|
The first John Barnes book I ever read was A Million Open Doors.
After reading it, I simply had to have everything Mr. Barnes had
ever managed to get published. Although none of his other books
utilized the same background, all of them were well written, and
all but one were brilliant and thoroughly entertaining.
At last, he has written a sequel to A Million Open Doors.
If you enjoyed the first one, you'll love this! It picks up
the story of Giraut ( pronounced "Gear Out" ) and Margaret about
twelve years later. They're both getting older - she's getting a
little over-weight, he's getting a little bald spot.
They're called in from a vacation on Nou Occitan to help out
on the planet Briand. Its a real galactic hot-spot, and
I don't mean just the climate! The two cultures inhabiting the
planet seem poised to go to war, and every operative of the
Office of Special Projects who can be contacted is being sent there.
When they arrive on their assignment, the ambassador is implacably
opposed to their "interference". One of the two cultures refuses even
to talk to representatives of the Thousand Cultures. In short,
they're fighting with one hand tied behind their backs. Though mindful
of the likelihood of failure, they start waging peace anyway. This is,
I think, one of the points made by this book - that is, no matter
how hard it may be, we cannot give up trying not to fight.
This is not to say that I believe Mr. Barnes to be a pacifist (I don't
know anything about his feelings in this matter). What I do mean to say is
that this work seems to say that we have a responsibility to each other
to challenge prejudice and hatred, and not to give up.
This book is very cleverly written. At times, the reader knows more
than the characters about what is happening. There is plenty of action.
The different cultures are fascinating and believable, most of the
characters are likable, and the ending is somewhat surprising - but
believable. Giraut and Margaret are remarkably true to their portrayal
in the previous book. They've even become better, more rounded people
since we last met them. They've developed more complex problems, too.
I've waited a long time for this sequel, but it was well worth the
wait. If Mr. Barnes wants to work another six years on the last volumn
of this trilogy, that's fine with me - just so long as its quality
is as good as this! This is by far the best sequel I've ever read.
|
