Hazards of Time Travel by Joyce Carol Oates

Reviewed by Kristin

Adriane Strohl is an idealistic seventeen year old who makes the mistake of voicing her thoughts in a near-future world where the government suppresses all individuality.  Selected as valedictorian of her graduating class, Adriane prepares her speech with a series of questions.  Shockingly, she is immediately arrested on account of Treason-Speech and Questioning of Authority.

Since Adriane is still young and therefore has the possibility of rehabilitation, she is not instantly “Deleted.”  Instead, she is “Exiled” to Zone Nine, a change in space and time that transports her back to Wainscotia, Wisconsin in 1960, where she is to attend college for four years and prepare herself to be a productive member of the modern society to which she hopes to be returned.

In Zone Nine, Adriane becomes Mary Ellen Enright.  Fearful that she is being observed, she keeps to herself and faithfully attends classes.  Mary Ellen wonders if there are other Exiles like herself there in Wainscotia but she dares not become close to anyone, as The Instructions demand.  She is not to go beyond her ten mile limit of the campus and she must never behave as anything but a normal co-ed.  And what is more normal than something strictly prohibited, but to fall in love?

Joyce Carol Oates has created a world in which powerful people hold onto their power by suppressing others with extreme consequences.  Fear and intimidation keep most of the citizens quietly subservient and punish all independent thought.  The scenarios are somehow plausible, although fortunately not where the world is in 2019.

A few discrepancies, perhaps intentionally included, kept me wondering whether Adriane/Mary Ellen had truly been transported back in time, whether or not she was actually being observed, and whether or not there was a chance that her punishment could be instantly vaporized/Deleted.  As most futuristic dystopian novels do, this one made twists and turns that I did not anticipate.  Some of the unexpected directions required a serious suspension of disbelief.  A co-worker happened to read the book at the same time that I did, and was not as satisfied with the story resolution.

This is the first Oates novel I have read but it probably won’t be the last.  Now if I can just fit some of her other titles into my Book Bingo sheet….

How to Live in Space: Everything You Need to Know for the Not-So-Distant Future by Colin Stuart

Reviewed by Kristin

My first concept that people might be able to live in space came from television—no, not from the moon landing—but from the cartoon family called the Jetsons.  (Does anyone else hear The Jetsons’ theme song in their head right now?)  I realized that we weren’t there yet, and also that we didn’t have a robot dog or a robot maid, but it was a very appealing thought that we might be able to expand our horizons and live somewhere beyond this earth.  I even attended Gus Grissom Elementary School, so I saw pictures of astronauts every day, and knew that one day we would be living among the stars.

Flash forward to 2018 and I’m still living on the ground.

But there is hope!  Note the subtitle: “Everything You Need to Know for the Not-So-Distant Future.”  Colin Stuart thinks that humans should keep looking upward and exploring our planetary limitations.  He begins with astronaut training, what it’s like to live in space, and moves upward and outward with space tourism and what future space exploration may include.  With private industry getting into the game alongside nation-states, Stuart notes that living in space might actually be a reality in the centuries, or perhaps decades, to come.

Fortunately we have Stuart to help us prepare as he covers everything from flight control to personal grooming, giving us a glimpse of what space living may entail.  Did you know that on the International Space Station, dirty laundry and other more delicate human waste products are ejected into space in a module which is then sent into orbit to eventually burn up as it falls into the atmosphere?  Yes, that last “shooting star” that you observed may have been something else entirely:  it may have been astronaut poop.

Stuart spins his tale in a believable manner, sketching out a clear path as to how humans soon may be living beyond our wildest dreams.  Science fiction may turn to science reality as technology advances at warp speed.  Remember, it’s been a mere 57 years since Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to leave the atmosphere and make a complete orbit around Earth.  Other advances may allow our descendants to set up housekeeping on Mars or to build the real Starship Enterprise.

As for me, I’m still waiting on that robot housekeeper to clean up after me and my not-so-robot cats.  I’ll definitely name her Rosie and I’ll appreciate her more than the Jetsons ever did.

Cross My Path by Clea Simon

 Reviewed by Jeanne

In a bleak, dystopian world, a young woman and her black cat seek to eke out a living by, as the girl puts it, “I find things. Do the needful. Locate that which is lost.  Right the wrongs, the ones I can.” It’s the mantra of her mentor, an old man who disappeared some time ago.  This time, the girl Care and the cat Blackie are approached by a man who is looking for his companion, who may have been pressed into a dangerous service, and by a woman who seeks a token left for her by Care’s mentor.  She claims he was her brother, though Care never recalled him mentioning a sister.

Blackie, our narrator, views the situation with unease. He’s a cat, but has vague memories of once being a man. Now he experiences the world through a cat’s heightened senses but that advantage is muted because of the things he’s lost: he can no longer read the papers Care pores over, for example, nor can he communicate his concerns. As far as Care knows, Blackie is an ordinary cat. He can’t tell her that he feels there’s something wrong in these new cases that she has taken on, and that he and his beloved Care may be falling into a trap.

This is the third in the Blackie and Care Feline Mystery series and presents a bit of a problem. As a reader, I found the book to be especially significant as there are some intriguing revelations about Blackie’s past; as a reviewer, I am leery of giving away anything that would lessen another reader’s enjoyment.  I think this book could be read and appreciated by someone who hadn’t read any other books in the series but those who have read the first two will find this entry to be very gratifying indeed.

There is a slight shift in tone for me. Care has been pretty much isolated from close and lasting human relationships in the previous books except for the boy she calls Tick whom she considers a younger brother and struggles to protect. There are a few other acquaintances who show up but there are no strong connections.  This time there are more points of contact, more possible friends and allies, which gave the story a more hopeful feel. Blackie is less sure that these people are to be trusted, but Care seems willing to take a leap of faith.

Also, Care has gone from being a small, insignificant waif – one street urchin of many—to a resourceful young woman whose investigations are bringing her into conflict with the larger social machine, one with a vested interest in keeping the population hooked on the addictive drug scat and willing to do anything to earn coin. Care isn’t out to bring down this remote, dark authority, but she is determined to save those she can from being trampled to death.

While each book has its own mysteries from start to finish, it’s obvious in this entry that Simon has a larger story arc going on, one more epic in scope. It’s possible that there is a specific ending in mind already, but let us hope that is far in the future.

Artemis by Andy Weir

Reviewed by Kristin

Andy Weir dazzles with Artemis, which hit the bestseller charts instantly upon publication in November, deservedly riding on the coattails of his earlier sensation The Martian.  Humans in the near future have migrated to the domed lunar city called Artemis.  With five huge spheres (named Armstrong, Aldrin, Conrad, Bean and Shepard,) Artemis was built and is controlled by the Kenyan Space Corporation—KSC for short.  It’s a relatively small place and there isn’t much crime.  Exactly how many hiding places could there be on the moon?

Artemis is all that Jasmine Bashara really remembers.  She was born in Saudi Arabia, but came to the moon when she was only six.  Now she’s an adult and has wriggled out from under her Muslim father’s control, but she’s still trying to figure out exactly how to get what she wants out of life.  Jazz doesn’t necessarily want to be rich, but she’d really like to make enough money to pay back a few old debts and buy her own quarters with a little bit of space and her own bathroom.  Just a little more square footage would be so much better than her coffin sized sleeping space located 15 floors underground in the Conrad bubble.

Jazz works delivering packages to and from incoming and Earth-bound cargo ships.  Officially she’s a porter; unofficially she has a side business greasing officials’ palms and smuggling contraband to people who will pay her well for the pleasure of a good cigar, pornography, or other illicit goods.  When a chance to make big money for a little act of sabotage comes her way, how can she refuse?  Soon in over her head, Jazz draws upon her friends and family, not to mention a little arm twisting and deal-making with law enforcement and KSC corporate officials, just to make it out alive.

Once I started Artemis, I couldn’t put it down.  I read this book in barely more than a day, wishing that I had more time in the lunar city.  Jazz is a refreshing character, different from many of the usual tough cookies in science fiction.  She has goals and not that many scruples about how she will act to achieve them, but she is very likeable.  Even though she’s supposed to be about twenty-six years old, her attitudes remind me more of a younger adult, perhaps about eighteen.  She’s fierce about her independence, but she still cares what her father thinks of her even though she has rejected his religion and chose specifically not to follow him into the family welding business.

Artemis’ film rights were bought by 20^th Century Fox and New Regency six months before the book was even published.  Even before I knew that, I could imagine the wide shots of the lunar landscape with Jazz bounding across the terrain in her EVA space suit.  (For which she has not yet passed the certification, but would that stop Jazz?)  I can only hope that the producers will choose an appropriate person of color for the lead role and several other key characters, rather than whitewashing the cast.

With a touch of lawlessness ( a la space western,) this latest novel by Weir may be an excellent match for fans of sci-fi authors Robert J. Sawyer, Becky Chambers, and James S.A. Corey, as well as enthusiasts of the short lived television show Firefly.

Secrets in Death by J. D. Robb

Reviewed by Kristin

Gritty New York streets, sharp eyed homicide cop, someone done wrong—all things that readers can expect from J. D. Robb in her series featuring Lieutenant Eve Dallas of the NYPSD.  Set in about 2060 New York City, Secrets in Death begins with Dallas meeting a friend at chic Manhattan hotspot Du Vin.  Before the night is done, “social information reporter” Larinda Mars is dead at Dallas’ feet.  With Mars’ inquiring mind and habit of digging up secrets that others might wish kept private, there is no shortage of suspects.

Mars knew a lot about a lot of people.  It was her business, after all, reporting upon the glitzy social set.  Of course some prominent people come from humble and sometimes shameful beginnings.  Mars knew just what buttons to push and how long she could push them.  But as she turns up dead, Dallas must question if Mars might have pushed someone a bit too far.

Fans of J. D. Robb will appreciate the consistent elements in this series entry.  Dallas is at her best, always speaking for the dead, even those who weren’t the most pleasant in life.  Her husband Roarke owns half the city, or maybe half the planet, and quite a few things off planet as well.  The two or three obligatory sex scenes make their way into the story, as Dallas always needs a bit of relaxing after working a solid 24 hours after the crime.  All is to be expected, as Robb is the well known pseudonym of Nora Roberts.

It’s been several years since I read anything by Robb, but I found that it was easy to pick up again even if I wasn’t reading the series in order.  I was amused by Dallas’ partner Detective Delia Peabody, especially in the scenes where Dallas is doing something nice for Peabody, making Peabody want to hug her, but knowing that any physical affection would likely make Dallas come back with a punch.  Peabody’s joyful exuberance (whether it be about real coffee or her main squeeze Ian McNab) is a great foil to Dallas’ serious cop face.

Listening to this as an audiobook, Peabody had a different voice than I thought she would, sort of a fresh-off-the-farm girl who might spout “Golly gee willikers!” any moment.  Roarke’s Irish brogue was laid on quite thickly, and distracted me until my brain got used to the speech rhythms.

And then there is the cat.  Galahad is a minor character by any measure, but the fat, lazy, gray cat makes Dallas and Roarke’s mansion feel like a home.  He is often there to wind around Dallas’ feet at the end of a long day, or to perch on her backside as she gets a few hours of sleep before waking up to work again.  Galahad makes just enough of an appearance in each book to make me believe that Robb/Roberts knows the love of a cat and can accurately describe feline mannerisms.

Believe it or not, this is Robb’s 45^th book in the series.  Fans can look forward to Dark in Death in January 2018.