TGKA: Star Trek: The Eugenics Wars, Volume One

On December 18, 2013December 18, 2013 By cherylmahoneyIn Reviews, Science Fiction3 Comments

This year for the Sci Fi Experience, I’m off on The Great Khan Adventure, tracing the story of Khan Noonien Singh through books and movies. After setting the stage with some viewing of Star Trek: The Original Series, I’ve moved on to the heart of my plans: the trilogy of books by Greg Cox, beginning with the ridiculously long titled Star Trek: The Eugenics Wars: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh, Volume One.

My guess is that the primary impetus for this entire trilogy of books was one line from the episode “Space Seed,” remarking that Khan controlled a quarter of the Earth during the 1990s. I don’t know about you, but I don’t remember the 90s quite like that! Cox’s trilogy sets out to tell us what was really going on in the later part of the 20th century, brilliantly melding “official” history with the Star Trek universe.

This first volume covers the rise of Khan, mostly serving as an origin story. The focal point is really Gary Seven, his assistant Roberta Lincoln, and the mysterious black cat Isis (introduced in “Assignment: Earth”). With the help of alien technology, they’re at work to keep the Cold War from igniting into World War III. In 1974, they begin investigating rumors of genetic manipulation, and soon infiltrate the Chrysalis Project, a high-tech compound beneath the desert in India. There they find hundreds of children with genetically-engineered DNA, including a particularly precocious child nicknamed Noon. The book goes to 1989 and the fall of the Berlin Wall…when a young Khan is just beginning to make his influence felt on a larger stage–but mostly, that’s Volume Two.

There’s a frame story here too, about Kirk, the Enterprise, and a colony of genetically engineered humans, but that’s a small part of the book and the real focus and draw is the history portion. Although I will say–despite how briefly Kirk’s crew is present, Cox still manages to have Spock and McCoy sniping at each other (by page 5 of the Prologue), which I consider an absolute win. No one can claim to be portraying these characters correctly unless Spock and McCoy get to snipe at each other!

After watching “Assignment: Earth” I really wanted to see more of Seven and Roberta’s adventures. This book gave me that–but dropped so many tantalizing hints that so much more was happening, that I now want an entire book series! Ah well… I thoroughly enjoyed enigmatic Seven, always so calm and in control, and of course his mysterious, never-quite-explained cat, Isis. We got Isis’ point of view briefly, and her disdain of Roberta was particularly amusing (and so cat-like!) I kind of want to know more about Seven’s background…but mostly I don’t! I think this is a case where the mystery is better than any answer would be, so Cox is smart to keep Seven’s past, and his alien guardians, pretty much in shadows.

Of the group, Roberta is the comparatively normal (and relatable) one, an ordinary human who stumbled into world-saving by accident. She doesn’t have any special abilities, but she’s clever, confident and dedicated…with the occasional snarky comment or era-appropriate pop culture reference. She’s a kind of Girl Friday who increasingly becomes an equal partner as the story goes on.

This is definitely a book intended for fans, as it’s riddled with references to episodes and movies. Personally, I love that kind of thing! Cox seems to have found every possible reference in Star Trek to the 20th century, and pulled it in–like a cameo from Gillian Taylor, a reference to Guinan, an appearance by Flint, and discussions of the Ferengi who landed at Roswell in 1947. “Assignment: Earth” and “Space Seed” are the only really essential episodes to know before reading the book; for the rest, I think it would be clear enough without background–but it’s more fun when you do know the context!

The book is fast-paced and compelling, with engaging characters and a lot of excitement. Once in a while the writing is a little clunky (Cox is too fond of “stated” as a dialogue tag…which is nitpicking, but it bugged me) but mostly it flows well. Oddly enough, even with all that’s really good here, I may be most impressed with the Afterword. Cox goes through chapter by chapter, explaining how the events of the book relate to the “official” history. Without ever breaking the illusion, it becomes very clear what’s history and what’s Star Trek. I’m impressed by how much real history he managed to weave his story around, and I’m impressed that he laid it all out in the Afterword. If Dan Brown had done something similar, I might feel very differently about The Da Vinci Code than I do…but that’s another story.

This story is an excellent ride through Star Trek and real history, and I am looking forward to the next volume, covering the 1990s–and how exactly Khan ruled a quarter of the Earth!

Author’s Site: http://www.gregcox-author.com/

Other reviews:
A Star Trek Literary Adventure
The M0vie Blog
Anyone else?

Buy it here: The Eugenics Wars, Vol. 1

Singing with the MasterHarper

On December 11, 2013December 10, 2013 By cherylmahoneyIn Reviews, Science Fiction15 Comments

For my first book for the Sci Fi Experience, I decided to revisit a favorite character on one of my favorite distant planets, and reread The MasterHarper of Pern by Anne McCaffrey.

As the title suggests, this is a novel centered around MasterHarper Robinton, a shining supporting character in many other Pern novels. Covering some 50 years, the book divides roughly into three parts. First, Robinton’s childhood and musical training, and his fraught relationship with his perfectionist composer father, Petiron. Next, Robinton’s romantic relationship with Kasia. And third, the rising threat of Fax, a greedy and ruthless man intent on conquering more and more of Pern. In the background, there’s the imminent return of Thread, burning spores falling from space. It’s a danger ignored by most, which Robinton (and the reader) knows is to their peril.

I enjoyed this read a lot, although it may be for a funny reason. The plot was satisfactory (I think the family drama in the first part was my favorite of the three plot-threads) and the characters were universally interesting though only a few were extraordinary. But I really loved visiting Pern. Since this covers so many years and explores Robinton’s life from birth on, this is an excellent book for just spending time in Pern.

We get a depth and breadth experience of life in the Harper Hall that’s beyond what’s provided in the relatively time-compressed (but excellent!) Harper Hall Trilogy. Robinton journeys to practically every corner of the continent, giving us little snippets of life in different areas. Pern has a beautifully rich and complex culture and society, and it always feels so inviting. I probably wouldn’t actually like living in it, but I love reading about a world where people live in rock-hewn Holds, drink klah, and learn history and lessons through Harper songs.

It occurs to me that this is probably exactly why I lost interest in this series in later books, when people rediscovered certain technology and began to remake society in fundamental ways. When the society is the appeal, changing it takes away much of what I like about the books!

But this installment is long before any of that happens. This is in some ways a prequel to Dragonflight, although the angle is different. Many of the characters from that book (or The Harper Hall Trilogy) appear here in much younger forms, which was a lot of the fun of the book. Although Robinton is a Harper, Pern’s famous dragons are still very much in evidence. His love of dragons was a good element, and it felt convincing rather than dragged in.

There were also some drawbacks to this particular book… After 400 Threadless turns, I found it a little implausible that certain elements of society (like respect for Dragonriders) only began to break down dramatically in the last thirty years (before everything is reshaped by the events of Dragonflight). I understand McCaffrey wanted to tell that story within Robinton’s lifetime, but it seemed a little unlikely on timing. More seriously, while Fax is a compelling plot-thread, the climax of the book is tied so closely to events in Dragonflight that Robinton ended up having little to do except observe…which is a somewhat disappointing choice for the ending.

Robinton himself is possibly more charming as a supporting character than as a narrator, but at the same time he has more depth and complexity as the lead. And he is still charming and eminently likable besides. I do love the expressive symbolism of the cover, showing him with his harp in one hand, and a glass of Benden white wine in the other! (And I don’t care if the wine looks a little reddish, it must be Benden white.)

I wouldn’t recommend choosing this book as your starting place for Pern (you’re better off with Dragonflight, Dragonsong or possibly Moreta) but if you’ve already been to the third planet in the Rukbat system, and especially if you enjoyed meeting MasterHarper Robinton while you were there, then I can recommend this one too.

Author’s Site: http://pernhome.com/aim/

Other reviews:
265 Book Blog
And I’m finding a sad lack of reviews! Anyone else want to share theirs?

Buy it here: The Masterharper of Pern

TGKA: Star Trek: The Original Series

On December 4, 2013December 3, 2013 By cherylmahoneyIn Reviews, Science Fiction8 Comments

For the Sci Fi Experience this year, I’m embarking on The Great Khan Adventure, an attempt to put together all the pieces of the story of Khan Noonien Singh, as portrayed on screen and through Greg Cox’s trilogy of books.

It was a bit tricky deciding where to begin–“the beginning” is not straight-forward when multiple timelines converge in most installments. The Eugenics Wars books take place chronologically before “Spaceseed” in Khan’s life, but after “Assignment: Earth” in Gary Seven’s life–and the Kirk-portion of the books is after the episodes.

Solution? The episodes were written first, providing the background for the books, so I’m starting there! This post wraps together several episodes of Star Trek which would appear to have no connection to each other–but they all intersect the 20th-century in some way, and prove relevant to the books. Taking them in chronological order (as Kirk and crew experience it, at least)…

Tomorrow Is Yesterday

Quick Plot: Due to an accident with a black hole, the Enterprise is flung back in time to the 1960s. Spotted by the American airforce, they have to beam pilot John Christopher aboard, to avoid being identified as a UFO. Next problem: how to send Christopher back, with all he knows now about the future.

Thoughts: The basic plot here is pretty decent, of the Enterprise crew scrambling to hide their own traces from a military watching for UFOs. Although he’s a one-episode-only character, Christopher may be the most moving part, a man adamant about returning to his family in the face of all the Enterprise crew’s insistence that the risk is too great. There’s also some nice humor in here, from a military sergeant’s stunned reaction when he too is beamed aboard, to Kirk’s deprecating attempts to downplay his uniform when captured by military personnel.

And it does all end happily…even if the solution seems wildly implausible from a scientific point of view–and that despite the fact that I’m willing to accept slingshotting around the Sun as a valid method of time travel!!

Best Quote:
Christopher: I never have believed in little green men.
Spock [stepping into Christopher’s view]: Neither have I.

Space Seed

Quick Plot: The Enterprise picks up a sleeper ship and revives its leader, a genetically engineered superman from the late 20th century. The man turns out to be Khan Noonien Singh, who ruled a quarter of the planet during the Eugenics Wars of the 1990s. Khan wins the loyalty of Ship’s Historian Marla McGivers, and with her help he is able to waken his crew and take over the Enterprise. Kirk wins out in the end, and Khan, Marla and the rest are exiled to Ceti Alpha V, there to build a new empire. Continue reading “TGKA: Star Trek: The Original Series” →

The Weekend of the Doctor

On November 27, 2013November 25, 2013 By cherylmahoneyIn Reviews, Science Fiction3 Comments

If you’ve been paying attention to geek news (or went on Google last weekend), you may have noticed just a bit of Doctor Who buzz… Saturday marked the 50th anniversary, with a thoroughly hyped special that’s been promised for months. Happily, I thought it lived entirely up to all the anticipation!

I went with some friends to see the special at a showing at a local pub. The place was packed with Who shirts and costumes, and there was a photo opp with a life-size TARDIS. Near as I can tell, this is the closest thing to the geek Superbowl. 🙂

The special, The Day of the Doctor, proved to be epic, hilarious, heartrending and, my very favorite thing in geek franchises, from beginning to end a love letter to the fans. It’s all well and good to create something for “the general audience”…but we all know the fans really want something with in-jokes and past references galore!

The story centers around a meeting of Three Doctors (ish–maybe). We’ve known since the beginning of New Who that there had been a huge Time War between the Time Lords and the Daleks, which ended when the Doctor destroyed both races. This special features the War Doctor, a previously-unknown Regeneration (John Hurt), who made the fatal decision. The War Doctor goes through time and space to meet the 10th Doctor (David Tennant) and the 11th Doctor (Matt Smith) to fight alien shape-shifters and make a truly universe-changing decision.

The plot is far more epic (and surprisingly coherent) than I’m making it sound! It was epic and immense both on the level of threats to billions, and on the personal level of what effect one enormous decision has on the man who makes it, and then carries it through multiple centuries and lives.

But in between all the epicness and the heart-rending and the guilt, there is so much that is so fun! I loved the Doctors bouncing off of each other, making snarky observations about one another that fans have been making for years. And so many in-jokes, from the 4th Doctor’s scarf to the 11th Doctor’s fez to the 10th’s Doctor’s mysterious history with Elizabeth I (and his propensity for kissing). And there was possibly my single favorite line, about reversing the reversing of the polarity–“we’re confusing the polarity!”

If you’re thinking you might like to jump into Doctor Who, this is not the place to jump, full as it is of earlier references. But if that paragraph above all made perfect sense to you, do not miss this special. It’s going on my list of top 5 favorite episodes–and that is saying quite a lot!

A Girl, an Alien and a Cat

On July 24, 2013July 24, 2013 By cherylmahoneyIn Reviews, Science Fiction, Young Adult8 Comments

I don’t remember anymore where I originally heard about The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex, but I know I read it because I couldn’t resist that title–or the premise that came with it.

Sometime in the future, aliens called Boovs land on Earth on Christmas Day (in true Doctor Who tradition) and proceed to take over the planet. Resistance is, shall we say, futile. The Boovs rename Christmas as Smekday, in honor of their General Smek who conquered Earth (Smekland). Our heroine is Gratuity Tucci–her friends call her Tip. Tip’s mother was abducted by the Boov on Smekday, a story she begins to relate for a school writing assignment on “The True Meaning of Smekday.”

When all humans are ordered to relocate to Florida, Tip sets out alone in her car (she’s eleven, but she taught herself to drive after her mother disappeared), accompanied only by her cat, Pig. Along the way, she meets a Boov named J.Lo (his Smekland-name). He has his own troubles, and they form an uncertain alliance. They realize that the troubles for Smekland have just begun, when another race of aliens comes to invade: the Gorg, known throughout the civilized galaxy as the Takers.

I am always impressed by books which can manage satire-level humor, balanced with genuine tragedy and heartache. Telling an absurd abduction story is one thing. Telling a tragic abduction story is another. Doing both at once–now that’s really something. There’s a lot of humor throughout the book, but there are also serious dangers and serious tragedies. Neither detracts from the other.

Tip is a spitfire narrator, brash and brave while also possessing real fears and pain, particularly around the loss of her mother. She has an incredibly strong narrative voice that’s a lot of fun to read. J.Lo is wonderfully funny in his not-quite-grasping human culture, his endless munching on truly awful things and his nutty technology. Balanced with the humor is the growing friendship between J.Lo and Tip. And it becomes clear that, regardless of how many legs he has, J.Lo possesses so many of the qualities that make us all human.

I mentioned satire above, and there are definitely strong strands of commentary here on the real world. The most obvious (sometimes pointed) one is the comparison between the Boovs sending of humans to a reservation, and the Europeans doing the same thing to the Native Americans in history. There’s a Native American character who is great in many ways, but almost makes the satire a little too hit-you-over-the-head-with-it.

On a less serious parallel to the real world, parts of the book take place in Happy Mouse Kingdom in Orlando, Florida. Need I say more? And despite the humor, the book gets into surprising depth about what makes “Happy Mouse Kingdom” so appealing.

There are some interesting experiments in the actual telling of the story. Besides Tip telling the story, the words are illustrated by Tip’s Polaroid photographs (drawings), and supplemented in places by J.Lo’s comics. It’s cleverly done, and adds some depth, especially to the portrayal of the Boov. The comic section detailing their history as a culture was one of my favorite parts (and there was some pretty heavy satire there too).

I read the print edition, but there’s also an audiobook that won an Odyssey. And Dreamworks is planning a movie for 2014, which I am now looking forward to!

Tip is eleven, and that’s probably a good target age for the reader too, though obviously it’s a lot of fun even if you’re older! It’s a funny story about aliens, a heartwarming story about friendship and family, and an effective satire about culture, environmental issues and politics. All that, in a Middle Grade book. Never tell me books for kids can’t have depth. 😉

Author’s Site: http://www.adamrex.com/

Other reviews:
There Be Words
The Bookshelf Gargoyle
The Cazzy Files
Anyone else?

Buy it here: The True Meaning of Smekday