What happens when a self-exiled religious cult that is founded on the twin beliefs of austerity and isolationism suddenly finds itself in possession of what could be the most valuable commodity in the galaxy? Told from the perspective of a spaceship pilot who unwittingly becomes drawn into the culture’s internal struggles the story presents some interesting ideas around dogma, the apparent inevitably of existence, and what it means to be recognized (or not) as an individual. It also has one of the best opening hooks in any novel I’ve read in a while; ‘For technical reasons this story does not begin at the beginning. It begins, instead, in darkness...’. ( )

The second excursion into the career of star-pilot Grainger and his starship the 'Hooded Swan'; except that this one is mainly set on a world inhabited by a religious sect who have to live underground because of the hostility of the world they have colonised and manage without much in the way of light, for reasons both practical and dogmatic. There is intrigue, political manouevering and more introspection from Grainger. The overall effect is rather claustropobic.

A decent bit of hardish sci-fi about a world where a religious colony inhabit a network of underground tunnels. Grainger, the protagonist, is drawn in when he pilots a spaceship to the world, taking his employer in search of an unnamed treasure they've unearthed. Most of the plot follows Grainger's arrest, escape and attempts to get offworld alive, while he argues with the psychic parasite he picked up in a previous book. It was fine, but felt a bit flat somehow. I think it's just maybe not quite enough of anything. Grainger doesn't talk much except to his parasite, and there are enough locals involved in the case that none of them get enough time to feel like substantial characters; the parasite conversations are a bit repetitive (and cover similar ground to the last book) so that's not giving you loads of rich development either. On the other hand, mostly what Grainger does is run away, observe and follow instructions, and it's not quite adventurous enough a book to be thrilling, while the speculative crunch of the mystery isn't substantial enough to make a whole novel either. That leaves it as neither one thing nor t'other, and therefore slightly unsatisfying. I got the feeling it might have made a better short story, cut heavily to focus on the highlights, where the flatness of the characters might not be so apparent. ( )

Hooded Swan 2

ZB5