Three people linked through time. A tale of human destruction across 200 years. This is the frame upon which Down in the Sea of Angels is woven. One strand opens on the eve of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, another in 2006, during the dot.com. The final strand takes place in 2106, after a climate crisis has ravaged the world. Each strand is linked by a jade teacup brought to San Francisco by Chinese immigrants, but what else joins these three stories through time?
What Is Down in the Sea of Angels?
The book deals with some difficult issues. The 1906 protagonist, Li Nuan, has been trafficked to the US to serve in a Chinese brothel. In 2006, Nathan realizes that the company he works uses raw materials obtained by child labour. In the future, we see a better world being created out of the ashes of climate disaster, nevertheless, Maida Sun faces prejudice on account of her very existence.
A celestial event that occurs in 2072 has given rise to “Psions;” people who can use their minds to do all manner of things. Telekenesis, telapathy, and in Maida’s case, psychometry – the ability to see the history of objects by touching them.
While most people accept the psions, there are, inevitably, those who see them as “other.” One such person, a political leader, attempts to whip up a fervor against them, hoping to use the split between psions and non-psions to cement his power.
Why Read Down in the Sea of Angels?
It’s a sign of the strength of Down in the Sea of Angels that, when reading, I didn’t prefer one narrative strand to the other. I wasn’t hankering to return to another thread, because each one is as compelling as the others.
The meat of the story takes place in the future and has a feel of the X-Men. The psions are the mistrusted mutants, and some humans without powers fear them. This section has some great set pieces and engaging science fiction shenanigans.
The middle story in the book channels Cory Doctorow. There’s a trip to Burning Man and a counter-cultural movement that rails against big tech. The section set in 1906 is the most moving. Li Nuan, an indentured prostitute, is alone in a scary world. Author Khan Wong, draws on the real events and people in San Francisco from that time, to great effect.
So we have three good stories, but how do they interact? I don’t want to spoil too much, but the connections between the narratives bind them tight. Together, they are even stronger. Down in the Sea of Angels becomes a subtle examination of history, seeds sown, and the nature of unexpected consequences. It’s a book that stresses the importance of remembering the past. Down in the Sea of Angels asks us to consider our shared culture and reminds us that events in the present are often informed by forgotten decisions and events from long ago.
A manipulative political figure, distorting the truth for their own gains, will chime hard with modern readers, as will the book’s overarching theme that history resonates through the future. It’s hard not to read Down in the Sea of Angels without one eye on current political times. Khan Wong deftly examines the perils of failing to understand that the here and now, should not be considered in isolation from the events that lead up to it.
Down in the Sea of Angels is many things. It’s a meditation on the importance of looking after the Earth and looking out for those around us. It knows that life is complicated, and that “we have far more in common than that which divides us.” – This is one of my favorite themes in speculative fiction, which is probably why I enjoyed this book so much.
The book is filled with warm characters who make tough choices, drawing on reserves of inner strength and the friends around them. Down on the Sea of Angels is a gentle science fiction tale with a warm core, a vital message, and is well worth reading.
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I received a copy of this book in order to write this review.
