City of Pearl

by Karen Traviss

Once in every few years or so, an author releases a first book that is simply the best science fiction book written since they started slicing bread before they put it in the bag. Jack McDevitt with The Hercules Text, Martha Wells and her The Element of Fire are just a couple of examples that I can think of off the top of my head. Karen Traviss may not be one amongst them, but she is sure in contention. City of Pearl is Ms. Traviss' first book and its a hum-dinger of a culture clash tale.

Unfortunately for the Western Hemisphere, Ms. Traviss resides in merry, old England and the American publisher (no names, but the initials are Harper-Collins) hasn't figures out that Ms. Traviss is a major player, even after they have released the two sequels (in what one  assumes will be another dratted series). City of Pearl should have been a wake-up call for them, but then, no

one ever accused the big houses of being cognizant of good writing - just what's profitable.

City of Pearl takes place about 25 light years from Earth near Cavanaugh's Star, at least by Terran nomenclature. Unfortunately for us mere Terrans, on one of the planets circling Cavanuagh's Star, there are already three other species, two of which are NOT native to that world, and one of which has already bombed the other off that planet to protect the native intelligent species. Humans, with their predilections to use an environment for fun and profit, tromp all over the species with the VASTLY superior technology, and genuinely piss them off. So, of course, since the enemy of my enemy is my friend, the governments on Earth align themselves with the species now living on one of the moons in the Cavanuagh's system to take on the superior species.

Into the middle of this already convoluted and immensely stressful situation steps Fran Shankland - an Environmental Police Officer - and nominally in charge of security for the mission and the colonists already on the planet. The mission discovers that, on the planet, there is a symbiont that bestows virtual immortality on anyone infected with it. How did the powers that be on Earth know that, and how can Fran keep it away from them?

Interesting? You bet! Absolutely fascinating. Be warned, the story line and characters are addictive. Ms. Traviss has already released two more stories in this series and, dammit, they're very good, too.