Of all the genres of fiction, none is more prone to disasters than sci-fi. After all, the vast majority of its tales require the reader to suspend disbelief while stopping short of completely ruling out the notion that these largely futuristic worlds have, do, and will exist. It is not an easy thing to strike the balance of being not real, but real enough to be possibly real. Unsurprising, then, that so many fall so flat. In this regard, Armor occupies rare ground, for, it is somehow both new and old, genius and hackneyed.
Our two protagonists are both anti-heroes. Felix, a man clearly suffering some sort of emotional trauma, volunteers to be sent on countless missions to the surface of a world hostile to Earth. As a member of an infantry platoon reminiscent of Starship Troopers, his odds of survival are absurdly low, shrinking with each successful jump. But Felix somehow avoids the death the odds have proscribed for him. Meanwhile, on one of many planets colonized by humans, Jack, a space pirate, sells out a research station for his own gain. But in doing so, he comes into possession of a suit of armor suspiciously similar to the one worn by Felix.
Though the story's conclusion is ultimately satisfying, I can't help but feel that, with a few tweaks, Armor could have been in the top 25 Science Fiction novels of all time. The concept is inventive, the twist is poetic, and its conclusion is poignant, but it too often succumbs to its own silliness, particularly the sections with Jack. Eminently enjoyable, but lacking that last measure of brilliance. (3/5 Stars)
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