re:mote voices: literature

Title: The Chinese Girl
Author: John Barker
Publisher: Orion

The Chinese Girl is a bit of a misleading title I guess, but given that is what Stone Lewis thinks he has found on his doorstep then that's where the idea comes from. Stone Lewis has been out of prison for 6 weeks, not along time when you've been there for the last 11 years after killing a man. In that time he swore revenge on the man he should have killed, the man who scarred his mother, the man who had his face tattooed while he was in prison. On the way home from work one night he finds a man running from his doorway, leaving behind an unconscious woman, who Stone initially thinks is a Chinese girl. Rather than calling the police, he takes her into his house, convinced that if he gets the police involved they will think he did it and put him back in prison. He soon finds that the girl has grown up locally and been living in America for the last few years, but with the disappearance of an old friend she has returned to investigate. Stone decides to help her and as the book progresses it looks like they may in fact have a common enemy.

John Baker's story is unusual in a couple of ways. The biggest being that a substantial amount of the first part of the book is given over to the letters of the missing woman, which to a degree fills in background detail, but also manages to knock out the pacing of the book for a period. The fact that Stone has a number of tattoos on his face and is fresh out of prison make him a conflicted "hero" - but some of that is lost by the manner in which he got the tattoos and the projection of him being "really handsome" underneath, which makes him more of a cliché. A reasonable enough read, especially for the curiosity of being set in Hull, Britain with an odd cast of characters.

RVWR: PTR
December 2001

Title: Against A Dark Background
Author: Iain M. Banks
Publisher: Orbit

Strangely despite having read the bulk of Iain Banks books to date, I have never actually gotten round to reading any of his science fiction work under the name Iain M. Banks, that is until now. Starting at random with Against A Dark Background as I have I find it to be quite an enjoyable piece of space opera and conspiracy.

Sharrow is part of an old and influential family, who have made some enemies in their time. The religious cult, the Huhsz believe that they are being held back by transgressions committed by Sharrow's ancestors. The only solution is to kill off the female line or for the object that was stolen and started all this to be returned. With an approved licence to kill Sharrow she has limited options if she wants to stay alive - go on the run or give them the object. Unfortunately that object just happens to be a Lazy Gun an insanely powerful weapon, with only one left in existence, and it hasn't been seen for 1000's of years. Getting her old team together she goes on the run, forced by events to flee from the cult but also to search desperately for the weapon.

The darkness of the title comes from the success of Sharrow's flight, how the enemy always seems to be so close. Along with which she finds herself caught up on too many sides by conspiracies she doesn't have time to follow and given circumstances can't keep up with. Overall Banks keeps the pace high, so that the flow of the book strikes as being full on. Through that he manages to work in the details of the characters and their histories, put in the context of a futuristic society with a dense back history. Against A Dark Background works well enough that I will be likely to read more Iain M. Banks in the near future.

RVWR: PTR
December 2001

Title: Sacrifice Of Fools
Author: Ian McDonald
Publisher: Vista

Andy Gillespie has just taken part in a botched hit as part of a loyalist hit squad when the news that the aliens have arrived comes through. While he in prison he encounters one of the aliens who have been assigned to Belfast as a settlement, and in the process swears to dedicate his life to helping the Shian people. Regardless of this and the alien people in general, Northern Ireland still remains polarised by the troubles - which causes problems for the Shian who want to have their say in the country they are now living in, especially when they won't take sides. Gillespie finds himself thrown in to the deep end when the Shian family he has been working for are brutally murdered - he becomes prime suspect, but with the reaction in the Shian community itself there is clearly something more going on than meets the eye.

Ian McDonald does something particularly cunning with Sacrifice Of Fools I feel. Using the troubles in Ireland to give a picture of what it is like to live against this polar background for some, where everything is always about taking sides - regardless of whether it is appropriate. The use of an alien race particularly illustrates this matter, especially when there are parallels made to more earthly immigrants in the process. At the same time being able to flesh out an alien culture/language to the degree that he does is interesting in itself. With the addition of the murders and the investigation that goes with that there is also a touch of crime fiction as Andy tries to put all the pieces together. All together a strong mix of elements that make for an enjoyable and original read.

RVWR: PTR
December 2001