Customer Reviews

House of Reeds (Tor Science Fiction)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I enjoyed the first novel in Harlan's series about a futuristic Aztec/Japanese space empire very much and waited for this book to come out in paperback with great anticipation. I must confess that while the book is good (adequate pool/beach reading) I am disappointed. The main problem is that the book focuses far to much on battle scenes. The first book dealt more with issues of thought and introspection, and while there were some space battles these did not dominate the book or drag out unnecessarily. In "House of Reeds" they do. The problem being that, Harlan's descriptions of battles gets repetitous. There are only so many ways to describe an explosion, or a tank or a gun. Following every bullet is unnecessary. I was really very saddened in a way because I was hoping for more from these books but I am afraid that Mr. Harlan is following the example of his first series which I felt degenerated considerabley after the first book.

This is the second book in Harlan's "Sixth Sun" series, an alternate universe where the British Isles and Europe are minor players, and the Aztecs and Japanese are the major powers. Most of that alternate history is background; the books are set far enough in the future that the intrigue and battles in space stand on their own, even if the reader is a little fuzzy on the idea of alternate histories.

It does help to read the first book, Wasteland of Flint, first, to get some sense of the characters; however, this book can be read without that - while one might miss a few references to things that happened before, there are enough new characters, and the personalities of the continuing characters are strong enough, that their words and actions stand on their own, even without the background.

The plot is full of intrigue and double crosses and double-double crosses - it takes some following, perhaps even a few notes scribbled on your bookmark, to remember who works for whom, and who is secretly what other than what they seem. It makes this a juicy read, but not a light one - you can't skim, you'd better read every word, or you will lose the thread of some subplot.

As with the previous book, this one is pretty much GP-rated: although there's violence, it is not all blood and gore, and there's almost nothing of a sexual nature. Not that the characters aren't sexual beings, just that it's not an important part of the plot, and no time is spent dwelling on their sex lives.

The major plot twist here is the introduction of a hidden alien, apparently a shape-shifter, and that alien features in the cliff-hanger ending. There will clearly be another volume, and it seems likely that some of our military characters that were introduced in this book will carry over, as well as all those that carried from the first book. Gretchen has acquired as a friend, sort of, a native of the planet she's been on; it remains to be seen whether this character will travel with her to other places. The race this alien is from was once space-faring, now devolved and planet-bound, and it would be interesting to see how members of the species might return to space.

I found the foiling of some of the underhanded tricks to be very satisfying, and the fact that it wasn't completely obvious up front, nor was it unrealistically without loss or damage, to add the the pleasure in following the plot. Perhaps the most disappointing thing, on the other hand, was the alien artifact that Gretchen is initially sent to look for. It is not well developed as a plot device, if you'll pardon the pun, and is destroyed in a rather simplistic "there are some things man was not meant to know!" way. So the book isn't perfect. It is, however, the best one by Harlan so far, and a great read for fans both of military SF and alternate history SF.

`House of Reeds' is the second book of the `Sixth Sun', and stands as both a self-contained novel and a continuation from `Wasteland of Flint'. The first was set out on the periphery of the empire of the Imperial Méxica, and `House of Reeds' focuses on the planet Jagan where the military power and diplomatic and commercial influence of Tenochtitlán is being steadily asserted.

It begins with the receipt of a disturbing message for Chu-sa Hadeishi of the light cruiser IMN Cornuelle, and light years away an unexpected reassignment for the Swedish-Russian xenoarchaeologist Gretchen Anderssen. On Old Earth, Anáhuac, a minor Méxica prince, Tezozómoc is about to become the pawn of political machinations.

All will arrive on Jagan to be confronted by intrigue, mystery and danger.

Rumour of a First Sun artefact will send Gretchen and her little band of troublemakers into the hinterland where the native lords are chafing under the increasing Méxica dominance. Chu-sa Hadeishi and his crew will find themselves playing an unexpected and deadly role in Imperial policies. The wastrel Prince Tezozómoc will discover the true price of his royal birthright.

`House of Reeds' is a cinematic and fast-paced story with weaving plot threads amidst the dramatic background of the alternate future history of the Méxica and the alien planet Jagan. In `Wasteland of Flint' the hostile environment of Ephesus III provided an evocative backdrop; Jagan in contrast is an old, long-inhabited world, its sentient species weary and all too aware of their fall, living amidst the ruins and secrets of their ancient greatness. Whilst much of the action takes place in the Five Rivers region of Jagan or high above in orbit, Harlan effectively brings the world to life.

Throughout the 414 pages the weaving plot threads heighten the tension and danger. There is vivid characterisation, dialogue, combat, occasional humor and glimpses of the history of Anáhuac, and a shadowy threat to all humanity.

The characters of Chu-sa Hadeishi and Gretchen Anderssen are deftly developed, with more insight into the tension between the cultures of the Méxica, their Nisei and Scottish allies and the lesser peoples of Anáhuac. A cast of other characters ably support the main players: Magdalena, the competent Hesht comm-tech (the cover portrait does not really do her justice), Parker the English pilot and his quest for a smoke, the crew of the Cornuelle, and the agents of the Mirror -- the secret police of the Empire. The most compelling figure is Malakar, an elderly reptilian native of Jagan, a believable alien and a tragic figure, a counterpoint to the ambitious lords, for she remembers the lost heritage of her species.

Evoking vague memories of Jack Vance and Talbot Mundy, `House of Reeds' proves Harlan a master storyteller.

****************

The first eleven chapters of the sequel 'Land of the Dead' are available here:

http://www.throneworld.com/wiki/index.php?title=SS:LOD

Though less "clunky" than Wasteland of Flint, House of Reeds still proves Harlan has a way to go to create a smooth flowing story. I found the book enjoyable, and unique, but stuttering here and there. The entire first half of the book is somewhat slow moving, setting up the action that will happen later as a planet explodes into war. It is choppy, disjointed, and full of the private introspections of each character with zero revelation of those characters' motivations. Many characters often act completely OUT of character creating some confusion, at least in my mind, about WHY they are behaving in such a way. Also, the book tends to start story lines that never go anywhere. SPOILERS:

For instance...Fitzsimmons. In the first novel, Fitzsimmons is brought foward as a possible love interest for Gretchen. He is a secondary character, certainly, but present a great deal throughout the book. In the House of Reeds, Fitz is back and this time his "crush" on Gretchen is pointed out very obviously. Near the end of the book, however, Fitz is suddenly killed off with little fanfare. Just, oh he's dead, moving on. I found this turn dissapointing.

I truly enjoyed Gretchen's "reawakening", which I think is one of the more interesting parts of the story. Her newfound (or refound) "powers" bring and interesting mysticism to the series.

While you don't absolutely have to read the first book to read the second, I would highly recommend it.

In a universe where the Aztec rather than Europeans prevailed, the Aztec-dominated Empire reaches across the galaxy. On one ancient world, the priests of the Aztec plot a 'flower war.' The manufactured war will give soldiers a chance to earn glory, exercise their weapons, and provide the blood sacrifices their gods require. Of course, the war will also cause problems for anyone who gets caught in its midst--including renegade Captain Mitsuhara Hadeishi, archeologist Gretchen Anderssen, or Aztec prince Texozomoc.

To provoke the war, Aztec priests pretend to be nordic opponents of the Aztec empire, sharing military equipment with the native population of Jagan. But not even the priests recognize the dangers they're provoking--dangers that include hidden weapons from millions of years of civilization (many made unusable by the lack of fuels and metals in a world where mines where exhausted thousands of years earlier but suddenly useful with the Empire's reintroduction of lubricants, power supplies, and metal), real opponents of the Aztec rule, and even possibly remnants of ancient civilizations with no love for the upstart Aztec Empire.

Author Thomas Harlan has smoothed out the often-clunky writing of some of his earlier books and offers some fun and fascinating world-building. What if the Japanese and Aztec empires had been able to strike first? With Japanese metal technology and their shared martial traditions, the combination would have been daunting. Adding to that a mysterious ancient civilization and hunt for its artifacts and you have a powerful basis for story-telling. Harlan adds some nice battle sequences and considerable blood-letting to keep the pages turning.

HOUSE OF REEDS is nicely done, even to its twist at the end. It did, however, fall a bit short of my hopes when it came to the characters. I didn't really get a good understanding of what Gretchen was up to, or why we should care about her successes or failures. In the difficult balance between developing characters and putting them in danger, Harlan chose action--perhaps a bit too often.

This book is a great ride--all the way to the wreck at the end.

In the first book (Wasteland of Flint), we met Green Hummingbird--Aztec judge/mystic, and for most of the book I was was not sure whether he was a subtle master of the ineffable, or an old crackpot with some nice toys. (I eventually came down on the wise old master side.) In House of Reeds, we meet someone whom Green Humminbird refers to briefly in the first book--Itzpalicue ("Skirt-of-Knives").

There is a hint of a past relationship--perhaps one that ended very badly--between the two. In House of Reeds, Green Hummingbird is off-stage, and Itzpalicue is very much at the center of events. She is in many ways the opposite of Green Hummingbird--where he relies on subtlety and is cautious to a fault, she operates with meat cleaver and sledgehammer. Instead of sniffing some er...sacramental powder, Izpalicue jabs herself with thorns to maintain a high state of mental alertness. Her machinations are spectacularly clever (the time-shifted conference call alone was worth the price of admission), but in the end she is either too clever or not clever enough--all her plotting comes to naught, and she may have unwittingly played a role in setting up a far greater disaster.

I look forward to seeing Green Hummingbird again in the next book. Perhaps he will give Izpalicue a talking-to. Ah yes, and what will Gretchen do with her re-awakening talent? How will Heideshi take the humiliation of defeat? How quickly will the next super-powerful incredibly malignant ancient alien artifact be swept under the rug? Soon...soon...I hope.

27 Aug 07: Where the blazes is the next book, Mr. Harlan?

House of Reeds is an excellent addition to the world of the Mexica and a wonderful diverse cast of characters. This is my second time through this series and it's as good as the first.

House of Reeds is very good, but not quite up to Wasteland of Flint. I'd give it a
"B+" -- kinda heavy on the shoot-em-ups (which are, nevertheless, nicely-done), and some of the characters, notably Prince Tezozomoc, were kinda cartoonish. Or RPG
character-ish -- like the Prince's bodyguards, Skawtish Eagle-Knights
(= hardcase Marines), who can absorb a truly astonishing amount of
punishment, damaging my WSOD a bit. "Take a lickin' -- keep on kickin'".
Well, up to the very end, with the hook for book 3 <G>.

But the political buildup is nuanced, complex, and masterfully
ambiguous. And the world-building of planet Jagan and its peoples is
truly first-rate. I should also remark on the fine, atmospheric cover
art, by Chris Moore -- though he misses the boat on the
cover cat-person, Magdalena, who's a supernerd comm-comptech....

So, yeah, if you liked WoF, I'd go for HoR, no question. Another fine
thinking-person's shoot-em-up space-opera....

Happy reading--
Peter D. Tillman
Review written 2004

I read the first book Wasteland of Flint before reading this book.

Thomas Harlan has been able to further develop the main characters in this book - Gretchen of the Company, Susan of the star ship cruiser Cornuelle and Itzpalicue, an Imperial agent of the Mirror. He fails in portraying a clearer human perspective of the characters though he did justice to Malakar the Jehanan and Itzpalicue.

The Mexica-Japanese-European triangle is well balanced and maintained throughout the book. There's mystery and intrigue on the planet Jagan. The author tries and succeeds in capturing our imagination. At some places though details are very sketchy and do not lend to credibility (Gretchen singing a Jehanan song so well that Malakar has to drag her away).

I only wish that the author maintains his threads from book to book (such as whether the kalpataru was a thing left behind by the First Sun people)? Any surprises (even a Lengian) should be carefully thought of before springing it on us poor mortals!

For now, I am looking forward to the "Land of the Death". I am (quite) well settled to read the next few books on the "In the Time of of the Sixth Sun" and wish Thomas Harlan a good fist and nimble thoughts.

Please make the sequels fast ...

I really didn't expect this book to be mil-SF, since the first one really wasn't. When the "master sergeant" who happens to be an Imperial Eagle Knight (oddly enough, most of the military characters have what I assume are made-up Aztec or Japanese ranks, even the Scots are "Skawtzmen" or something similar, but he's a master sergeant) threw a grenade and it exploded twice, I quit really caring.

It's funny, I can't really explain why some books filled with battles and military action are gripping and some are groaners, but I can say for sure this guy is no C. S. Forester. If you're a mil-SF type, you might like it, but otherwise I'd suggest the first in the series.