The Tranquility Wars
   Gentry Lee
   (Associate Reviewer-D. H. BROWN)
  2000 Bantam Spectra Books, NY
   ISBN: 0553090089


For Hunter Blake, the future is bright indeed. After years of separation he has been reunited with the one woman he ever loved & he has been awarded an exclusive fellowship in the Federation of Independent Space Colonies which will bring him fame, fortune & success.

Still, all good things tend to gather flies to its sweetness & as tensions mount between rival neighboring colonies, roving space pirates take advantage of the hostilities, raiding & looting in the tradition of the disaffected. On such a raid both Hunter Blake & his love are kidnapped by an unusual band called the Utopians.

That's when the hero & heroine must choose between the enticing ideals of their captors & the callow conformity & shallow satisfactions of federation life.

When Arthur C. Clarke introduced us to Gentry Lee as the co-author of the Rama series, I was stunned that someone was equal to the task of co-authoring with this legend.

Well, Gentry Lee has proved quite capable & has started his own legend with the World of the Federation of Independent Space Colonies. I don't know if this author has a series in mind but as a reader of hard science fiction, I anticipate the possibility.

His characters are authentic, thoughtful & act like I would suppose those in the future will. Gentry Lee makes you root, in an understated way, for the under dog; his writing is extremely readable & his plot turns each page by itself.

Reading The Tranquility Wars & the life of Hunter Blake took me back to those thrilling days of yesteryear when, as a young man, I dreamed dreams & envisioned futures that today I still hope for. The moral dilemma are not only posed well, the solutions are plausible & laudable.

Gentry Lee comes by space adventures honestly, he has been chief engineer on Project Galileo; was director of science analysis & mission planning for NASA's Viking Mission to Mars & partner with Carl Sagan in the design & development & implementation of the television series Cosmos.

Will I read another Gentry Lee? Absolutely!

More from Gentry Lee: Bright Messengers; Double Full Moon Night & with Arthur C. Clarke: Cradle; Rama II; The Garden of Rama & Rama Revealed
(04/22/01)

David
A RebeccasReads.com Reviewer

Reviewer's Bio:
D. H. BROWN is the author of the critically acclaimed HONOR DUE and the Citizens Warrior Series. The son of missionary parents and with the help his Uncle Sam, he has touched base in more than 40 countries.  In 1986 he produced the independent children's film Lessie's Rainbow.  During the late 80s and early 90s, he wrote the book Common Sense and delivered the seminars of the same name for the Community Action Network of Seattle (CAN).  While doing his early Vietnam recovery work, he counseled Veterans and spoke widely to men's groups in Washington state, and was a founder of The Lodge of the Wolf.

D. H. BROWN has worked as a Logistics and Weapons Specialist in Viet Nam; day laborer; Director of Security; Armored Car Driver; Police Officer; Professional Hunting Guide; Trapper; Dog Sledder; Homesteader; Truck Driver; General Contractor; Minister; Editor; Writer; Speaker; Restaurateur; Movie Producer; Antique Restoration Specialist; Personal Care Worker; PC Repair Specialist; Computer Instructor; Webmaster and Web Designer. "I write about what I know."

He lives deep in the Pacific Northwest rainforest with his wife, author and editor Rebecca and Buddy Dog, working on his next book.
Visit him at: www.dhbrownbooks.com