2019 Dragon Award Finalist, Best Science Fiction: "Tiamat's Wrath"

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Greetings to all my internet friends and neighbors, and for those of you who came here hoping to get another Dragon Award finalist review, you are in LUCK! Which I suppose comes as no surprise, given the title of the blog.  And for those family who stopped by, Happy Birthday, Wendy! I remember the first day I met you; I was seven years old, and I cried.

Today is Saturday, and I had intended to spend it ripping through Dragon material. I didn't have a specific goal in mind, but I did imagine a two-book day. Nay, nay, such was not to be the case. The passing of the late and lamented Maytag drier required action, and, as I had yesterday gotten the formerly-broken truck truck out of hock, I was able to drive places with my gift-from-God, happily-ever-after trophy wife Vanessa, the elegant, foxy, praying black grandmother of Woodstock, GA. Fortunately, she had done the homework, and Parkway Used Appliances, 5088 Canton Rd, Marietta, GA 30066 ,  (770) 516-0191, turned out to be a pretty fantastic place. I HIGHLY recommend them. They delivered and installed and truly made an easy transaction for us. No website, it ain't that kind of place.

It DID take time, though, and I was only able to clear one book off the list. Even so, I MAY be able to get 23 of these reviewed by the deadline. The 24th is NOT going to happen; it's a $15 Kindle purchase, and you have to draw the line somewhere.

“Tiamat's Wrath,” by James S. A. Corey, is a great read, with a single flaw: It's book 8 in a 9 book series. As such, there is a great deal of background material that an obsessively dedicated bookworm would have to cover before reaching full appreciation of this work. If you aren't obsessive about it, though, you'll find much to enjoy.

The POV shifts throughout the book, beginning and ending with Holden. We meet him as a prisoner of the ruling Laconians, under the leadership of High Consul Winston Duarte, at a festive funeral ceremony for the late secretary-general of the UN. Despite his prisoner status, he is able to circulate through the crowd, and those brave enough to risk being seen with him are pleased to chat.

And in this Prologue, I discover a MOST commendable skill of the writing duo using the pen-name of James S. A. Corey: despite this being book 8 in a planned 9 book series, they really DO manage to communicate quite a lot of the important background without going into endless data dumps. I have no prior experience with this series, which I discovered is related to the television series “The Expanse,” so I don't know of the significance of Holden. However, the way the story is written instantly lets me know that he is a Big Deal Character. In his conversations, I discover that the Laconians run things, a LOT of things (as in 1300 star systems), with an iron fist in a velvet glove, and that a Resistance exists.

As I progressed through the book, other key plot points are  referenced, not through flashbacks, or the technique of explaining things to kids or novices, but through the present-time interactions of the POV characters with others in their environment. 

An example can be found in the next POV character, Elvi. Admittedly, on seeing her name, an old Saturday Night Live skit came to mind, and I considered that this might be a plural form of Elvis, but I was soon disabused of that idea. She is a scientist who researched exobiology, and almost by accident, became the Laconian Empire's premier authority of a very strange substance referred to as the “protomolecule.” As such, they drafted her, and sent her on an exploration of the universe.  Again, through natural communications with her comrades, we discover that this substance has the ability to transform, even destroy solar systems, that the originators are all mysteriously extinct, that whoever killed them is still out there, and that the purpose of the mission is not pure science, which all of the science staff onboard desire, but a search to find a weapon against the killers, if and when they return. And, we also discover that the substance somehow transforms human beings who contact it, removing their memories, and giving them the ability to communicate with other alien technology. This is a gruesome technique, and it repulses Elvi, but she still makes use of the results of the process.

Other POV characters include Naomi, who is running secret missions to bring about peaceful rebellion against the  Laconians, Bobbie and Alex, her former shipmates who pursue active military action, and Teresa, the teen-age daughter of Consul Duarte, who is being groomed to become the ruler of the universe upon his death.

As the Papa of a girl just a bit younger than Teresa, I found myself following her story the closest. It grew clear to me quickly that the person writing her POV had a clear understanding of what's important to 14-year-old girls, even if they are the designated heir. Teresa has a crush on a boy she takes classes with, and she is horrified when one of the girls confesses that she and the boy kissed on a recent camping trip. Yup, right reaction; show nothing in public, but consider means of revenge in private. She understands that she wouldn't even have to order the others killed; she can get her way by simply mentioning that she doesn't feel comfortable around the girl, and that she's like to see the boy around the palace more often. To her credit, though, she does none of those things. It's also to the credit of her father; he may be (he is) a tyrant, but he has prepared her to carefully consider her decisions, with an eye to the future. 

Science is happening, military things are happening, but the main thing that is happening is that all of the attempts, on everyone's part, to exert control over people and empires, are steadily failing. And I suppose that's a good lesson to learn.

I'm giving this four stars, because it really is written well, and I enjoyed reading it. However, despite the admirable efforts of the authors to incorporate the backstory into this installment, I'm not sure that's possible. As a result, there were too many times that I simply didn't understand what was going on, or what was driving the characters to act in the way they did. Still, it's a very good read.

And now, for The Question: Is “Tiamat's Wrath” a worthy candidate for the 2019 Dragon Award for Best Science Fiction Novel?

Despite its' superior characteristics, it just tells too narrow a section of a story arc to win me over to that opinion. I think Best Novel ought to tell an entire story, or at least create enough of its' own story that it can stand on its' own. While “Tiamat's Wrath” comes a lot closer than some of the other series books I've reviewed, and actually shines a LOT brighter than at least three of the stand-alones, I just don't think it's got the horsepower to deserve the Dragon. YMMV.

Peace be on your household.

2019 Dragon Award Finalist, Best Science Fiction Novel: "Europe At Dawn"

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Greetings to all my internet friends and neighbors, and for those of you who are are showing up for the Dragon Award reviews, this is the second review, the one I was HOPING to be able to make happen.  And for those family who are checking in on me, I found out that cutting the toe of a sock off, and then cutting it again just above the ankle, gives you TWO tubes you can use to put on your arms! *(See end note!)

This one just might turn out to be really short. How short? So short I don't have to cut much from the blog post to turn it into an Amazon or Goodreads review.

In previous reviews, I've had occasion to talk about a novel in a series, versus a stand-alone, with respect to suitability for a Dragon Award. I'm going to do that again.

In PREVIOUS reviews, though, I have always found it the case that the author has provided enough background material, that the person just entering the world will find their way, no problem. And, in fact, I just went back and looked at my records. I have now read 14 of the 24 finalists for a Dragon Award, and only THREE are stand-alone novels. An additional FOUR are the first novel in a series. That means that there are SEVEN books I've read that rank anywhere from 2nd to 11th in a series. And every single one of those has been a coherent read. I didn't like every one of them, BUT, they were a coherent read.

Until now.

I began reading “Europe at Dawn” with delight. GREAT characters, GREAT telling of the story (as far as it went), and I was ENGAGED, and delighted to be reading something that wasn't utterly repulsive. The stories for each character caught my attention, and kept it, until the scene changed, and the story took up again with a different character.

What's the relationship between these characters? I'd better take some notes. So I did. And I gradually got a sinking feeling, because:

Nothing was happening. Nothing was being tied together. There was NO resolution, or even direction, in sight. And I looked at the page count, and found I was TWICE as far as I'm accustomed to give a book before realizing there is a defect. I think that's because it was written so WELL.

So, I did something I don't think I've done before: I looked to see what others said. I checked out the reviews on Goodreads, and bless their hearts, some of my fellow reviewers were kind enough to have anticipated my issue. As a part of their rave, 5-star reviews, they (more than ONE reviewer, too!) are careful to point out that this installment won't make any sense unless you read volumes 1-3.

And that's the end of THAT.

According to those who are fans of the entire series (quotes from the Goodreads reviews):

It would be a serious error of judgment to jump in any old how.
...definitely needs the prior three to follow it with any kind of authority
...the focus stays on the grand story Hutchinson's been weaving ever since Europe in Autumn.
Hutchinson dives straight in to a continuation of the previous books with little or no explanation of the people or events which have gone before.

I could go on and on with these quotes; they almost all say something like that.

I'm giving this book three stars, because the 62 pages that I read were very, very nice; I wanted more of those characters. It looks like that isn't possible, without reading Books 1-3. And I simply don't have the time.

As for The Question: Is “Europe At Dawn” a worthy contender for the 2019 Dragon Award for Best Science Fiction?

It's a very well written INSTALLMENT, so: Nope. No way. One novel, which CANNOT be appreciated on its' own, is not a winner. If you want this to win a Dragon, convince the team to offer a Best Series Award. But until they do, not for this particular book.

Peace be on your household.

* End note: Here's a picture of an arm tube. You can use it to keep medication patches, etc, from falling off.

2019 Dragon Award Finalist, Best Alternate History: "The Iron Codex"

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If you want to read JUST the review, the shortened version can be found on Goodreads, which is already available, and it has been submitted to Amazon. Check the comments for that link.

Greetings to all my internet friends and neighbors, and for those of you who are counting down with me to the Dragon Awards, I'm PLANNING to get two done today. I have 8 days left, and 10 (or 11) books to read.  And to any of my family dropping by, the meal last night was FABULOUS! I even invented a new kind of gravy. That, plus the abject, sincere groveling, was enough that I am allowed inside the people house again.

“The Iron Codex” is a finalist in the “Best Alternate History” category. I don't know who decides on which category is appropriate for the nominations; is it all done by the person nominating? If I turn my head to the side and squint one of my eyes nearly shut, I THINK I can see the justification for this being in the category of Alternate History. It does, after all, tie the story into real-world events, but offers different causes for them. And maybe that's all that is necessary.

However, I don't think that's the MAJOR characteristic of the book. Now, admittedly, I'm going to suggest that it belongs in a category about which I know nearly nothing, so, take my opinion with a grain of salt. But do, please, at last give this some consideration.

I think the book belongs in the Horror section. I have two comments about that classification preference:

1.  I do NOT read horror. I don't watch horror movies. I stay as far away from horror as I can. Therefore, I may be just as ignorant about the rules for the horror genre as I have been about the rules for some of the romance books. I was schooled about that several years ago, when I read a book about a person who turned into a jungle cat, and so on, and who encountered a person who turned into a bigger cat, and so on, and they formed an immediate attraction for each other, and so on. My interpretation was that this was soft porn; those with more experience than I pointed out that this sort of thing was EXPECTED in that genre, and so on. Okay, I learned that. And there are surely some things that I would need to learn about requirements for the horror genre, were I to try to obtain expertise in that field. I'm basing my classification just what I know about today, and:
2. The CORE to this book is not about alternate history; it's about demon possession. And I think that makes it horror. Maybe not. But, until I learn otherwise, having murderous, grotesque minions of the devil summoned via incantations, hemmed in by lines drawn in specific diagrams, or even being controlled and internalized: that's horror. And, had it not been that the book was nominated in another category, and that I feel responsible to follow through with my public commitment to review the entries in the four categories of Best SF, Best Fantasy, Best Military SF, and Best Alternate History, there's no way I read this book past the first half of the first chapter. As it was: I was squeamish. YMMV.

I thing the cover is GREAT! In fact, that's how I selected this as the next book to read. It's a dark-haired, black-clad figure with a blade, riding a black motorcycle, so YAY! The cover art is by Larry Rostant, and the cover design was done by Jamie Stafford-Hill; these are people I'm not familiar with, but I do like their work here.

And, the book opens with that scene. It's 1954. The figure on the bike is one Anya Kernova, and she is in hot pursuit of a wicked, wicked NAZI!

Whatever else may be going on in the book, the author is good with the details. The bike she is riding is a Vincent Black Shadow, a legendary machine that was clocked in excess of 150 mph at a test run at the Bonneville Salt Flats. The motorcycles are no more, alas; they depended on hand-fitting the parts by master craftsmen, and that just wasn't economically feasible, once assembly line techniques were mastered. At the time, though, this was the fastest production motorcycle in the world.

1953 Vincent Black Shadow

Although I loved the bike, and am always in support of tracking down wicked, wicked Nazis, I do confess to being a bit perplexed by one thing: Anya is possessed by demons. At first, I thought they were speaking figuratively, as in, the demons of your guilty past, etc. Nope. These are nasty, pit-dwelling demons; even if they ARE used as weapon to capture and interrogate wicked, wicked Nazis, how do you tell the good guys from the bad guys if they are all possessed by demons? It's a non-trivial issue.

But here's a take-away: Anya wants to kill Nazis.

On the other side of the world, in a London gentleman's club, dastardly Dragan Dalca hosts manufactures representatives from France, America, and Russia. It's pretty east to tell that HE is a bad guy, because he accepts bribes from them to sabotage a British de Havilland Comet, an early jetliner.

In Washington DC, Briet Segfrunsdottir starts a new day in the Silo, in the Pentagon, where she summons demons to prepare a defense against nuclear war. Ob this particular day, she is angered, because she is presented with four new trainees. She has already prepped three prior sets, but they have mysteriously disappeared.

In Rome, Father Luis Rodrigo Perez is horrified by the action of Dalca's demon, as he destroys the airliner and passengers, and is dismayed that the church team observing fails to intervene.

In Laos, British intelligence agent Miles Franklin finds his partner, American ex=pat Cade Martin, in a narcotic stupor, as a demon prepares to devour him. At the last second, Cade rises and kills the demon. Then, the pair kills three Russian agents on a hit mission. And Cade seems to be available to go back to work.

Anya tries to swap the journal she took from the body of the wicked, wicked Nazi for assistance from a group of rabbis in translating a peculiar document she owns: the Iron Codex. It is written in an angelic language, that only a few can read. The rabbis aren't interested in helping her. A group in the Catholic Church could help, but they want the Codex for themselves. In fact, the head of the secret magic-wielding order, Cardinal Lombardi, sends Father Luis to La Paz to get the Codex from Anya.

Briet has her work shut down, in the middle of interviewing a powerful demon. And Dragan blackmails a US senator into transferring title of a facility over to him.

Those are all the pieces we start with; of course, the fate of the world is in the balance. And I'm just guessing that the group that is working against the plans of the evil jetliner-killing Dragan are the good guys, although I can't quite work out the morality of subjugating demonic and angelic beings. 

I think your opinion of the book is going to depend on how you feel about working with demons. Me? Don't care for it. Would not read this book, or the prequel, or the sequel. However, I THINK you'll find that the book is well-written. I only found one minor weapons quibble; a flash suppressor on an M3 carbine will NOT muffle the sound, but for sure, wind noise can distort the sound of a gunshot. And other elements are well detailed.

As for The Question: Is “The Iron Codex” a worthy choice for the 2019 Dragon Award in the category of Best Alternate History?

My opinion: No, it isn't. In the first place, as I said earlier, this isn't alternate history, it's horror. In the second place, the history itself isn't alternate at all. The REASONS behind some historical events are different, but the events themselves take place in the story just as they do in our timeline. YMMV.

Peace be on your household.

2019 Dragon Award Finalist, Best Military SF: "The Light Brigade"

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Greetings to all my internet friends and neighbors, and for those of you who are following the Dragon Race To Review, here is my promised second blog post/review review today. I have 9 days left to review 12 books; one of the finalists, “Sons of the Lion,” by Jason Cordova, I have already read and reviewed on Amazon. However, I've been holding that one close, saving the blog post to write on a day when my heart needs to be comforted. And to any of my family who have given today's post a look, I'm making BBQ leg quarters in the pressure cooker, mashed potatoes, and steamed squash. It's a feeble attempt to get out of the dog house, where I placed myself by tossing off a snotty remark instead of really listening as I should. Sigh. At least I'll have a nice last meal...

Yesterday was a reading marathon. I had started, JUST started, Larry Correia's “House of Assassins,” which is a finalist for the 2019 Dragon Award in the category “Best Fantasy Novel.” It was lovely, but long-ish. I think I finished it around 8:30, which is too early to go to bed, but I truly, truly was not interested in applying the mental resources necessary for a good blog post and review. So, I decided to start a new book, and chose the category Best Military Science Fiction/Fantasy Novel. I hope that no one who reads my blog, or my reviews, has any doubt that mil sf is my FAVORITE genre. True, I have even been compelled to review some romance novels, set in England among the misty moors, in the time of something something something, but for comfort food, I go to mil sf.

I had two choices left in the category: David Weber's massive (784 pages) “Uncompromising Honor,” or Kameron Hurley's “The Light Brigade,” about half the length at 368 pages. Although I have been familiar with Weber's worlds since the days when he and David Drake were confused often enough that it was a thing, and have enjoyed what I've read, I just didn't want to start a book that long at the end of the day. I knew, from past experience, that it was entirely possible that I'd get involved, and find it hard to turn the lights off, and I had PAPA-SITTING to do for Miss Evelyn on the morrow. Never go into a Papa-sitting experience fatigued!

So, the Hurley book it was. I'm not acquainted with the author's work, although the name seemed somewhat familiar. Still, it's military sci-fi, and I settled down for an engaging read.

Don’t just fight the darkness. Bring the light.
Hurley, Kameron. The Light Brigade . Gallery / Saga Press. Kindle Edition.

I do not have any idea what the author intended by starting her book with this wise advice. It IS wise advice, by the way, and something that I heartily wish we could find more of in the world. However, if there is any of this sentiment expressed in the book, anywhere, I utterly missed it.

Instead, the reader is immediately exposed to a bitter, cynical outlook in a world populated by mean-spirited people, who themselves are the target of heartless acts by giant organizations. It doesn't seem to matter if the organization is the military, or some manufacturing/distributing/mining concern; all of the people are treated as an expendable, easily replaced resource.

Dietz, the POV character, is a prime example. We never learn the character's first name. I'm not sure that we ever learn ANYTHING about the character, not hair color, eye color, gender, religious affiliation; nothing. We do learn that Dietz was a former quarterback, who was replaced by a more photogenic character, and that at one time, Dietz had a girlfriend. However, in this universe, that's not a reliable clue as to whether we are speaking of Angelica Dietz or Andrew Dietz. It's probable that the ambiguity is by design; she

made the Tiptree AwardHonor List "for works of science fiction or fantasy that expand or explore one's understanding of gender." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kameron_Hurley

There is nothing to hold onto here, except that Dietz gets treated like dirt by anyone with more power.

The author goes out of her way to portray squalor. The brief glimpses we are given of Dietz's past life are filled with despair and hopelessness. Now, it is absolutely the case that many, many individuals have joined the military to exit a life of despair, and very often, it makes the difference for them. But for Dietz, it's just an exchange of one abusive situation for another.

My personal experience, and that of every veteran I've ever talked to about the matter, is that bonding takes place under duress. It doesn't have to be foxhole duress, either, with artillery rounds coming down all around. The simple task of surviving basic training is a bonding experience. This is not a book about bonding. This is a book about evil power:

The corps were rich enough to provide for everyone. They chose not to, because the existence of places like the labor camps outside São Paulo ensured there was a life worse than the one they offered. If you gave people mashed protein cakes when their only other option was to eat horseshit, they would call you a hero and happily eat your tasteless mash.
Hurley, Kameron. The Light Brigade (pp. 244-245). Gallery / Saga Press. Kindle Edition.

It's hateful wickedness, all the way around, with no escaping.

Here's the science hook: transporter technology has been developed, somewhat along the lines of the transporter in Star Trek. Troops can be transformed into light, and beamed elsewhere. And via handwavium, that permits time travel.

And that's all I could stand.

I am so glad to live in a society in which people can publish anything they want to. I don't have to understand their reasons. Based on my reading of “The Light Brigade,” I conclude that Hurley hates the military science fiction genre, and wishes to destroy it. Here's what Wikipedia has to say:

Her second trilogy, the Worldbreaker Saga, is grimdark epic fantasy that aims to subvert the genre's tropes such as the hero's journey. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kameron_Hurley

Yes, it is a GOOD thing that people are able to write, and to publish, and to PURCHASE works that are subversive. But that doesn't mean that those works are good reading.

And with respect to The Question: Is “The Light Brigade” a worthy candidate for the 2019 Dragon Award for Best Military Science Fiction Award?

Absolutely, positively not. I do not understand how this book has readers. I do not understand why this book was nominated. And if this book wins the Dragon Award, then the Dragon Award system is broken enough to be discarded, and replaced with something that will treat the field with respect.

Peace be on your household.

2019 Dragon Awards, Best Fantasy Novel: "House of Assassins"

The customary Amazon link I post is flummoxed for some reason. However, Here is the cover art, and a link to the book on Amazon.

Here's the link to get the book

To get the CONDENSED version of the review, you can go to Goodreads, which already has it posted. I'll also post a link to the Amazon review, when they clear it. It seems I have a lot of reviews gone AWOL, though.

Greetings, Internet friends and neighbors, and to those who are following along with the month-long series of Dragon Awards book reviews: I've got two books read and ready for review, actually, three, but the load looks larger every day. And for my family who happened by: Today is cousin Stan's birthday. It's amazing how much like his daddy he looks, isn't it?

Yesterday was a marathon reading day! I read almost 800 pages, and fortunately “House of Assassins” came first. It's quite the compelling read, and:

The purity of the writing created a momentum in my reading, and I was able to accomplish much more than I normally would. 

Actually, I just made that up. The truth is that I finished reading “House of Assassins” too early to knock off for the day, but I didn't want to try to write anything, so I grabbed the next book in the queue and started reading.

Upon reflection, the page count is rather more than 800, because it's been a LONG time since I read the first book in the series, and I had to keep referring back to it to refresh my memory.

“House of Assassins” is the second book in the “Saga of the Forgotten Warrior” series, released three years after “Son of the Black Sword.”  It's helpful, but not necessary, to read SOTBS first. There are plenty of storylines which originate in SOTBS and which are advanced or completed in HOA, but the intro material is sufficient to introduce a newcomer into the story without problem. All of my clicking back and forth between the two installments in the story were for satisfaction, and not because of confusion.

The book opens with an emotionally rich flashback into the life of Thera, the Prophet. We see her as a little girl ferociously becoming a warrior, under the guidance of her father, Andaman Vane, respected leader of his house and troops. And we discover what set her apart: a “bolt from heaven pierced her skull.” The injury/intrusion has a broad impact: her father refuses to leave her side, and those in power use this as an excuse to strip him of his position as a leader. 

The flashback ends as Thera regains consciousness in the House of the Assassins. They had captured her at the climactic battle at Jharlang, when the magic sword Angruvadal had self-sacrificed to defeat a demon hybrid, according to the terms of the prophecy. Sikasso, the leader of the Assassins, is determined to discover the source of her power and control it. Her protestations that she has no idea of how the power works, or even when it works, only make him determined to rip the secret from her by force.

Ashok has gathered a small army, an outcome not entirely to his liking. He is still under the command of Grand Inquisitor Orman, who ordered him to find and protect the prophet agitating against the rule of the Law, and standing for the protection of the casteless. Having discovered that the prophet is none other than Thera, a person he does not particularly care for, he sets out to find the House of Assassins and rescue her. In his company are Jagdish, a dishonored noble warrior, determined to regain his status by killing the wizards who wiped out his men, and Keta, the former butcher turned (mad) evangelist/priest of the Forgotten. 

They are being tracked by the Protectors, Ashok's former companions, lead by Devedas, the closest thing to a friend he has ever had. Also the most formidable foe he will face, Devedas may actually be able to defeat Ashok, now that Andruvadal is destroyed.

Along the road, they pick up Gutch, a former blacksmith turned magic smuggler. He has the ability to detect magic from a distance, and offers his services to help Ashok find the House of Assassins, who are noted for paying top dollar for magic-bearing items. 

Meanwhile, back at the city, Grand Inquisitor Orman is preparing his plan to wipe out the casteless, overthrow the ruling first-caste aristocracy, and make himself the supreme authority over all. To accomplish this, he sends out teams to devastate the countryside, and claim to be a part of Ashok's rebellion. 

And there are some really, really strange secrets that few know, and no one talks about. Anyone who stumbles upon the truth dies. (But no battle plan survives contact with the enemy.)

There is a particular type of lazy writer who drools out a story in which no rules apply, at all. That, in itself, separates them from the body of science fiction, in which the rules matter. It is perfectly acceptable practice to violate one particular reality (FTL travel is the most common example), but after that, a good writer has to work hard to provide internal consistency. When someone points out to the lazy writer that their mythical beast actually can't DO that, or that instant communication isn't established, or that there was no reason for the guy in the hat to have a yo-yo in their pocket, they offer up the excuse: “It's fantasy!” And, if the story is GOOD enough, a writer can do that, but, the lazy writers aren't that good.

And Larry Correia is the OPPOSITE of the lazy writer. In more ways than one, of course, because his output is...impressive. But here, I speak of the fact that he has an ESTABLISHED fantasy series going, when rules CAN be violated without penalty, and: he works very, very competently to rationalize it. There are science hints throughout, but the emphasis on the storyline is on the irrational, but I THINK that's along the order of “sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” 

It's not an approach taken often, and even less often is it done well. Handwavium has been around, and been popular, for a long time. It's what provides Superman with an origin story, and why Spiderman had to be bitten by a radioactive spider; those are SCIENCE explanations for fantasy. The best earliest  rationalization of fantasy that I am personally familiar with is 1969's “Not Long Before The End,” by Larry Niven. That was followed by other short stories and books with the same theme: magic is a natural resource,  and it can be depleted. 

I do not know where this series is going to conclude.  But, I find myself hoping that he woke up one night with a perfect ending in mind, and that everything this far has been in support of that superlative final scene where All Is Revealed. 

And now, The Question: Is “House of Assassins” a contender for the 2019 Dragon Award for Best Fantasy Novel?

Elsewhere, I have discussed the matter of series novels winning awards vs. stand-alone works. It's a factor, but the fact that the intro material covers the background well speaks in favor of HOA.

In prior years, I think HOA might have a lock on the award. However, this is the year in which nominations for Dragon Awards have come for books which came from sources which have previously held the Dragons in contempt. That being the case, I'm inclined to say that this is a different game than the game we played last year, and the year before, etc. 

Is it worthy of the award? Affirmatively, yes. Will it win the award? I would not bet money on it. 

Peace be on your household.

2019 Dragon Award Finalist, Best Alternate History Novel: "The Calculating Stars”

Well, the Amazon Associate links seem broken. That's okay, we don't have cookies, but we do have home made images and links.

And a link to buy it.

This is a longish review, because I needed to document some things. However, I have posted a condensed version on Goodreads, and submitted a similarly small review on Amazon. 

Greetings, Internet friends and neighbors, and a big hug and kiss to those who are following along with the month-long series of Dragon Awards book reviews: here is the SECOND review for today! 

(Ummm, no, it isn't. This was supposed to go out last night. Sorry.) 

And for my family who may have stumbled onto the site: every once in a while I re-learn why we only had dogs growing up, and not cats. Tonight is one of those times.

If my count is right, I have read 10 of the 2019 Dragon Award Finalists, and this is my 9th review. I have one I am holding in reserve, for a day when LTUE decides I don't get to read or write much for a bit. I am highly gratified to report that I finally have my daily average read required down below 300 pages per day, at least for the next 1 hour and 46 minutes. (Nope) One day real soon I'm gonna have to tackle the monster on the list (784 pages), 

BUT IT WILL NOT BE THIS DAY!

Hmm. Viggo Mortensen got more mileage out of that line. Must be the costume.

“The Calculating Stars” is, if nothing else, a paean to the courage and strength of the women featured in “Hidden Figures,” although Dilly's Girls and the Debs at Bletchley Park in WWII could also accept some of the homage given to those women with amazing math and problem-solving skills. At the time, their contributions to their countries were largely anonymous, a status which has been partially rectified in recent years. Also receiving well-earned  recognition are the women who served with the Women Airforce (or Army, or Auxiliary) Service Pilots (WASP), a cadre of over 1000 pilots who flew in various essential non-combat roles in WWII, replacing male pilots who were cleared for combat status. All of these groups are worth the time it would take to research them, and the author includes some additional information in an appendix.

Protagonist Elma Wexler York and her husband Nathaniel are taking a brief semi-honeymoon, prior to returning to jobs with the newly founded National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics in Washington, DC. He is an engineer, she a mathematician, although that title is not used for her. Rather, she and her fellows are called computers. Both served during WWII, he as an Army captain, she as a WASP.

Although the catastrophic meteorite ocean strike offshore Washington DC, at 9:53 AM on March 3rd, 1952, is the foundation of the story, this story diverged from our timeline before that event. We are told that Dewey actually did defeat Truman, and also that NACA has launched three satellites. No additional background is provided, but the author explains that she made the changes so that Wernher von Braun and his crew could receive funding from a Dewey Administration.

The couple survive the blast effects from the strike, and are able to reach their private aircraft, parked some distance from the cabin. Along the way, they see wreckage and body parts, but no living humans. Elma pilots the plane to the nearest open airfield, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. There they meet with Air Force colonel Stetson Parker, who suggests that because of the casualties in the DC area, his command may extend well beyond the boundaries of Wright-Patterson. He is delighted to see Nathaniel, as he believes that the catastrophe may be a result of a Russian rocket attack, and wants to use his expertise to prepare a counter-attack. He is far from pleased to see Elma, though, as he believes she reported him for sexual harassment ('conduct unbecoming for an officer') when they happened to be serving in the same area during WWII. 

NOTE: Throughout the book, he remains the Bad Guy. While his skills as a pilot are never in question, and his ability as a flight instructor is commended, his character strives to denigrate Elma and block her from advancement.

By virtue of family connections and her own expertise, Elma is able to gather data which predicts  global extinction within 50 years. She is able to get the attention of the acting president, the former Secretary of Agriculture. And, what with one thing and another, the nascent American space program is funded to research immediate development of off-planet colonies. NACA is absorbed into the new International Aerospace Coalition, IAC.

Elma recruits a cadre of women to run the calculations necessary to develop the hardware for the space program. Former WASPs are heavily represented, and she is also preparing the women to participate fully in the operational aspects of the program, by the formation of a women's flying club. The woman who was her original hostess when she arrived at Wright-Patterson puts her in touch with some black aviators, and the group incorporates black aviators, as well as a Chinese woman.

Elma's contact with the black women opens her eyes to the segregation in the system. The refusal of the IAC administration to consider women for training as astronauts, as well as the exclusion of non-white candidates, and her efforts to overcome that choice, provides the text for the remainder of the book.

Stories classed as science fiction absolutely get to take liberty with facts. That's NOT a negative. I'm thinking specifically about Heinlein's “Waldo” and “Magic, Incorporated,” and how much I've enjoyed re-reading those over the years. Even so, I am permitted to point out points in which the narrative seems stretched. 

I doubt seriously that there was a data base available that would have permitted such specificity of climate predictions in 1952, and even if some relevant records were available, the number crunching power of methods available at the time simply couldn't make anything like a reliable prediction. While the author does gain some leeway here, by establishing that early results weren't consistent with the original prediction, that isn't quite the point; the point is not coming up with an accurate forecast; the point is coming up with a forecast that policy-makers will accept. It simply couldn't be done. It's not a deal-breaker, though; this IS, after all, science fiction.

The massive number of innovations needed to achieve a space colonization effort large enough to guarantee the survival of the human race, within the 50-year time limit imposed, is more than unrealistic. It's not a deal-breaker, though; this IS, after all, science fiction.

One of the main supporters of the space program is said, in August of 1956. to have been a vocal supporter of Dr. Martin Luther King. That's not likely to be the case, for several reasons. At that time, King had essentially NO national reputation; he did not start to gain notice until the Birmingham Bus boycott. In addition, the possibility of the economy recovering enough by August of 1956 for a non-violent sustained civil rights demonstration along the order of the Birmingham action to take place is small, particularly since the headquarters of the NAACP is in Baltimore, which was destroyed. Finally, King was likely dead. When the meteorite hit, King was a doctoral student in Boston, and Boston streets flood during routine weather. With coastal areas being obliterated from the wave surge, it's not likely that anyone in that area survived.  It's not a deal-breaker, though; this IS, after all, science fiction.

I think the author is wildly optimistic about implementing race- and gender-free recruiting for military programs in a post-meteor US. In our own timeline, President Truman signed Executive Order 9981 AFTER he received his party's nomination for the 1948 election, and even so, the last military segregated unit wasn't eliminated until late 1954. In the chaos following the decapitation of the military in 1952, the military would revert to tradition, not accept innovation. It's not a deal-breaker, though; this IS, after all, science fiction; bit it's CLOSE.

There are two items, which taken together, DO amount to a deal-breaker for me, and they are related, via one particular scene. 

Three of the Lady Astronaut trainees participate in an exercise which simulates an aircraft crashing in water. The “Dilbert Dunker” is a real device used in training, but in this scene,  the women are given bikinis to wear, instead of a flight suit, and are photographed by a horde of reporters as they go through the process. 

This is absolutely implausible. At the time, the bikini was a new and risque item of swimwear, banned from many public beaches. A conversation with a retired NASA scientist affirmed that the intensely conservative space administration would NEVER have exposed trainees to what amounts to a wet T-shirt contest. They might have suicided before permitting women to participate in the training program, but they would NEVER have permitted such a violation of standard dress codes in such fashion.

Besides being implausible, it was the scene that convinced me that the book was less about science fiction and alternate history, than it was about polemics. We are given many examples, prior to this, of the wicked treatment the women are subject to, without any negative consequences to those who block their advancement, or even actively persecute them. There is no disputing the historic fact of systematic segregation and discrimination based on gender and race, which are the two factors presented in the book. However, the author made the point a LONG time before this scene. I found the bikini scene to be clownish and grotesque, and it utterly took me out of the narrative. 

And then we come to the question: Is this book a likely candidate to win the 2019 Dragon Award for Best Alternate History Novel?

The answer to THAT question is largely going to depend on who you ask. The Science Fiction Writers Association gave it the 2019 Award for Best Novel. It also won the 2019 Locus Award, which is determined by an online vote, with votes from subscribers to the magazine given twice the weight of non-subscribers. It also won the 2019 Hugo for Best Novel; those are determined by WorldCon members voting. And so on. So, there is plenty of support for the win.

However.

There are just too many impossible things for me to believe, and I truly was disturbed by the bikini scene. 

It is, however, guaranteed not to put a live octopus on your face.

Peace be on your household.

2019 Dragon Award Finalist, Best SF Novel: Record Of A Spaceborn Few"

If you are running an ad blocker, nothing appears above. So, here's a little something for you:

The cover art, and a link to get it on Amazon!

If you want REVIEW ONLY, with no commentary, you can find that on my Goodreads review.

I also will post links to ALL my Amazon reviews in the Dragon series as the SECOND comment, and would much appreciate it if you voted on them. Amazon is slower about posting reviews these days, even when they don't put them in jail.

Greetings, Internet friends and neighbors, and a continued SPECIAL greeting to those who are following along with the month-long series of Dragon Awards book reviews: today you are going to get TWO servings, and you might just get three. And for my family who may have stumbled onto the site: Yes, my finger WAS on the trigger, but only for purposes of posing the scene. I had removed the magazine and cleared the chamber, and I verified that before each picture.

Full disclosure: as I gathered the materials for this reviewing project, the title of this book caught my eye, and I found it very difficult to postpone reading it until yesterday. I don't know exactly WHY the title hooked me so significantly; if I understood that, I'd probably start a consulting business writing titles for books. I also found that the thumbnail pic of the author spoke to me, a bit, about a person who had fun writing a book. It seemed such a contrast to a few headshots I'd encountered lately of blustery guys with beetling brows and fierce expressions, and some glam shots of vampires;  people I wouldn't ask for a lift to the next service station if I ran out of gas.

This person enjoys writing books.

(IMHO)

This is Book 3 in the Wayfarers series, and it shows. The background work in establishing the world has already been done; we are told exactly where in the story arc this book is found. It's my hope that those who prefer origin stories above all things can find them in the other installments in the series, but I confess that I cannot testify to that of my own experience.

There are a couple of points I found confusing, although I can't really say that they detracted from the presented story in any major way. The primary confusion I had was this: we have a huge exodus of humans from a worn-out planet Earth; they have spent generations in space on their voyage. The departure from Earth is referenced in a ritual followed by those who live on the ships:

We left the ground behind. We left the oceans. We left the air. We watched these things grow small. We watched them shrink into a point of light.
(Chambers, Becky. Record of a Spaceborn Few (Wayfarers) (pp. 34-35). Harper Voyager. Kindle Edition. )

This, I understand; I've read unknown stories of giant habitat-ships among the stars. What I DON'T understand is the mechanism by which the Exodans (for so they are called) maintain contact with remaining humans on Earth, on Mars, and living in other artificial environments in the Solar system.

The other issues are more trivial. I understand that there are two primary languages spoken by humans, Ensk and Klip, and that Ensk is primarily Terran in origin, while Klip is Galactic, but I wasn't able to determine how the mix began. It's easy to pick up, and is, in fact, a central story point, that humans are significantly limited in their technological prowess. It SEEMS that they gained almost all of the essential technology currently in use as a gift from more advanced species, but the nature of the technology transfer is undefined. And the ability of humans to adapt easily to different gravities (okay, accelerations!) isn't addressed. As I said, though, these are trivial.

There is one respect in which they MIGHT matter, though, and I don't have enough evidence from this single exposure to know whether it applies. With the exception of a tiny area of science fiction literature, that dealing with the intrusion of a new technology on current society, it's accepted that you can violate any ONE aspect of reality with no penalty whatsoever. That's usually some form of hyper-space, but it can vary. However, given that single violation, anything else has to be explained, or at least justified. It's all a matter of acceptable limits. Within the context of “Record of a Spaceborn Few,” I don't know how many of the technological marvels have been properly introduced. I'm inclined to give the benefit of the doubt, as technology transfer is a significant part of the storyline. However, if it's ALL handwavium, or even if it's ALIEN handwavium, then: ouch. 

This is a mere quibble.  

The book delivers EXACTLY what the title promises. These are the personal stories of a few individuals, told over the span of a few years. I'm not really good at paying attention to chapter headings (actually, I'm very bad at it). However, the kind author provided a subtle clue about which character's POV was going to be represented in each section, via the esoteric method of TELLING US THE NAME! (Yes, I am slow to catch on.)

The protagonists are Tessa, a materials handler and young (almost single) mother of two; Isabel, a keeper of the archives of the Exodans, and administrator of rituals; Sawyer, a young adult, orphaned on a planet, who enters life aboard the Fleet; Kip, a ship-board teen who has to fight the coming-of-age crisis in an environment he finds unreasonably limiting; Eyas, a Caretaker, the high-status professional who manages the funeral rites of the ship, including preparing the bodies of the deceased into compost, which is then returned to the soil which grows the oxygen-providing plants.  Each one is surrounded by a rich community, and it's in the interaction of these with the primaries that we really understand the tensions experienced by the humans who have fled Earth.

Without exception, the characters presented seemed very real to me, and likable. There was something about each character, other than Caretaker Eyas, that I could relate to, whether encroaching limitations of aging, the perils and joys of parenthood (& grand-parenthood), or the struggles Kip and Sawyer were facing in discovery of their place in the world. As for Eyas, her story was told with such beauty and power that I didn't feel a need to recognize myself in her. 

And now we come to the question: is this book a real contender for the 2019 Dragon Award for the Best Science Fiction of the Year?

I've already addressed the issue of whether or not a series novel has the same chance of winning the award as a stand-alone novel. My answer is ALMOST the same as before “I have no clue.” However, in this case, the book in question is not the first of a series, it's the third. And, for a mid-series work to qualify for Best Science Fiction Novel of the Year, I think the burden is SIGNIFICANTLY higher; it must tell an ENTIRE story, not just a part of one.

This is just my opinion, and you can take it or leave it: while “Record of A Spaceborn Few” is an excellent read, I just don't think it brings enough innovation to the table to warrant “Best of the Year” status. Too much depends on the other books in the series. This is NOT a criticism of what I found between the covers, because I really enjoyed the book. However, I don't find myself highly motivated to interrupt my sleep to read the other installments in the series, and frankly, I think that's exactly what a mid-series nomination for Best SF of the Year ought to do.

Having said that, it was an excellent read, and I recommend it.

Peace be on your household.