Teaser

For generations there has been peace among the stars. A peace that is shattered by the return of an enemy long-thought vanquished. An enemy that will overrun the galaxy, unless a brave few stand in the way . . .

Review

Much to my delight, the Venture SF range keeps up its impressive batting average with this two-part series. In the long-term, I’m definitely doing a run-through of this collection as a whole, but for today let’s talk about Roger MacBride Allen.

Allen’s is a name I know so well I’m honestly surprised by how few books of his I have actually read. He wrote the Corellian trilogy for the old Star Wars Expanded Universe, which introduced major concepts such as Centrepoint Station, and the character of Thracken-Sal Solo. he also wrote a trilogy of novels set in Isaac Asimov’s Robots universe, which were among the first to expand that particular world after Asimov’s death. These are all thoroughly enjoyable, worthy contributions to their respective canons, so it’s a little surprising that The Torch of Honor was the first of Allen’s original works to enter my library. Happily, it was joined by the second half of the series, so I could essentially read them back to back if I so chose. I didn’t so choose, for the record, and that’s probably a good thing, as each book is very much its own story.

In The Torch of Honor, we start of with the very unlikely premise of a married couple within the military being selected to go on a long-range recon mission. I personally can’t see that being a wise choice, but don’t worry, they’re soon separated, and the novel is absolutely brilliant from thereon out. Reading it gives no indication of this being a debut novel, and it’s a reliably solid military adventure that comes with the added bonus of some fairly realistic space dogfighting. The essay at the end of the novel proclaiming that the age of space fighter pilots is inevitable may have been somewhat premature, but it’s a fascinating read nevertheless.

One of the interesting aspects of Allen’s worldbuilding is transposing various nations into space. Not in the sense of clichés such as the clearly Japanese culture seen in some science fiction, or a galactic empire that is clearly modelled on Napoleonic France, but literally, with the nations of earth having transported their own cultures to new worlds. It’s tolerably US-centric, but the Space British are wonderfully done, and the Space Finns equally so. In a wise choice, the villains of the piece are not a single nation, but an amalgamation of fascist organisations from various points in twentieth-century history. Allen manages to employ these elements without ever becoming preachy about politics, which is no mean feat, and also allows the story to remain relevant even today, nearly forty years after its initial publication.

Rogue Powers is a small step down, but a small step off a high pedestal is still a good book. This one adds aliens to the mix, who are pleasingly nonhuman in both biology and philosophy. There’s also a great mystery in tracking down the Guardians’ homeworld. While I can honestly say the diagrams were not overly helpful in helping me understand the physics of the situation, I will always be happy to see realistic physics being used in science fiction.

As a debut series, Aliens and Allies is frankly superb, and I know for a fact that I’ll be keeping my eyes open for more Roger MacBride Allen the next time I hit the bookshops. On a broader note, I am only a third of the way into the Venture SF range, and every single author has been one I’ve wanted to read more of. I simply cannot recommend this collection of books highly enough.

Series Stats

• A Two Book Series: The Torch of Honor & Rogue Powers
• First Published 1985-1986
• Military SF