25.00, 416 pages

When I initially received Overthrowing Heaven, I couldn’t help but scoff; the cover, featuring clichéd sci-fi illustrations straight out of the mid-1980s, as well as a flying dragon, has to be one of the most ridiculous and unimpressive things I have ever seen. That said, I was surprised by the quality of the engaging writing, albeit a bit too eager to impress.

The novel tells the story of Jon Moore, apparently a recurring character in Van Name’s books-a nanobot-infused man of the future whose past has required him to lead a life of virtual isolation and utmost secrecy; for the nanobots that fill his body have resulted in incredible longevity, and the cruel experiments that resulted in his strength and longevity, along with the line of military work that he has performed, have resulted in a lack of trust for humanity. His only friend is his human-like spaceship Lobo.

Things change, however, when Moore agrees to transport a woman on the run to another world…or so he thinks. As it turns out, the truth of the situation is much more sordid, much more dire. Broaching issues from human research to government corruption, Overthrowing Heaven, while sometimes reading like the fantasy of an unpopular and physically weak adolescent, is intriguing and should satiate sci-fi fans looking for an unchallenging and fun read.

Reviewed by Ashley McCall