Miss Murple astride a caitnop. Illustration by Henry Chamberlain.
“We Install and Other Stories” offers up an impressive showcase of the work of Harry Turtledove, known for his virtuoso writing of alternate history novels. Among all the gems in this 282-page collection of fiction and essays, the one that stole my heart is “Hoxbomb” for its quirky storytelling. It grabbed me right from the start like a cross between “The Wizard of Oz” and “Blade Runner.”
“Hoxbomb” is a sci-fi police procedural and a study in race relations: the Humans and the Snarre’t. We find ourselves a hundred or so years in the future with two competing species who must make nice for the sake of their own survival. Humans and Snarre’t must work together as they colonize Lacanth C, a new planet and a new lease on life for both races. Much like “In the Heat of the Night,” tensions run high but differences must be set aside for the greater good of solving the case of a heinous crime.
That’s really easier said than done since the Snarre’t are so different from Humans. Of course, that begs the question, Are they really That different? Well, yeah, they are. For one thing, there’s a huge difference in technology: Humans favor machines; Snarre’t favor biotech. There’s also a war of the senses: Humans rely upon sight and sound; Snarre’t rely upon smell. And Snarre’t ride strange animals instead of motorized vehicles and enjoy eating the excrement from these animals.
However, Snarre’t prove to be just as capable of being star-struck as Humans. They are also as gullible and prone to being manipulated by the media. When you really think about it, the Snarre’t aren’t that different from their Human counterparts. It’s something that becomes more apparent to the two detectives from opposing races during the course of this story: The Humans’ John Paul King and the Snarre’t’s Miss Murple make for very entertaining frenemies. This fiction is very much at home with other works in this book. There’s a jokey and sentimental quality tempered with just the right amount of thoughtful contemplation.
“We Install” proves to be a great introduction to Harry Turtledove, full of humor and rich in historical and philosophical musing. “We Install” is available as of August 25th and is published by Open Road Integrated Media where you’ll want to check out their Hugo Award Collection right here. You can also find “We Install” at Amazon right here.
Sound like one for the husband. He’s a Turtledove fan. Will pass on your recommendation. I get the impression it might well appeal to readers who don’t normally go for this genre. Like a lot of sci-fi/fantasy it sounds like this book is thought-provoking in the way it reflects on what it is to be human – and does it in a witty and entertaining way. Great review.
Turtledove is definitely a good read.
Can you occasionally do a blog post that features your paintings and drawings? An online show of your art. You can call it the CG Gallery, for comics grinder. You can number the gallery shows and describe to your readers what the current show is about, what the theme is. Or, you can identify the shows by season – CG Gallery – Winter display
Great idea. I’ll see what I can do.