Review: Fevered Star

Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have been an active Worldcon member for over a decade; nominating and voting for the Hugo Awards. And I've been a fan of science fiction/fantasy since I learned to read.

This book is why I am usually a Worldcon member. The first book in the series was nominated for the Best Novel award in 2021. I had the first entry in the series (Black Sun) in the first position on my ballot.

This year's book from Ms. Roanhorse, Fevered Star, continues her tour de force in the fantasy genre.

The series is based on the first nation's traditions of the pre-Columbian Americas. In this book, two opposing gods have had their essences imbued into their respective "priests". The people carrying those divine beings don't necessarily want to fight, but the gods most certainly do.

Coupled with that are seven competing clans who all want to control the city of Tova. Each uses the current conflict as a premise for maneuvering events to the advantage of their individual clans.

Rather than using the first book to coast further down the established narrative, Ms. Roanhorse uses this next installment to change the stakes and some of the players to tell an enthralling story.

This book is a singular example of why fantasy fiction exists. Just as JRR Tolkien introduced the world to a completely new epic tale, Ms. Roanhorse is introducing the world to her vision of fantastic characters and places.

Assuming that I am participating in Worldcon 2023, Fevered Star will be on my nominating list.

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Review: The Last Dance

The Last Dance by Martin L. Shoemaker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Captain Nicolau Aames commands a spaceship that travels the Armstrong cycle/circuit from Earth to Mars and back. It really is more of a space train that shuttles people and material to Mars and back.

The Captain is obsessed with details. Along the way, he trains people going to Mars and his own crew by forcing them to train for obscure scenarios. Essentially, he envisions a stream of cascading errors and demands that his crew be prepared to respond to any contingency.

Captain Aames finds himself in trouble as he refuses an order from command. The ensuing investigation eventually becomes centered on a death on Mars. If the Captain is correct, it is a murder. Command doesn't see where it could be a murder and just wants the investigation closed.

A second feature is the potential for the spaceship to become a self-contained polity that is free from the dictates of Earth. As an independent polity, the Captain of the ship would be free from many of the regulations imposed by Earth.

Mysteries within mysteries with the question of self-determination in the balance.

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Review: The Liar of Red Valley

The Liar of Red Valley by Walter Goodwater
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Our protagonist's mother possesses the magical ability to cause reality to change based on what she writes in her book. Whatever she writes comes to pass.

Rather than using that power to run things, she mostly just exchanges her talent for money.

Mom eventually dies and our protagonist discovers that she also possesses this ability, it has been passed down from mother to daughter since the founding of the Valley.

There is some sort of powerful being (an alien? something supernatural?) that is attracted to the valley. He wants her for her power.

Fans of Stephen King will recognize many of the features of this book. But this is a reasonably unique story and setting. Worth a read for any fan of horror and fantasy.

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Review: The Last Campaign

The Last Campaign by Martin L. Shoemaker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another fantastic installment in this series. Where before our protagonist was a spaceship captain, he has lost that high position and now works with his wife running various businesses.

Murders occur and those in power seek someone capable of running a detailed investigation. It turns out to be his wife that is called to serve rather than him. This naturally causes a great of stress between them.

What follows is a collision of principles in front of a background of people struggling to build a new civilization on Mars that is not dependent or based on an overly bureaucratic Earth.

The tension between personal principles, love for another, and the desire to live free creates space to explore the human condition from many directions.

This was on my nomination list for the Hugo Awards in 2021.

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Review: Bystander 27

Bystander 27 by Rik Hoskin
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

This book is populated by cliches and cardboard characters. The protagonist is some sort of high-speed special forces guy with an apartment in New York City. There aren't any SF bases in NYC. It goes downhill from there.

The ghost of Dorothy Parker rose in a manner adroit and definitive.

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