tarfire continues Charles Sheffield's disaster saga that began in the novel Aftermath. It's now 2053, 27 years after
the Alpha Centauri supernova that devastated Earth. Much has
been rebuilt, but humanity still has to contend with a stream of highly accelerated, electrically charged subatomic particles that's on its way. And the space shield that's being built to protect Earth from the beam is way behind schedule. Worse still, data from probes sent out to investigate the particles discover they will arrive in less than 10 years, not the 20 first thought.
There's more than one reason for the shield's scheduling problems. For one, a
serial killer has been murdering teenage girls on Sky City, the
space colony
responsible for assembling the shield. More importantly, however, two powerful men, Gordy
Rolfe--head of the Argos Group, a leading industrial firm--and Nick
Lopez--director of the World Protection Federation--are conspiring to
create delays. Each believes there's profit to be made by
allowing the partial
destruction of the planet. Rolfe sends his top assistant, Maddy Wheatstone, to
Sky City
to get chief engineer John Hyslop pulled off the project and to
monitor his
activities. He also sends another aide, Seth Parsigian, to find
the serial
killer. In turn, Parsigian enlists the remote help of another notorious,
but now hiding, serial killer, Oliver Guest.
The plot thickens as a pair of Australian scientists discover that the supernova was
artificially created. They also learn that the deadly particle stream will hit Earth in just
a few weeks, and the particles will arrive in bundles
that will require a new shield design. One of the scientists, a former lover of President Celine Tanaka, convinces
her his theory is correct, and she arranges a meeting with Lopez. The news
upsets the timing of Lopez's plans. Lopez convinces Rolfe that Hyslop must
be reinstated, but there still might not be time to build an effective
shield and save life on Earth from potentially total devastation.
Solid and satisfactory
Starfire isn't quite as strong a book as Aftermath, but
it's still a well-written suspense novel. As in its predecessor,
the most
compelling writing occurs in the chapters that are excerpts from Oliver
Guest's diary. Guest, far from being repentant about his past, is the book's
most intriguing and complete character. He's a genius who has cloned his
victims and is now raising them as his daughters, not because he's sorry
about what he did, but because that was his plan all along. His inherent
distrust of, but grudging respect for, Parsigian, who somehow has
discovered Guest's
hiding place, quickly evolves to an intellectual curiosity about the
identity of the new serial killer. It creates an interesting
transformation, during
which he exhibits an unexpected determination and enthusiasm to catch his
rival. Unfortunately, Guest figures out the identity about halfway
through the book, but Sheffield doesn't reveal the solution until
the end. This withholding of information is both annoying and artificial.
The race to build the shield is no less exciting, especially
as the news becomes increasingly dire. Despite the
ulterior motives of Rolfe and Lopez, Sheffield doesn't turn to human
conspiracies to generate the tension. Instead, most of the real suspense
comes from the evolving understanding of a phenomenon never before
experienced, and the mobilization of human forces to deal with it.
Where Starfire seems weaker than Aftermath is in its
characterizations, other than Guest. In Aftermath, there
were many
instances of good people having to make difficult ethical choices in order to
survive the disaster following the supernova. Starfire has little
of that--Maddy is the only one with a difficult choice to make, and it's
not clear that it's one that puts her in significant danger.
Nevertheless, Starfire is a solid and satisfactory
conclusion to
the story begun in Aftermath. That is, unless Sheffield has more
surprises from the Alpha Centauri supernova.
I find it interesting to contrast this with Norman Spinrad's Greenhouse Summer. Both deal with
corruption and
choices as life's existence on Earth is threatened, but Spinrad
concentrates on character and behavior, while Sheffield concentrates on
problem solving. While they're both good writers, the comparison shows
that concentrating on character and behavior produces the better novel.
-- Clint
he fourth of David Weber's Honor Harrington series, Field of
Dishonor, was originally published in softcover (pictured above) in 1994. But with
Weber's growing popularity, this hardcover release is no surprise.
Dame Honor and her quintessential nemesis Captain Lord Pavel
Young are back, as is a plot not fully revealed until the book is
half over.
The events of the novel are preceded by a titanic space battle (as recounted in the transcript of a pretrial interview) between Admiral
Sarnow's Manticoran fleet (a.k.a. the good guys) and an
overwhelming People's Republic of New Haven force. The Manticoran
fleet is bruised and battered, a particularly devastating volley
severely wounds Sarnow, and Harrington assumes fleet command.
Fortunately, Manticoran reinforcements are on the way.
That's the good news. The bad news is that Pavel Young orders his
squadron to scatter, breaking the Manticoran defense network
and causing much loss of life. Harrington orders them back to
the flock, and although Young's squadron returns, Young flees with
his ship. Readers join the story as a post-battle investigation ensues,
and Young is booted from the Manticoran armed forces for cowardice.
Again, that's the good news. The bad news is that Young's father,
the Earl of North Hollow, dies at the trial, making Young the new
Earl of North Hollow.
But hey, how much damage can an Earl do? Certainly Harrington is above
innuendoes and political machinations. But Young's hatred runs
deep, he knows Harrington's weak link, and he intends to exploit it.
Characters, not combat
Once again David Weber has produced a pop fiction treasure.
Field of Dishonor isn't deep and it isn't profound, but it is
a tale tense enough, a tale written well enough, to keep readers turning the
pages.
Weber knows combat: his chilling accounts of the battles and
personal confrontations make engrossing reading. Weber knows the
military: he is one of the few writers who has a genuine empathy
with the mindset. But most importantly, Weber knows people: his
characters are more than ink on paper, they are hot-blooded,
passionate, at times mistaken, but never dull, creatures. They
jump from the pages into readers' minds, living there long after the
final word is read.
Honor Harrington--although a tad too perfect--is a hero through
and through. From her commanding presence on her ship's bridge to
her willingness to help a financially floundering engineer, she
is worthy of admiration. Dame Honor is passionate, yet coldy
calculating, but always (perfection aside) believable. So too is
her supporting cast: Major Lafollet, the devoted head of her
bodyguards; Chief MacGuiness, her doting steward; and Paul
Tankersley, the strong yet caring man she loves. They are all
as real as the book that holds their souls.
Weber uses these characters to propel an
excellent story. There's action, there's love, there's
heartbreak. Most importantly, there is great writing and a
riveting tale. Weber may not be the best military science fiction
writer alive today, but he's headed in that direction.
I'm quickly becoming a big fan of David Weber. First The
Apocalypse Troll, now Field of Dishonor: Weber writes well,
writes tight, and tells a heck of a story.
-- Mark
tarfire continues Charles Sheffield's disaster saga that began in the novel 
he fourth of David Weber's Honor Harrington series, Field of
Dishonor, was originally published in softcover (pictured above) in 1994. But with
Weber's growing popularity, this hardcover release is no surprise.
Dame Honor and her quintessential nemesis Captain Lord Pavel
Young are back, as is a plot not fully revealed until the book is
half over.
