Saturday, October 4, 2008

Book: SCE: Aftermath

This time I will look at the first three novellas in the Corps of Engineers anthology, "Aftermath", which collects stories previously published as e-books.

First is the title story, written by Christopher L. Bennett. The da Vinci is just out of dry dock after a disaster nearly destroyed her and took the lives of many of the crew. Captain David Gold , Commander Sonya Gomez, and a mix of old and new crew members must investigate a seeming explosion in a San Fransisco just recovering from the previous year's Breen attack. What the crew finds is a first contact situation, and a dispute between two cultures and within a culture.

In the second story, "Ishtar Rising", the crew has yet to get out of the Sol system for any amount of time. The da Vinci is called to help an old friend of Captain Gold's with his terraforming project on Venus. Several types of project brew, with the project ( it wouldn't be an SCE book if they didn't have to stave off imminent disaster) and when the ship's Bynar crewmember, Soloman, has to deal with bigotry from project Ishtar's resident Bynars. Authors- the ever popular Michael A Martin and Andy Mangels.

Robert Greenburger's "Buying Time", is, naturally, a time travel story. The da Vinci is dispatched to investigate an area of space disrupted by chroniton waves. They find a tie machine on the verge of collapse and a Ferengi with the lobes to know time travel is the best way to play the market. I do have some problems with this story- otherwise self respecting female crew members rubbing the lobes of and Ferengi that will help them achieve their goal- but otherwise enjoyable.

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