Books I Like: Only Superhuman by Christopher L. Bennett

WARNING: THIS IS GOING TO BE A VERY WEIRD POST...

But first...

The Blurb: 2107 AD: A generation ago, Earth and the cislunar colonies banned genetic and cybernetic modifications. But out in the Asteroid Belt, anything goes. Dozens of flourishing space habitats are spawning exotic new societies and strange new varieties of humans. It’s a volatile situation that threatens the peace and stability of the entire solar system. 
Emerald Blair is a Troubleshooter. Inspired by the classic superhero comics of the twentieth century, she’s joined with other mods to try to police the unruly Asteroid Belt. But her loyalties are tested when she finds herself torn between rival factions of superhumans with very different agendas. Emerald wants to put her special abilities to good use, but what do you do when you can’t tell the heroes from the villains?



A brief internet search tells me, not many people liked this book, and by the end of this post you might doubt, I liked it, despite the post title.

Lets get this out of the way. I hate the phrase 'Hard Science Fiction' its a contradiction in terms. This book does one of the things, which reinforces why I hate the phrase - Like much "Hard Sci-fi", it uses that label to gloss over its fantastical elements, while trying, and failing to sell itself as being a close representation of 'reality' or what is scientifically possible.

Everything in this book would work far better if it just embraced its Space Opera, and Superhero roots and went from there.

One of the best parts of this book is when I stumble across the web and see this sort of burgeoning (At the time) SJW reaction to it from Kirkus Review:

"On the surface, Only Superhuman sounds like a good read, right? The Book Smugglers weigh in on Max Gladstone's ' Three Parts Dead .' Unfortunately, Christopher L. Bennett's Only Superhuman perpetuates the same ridiculous hyper-sexualized, do-me doll stereotypes that have become so prevalent (and so nauseating) in superhero fiction."

Reviews like that, from Kirkus - Actually encourage me to recommend this book more, despite its flaws.

A book with a fiery, gorgeous redhead as its heroine? Sign me up! However there are moments when it takes itself way too seriously.

I recall loving the use of genetics and cybernetics as enhancements. The Transhuman aspect of this book was awesome, and actually for me ended up being more of a callback to Star Trek's Eugenics Wars, than anything superhero like. This book works when it embraces its Space Opera heritage.

And now let me tell you the weirdest thing about this book, and I am still not sure if this was intentional or not. Please keep in mind what I am about to say is based only on my impressions I had while reading this and nothing the author has asserted.

The two main male characters, are literally Presidents George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. And this was at the time, my biggest reaction to this book, when I had that insight, it sort of killed some of the more interesting things about the book for me. But years later I can sort of forgive this.

More so, since its clear that as a work of fiction, at the time of its original release, it proved triggering to nascent SJWs offended by sexy heroines with boobs, that can pound a bad guy to pulp.

I know it probably seems like I didn't like Only Superhuman, but I assure you, I did enjoy it, despite its flaws, or more to the point its unwillingness to embrace its true nature, while pretending to be 'Hard Sci-fi' frustrated me when if it had just owned its origins, things would have come across as better.

If you like Space Opera, and booblicious heroines, you'll enjoy this book. Read it just to annoy a Social Justice Warrior!

Books I Like: The Romulan Way by Diane Duane and Peter Morwood

Blurb:

They are a race of warriors, a noble people to whom honor is all. They are cousin to the Vulcan, ally to the Klingon, and Starfleet's most feared and cunning adversary. They are the Romulans – and for eight years, Federation Agent Terise LoBrutto has hidden in their midst. 
Now the presence of a captured Starfleet officer forces her to make a fateful choice between exposure and escape. Between maintaining her cover – and saving the life of Dr. Leonard McCoy. 
Here, in a startlingly different adventure, is the truth behind one of the most fascinating alien races ever created in Star Trek – the Romulans.

Not only is this a good Star Trek book, from a time when Trek novels were allowed to go off on their own threads, and be their own thing - Its a highly enjoyable Sci-fi read.



The Romulan Way is unusual, in that all its major action does not take place on the Enterprise, and in fact only one Enterprise 1701 crew member figures into the plot. Dr. Leonard McCoy.

The major action takes place on Romulus, and in flashbacks, which recount The Sundering from Vulcan. And the story mainly focuses on its protagonist Arrhae ir-Mnaeha t'Khellian aka Terise Haleakala-LoBrutto, a servant in House Khellian.

This was my first experience of Diane Duane's "Rihannsu", and it, more so than any depiction of Romulans on screen, cemented my notion of those brethren to the Vulcans. In truth, on screen depictions of Romulans in The Next Generation era failed to live up to what I got out of Diane Duane's writing - Someways, this also would later apply to the Vulcan's in the Enterprise era, which attempted to tactile some of the same historical material related to both species.

It was not however the story alone, which impacted me. The writing style, and presentation of information was unusual for a Star Trek book. That is to say, it felt more like an original Sci-Fi novel, rather than mere media tie-in. A book that could stand on its own, beyond the property it was part of.

As a writer I can say, this book certainly had an impact on me, and my own work in a positive manner.

You would do yourself a favor by reading this book. When you do, you are better off putting aside almost everything on screen, post-TOS out of your mind regarding Romulans. It helps.

Books I Like: Skyfall by Catherine Asaro

Skyfall (Saga of the Skolian Empire)

Blurb:

Kurj, a provincial ruler on a primitive planet, is plagued by inner demons. But when he meets Roca, a beautiful and mysterious woman from the stars, he whisks her away to his mountain retreat, inadvertently starting a great interstellar war, and birthing the next generation of rulers for the Skolian Empire.

I like this book. One of the things I love about it, is Catherine Asaro's world building. the universe is very real, yet fantastic.

What hooked me, was Roca. That is to say, the description of her golden-self and how her gentle yet firm and noble persona that jumped off the page at me. I fell in love with her, right away.



OK before I go further. Me recommending this book is probably problematic for one reason or another. I - Don't care. I like what, I like and won't be told not to like something because it clashes with someones agenda - Even if I agree with that agenda.

That being said, there is exactly zero SJW agenda in this book. In point of fact, the male lead probably rankles our current social justice warriors, cause he is VERY MALE and gorgeous Roca is VERY attracted to him. None of which is, I think rather politically correct in our current day, though it should be.

Though I love this book in-particular, and mostly enjoy The Skolian Empire Series, Catherine Asaro's writing style does have a few quirks which bug me. Mostly, and this applies to male Sci-Fi writers as well - She has this bad habit of stopping the plot, and getting fixated on whatever science details are there to provide the rational for whatever is going on at the moment. This is not so much about tech, which is understandable, its more, related to planetary things.

I really get annoyed when Sci-Fi writers do this... It comes off as 'Hey, look at all the science trivia I know' and its not actually storytelling, though I realize its being done to bolster the whole "Science Fiction" thing.

But as I said, this is an enjoyable book and you can read it as a standalone experience, without needing to know the whole series. That's always a plus in my mind. Even connected material - Needs to be its own thing.

Books I Like: House of Comarré Series by Kristen Painter

The House of Comarré Series by Kristen Painter, is an interesting animal.


If you like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, you'll LOVE these books.



Blurb from Blood Rights (House of Comarré Series #1):


Gothic fantasy meets vampire fiction in this debut novel from 

Kristen Painter - full of politics, intrigue, and blood.


Born into a life of secrets and service, Chrysabelle's body bears the telltale marks of a comarré — a special race of humans bred to feed vampire nobility. When her patron is murdered, she becomes the prime suspect, which sends her running into the mortal world...and into the arms of Malkolm, an outcast vampire cursed to kill every being from whom he drinks. 


Now, Chrysabelle and Malkolm must work together to stop a plot to merge the mortal and supernatural worlds. If they fail, a chaos unlike anything anyone has ever seen will threaten to reign.


I actually find myself, rereading this series, and its follow-up, Crescent City Series, every so often. I enjoy the atmosphere, and world building in them, and how Kristen Painter handles Vampires, magic, and varied magical/supernatural things. It manages to be familiar, yet different.

And for some strange reason, when I picture the cursed Vampire, Malkolm, he always ends up looking like Nathan Fillion in my minds eye.

Oh, since I mentioned it. The Crescent City Series, is just as fun as its parent series, if a little more low-key, more local to its setting, rather than global like its root series.

Blurb House of the Rising Sun (Crescent City Series #1):

Every vampire has heard rumor of the mythical place where their kind can daywalk. But what no vampire knows is that this City of Eternal Night actually exists. 

And its name is New Orleans. 

For centuries, the fae have protected the city from vampire infestation. But when the bloodsuckers return, the fragile peace in New Orleans begins to crumble. 

Carefree playboy Augustine, and Harlow, a woman searching for answers about her absent father, are dragged into the war. The fate of the city rests on them — and their fae blood that can no longer be denied. 

Book one in the brand new, action-packed urban fantasy Crescent City series, from award winning, House of Comarre author Kristen Painter!


You can probably tell, I am perhaps surprisingly enthusiastic about these books, and would welcome Kristen Painter to revisit this world that she's built. Though I can understand why that might not be double of course, speaking as a storyteller myself.

Sometimes, things just need to end, even if they were fun making.

Books I Like: Crisis of Empire Series by David Drake

Am I recommending more Baen, books?


For sure!


As I once said, there is a time and place for patterns in literature, and entertainment. For example, Star Wars works, when it follows its mythical pattern of the heroes journey, and fails when you subvert that trope for agenda reasons.




These four books in the Crisis of Empire Series by David Drake - Who actually, only wrote the outline for the arc, as each installment has its own author, follow a very distinct storytelling pattern, and part of the fun in reading them, is discovering that pattern unfold along the way.


The four installments are:

1. An Honorable Defense
2. Cluster Command
3. The War Machine
4. Crown of Empire

Once again, these novels are filled with good female characters, who don't need to be MarySue-d. The final book even has a Princess, who sets out to do whats best for her people, be they human, or alien.

This series, would make for an epic movies franchise. But that's never going to happen. This is Sci-Fi storytelling from, a now Classic, lost era of the genre.

Books I Like: FIFTH MILLENNIUM - THE CAGE

The Cage by S.M. Stirling, and Shirley Meier, and published by Baen Books is one of my favorite books. 

Guess what? There were strong female characters, that aren't MarySues, before we went and got hijacked by SJW/NPC in the Sci-Fi and Fantasy genre. 

There's a reason I pointed out the publisher. Baen is often attacked by NPC's as being 'Right-wing'. At least they were doing so during the whole Sad Puppies, Hugo affair. At least back in the day, Baen was fairly Libertarian and not driven by agendas. 

This novel, and series could hardly be deemed 'Right-wing'. Though, by today's standards, they would be politically incorrect. 

Blurb:

Habiku Smoothtongue corrupted everyone and everything that ever meant anything to Megan Thanesdoom--including Megan herself. But now Megan has returned, and she's not alone. Backed by barbarian warrior Shkai'ra's sword, Megan is ready to claim her rightful status in the world.

This is a book which made a VERY strong impression upon me. Not just in the plot, and narrative, which are very descriptive, and characters which, as I said are two strong female leads, but also the writing style has stayed with me, and helped shaped my own style of storytelling. 

The other thing about this book - Its not afraid, or embarrassed about being sexual. Now given I read this as a teenager, its probably why the book made an impression on me so easily. Don't misunderstand, its not vulgar, just honest and straightforward about it. 

If you can get a copy, I highly recommend it. 

Just a side note: This should not be construed as a review.Just a side note: This should not be construed as a review.