Fool's War (Mass Market Paperback)

The setup is uncomfortably topical -- the story-now is 500 years after violent religious wars, started by Islamic extremists, almost wrecked Earth. The subsequent diaspora to the colony worlds simply spread out the same old hatreds. Now the ugly chickens are flapping home to roost....

I can't say very much about Fool's War's plot without spoiling things for you, but Zettel spins an impressively twisty tale. She constantly plays with the reader's expectations, and she (mostly) plays fair -- though her storytelling craft still has some rough spots in this sophomore effort. A cover blurb compares her to Heinlein and Asimov, but there's more than a touch of Van Vogt's signature rapidfire scene-changes here.

Fool's War is somethng of a grrrl powr-fantasy -- and I do like a well-done power-fantasy, especially one with a light touch. Here's Pilot Yerusha, in a moment of reflection within the storm of denouement: "I'm saving the human race so I can go on a date..." If you like to see femmes kicking butt that *needs* kicking, you'll like Fool's War.

Zettel's authorial hand does get a bit heavy with her villains, and in pointing characters where they need to go for the next plot-twist. But overall it's good, clean fun, and I'll have to do some Zettel catchup reading soon.

review copyright 2001 by Peter D. Tillman

In Fool's War, starship owner and entrepreneur Katmer Al Shei has no idea what she is letting herself in for when she sets out on her latest transport job with her colourful crew. To improve her ship's rating, she welcomes aboard a Fool named Dobbs, and a new pilot named Yerusha, both with mysterious pasts. Neither are quite what they seem--especially Dobbs, whose biggest secret is central to the novel's reason for being: a look at a dangerous future where human ingenuity finally gives rise to discontented Artificial Intelligence. In short, Al Shei's launch towards her latest destination is the beginning of what threatens to become a war between humans and machines that could rock the Solar System. This means that the scope in Fool's War is quite impressive, as are the tension and intrigue levels.

I've hinted that the book was a bit hard to embrace at first; this mostly relates to Zettel's style, and on an even more fundamental level, her choice of scenes. I have yet to figure out how Zettel can practice such a clean, smooth, flowing writing style, and yet still come off as such a quirky storyteller. But I have a few theories. First off, despite any blurbs suggesting otherwise, she is not an action writer. So any "fast pace" the blurbists are praising comes more from her ability to create suspense and looming catastrophe--and in my opinion, an author who creates this kind of tension among characters, especially adversaries, needs to let the tension spill into actual action more often, rather than saving the real pyrotechnics for the very end. So, what the reader gets is strong tension--especially in enclosed environments like Zettel's well-realized spacecraft and space-stations--but some of her scenes do get repetitive, as if she's caught up in the build-up a little too much. In Fool's War, characters tend to confront each other verbally, negotiating or arguing while danger escalates--although, to be fair, when the novel starts shifting to the cyberspace environ showcased, there is combat. But, it's simulated, right?--and anyway, Zettel makes the choice to leave the reader envisioning her brand of cyberspace, without giving a lot of bonafide description.

This book, then, has an aspect of greatness about it, and does deliver a compelling, precarious future that starts to unravel before the reader's eyes...with Al Shei and her brave associates (not counting imposters and traitors) trapped in the middle of it. All the characters are strong, important additions to the story--Lipinksi, Schyler, Yerusha, Cohen, and on into the villains (as they slowly get revealed)--and Zettel lets us get to know them very well. If she had just avoided a few too many similar scenes--all the repeated instances of characters pulled aside by other characters and being told Dobbs's shocking secret, as one glaring example--the book would have really hit the heights. Still, there's enough plot for me to assert the book never feels padded. And when it's good, it's grand. Come witness one of SF's strangest wars. It's worth it.

And thank you, Sarah Zettel, for signing my copy of this book at TorCon3!

In fact, Zettel seems driven to put a human face on bigotry and prejudice and is using science fiction imagery to make her case. She describes many types of bigotry:

Religious -- Several of the main characters are Muslim and their faith is an integral part of who they are. Not everyone they meet, however, can separate the individual from terrorist acts that occurred in the past.

Spiritual / philosophical -- A community has arisen that denies that humankind will ever be truly free when trapped on a single planet. Humankind must create its own environments and be master of its own fate rather than rely on the capricious nature of Nature. These individuals are ridiculed and, in essence, reviled for their beliefs and are considered second class citizens. Zettel even makes one of her enlightened characters intolerant of members of this cultural "diversity".

Life-form -- Human vs. artificial intelligence. What does it mean to be human, or alive? Are humans so inherently xenophobic that they cannot accept the possibility of other types of life? Are artificial intelligences so jaundiced that they must instill fear rather than convince?

All in all, this is a very strong book. Strong characterization, strong plot, enough twists and turns to make things interesting.