In Spin the Sky,
Stauber transforms the bones of the Odyssey into near space opera. Cesar Vaquero leaves home to fight in the
Spacer War, only to spend 15 years wandering before returning home. His wife Penelope is running the family ranch
and fending off suitors as best she can.
Homer’s islands are now orbitals, each one stranger and potentially more
deadly than the last.
A couple of things really stand out. First, the character development is
excellent. While this book has a fairly
large cast of characters, they feel fleshed out and developed. Minor characters feel more enigmatic than underdeveloped. There’s a sense of mystery with them (Asia,
for example) where you’d love to see more of their own stories. Secondly, the universe of Spin the Sky is a fascinating
place. The orbitals are diverse and wondrous
places. Again, there’s a sense that
other fantastic tales of this universe could be told.
***minor spoilers***
My major gripe is that a couple of plot points seemed
forced, rather than to come naturally from the characters. Why exactly did Cesar have to travel for 15
years before he could return home? Why
did the black hats need the Vaqueros’ cattle?
I’m no classics scholar, but I had a lot of fun making the
connections between Cesar’s misadventures and those of brave Ulysses.
No comments:
Post a Comment