The Heritage Universe

Looking back, there were two authors whose works enticed me to stop selecting random books based on their titles and focus instead on individual writers. One is Piers Anthony, whose Bio of a Space Tyrant series I read when I was sixteen. Briefly, I can describe that series as a combination of science fiction adventure and a dose of the erotic -- which is everything a sixteen year-old boy could want. The other author was Charles Sheffield, whose novel Summertide helped me break away from the science fantasy of so much other books under the "sci-fi" genre and into hard(er) science fiction.

There is no single aspect of Summertide that piqued my interest, but a combination. As I mentioned, it falls into the sub-genre of hard science fiction, whose "science" is generally based in some way on modern theories. Given the distance into the future Summertide takes place, this is difficult to apply to much of the technology involved, but there is enough that it has the feeling of possibility.

There is also the milieu of alien species, which is certainly not new to me in science fiction, but the range of shapes was. No species is humanoid save for Humanity itself. For somewhat whose introduction to science fiction came in the form of Star Trek and Star Wars this was something very special indeed.

Finally there is the Builders, the ancient and unbelievably advanced species and the mindbogglingly enormous artifacts that they left behind. Sure, Babylon 5, had such beings as the Vorlons and the Shadows, but while their motives might seem enigmatic, they remained clearly active participants in the interstellar scene. The Builders are never truly revealed and even their sentient creations have little useful to say about their creators' nature. This mystery is the basic premise of the series.

Interestingly, there is no real antagonist in any of the books. The conflict has more to do with the dangerous situations the environments present than anything else. One might argue that the Zardalu (an alien species in the series) were at times the antagonists. In two of the books this is in a way literally true, but I found them presented more as players in a scene written by others (namely the Builders). They acted antagonistic towards the protagonists, but they were never the main issue. The result is that throughout the series the theme is not simply one of overcoming other individuals (though that does happen), but one of exploration and learning.

As for the author himself, Sheffield may not be the greatest author I have read. His narrative lacked the flowing introspective style presented by authors such as Stephen R. Donaldson or the sweeping epic style of those such as Glen Cook, but it was not a bad style, either. His writing was competent and his characterisations were convincing. He understood how to write about people and given them personalities that felt real and possible to empathise with. This is really basic stuff when it comes to writing fiction, but I have read several books whose authors proved unable to do this (or unable to do it more than once, merely repeating the same characterisations under different names in each book). Basically, I never found myself at odds with the author, while at the same time wishing better for the story. Charles Sheffield was simply a good author.

Over a decade after reading the first volume, I have finally read the final one: Resurgence. I purchased the entire series via WebScription.net and read it start to finish. It is just as good a series as I remembered it.

It is unfortunate that Sheffield died the year the final volume was published. It ends with a newly discovered threat and a inference that a new set of protagonists would take over. I have to wonder if this was Sheffield's own indication that the series should continue with new blood directing it, knowing that he might not be able to do so himself. The series never gained the popularity that such iconic works as Isaac Asimov's Robot and Foundation series had, though, so such a future is in doubt. Ultimately, everything is left to the readers' imaginations.

The Mote in God's Eye

I do not think that one who basks in political correctness should bother with The Mote in God's Eye, by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle.  If one looks both closely and shallowly at this book, one might decide that one has found trove of male chauvinism and racism.  I tend to do so, though only for my own personal entertainment.

The imperial navy, for example, seems to be comprised entirely of men.  This is not unusual, historically or currently, but the great assumption is often that the future will hold greater equality in all things.  Another example here is that the purpose of aristocratic women is apparently to perform as social butterflies, get married, and pop out heirs.  Once again, equality is generally expected in future settings, but then again: who is to say how the future and future human attitudes will develop?  The assumption of equality is based on current conditions facing no drastic changes -- which is entirely naive.  (There is another example, but it's a spoiler, so I won't reveal it.)

As for racism, the Moties (the alien race described) are a species with several genetic castes somewhat akin to polymorphism in insects.  There is a master caste, a mediator caste, a medical caste, a warrior caste, an engineer caste, etc.  Key in the argument of racism is that the master caste is white and the engineer caste (intrinsicly gifted in making things, but incapable of higher thought processes) is brown.  Here I can say that dark and light are used as the easily recognisable archetyes that they are, in western culture.  If that's not clear enough, think of the terms "white-collar" and "blue-collar".

Enough of the self-indulgent under-thinking, though.  Mote is basically a story of first contact -- the first first-contact -- with an intelligent alien civilisation.  Most books that I've read that deal with such a scenario assume a human civilisation that has yet to explore and colonise beyond the solar system -- assuming they got far off Earth at all.  Basically: contemporary settings.  In Mote, humanity has gone through the cycles of multi-stellar civilisation twice (the CoDominion and the First Empire), each followed by a collapse and period of barbarism, and has once again risen to a vast Empire.  For me, this is a unique experience.

The book is presented largely as a political drama, with several mysteries involving characters motivations.  There is little physical action, though what there is gripped my eyes and I had little desire to pull away.  All-in-all it had a somewhat Asimovian feel.  If you've read Isaac Asimov's Foundation series, you'll know what I mean.  Dramatic irony and discovery are where most of the action is, and I think Pournelle and Niven did a great job.

To be honest, though, I do have a couple gripes.  First is due to my own misconceptions: I expected more military science fiction; an interstellar war.  I didn't get that, but I probably should have read the synopsis more closely.  I don't like to do that, though, as it may spoil too much.  The second is related to the romance in the novel.  The pairing is far too obvious and it develops far to quickly and suddenly.  I have this problem with a great many books by a great many authors, though, so it shouldn't be surprising, anymore.

As I said, though, it's overall a great book.  Probably because it doesn't involve war and high military drama, it may be one of the best first-contact stories out there.  Definitely a recommended read to all interested in such things.

King David's Spaceship

I just finished reading King David's Spaceship, by Jerry Pournelle.  It's part of his Future History series, though very far removed from the Codominion era books.  Those books ended with a prequel to a galactic empire, though the empire itself is never touched upon except as a history to later books.  This one takes place after that empire's fall and the during the rise of a new one.

Anyway, for a title that indicates a plot about building a spaceship, the story itself has little to do with that.  It is the ultimate goal, but the bulk of the plot takes place in a medieval environment.  That's not to say that I am disappointed, though.  Pournelle writes plenty of military science fiction and he's good at it, even when the 'military' part is with early medieval technology.  No, instead of disappointed I was merely surprised at where the focus ended up.