Book Review: 'The Armor of God' by Diego Valenzuela

Time to synchronize! The first novel of Diego Valenzuela's science fiction trilogy, The Armor of God, is set in the domed city of Roue, where the last humans are protected from the Laani, an alien virus that has infected the rest of the world.  Here's a spectacular trailer for The Armor of God:

I have to admit that the trailer did a fantastic job on evoking the chills that this novel gave me, so if the trailer hooked your interests, you'd probably dig its story. There's an Ender's Game-feel in the beginning: On his eighteenth birthday, Eza Blanchard joins a special branch of the military; because his blood is special, "C-Compatible", he was chosen to train in the Zenith, a top secret facility hidden from the citizens of Roue. Here, he meets his destiny: To become a pilot of the Creux like this:

The Creux are mysterious and sentient suits of armor built to combat the alien virus after the Fall of Terria. Their characteristics also feel alien in a way. A hard outer shell covers their frame like an exoskeleton. They are around forty-feet tall, and have the ability to change its mass. If the Gundammobile suit and Venom's symbiote from the Spider-Man series had an offspring, it would probably resemble something like the Creux because of their biological and mechanical qualities, an alien-robot fusion with a mind of its own. Only those who have the blood like Ezra could pilot a Creux, and controlling the suits require both physical and mental effort, so the experience is somewhat like the Jaeger from Pacific Rim or the avatars from James Cameron's Avatar movie, but definitely more like the bio-machines from Neon Genesis Evangelion. But instead of fighting the monstrous beings from that anime, the Creux are made to fight a microscopic threat. Valenzuela is better at developing the physiology of the Creux than its anatomy. Upon reading its fascinating concept, I was able to understand its functions more than visualize its structure and action for that matter. We learn about temperament or the "harmony" between the pilot and the Creux, and Creux's Synchronization Capsule or the "Egg" occupied by the pilot. Then there's also a mysterious Creux ability called Technomancy. Much of the first act is bogged down by lectures covering these topics --They spend more time discussing their functions than demonstrating what it can actually do.Like most mecha anime, the Creux pilots are strongly linked to their suits. Ezra pilots Besoe Nandi as shown here:   

That just looks badass! At first, I thought it would be more challenging to Ezra to tame his Creux, and although there's tension and struggle, it seems that he's able to synchronize well.

Nandi was his inexorable future. It was up to him whether he'd turn the monster into a guardian, or if it would remain the horned 'devil' it appeared to be.

Ezra learns that his will has to be strong enough to control his Creux before it could take over him. It's an interesting dynamic that left me wondering, "Is the Creux's mind alien, artificial intelligence, or semi-organic?" Ezra, who at first didn't have the will to be a soldier, become more militaristic, more committed to curing the world. He even recites this moving oath that reflects his role in their mission:

One...I am not my Creux. Two: My body is not in danger of infection or death. Three: I am not a killer: the lanai is not a creature of the Earth; Four: I am fighting for humanity's future, and I'm both its first and last lines of defense. Five: This is what I was born to do; for everybody a soul, and for every Crux a pilot

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The Armor of God

 explores themes of courage and strength, questions the philosophy of death, and the morality of using danger to counter danger. Ezra would find himself reflecting the question that Dr. Yuri asks him, "What if I told you that this very creature you're looking at is someone you know personally?". A lot of the conversations are thought-provoking, yet I wish I could see these conflicts dramatize in battles more. The proverb, "Even if our stars weep, even if our sun dies, we never really stop growing" resonates as Ezra finds his inner-strength within the Creux. Dr. Yuri's words mirror his emotions:

You're feeling like you just want to go back there? Back inside the Creux and mess something up because you feel too weak and too vulnerable? You want the pressures and the stress of the Creux --You want to go there to make you feel strong again

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The novel was at first, mainly focused on the conflict between the Creux and the Laani, There's a tragic scene and mystery in the middle that would probably hook most readers; it's that point that got me really interested in finding out about The Armor of God, the virus, and some secret truths. Ezra's mother has a significant role that gives him something to care about.

Valenzuela's novel establishes the concepts and conflicts that will probably continue to grow in the sequels. Recommended to mecha anime fans and readers of military fiction or 

Ender's Game

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 The Armor of God's

 concepts may be too mechanical to those expecting to experience a more moving story, but it doesn't forget its human roots. Transformation may suggest the idea of death, but it could also represent life. This novel puts life in the capsule of humanity's truth; I expect it to synchronize in the future.