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The Engines of Dawn
No more teachers, no more books...and no more Onesci engine!
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The Engines of Dawn
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By Paul Cook
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ROC Science Fiction
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$5.99/$7.99 Canada
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Paperback, Jan. 1999
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ISBN 0-451-45736-6
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Review by A.M. Dellamonica
 hen a mysterious alien knocks on Benjamin Bennett's door and presents him with the corpse of a miniaturized polar bear, Ben has no idea that he is about to embark on an adventure to save not only his university but his entire species. These are the stakes in The Engines of Dawn, Paul Cook's SF thriller about a complacent humanity dependent on the secretive Ennamorati and their Onesci engines.
Ben is a physics lecturer on the massive Onesci-powered spaceship, which is home to Eos university, a bustling center of learning that houses thousands of students, faculty and crew. In addition, Eos contains a sealed-off enclave of Ennamorati who tend and guard their faster-than-light propulsion system. Like any university, Eos is divided into factions: religious auditors who revere the Ennamorati, university security, human-rights advocates, college dropouts, researchers, administrators, and students of varying cultures and religions. When the ship's engine explodes, Eos is temporarily stranded, and the factionalism goes out of control. Conspiracies and power struggles erupt, and Ben finds himself at the heart of increasing chaos as he struggles to learn the Ennamorati's secret.
Ben's quest is profoundly serious. Evidence mounts that the supposedly peaceful aliens are killing each other. The university administration moves to wrest control of the ship from the crew, the student newspaper goes rogue and questioning authority becomes more dangerous by the moment. Piece by piece, Ben begins to put together a picture of the terrible price attached to accepting the Ennamorati's gifts. The question is, will he get word to Earth on time?
A light adventure with Gothic touches
The Engines of Dawn is at its best when Cook's characters are in the thick of things. The university politics and infighting are realistically rendered, and it is purely a pleasure to watch Ben and the other students grind up against administrators and security. Universities are always somewhat isolated and rarefied; Eos is more so, by virtue of being a spaceship. The isolation is compounded when the ship is stranded, left at the apparent whim of aliens nobody really understands. All of this creates a marvelous backdrop for the action. The hint of a Gothic mood is accentuated by Cook's use of devices such as slyly ironic character names, which are strangely reminiscent of Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast novels.
The characters themselves are likewise engaging. Ben is almost relentlessly likable as he single-mindedly sets out to learn a truth whose exposure--if it doesn't kill him first--will earn him no friends, only enemies. The supporting characters are winsome and treacherous by turns, and collectively they draw readers through a fast-paced search for answers. Cook's plotting is far from seamless, but the final payoff does justify the buildup.
The Engines of Dawn is perfect for readers who like light, quick adventure. It will appeal less to hard SF readers, who will eventually want to see every rivet and schematic of the Onesci transwarp engine. Likewise, this is not a book for anyone who demands to be dazzled by flawless prose, or who will be frustrated when Cook's tone slips into utter silliness. Other drawbacks: because of the claustrophobic university setting, Cook does not do much worldbuilding, and the Ennamorati remain at a disappointing distance from both Ben and readers.
But for those who like conspiracies, chases and mayhem--liberally seasoned with both laughter and genuinely creepy moments--The Engines of Dawn is the ideal escape.
This was fun, especially on the first read. Strap yourself in and remember not to take it too seriously.
-- A.M.
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Isaac Asimov's Valentines
Stories from Asimov's that explore the future of love
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Isaac Asimov's Valentines
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Edited by Gardner Dozois and Sheila Williams
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Ace Books
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$5.99/$7.99 Canada
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Paperback, Feb. 1999
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ISBN 0-441-00602-7
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Review by Clinton Lawrence
 n Isaac Asimov's Valentines, editors Gardner Dozois and Sheila Williams have assembled 10 stories from the pages of Asimov's Science Fiction that deal with love. Robert Silverberg's contribution, "Death Do Us Part," is the tale of a marriage between a 300-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman in a world where technology has extended life spans indefinitely and marriages are viewed as temporary arrangements. James Patrick Kelly's "Chemistry" shows readers a nightclub where drugs and hormones enable singles to meet for a night of passionate romance, only to go their separate ways when the treatment wears off.
In "No Love in All of Dwingeloo," Tony Daniel's protagonist, given an alien gift that shows his potential future, must choose whether to sacrifice a wonderful relationship in order to spare Earth from a bleak future. Eleanor Arnason's "The Lovers" tells of an affair between an alien male and female in a culture where heterosexuality, except for procreation, is considered a perversion. In his comedy "Press Ann," Terry Bisson presents an uncooperative ATM machine that delays two people who are on a date and trying to get money to see a movie. Tom Purdom's "Romance in Lunar G" is about a man who has a pathological obsession with women and who gets caught up in an espionage operation on the moon.
In "The Blue Love Potion," Lisa Goldstein's protagonist must decide whether to use a Mexican love potion on a new lover who she thinks might be Mr. Right. Nancy Kress presents readers with a couple whose love life revolves around fashion in "Always True to Thee, in Thy Fashion." In Robert Reed's "Burger Love," two now-bodiless people discover they not only came from the same galaxy, they were also third-grade classmates. Finally, Connie Willis contributes one of her '40s-style screwball comedies in "Blued Moon," where strange coincidences occur as an experiment turns the moon blue and a scheming researcher plots to marry the CEO's daughter.
Surprisingly unsentimental
One thing readers won't find much of in Isaac Asimov's Valentines is sentimentality. Silverberg's story has its share, and Arnason's tale is quite touching in places, but in most of these stories love is more a quest or a problem than a solution, and the authors tend to explore the emotion with irony and cynicism and, often, disappointment. The most notable exceptions are the two comedies. Bisson's "Press Ann" barely addresses the subject, as most of the focus is on the uncooperative ATM, and Willis, while probably in the end presenting the most optimistic vision of love in the book, focuses much more on hilarious coincidences and their repercussions. On the whole, though, this is a fine selection of stories that entertain while examining love from many different angles.
In addition to being the most sentimental, Silverberg's "Death Do Us Part" and Arnason's "The Lovers" are the strongest stories in the anthology. Silverberg creates an intimate and personal story in which the mystery behind the attraction between his characters is revealed slowly, culminating in a surprising climax. Arnason creates a tale very much in the tradition of Ursula Le Guin's best work, with a fascinating species and culture as the backdrop for a compelling story. Goldstein's "The Blue Love Potion," another of the better tales, ultimately revolves as much around trust and conscience as it does around love, and it contains a powerful ending. Reed's "Burger Love" is another strong story, postulating that even very advanced beings can get caught up in adolescent behavior.
Overall, Dozois and Williams have compiled an enjoyable anthology that for the most part succeeds in illuminating love in new ways. All the stories are well-written, solid fiction, and several are much more than that. It's definitely a worthwhile read.
It's not an essential book, but when I saw the list of authors included, I
expected it to be good. I definitely wasn't disappointed.
-- Clint
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