Interstellar Encounter: The Gates of Yoffa by J. Brandon Barnes

cover of The Gates of Yoffa by J. Brandon Barnes

The Gates of Yoffa by J. Brandon Barnes is a unique science fiction novel, bringing together a setting in the future with philosophical and theological explorations and musings by the characters. The setting on the planet that Barnes has built is well done, with its own cultures, politics, philosophies, and religions. This is no flat world: it is complex and believable.

A MISSION UNLIKE ANY OTHER.

WHAT THEY FOUND WAS BEYOND BELIEF.

John Lewis is a computer scientist recruited for a covert mission in the deepest regions of space.

When he makes a seemingly critical error during a test flight, the operation’s only orbiter crashes on a lush, highly classified planet. This leaves John, his boss Dirk, and exobiologist Ruth stranded, with few supplies and little chance of rescue.

Their best hope for escape is a lost landing craft that detached during their descent. To find it, they must search an unknown world while infiltrating the first extraterrestrial society human beings have ever encountered.

But this isn’t their greatest challenge. It’s something else. Something far more profound. Revealed through the aliens’ storytelling culture is a secret that could destabilize Earth and civilization as we know it.

And that secret is about to be exposed.
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World-Building and Setting:

Barnes creation of the foreign planet is well done. The culture is a couple of hundred years behind Earth’s, and Barnes does an excellent job of portraying the multifaceted world, with attention to detail that creates a vivid and immersive setting that makes it quite believable. The various political and religious factions are well done, and we can sympathize because it is similar to earth.

Characters and Development:

Told in the first person, the protagonist is John, a computer scientist, who is stranded with his superior, Dirk, the engineer who designed and planned the mission, and Ruth, an exobiologist.

The characters are believable, although they are not as distinct as I would have liked. They tend to talk and act similarly, but with enough delineation that I didn’t notice it until about halfway through. Most of their differences come from their actions and what is important to them: John thinks the mission failure was his fault, Dirk is headstrong and stubborn, and Ruth is more cautious and sympathetic to others. There is not a lot of character growth, but rather there is a growth of understanding and compassion. A fourth major character is a native of the planet, naïve and kind, but rather unremarkable.

I would like to have seen more depth from the other characters, which there are many who come and go. They are either friendly and kind to the aliens on their planet, or evil and want them captured or dead. Some growth among some of these or some ambiguity would have been nice. Still, these are minor issues, and does not distract from our connection to the main characters.

Plot and Pacing:

The plot flows well, and drives the story forward, making the reader want to find out what is going to happen. There are enough twists and turns throughout to make it interesting. The pacing can be uneven at times, moving from high action to longer philosophical and theological discussions between the characters or in John’s mind. Most of these slower passages are fine and serve the purposes of the novel, but I felt like some of them went on a bit long. Likewise, some events and interactions with the culture in the planet seemed unnecessary, although it could be argued that they contribute to the “look and feel” of the world, and that it certainly does. After all, a novel needs to move between fast-paced and more reflective sections, a flowing narrative that doesn’t exhaust or bore the reader. I did not find myself bored at all, merely wishing that the narrative wouldn’t move along to the next scene a little quicker. This could simply be my preference, and not a true critique.

The love interest, a minor subplot, is a nice touch, although for me, some of it was a bit like a high school romance. And yet maybe that’s the way many of us are, even in adulthood. After all, new love interests can make us a bit giddy.

Themes and Philosophical Musings:

The unique things about this novel, for me, were the underlying themes of philosophy and religion. Barnes is tackling issues of how an alien species and humans could interact. What would the differences and how they thought, how they viewed the world, and especially their philosophies and theology of life. The concept of religion is a theme throughout the book, but very subtle, never black-and-white, and handled with respect without untoward rancor— except between religious factions themselves. Quite believable. The protagonist, John, is not a religious person, and neither is Dirk. Ruth is religious, but her faith underlies her character and is not painted on her forehead as a challenge.

I would rather not give away the reveal of these themes, although one cannot say that there was a definite “answer” to the questions raised. Suffice to say that Barnes, through his entertaining and enjoyable narrative, also explores a concept that people of faith have posed since the enlightenment and scientific age. Kudos to Barnes for dressing the concept in a fair and interesting way, in an entertaining narrative that can can stand on its own.

Writing Style:

Barnes’ writing style is accessible, easy to read, and flows well. His prose is descriptive without usually being overwrought, serving well the immersive world-building and storytelling. Being a fan of languages, I enjoyed the discovery and understanding of the fictional language created by Barnes. (Although John’s learning a language well enough to communicate how he does in a week is a bit unbelievable, fiction is allowed to take such liberties in the service of the story, and it does not distract from the narrative. I may only have noticed it because I have learned several languages throughout my life.)

Conclusion:

The Gates of Yoffa is an enjoyable novel of science fiction, although it is really more about the interactions and difficulties of two unknown cultures meeting on another. The science is minimal, apart from the setting, which is in the future where humans can travel to other star systems and planets. Except for the beginning and the end of the book, technology does not play a large role. Barnes has created a believable and interesting world, and his explorations into the unique philosophical and theological possibilities, and its effect on earth and humans, is commendable. Beyond that, it is just an enjoyable, easy to read novel.