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Contact Imminent
Feb. 14th, 2007 02:17 pmJohn G. Hemry, known to readers of this site as "Jack Campbell," recommends the books of Kristine Smith to his readers. I decided to take him up on the recommendation and bought Contact Imminent
the latest novel in the Chicago-based author's Jani Kilian series. Jani Kilian is a "hybrid," a human who has been altered genetically and surgically to become a mix of "Humanish" and Idomeni. Needless to say, conservative members of both species have much heartburn over this, and that heartburn is the core of this novel's conflict.
There is an unwritten code among us Chicago-based writers that our city must play a key part in the future. (My novel The Mars Run starts in Chicago.) In Kristine's world, Chicago has become the capital of Earth (if not all humanity) and the site of the main alien enclave. Our harsh winter is a secondary but important character, as all the aliens refer to Chicago as "this damn cold place." Since the author grew up in Florida, there may be a little of her personal opinion baked into that assertion.
At any rate, the action starts with a discovery, one wintry day, of a mine planted in a field near the Idomeni embassy. An attempt to defuse it gets aliens and humans killed. This kicks off one main plot, a cat-and-mouse game between anti-alien humans and not-terribly peaceful aliens. The other main plot is started when it is discovered that Jani is not the only hybrid. One hybrid is unsettling enough, a whole community is potentially devastating.
Reading science fiction is much like reading mysteries - a lot of decoding is required. This is especially the case when one jumps in on the middle of a tightly-knit series. However, Ms. Smith keeps the action moving, and provides the right amount of back-story to keep new readers in the loop while not boring her existing readers. Jani, the lead character, is a very competent covert operative, but not of the unfeeling or over-gadgeted James Bond type.
Contact Imminent is a solid, well-paced book, with interesting characters and well-crafted aliens. Fans of science fiction will like Ms. Smith's work, and I for one am glad I took a chance on this book.
the latest novel in the Chicago-based author's Jani Kilian series. Jani Kilian is a "hybrid," a human who has been altered genetically and surgically to become a mix of "Humanish" and Idomeni. Needless to say, conservative members of both species have much heartburn over this, and that heartburn is the core of this novel's conflict. There is an unwritten code among us Chicago-based writers that our city must play a key part in the future. (My novel The Mars Run
starts in Chicago.) In Kristine's world, Chicago has become the capital of Earth (if not all humanity) and the site of the main alien enclave. Our harsh winter is a secondary but important character, as all the aliens refer to Chicago as "this damn cold place." Since the author grew up in Florida, there may be a little of her personal opinion baked into that assertion. At any rate, the action starts with a discovery, one wintry day, of a mine planted in a field near the Idomeni embassy. An attempt to defuse it gets aliens and humans killed. This kicks off one main plot, a cat-and-mouse game between anti-alien humans and not-terribly peaceful aliens. The other main plot is started when it is discovered that Jani is not the only hybrid. One hybrid is unsettling enough, a whole community is potentially devastating.
Reading science fiction is much like reading mysteries - a lot of decoding is required. This is especially the case when one jumps in on the middle of a tightly-knit series. However, Ms. Smith keeps the action moving, and provides the right amount of back-story to keep new readers in the loop while not boring her existing readers. Jani, the lead character, is a very competent covert operative, but not of the unfeeling or over-gadgeted James Bond type.
Contact Imminent is a solid, well-paced book, with interesting characters and well-crafted aliens. Fans of science fiction will like Ms. Smith's work, and I for one am glad I took a chance on this book.
