The Hub: Dangerous Territory [Mass Market Paperback]

 

 

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These are nice collections of the works of James H. Schmitz. Some of the stories Eric Flint came up with for this series are new to me. So if you already have a few Telzy Amberdon's and the Witches of Karres floating around, this is still a useful addition.

If you haven't read him, then prepare yourself for a treat. What can I call it but intelligent space opera? The Miles Vorkosigian stories come to mind, and Jo Clayton's "Diadem" books, perhaps certain Keith Laumer... If you want a well-told, involving, and exciting tale showing tough intelligent people being tested to their limits, well, Schmitz is that story-teller.

You like the "one man army" exploits of Ahnold and Van Damm? Take a look at how a young marine biologist wages a devastating one-woman battle of psychological warfare against an alien invasion ("The Demon Breed"). And then there is the battle of wits as the captain of a tramp freighter has to defend against an alien rather more intelligent than he is ("The Winds of Time.")

At the risk of being misunderstood, I'd like to call the writings of James H. Schmitz "Golden Age as it should have been." Oh yes...and track down the "Witches of Karres"; one of the most perfect and delightful SF books ever written.

As I noted in my review of _Telzey Amberdon_, James Schmitz was known for his strong female lead characters. In _The Hub_, we have a collection of stories set in his most famous universe, that of the star civilization called the Hub, and many of these feature the strong female characters for which he was known.

Perhaps most notable are the two stories featuring Nile Etland, a scientist on the rather remote world of Nandy-Cline, both hinging on some of the peculiar lifeforms native to that planet. My favorite has been listed under at least two titles -- "The Tuvela" and "The Demon Breed" -- and shows a unique method of dealing with an alien invasion. The ending is also unusual and gives us some very telling insight into the functioning of the Hub government.

Many of the other stories have similar links, in that they chronicle the interaction of people with the ecologies of other planets, giving us both a grasp of the characters and a sometimes startling glimpse into the way life on alien worlds could be at once very similar to our own and yet startlingly -- even dangerously -- different. Schmitz' alien lifeform design was always well-thought-out, and _The Hub_ showcases this skill. Many people who are good at convincing science-fictional detail tend to be weak at characterization, but Schmitz is strong on all fronts. This book shows clearly why he is considered one of the greats of his era.

This is the last, and in some ways the best of the Baen re-issue of the Hub Stories. The range of stories is impressive. It starts with The Searcher, one of the best Schmitz stories. The Protagonists, Danestar Gems and Corwin Wergard, are from the Keth Interstellar Agency, which is a recurring character in the tales. By the way, Schmitz gave his characters great names. The searcher of the title is one very unusual and interesting monster with plausible motives. The human protagonists also have to deal with some human gangsters and corrupt U-League officials. The pacing is good, the story is fun and complex, and the resolution works. Recommended. A Nice Day for Screaming, Attitudes,The Winds of Time, Machmen, and The Other likeness all deal with five different types of alien invasion and with five different types of outcomes. Schmitz had a penchant for sly twists in his tales. Along with The Searcher, The Winds of Time would make a great horror SF movie. Much better than most of what Hollywood churns out. The other four stories in this book deal with ecology, a recurring theme in Schmitz's stories. Grandpa and Balanced Ecology are both good stories where the environment is a major character. The other two stories, Trouble Tide and The Demon Breed both feature Nile Etland, one of Schmitz's most fascinating characters. She is not psychic or immortal or more than human. Like trigger she depends on wits, courage, intelligence, and her gun skills. She also has a good working knowledge of the local (and dangerous) environment. Trouble tide introduces her, but she comes up to speed in The Demon Breed. The story was originally serialized as The Tuvela in the September and October 1968 issues of Analog. The amphibious invaders are calles Parahuans, the action takes place on a water world far from the Hub cnter called Nandy-Cline, and Nile is a biologist for a pharmaceutical company. One of the things I like about Schmitz's stories is that the characters have lives and jobs and are believable. Nile defeats the invaders with the help of some talking intelligent otters, both domestic and feral. There are interesting sidelights on the quest for immortality as well. The story is one of the best Science Fiction action-adventure stories I have ever read and I highly recommend it. Unlike many other SF writers Schmitz saw action (during WWII). Despite that, or maybe because of it, his stories are not particulary violent. His characters do not merely shoot their way out of trouble, but rely on wits, skills, and brains. Even Heslett Quillan, the wise-cracking gunman/secret agent and husband of Trigger Argee, uses brains and schemes to defeat his enemies. Although he is good with his Miam Devil blaster. In The Demon Breed Nile uses her considerable knowledge of the local ecology to mount a psychological campaign against the invaders and then to defeat them. The story ends with an exciting commando raid and space battle. But the ending really takes place off world, when the Psychology Service and an alien committee independently evaluate the events on Nandy-Cline. They cast a whole new light on the story. I recommend going to the James Schmitz website (after you read the story) for more background on the history of how the ending came to be written. My one quibble with the book is the cover. The original Scheonherr cover on the September 1968 Analog was much superior. I wish it had been used for this book. You can also find it on the website. All in all I heartily recommend this book.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Otters, spooks, and ecologies
This is the fourth and last of the Hub series being reprinted by Baen Books. James Schmitz was a science fiction writer of the 1950s-1970s known for his skill at characterization,... Read more

Published on April 10 2001 by Harry Erwin

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