The standard explanation of the difference between these two genres is perhaps familiar. A mystery is a story about a crime that’s committed and some sleuth(s), pro or amateur, figure how it was done and who did it, given clues, suspects, and witnesses. A thriller is a story about a villain or conspiracy that must be stopped; the reader generally knows who the bad guys (or gals) are planning the dirty deed.

Those words cover the standard explanation, but most readers know they’re often limited. First, the crime in the mystery might be perpetrated by a villain or conspiracy, and in the thriller the good guys (or gals) might have to stop the perps from doing some crime again.

That caveat is segue to number two: the two genres often merge or overlap, which is why books are often catalogued as “mystery, thriller, and suspense.” We can argue whether a book is a mystery or thriller, or whether it’s more mystery than thriller or vice versa (suspense describes both, of course). Genres are just labels designed for the convenience of book vendors who have to display their wares on shelves. (My new book Rembrandt’s Angel was found in the art section of one store, though, and maybe a reasonable mistake made by the vendor.) But both readers and writers have to realize the story is what’s important. Read the blurb and use “peek inside” to determine whether you’re interested in a book and forget about the genre classifications.

Third, nowadays there are many crossover stories. This isn’t a new phenomenon. Many sci-fi books are also thrillers, and some are even mysteries. For example. Asimov’s Caves of Steel and The Naked Sun are sci-fi mysteries about human and android sleuths partnering up to solve two murder cases; they set the bar high for any sci-fi mystery. I enjoyed these stories as a young lad, which is one of the reasons why I write sci-fi, mysteries, and thrillers, sometimes mixing these genres in my storytelling. Sometimes the mix is subtle: Detectives Chen and Castilblanco use smartphones that have many special PDA and video capabilities not yet available, and they have to drive eco-friendly cars as members of a futuristic NYPD.

One main character in Soldiers of God, Caitlin Murphy, is a futuristic FBI agent trying to solve a vicious murder. It’s a standard mystery in the sense that it begins with this crime, but it also has thriller elements. Even The Midas Bomb, first book in my detective series, was set in the future when I wrote it (it now has a second edition, and 2014 has long passed). All books in the “Clones and Mutants Trilogy” can be considered sci-fi thrillers, but they also have mystery elements.

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Steve (in a whisper reminiscent of an announcer at a Scottish golf tournament): I’ve traveled to London to interview Mr. George Langston, the Scotland Yard inspector who runs the Art and Antiques Division. He has written a chronicle about a few of Inspector Esther Brookstone’s cases. You’ll find them contained in Rembrandt’s Angel. (Louder) How are you today, George?

George: A bit weary of being called Esther’s Dr. John Watson for her Sherlock Holmes. Esther works for me. Watson and Holmes had a different relationship.

Steve: You took upon yourself to chronicle some of her cases, though. What was your motivation?

George: I hope all your questions will be as easy to answer. I admire Esther. As the chronicle shows, she is much more than a sleuth, although she does good work in the division.

Steve: Yes, for a woman in her sixties, she seems to be a twenty-first century Miss Marple. And her good friend, Interpol agent Bastiann van Coevorden, seems to be a twenty-first century Monsieur Poirot. George: Neither likes those comparisons, especially when they are uttered behind their backs by gossips in their respective workplaces. I personally find them complimentary, but you know how office gossips can be.

Steve: One person’s compliment can be turned into another’s criticism. I’m familiar with the phenomenon. You’re Esther Brookstone’s boss in Scotland Yard’s Art and Antiques Division. You also wrote this first chronicle about a few of her cases. Which role do you think is more important?

George: You could say that the first enables the second, but I probably would be writing about her cases even without that first relationship. It does permit me to peek inside her personnel file from time to time. We are also good friends, so there are also many things I know that embellish her personnel records.

Steve: Esther obviously told you something about her previous involvement in Britain’s security services. Any chance that story will become another chronicle about her?

George: I would have to do some more sleuthing myself to write about previous events before her time at the Yard. I am certain that learning about them would explain many of her current skills that go beyond the usual ones for an inspector in the Metropolitan Police, especially ones you see among personnel in the Art and Antiques Division.

Steve: It might explain how she and Bastiann could thwart that neo-Nazi threat, right?

George: That was a close thing. I would rather she be a bit more careful.

Steve: She seems to have become obsessed with that painting, “An Angel with Titus’ Features.” That’s a real painting, right? Not your literary embellishment?

George: The black-and-white photograph of the painting is freely available on the internet. But yes, Esther became a bit obsessed with it. That obsession added danger to her pursuit of the case. Recovering stolen artwork or thwarting its sale can be dangerous, though. The scoundrels who work in that dirty gray world, and even the buyers, can become violent when one of our inspectors closes in. These cases can resemble more ubiquitous cases of robbery and murder, although the criminals tend to be more knowledgeable about art.

Steve: But there’s not often so much danger.

George: Yes, the principal case in my chronicle was much more dangerous than the usual one we consider. You have to remember, though, that there was much more to it as Esther and Bastiann pursued the illegal art dealers. I believe both MI5 and MI6 are still in cleanup mode.

Steve: Is anyone still looking to recover the painting?

George: Our division and van Coevorden’s Interpol are still interested in doing so. The French and German authorities are too, but all these security forces breathed sighs of relief when the miscreants’ plans were discovered and stopped.

Steve: That was an interesting consequence of Esther’s obsession.

George: Perhaps. Again, it put her in danger. Bastiann too.

Steve: Do you have plans for more chronicles?

George: If I can uncover a bit of her history in our intelligence services, I will write that. Esther and Bastiann are recovering now at her Scottish castle. I hope she returns soon. Our caseload has increased during her absence. Who knows if one of those cases will be featured in a future chronicle?

Steve: Thank you for your time, Inspector.

George: I have no problem discussing Esther and her adventures. She is a bit hard to control at times, but no one can deny her success. I am honored to have her in our division.

***

Just posted: a new review of Rembrandt’s Angel. “…a thrilling, globetrotting adventure that provides readers a glance into the world of art forgery, Neo-Nazi conspiracies and even links to ISIS. The duo of Brookstone and van Coevorden can be favorably compared with utmost respect to Agatha Christie’s classic characters, Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot. Esther is a strong, well-liked character with a saucy disposition, while Bastiann, though he plays costar and lover to Esther, is able to hold his own with regards to likability…

…Steven M. Moore’s novel should be read by fans of the mystery genre particularly because the author has a keen ability to weave a great storyline that is not only filled with suspense, but captures a reader’s attention. A few quotes stood out as quite descriptive and remained with this reader well after the book was completely read, for example, “In the ice cream shop of crime, there are many flavors” and “A committee of clouds enjoyed a private meeting over the manor. …the character Esther Brookstone provides readers with an unusual female protagonist who is more than just a senior Scotland Yard Inspector. She is a memorable and tenacious dame who readers will undoubtedly enjoy throughout the novel and will look forward to reading any of her possible future exploits.

Rembrandt’s Angel is a complex thriller with several plots intertwined throughout the story. It is recommended for serious mystery fans who are looking for not only a challenging read, but also one that allows readers to become an armchair adventurist and detective, along with Brookstone and van Coevorden, spanning many different parts of the globe.”—Lynette Latzko, Feathered Quill Book Reviews

For the full review, visit Feathered Quill. To learn more about saucy Esther Brookstone, see Rembrandt’s Angel (Penmore Press), now available as an ebook on Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Apple, and as a print book on Amazon, B&N,  or at your local bookstore through Ingram (ask for it if they don’t have it). Don’t miss it. It’s great summer reading.

In libris libertas!

One item proposed in the GOP Senate’s “Better Care Act” was more cuts to mental health care. Fortunately that didn’t pass, but these cuts have been going on for a long time. Mental hospitals have closed and there never seems to be enough competent staff. People with mental health problems have nowhere to turn. Some have worried families and friends who don’t know where to turn either. Others live homeless on the streets of America’s cities. And others have come home from wars broken in mind and spirit.

The shooting in NYC of policewoman Miosotis Familia by mentally disturbed Alexander Bond is an extreme example of the tragedies that can occur. One congressman was attacked by his own son; the father hadn’t been able to find a facility for him. An obviously deranged fifteen-year-old girl encouraged her depressed boyfriend via cellphone texts to commit suicide (she received a 2.5 year sentence but she should have been committed). These are only three cases that made the national news where persons with a mental illness didn’t have the care they needed. Too many don’t.

And I’m talking about quality care, not more copies of that cuckoos’ nest immortalized in the movie. While no modern mental ward seems as bad as that or Salieri’s in Amadeus, they can be bad. Patients in care are often treated inhumanely with drugs and shock therapy instead of being cured. These “cures” can be easily ordered by mental health professionals and applied by an army of nurses and barely qualified technicians, so the cost is low. The institutions still functioning often sacrifice good care because of budget cuts. Add to that the closing of mental health facilities everywhere, you have a crisis.

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These days, it is minimally staffed and funded firms who invest in new authors. The giants avoid such risk, only picking the writers once their names are made….—The Guardian

***

Rogue Planet. Hard sci-fi with Game-of-Thrones fantasy, shaken and stirred. This sequel to the “Chaos Chronicles Trilogy” is a stand-alone that differs from the trilogy’s novels. Prince Kaushal of the Second Tribe is a survivor of the First Tribe’s rebellion and creation of theocracy so brutal that the Interstellar Trade Union of Independent Planets (ITUIP) has quarantined his home planet Eden. He and his companions struggle to change that. This sci-fi adventure is available as both an ebook on Amazon and Smashwords and print book on Amazon. Great summer reading!

In libris libertas….

Dunkirk. Christopher Nolan, dir. It’s hard to tell how much Hollywood destroys history in this one. The story told here focuses on three persons—a no-name Frenchman posing as a Brit (Damien Bonnard), a British fighter pilot Farrier (Tom Hardy), and the crusty skipper, Mr. Dawson (Mark Rylance), on his way to Dunkirk with his son and the son’s friend. This focus makes the huge evacuation a personal story for these men who are probably only representative of the many personal and untold stories related to the operation.

The movie doesn’t portray the big picture, in fact. It’s available in IMAX, but there aren’t small boats, the Brits lined up on the beach don’t look desperate enough, and I’m sure the air battle waged to protect the ships was much more intense. That said, this is worth seeing. Ubiquitous Hollywood war movies generally focus on the U.S. role, but this is all mostly British with a wee bit of French, a fitting tribute to the fact that the Brits, defying all odds, stood their ground against the Nazis. Dunkirk was a huge loss—continental Europe became part of the Third Reich—but at the same time it was the beginning of the end for Hitler, who was never able to overrun Britain. Later the Brits would bring Nazi Germany to its knees with the continuous bombing raids on the fatherland carried out by the RAF.

There were slow points in the movie and at times the dialogue was either lost or garbled, but this movie is more visual, and there is plenty of action. Obviously there are scenes of violence. And thanks go to Hollywood for not sticking syrupy romance into the plot. I only remember one woman, a nurse who was directing soldiers who had carried the wounded into the hold of a ship early on in the movie.

The film isn’t without controversy, though. Mr. Bolton, the pier master, played by Kenneth Branagh (a small role for a famous star, to be sure), was based on a historical character, Mr. Clouston, and he was instrumental in saving 200,000 troops at Dunkirk. Commander Clouston died on the last boat out of Dunkirk. Why the name change? His son is justifiably furious. Emma Thomas, Branagh’s wife, tried to weasel out of it. I’ll take this opportunity to recognize the father here. Hollywood should learn to NOT change history, even if the tinkering is small. The name change was unconscionable. I apologize to all the heroes of Dunkirk and their families on behalf of Hollywood; Thomas said all names were changed to protect the heroes. Huh? How ‘bout honoring them? I hope Hollywood recognizes that many Yank moviegoers wouldn’t condone these historical changes…ever.

***

Rembrandt’s Angel (a mystery/thriller from Penmore Press). To what lengths would you go to recover a stolen masterpiece? Scotland Yard’s Arts and Antiques Inspector Esther Brookstone goes the extra mile. She and paramour/sidekick Bastiann van Coevorden, an Interpol agent, set out to outwit the dealers of stolen art and recover “An Angel with Titus’ Features,” a Rembrandt painting stolen by the Nazis in World War Two. Their efforts lead to much more, as they uncover an international conspiracy that threatens Europe. During their dangerous adventures, their relationship solidifies and becomes a full-blown romance. This book is available in ebook format at Amazon and at Smashwords and its affiliate retailers. It’s available as a print version at Amazon, B&N, or your favorite bookstore (if not there, ask for it). Happy reading!

In libris libertas…

Some readers and reviewers try to identify an author’s characters with the author or some alter-ego of the author. FYI: writing fiction is NOT the same as writing an autobiography. In fact, because characters are fictional creations, they usually have no relationship to the author.

Consider the antagonist, the villain. Your average author isn’t a psychotic serial killer, mad scientist, or a sociopathic business person. You wouldn’t expect an author even to aspire to be one of these. But a good mystery, thriller, or sci-fi story can’t exist without a good villain.

Vladimir Kalinin AKA Rupert Snyder AKA Sergio Battaglia appears and reappears in various novels of mine, from The Midas Bomb to Soldiers of God (that implies a timeline; it’s contained in a PDF free for the asking). He’s a sociopath with occasional good qualities (most notably in No Amber Waves of Grain). As far as I know, I have no mental aberrations beyond being a fiction writer, and my elementary knowledge of Russian has all but disappeared, so I’m not Vladimir Kalinin and shouldn’t be confuse with him.

Consider an ET character. While it’s hard to write a sci-fi story containing a completely alien character and her or his culture, I’ve done so in the Singer and the Swarm, two ET “characters” with collective intelligences found in Sing a Samba Galactica (Swarm makes an encore in the third novel of the “Chaos Chronicles Trilogy”). These characters are the strangest I’ve imagined, but the Rangers (humans’ first contact with them is also described in Sing a Samba Galactica) are almost as strange, but they become good friends of human beings.

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[Note from Steve: Let’s have some fun with space opera….]

Chiba

Copyright 2017, Steven M. Moore

Erid Ariklai lost patience with the robocab’s obsession with safety. He took control by leaving the unit’s AI smoldering behind the front dash.

Your heavy boot can do a lot of damage!

He was focused on controlling the cab now, but he took time to smile at Mira’s thought. She often thought he was too impulsive.

He had three patrol cars in pursuit by the time he crashed through the guard barrier and landed in its canal’s dry bed. He managed to maintain speed and control while dodging the garbage citizens from the Iskandian capital had thrown into it.

He would never have thought of the canal as a super-highway for his escape. Mira had suggested it before he committed robocide, her voice a soft purr in his mind. You’re the best, baby!

It occurred to him that Iskandian cops were going to a lot of trouble when all he’d done was steal a painting from a local gallery, thinking it would be a nice gift for Mira. He’d kept that thought from her, of course, to make it a surprise. His real reason for his downtown visit was to break into the Hephreid Empire’s embassy and steal some computer files. Because Iskandia wasn’t part of the Empire, the cops’ pursuit didn’t even make sense for that.

Rotary for the spaceport turnoff coming up. You’ll need to leave the canal.

He wondered if the robocab’s electric motor had the necessary power. Time to find out! He spun the wheel—the cab allowed Human control in case the AI died, which it had—so he was able to steer toward the canal’s and climb the slope. He soon entered the rotary and took the branch off it leading to the spaceport.

Local laws required drivers to stop and ID themselves. He crashed through the security checkpoint instead and headed directly for their ship.

We’re lifting in thirty ticks.

Erid slammed on the brakes and bolted from the car with the painting. He ran up the gangway and dove inside the main airlock. A few ticks later he was inside the hold and both outside and inside doors were closing. The ladder to the command-and-control center was at the far end of the hold. He headed for it. “Daddy’s home, Mama G and Mira,” he said as he began his climb.

“We’re already in space.” That was Mama G’s voice from C&C. “Get your ass up here. We’re going to need some fancy flying. Three police cruisers are chasing us.”

He came to the ladder’s end and entered C&C, leaving the package containing the painting on the table that was projecting a holographic model of the Iskandian solar system.

“Thanks for bringing me in,” Erid said to Mira. “Babbage, give me a visual of our pursuers.” The AI transferred the video image from Mama G’s display to his as he took the pilot’s seat. “Those are too big for police cruisers. They’re Imperial warships. They must have been in orbit around the planet.”

“Looked like police cruisers to me,” said Mama G. “Can you outrun them?”

“Babbage, what do you think?” said Erid.

“I’m always doing a lot of thinking, too much to enumerate,” said the AI. “If I’ve correctly distilled your query, though, I concur with Mama G’s original comment. You’re going to need to do some fancy flying. If I could disable my safety coding, I could help, but I have to leave the reckless piloting to you, I’m afraid. Prepare to die, Mama G and Mira.”

“Just keep feeding me data. I’ve had more challenging situations. No one’s going to die.” Erid knew their ship. He also knew Imperial warships—he had served on one once. They were clumsy and slow. “Babbage, I need you to man the guns.”

“They won’t do any good against a warship.”

“I know that! But we’re going through this system’s asteroid belt. Blast any small crap that gets in our way. I’ll dodge around the big stuff but close enough that the warships won’t dare to follow.”

After about a quarter standard, Erid was able to lose their pursuers.

***

Erid accepted the drink Mira was offering and smiled at her. “You never had any doubts, did you?”

I knew you’d done it before. That—she jerked a thumb toward the painting now on the galley’s wall—is a nice gift but hardly worth putting us in danger.

“Don’t think it was that. They must have discovered my code download somehow. Any thoughts, Mama G?”

Erid’s mother-in-law shrugged. “I made a secure link to your transmitter. Babbage confirmed. No one should have been the wiser.”

“I’ll confirm that again,” said the AI.

“Maybe they’re cleverer than we think they are,” said Erid.

“Or they just wanted to fry your butt for breaking into the embassy,” said Mama G. “You know, just on general principles. I feel like doing it myself sometimes.”

“Maybe.” He raised his glass. “To riches. We’ll sell that stolen code to the rebels for a good price and rest on our laurels afterward.” A crash was heard in the ship’s hold beneath them. “Babbage, scan below.”

“I detect nothing that could produce that sound,” said the AI.

“I’ll go check,” said Mama G.

Erid watched her leave the galley. “Your mother’s a great crewmember,” he said aloud to Mira.

My mother was born on a rebel base and was in space before she was ten. She has more experience than we do.

“Agreed. Maybe that’s why she had problems accepting me.”

You’re an AWOL from an Imperial crew. That’s a negative in her opinion. Always will be.

“She sympathizes with rebels. It should be a positive.”

You never will understand. She believes in loyalty and the chain of command.

“She didn’t have to serve on an Imperial warship. I did. That’s more than a chain of command.”

I understand that. She doesn’t. Mother?

Mama G stuck her head in the door. “I hate to break up your discussion about me, but I found our noisemaker.” She shoved a small girl into the galley. “Meet Chiba, our first stowaway.”

Erid stood and caught the kid who didn’t seem used to low g-force. “How’d you get in here?”

Chiba looked around. “I’m hungry. Feed me something and I’ll answer your question.”

Mira popped a tray into the microwave and set it for two minutes. Soon Chiba was devouring what played the role of roast, potatoes, and vegetables. Kid’s famished.

Chiba looked at Mira and smiled. You’re a telepath?

Among other things. Finish your food.

Chiba did just that. She soon pushed back her stool and sighed. “I can answer your question. I followed you in. I move fast. I had to get-away. Your ship was getting away. Said and done.”

“Why? Why did you need to get away? Is there some pervert chasing you?” Mama G looked concerned.

“Too many questions. Let me ask one. Where are we going?”

“I can’t answer that,” said Erid.

“Then I can’t answer any more of your questions. We’re at an impasse.”

Mira smiled at Erid. She’s got you there.

***

They let Chiba have the run of the ship, figuring she was neither an Imperial nor rebel spy. Babbage always had sensors on her, of course, but where was she going to go? Erid got used to having her around.

The trek to the nearest rebel planet took many jumps. At the end of the last one, Chiba was sitting on Erid’s lap as he guided their ship into the solar system.

“Can’t the Empire find this planet?” she said.

“There are spies everywhere, child,” said Mama G, “even on Freedom-4, but you’ll soon see why we’ll be safe on this rebel world.”

“Beginning Kuiper belt transition,” said Babbage.

“That marks the outer boundaries of most star systems,” said Erid.

“I know that.” He thinks I’m stupid.

No, he’s only explaining what Babbage said. The AI can be a bit terse sometimes.

“You two should shield me from your thoughts when they’re private,” Erid told Chiba and Mira. “And Chiba, I don’t think you’re stupid. In fact, I think you know more than you’re telling us. Before we arrive, I’d like to try a theory out on you.”

Chiba fidgeted a little. “Might as well go for it now. I’m listening.”

“It’s easy to express. I think the Imperial warships were coming after you. They had no idea that I downloaded code or stole a painting.”

She jumped to the floor and faced him, hands on hips.

“What makes you think that?”

“Simple deduction. Our code transmission was secure. And Imperial ships wouldn’t give a damn about a stolen painting. I’m guessing they even put the local cops up to pursuing me. Were you in the robocab?”

She smiled. “Not in. On. Standing on the back bumper, in fact. I almost flew off when you went into the canal.”

Erid nodded. “OK. Thank you for being honest and confirming my theory. Now, why are you running away from the Empire? What do they want you for?”

She shrugged. “I was bored. At the embassy all I heard was talk about rebels. I wanted to meet some. If my uncle doesn’t like them, I might. That’s all.”

“Your uncle?” said Mama G.

“The ambassador. My parents died in an accident. He’s my guardian now.”

“Oh, crap!” said Erid. “Just what we need. A run-away with noble blood.”

“Noble blood isn’t good for anything,” said Chiba. “I’ve been a prisoner all my life. My parents were higher ranking than my uncle because my mother is second cousin to the Emperor. She didn’t have much use for the pomp and circumstance, though. And my father was a scientist.  I used to collect plants with him on some new colony planets.”

Was your uncle abusing you?

No. He’s only interested in using me to improve his stature in the Imperial court. And he’s only my mother’s half-brother.

“We should return her,” said Erid. “Freedom-4 is no place for her. She might be persecuted.”

“Can’t I get asylum there? I want to be a scientist like my father. And I don’t want to be with my uncle!”

“Maybe we should let the rebel leader decide what to do with her,” said Mama G.

“They might use her too,” said Erid. He smiled at Chiba. “Maybe you’d just like to become a member of our crew.”

Chiba smiled. “That’s OK for a while. But I do want to become a scientist.”

There are many ways to achieve that, Chiba. Welcome to the crew.

***

“Who’s the girl?” said Colonel Whelon. “Isn’t she a little too young to be a mercenary?”

“We’re opportunists, not mercenaries,” said Erid. “If you must know, she was a stowaway. But she’s smart and a valuable crewmember now.”

The colonel shrugged. “My people have evaluated your summary of the intel you obtained. I’m ready to negotiate for all of it.”

“It’s valuable intel,” said Erid. “What are you offering?”

“Very little. You realize that you have no other customers, right? It’s a buyer’s market.”

“There’s nothing that says we have to sell.”

Whelon snapped his fingers. An entire squad of rebels entered the colonel’s suite. He smiled.

“And there’s nothing that says we can’t take what we want. Put him in the brig. Then get some others and capture that little imp. We can hold her for ransom. The Empire should pay us well for her.”

You’re a terrible negotiator, thought Mari.

You have to hide me, thought Chiba.

One rebel pushed Erid into the cell and slammed the door. “Tell Mama G to take command. Lift off now!”

And what about you? thought Mari and Chiba.

“They won’t get any ransom for me.”

But they could kill you, thought Mari.

I can’t let that happen, thought Chiba.

Mari’s thoughts then echoed Mama G’s words: “We’re already in space. We’ll have to hide and then come back.”

“Who the hell are you talking to?” said a rebel through the small meshed window in the cell door.

“I’m calling for our mercenary fleet,” said Erid. “They’ll turn Freedom-4 into nuclear slag. Tell that to your Colonel Whelon.”

The rebel looked worried and left.

***

“We see no sign of a mercenary fleet,” said Whelon.

Erid was back in the colonel’s little office. “We actually don’t have one. My crew is taking the stowaway back to the Imperial court. There they’ll divulge all they know about this rebel planet and others. The fleet will be an Imperial one. You’ve forfeited any right to survive, and I’ve lost any sympathies I had for your cause.” He smiled at the colonel’s frown. “How did you find out who Chiba really is?”

“We have spies in the Imperial court. They’re good at weeding through gossip and gleaning valuable intel.”

“The Empire will be happy to know about that too.”

“You just heard it. How will you tell your people?”

“The same way I talked to my colleagues. I refer you to the studies of the great Dr. Halas. In particular, the definitive paper in the Imperial Journal of Psychology seventeen years ago.  I forget the volume and number, but you can do a search and find it.  Assuming rebels try to keep up on the latest scientific developments, that is.”

Whelon nodded to an aide who dashed out of the room. “We’ll check that. But I think you’re just wasting my time. Perhaps I should hear a convincing argument from you why you shouldn’t be executed with a lethal injection. That’s what we do with traitors.”

“Treason is in the eyes of the beholder.” Erid took a chair. “And why should I waste my time with such an argument when I can waste yours instead. That will give the Imperial fleet even more time to plan and execute the complete destruction of Freedom-4.” Erid saw the crimson begin in the black hair at Whelon’s throat and rise. Maybe I’ve gone too far?

Maybe, thought Mira, but keep him stewing. He’s so angry he’s not thinking straight right now.

***

Erid and Whelon sat and stared at each other for a bit until the aide returned and handed the colonel a note. He read it and scowled.

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Gaia doesn’t have to end in a nuclear bang. She can end in the whisper of climate disaster.

***

Rembrandt’s Angel (a mystery/thriller from Penmore Press). To what lengths would you go to recover a stolen masterpiece? Scotland Yard’s Arts and Antiques Inspector Esther Brookstone goes the extra mile. She and paramour/sidekick Bastiann van Coevorden, an Interpol agent, set out to outwit the dealers of stolen art and recover “An Angel with Titus’ Features,” a Rembrandt painting stolen by the Nazis in World War Two. Their efforts lead to much more, as they uncover an international conspiracy that threatens Europe. During their dangerous adventures, their relationship solidifies and becomes a full-blown romance. This book is available in ebook format at Amazon and at Smashwords and its affiliate retailers. It’s available as a print version at Amazon, B&N, or your favorite bookstore (if not there, ask for it).

In libris libertas…

(Cixin Liu, The Three-Body Problem, Tor, 2006)

I’ll admit it: I struggled through this Hugo Award winner. It’s a cross between a physics textbook; a historical account of China, including the Cultural Revolution; and a story about first contact.

The physics is a bit much for the average sci-fi reader perhaps, especially for those who think Star Wars, Star Trek, and other Hollywood gruel are real sci-fi. The history is more interesting. I feel I don’t know enough about China. Books like this one, Ludlum’s third Bourne novel (and not the third movie!), and The First Excellence by Donna Carrick, represent good ways to understand Chinese history and modern culture via fiction. First contact is overdone in the sci-fi literature (perhaps Asimov was smart to avoid ETs altogether in his Foundation series), and this book offers few novelties.

I can’t refrain from commenting on the title. The Centauri star system has achieved some notoriety lately because there’s an Earth-sized planet orbiting the red dwarf Proxima (the usual extra-solar planets are Jovian-sized). Obviously the author didn’t know about this planet when he wrote his book, but any inhabitants of that planet might be interested in exact solutions to the three-body problem because the “suns” in their sky form such a system. Beyond that, the mysticism that shrouds the three-body system in this novel is unwarranted because the Centauri three-star system has been stable for millions of years.

The end of the book leans more to Harry Potter-like fantasy than hard sci-fi. Unfolding a proton and etching integrated circuits on its surface is a story that Harry’s house dwarf might dream up (if the author knew anything about science, that is). It’s a silly extrapolation, if it can even be called that. And it’s definitely not good sci-fi.

The climax is too long coming. The description of the two camps of human thought about how to deal with the ETs is too. I’d say 70% of the book is how one woman dealt with and had her little victories against the Cultural Revolution; there’s very little sci-fi beyond the fact that she and her father were physicists. That’s about 270 pages out of 390 before the reader even gets to the point.

The usual sci-fi story elements are missing: fast-moving plot (there’s not much world-building here, so why is it so slow?); interesting characters (I don’t like any of them); strange settings (OK, there are foreign and interesting ones, but I wouldn’t call them all that strange, except for the fantasy home of the Centaurians, and you can’t tell them apart from those in a computer game); and so forth. The author also spends too much time writing about a computer game. I’m just not into them because they’re a waste of time, but this one is used to subvert and convert and recruit intellectuals to further the ambitions of the main character (hard to tell whether she’s protagonist or antagonist, by the way). Maybe you like computer games. If that’ the case, you’ll maybe like some of this book.

I kept thinking as I read, “Hey, Steve, this is a Hugo winner. It must get better.” It never did–not for me. I found it to be a slog. Maybe the Hugo judges were trying to achieve some rapprochement with China? For me, Hugo has been slipping the last two decades. This one was a major slip-up (I previously tried to read another Hugo winner, one I couldn’t even finish, so I didn’t review it).

This is the first book in a trilogy. I won’t be reading the two remaining ones. That’s my cultural revolution against Hugo as much as this author.

***

Rembrandt’s Angel (a mystery/thriller from Penmore Press). To what lengths would you go to recover a stolen masterpiece? Scotland Yard’s Arts and Antiques Inspector Esther Brookstone goes the extra mile. She and paramour/sidekick Bastiann van Coevorden, an Interpol agent, set out to outwit the dealers of stolen art and recover “An Angel with Titus’ Features,” a Rembrandt painting stolen by the Nazis in World War Two. Their efforts lead to much more, as they uncover an international conspiracy that threatens Europe. During their dangerous adventures, their relationship solidifies and becomes a full-blown romance. This book is available in ebook format at Amazon and at Smashwords and its affiliate retailers. It’s available as a print version at Amazon, B&N, or your favorite bookstore (if not there, ask for it). Happy reading!

In libris libertas…

Maybe I’m just getting old, but every day it seems to be more difficult to process the information I look for and find. I seem to be drowning in it. I try to be selective, but the selection takes time too. Some days the selection process takes more time than processing the information I’ve received.

Information is now mined by corporations who sell what they’ve mined to other corporations. The latter are probably in the same boat I’m in. Will Corporate America come to a grinding halt when it has so much information that it can’t process it? Will I?

Some computer gurus discuss a tipping point when computer networks become sentient and human beings become superfluous. (The Terminator movies are built on this premise.) I don’t think that will happen. When information overload maxes out, computers will be turned off, AIs, robots, and androids will crazy, and civilization will end. We’ll probably return to a hunter-gather society. The only information we’ll need then is what to hunt and what to gather.

We’re already networking computers to solve problems of great complexity. But will we reach the point that the solutions to these problems are just as complex and human beings can’t begin to understand them? I can imagine a worldwide network going crazy because it has solved a complex and important problem but the solution is so complex that only another worldwide network can understand it!

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