Micromium by David Gittlin ~ A Review

by Donna Huber

I was considering Micromium: Clean Energy from Mars for the post-apocalyptic book club I attend, but after reading it I don't think it would be a good fit as it is more science fiction than dystopia.
Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

February 2018; Entelligent Entertainment
978-0988263543; ebook, print (258 pages)
science fiction

In the near future, the pressure to move away from fossil fuel use has mounted as the issue of climate change can no longer be ignored. A unique mineral discovered on Mars is seen as the clean energy source to save Earth. However, not all is as it seems.

The story opens with geologists and a businessman trying to discover a stable way to produce energy from a mineral found on Mars. Then the story jumps to a full-fledged mining operation on Mars that is being audited. I'm not sure if the investigation is a solely a response to the recent death of two members of the mining operation or if the deaths were just the final straw to a closely guarded corporate operation.

I'm kind of ambivalent about Micromium. It was neither a great story nor a terrible story - it was just okay. It had a lot of promise, but I felt that the plot, characters, even the descriptions were very superficial. It could have been a much richer, more layered story. This is another reason for nixing it as a possible book club read. I don't think there was enough meat to lend itself to a good discussion.

I wonder if it was written more for the male audience. From what I can tell, there are only 2 female humans. They are little more than peripheral characters, almost as if they are ornaments. I almost forgot one existed, even though she is apart of the audit team she didn't have much of a role. And while their intelligence is mentioned, I thought the amount of description given to their physical appearance was a bit disproportionate to other descriptions.

To be fair, there is a good deal of the story focused on Kate and her role as a scientist. But I still didn't feel like she was an equal, as a character or a member of the team. While the story isn't set too far into the future, I would have thought there would be a bit more gender equality. I was taken aback by the comment that Kate's mother makes about wanting Kate to have a more female appropriate career. Particularly given the emphasis today of women in the sciences. I didn't feel the comment rang true for today, let alone in 2+ decades

I liked the aliens the best, which also consisted of two females. However, these female characters were much stronger characters. They didn't need a man to protect them - physically nor emotionally.

It is billed as an illustrated novella. Obviously, I didn't count the number of words, but it felt as long as many novels I read. And if it is truly short word count wise for the science fiction genre, then richer descriptions, a bit more action to add real tension to the plot, and a deeper look into the characters to make them more three dimensional would have fleshed out the story and may have made it a more enjoyable read. As far as the illustrations, they were nicely done but they didn't add anything to the story for me. Though the first illustration is what planted the seed that the intended audience is male. Kate looked more like a Barbie doll than a real woman.

Overall for me, Micromium was a miss, but for the right audience, it could be a great book.

Buy Micromium at Amazon

Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour. 

Get even more book news in your inbox, sign up today! Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small commission is earned when purchases are made at Amazon using any Amazon links on this site. Thank you for supporting Girl Who Reads.