2) The Ethos Effect, by L.E. Modesitt Jr
I got this largely at
Well, I’ve taken advantage of my extra hours in bed between naps today to finish it, and yes, I did indeed find it an interesting read, enough to make this more of a meta-review than I usually do. Our hero, Van C Albert, is a military officer posted unexpectedly as an embassy attaché; after a series of further unexpected events his military career ends suddenly and he ends up involved with an independent foundation which is in and of itself a major player in interstellar politics.
And I can see what
There are some slightly negative reviews out there – see Clinton Lawrence in Science Fiction Weekly, Patrick Hudson in The Zone, and Donna McMahon on The SF Site. I’m inclined to agree that an awful lot of the set-up of the first half of the book then becomes completely irrelevant for the second half, and that the creative energy expended in fleshing out restaurant menus and beverages might have been better utilised in fleshing out the characters. (I’m amused to note that despite his negative portrayal of people with odd fanatical religious beliefs who name their children Brigham, the author lives in Utah.)
But in fact I find his portrayal of trying to gather sensitive information via meetings with similarly positioned officials and networking with long-lost contacts perfectly accurate (though I can see why those who wish the truth were more glamorous might have wanted it otherwise), and I’m not surprised to find out that Modesitt has spent time in such positions, notably as head of Legislation and Congressional Affairs for the Environmental Protection Agency under Reagan – “most of the Reagan political appointees in the environmental area never did understand government, politics, or the environment – and didn’t want to learn.” I’m inclined to the overall more positive take of Andy Stout in SF Crowsnest and indeed
Somehow, I actually find this story wonderfully heartening, if bizarre.
I have always had sympathies with a certain branch of anarchism, ever since I saw some anarchist posters in my youth; they consisted of a large sheet of paper with about a dozen black Xs across the middle. Underneath was written, in small print. “This is your lifetime supply of democracy. Use it carefully”.