Customer Reviews

Contact with Chaos

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Contact With Chaos (2009) is the fourth SF novel in the Freehold series, following Better to Beg Forgiveness.... But the previous work was actually a prequel to the first two books -- Freehold and The Weapon -- in the series. This story, however, takes place after the prior volumes.

In the past, the United Nations had fought a war with Freehold and lost. Technically, they won on points, but the UN -- a much larger and powerful polity than Freehold -- brought back its armies from Grainne and paid restitution. Now Freehold is an independent nation state.

At this time, a private survey ship from Freehold has discovered another sentient species in a newly charted star system. This is the first intelligent extraterrestrial species ever discovered by humanity. The ship crew is aware that they are making history, but they also realize that they could easily become very wealthy.

In this novel, Damon Egan is an executive at Halo Materials Group. He is on the survey ship Hound Dog when the sentients are found. Egan finishes a cursory survey, returns to the Grainne system, and prepares his company for first contact.

Mark Ballenger is a Citizen of Freehold. As such, he is one of the ruling elite. After word gets around about the aliens, he is selected as the Official Envoy to head the diplomatic mission to the newly found aliens. He is assigned a cruiser from the Freehold navy and whatever scientists have the appropriate skills and are readily available.

Captain Betang commands the Healy, the armed starship assigned to this mission. He has most of his normal crew, but some are left behind due to short notice of the movement order. He also has some additional crew who happen to be in the vicinity.

Nurin Russ is a UN diplomat and the newly appointed undersecretary of Indigenous Persons Affairs. Apparently, the UN has also heard the rumors and have rapidly responded. Although Ballenger cannot trust the UN itself, he finds Russ to be reasonably honest and highly competent.

Tayalin Margov is an executive at Deep Space Resources. Ballenger has had previous contacts with Taya. She is a cunning and cold-blooded negotiator.

In this story, Ballenger loads his scientists on the Healy and they jump to 107 Piscis. The HMG ship is within the system when they arrive. The UN and DSR ships arrive two days later. Eventually, a respectable flotilla is within the system. Since a Freehold ship discovered the aliens, Ballenger is the senior diplomat among the humans.

The ships scan the inhabited planet from the halo and then move to high orbit. Eventually, they send down probes into the atmosphere. Then the scientists pool their information.

The data indicate that the natives probably don't have workable metals. Although the surrounding space has metallic bodies and the planet has an iron core, the planetary surface has few ores that can be readily refined into free metals. Aluminum is present in the form of bauxite, but the natives do not have a means of smelting this ore.

So the natives have only a lithic technology. Naturally, they do not have electricity. Yet they have very large urban centers. How are they sustaining such a large population without metals?

One thing is clear. The humans must hide their use of metals insofar as possible. Otherwise, they may well repeat some of the tragic interhuman contact fiascos of the past and overwhelm the social confidence of the natives.

From low orbit, they notice the natives have cut symbols in the grass within an isolated area. Apparently, the aliens have telescopes and have noted their arrival. So Ballenger leads a shuttle landing near the symbols.

Of course, the shuttle contains metals, but this is not apparent from the outside. The landing party is stripped of all visible metals and the term is even deleted from their conversations. The guards are equipped with spears and bows constructed with faux wood and fake stone.

This tale puts Ballenger in the middle of the whole mess, with everybody presenting problems. At least the natives and the UN diplomatic complement are cooperative, but the commercial interests are overeager. Only the talents of his assistants keep Ballenger from going mad.

The natives have a very advanced technology despite the lack of metals. They find other ways of doing things that humans would do with metal tools. For example, telescopes only require shaped glass; nonmetallic materials can be used to contain the working parts.

The policy of reticence about refined metals turns out to be untenable. Unauthorized landings occur on the planet and they all seem to be trying to trade metal with the natives. The local natives still seem unaware of the issue, but who knows?

This work describes a realistic attempt to make contact with aliens. The problems are almost overwhelming to the Official Envoy. Read and enjoy.

Highly recommended for Williamson fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of sapient aliens, exotic technology, and crass commercialism.

-Arthur W. Jordin

This is a transition from Mike's usual straight-up military SF, to something more in the way of "hard" science fiction. In hard SF, the science and the world-building are more central to the plot. In some ways, they ARE the plot. The earlier books explore the human condition in familiar settings. Earth, Grainne, and the other human polities in this universe are aspects, or in some cases caricatures, of cultures in the here-and-now.

In "Contact", we're exposed to a nonhuman race that is very definitely NOT human, and in fact is INhuman. There's also the minor issue of underestimating someone because they don't have metals and are running a civilization on stone and ceramic technology.

There's a slight parallel to one aspect of the European landings in North America, in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. John Smith quickly found out that Powhatan and his "savages" could be as politically devious and Byzantine as the Middle Eastern potentates whom he'd met in his younger days.

By the same token, the nonhumans in this book are as culturally and sociologically sophisticated, if not more so, than the humans with whom they're dealing. I eagerly await the sequel. I also want to see the Haka scene as the cover for the paperback.

What can I say? I love the author's other books. He is absolutely top notch. But here, I felt like I was constantly waiting for something to happen. Anything. *crickets* When something finally happened, it was all too brief. I liked the characters and the concept. I like the universe he has created, but I had to make myself finish this one.

The United Nations and Freehold fought war over the latter's sovereignty. In spite of overwhelming superiority and winning the battles, the United Nations left Freehold and the Granne system as an independent nation.

The Freehold survey ship Hound Dog finds a sentient species the Ithkuil; the first alien encounter by humans. Freehold sends Captain Betang of the armed starship Healy to escort selected envoy Mark Ballenger to negotiate with the aliens. The UN sends Nurin Russ as its representative. Scientists begin probing the planet while big corporations salivate over a new customer especially Damon Egan of Halo Materials Group, who was on the Hound Dog when it made its startling find. The outsiders quickly conclude the aliens have little technology as surface metals are scarce yet in contradiction they have large metropolitan areas. Hiding their metal from the aliens so as not to cause disruption, the humans land to begin negotiations of a sort with a surprisingly advanced civilization that has non-metal based technology.

The latest Freehold science fiction is the best in the series (see FREEHOLD and THE WEAPON) as the United Nations and Freehold government agents try to control the capitalists who are biting at the bit to buy and sell with a new customer. The story line is profound as Ballanger finds it extremely difficult to keep the frenzied business interests from overwhelming his mission and the Ithkuil; as he learns hiding metal fails when moguls want to sell it as a high end product. Fans of the series or anyone who appreciates a well written first contact thriller will fully relish Michael Z. Williamson's realistic spin on economics 101 in outer space as the buck stops when the customer forks it over.

Harriet Klausner

I read the book with satisfaction when it was first released, but did not jump to write a review. When thinking back over the author's portfolio, this is my main impression. His special talent is in telling stories which show that military tactics involve a loss, and that it takes particular moral and mental courage to decide and act, and to be responsible, when less than all is known or obvious -- he's got that narrative down to the fine level of a classical morality tale. He is so good at this aspect, but perhaps is not internally conscious of it. He is great in writing clear and positive morality tales around sudden challenges, in a wide imaginary range of fictional circumstances. I hope this helps and does not hamper his productivity with ongoing creative concepts.

What i like most about this book is how relevant some of the lessons are today. When dealing with other nation/states, always start with the belief that they know what they are doing. People will do what they feel they must to get an 'edge'.

The way he blends two different human societies as they are confronted with 1 - and later another - inhuman society is very thought provoking. I also enjoyed his frequent citations of historical events to make his future points credible.

If you liked the underlying social structure from his first three books, you will get more of the same. If you are looking for a big throwdown with guns blazing, this might not be for you (most of the fighting is in the last few chapters).

I normally like Williamson for his skewed humor and grunt-perspective. There is none of that here. If one were to pile Williamson's novels by action activity and enthusiasm Rogue might be on top and Chaos would surely be in the sub-basement. Hundreds of pages of politicians droning and blathering. If you actually want something to HAPPEN, go elsewhere.

Another first contact book. Fairly decent in that the alien planet and system is extremely metal poor causing slow growth in the alien society. Ending was a little letdown. Set in the excellent Freehold universe.

Michael Z. Williamson's CONTACT WITH CHAOS provides any military science fiction collection with a strong story revolving around the first aliens humans encounter and a mass of political interests surrounding it. Add the revelation that the aliens are not as simple as first expected and you have a story line with many strong twists and turns.

I throughly enjoyed this book. Although technically military Sci Fi, Williamson did an outstanding job of blending in generous amounts of sociology and political influence to provide a well rounded understanding of the events.

Williamson also provided a large dose of comedy and irony that kept me bemused while I read.

Lastly; since Williamson saw fit not to kill them, there are several minor characters that he introduced in this book that I hope he will bring back and expand upon as this series continues. There are just so many fun directions this series can go!