I Have a Question

With I Have a Question: A Novel, author Macintosh Steele uses science fiction to address some of mankind’s biggest questions. Science fiction gives creators plenty of liberty to explore pressing life issues in a way that’s imaginary, yet still real – and all under the veil of fiction. So, much like The Twilight Zone, Star Trek, and so many others in the past, Steele puts many philosophical curiosities into a futuristic space story. With a keen knowledge of actual science, Steele will likely open up many new questions for the reader, as well as answer some in this fascinating book.

The ‘good guys’ in our story is The Alliance. One will see immediate sci-fi parallels between Star Trek’s Enterprise and The Alliance ship, called Infinity. Although we’re not given a lot of backstory, the crew of this ship is from earth – albeit our planet as it might be far into the future – are out to explore the universe(s). Also, like Star Trek, these space travelers run into both friends and foes. However, it is one particular mystery friend that propels these explorers into going where no man has gone before.

Referred to as Old Man, this enigmatic persona befriends The Alliance in order to engage it in a special mission. As the story unravels, we learn more and more about this unusual character. He’s called Old Man because he’s existed for an extremely long time – much longer than the typical human lives. He also has special powers. For example, after a particularly deadly space battle, he is able to heal and restore Alliance crew members back to good health. He also helps one crew member come to grips with an incident in his past by showing him how he wasn’t at fault in the accidental death of a family member.

Old Man often comes off as a Christlike figure. However, if Old Man at all represents Steele’s personal spiritual beliefs, he’s not actually a messianic character. Toward the book’s end, Old Man and a female crew member engage in a deep conversation about religion. This uneasy soul he converses with is troubled about retaining strong religious beliefs during a time when religion is generally looked down upon. Here, Old Man explains his thoughts about religion and the possible existence of God. Old Man is not a believer because he can’t say he’s ever seen evidence of a god. In order to ease her mind, though, he tells her that if a religious belief helps her reach her life goals and gives her comfort, then he sees the true value in such a belief system.

As you can see, Steele’s book is as much about exploring inner feelings as it is about exploring outer space. Yes, there are plenty of sections that concern Black Holes, spaceships, and high-tech weaponry. However, Steele never forgets the humanity of this story’s characters. Steele also uses this tale to promote peace among planets. Instead of detailing conflicts between the nations on earth, Steele details the tragic legacy of planetary conflicts. Steele may be imagining space travel in a futuristic time, but these thoughts can just as easily be applied to our sadly violent contemporary world.

Finding a balance between sci-fi and relatable humanity is a complicated task, but Steele does an extremely good job in getting this balance correct. The reader is left caring for the characters Steele has created, even though some of them are quite different in look and nature from the humans that populate our contemporary planet.

Perhaps best of all, Steele never gets too science-y for the average fiction reader. Even though many of the concepts explored are complicated head-scratchers, they never bog down the plot’s forward momentum. It’s reassuring to consider how, even in the far-off future, humans will still have many unanswered questions. Thus, Macintosh Steele’s, I Have a Question: A Novel, is a pure delight for inquisitive minds.

- Pacific Book Review

"Inside, he laughed some, he cried some, and he got happy, sad, angry, and oh so weary. Such was his existence."

A truce has finally brought an end to the conflict between the Alliance of Planets and the Quagga Consortium Planets. The bloody war seems to be at an end until the discovery of a small planet with an irregular orbit resting perfectly between the two agreed-upon territories. Its anomalies render it a virtual blind spot for either side’s defenses. In order to maintain the terms of the truce, both sides agree that the only resolution is to destroy the planet. However, the notion that this planet is uninhabited is thrown out when a mysterious being, Old Man, is discovered to be living on it. Able to stop any threats to himself or his world, Old Man is set instead on diffusing the tension between these two groups in order to prepare them for a threat looming beyond the universe.

Set in the very distant future, this science fiction story showcases Steele’s imagination in regard to both the setting and his characters. Despite the scale of the conflict, much of the most interesting narrative development occurs on the individual level, initially with the steady Admiral Jenki on one side and the irascible Sobo of the Quagga on the other. In time, both groups must contend with and learn from Old Man, whose enigmatic origins add an element of the metaphysical and even the spiritual that leave the reader considering the larger and unknowable truths of the universe that we live in. The story unravels gradually, keeping the story fresh before culminating in a fantastic reveal of narrative puppeteering that addresses any remaining threads of the plot. This story doesn't just describe technology and alien worlds. Rather, it stimulates both imagination and wonder in its audience.

- The US Review of Books

The crew of the Star Cruiser Infinity goes on a mind-bending mission to save the universe in I Have a Question, a meticulously-built science fiction tale.

In the 38th century, the Alliance of Planets is at war with the Quagga Consortium following the latter’s vicious attack, killing millions on Earth 27 years earlier. Admiral Jenki, the present-day commander of the Infinity, headed an Earth peace delegation at the time of the attack, and he’s once again involved in a new truce to end the war.

The only stumbling block: a recently-discovered remote planet that could provide a tactical advantage to either side. Both sides agree to jointly destroy the planet to secure the truce.

Visiting the planet, Jenki encounters Old Man, a humanoid with long white hair and a robe. Old Man, who knows all things, warns that 47 ships, gargantuan and with highly advanced technologically, are approaching to prevent the planet’s destruction. Upon arrival, the Forty-Seven systematically destroy Alliance and Consortium ships and kill nearly everyone in sight. Old Man resurrects the dead and reassembles the ships, explaining that the massacre “is a mere trifle compared to what could happen” unless a select few accompany him in the Infinity on a mission to negotiate with a giant alien species to stop the destruction of their galaxy and every other galaxy.

Author Macintosh Steele clearly enjoys world-building, crafting a thorough backstory on military technology and interplanetary history. Missing, however, is an equal focus on character development and emotional depth. The author leans on overworked tropes, such as characters discovering their long-buried pasts. A plot line regarding the developmentally disabled brother of Jenki’s second-in-command, Captain Edmonds, feels patronizing and insensitive. Tedious information dumps abound, weighing down the narrative.

The cliffhanger ending points to a sequel. Readers will hope that richer characterizations inform the next book.

- BlueInk Review