Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction

Rereading is one of my joys in life: much like comfort foods, it is cozy and soothing. Right up front, I know what to expect plus I get to revisit characters and scenes of a good book, like visiting a favorite old friend or going to a beloved haunt.
Recently I was in the mood to again delve into Doris Egan’s Gate of Ivory, a delightful mix of science fiction, fantasy, and thriller with just a touch of romance. Set in the far future, the story is told by Theodora of Pyrene, a young woman who came as a tourist to the exotic planet of Ivory and missed her ride back home when she was rolled the night before the flight. Since space travel is extremely expensive and she had only been able to come to Ivory due to a free ride, she is now trapped. Her studies in folk stories do not prepare her to live on a world that is a mix of high and low technology. Since she cannot read Ivorian, Theo is locked out of the better paying jobs and eventually makes her living by reading tarot cards. In a society where the nobles view murder as a game, Theo has to watch out for players who decide to practice on a commoner or two.
For two years Theo manages to survive with no real hope of buying passage home until she is offered a job by Ran Cormallon, the head of a powerful sorcerous family. For the first time, Theo has a glimmer of hope that she could earn the funds to return home, and all she has to do is the same thing she was doing before: read the cards for Ran. Theo, who never thought Ivory’s magic was real had a quick awakening, but she does adapt. As an important servant to Ran, Theo begins moving in higher circles and after a mysterious fire she is even taken to his family home. Soon she is plunged into Cormallan politics and finds she might live a more luxurious life, but many of the dangers of the street are also in the house.
This book is a great deal of fun and Egan includes plenty of action. Through Theo, we learn a lot about Ivory’s various people and how they live, making me feels like I had been there. The details about food, clothing, social ranks, marriage customs and other such factors build a fully-formed world that draws me in every time I read the book. I looked long for a my used copy of this title, but you can find it readily on the Internet or even pick up a copy of The Complete Ivory, a single volume that includes Egan’s two sequels, Two-Bit Heroes and Guilt Edged Ivory. In any edition, I think you will enjoy this book and might even re-read it as often as I do.

At the World Fantasy Convention this November, I got the chance to hear Katharine Eliska Kimbriel read from her work in-progress, an new Alfreda Golden-tongue book. It was a wonderful story and once back home, I searched for the two earlier works, Night Calls (1996 ISBN: 0061054119) and Kindred Rites (1997 ISBN:0061057967), both out-of-print but available used for a very reasonable price.

Night Calls arrived first and I was surprised because I remember seeing this book in the stores and not being interested due to the cover art and back description. A book of “dark magic” involving werewolves smacked of horror to me, not my genre of choice. Inspired by the sample of Kimbriel’s reading, I dove right in and was rewarded with a book of werewolves and vampires, but more of the education of Alfreda Sorensson, a young girl who showing powers in the Wise Arts. All this seems standard fantasy fare, but Kimbriel sets the story during the early nineteenth century in the Northwest Territory of the United States, which highlights the folkways of that era. The dealings with vampires and such is exciting, but I was more enthralled by the descriptions of how people lived day-to-day in a world very different from ours. Kimbriel includes a great deal of herbology, an important component of the Wise Arts, as well as Alfreda’s training in tracking and trapping. How to survive a night alone in the woods, the constant tasks of spinning and weaving, and the details of a family meal all bring balance to the story. Alfreda also learns the cost of dark magic, especially when it touches those in her community and family.
All are not happy about Alfreda’s gift, especially her mother would wished a more normal life for her daughter without the dangers of being a practitioner. But once discovered, there is no way to ignore the gift so when she proves her abilities, Alfreda leaves home to learn from her Aunt Marta. Not only does Alfreda learn about ritual magic, but also that a practitioner goes where she is called, even if it is miles from home. Through all her adventures, I was especially please that Kimbriel showed the importance of family and community, which in many ways is a stronger force than any gift of Alfreda’s.

A book of magic, Night Calls is also a work on frontier life and on how relationships are the center of any person. I urge you to seek out a copy today.