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The Neutronium Alchemist, Part 1: Consolidation
There's no place to hide from alien invaders who are dead
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The Neutronium Alchemist, Part 1: Consolidation
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By Peter F. Hamilton
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Aspect
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$6.50/$8.50 Canada
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Paperback, April 1998
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ISBN 0-446-60517-4
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Review by Susan Dunman
 eaders anxious for a return trip to the universe first unveiled by Peter Hamilton in The Reality Dysfunction need wait no longer. In the first book--The Reality Dysfunction, Part 1: Emergence--unintentional interference by an alien race into human affairs accidentally created an aberration in space and time that allowed deceased souls to return from the dead and possess the living of the intergalactic Confederation. In this, the third book in the series, the possessed have completely conquered the isolated planet of Lalonde and are seeking more bodies to inhabit. Throughout the galaxy, various planets and habitats are assailed by seemingly unstoppable forces determined to alter the course of civilization.
On the pastoral planet of Norfolk, Louise and Genevieve Kavenough must forsake a life of aristocratic privilege to escape the horrors of possession. Meanwhile, the powerful Kulu empire finds itself negotiating with the dead when the technologically advanced planet of Ombey is successfully infiltrated. At the same time, citizens of New California must learn to accept their new leader, who just happens to be Al Capone returned from the dead--with bigger and better plans for his Organization.
In spite of setbacks, the Confederation gains experience fighting the possessed and discovers new ways to combat its previously invincible foes. But the possessed learn some new tricks too, like how to possess the sentient blackhawk starships. Another problem is the recent escape of Alkad Mzu from Tranquillity. As inventor of the Alchemist, a doomsday device that can destroy stars, her disappearance may result in the annihilation of millions if protagonist Joshua Calvert fails in his attempt to prevent the detonation of this ultimate weapon.
If there's no death, what's the purpose of life?
Hamilton continues his romp through a far future universe that never ceases to amaze and confound. The almost non-stop action here is sure to satisfy adrenaline junkies, and it's clear the author has ample energy to maintain a galloping pace throughout the entire book. Yes, this is another tome almost 600 pages long, and it's only the first volume of a two-volume set which completes the second installment of this three part mega-series (six books in all, broken down into three sets of two novels apiece).
Many of the characters introduced in the earlier novels reappear here, but there is no real character development within this story. Plot is the driving force, and even that can become tangled at times with so many different sub-plots surfacing. (A listing of characters at the beginning of the book proves helpful in trying to remember previous scenarios and sorting through current adventures.) Hamilton's universe is so cram-packed that there does seem to be a "cast of thousands" to keep up with.
But readers are rewarded for their efforts with new insights about the living and the dead and the nature of a once-comfortable universe that's becoming increasingly more difficult to explain. Humans are forced to deal with the physical threat of the possessed and the philosophical implications caused by their existence. Both the Adamist and Edenist cultures--introduced earlier in the series--must grapple with proof that there is life after death, dealing with the knowledge in their own unique ways. Long hours of reading yield no resolution to the ongoing plot, and there is no end in sight, but there's plenty of anticipation about what will happen next.
Jumping back into Hamilton's universe is a welcome escape from the everyday routine. Anyone who enjoyed The Reality Dysfunction simply must continue reading this one.
-- Susan
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User Friendly
Why ask why? Because that's the only way to learn.
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User Friendly
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By Spider Robinson
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Baen Books
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$5.99/$7.99 Canada
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Paperback, Feb. 1998
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ISBN 0-671-87864-6
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Review by Tasha Robinson
 n the short story "Orphans of Eden," a time traveler presents author Spider Robinson with a dilemma: how does one build a perfect society, when the human building blocks start passing on their irrational fears and prejudices practically from their children's birth? The traveler has his own idea, but before getting into it, he conveniently confirms some of Robinson's personal beliefs, including the nature of wonder: "a religion, a Grail, the Divine Carrot that is the only thing that makes it possible for human beings to ever get anywhere without a stick across their ass."
This attitude explains a great deal about Robinson's lifelong themes--compassion, enlightenment and the struggle to improve toward perfection. All three, along with a healthy sense of wonder, are evident in "Eden" and the other 16 items in his new collection, User Friendly. Most of these entries are short stories, a handful of which are reprinted from earlier Robinson collections. Three of the pieces are humorous essays that still deal seriously with serious subjects: mentors, cynicism and literacy. There are even two word-jazz pieces exalting Robinson favorites Heinlein and Sturgeon.
Some of the previously uncollected works are heavy-hitting science fiction. Most notably, "Copyright Violation" begins memorably ("I was singing along with John Lennon when she crowned me from behind: that's how the rape began."), then heads so far afield that it would be criminal to describe any more of it. Others ("Distraction" and "His Own Petard") are little more than shaggy dog stories. Either way, they're all recognizably vintage Robinson: a mixture of thought-provoking axioms, horrible puns, deft plot twists and memorable morals.
Wit, compassion and bravura
User Friendly isn't quite perfect. Robinson's output for the last several years has been increasingly perfunctory, particularly his latest novel, Callahan's Legacy. When his writing misses the mark, it almost seems like sheer laziness--a tendency to reiterate the same material, a failure to dot the ayes, cross the tease, and fill in the blanks of why his protagonists make the leaps of logic they do. In User Friendly, the most blatant example is "The Magnificent Conspiracy," a reprint from Robinson's Antinomy, which reads like a lead-in to a great novel with the sudden ending of a weak short story.
But that exception aside, this collection is a welcome refresher course in the wit, compassion and bravura that no living SF writer can match when Robinson's fully up to speed. "...And Subsequent Construction," for instance, starts off with bad puns, turns into a story about how time travel can destroy a good relationship, and then does a series of plot back flips without ever leaving the characters' motivations behind. "The Gifts of the Magistrate" is similarly deft in its looping explanation of why someone would choose to vandalize Halley's Comet. Both stories show the bare bones of Robinson's philosophy in every line without skimping on the meat that makes a good story.
It's been a long time since Robinson's offered something this solid, this memorable, this funny and this well crafted. And most of the past examples are out of print. Grab this one before it goes too.
One odd thing about User Friendly--it seems like neither the person who painted the cover, nor the person who wrote the blurb on the back describing the stories, actually read the book. But the cover-painter has apparently seen Spider, or at least a picture--that's a nice portrait of him in the armor, holding up the torch.
-- Tasha
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