«Synthesis» Eliel Drake: post-apocalyptic cyberpunk from the Ukrainian author

Ukrainian fiction is alive and well and continues to grow. More and more new publishing houses and books are appearing, and one called «HERE» even specializes in young Ukrainian science fiction authors. For example, today we’re going to talk about the post-apocalyptic cyberpunk «Synthesis» by Eliel Drake (pseudonym). This is far from the best science fiction, and even more so, it’s the weakest book I’ve rated since this column has been published on ITC.ua. But this does not mean that it, and the genre as a whole, is not worth paying attention to. Despite the not-so-successful debut, the author and the team have done an incredible job so that I am now writing a review of something that was unrealistic 3-5 years ago — mass Ukrainian fiction in the Ukrainian language in a beautiful design.

«Synthesis»

Author Eliel Drake
Publisher HERE
Language Ukrainian
Number of pages 360
Cover Solid
Year of publication 2024
Size 60×90/16
Website knygarnya.com

In the year 2082, World War III is underway between the West and the East. In addition to the Hypernet, the modern version of the Internet, there is the Synthesis, a kind of advanced AI that is responsible for global security. A new pandemic is also spreading across the planet, killing people fast. Ukrainian Clive is sent to a secret research station somewhere in the North to help find a cure for the pandemic. There he meets a Canadian man named Ray. Both guys do not realize that very soon they will become part of serious events that will directly affect the fate of humanity.

The events in «Synthesis» are narrated by two people: the aforementioned Ukrainian Klaiv and the Canadian Ray. It is a kind of diary that they keep, complementing each other, at a time when the world is literally dying before their eyes. However, the two characters are so similar that if it weren’t for the real name designations, it would be very difficult to guess who is telling their story. The author failed to make the characters three-dimensional and create empathy with them in the reader. Ray and Clive speak alike, think alike, and so on, and only later, when their paths diverge in the story, can we more or less understand who is writing their «diary».

Also, the main characters do not act at all, but this does not mean that nothing happens in the book. On the contrary, something is constantly happening here, someone is in conflict with someone, fighting, etc., but it’s the secondary characters who do it all. And they are the strongest part of the novel. This is the case when you sympathize with the protagonist’s casual acquaintance more than with him. Because here they are not really made as extras to dilute the plot, but as three-dimensional characters with their own story, who, what is very important, constantly want and do something, unlike the main characters.

After a successful plot, the author failed to put the story together, so by the end of the novel, the story looks like a series of ineptly assembled fragments united by the same main characters. Imagine different series in the genres of cyberpunk, post-apocalypse, techno-thriller, and dystopia, from which one or two episodes were taken in an attempt to create a separate TV show. It seems like something is somehow molding itself, but it often doesn’t fit together in terms of internal logic and looks like a terrible twist. I have the same impression of History «Syntheses». There are too many subgenres that pull the blanket over themselves and constantly distract from the story.

I still don’t understand many things: who is connected to whom and how, what kind of alliance is it and what is it fighting for, who are the people, what is Synthesis, why is it so small, what and who wants it, what kind of technology, what kind of vaccine is it and how does it work. Where did it come from, why are the characters constantly treated with condescension, and what is going on here.

After such significant shortcomings, it is worth mentioning some positive aspects. I’ve already mentioned the vivid secondary characters, and now I’d like to note the atmospheric and detailed world, as well as the meticulousness and scrupulousness of its content. It took Elijah Drake 12 years to create the novel in its current form. Therefore, during this time, the author really created a world that you believe. Many things have been thought out here: politics, technological development, the standard of living and its nuances, new materials, phenomena and cultural features, etc. All this is really very well thought out.

However, there is a drawback in this. Because, in my opinion, the author devoted so much time to the world itself that he forgot about the story, and it should be the most important thing. The aforementioned atmospheric world and various explanations of certain processes come out of all the cracks in the plot. It’s a classic exposition, i.e. a story about the world and the location of key characters, and it’s endless. Even in the finale, when only action and a minimum of explanations are needed, the author continues to talk about the world that is literally falling apart through the characters. Explaining various alliances and technologies that will soon be useless to anyone.