The first book in the Comet Cycle trilogy

IT BEGAN WITH A COMET…

At first, people gazed in wonder at the radiant tear in the sky. A year later, the celestial marvel became a planetary crisis when Earth spun through the comet’s debris field and the sky rained fire.

The town of Northfall, Minnesota will never be the same. Meteors cratered hardwood forests and annihilated homes, and among the wreckage a new metal was discovered. This “omnimetal” has properties that make it world-changing as an energy source… and a weapon.

John Frontier — the troubled scion of an iron-ore dynasty in Northfall — returns for his sister’s wedding to find his family embroiled in a cutthroat war to control mineral rights and mining operations. His father rightly suspects foreign leaders and competing corporations of sabotage, but the greatest threat to his legacy might be the US government. Physicist Victoria Lennon was recruited by the Department of Defense to research omnimetal, but she finds herself trapped in a laboratory of nightmares. And across town, a rookie cop is investigating a murder that puts her own life in the crosshairs. She will have to compromise her moral code to bring justice to this now lawless community.

I read Benjamin Percy’s The Ninth Metal little while ago, but somehow completely forgot to write a review! It’s the first novel in his Comet Cycle trilogy, and it’s quite the start, too: it’s the story of a devastating natural calamity, and its impact on the inhabitants of Northfall. Coupled with greed, small-town and national politics, this makes for a very intriguing start. I very much enjoyed this.

I’ve been a fan of Percy’s since I read an early copy of Red Moon — he’s been a must-read author ever since. The Ninth Metal offers much of what fans have come to expect from Percy: great characters, an intriguing and engaging plot, some tantalizing mysteries, all told in excellent prose. Woven into the narrative are moments of humanity’s best and worst tendencies and impulses, making for a substantial and satisfying read.

While there are many who have swooped in on Northfall to exploit the catastrophe and the strange new metal that was deposited all over the area following the comet-fall, there are nevertheless plenty of residents who are just trying to get by and help out others wherever and whenever they can. With the US government and military’s gaze firmly on the town, though, things have the potential to change dramatically.

At the centre is the Frontier family, who have risen to the top of the heap. The aging patriarch of the family has mandated a no-weapons policy for their expansive industrial portfolio, which has generated some resentments — from the US military, but also within the family. (Some of these rich people have… issues.) The family’s internal politics will have a profound impact on the people of Northfall, as well as the possibilities for further exploiting the omnimetal. John is the primary perspective from that family, and he’s a great guide to the town and its residents. He’s been away for a while, in the military, and returning to the town he has come to resent and wants to avoid.

The story is also told from a number of other varied perspectives, giving readers a wide-ranging picture and impression of the community and the various “factions” trying to make it (or just survive) in Northfall. Percy offers a nuanced and often generous portrait of small-town life in the shadow of voracious corporations and outside interests — the latter of which are almost all determined to exploit the town for every last cent they can. Government scientist Victoria Lennon’s storyline is another stand-out, and I’m very much looking forward to seeing how her story — and that of her… ward — unfolds.

This is just the first book in the series, so much of the story is set-up for the larger events to come. However, Percy does a great job of giving us a plot to keep us gripped and engaged — this isn’t just world-building and intro stuff. For example, the murder investigation mentioned in the synopsis was excellently written and paced, and in conjunction with the other threads, makes for a very satisfying read. By the end of The Ninth Metal, Percy has maneuvered his primary actors nicely for what promises to be an excellent and epic trilogy (the final two books are also out now). I hope to get caught up as soon as I can.

Definitely recommended.

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Benjamin Percy’s The Ninth Metal is out now, published by William Morrow in North America and Hodderscape in the UK.

Also on CR: Interview with Benjamin Percy (2013); Reviews of Red Moon, The Dead Lands, and Thrill Me

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Review copy received via NetGalley