gridlore: A pile of a dozen hardback books (Books)
The Victory (Gaunt's Ghosts, #12-13)The Victory by Dan Abnett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I will admit that when at the end of the last omnibus, having Colonel-Commissar Gaunt rescued kind of disappointed me. I thought the series had reached an appropriate ending, with the 1st Tanith entering a new phase of existence, beyond the legacy of being Gaunt's Ghosts.

I was wrong.

We pick up two years after the events in Only in Death, the Tanith 1st has finally been sent for rest and refit, But two years of inactivity are wearing on them. The planet Balhaut was the site of the Famous Victory some fifteen years prior, and Gaunt gained fame as the Commissar of Hyrkan 8th, rallying them to a crushing victory in the final battle. in the city of Balopolis. Gaunt is ready to be redeployed, ready to get back in the war. . . then a very special prisoner arrives, and he will on;y speak to Gaunt. A prisoner that the Archenemy will do anything to silence.

What follows is a game of one mouse and many cats, with suspicions on all sides. There is unexpected heroism, a stunning betrayal, and a satisfying conclusion. A very different entry in the series, and a very good novel. That's my view of Blood Pact, the first novel.

The second novel is Salavation's Reach and is a more traditional Ghosts story, but with a twist or five. The regiment is packed on a frigate centuries past the day when she should have been scrapped and sent on a raid that could tip the balance in the stalled Sabbat Worlds Crusade. Along for the ride are three Space Marines, and hidden among the regiment and crew is an assassin.

Abnett normally avoids big themes in his books, or rather he hides them very well, but here the theme is family. We have a woman from the previous book who is now adjusting to life as an officer's lady. Reunions both welcome and unexpected, and how close family ties can both help and hinder a unit. One thing I really like was how he showed the regiment preparing for the raid. They had floorplans of the target, and these were laid out in empty hanger spaces so the troops could rehearse every expected step, train on room-clearing, and learn the other guy's job as well as their own. This is what real units do. It was a nice touch.

There are the usual roadblocks, some quite threatening, and we do get a massive space battle, but the raid goes off as planned, and the regiment escapes, except we've lost some long-standing characters. Such is war.

After this, there are several short stories that both deepen mysteries and imply greater threats while showing different aspects of shipboard life. All in all, this is a great addition to the canon, and I shall be ordering Volume 2 of The Victory as soon as I have some spare cash.



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EversionEversion by Alastair Reynolds

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


In the 1820s, a sailing ship crashes off the coast of Norway. In the 1880s, a steamship is destroyed exploring Antarctica. In the 1900s, a Zepellin explores an icy canyon in Antarctica. In the far future, a spaceship sets out for an alien artifact. Each excursion goes horribly wrong. And on every journey, Dr. Silas Coade is the physician, but only Silas seems to realize that these events keep repeating themselves. And it's up to him to figure out why and how. And how to stop it all from happening again.

Reynolds hits it out of the park. Normally known for galaxy-spanning space opera, Eversion is a taught. a first-person, mystery wrapped in horror, as events keep repeated in different eras, always with the mysterious Edifice as the goal of the expedition. The same characters appear in similar roles, but only Dr. Coade seems to see the changes.

This story kept me guessing. The clues are subtle, but there. The characters, all of them over time, are interesting. This is a locked room mystery where the murder keeps happening over and over. The revelation, when it comes, is shocking but totally makes sense. It's tragic and fulfilling. The finale is gripping. One thing is because the book is told entirely from the p[ersp[ective of Silas Coade, the ending leaves some loose ends, but still works.

Great book. Alastair Reynolds has become my favorite Hard SF/Space Opera writer.



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A Desolation Called Peace (Teixcalaan, #2)A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A few months after A Memory Called Empire, alien forces massacre an industrial colony of the Teixcalaanli Empire. The Teixcalaanli admiral Nine Hibiscus, tasked with confronting the threat, requests an Information Ministry specialist to attempt to communicate with the inscrutable enemy. That specialist is Three Seagrass, now a senior Imperial official, who smuggles herself to the frontlines by way of Lsel Station. There, she convinces her former associate and still nominal ambassador to the Empire, Mahit Dzmare, to accompany her. Mahit seizes on the chance to escape the increasing danger from factional conflicts on Lsel, and she is tasked by one of Lsel's leaders to sabotage first-contact efforts in order to prolong the Empire's war with the aliens. (from Wikipedia)

Wow. Once again Martine shows an amazing range as the action shifts from place intrigue to a growing war against an unfathomable enemy. Three Seagrass and Mahit must not only learn how to communicate with these aliens, but they also have to resolve how they feel about each other. The tension, intrigue, and potentially lethal factionalism inside the Teixcalaanli fleet come through clearly.

One amazing character is Eight Antidote, the Imperial heir and despite being only 11, a vital part of the story. Like all the characters in the book, he's believable, a kid who wishes he was older while retreating into childhood. He really comes into his own and shows his mettle.

Along with being a ripping good space opera, there are some really deep themes here on language, personhood, and the crushing weight of command, be it of a fleet or the empire or just the assumed authority of an 11-year-old kid. The plot concerning how to talk to the aliens is just fascinating.

I want more. Teixcalaan is a fascinating universe on the brink of wonderful changes. Three Seagrass and Mahit Dzmare are people who deserve more attention, even as they part ways, for now. There is so much more to be seen here, and Arkady Martine is doing a master's job in presenting it. No wonder both this novel and Memory won the Hugo Award for Best Novel.



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War and Peace: Possible Futures from AnalogWar and Peace: Possible Futures from Analog by Stanley Schmidt

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


We picked this up on a buy-nothing group. It's a mixed-bag collection of military-relating science fiction, ranging from classics like "The Weapon Shop" by A.E. Van Vogt to lesser-known stories like "The Wabbler" by Murray Leinster.

It was fun to read, but so many of the stories feel dated and some were just odd. So if you're a completist for MillSF, seek this book. Otherwise, I'm glad we got it for free.



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Echo (Alex Benedict, #5)Echo by Jack McDevitt

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Another fun entry in the Alex Benedict series. Benedict, a dealer in antiquities in the far future, finds himself ensnared in mysteries throughout the series, and Echo is no different. The novel is written in the first person through the eyes of Chase Kolpath, Benedict's assistant and pilot.

In this book, a mysterious tablet once owned by an archeologist obsessed with finding alien life. Benedict and Kolpath's attempts to acquire the tablet drag them into a deep well of secrets, murder, and a terrible secret that unknown parties are willing to kill to keep secret.

One reason I like these books is that McDevitt never shies away from the ethical questions about Benedict's work, and in this case, the increasingly clear human damage caused by their quest. Benedict is an obsessive man, and Kolpath is forced to make some difficult decisions in both her professional and personal life.

The secret, once revealed, is appalling, and the reveal of the villain is a bit abrupt. This really reads like an Agatha Christie story, with a wide cast of characters, slowly unfolding clues, and finally the big reveal and denouement. My only complaint here is there are so many characters, it became difficult to remember who was doing what and when.

Very good book, I'll be picking up the next in the series pretty soon.



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Soulless (Parasol Protectorate, #1)Soulless by Gail Carriger

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Set in an alternate Victorian England where supernatural creatures like vampires and werewolves have been part of society for centuries, Alexia Tarabotti has a few problems. She's a spinster who had the utter gall to have an Italian father. She inherited not only his complexion and a rather large nose but also his love for books.

Oh, and she was born without a soul. Which has one advantage, her touch negates a supernatural person's abilities

After accidentally killing a vampire while searching for some food at a simply terrible party, Alexia is swept up in a mystery involving missing vampires, unexpected vampires, the Bureau of Unnatural Registry, and its handsome but mercurial London chief, Lord Conall Maccon, who suffers from being both Scottish and a werewolf.

Can Alexia navigate the etiquette and politics of both human and vampire society? Will her family drive her insane? Who keeps trying to abduct her? And why oh why is Lord Maccon so darn attractive!

This was an immensely fun novel backed up by great research and some solid world-building. The plot moves along quickly, with Alexia as the primary POV character, but there are a few divergences. Half the fun is seeing the strict social rules of the Victorian Age applied to creatures who are technically immortal and the chaos that ensues when those mores fall to the wayside.

The ending is quite good and leaves me wanting to read the next novel.





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gridlore: Old manual typewriter with a blank sheet of paper inserted. (Writing)
So, I've been playing with this idea. Take The Odessey, set in space, and make my protagonists drug-addicted bio-sculpted soldiers discarded when they were no longer needed. This is my start. Please, let me know what you think beyond "good job!" I need feedback. What worked, what was clunky, and how y'all see this being better with a few changes.

ExpandUntitled NaNoWriMo Project )
gridlore: A pile of a dozen hardback books (Books)
Light ChaserLight Chaser by Peter F. Hamilton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A concise novel from two of my favorite authors.

Amahle is a Light Chaser, living for millennia at near-C and trading in memories. But her life is turned upside-down when she learns that humanity is being used.

This was a good, but not a great book. There were several areas that could have been expanded a bit to make a more complete story. There are a few things that go unexplained, but the ideas are enormous, as you'd expect from Hamilton and Powell.

I found Amahle to be an engaging character even if her growth was a bit rushed, and the ending was most satisfactory. A nice quick read to feed my need for good science fiction



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Inhibitor Phase (Revelation Space)Inhibitor Phase by Alastair Reynolds

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Warning: Minor spoilers for Inhibitor Phase follow.

For thirty years a tiny band of humans has been sheltering in the caverns of an airless, crater-pocked world called Michaelmas. Beyond their solar system lie the ruins of human interstellar civilization, stalked by a ruthless, infinitely patient cybernetic entity determined to root out the last few bands of survivors. One man has guided the people of Michaelmas through the hardest of times, and given them hope against the wolves: Miguel de Ruyter.

When a lone human ship blunders into their system, and threatens to lead the wolves to Michaelmas, de Ruyter embarks on a desperate, near-suicide mission to prevent catastrophe. But an encounter with a refugee from the ship—the enigmatic woman who calls herself only Glass—leads to de Ruyter's world being turned upside down. . .

I really wanted to love this book. I love Reyonolds' writing; he isn't afraid to show us how vast and old the universe is, and how fragile our place in it really is. But this novel suffers from one major problem, and that is that the main character has almost no control over what happens. de Ruyter is dragged from setpiece to setpiece, never fully understanding what is happening and almost never taking charge of his destiny. Which makes it hard to feel for him.

There's also a dependence on characters from the previous books. Look, I can accept that suspended animation and relativistic travel can account for one character living for centuries, but two? Add in flashbacks to the war against the Conjoiners on Mars that never really goes anywhere, and the novel is a beautiful, but muddled work. It's good, but not great.

And I've come to expect greatness from Reynolds.



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World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie WarWorld War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


OK, I'm late for the party. The simple fact is I have never liked zombie stories for several reasons, and I first heard of the book by way of the awful movie that has nothing to do with the actual book. But I'm burning out on actual history books, so I thought I'd give it a try, as it had so many excellent reviews.

The setup is simple. In the aftermath of the Zombie War, our narrator is part of the team assembling the final UN report. He complains that the report is too dry; just statistics, charts, and numbers, and lacks the stories of the people who came through the zombie outbreak. Annoyed by the constant complaints, his boss tells him to write his own book. Which he does.

There is no plot here, it is just a set of oral histories of the zombie uprising that nearly destroyed civilization and came close to exterminating humanity. Broken down into several sections, starting with the early days of the outbreak through to the point where recovery is underway and the UN is confident that all the remaining "white zones" (areas under zombie control) will be cleared in a few years.

The actual oral histories run from people on the ground dealing with the outbreak, a Chinese doctor who may have witnessed the first victims, a soldier who fought in the Battle of Yonkers where the Army tried and failed to contain the mass of zombies coming out of Manhattan, to the movers and influencers who were at the center of trying to handle the amazing speed of the outbreaks.

A constant theme is the terrible plans that had to be enacted to save humanity. Referred to as "Redeker Plans" after the first of these implemented in South Africa, they sacrifice millions to establish safe zones. The human cost of these plans is terrifying, but more than any other zombie story I've encountered, address the very real math of such a war. As one interviewed military officer points out, normally you fight a war with the goal of ending the enemy's ability to make war. You destroy his supply lines, attack headquarters, demoralize enemy forces until they desert or surrender. But zombies don't need supplies, have no organization to attack, and never give up.

It's an amazing read. Brooks gives each person interviewed such personality and unique ways of expressing themselves. Some of them are heroes, others are pretty vile, but they all tell the global story of World War Z. Really a great book.



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Loki

Jun. 22nd, 2021 09:51 am
gridlore: One of the penguins from "Madagascar," captioned "It's all some kind of whacked-out conspiracy." (Penguin - Conspiracy)
I've watched the first two episodes of Loki and I'm really enjoying it. Tom Hiddleston is showing what an amazing actor he really is, giving Loki some incredible depth.

The TVA is a hysterical bureaucracy stuck in a 1950s mold. I barely recognized Owen Wilson as Mobius. All in all, so far it's a strong cast.

What's fun is that (minor spoiler) the time bombs set off by the Variant in Episode 2 completely set up Marvel's Phase 4. We already know that the next Dr. Strange movie is subtitled "in the Multiverse of Madness," and that there might be a multiverse element in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Plus, the animated What If? series coming to Disney+ is explicitly alternate history takes from different timelines.
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Absolution Gap (Revelation Space, #3)Absolution Gap by Alastair Reynolds

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Alastair Reynolds does not deal with small concepts. In this, Book 3 of the Inhibitor series, we're taken on a wild ride of theoretical physics, impossible weapons, and amazing characters.

Let me start by saying that this is absolutely not a stand-alone novel. You have to have already read and thoroughly digested both Revelation Space and Redemption Ark to understand what is happening in this book.

The plot follows several threads spread over time. It starts in 2615 with a crewmember subject to the tyrannical captain of the lighthugger Gnostic Ascension nearly dying and witnessing a miracle on the icy gas giant moon he's named Hela. The plot then jumps to 2675 and the world Ararat, home to the survivors of the events of Redemption Ark. They learn that the Inhibitor War has come to them and that they must leave.

Parallel to this are the events unfolding on the plant Hela in 2727, where 17-year-old Rashmika Elsruns away from her home in search of a position among the great mobile cathedrals that circle Hela endlessly, waiting for the gas giant Haldora to blink from existence briefly. Able to tell instinctively when someone is lying, Rashmika quickly finds herself as an aide to the premier cleric on the planet.

It's when all these plots start to come together that things really get interesting. A lot of people complain that Reynolds' work is too dark in tone, that there's never really a win. I disagree. His vision is probably what we would face if we stepped out into deep space. But along the way, this novel continually builds hope in the strangest of places. Even the epilogue, in its own strange way, offers hope.

I will say that like most of Reynolds' books, this is not a light read. He loves getting into the mechanics of how his universe works, and at one point there is an explanation of string theory and branes that got me scrambling to read a little more on the subject. You have to pay attention to the details, for they are important.

The long-awaited fourth book in the series is finally coming out this fall, which prompted me to reread the series. I'm glad I did, as it is the kind of mind-expanding SF I love, all while obeying the laws of physics.



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Starship RepoStarship Repo by Patrick S. Tomlinson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Some books are just a whole lot of fun. This is one of those books.

Firstname Lastname (a clerical error, it'll be fixed soon, they promise) is a human running away from a miserable life on Proxima Centauri b. Arriving at a massive station, she immediately settles down to picking pockets, playing con games, and stealing air cars. Which leads to her being "recruited" into a ring of repo specialists.

Hijinks follow.

This is a set of caper stories, each bigger and more outlandish than the last, and First finds her place with the crew. Filled with aliens Keith Laumer would have loved, big ideas, and endless comedy, I tore through this book. It made me laugh out loud more than once. There's a Donald Trump joke. It's a fun, easy read.

While it is the second book in the Breach series (and I somehow missed picking up Gate Crashers first) the story and setting stand very well all on their own.

It kind of reminded me of some Traveller games I've been in. . .



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The Ark (Children of a Dead Earth, #1)The Ark by Patrick S. Tomlinson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is a serviceable novel, using the old "last remnants of humanity are fleeing a dead Earth" trope to frame a murder mystery. Detective Bryan Benson got the job after retiring from the Ark's main spectator sport, Zero, a ball game played in zero-g. Normally, the police forces on the Ark don't have much to do.

But a missing member of the crew leads Benson down a path of intrigue and cover-ups, climaxing in a plot to end the Ark before it can reach Tau Ceti G. It's not a convoluted plot, and there are plenty of scenes where Benson is basically led by the nose, but it works as light detective fiction.

My big problem was the lack of development of some important characters. Benson's fellow constable and clandestine girlfriend is barely expanded beyond the bare-bones we need for her to operate. Another hundred pages would have allowed for more character development. I see what Tomlinson was going for, a sort of noir detective thriller, but those depend on strong characters, and it kind of failed here.

The ending hangs several interesting questions for the next books, so I'll be picking them up. But do not expect a great, deep SF novel, This is a fun detective story.



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A Memory Called Empire (Teixcalaan #1)A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This novel won Best Novel at the 2020 Hugo Awards. It's easy to see why. Here's the summary blurb"

"Ambassador Mahit Dzmare arrives in the center of the multi-system Teixcalaanli Empire only to discover that her predecessor, the previous ambassador from their small but fiercely independent mining Station, has died. But no one will admit that his death wasn't an accident—or that Mahit might be next to die, during a time of political instability in the highest echelons of the imperial court.

"Now, Mahit must discover who is behind the murder, rescue herself, and save her Station from Teixcalaan's unceasing expansion—all while navigating an alien culture that is all too seductive, engaging in intrigues of her own, and hiding a deadly technological secret—one that might spell the end of her Station and her way of life—or rescue it from annihilation."

The Teixcalaanli people and state are vivid and well-written. You get the grandeur of this mighty empire and that scheming banality of its power players. The book is a mystery wrapped into a court intrigue covered in a looming threat. Mahit makes an excellent narrator as someone familiar with the ideas of Teixcalaanli culture, but unready for the full force of reality of the city/world/empire that is Teixcalaan.

I also appreciate a space opera with actual opera in it, as poetry and historical epics are vital to the empire's identity. There is relatively little action, and it works in this tale. The real action is figuring out what everyone's motives are and how they relate to the previous ambassador's death.

This was a stunningly fun book to read. I am eagerly looking for ward to the sequel being released in paperback (just no room for hardbacks on my shelves) to learn more about this fascinating universe.



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gridlore: Doug looking off camera with a grin (Default)
Because it's always all about timing. . . We've been rewatching Babylon 5 on HBOMax, and yesterday reached S4E8, "The Illusion of Truth." The plot concerns a team from Interstellar Network News that claims they have come through the blockade to do an honest report on the station.

Of course, it's edited to be complete propaganda hit job as ISN is totally controlled by Earthgov. But that's not where the timing comes in. Most of the broadcast report is framed by a regular ISN newscast, which includes a "today in history" segment. Which noted that it was the 300th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin becoming the first man to fly in space.

We were watching the episode on the 60th anniversary of the flight.
gridlore: Old manual typewriter with a blank sheet of paper inserted. (Writing)
Time Out
- or -
The Critical Importance of Always Wearing Clean Underwear

The world, as we knew it anyway, came to a shuddering stop on February 12th, 2019. Which for me was a bummer, as I was this close to my Ph.D. with my thesis on the people of North Sentinel Island nearly ready for printing. That and my gig managing a Starbucks were my tickets to mere survival.

It was on that day that the aliens showed up. We all learned a lot of science in the next few weeks as scientists tried to explain what had happened. The alien ship - calling a sphere nearly the size of our moon a “ship” feels wrong - didn’t just suddenly appear in the sky. No, it came to a complete stop after moving at 99-point-a-lot-of-nines to get to our L-4 point. Another thing we all learned; that’s a place where the gravity of the Earth and the Moon cancel out.

So it shows up and just sits there as the planet goes nuts. People were claiming that it was Jesus, others were screaming we were being invaded, and others were packing their bags because they were going to hitch a ride. There were riots in a few places, and nations that had a history of clamping down clamped harder. North Korea announced it was Kim Il Sung, come back to lead the people to victory and True Communism.

But after one of the longest days ever, after everyone on the planet had a chance to see this weirdly purple orb hanging in the sky, the First Message was received by humanity. And I mean humanity. Everything that had a speaker carried this message, and it was broadcast in all the local languages. It was one word.

“Ten.”

The voice was clear and unemotional, unlike the talking heads on every channel who began debating the meaning of the message. Me? I turned on the Classic Cartoon Channel. Underdog was on.

Exactly one hour after the first message, a second one was sent. “Nine.” At that point, there was a global consensus. It was a countdown. But to what? Preppers took to their bunkers, churches were filled, and the president was tweeting about how he had been right about needing a Space Force. I decided to get stoned and grab a nap. I thought about calling my ex and reminding her that I told her leaving me would be a disaster but resisted the impulse.

It wasn’t a good nap. Turns out, switching off the radio didn’t stop the countdown from coming through. So there I was, watching the planet go insane as the final hour ticked away. At five minutes to go, there was a sudden calm. Even the idiots on CNN stopped yelling. The final seconds melted away and all of humanity leaned forward to hear what was coming.

There was a pleasant chime. Then a very different voice from the countdown.

“Are we on? Yes? OK! People of Earth, humanity, whatever you call yourselves these days, hi. As you’ve probably guessed, we are representatives of sapient species from other star systems. Yes, we’ve been buzzing Earth in UFOs, and did, in fact, kidnap some people. We did put everyone back, and we do apologize for the anal probes. We’ve been examining you for about, oh, 200 years now, and our mission time is up. We’ve got to head back and present our findings.
“I’ve got good news and bad news for you, humans. The good news is . . .” There was a triumphal flourish of horns. “You are not alone! This globular cluster you live in is just teeming with life! Thousands of intelligent races of us have come together and formed a society that has endless energy, no want, no war, and pretty good civic light opera. Most of us think planets are pretty passe and live in structures much like our little ship here. In fact, and here’s a big spoiler for you, what you call Tabby’s Star is my home system, and those are giant megastructures orbiting it! The universe, even our small part of it, is filled with wonders and things beyond your imagination!

“Now the bad news. You’re not invited. Honestly mankind, we’ve been struggling to find an excuse for your behavior for centuries! We get war when it’s about resources, we’ve all been there, but you guys fight over stupid things! Variations in skin tone, outdated governmental styles, even insults between members of inbred ruling classes!

“And you’re so tribal! Yes, being a successful technological civilization usually means evolving from social animals, but you, you take it to extremes! You fight and loot when your team wins! That is not normal, mankind! Sport is supposed to be relaxing and enjoyable, not an excuse to beat each other silly for wearing the wrong color!

“I could go on, but I’m getting stern looks to cut it short. So, while you aren’t being invited, we aren’t leaving without a few parting gifts even though we really shouldn’t. First, we're deploying a cloud of satellites. They will both continue to monitor you and report back to us on your progress but are equipped to neutralize any nuclear weapon they find. All of you are now out of the mass destruction business. These satellites can defend themselves, don’t even think about it. They also serve as excellent GPS transmitters, amazing weather sats, and will be broadcasting HBO for free to everyone. Just kidding about that last part. We’ll also be removing the 206 million pieces of junk we’ve found in orbit around your planet. Clean up after yourselves next time!

“Secondly, along with the extensive, painful, and detailed list of your utter failings as a planetary society being sent to your so-called leaders, we will be sending data to various organizations and people on ways to look better next time. This includes pan-immunity, effective birth-control that women control by thought and spreads like a virus, a couple of hints on fusion power, and the formula for Coca-Cola.

“Kidding! But look for a lot of answers to the past so you can focus on your future. Seriously, we’ve come to like you humankind, but you just aren’t ready for the big leagues yet. See you in a few centuries! We are Eastbound and down!”

With that, the alien ship vanished, leaving over 2,000 new satellites orbiting Earth.
What followed was pandemonium. If not knowing was bad, being snubbed was worse. A few quiet tests showed that the alien wasn’t lying; every nuke on the planet was inert. A Russian attempt to inspect one of the alien satellites ended with a very surprised crew back on the ground while their shuttle was eventually spotted leaving the solar system at close to the speed of light. A rogue lab released the birth control bug, and suddenly women had control of family planning in a way never imagined. Coupled with pan-immunity, condom manufactures went broke around the world.

But now, five years later, there are bright spots emerging. Almost all of the Americas have joined into an economic union, defense spending has dropped worldwide, and the message along with “Kim Il Sung” vanishing, led to a revolution inside North Korea.

But there is one thing that is bothering me.

A few days after the aliens left, I finally decided to get back to work on my thesis. The mystery of the people living on North Sentinel Island had fascinated me since I was a kid, and now I was betting a doctorate in anthropology on my being able to offer new theories into that isolated tribe. But when I opened my work folder, I saw three new file folders.

- ENOUGH TO GET YOU BY
-THE BIGGER PICTURE
-THE WHOLE STORY

The first folder held references to sources I hadn’t known existed. They confirmed some of my ideas and forced me to change some conclusions. I eagerly made use of those resources, easily earned my degree, and landed a teaching post at Colorado State. I’ve peeked at the second folder, but only skimmed a couple of items.

That last folder, the one promising the whole story, was huge: nearly 2.4 terabytes, with dozens of sound and video files. I have to wonder if that last file is a test. Am I greedy enough to just take the information? Or do I really want to work for the answers? Is one of those alien satellites monitoring my decision?

It’s 2:37 AM. I have to be at work in four hours. My pointer has been on that last folder for two hours just waiting for me to click it.

What do I do?

Go Away.

Nov. 26th, 2020 11:04 am
gridlore: One of the penguins from "Madagascar," captioned "It's all some kind of whacked-out conspiracy." (Penguin - Conspiracy)
Last night I watched the first two episodes of Away on Netflix. I will not be bothering with the rest of them.

There were just too many points where my suspension of disbelief failed. First of all, who the hell approved this crew to fly an eight-month mission? Even after a supposed two-year training period, they don't really know each other, don't trust each other, and two of them openly hold their commander in contempt. Eight. Month. Mission. They can't even get to the Moon without fucking up an emergency and pointing fingers at each other.

Which brings up another point. They launch this Mars mission from the Moon. WHY? Low-Earth Orbit can be reached in a few hours, is shielded from radiation by the Van Allen Belts, and you don't need to escape another gravity well to begin your transfer orbit. Not to mention all the scenes of the crew tromping around on the lunar surface in the same suits they'll be wearing on the trip to Mars and on the Martian surface. Ask NASA, lunar fines are impossible to clean and can screw up electronics. Build the ship in orbit, boost from orbit, and avoid all these problems.

Finally, the big conflict comes when Commander Green's husband, a fellow astronaut grounded for medical reasons, suffers a severe stroke. There is a battle about replacing Green as mission commander as it is seen that her concerns about her husband and daughter might cloud her judgment, which has already been questioned.

For fuck's sake, she would be removed in a heartbeat and the back-up commander, already on the Moon with the back-up crew, would be immediately slotted in. There would be no question about this!

Finally, when they lift off from the Moon, their ship leaves a long red trail of flames. That only happens in an atmosphere. Sigh.

I will give them props for having a rotating crew section for artificial gravity. But they lose one point for having everything folded away into compartments. Build it in orbit!
gridlore: A pile of a dozen hardback books (Books)
In the BlackIn the Black by Patrick S. Tomlinson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Another fun book by Patrick S. Tomlinson. This time we have the crew of a warship that is part of a corp[orate-sponsored fleet playing tag with a hostile alien ship, the crew of that alien ship, and the CEO of a transstellar corp[oration suddenly having a very bad week. It all moves quickly, the action is well-written, and he explains his universe without long pieces of expository text. The alien Xre, for example, a reintroduced and we learn about them and their culture just be following the story. The leader has just molted and is bothered by having to wait for a new shell to grow. Their society is more collective, with several references to a lost homeworld and the fall of a royal caste.

You care about these characters, even the aliens. Sometimes their motivations feel a little forced, but there are many times when leaders are forced into hard decisions. Tomlinson has a talent for bringing characters to life with very few brushstrokes.

My only real problem here was the number of current references in a book supposedly taking place a few centuries from now. Two characters have lunch at Chili's. A character listens to "Immigrant Song" in the shower. For the latter, you could simply mention that the character had a passion for late 20th-century music. But you can introduce a casual dining restaurant without making us wonder how the chain survived three or four hundred years.

Finally, this is a complete novel that leads into the next book. The CEO's tale, which is the B-polt of the book, is clearly going to be near the fore in the next book. But you can read this one and be happy with a good space opera tale.



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gridlore: Old manual typewriter with a blank sheet of paper inserted. (Writing)
It is the distant future. Humanity spread to the stars, founded a glorious empire, and long ago that Emire fractured. Now, the Successor State squabble and fight border wars, while Earth has become a backwater. People make quasi-religious pilgrimages there, but it's not really that important.

Four centuries ago, a rapidly expanding alien empire took Sol almost without a shot. As they allowed travel and trade to continue unimpeded, no one really cared. Life went on. But in the last twenty years, things have changed.

A new faction has emerged, preaching a New Empire of Man, and regaining Earth is a matter of manifest destiny! Seeing the opportunity to gain more territory, and possibly claim the new Terran Throne, the Successor States are mobilizing for war! But they still don't trust each other.

In case you don't recognize it, this is the start of the First Crusade in 1096 set in shiny space opera. Plenty of space (no pun intended) for different governments, epic personalities, strange tech, and an alien menace more concerned with trade and spreading their faith/philosophy than fighting, but they are more than capable as warriors.

I've dedicated the rest of this year to working on my long-neglected novel Sideways Solutions, but this might be an idea I play with.

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gridlore: Doug looking off camera with a grin (Default)
Douglas Berry

October 2023

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