The Broadsheet: newsletter for Broad Universe

Elizabeth Barrette has studied ancient religions, mythology, and assorted sciences for many years. She graduated from the University of Illinois with a Rhetoric major and a Women's Studies minor. She writes articles, essays, interviews, ritual and invocational material, poetry, reviews, and fiction. Her major fields include speculative fiction, New Age/Pagan, and alternative sexualities/erotica/gender studies. She writes Book Reviews from Hypatia's Hoard for the Webzine Spicy Green Iguana. She enjoys public speaking and often participates in panels at SF/Fantasy conventions, on topics ranging from alternative religions & lifestyles to xenolinguistics (the study and/or creation of alien and/or invented languages). Favorite pastimes include white-water rafting on the stream of consciousness and suspension-of-disbelief bungee-jumping.

Beyond the Gates by Catherine Wells. Roc, 1999. Four Stars.

Here's something new: taxonomic science fiction. The whole plot revolves around a hunt for an animal that doesn't seem to be related to any other known animals on the planet. This is handled with great plausibility and attention to detail, in terms of how one goes about finding and cataloguing exotic species. I found the technique of weaving together two timelines, past and present, both charming and effective. You get to see how things develop.

There's also a very strong sociological element, as the action takes place on Dray's Planet, home to a powerful and richly detailed theocracy. I was utterly captivated by the descriptions of the main characters' lives and culture — especially the intricate and innovative marriage arrangements. The protagonist Marta is not at all a cookie-cutter heroine; she is very religious as well as very smart, passionate as well as capable, and absolutely unstoppable once she sets her mind on something. The Nechtanite warrior is equally fascinating. You won't get what you expect with this novel, but you will get one heck of a great ride. Beyond the Gates will appeal to fans of sociological and hard science fiction. Dinosaur fans will really get a kick out of it too. Highly Recommended.

Beyond Varallan by S.L. Viehl. Roc, 2000. Four Stars.

And now . . . the continuing adventures of Dr. Cherijo Grey Veil! When we last saw her, Cherijo was fleeing with her adopted clan Torin, the relatives her late husband Kao Torin, in their ship Sunlace. The Allied League of Worlds isn't ready to give up the hunt, though, and neither is Cherijo's father. (Joseph Grey Veil gives a whole new meaning to the "dysfunctional family dynamic" concept.) Nor is all quiet in her personal life — she can't manage to scrape off the persistent Duncan Reever, and to make matters worse, Xonea Torin gets into the act. Cherijo continues to have a hard time getting along with other physicians, too, in this case the talented but pushy Squilyp (soon renamed Squid Lips). As if all that weren't enough, it seems that someone is tampering with the Sunlace, and then the murders start. . .

Once again, S.L. Viehl takes us on a wild ride through some very exciting territory, in the company of people we're delighted to meet although we probably wouldn't want to live next door to them. The plot has more contortions than a starship's electrical wiring — most of which even make sense — and the characterization continues to prove fascinating. I was especially amused by the evolution of the relationship between Cherijo and Squilyp.

If you liked the earlier novel Stardoc, you'll like this one too. It's a lively mix of medical fiction, sociological SF, and in this installment bordering on space opera in places. Highly Recommended.

Brain Plague by Joan Slonczewski. Tor, 2000. Four Stars.

A rare handful of science fiction stories choose to bend time — I'm not talking about time travel here, but rather a different perception of time than we experience it, usually running much faster or much slower. In this book, the author shows us what it's like to live at a greatly accelerated pace, as some of the characters are members of various virus clans, with a maximum lifespan of about one month. But the other characters are humans, many of whom serve as hosts to the virus clans. Imagine what it would be like to share your body with thousands of tiny people, who have their own thoughts and their own goals, yet remain completely dependent on you to supply their food and habitat . . . and who consequently worship you as a god.

The story weaves together a number of threads, from the danger of hostile virus clans to the ongoing creative endeavors of the tiny Elutherians who reside in an artist named Chrysoberyl. It's a blend of hard science (biology, mostly, but also some fascinating tidbits of engineering and photonics) and soft science (philosophy, theology, sociology) and art. If you're tired of the standard zapping-laser stuff, try this; it's very unusual and very engrossing.

Brain Plague should appeal to a wide range of science fiction fans. There's even a "vampire" motif that might intrigue some horror readers — parts of the story are quite dark. Most Highly Recommended.

The Bridge by Janine Ellen Young. Warner Aspect, 2000. Five Stars.

I finished reading this book just before last year's WorldCon, where I got to meet the author. I was sufficiently impressed with it to put it on the xenolinguistics recommended reading list for my "Alien Languages" panel, both of which turned out to be considerably more of a hit than I expected. So what's it all about?

It's about the search for intelligent life orbiting alien suns. The catch is, we are the aliens, contacted by a race called the Kasarans, who live in space among the dust and rocks around a gas giant. The problem is that, living in space, the Kasarans don't speak a verbal language. They communicate through light and color . . . and viruses. Imagine how you'd feel if you got all excited about life in far corners of the galaxy, and you said hello, and almost everybody who heard you died. That's what happens on Earth; the Kasaran message turns into a horrible plague. But the survivors are left with parts of a blueprint for building an interstellar bridge and a mad urge to do so.

This is a story of science in many different aspects, from the elegant engineering of bridges (terrestrial and otherwise) to the intricate depiction of alien life (ours and theirs). It's also a story of human relationships and the crazy things we'll do for love. Finally, it's a story of reincarnation, spirituality, inspiration, and epiphany. As such, it contains some of the most lyrical and touching descriptions I've ever read of how and why souls return for another life. It made me cry in all the right places.

The Bridge holds appeal for a wide range of speculative fiction fans. It's a must-read for xenolinguists, of course, but anyone interested in aliens and how we might interact with them will enjoy it. Engineers should definitely check it out. Most Highly Recommended.

Colony Fleet by Susan R. Matthews. Eos, 2000. Four Stars.

Once again, Susan R. Matthews takes a classic motif of science fiction — in this case, the generation ship — and does something totally original with it. Here we have a fleet of ships en route to colonize other planets, just about to come upon their first stop. But all is not right with the fleet; instead, it's plagued with problems both social and practical. Human nature being what it is, the engineers (now "Jneers") have set themselves up as a sort of nobility, served directly by the Oway and more peripherally by the Mech. Consequently they're not at all ready to settle a planet.

Okay, go buy the book now if you want to be surprised, because it really is awesome. I can't discuss what makes it so awesome without blowing some of the best surprises, though, so you've been fairly warned.

First, the fleet itself divides into Noun Ships and a bunch of other support vessels. The nine Noun Ships are a stunning display of human ingenuity (on the part of both the author and the characters), each representing a different habitat such as Subtropical or Islands or Desert. This paves the way for disaster, because the once-unified crew soon sorts itself out into the three classes: Jneer, Oway, and Mech. The Jneers live in luxury on the Noun Ships, keeping valuable surpluses for themselves instead of using them as intended to fortify the whole fleet. So the Oways get less and the Mech get screwed, and the Jneers assume that the Mech are lying about the state of supplies when in fact the shortage is very real. Worse yet, the class divisions used to be at least arguably based on merit, but have long since degenerated into nepotism.

The relationship between art and life, and their tendency to imitate each other — frequently without conscious intent — never ceases to amaze me. So one of the most fascinating things about this book, for me, is the prominence of a contest: the Comparisons. This is supposed to allow Jneers to prove their ability, but in reality, there's a tacit agreement to rig the contest. All hell breaks loose when one fellow named Raleigh decides not to participate in this farce, and actually does his best. Consequently he wins, beating our hera Hillbrane Harkover. She expected the customary draw, and through a convoluted chain of events she winds up among the Mech. The deeply ironic thing about this is that Raleigh, while somewhat selfish about the whole deal since he expects minimal opposition, seems the only person remotely interested in an honest contest. The resulting fiasco tends to support my personal suspicion that basing a person's entire future on the results of one test is a damn fool thing to do, likely to spawn all kinds of trouble. Lo and behold, this novel makes its debut at a time when American culture as a whole is vociferously debating the pros and cons of standardized testing in the public schools.

Also consistently charming is the author's use of language to convey the passage of time within a culture. You can see how the years of shipboard travel have allowed the language to shift, as in the shortening of "Mechanic" to "Mech." Social markers adapt too, as in the clever use of "Aitch Harkover" (from H. Harkover, the probable form of a name on a uniform badge) as a title denoting adulthood and Jneer status. That makes a big impact in terms of letting the reader see from the characters' perspective.

Colony Fleet combines sociological with very hard science fiction, suitable for most SF fans. It's a very human story. I enjoyed it immensely, even though I frequently wanted to grab one or another of the characters and shake them till their eyeballs rattled. Highly Recommended.

Courage of Falcons by Holly Lisle. Warner Aspect, 2000. Three Stars.

Kait Galweigh and Ry Sabir have an artifact called the Mirror of Souls, although they're coming to understand that it isn't at all what they thought it was. But other people want it too, and are willing to kill to get it. There is more at stake than a single artifact, though, more at stake than the hot-and-cold running war between Scarred and human or Galweigh and Sabir. It's a battle for the fate of the world itself, a struggle to save the immortal souls of all people from destruction. What can stop this kind of destruction? In the end, the only answer is sacrifice.

In this novel, I really admired the richly detailed settings that drive so much of the plot. Some of the twists surprised me — never an easy task. The characterization turned out pretty well too. But it's the sacrifice motif that I loved most, which features some of the most lyrical and poignant writing on the theme that I've yet read.

If you enjoyed the first two books in this trilogy, Diplomacy of Wolves and Vengeance of Dragons, then you'll love this one too. Courage of Falconsconcludes the tale with great effect. As a whole, the series will appeal to most fantasy fans. Recommended.

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