REVIEW: Mort(e) by Robert Repino

Mort(e) by Robert Repino
Publishing information: Hardcover; 358pgs
Publisher: Soho Press; 1 Jan 2014
ISBN: 9781616954277
Series: War with No Name #1
Copy: Out of Pocket
Reviewer: Tyson

Amazon

Synopsis: "After the “war with no name” a cat assassin searches for his lost love in Repino’s strange, moving sci-fi epic that channels both Homeward Bound and A Canticle for Lebowitz.

The “war with no name” has begun, with human extinction as its goal. The instigator of this war is the Colony, a race of intelligent ants who, for thousands of years, have been silently building an army that would forever eradicate the destructive, oppressive humans. Under the Colony's watchful eye, this utopia will be free of the humans' penchant for violence, exploitation and religious superstition. As a final step in the war effort, the Colony uses its strange technology to transform the surface animals into high-functioning two-legged beings who rise up to kill their masters.

Former housecat turned war hero, Mort(e) is famous for taking on the most dangerous missions and fighting the dreaded human bio-weapon EMSAH. But the true motivation behind his recklessness is his ongoing search for a pre-transformation friend—a dog named Sheba. When he receives a mysterious message from the dwindling human resistance claiming Sheba is alive, he begins a journey that will take him from the remaining human strongholds to the heart of the Colony, where he will discover the source of EMSAH and the ultimate fate of all of earth's creatures."

It was Author/Editor Jeff VanderMeer that put Mort(e) on my radar as he couldn't help but heap praise for Repino's book. After a little bit of waffling, I ended up picking it up.

The book starts with our household pets being pets and then one day they start to become aware and eventually growing to human stature. We are told that it is due to the ants and their mission to wipe humanity out. While I was okay with the premise at first, I started to quickly dislike it as it became clearer. Even if you suspend your disbelief, it is still way too out there. The idea and motivation just didn't work for me.

Then there is Mort(e) our protagonist. While not a cat lover to begin with, he wasn't the most compelling character and his personality, while curious, just never won me over and I never found a reason to really care for him and his personal quest to find Sheba. I really wanted to like Mort(e) as his first few days where he gained awareness were interesting. However, once he joins up with the war effort the story quickly went down hill for me.

I really wanted to like Mort(e) but before I even hit the 50 page mark of the story I was bored. It took a giant leap of faith to believe the reason behind our house pets becoming six-foot killing machines bend on mankind's destruction. The character of Mort(e) isn't all that likable and for that reason I am not a fan of the book.

Overall 6/10