The Ecolitan Enigma (Ecolitan Matter) [Mass Market Paperback]

L. E. Modesitt Jr. (Author)

Book Description

Series: Ecolitan Matter | Publication Date: September 15, 1998

L.E. Modesitt, Jr.'s science fiction novels have been pleasing readers for nearly two decades. Among his earlier novels were three books set in the future universe of the Ecolitan Institute. Now Modesitt returns to that world to tell another story of cultural conflict and interstellar diplomacy. The Ecolitan Enigma is sure to thrill his old fans and win new ones.

Nathaniel Firstborn Whaler is an Ecolitan, both a professor at the Institute and a field agent with extraordinary powers. Sent to a backwater colony planet nominally to determine its economic viability, Whaler evades assassin's bullets only steps from the spaceport. He soon uncovers evidence that the planet will become the flashpoint for interstellar conflict between two empires, with each prepared to blame the Ecolitan Institute should war break out. Whaler must do everything in his power to stop what might become the worst disaster in human history.

And Nathaniel whaler just may have more power than any man in the galaxy.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

L. E. Modesitt has been turning out good-but-not-great science fiction and fantasy stories for more than two decades; The Ecolitan Enigma is no exception. Here he returns to the world of the Ecolitan Institute, the setting for three of his earlier novels (The Ecologic Envoy, The Ecolitan Operation and The Ecologic Secession), for a fast-paced political thriller. Nathaniel, a sort of Indiana Jones/James Bond for the Institute, has been sent on a relatively innocuous mission to the colony planet Artos. But Artos is set to become the focal point of a war between two rival empires, with Nathaniel and the institute caught in between. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In this fourth book in the Ecolitan Matter series (e.g., The Ecolitan Operation, Tor, 1989), Ecolitan Institute field agent Nathaniel Whaler is sent to a colony planet to evaluate its economic development potential after he is targeted for assassination. His discovery of a plot for interstellar war threatens the government. This highly charged novel contains all the ingredients of a political thriller. Recommended for sf collections.
Copyright 1997 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: 384 pages
• Publisher: Tor Science Fiction; First Edition edition (September 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812571177
• ISBN-13: 978-0812571172
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,557,281 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After spending years writing poetry, political speeches and analyses, as well as economic and technical reports on extraordinarily detailed and often boring subjects, I finally got around to writing my first short story, which was published in 1973. I kept submitting and occasionally having published stories until an editor indicated he'd refuse to buy any more until I wrote a novel. So I did, and it was published in 1982, and I've been writing novels -- along with a few short stories -- ever since.

If you want to know more, you can visit my website at www.lemodesittjr.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Free SF Reader, September 3, 2007

By 

Blue Tyson "- Research Finished" (Legion clubhouse) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ecolitan Enigma (Hardcover)

The Ecolitan organisation exists to try and prevent people killing each other on a large scale. They try and use politics, money, sneaking around like spies, or whatever other influence or tricks they might have to accomplish this.

In this case, one of their senior guys and a female secret agent type go to the planet Artos. Pretty much straight away people start trying to bump them off.

Having to work out tricky interplanetary problems and their own relationships doesn't leave them much time for anything else.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "A/A+": a hard-eyed look at an ancient human dilemma, January 1, 2004

By 

Peter D. Tillman (Taos, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Ecolitan Enigma (Ecolitan Matter) (Mass Market Paperback)

_____________________________________________
Monsters as political leaders have been a recurrent nightmare in our
history - from Lenin, Hitler, Stalin & Mao to such comparative small-
timers as Idi Amin, Pol Pot & Saddam Hussein. The record of "good
governments" in dealing with monsters is not encouraging. Millions of
lives could have been saved with a few snipers' bullets... why weren't
they?

Modesitt posits the Ecolitan Institute, on the Coordinate capitol world of
Accord, as a genocide-prevention force: "The Institute, for better or
worse, operates on principle. They try to avoid small wars... by deceit,
assassination, or economic warfare. They willl try any type of small-scale
tactic to avoid war... That's the good side... The other side is that when
they do fight, they insure they don't have to fight that enemy again."

Economist Nathaniel Whaler is sent to the frontier colony of Artos,
ostensibly to do a survey of the planet's infrastructure. His (barely)
covert mission is to look into rumors of war. His task is complicated by
multiple assassination attempts. Clearly, he and the Institute are being
set up as fall guys by one of the interstellar powers - but which one?

Shadowy organizations of dedicated, competent fighters-against-evil are
a classic sf trope, and Modesitt knows the classics. "Enigma" is the latest
and one of the best: thoughtful, well-written, an accurate and disturbing
portrait of the dark side of humanity: "Greed and force - that's all most
people listen to."

This isn't a grim or preachy book [1] - Modesitt's action and intrigue
scenes are first-rate, and the ending is, well, earthshaking. "Enigma" can
be enjoyed as a first-rate political-adventure tale, as the latest part of a
long-running sf conversation, as an examination of human nature... It's
an outstanding work, and I plan to reread it a few years on.

I see I've left out the economic basis of conflict, the well-drawn
characters, the romance amidst danger and intrigue... Well. You'll like it.
Trust me. Assuming you've liked this sort of book before. It's like that,
only better. Subtler, better-written, less self-righteous...
_________________
Note 1). LEM does get a bit heavy-handed at times, especially with his
politicians. And he includes a *major* spoiler (IMO) in the first 20 pages.
But you'll get over it.

Review copyright 1998 by Peter D. Tillman
Original review: http://www.sfsite.com/06b/eco35.htm

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Filling in a missing chapter to the story, April 30, 2000

By 

D. Morris (Brooklyn, New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Ecolitan Enigma (Hardcover)

After the Ecologic Envoy, there was a bit of a hanging story involving Nathaniel Whaler and his former imperial agent. Modesitt went back to the beginning of the story of the Coordinate of Accord without providing a real ending. This novel fills that in and serves to show that the axiom about people not learing about history's errors can be quite true. For fans of the Ecologic Institute, this is a satisfying story, but it is not intended for anyone who doesn't recognize the hero's surname. If you don't, start with The Ecolitan Operation and the original Whaler.