Books

_Mortal Coils_, Eric Nylund

Several years ago I acquired a book by Nylund called _Signal to Noise_, which had an intriguing premise (an answer to the Fermi Paradox), and built well off of that, and then seemed to totally collapse near the end of the book.
Ah, but there was a sequel, _A Signal Shattered_, so perhaps it could be redeemed?

No. The pair, together, became even more depressing and nasty than the first.

In the intervening years, Nylund only passed across my radar fitfully; he seemed to be writing Halo novelizations, and I have no general taste for game-novels, so...

So, _Mortal Coils_. Is it depressing and horrifying and full of repressed cardboard characters making hellish pacts of self-destruction in return for tiny sips of power?

No. There's only one hellish pact of self-destruction in return for a tiny sip of power.

Also, the characters are more rounded, coming with a sense of history and personhood. None of them appear to be unforgivably stupid. And as a whole, the book is not depressing, even though it deals with two societies of immortals, one of which has originated the Greek, Viking and Celtic pantheons. The other, of course, is the source of legends about demons and devils and such. Naturally, neither can be trusted much. Lucifer turns out to be reasonably sympathetic, perhaps more so than anyone on the other side. Between them we see the adolescence of Fiona and Eliot, 15 year old twins who are heir to natures both athanatotic and infernal.

It's fun. Nylund avoids cliches, or plays with them, and includes lots of footnotes to non-existent references. This is apparently book one of five, but it is a self-contained story.

Books

_Mortal Coils_, Eric Nylund

Several years ago I acquired a book by Nylund called _Signal to Noise_, which had an intriguing premise (an answer to the Fermi Paradox), and built well off of that, and then seemed to totally collapse near the end of the book.
Ah, but there was a sequel, _A Signal Shattered_, so perhaps it could be redeemed?

No. The pair, together, became even more depressing and nasty than the first.

In the intervening years, Nylund only passed across my radar fitfully; he seemed to be writing Halo novelizations, and I have no general taste for game-novels, so...

So, _Mortal Coils_. Is it depressing and horrifying and full of repressed cardboard characters making hellish pacts of self-destruction in return for tiny sips of power?

No. There's only one hellish pact of self-destruction in return for a tiny sip of power.

Also, the characters are more rounded, coming with a sense of history and personhood. None of them appear to be unforgivably stupid. And as a whole, the book is not depressing, even though it deals with two societies of immortals, one of which has originated the Greek, Viking and Celtic pantheons. The other, of course, is the source of legends about demons and devils and such. Naturally, neither can be trusted much. Lucifer turns out to be reasonably sympathetic, perhaps more so than anyone on the other side. Between them we see the adolescence of Fiona and Eliot, 15 year old twins who are heir to natures both athanatotic and infernal.

It's fun. Nylund avoids cliches, or plays with them, and includes lots of footnotes to non-existent references. This is apparently book one of five, but it is a self-contained story.

An unexpected consequence of Boskone

I just told the library to ship me _Tom Swift and His Monster Machine_, nominally by Victor Appleton the Undead but actually written by James MacDonald and Debra Doyle.

I sat with Jim for an hour, learning that, indeed, there will be another Peter Crossman novel -- written but in need of editing before being sent off for publication -- and hearing one of the worst jokes of all time.

Good times, indeed.

I had meant to spend the time in a discussion of Shadow Unit, but nobody else showed up. It wasn't well-publicized, was up against a major panel, and had no designated leader.

An unexpected consequence of Boskone

I just told the library to ship me _Tom Swift and His Monster Machine_, nominally by Victor Appleton the Undead but actually written by James MacDonald and Debra Doyle.

I sat with Jim for an hour, learning that, indeed, there will be another Peter Crossman novel -- written but in need of editing before being sent off for publication -- and hearing one of the worst jokes of all time.

Good times, indeed.

I had meant to spend the time in a discussion of Shadow Unit, but nobody else showed up. It wasn't well-publicized, was up against a major panel, and had no designated leader.