Paradise by Mike Resnick

My rating:
4.3 out of 5

Peponi, a distant world rich in wildlife and populated by a people without a high degree of technology, is "discovered" by mankind.

Men arrive on the planet, then reap its riches. After years of subjugation, the natives finally begin to push for independence. While armed rebellion is put down, from its ashes a native leader, Bukon Pepon, is able to forge the various tribes together and gain independence from the Human government.

Upon independence, most Men leave the planet for distant shores and dream their dreams of the paradise that Peponi once was. Other Men stay to create a new dream. But both Men and Pepons watch their economy and resources dwindle away as overpopulation, hunting, tribal factionalism, and the introduction of non-native species take their toll. 

***** *** *******

Another thought-provoking and enjoyable read from one of the best story tellers (in my humble opinion) to ever put down a word. In this relatively short novel, Resnick quite impressively retells the history of Kenya, but this time in a far future sci-fi setting, substituting the distant planet of Peponi for the African country and an interesting race of tribal humanoid aliens for Kenyans. It sits within Resnick's wonderful Birthright universe and therefore will most likely please any reader familiar with the setting and probably anyone else who enjoys a good yarn. It moves along a relaxed pace which allows you to take in every word and engage easily with the story. I found it a little amusing, given that this is sci-fi, that I had to remind myself a few times that it’s not an actual historical account. I can only conclude that it seems so real because it's written so well, and making the assumption that it's quite faithful to the factual history of Kenya. The other two books of this Galactic Comedy sub-series of "Chronicles Of Distant Worlds" (Purgatory and Inferno) also tell stories based on other African nations and, if they're any bit like this one, will no doubt be similarly engrossing reads.

The central character, a pleasant chap called Matthew Breen, is a journalist and author, and the book begins with him researching for a book about a famous human hunter and guide on Peponi. The name Peponi means "paradise" in a local dialect and really is a veritable paradise in itself, being a stunningly beautiful planet unspoiled by outsiders up until its discovery by human explorers from the Galactic Republic. While we actually learn very little about Breen himself, we meet and get to know many other very colorful characters throughout the book and it’s these peoples' stories who really make the story. We begin with the hunter's account of his life and experiences as a safari guide for rich off-worlders, and this leads to more interviews with others who also have amazing tales and account of some of the pivotal events that unfold. Breen ends up writing a number of books about Peponi and its people, who range from human land owners to soldiers and mercenaries to native politicians, the first-person narrative bouncing back and forth between Breen and the various characters whom he converses with - a style which I found enjoyable to read and which totally drew me in.

The story is chronological and broken into four main parts, each separated by a number of years and each telling about a distinct phase of the planet's history, from life under human colonization through to an extremely brutal guerrilla war for freedom and then to eventual independence within the Republic and self rule by the natives. The same format continues right through the book, with Breen searching for information and speaking with people as he goes, both formally and informally. He remains impartial and indifferent throughout, telling each side of the story that he hears as fairly as possible. The accounts are fascinating, and the tales told are excellent. I loved reading about the wide variety of wild animals on Peponi, from the huge lumbering Landships which are eventually hunted to extinction, and the fearsome (and superbly named) predatory Bush Devils and Demon Cats. Everything is described sufficiently to allow you to form a solid picture in your mind's eye of the setting and the things within it. The sentient Peponi humanoids themselves are interesting enough, but it is the wild animals which I actually found to be the most interesting parts of the book. In saying that, however, the dialog used is good and the conversations between the various characters are easy to follow, satisfying, informative and easy to follow, i.e. a great example of this writer's skills.

Because it's a retelling of an actual history, you can definitely see the parallels in the fiction and the fact, and not just that of Kenya, but many countries on Earth which have been colonized then achieved independence, for better or worse. But are they better off governing themselves in comparative ignorance, or should they let the colonizing power remain, at least in part? The natives of Peponi ask themselves this question as they attempt to pave a way forward totally unprepared and unequipped for what they must to do to carve out a place in a vast technological galactic society. This fiercely tribal race of people, who never even had the wheel before the entry of humans, has been thrust forward by thousands of years in just a couple of generations and are (quite understandably) a bit dumb-struck by what they see in front of them. You could say that the eventual moral of the story, and the answer to the previous question, is that Peponi and its people need to be left to discover their place in the galaxy in their own time and in their own way, without corruption from outside influences.

Resnick has produced another top-notch and satisfying tale that kept me captivated for its entirety. Inspired by his travels in Africa and his love of the continent and its cultures, Resnick’s story telling is excellent which is typical for him. This is reinforces the fact that he is one of the most awarded science fiction authors of all time, mainly for short fiction but I've found his novels to be some of the best from the sci-fi genre that I can name. While I haven't enjoyed everything of Resnick's that I've read so far quite as much (I'm talking mainly about his more recent work here), he more often than not fails to disappoint me and this is exactly what he has achieved here. It’s a good, solid yarn with a sobering message at its core that will engage the thoughtful and inquiring reader.

4/5 for concept 

5/5 for delivery 

4/5 for entertainment 

= 4.3 out of 5

Buy the ebook HERE (Amazon US) 

Buy the paper book HERE (Book Depository)

Planetside (Planetside #1) by Michael Mammay

A seasoned military officer uncovers a deadly conspiracy on a distant, war-torn planet…

War heroes aren't usually called out of semi-retirement and sent to the far reaches of the galaxy for a routine investigation. So when Colonel Carl Butler answers the call from an old and powerful friend, he knows it's something big—and he's not being told the whole story.

A high councilor's son has gone MIA out of Cappa Base, the space station orbiting a battle-ravaged planet. The young lieutenant had been wounded and evacuated—but there's no record of him having ever arrived at hospital command. The colonel quickly finds Cappa Base to be a labyrinth of dead ends and sabotage: the hospital commander stonewalls him, the Special Ops leader won't come off the planet, witnesses go missing, radar data disappears, and that’s before he encounters the alien enemy. Butler has no choice but to drop down onto a hostile planet—because someone is using the war zone as a cover.

The answers are there—Butler just has to make it back alive…

***** *** *******

This is a debut novel and first of series from a writer who I sure hope we see a whole lot more from, if this engaging military sci-fi beauty is anything to go by. Michael Mammay is a former military man himself and this shines through glaringly in his storytelling, the character profiles and dialogue being some of the most plausible that I've read, like you're reading a first-person account of actual events that occurred. This is a superbly written and strikingly entertaining novel, being a reasonably quick read yet containing enough story meat that people like me (who just said "nerd"..?) can get stuck into.

Set in a future where humanity and its massive military machine has spread to other star systems, discovering various life-forms and planets which are rich in much-needed resources. The planet Cappa 3 is the main setting for this story, both in an awesome space station orbiting above as well as on the surface of the planet itself where huge deposits of silver, which is now one of the most valuable metals to mankind, have been discovered and are being mined. Cappa 3 is also home to a sentient species of its own (the Cappans) who have not all chosen the same side, some ally with the human invaders while others are holding out against them. The human military and their Cappan allies are fighting a constant insurgency war to protect the mining companies, and feeding arms and technology to those Cappan factions who give their support. The main character, and the point-of-view for this first person narrative, is the tad grumpy yet very amiable Colonel Carl Butler who is also a borderline alcoholic. Butler is called in from a relaxed semi-retirement at Training Command by a General, who is a friend and also his former commanding officer, to lead the investigation into the disappearance of a young infantry officer. This young chap also happens to be the son of a high-ranking politician, a fact which lends an extra push to the investigation. What Colonel Butler discovers on Cappa 3 is unexpected and raises the stakes way above just a simple missing-in-action case. As Butler discovers the details of exactly what is going on here the chunkier the plot gets and the more of a situation he realizes he is in. It's left to him to find a final solution and this he does, for better or worse, he's not sure which.

The other characters in the book, also mostly military personnel, are also very believable and fit the story very nicely. Mammay's character development is adequate yet lacking a lot of depth, the main character excluded. The dialogue is spot-on and is an obvious carry over from the author's own conversational experiences while serving himself. If there was any constructive suggestion which I'd give the author, it would be to build the players up another layer or so, but I don't mean to suggest that the lack of character development in this book detracts from the enjoyment in any way. My honest opinion is that this area is this book's only weakness. I haven't yet read any other reviews of Planetside, but I'd wager that others will have noted something similar. I especially would've liked to meet and explore some of the Cappan aliens and explored their motivations, but I'm making the hopeful assumption that the Mammay will explore this and other areas in the forthcoming books of the series.

The story drives long very well, a very easy book to read and this is really what makes it so gratifying. Its action scenes are excellent, told with sufficient accuracy to keep the techno-heads happy enough and the explosion fans equally so. Again, Mammay's military knowledge shines through in these areas. While perfect for the sort of yarn that it is, the story idea itself isn't anything particularly new or outstanding but the the delivery is top-notch and it's this fact that makes me excited to think of what other work Mammay could produce. The next book of this series Spaceside (due in August 2019) should be another good one if the same formula and general story are followed. The synopsis of Spaceside suggests that it picks up pretty quickly where this one concludes.

It's not often that a book grabs my attention so well within the first few dozen words but this is one such example. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I knew by the end of that first paragraph (about eighty words) that I was going to finish this book and enjoy doing so. I wasn't wrong. I give this one a huge thumbs-up as a quick and entertaining action read.

4/5 for concept
5/5 for delivery
5/5 for entertainment
= 4.7 out of 5

Buy the ebook HERE (Amazon US)
Buy the paper book HERE (Book Depository)