With the increased frequency of potentially cataclysmic global warming predictions for the future of planet Earth there could be no more pertinent time for a novel like GREEN CORROSION. Author Costi Gurgu’s speculative sci-fi has its roots in a dystopian world forever ruined by society’s abject treatment of the environment. After the catastrophic Black Rain, everything liquid and water-based on the planet has become gelatinous. There are only a few preserved water sources buried deep underground, fed by subterranean rivers and lakes. Any groups with access to these keeps their location a secret as water is now precious and there is not enough to go around. Those unlucky enough to not have access to fresh water are forced to survive on gelled water, a substance so corrosive that it eventually eats at the flesh turning it green and rotten. As Gurgu writes, “Some tried to keep their bodies clean of the verdigris, but they ended up corroded skeletons, their flesh consumed faster than metal rusted.” Of course, the rich have access to a treatment that counters some, if not all, of the corrosive effects but this is out of reach to the masses. Geo Woodman is the leader of a clan who have access to their own hidden fresh water supply. Their city of Torono is ruled over by Prince Boris in his golden tower, aloof and corrupt, protected by his elite guard of Luna Warriors. Woodman’s people are predicting another Black Rain and he reaches out to the ruling elite to work on a way to avoid the coming disaster. The rulers see only an opportunity to further exploit Woodman and his people. Woodman must find a way to fight back.

GREEN CORROSION is a very well written eco-thriller which, though set many years into the future, resonates with issues that feel very contemporary. The protagonist is cleverly drawn, an honest, brave everyman pitched against corruption and exploitation. The villains, of which there are a few, are sinister but stand as more than mere cardboard cut-out enemies. Their actions, however loathsome, are somewhat explained by their twisted views. It’s a carefully constructed world that at times is savage and unpredictable though always retains an echo of an earlier society and structure that is now in ruins.
Around this clearly plotted, though quite traditional, plucky underdog story, Gurgu crafts some fine classic sci-fi scenes with monsters like the Night Hunter with its head “the size of a locomotive” or the Nightmares, whose mere touch could leave a person’s skin red and blistering “as if their flesh was boiling.” Contrary to many writers who are world building what may become the setting for a series of novels, Gurgu never allows the pacing to become bogged down by detail and extraneous expositionary dialogue. GREEN CORROSION is always entertaining and engaging.

Full of fresh ideas and dynamic action sequences, Costi Gurgu has created a fine, detailed eco-based sci-fi thriller in GREEN CORROSION, with heroes and villains who walk a bleak landscape that serve as a stark warning for the future of planet Earth.

~Kent Lane for IndieReader