The Empress of Mars
I recently finished Kage Baker's novel The Empress of Mars
. Wow!
Ms. Baker as a writer isn't familiar to me, nor does she have a heavy Internet presence, but she can really write a good story. The Empress in question is a bar, actually the only bar, on Mars, and occasionally the nickname of Mary Griffith, the bar's owner. It's an interesting place.
In Baker's version of Mars, the large Earth governments have ignored the planet, leaving development by default to the British Arean Company. The BAC has made a hash of it, and a handful of misfits are hanging on by their fingertips. The story is both that of the growth of the settlement, along with quite a bit of character growth with Mary and her fellow Martians. Although Kage is (as far as I can tell) an American, she nails the slightly self-deprecating and dry British humor, producing a wonderful story.
A lot of what makes the story interesting is Mary's relationship with her three young daughters, which is at times contentious. Also interesting is Baker's vision of future society, in which Christianity has largely faded away.
Now, The Empress of Mars started out as a novella, but this novel is not just an expansion, but a massive overhaul. I found it well worth buying.
(Disclaimer: I purchased the book at retail - link leads to Amazon Associates account.)
. Wow!
Ms. Baker as a writer isn't familiar to me, nor does she have a heavy Internet presence, but she can really write a good story. The Empress in question is a bar, actually the only bar, on Mars, and occasionally the nickname of Mary Griffith, the bar's owner. It's an interesting place.
In Baker's version of Mars, the large Earth governments have ignored the planet, leaving development by default to the British Arean Company. The BAC has made a hash of it, and a handful of misfits are hanging on by their fingertips. The story is both that of the growth of the settlement, along with quite a bit of character growth with Mary and her fellow Martians. Although Kage is (as far as I can tell) an American, she nails the slightly self-deprecating and dry British humor, producing a wonderful story.
A lot of what makes the story interesting is Mary's relationship with her three young daughters, which is at times contentious. Also interesting is Baker's vision of future society, in which Christianity has largely faded away.
Now, The Empress of Mars started out as a novella, but this novel is not just an expansion, but a massive overhaul. I found it well worth buying.
(Disclaimer: I purchased the book at retail - link leads to Amazon Associates account.)