Alta is the second novel in this series, following Joust. In the previous volume, Vetch the Atlan serf dragon boy had stolen an egg, hid it in an unused pen, and, after it hatched, raised the dragonet in secret. When she flew for the first time, she headed for the hills with Vetch onboard. They outran all of the Tian Jouster pursuers except his friend Ari, who actually helped them to escape, paying the Bedu in gold to guide them through the desert to Alta.

In this novel, Vetch reaches Alta and is no longer a serf to the Tians, but is instead Kiron, son of Kiron, a Jouster in training. As he and Avatre near Alta City, they rescue a noble girl from an irate river horse, but Kiron is badly injured and blacks out. Upon awakening, he finds himself in the home of the noble Lord Ya-Tiren. Both he and his daughter, Aken-ten, express their gratitude for his timely rescue; in fact, Aken-ten has been tending him while he was unconscious. Later, her brother Orest visits to express his gratitude as well.

Aken-ten is a Nestling Winged-One, a priestess in training and a possessor of certain talents, including the ability to speak the Silent Speech with animals. She and Avatre have become friends while he recovered from his wounds. Kiron is very interested in her ability to actually communicate with his dragon.

Orest is very fascinated with Avatre. Although the traditional approach to taming a dragon fails to interest him, the thought of actually bonding to a dragon excites him. This idea also appeals to several of his friends and Lord Khumun-thetus, the Jouster in charge of training, becomes intrigued enough with the possibilities to form a new unit to pursue the training practices used to raise Avatre.

In this story, Kiron begins to suspect something is wrong in Alta. The Magi are too powerful and they have begun to use the Winged-Ones as sources of power to perform their magic. Moreover, the Great Ones who rule Alta are living too long, apparently with magical aid from the Magi.

One of the new Jousters in Kiron's training unit is Toroth, who is one of the twin heirs to the throne. Toroth knows much more about the Magi and their assumption of power. Moreover, he and his twin, Kaleth, have plans to restore the power to the Great Ones when they gain the thrones. Soon the entire unit becomes part of Tototh's conspiracy against the Magi.

This story relates Kiron's growing reputation among the Altan Jousters and the developing respect for his unit, both boys and dragonets. It also tells of the blooming friendship between Kiron and Aken-ten, which is slowly turning to love. And it shows the tremendous potentiality of a unit of alert, trained and willing dragons.

The story expands into a tale of politics and corrupted power. Kiron finds himself with great responsibilities and willing associates, but very little ability to influence the situation. He and his friends resort to cunning, aided by the hubris of his enemies.

As with most of the author's solo efforts, this novel is very linear: everything is seen through the eyes of Kiron. Moreover, it is short compared to the mega-novels that are so popular nowadays. This short length does have some detrimental effects on character development, but it also reduces the amount of background material used for such development. However, Kiron isn't always the center of the action; the other characters -- particularly Aken-ten -- contribute greatly to the story and plot development. Overall, the straightforward style and fast pace of this novel should interest young readers as well as older ones such as myself.

Highly recommended for Lackey fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of ancient civilizations, political intrigue, daring adventure, and crafty magic.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Pandora's Star is the first novel in the Commonwealth Saga duology. Sometime in the near future, after many delays, America sent the first expedition to Mars, only to find an Englishman waiting for them outside the interface to the world's first artificial wormhole. Compressed Space Transport, the company built to exploit the new technology, became the basis for the Commonwealth, which by 2380 AD has expanded to roughly four hundred lightyears in diameter.

The Commonwealth has found various sentient species among the stars and has both diplomatic and commercial relationships with two starfaring species. The Silfen look like elves, talk in riddles, and supposedly have non-mechanistic pathways among the stars. The High Angel is an artificial sentient controlling a monstrous spaceship, probably with FTL capabilities, that has outriders containing cities full of various alien species apparently collected along the way.

In this novel, Dudley Bose discovers that Dyson Alpha, one of a pair of stars surrounded by Dyson spheres, was enclosed in less than a second. Former speculations about the pair assumed a material enclosure, but only a force field could have been erected in that elapsed time. Since the stars are far outside the reach of the current CST network, the Commonwealth decides to build a spaceship with its own wormhole generator to go out and investigate the anomaly.

The Guardians of Selfhood are a militant group that are waging a war against the Starflyer, an alien that they believe traveled in the vacant arkship found on the planet Far Away. Bradley Johansson, the founder of the Guardians, has stated that the Starflyer controls the minds of the personnel of the Research Institute that is examining the arkship and that the alien has long since moved into human space to influence the public through its dupes and slaves. The Guardians broadcast a shotgun message claiming that the Starflyer is behind the move to travel to Dyson Alpha. They start working against the project and eventually try to destroy it.

Paula Myo is a Chief Inspector at the Serious Crimes Directorate. She has been hunting Bradley Johansson for one and a half centuries. It is her only unsolved case. She is dispatched to investigate the attack on the spaceship and catches many small fry, but not Bradley Johansson.

This story is reminiscent of The Mote in God's Eye. Curious humans follow an anomaly to discover a very expansionist, aggressive society isolated from the rest of the galaxy, but soon find themselves with a tiger by the tail. Moreover, crewmembers are trapped by the natives. However, this novel builds upon and surpasses the Niven & Pournelle opus in the threat level and strangeness of the aliens. Moreover, it depicts the breakout of the alien Primes into human space.

The story is written in the same multi-threaded format as the Night's Dawn Trilogy. The various characters, and their threads, sometimes are confusing. The story also builds slowly to a climax, although the ending in this volume has all the action that anyone could want. The concluding volume, Judas Unchained, should be out in 2005.

Highly recommended for Hamilton and Niven/Pournelle fans as well as anyone else who enjoys tales of strange and powerful aliens threatening human civilization.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Covenants is apparently the first novel in the Borderlands series. Long ago, the land belonged to the Elves and other magicals. Then humans came from the sea to take it, piece by piece, until all the magicals had been driven over the Border. The leader of the invading humans, and the first king, was named Iver, so the new kingdom was called Iversterre (probably meaning "Iver's Land").

Once the humans of Iversterre also tried to take the Borderlands, but were repelled in one stupefying counterattack by the Borderers. Lately the Border has been disturbed by runners from Iversterre, who raid for spritewood, dragonhides and other body parts of thinking beings and sell them in Iversterre and Tural. There is a strong inclination among some of the Borderers to invade Iversterre and take back what was once theirs.

In this novel, Rabbit is lost. His troop rode out on a routine patrol and now can't find their way back to the post. Since Rabbit is a Borderer, Captain Suidan sends him out to find the right path, so he rides up a trail taken many times before to the crest of a hill to observe the surrounding terrain. There he finds a mountain cat, standing on his hind paws and carrying a big stick, who offers him a honeycake and eats one himself. They have just finished eating and introducing themselves when the rest of the troop arrive. Rabbit explains that he has just concluded a meal covenant with Lauren Faena and then the cat shows them their post just down the hills in plain sight.

The troop returns to the post and reports the situation to the Commander, who sends the troop back out the next day to track down the Faena. Rabbit is promoted to Lieutenant for the occasion. Lauren shows up at their first camp and explains that he is an embassy to King Jussan from the High Council of the Borderlands. Commander Ebner assigns two troops to accompany Lauren to the capital at Iversly under the command of Captain Suidan and Rabbit is designated as liaison with the Faena.

In this story, Rabbit's backstory slowly comes out as he is put under pressure. He is a runaway mage apprentice who is related to two great houses in Iversterre. He keeps saying that he is just a farmer's son, but he also keeps being targeted by assassins. In fact, his presence causes a conspiracy against the throne to act prematurely and in open rebellion.

Rabbit shows an amazing ability to see others clearly, but hides things from himself. He knows that he has talents and connections, but tries to blend in as an insignificant horse trooper. But neither his enemies nor his friends will let him sink into the obscurity that he desires.

This story moves rapidly and the plots takes some unforeseen twists and turns. Although there are times of introspection, most are interrupted by some unusual event and Rabbit is suddenly in trouble again. Overall, the story is fun to read and hard to put down.

Recommended for anyone who enjoys tales of adventure and intrigue within a fantasy setting.

-Arthur W. Jordin

For Us, the Living was the first novel written by Heinlein, but remained unpublished during his lifetime. It is reminiscent of Nowlan's Armageddon 2419 A.D. in its plot, with the hero losing consciousness and awaking decades later. In this case, Perry Nelson blacks out following a fall in 1939 and awakens in 2186. He finds himself is a society that corresponds to his own in many way, yet is strangely different.

In 1919, the year that Armageddon 2419 A.D. was published, science fiction was a medium for technological ideas and adventure. By 1939, however, the field was changing to portray the effects of technology on people rather than describing the technology itself. This trend was started primarily by the stories of Don A. Stuart -- John W. Campbell's alter ego -- and became even more influential when Campbell became the editor of Astounding magazine.

In this novel, the author presents a utopian future that is quite different from 1939, including many technological and social changes. His presentation fits right into the new approach to science fiction emerging at Astounding and elsewhere. However, the novel itself didn't sell, primarily because it lacks adventure and excitement. Nonetheless, a number of shorter works incorporating these ideas were sold to the SF magazines and later became the basis of his Future History series.

The author developed an action-oriented style in these tales. He also created a new type of science fiction story: portrayal of the workplaces of the future. In The Roads Must Roll, the author wrote of the men who built and maintained the passenger-carrying conveyor belts of the future. In The Green Hills of Earth, he wrote of the jetmen who kept the engines running on the interplanetary ships. In many ways, he became his character Rhysling, but in prose rather than poem. He was also the Kipling of his generation in more than one respect.

This novel portrays a time when spaceflight is just beginning to develop. In Requiem (1940), the author presents a view of a time when moonflight is common (and introduces D.H. Harriman). The author retroactively describes the development of moonflight in The Man Who Sold the Moon (1950).

After writing this novel, the author only wrote for the magazines for several years, although many of the short stories and serials were later published as books. Rocket Ship Galileo, his first novel published orginally as a book, came out in 1947 as a juvenile and was followed in the next year by Space Cadet. However, 1948 also saw the original book publication of an adult SF novel, Beyond This Horizon.

Rocket Ship Galileo is not a Future History story, but contains an alternate history of the first moonflight. As did The Man Who Sold the Moon, it takes place in a time when orbital flight is routine. It also introduces the nuclear propulsion used in the later juveniles.

Beyond This Horizon is a post-utopian novel and thus is a kind of sequel to For Us, the Living. It contains further technological and social changes. It also features a man from the past, although as a minor character. However, it mostly portrays the utopia from the point of view of contemporary characters and it contains plenty of adventure and excitement as well. Overall, it shows how far the author advanced in his craftsmanship in less than a decade.

Highly recommended for Heinlein fans and for anyone else who is interested in the history of science fiction.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Gods Old and Dark is the third (and concluding) novel in the World Gates series, following The Wreck of Heaven. In the previous volume, Baanraak starts forcing Holly to die and be reborn so as to shape her personality into the Night Watch pattern. He catches her once without the Vodi necklace and she was almost lost forever. Meanwhile, Lauren finds a secret message in the notebooks and learns that her parents had intended Molly to be her protector while she herself brought magic back to the Earth and to the dead worlds up the line.

In this novel, Molly is busy exterminating Night Watch teams and Lauren is creating conduits for the magic to flow back up the world lines. Aril, the Master of the Night Watch, notices the magic returning to the Earth and messily terminates all his fieldmasters for overlooking this development. He then promotes their assistants to replace them and provides specific instructions for the situation. He also dispatches assassins to track down Lauren and sends his assistant, Rekkathav, to observe the operation.

After Lauren is attacked by the Night Watch during a downworld foray and again within her own home, the Cat Creek Sentinels suddenly notice that Lauren is violating Council policy. A couple of hard-liners want to terminate her activities in a permanent manner, but the rest vote to wait and see. It does help that Lauren has an old god on her side who is capable of great havoc using the new influx of magic.

In this story, Lauren and the Cat Creek Sentinels learn the secret of immortality and the pain thereof. One Sentinel gets her first taste of combat and very nearly goes berserk. The FBI office in Charlotte performs a good service for the Cat Creek Sentinels. And Baanraak is ambushed by Molly and suffers a split personality.

This volume provides a conclusion of sorts, but the story continues past the end of the book. Maybe the author will return to this universe some day, for it has the potential for many other stories. In the meanwhile, we will have a new fantasy to read in 2005: Talyn.

Highly recommended for Lisle fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of high magic, interesting societies and complex relationships.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Survival is the first novel in the Species Imperative series. In the early decades of the twenty-first century, humanity expanded into the Solar system, establishing a permanent presence on Mars, the Jovian moons and elsewhere. A hundred and fifty years after the first child was born on Mars, the stars reached mankind; a non-Human probe arrived in the Solar system with an invitation to join from the Interspecies Union. It provided information on building and maintaining transects to bypass normal space. Over the next hundred years, humanity migrated to some three hundred extra-Solar worlds and used the new technology obtained from the IU to repair much of the ecological damage done to Earth in the prior centuries.

In this novel, MacKenzie Connor, Ph.D., is a biologist and coadministrator of the Norcoast Salmon Research Facility located within Castle Inlet. Mac and her partner, Emily Mamani Sarmiento, are monitoring Emily's newly improved DNA Tracer from Field Station Six on the Tannu River. After six days of boredom, a Chinook salmon run suddenly appears on the screen. Everything is going well until Emily detects a very large presence swimming in a diving suit among the salmon.

Field Station Six is graced with a visit from Brymn, the first member of the Dhryn species to visit Earth, and his diplomatic escort. After the introductions, Mac orders Brymn to leave the station. As he is leaving with the Dhryn, the escort gives Mac an official envelope. Shortly thereafter, another craft arrives to take Mac and Emily back to the Base.

Brymn has come for assistance in solving some mysterious disappearances among the worlds of the Naralax transect, which he has associated with the lifeless worlds of the Chasm. He will only talk with her when he is reasonably sure that no one can overhear them. He gets her to promise not to tell anyone else about their discussions, but she includes Emily as a matter of course.

Later she awakens in her office to a total electrical blackout. Despite the multiply redundant systems, all power in the Base has been lost. Moreover, there is something in the office with Mac, making strange skittering noises. After scaring it off, she finds slime paths over her floor, walls and even the ceiling. She chases the thing away from her office and through the Base and over the walkway to land. Over and over she hears it, but can't see it. From the shore she tracks it inland to an empty clearing, which nevertheless contains an invisible ship which carries the thing away in a blast of jetfire. When she returns to the Base, she finds that Emily is gone, presumably kidnapped after a violent struggle.

This story describes her encounters with an alien species who refuse to study biology, an overgovernment that is chasing invisible aliens, and the invisible aliens themselves. She flees to Haven, the Dhryn home world, in a Dhryn vessel, almost dying of thirst due to the ineptness of the crew. Once there, she finds the Dhryn to be both frustrating and fascinating.

Throughout the novel occur portent scenes: green rain dissolving all forms of life and mouths gathered to drink the green liquid. Is this what caused the devastation of the Chasm? If so, apparently it is still active and creating the disappearances.

Highly recommended for Czerneda fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of alien species with really different ways of thought and action.

-Arthur W. Jordin

New Spring is a prequel to the Wheel of Time series. A decade before The Eye of the World, the Lady Moiraine Damodred is a niece of the King of Cairhien, but she is also an Accepted of the White Tower. Together with her closest friend Siuan Sanche, she is on duty in the Amyrlin's sitting room when Gitara Moroso, the Keeper of the Chronicles, has a Foretelling of the Dragon Reborn taking his first breath on the slope of Dragonmount and then drops dead. Tamra Ospenya, the Amyrlin Seat of the Aes Sedai, warns them to tell no one and dismisses them from their watch.

In this novel, the Amyrlin sends out all the Accepted to record the names of the babies born in the vicinity of Dragonmount within the previous few days and, on the first day, Moiraine and Siuan are assigned together to gather such names in one of the camps. However, Siuan arranges for her to stay behind on the second day to rewrite the nearly illegible lists and, of course, Siuan also has to stay behind to help her. Despite Moiraine's advantage in schooling, Siuan is much better at solving puzzles and has realized that they will have a better chance of discovering the identity of the Dragon Reborn from the lists than by taking names in the field.

The Dragon Reborn becomes as obsession with Moiraine; she even has nightmares about the coming war against the Dark One. Siuan shares in her obession and her nightmares, although to a lesser extent. They start exchanging possibilities and keeping records in small books which they keep on their persons while awake. They make secret plans for their search after they pass their trials.

After they become Aes Sedai, however, Moiraine and Siuan find themselves unable to leave the Tower for any extended length of time. They are assigned duties which keep them busy and close to the Tower. They know that others are searching, but they are frustrated in their own attempts. Then they discover evidence that the Black Ajah is also looking.

In this novel, Moiraine finds her vocation in searching for the Dragon Unborn. She also meets Lan Mandragoran, who has a problem of his own to solve and distrusts Aes Sedai. Siuan gains access to the Blue Ajah's Eyes and Ears and looks for signs of the Dragon Reborn.

If you have not previously read the Wheel of Time series, start with this one (or whatever is the earliest prequel). It fills in much of the backstory of the Aes Sedai immediately prior to the first volume in the Wheel of Time. While the side story herein provides hints about Lan and the Borderers, the full history of Malkier and Lan's ancestors is worthy of another prequel. Moreover, the story of the Dragon himself is barely mentioned, so that is another possible prequel.

Highly recommended for Jordan fans and for anyone who enjoys tales of high intrique, daring youngsters, and complicated magic.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Nightingale's Lament is the third novel in the John Taylor series, following Agents of Light and Darkness. In the previous volume, Taylor found the Unholy Grail for the Vatican and thereby raised a siege of the Nightside by angels both high and low. His reputation has gone off the scale and the resulting fee was large enough to lease an upscale office, hire Cathy (see Something From the Nightside) as his secretary, and install computers with a superiority complex to take care of the routine stuff.

In this novel, Taylor comes across more as Simon Templar --- AKA the Saint -- than as a tough private eye. First he is persuaded by Walker to work on a case for Prometheus, Inc., generator of twelve percent of the power used within the Nightside. Company equipment is being sabotaged by an unknown --and undetectable -- person or thing. Prometheus is owned and operated by an old acquaintance, Vincent Kraemar, the Mechanic. Walker wants results and Taylor definitely produces some big results, paying off an old debt in the bargain. However, Walker is not really happy with the way Taylor solves the problem.

After that case, while hanging out in Strangefellows and avoiding Walker, Taylor is approached by a man who believes that his daughter has fallen into bad company. Under the name Rossignol -- Nightingale -- she has been acquiring a reputation of her own, but recently she has changed, breaking off relations with friends and family, never answering phone calls or letters, and spending all her time in the Caliban Club where she sings. Moreover, her singing has changed; now she sings only sad songs and her listeners are so moved that some have committed suicide shortly after leaving her show.

All these changes started when Ross signed a new contract with Mr. and Mrs. Cavendish. The client wants Taylor to check into her situation and help her if such assistance is necessary. Cathy confirms the client's portrayal of Ross' career and Alex tells him more about her career and the Cavendishes.

Taylor visits the Caliban Club and talks to Ian, Ross' roadie. Then he visits Rossignol herself and later catches a show. He can't find any indication of magical influence, but Ross is obviously depressed and distracted. During her performance, moreover, someone commits suicide, splashing blood and brains over her shoes.

In this story, Taylor investigates the Cavendishes, including tracking down another promising diva who was previously under contract to them, but disappeared without a trace the previous year. He drops by the Night Times to find out the gossip from the newsies, especially the managing editor (and owner) Julian Advent. He even pays a visit to the Cavendishes, where he is very ill received.

Taylor has always had a compassionate streak, but Rossignol somehow inflames it into an obsession. However he has to do it, Taylor is determined to solve Ross' problem. He even goes so far as to involve the Dead Boy.

Be warned that the author has gone overboard with obscure references. Perhaps not knowing about Bananarama tribute bands is a good thing. However, one hopes that the reader gets the blind Pew wordplay; it is practically in the public domain.

Highly recommended for Green fans and for anyone else who enjoys fantasy noir detective novels with a touch of camp.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Mystic Warrior is the first novel in the Bronze Canticles series. In a world far from our own, five Dragonkings rule through a theocracy, the Pir Drakonis. At the same time, the seven lords of the Faery fight for domination in a centuries old war. Yet twelve kings of the Goblins reign supreme over their people. Three worlds with a shared terrain and a shared destiny, entirely separated, except in the dreams of certain individuals, who are usually mad.

In this novel, Galen Arvad is a human blacksmith who has strange dreams at night and hears the voices of crafted things during the day. He fears for his sanity and avoids the Election, where a dragon staff selects the mad for collection into the peace of the dragonkings. But he is found out by the guardians and marched to the square to stand with his wife and her family. When the staff is brought forth, Galen is proved to be one of the Elect.

Dwynwyn is a faery of the Royal Servant class and a Seeker. She has been charged by Queen Tatyana with finding a new truth to protect the city of Qestardan and its people from Lord Phaeon, who has brought overwhelming might against them. She has visions of a tall non-Fae man who has no gift, but may be the savior of all her people. But she sees him only in dreams and they can't understand each other's speech.

Mimic is a goblin engineer fourth class in the service of Dong Mahaj-Megong. While serving under chief engineer Lirry, Mimic dreams of a man and books. One day he finds a working machine (a clock). Lirry immediately claims the device for himself, but only Mimic can keep it working. Lirry uses this working device to climb to the top echelon of society, with Mimic riding on his coat tails (or, to be more precise, under his cloak).

In this story, these three people, and others, meet each other in their dreams and sometimes help each other. Of course, one usually doesn't bring back a magical object from a dream, but Galen does. Moreover, swords start coming to him when needed.

Galen also keeps meeting Tragget, the Lord Inquisitor, in his dreams. Tragget travels to Benyn to find Galen and, quite by accident, scares him into the hands of the Pir Guardians, leading to Galen's Election. Tragget learns that Galen has acquired the power to change reality through his dream experiences and wants the same power to overthrow the dragonkings. At least, Tragget sometimes wants to overthrow the dragonkings, yet other times he wants other things, usually when faced with his mother. He just can't decide what he wants.

Let's make one thing perfectly clear: Galen is a little bit crazy. At least, he is into heavy denial. He thinks everything is a big mistake and can be cleared up if only someone will listen to him. Very heavy denial!

By the end of the book, the course of events in all three worlds has been disrupted, but the outcome is very uncertain. The madmen have inserted a strong dose of chaos into all three societies. Stay tuned for the next installment.

Recommended for Hickman fans and for anyone else who enjoys complex tales of madness, chaos, and strong determination in a fantasy setting.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Space Stations is an anthology of stories about outposts in the void. It contains fourteen stories written specifically for this volume.

In The Battle of Space Fort Jefferson by Timothy Zahn, the Park Service fights invaders with obsolescence and neglect. In Redundancy by Alan Dean Foster, an AI is smarter than expected. In Dancers of the Gate by James Cobb, two wormhole stations are saved by a shared interest in big band music. In Mikeys by Robert J. Sawyer, the support team stumbles into an artifact. In The Franchise by Julie E. Czerneda, refugees from the Quill menace reopen a lost station.

In Follow the Sky by Pamela Sargent, a ward of the state gets an urge to roam. In Auriga's Streetcar by Jean Rabe, a salvage operator finds evidence of aliens on an abandoned station. In Falling Star by Brendan DuBois, an ex-astronaut returns to his hometown to be met with antipathy. In Countdown by Russell Davis, the station commander has stayed behind while the computer counts down to auto-destruct. In Serpents on the Station by Michael Stackpole, a Catholic priest finds herself among alien hedonists.

In First Contact Cafe by Irene Radford, the station manager encounters a new type of alien from Texas. In Orbital Base Fear by Eric Kotani, the support team warns of a storm, but the primary team tries to land anyway. In Black Hole Station by Jack Williamson, a man searches for his father on an abandoned research station. In Station Spaces by Gregory Benford, the team terraforming Luna merge humans and computers into something different and dangerous.

Although the common theme in these stories is space stations, the authors have approached the subject from many directions. Two of the stories -- Mikeys and Orbital Base Fear -- actually have the same initial scenario, but diverge rapidly thereafter. In Falling Star, the space station is not even evident except in the background.

Not one of these stories is a dud. The Battle of Space Fort Jefferson is filled with subtle humor. Redundancy is a real tear jerker. Mikeys is a winner of an underdog story. Any reader of science fiction will surely find something to like in these tales.

One of the best stories, in my opinion, is Dancers of the Gate, for its high tech ambiance and its offbeat solution to a problem. However, this story has a technical blooper, a geosynchronous station above the planetary north pole. See my guide on Orbits in Science Fiction for the reason why this is not possible.

Highly recommended for anybody who enjoys science fiction tales about living and working in space.

-Arthur W. Jordin