Burning Bright [Mass Market Paperback]

Melissa Scott (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 1994

"A masterful blend of alien cultural invention and novel application of virtual reality . . . Scott justifies her (John W. Campbell) award-winner's status by demonstrating remarkable creativity in weaving together multiple plot lines and erecting multidimensional cultures".--Booklist.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Scott's accomplished new novel shares some of Dreamships 's interest in virtual reality, but in a much different context. While her spaceship is undergoing repairs on Burning Bright, a planet enriched by its location on the interstellar trade route between the human and the alien hsai empires, space pilot Quinn Lioe heads to one of the planet's many gaming houses. An enthusiastic player and designer of scenarios for the Game, a vast shared virtual reality role-playing system popular throughout human space, Lioe's fledgling reputation as a session designer allows her to run a new scenario. The instantly popular scenario attracts the attention of Illario Ransome, a near-legendary gamer who had absented himself from play to explore the artistic potential of virtual reality. As her reputation grows, Lioe becomes progressively more entangled in Burning Bright politics, including a budding clash between a scheming trader and the hsai ambassador, a situation in which Ransome is involved. While the issues explored are not as absorbing as those in Dreamships , Scott's intricate plotting and interesting characterization compensate, and her exploration of the entertainment potential of virtual reality and computer nets is an intriguing variation on that common theme. The ending is somewhat drawn out, but overall this is an intelligent, engaging and memorable book.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

When her spaceship docks for repairs on the freeport planet of Burning Bright, pilot Quinn Lioe uses her shore leave to pursue her avocation as a designer of virtual reality game scenarios, unaware that her interest in gaming will involve her in a real power struggle between two galactic empires. Scott ( Dreamships , Tor, 1992) skillfully weaves a tale of labyrinthine politics and complex, fragile relationships in sf adventure in which virtual and actual realities combine to send shock waves into the future. Most libraries should strongly consider this title for their sf collection.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (May 15, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812521757
• ISBN-13: 978-0812521757
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,215,482 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Melissa Scott's Best Book, May 7, 2006

By 

Peter Hobson (Groton, CT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Burning Bright (Mass Market Paperback)

Most of Scott's writing can be described as competent but uninspired. _Burning Bright_ rises above that level.

Quinn Lioe is a starship pilot on leave while her ship is being repaired. She's also an avid role-playing gamer with a budding reputation for writing good scenarios. The city and planet Burning Bright (there's only one city on the planet, both share the same name) is one of the centers for the Game and Lioe gets the chance to use her new scenario at a prestigious Gaming club.

Burning Bright is important as the trading link between the human Republic and the alien Hsai Empire. Damian Chrestil, a partner in a large trading firm, is trying to smuggle drugs into the Hsai Empire. The drugs are on Burning Bright, brought, not coincidentally, by Lioe's ship. They can't be shipped further on until certain codes are provided by a Hsai official, ji-Imbaoa. For reasons which are not explained, ji-Imbaoa is extremely slow in getting these codes and passing them to Chrestil. Complicating matters is the fact that Burning Bright has periodic, massive hurricanes, and the first storm of the season is rapidly approaching the city.

There's also the Hsai ambassador, Chauvelin, a human who's been adopted into a major Hsai clan. This clan is a rival to ji-Imbaoa's clan. Chauvelin has a protege named Ransome who served time in a Hsai jail for a lese majeste offense against a member of ji-Imbaoa's clan. While imprisoned, Ransome was infected with an incurable lung disease which is slowly killing him. Ransome is a data-miner on Burning Bright's computer nets. Ji-Imbaoa and Chrestil are both concerned that Ransome might find out about the smuggling while wandering through the nets. Since Ransome was a notable Game player who's dropped out because the Game was getting stale, ji-Imbaoa orders Chauvlin to get Ransome back into the Game and off the nets.

Scott uses this to weave a political thriller set in a well-described society. The Game is shown in some detail, but doesn't overwhelm the rest of the story. Lioe and Ransom are three dimensional characters who interact with others in believable ways. As is usual with Scott's novels, the characters are either gay or bisexual, except for Chrestil's mistress, who seems to be the only straight person in the book.

I recommend this book. Of all Scott's novels, it's the only one I would give five stars to.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SF MEETS FILM NOIR, June 20, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Burning Bright (Mass Market Paperback)

THIS NOVEL IS BRILLIANT COMBINATION OF FAR FUTURE
SETTING AND FILM NOIR ATMOSPHERE. A YOUNG GAME
DESIGNER GOES FOR SOME R/R AT THE PLANET BURNING
BRIGHT, WHERE A ELABORATE HOLOGRAPHIC GAME IS BEING PLAYED. SHE UNWILLINGLY GETS INVOLVED IN
A DEADLY SMUGGLING PLOT AND INTRIGUE.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sometimes, political intrigue is just another game, December 17, 2006

By 

S. Sasse - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Burning Bright (Mass Market Paperback)

Sometimes, political intrigue is just an extension of a standard RPG. In the world of Burning Bright, two games absorb the interest of the populace. The first is an immersive form of role-play, enhanced by realistic images pulled from a universal network. The second is political, in many ways similar, but much more deadly. Quinn Lioe is a pilot taking a few days gaming leave on Burning Bright while the ship she works on is being repaired. Running a new scenario she has developed leads her into a larger game she had not expected to be drawn into. This fast paced novel is clever, and easily enjoyed by the long-term sci-fi reader and newcomers to the genre.