On one hand, it seems presumptuous to think this blog is important in the midst of the COVID19 crisis, but, on the other, maybe it is truly important to find ways to adapt our activities and carry on. We are pulling back into our shells here, one of the most important things we can do. It doesn’t matter whether you are at high risk from COVID19 or young and low-risk. We need to slow down the accumulation of seriously ill patients so that our medical systems can handle them, buy time to develop therapies, and break the chain of transmission. Think of it as a war.
Pretty much house-bound, there is time for reading and for writing. On the reading side, I want to mention Cherryh’s “Alliance Rising.” This book is part of Cherryh’s Union-Alliance universe, set at the beginning of the Company Wars. I have liked almost everything I have read by Cherryh and I find this universe and the Company Wars section some of the best science fiction available. That said, I have two different views on this book. Taken as a standalone book, it is terrific. Cherryh specializes in creating detailed societies that make sense and populating them with well-rounded characters you can believe in (or picture yourself meeting for coffee). The plot is well constructed with the tension and the pace rising as the book moves toward its conclusion. Definitely worth reading. What did give me pause is its place in the Company Wars period of the Union-Alliance universe. Maybe it’s me, but I cannot make this book fit into the framework of events that have been built by the other books. I found this an irritant. Again, if viewed as a standalone, it’s not an issue; the book is great.
For my own work, I’m still banging away at the keyboard trying to render a pile of handwritten pages into a coherent digital file. I’ve got the time at home now, but it’s going to take a lot of it. Meanwhile, Starman’s Saga is making progress to an audiobook. Hoping to have that out in April. Hoping for a lot of things in April.
Be well.