Analog
editor Schmidt takes to heart Peter Graham's adage that the Golden Age of SF is 12, in the best possible way, in his instructive tale of first contact. In a near-future New York, three humans set out to track down the origins of a plague of puzzling insects. Quickly realizing that the bugs are constructs that use nanotechnology beyond Earth's capability to produce, they face the unenviable task of convincing the authorities that We Are Not Alone. Worse, they find that the mysterious maker of the spy-creatures knows about their discovery and is taking steps (some merely annoying, others nearly fatal) to persuade them not to tell. Fortunately, the authorities aren't as clueless as often portrayed in such fiction, and the three amateur investigators are soon closely involved with the U.S. government's plans to chase off, peacefully or violently, the snooping aliens. The novel's straightforward expository style recalls classic-era SF. Per Chekhov's rule, all shotguns mentioned in act one are fired by act three. Schmidt fails to disguise his "info dumps" as well as he should, as when the U.S. president explains a secure facility's emergency floor lighting. He also repeats himself on occasion, as when the main protagonist, Pilar Ramirez, has two experiences "for the first time in her life" within two pages. Though the story climaxes in tragedy, the author ends on a hopeful note, rewarding Pilar's emotional maturity and empathy with the chance to travel to the stars. Schmidt may teach his readers a didactic lesson, but it's one well worth learning. (July 10)
FYI:Schmidt is also the author of a recent short story collection,
Generation Gap (Forecasts, May 27).
