EX-KOP by Warren Hammond

Published by Tor on March 2, 2010

Juno and Maggie are back in another brisk, violent story of life on Lagarto.  The noir atmosphere so masterfully created in KOP is just as effectively rendered in EX-KOP. Particularly strong is a subplot involving Juno's need for money to pay for a new spine for his wife who, hospitalized after a suicide attempt, has no desire to live. Juno wrestles with the moral and personal issues presented by his wife's desire to die, a dilemma that humanizes Juno, making him all the more appealing to the reader. That humanization is necessary given Juno's immediate disregard for the possible innocence of a convicted murderer, whose case Maggie hires him to investigate. Of course, Juno revises his opinion as the novel progresses, and Hammond does a fine job of letting suspense build as we wait to see whether the prisoner will be saved from execution.

The ending of this novel sets the scene for an anticipated third novel in this entertaining series. I look forward to reading it. If you like action and a sense of noir in your sf, you shouldn't miss the KOP books.

RECOMMENDED

WHO? by Algis Budrys

First published in 1958

In this 1958 novel, Dr. Lucas Martino is abducted by the Soviets (back in the days when there was still a Soviet Union). After some months, Martino is returned -- or is he? The repatriated scientist is wearing a metal mask that is bonded to his head -- the result, supposedly, of surgical intervention to save his life after an experiment went awry. He's also been endowed with a mechanical arm and artificial organs. So is Martino the real deal or is he a cleverly disguised Soviet spy, sent to infiltrate the super-secret Allied project known as K-88? It becomes Shawn Rogers' job to solve that mystery and the novel follows Rogers in his attempt to discover the truth.

Budrys alternates chapters that address Rogers' investigation with chapters that take the reader through Dr. Martino's life. That technique enhances the story as the reader wonders whether the man we're coming to know and understand is actually the man behind behind the mask. If he is the masked man, we feel sorry for him, because the "good guys" don't trust him and won't let him resume work on K-88, the job for which he is best suited. The novel's satisfying ending lets us in on the secret of what happened while Martino was with the Soviets. In all, this is a well-structured novel that allows Budrys to explore interesting questions of trust and the meaning of identity: what is it, finally, that makes a man? That's a question with which Martino (or is it Martino?) must wrestle as he resumes his life.

WHO? is perhaps less technically satisfying than Michaelmas, which benefits from a stronger writing style, but I think it is a more intriguing novel, and the best of this fine writer's work.

RECOMMENDED

KOP by Warren Hammond

Published by Tor on April 29, 2008

KOP is set on the planet Lagarto. Hammond's depiction of Largato as a seedy, economically deprived world is particularly well done; Lagarto seems to come alive, as if it were a character in the novel.   KOP's protagonist, Juno Mozambe, is a law enforcement officer employed by the Koba Office of the Police.  His historical role in KOP has been that of enforcer, making sure businesses are paying for protection and other law enforcement officers are staying in line.  His partner in this endeavor, Paul Chang, is chief of police, but it isn't clear that he'll survive a gang war that's underway between the local gang that he protects and a rival gang from another Lagarto city.  Juno seems to be losing the respect of the police force he once dominated, and at the same time has the chance to gain the respect of an incorruptable young officer, Maggie Orzo, with whom he is partnered.

The complex crime story is pure fun, and Juno's conflicted feelings about his own corruption as a law enforcement officer make him an interesting character. The pace is brisk and the story is action-packed.  The violent ending probably shouldn't have surprised me but it did. 

Readers of crime fiction, particularly those with an appreciation of noir, would probably feel at home reading this sf thriller. I enjoy both genres and thought Hammond did a skillful job of blending them.

RECOMMENDED

The Postman by David Brin

First published in 1985

In a post-apocalyptic future, Gordon Krantz is something of a nomad, drifting from village to village, acting out one-man plays in exchange for food and shelter.  While evading bandits he stumbles upon an old postal truck.  Krantz takes the dead letter carrier's uniform and, helping himself to the mailbag, begins playing a new role:  that of a postman dispatched by the reconstituted government to reestablish delivery routes.  There is no new government but villagers fighting for survival and fending off tribes of marauders are desperate to believe him.  The question is whether Krantz will live up to the illusion he's invented.

I'm a fan of post-apocalyptic fiction in general, but I approached this novel with the thought that it might not live up to its hype. I was mistaken. Brin created a credible future world, and the concept of a survivor feeling compelled to deliver the mail (even if he stumbled onto the idea for reasons that were far from altruistic) is brilliant: mail delivery becomes not only a means of stitching together a torn nation, but a powerful symbol of national unity and pride. Gordon Krantz, the main character, is more than a bit torn himself, a man of less than heroic stature who, by the novel's end, has grown into not just a hero, but an icon of heroism. Krantz is a fully developed character (a rarity in sf), and his personal transformation is inspiring. The supporting characters are also solid and purposeful. The Postman is a strongly plotted, well written novel, in many ways better than another, more celebrated version of a post-apocalyptic future:  The Road.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 

Anvil of Stars by Greg Bear

 

First published in 1992

Anvil of Stars is a mildly disappointing sequel to the mildly disappointing The Forge of God.  With the help of friendly aliens, a group of survivors of the cataclysm described in the first novel begin a quest to hunt down the unfriendly aliens who caused that catastrophe.  Most of the novel describes the factions and in-fighting that develop in the ship-bound society of youngsters seeking vengeance (or justice, depending on your point of view), as well as the training they undergo. A lot of it was repetitive and dull.

More interesting was the joining of the Earth ship with the aliens from another ship on the same mission. The aliens were well-conceived. In both physical description and behavior, they seemed truly alien, and therefore credible--as opposed to television aliens who seem like humans with funny hair, or movie aliens who seem like lizards.

The other interesting aspect of the novel concerns the conflict that developed between those who want at all costs to wipe out the species that destroyed the Earth (even in the absence of conclusive evidence of their responsibility) and those who worry they might be destroying innocents--ancestors who did not make the decision to attack the Earth and who may disagree with it, or a different alien race that had nothing to do with the attack. That moral dilemma poses no easy solution, and Bear does a good job of portraying both viewpoints fairly. This would have been a better novel if more emphasis had been placed on that conflict and less on training sessions.  In the end, the dilemma is resolved in a satisfying manner. I would have enjoyed the novel more if it had arrived at that resolution much more quickly.

RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS