Contact and Commune

By L. Neil Smith
(New York: Warner Books, 1990)
Reviewed by Thomas Cron
May 1991

Converse and Conflict

By L. Neil Smith
(New York: Warner Books, 1990)
Reviewed by Thomas Cron
May 1991

L. Neil Smith, in the fifteen years he has been active in science fiction, has become famous for his series, most notably for the mind-expanding North American Confederacy series and the irreverent and thought-provoking Bernie Gruenblum stories. But, as other sf writers have discovered. popularity with critics and the praise of readers cannot stop the vagaries and strange decisions of publishers. Smith has published the first two volumes of the Forge of the Elders trilogy; these books are Contact and Commune and Converse and Conflict (New York: Warner Books, 1990). It seems that Warner is trying to avoid printing the third volume of the series, Concert and Cosmos. Warner has not described the books as a trilogy, used the title of the series or promoted the books at all; thus no one familiar with the case is surprised at Warner's move. (Warner Books has indeed dropped the third title - ed.)

The two books published so far are worth reading. Contact starts off the saga with the crew of three spaceships of the A.S.S.R. that's American Soviet Socialist Republic — landing on the mysterious asteroid 5023 Eris, intending to claim it for mankind. Upon arrival they find that they've been preceded by the Elders: huge, intelligent squid-like beings from an alternate Earth where the cephalopods developed intelligence and civilization and now rule the world. Marine Corps Major Estrellia Reille y Sanchez finds herself trying to deal with both sides when the first contact goes badly and two murders are committed, the victims being one of the expedition's scientists and one of the Elders.

Enter Eichra Oren, a "p'Nan debt assessor" from yet another Earth whom Mr. Thoggosh, the Elder business-being who represents the squidlike race, hires to investigate the murders. The story then gets more interesting, with factions of the humans and the Elders making their own plans, a killer on the loose and the efforts of far-off governments to deal with the situation. The ending is a shocker.

Converse and Conflict starts a few days after the first book ended. The expedition members are forced to depend on the Elders for their survival on 5023 Eris while the political situation on their Earth grows more unstable and volatile. The Elders are exploring the asteroid to learn its secrets but won't tell anyone what they're looking for. Eichra Oren decides to investigate the situation, a job trickier than it seems, and fraught with danger and intrigue.

Readers of Smith's works are familiar with his libertarian philosophy. It worked well in The Probability Broach and its sequels, but the Elders books are filled with more explanations of the philosophy than the average reader may want. Still, it may help the reader to understand the characters and their culture better; so perhaps it's for the best.

The sapient creatures from other Earths who populate both books are intriguing to watch. Smith shows a talent for creating truly unusual and interesting alien cultures. These books are well written and worth the reader's time and money. The final book in the series will find a receptive audience when it finally comes out. Thomas Cron is writing a book about Alternate Histories.