re:considering

Dr. Mackenzie Connor, Mac to those who know her, is a prime example of the mono-focused human; interested only in what can be related to her research, not having what other people chose to call ‘a normal life’; something which seems to be a conscious choice made so long ago it has become part of herself. The only person to come close to her is Emily, another scientist, and together they study salmon. Then one day a scientist from not only another world and of another species but another field altogether, chaperoned by what seemingly is a harmless papershuffler, a bureaucrat, intrudes on her in her field work, claiming Mac could hold the key to the survival of several species.

I have not read enough by Czerneda to know if this is a recurring theme but the story is not far away from that of In the Company of Others (my ‘review’ here) – alien species threatening the survival of the known world, female scientist solves the mystery while falling in love on the way. It’s a fun ride though so I can’t complain.

The characters are nicely done and the story is mostly well paced and despite a vague feeling of being a brew consisting of lots of well known elements Czerneda manages to make this dish have it’s own personal flavour.
If I had a problem with anything it was the frequent infodumps, especially at the beginning of the story. The style is supposed to be tight third person, which means we can only know what the protagonist know. But every now and then things she obviously know well enough not to react to are explained to us. An example: To Mac the tech called ‘imps’ should be ubiquitous – their use should be made clear to us by showing her using them. Instead we get a paragraph (or was it two?) describing the etymology behind the word, and what the thing is used for.
These dumps were not frequent enough to do more than annoy me slightly, though.

The book is first in a series of three called The Species Imperative but the essential parts of the story gets their resolution before the last page. Despite this I am ready to devour the next one (Migration), had I had it in my hand. Not because of any loose threads but because I want to know what will happen next – I’m not ready to abandon the scientifically minded Mac just yet.

Recommended.

I do not read the Familias Regnant books for deep discourse but for entertainment so Once A Hero surprised me a bit with being a somewhat darker than the previous three.

The protagonist, Esmay Suiza, has recurring and extremely disturbing nightmares, and her lack of will to confront and treat these symptoms affects her Fleet career negatively.

After having saved the day at the Xavier battle (as told in Winning Colors) she faces a court martial for treachery and mutiny. Exonerated she leaves for home, a place she has no love towards, and learns both why the nightmares and why she have sought a new home, in the Fleet.
Returning to Fleet she is afraid of getting labelled insane, something that can only end with her being sent to the one place she will never go back to – where her family lives.

Her personal struggle and doubt brings depth to a story that else would had been a not only predictable but shallow space opera. That a roomful of male admirals should cede critical command to a young (my guess is 25-ish) female Lieutenant with a doubtful track record is beyond belief – it just doesn’t happen. And that a band of 25 culturally illiterate commandos can take over a major Fleet vessel, staffed with 25.000 people… well, makes all those Bruce Willis saves the world-films like factual truths, eh ;-)

My main objection, though, is people are dying left and right, some of them while being abused, but you never feel affected by it. This book is as clinically clean as a Star Trek Next Generation episode, stuffed with red uniformed nobodies that gets mutilated and what not but without the stench and the terror that should go with it.

I still liked the book. It’s a capturing and fast read, suitable for when the mind can’t take serious thought for long. Like when you’re down with fever and “almost pneumonia” (to cite my doctor), which at the time I was. (Or is – I’m not completely recovered even yet.)

I can understand not everyone will like this film. For the purists it’s not true enough to material canon to fit. For the non-trek person it’s too stuffed with references to be enjoyable. Added to this my dear husband thought the humour too predictable. Me, on the other hand, had a real REAL GOOD TIME :-)

While maybe what happened not matches what has happened before this gets an explanation in the film, and as it has to do with, you know, quantum physics ;-) it’s not believable. But what does that matter?!?!?! It’s a STAR TREK film, for heavens sake! It’s not supposed to be 1000% believable!!! And anyhow the protagonists stay in character, which is what I think important, in this case.

Spoiler warning
The basic story tells how a renegade from the future threatens the Federation with extinction, and ties in somewhere between the first TOS pilot episode and the first episode featuring the original crew as we know it. It tells how Kirk became captain of the Enterprise, and by the way his daredevil mentality saves humanity. Uhura, Spook, Bones, Sulu and Chekov are with him from the start, albeit not with him anywhere close to the captain’s chair, and he collects Scotty on his way.

Most of the sfx was good, and not overdone, but the red spidery guy trying to kill Kirk on the snowy planet made me think of the Rancorn, of Star Wars/Return of the Jedi fame. Not very good, that is to say. But then not even the LoTR films managed to pull every fx off with grace. So this may be forgiven.
End spoiler

As we know everyone will survive I spent most of the time smiling, even when Kirk or Spook or whoever was about to get killed because killing them would had been… highly illogical ;P

The ending… was fitting. Me like. I will not see at a theatre again (I cannot remember when I ever saw a film more than once), but I will get the DVD, faster than a cheetah can run. And then I will watch it again. And again. A perfect flick for when you’re home sick.

If I have any critique it is that while characters stayed true the message lacked. Nowhere to be seen were the original idea of talking oneself out of a bad spot; of showing grace to one’s adversaries; or to show the possibility of a better future world. But such a message may be to non-PC, presently, for Hollywood to support…

I am a bit wary that this alternate storyline quantum physics have given to us will spawn a new set of daftly made series’. But I’m holding my thumbs for it to end well…

I know I’m a total airhead but when younger I always thought we’d go to the stars, someday. At the very least I thought our neighbouring planets would had gotten human visitors by now.

That was some years ago, though. Last time I seriously thought we’d get somewhere like Mars was, maybe, in the late 70’s. And people keep telling me we should spend our precious monies on other things than burning them in space.

About a month ago this was discussed at the Green Dragon, and people managed to come up with rather a lot of ways we have benefited from there being a space program at all. Among others

• Pacemakers
• Miniature electronics
• GPS
• Satellite enabled communications, including remote doctors
• Robotics that can be used for prosthetics
• Treatments for cancer (lot of radiation in space)
• Treatments for osteoporosis (also a ‘humans in space’-problem)
• Light AND strong alloys

were mentioned, among others. And of course there’s LOTS of scientific data to be gathered, not to mention inspiration for more than a few authors ;-)

I do understand people who think we should spend our money on other things. People starve and die all around, even in “civilized” countries. What I don’t understand is when people insists any space program is a total waste of money, and for naïve dreamers only.

But come to think of it – where would humankind be if there hadn’t been dreamers there, all along?

(Thank you JPB for posting the link to Mars rovers roll on to five years, from the Beeb)