Land of the dead

Harlan, Thomas ~ Land of the Dead ~ TOR, 2009 ~ 414 pages ~ Audience: adults, teens ~ Rating: Very Good.

Opening:
"A slim Nisei woman, her back straight as a sword blade, glossy black hair coiled at her neck, paused before a shoji-panel of laminate cedar and redwood. She took a moment to straighten the crisply starched cuffs of her dress whites, to tuck her cap under one arm, and to adjust the four tiny golden skulls on her collar tabs."

Publication History:
Land of the Dead is the third in the Time of the Sixth Sun series. The earlier volumes were Wasteland of Flint, and House of Reeds. The main characters from earlier volumes continue here: Mitsuharu Hadeishi, Gretchen Anderssen, Green Hummingbird, and Susan Kosho [now a captain in the Imperial Navy].


Setting:
As before, a Mexican - Japanese empire controls human and much of alien space. The Empire has alien enemies and not all humans are happy with how the Empire is ruled and the favorites who receive unearned privileges and rank. The time is that of the Sixth Sun. Earlier “Suns” have ended in great disasters. In particular, the time of the First Sun is rumored to have greatly advanced science and technology -- far beyond anything presently available. Thus, searches continue for any evidence of First Sun artifacts.

Gretchen, as an experienced archeologist, has played a crucial role in two such discoveries. Rumors of a First Sun artifact, including a weapon that easily slices space ships apart have attracted an Imperial Navy task force including the oldest Prince of the Empire, Anderssen, Kosho, and the Green Hummingbird. Hadeishi will also play an important and surprising role.

Advanced technology and space science/explanation do appear in the story [the latter is sometimes difficult to understand], but this is really much more a high quality space opera [think David Weber] than hard SF.

Plot:
While the general location of the artifact is now known, it’s nature, other than the fact that it’s defended by a most unusual weapon, remains a mystery. The structure of space near the artifact is such that without some sort of special map, ships that enter that space will soon be destroyed. Too, if the Prince, Hummingbird, Gretchen and others can reach the site, will they be able to understand what they find so that it may be explored and used?

At the same time, quite unexpectedly, a Khaid fleet arrives in great force to attack the task force which seems unlikely to survive. Others also hope to capture the great weapon.

Characters:
As in the earlier novels, the main characters, and the minor ones too, are well described with persuasive/convincing motivations and actions. Susan and Hadeishi have expanded roles and that should please readers. Gretchen has an essential role, but her character does not really develop much except as a point of view to explain what happened in the past. The Prince is a bit stereotypical. I was a bit confused by Hummingbird’s role at the end, but that may be a lack of perception on my part. This is a large cast and several of the bit players quickly draw the reader’s attention.

Physical Book:

The books is divided several relatively short point of view chapters. Print size is satisfactory and white space is adequate. See through is certainly visible, but should not be a problem for most readers. A map showing the planets and systems where the story takes place would be an asset. The front cover illustration by Paul Youll shows Susan in her dress whites with a space ship behind her in a large window. It’s very well done and true to the story. Front matter contains a military rank table, a link to a detailed Sixth Sun Concordance, and a poem explaining the six suns.

Recommendation:

In the Time of the Sixth Sun is an exceptional series. The world-building is complex and nicely detailed. The Mexican - Japanese society is different in interesting ways, but also similar as well in the use of technology and military strategy and tactics.

In many respects, this was the most entertaining of the three novels because there was more emphasis on the Imperial Navy, military actions, and less focus on exploration and the meaning of the artifacts.

More might have said about the aliens, especially the alien advisor/controller to the Prince. The appearance of the previously unknown [to the reader] Maltese Knights task-force came as a surprise. I wish we had known just a bit more about them before. Action segments are well described and involve highly trained and dedicated officers and crew in difficult situations.

The series is a good choice for all but the smallest SF collections. While Land of the Dead my be read alone, it would make much more sense if the earlier volumes had been read first.