Mendoza in Hollywood (Library Binding)

I found Sky Coyote to be a flawed but interesting sequel, but I love Baker's writing so I figured that she would rebound in her third book. Boy, did she ever. Mendoza in Hollywood is a masterpiece, having everything from social commentary to fascinating characters to mystery and beyond. We get a brief glimpse of the future, but we see nothing but agonizing hints to what is going on. Baker uses some of the tricks she used in Sky Coyote, but this time they work. It feels like Baker was maturing as a writer, determined to correct her mistakes and do it right this time. The result is a very entertaining read that will keep all Company fans engrossed and may even attract some new fans.

The story is quite simple in its complexity (yes, I do mean that). Character interaction is the name of the game in Mendoza in Hollywood and what wonderful characters Baker has to use. Every one of them is vivid, from the young Juan Batista, who is tasked with collecting rare birds but becomes too attached to them, to the film buff Einar, who brings in the entertainment for the staff at the outpost. This usually consists of rare movies, including the original 8 hour cut of Erich Von Stroheim's Greed and D.W. Griffith's Intolerance. The latter movie is a wonderful character set piece, as the soundtrack is gone and Einar (along with Imarte, who actually lived in ancient Babylon) does the commentary for the entire film. The sequence is a magical bit of comedy and character development, and is everything that the show in Sky Coyote wasn't. It goes on for just as long (though Mendoza in Hollywood is a longer book, so the portion is smaller) but is much better written. I really enjoyed it.

Other cast members are equally well done, with Porfirio (the outpost's security officer and commander) being the most bland. He is given some history that helps define Mendoza's character though, as she finds out that not all immortals have cut their familial ties with the mortal world. Oscar is a real treat, though. He's a salesman who is supposed to study living conditions of people in the area. He goes door to door, trying to sell items and get a look inside the domestic life of his customers. Mendoza accompanies him on some of his jaunts, and the scenes are just delightfully funny.

While there is a running subplot of a British conspiracy with the Confederates for control of California (sparked by the neglectful act of leaving his briefcase by one of Imarte's johns), most of the story is about Mendoza and her interactions with these characters. It might sound boring, but every page of the book is building up her sense of isolation and her desolation over the death of her lover 300 years ago. She despises mortals because of how weak they are and how ideological they can be. Yet every one of her companions loves interacting with them and has their own way of dealing with them. As Mendoza observes, she feels more and more alone. Even Einar and his movie obsession, while providing some enjoyment, eventually adds to her burden as she realizes that even though they haven't even happened yet, the movies' settings are ephemeral and won't last long. Baker illustrates the burdens of immortality. Some people can deal with it (Joseph, Mendoza's mentor who isn't actually in this book, has been alive for thousands of years), but she can't seem to. Baker paints these characters with such loving detail that you can't help but revel in them.

The book loses a little bit when the conspiracy plot takes center stage, even though Baker keeps the focus clearly on Mendoza and what's happening with her lover's doppelganger. The interaction between them kept me reading but I started to get tired of the conspiracy itself. However, I cared about what happened to Mendoza, and as I saw her go through hell yet again, for a man so much like her old lover but yet so different, I really felt for her. Baker has brought Mendoza alive, and her ultimate fate is heartbreaking yet slightly uplifting. She finally gets what she wants, but not quite the way she wanted it. I finished the book very quickly, totally engrossed in what was going on. That's the sign of a master author.

With Mendoza in Hollywood, Kage Baker has another winner. It's certainly readable by itself, but it gains so much if you read the first two books before this one. But whatever you do, check this one out.

David Roy

Imarte (the anthropologist gathering information as a frontier whore) is the best part of the book.

Far too much time is spent in film descriptions, in cyborg film buffs mapping "homes of the stars" onto 1864 California, and in slapping together conspiracy theories from the Company's data.

What is brilliant about In the Garden of Iden is only a third-sequel re-hashing in Mendoza in Hollywood.

But don't take my word for it!