Review of Loss Protocol by Paul McAuley

Aldous Huxley may be most well known for his dystopian novel, Brave New World. But he wrote the counter point, also. No, not his novel Point, Counter Point, but the utopian Island, which tells of a near-perfect society created through the communal living, hallucinogens usage, ritual trances, contraception, and “uplifting propaganda” (dispersed by mynah birds, interestingly). Regardless intentional or not, Paul McAuley's 2026 novel Loss Protocol acts as a counter point to the counter point—the Jonestown-side of believing narcotics, living in dream-states, and homesteading are humanity's enlightenment.

It's 2070 and Marc Winters is the ranger/steward of a small British island, a nature reserve in the process of re-wilding. Despite the isolation, Winters is not a lonely man. The mainland is a short boat ride away and there is no shortage of scientists, researchers, and tourists who visit the island. It's on one such excursion that something odd happens: a break-in at his small houseboat. Nothing is stolen but an environmentalist slogan is spray painted on the wall—odd considering the island is a reserve and he the protector of it. But that is just the beginning of Winters' story. Rather than look for clues, the police come to Winters with suspicious questions, particularly about his sister, a woman who he thought dead years ago as part of an environmentalist mass suicide. When no answers are forthcoming from the constabulary, Winters decides to get them himself.

Loss Protocol is a slow burn through acid trips, Freudian dream theories, group think, and environmentalism, all building into an incendiary personal revelation. Winters' journey takes him into the memories of a past encounter with an environmentalist suicide cult (think Just Stop Oil on LSD), as well as the cult's current incarnation years after a catastrophic event. The narrative splits time between Winters' discovery of his sister's fate and his inner world, that is, rather than focusing on futuristic eye candy of a British 2070. It's the shakeup of Winters' quiet, pastoral life and his evolving worldview that form the core of the novel.

As Niall Harrison rightfully points out in his Locus review, Loss Protocol does not attempt to offer a remedy for Earth's environmental ills, nor does it shake fingers and shout How could you?!?! Instead, it's about the individual, and their ability to adapt, or not, to changing circumstances. Accordingly, the novel is character-centric, and while the environment plays an irreplaceable role in the narrative, Winters' backstory and his stream-of-conscious regarding the here and now—at least as of the story's 2070—is where substance is to be found—depending on the reader, of course.

Looking back to the intro of this review, it's possible to say Loss Protocol is a dark psyche version of Huxley's Island. It's equally possible to say a realistic version. Regardless your take, the novel is in dialogue with humanity's varying approaches to societal improvement, environmental sustainability, group think, and above all, the adaptability of mindset/belief. It's also in dialogue with contemporary culture and modern history, particularly environmental groups like Just Stop Oil, which seem to be in the process of stepping beyond the bounds of realism and into cult land. But rather than point those fingers, McAuley lets Winters' experiences tell the story, in effect letting the reader go along for the ride and make up their own mind.