HOPE'S FOLLY

I’ve just finished reading Linnea’s recent novel HOPE’S FOLLY, and it’s a treat you shouldn’t miss. It’s a companion work (technically a sequel, in fact) to GABRIEL’S GHOST but stands on its own. The story kept me engrossed from start to finish; my attention didn’t even drift much during the battle scenes—unusual for me. Linnea has a gift for creating the illusion of a fully realized, complex universe of places, events, and people surrounding her onstage characters. For a STAR TREK fan, the action of this book will have a delightfully familiar feel in some ways, for instance in the scenes with the ship’s engineer, who pulls off miracles in the face of looming disaster. The hero and heroine, Admiral Philip Guthrie and former Imperial Security officer Rya Bennton, stand together as equally strong, likable characters. I fervently rooted for them to survive the threats menacing them and their ship and to overcome the emotional traumas obstructing their union—not to mention military taboos on intimacy within the chain of command. I like the fact that Philip is a mature man, not a barely grown boy, and his concern about the difference in their ages as well as their unequal rank comes across as realistic. Rya’s passion for fine weapons is an appealing trait that forges a special bond between her and Philip right from the scene where they meet again for the first time since he was a junior officer and she was his captain’s preteen daughter. (And since I’m not one bit of a gun buff myself, it’s amazing that the author entices me into feeling that this enthusiasm is sort of cute.) Another great bonus feature of the story is the ship’s cat, Folly, who plays a believably feline role in saving the mission. All SF fans who enjoy lovable characters of strength and integrity in emotionally gripping relationships, rush out and get this book!

By the way, Michele Hauf's Vamp Chix blog posted a guest essay by me yesterday, on "The Vampire as Alien."

Margaret L. Carter
Carter's Crypt