Glory's People

The crew of the spaceship Glory returns for further far-future interstellar adventure in this third book of Coppel's Goldenwing series (after Glory's War, 1995). Desperate for allies to stand with them against the bizarre energy alien they call ""The Terror,"" Captain Duncan Kr and his crew appeal for help to the people of Yamato, a world steeped in the tradition and culture of feudal Japan. Even as Shogun Minamoto no Kami agrees to consider the request, however, an attempt on the Starman's life makes it clear that not everyone on Yamato is willing to assist the gaijin. With the help of Glory's empathic cats, the crew attempts to ferret out their enemies, but the imminent arrival of the Terror forces all sides to ignore politics for the moment and focus on survival. The plot moves slowly, with some repetition of background detail. But Coppel, who is best known for his espionage thrillers (The Apocalpyse Brigade, etc.), has been publishing SF steadily since 1947. With that deep experience, he can't help but spin out a tale that, though it gets no award for originality, will engage readers with its easygoing style and suitably soap-operatic scale. (June)