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Caine Riordan, a Heinleinesque protagonist is a participant in first contact with a federation of alien races who must decide whether to accept humankind as a member (or not, with unspecified consequences). Also at plat are a secretive security organization, ISIS, a mystery which costs Riordan many years in suspended animation, space battles and assassination attempts, and intelligent and thought provoking and a few space battles. Things are not what they seem at many levels, and hidden agendas abound.

This novel is the first in a series (tales of the Terran Republic). Although Fire by Fire’s plot is fully developed, there are so many irons in the fire that the book seems unfinished; you’ll have to look to the next book for answers. Fortunately, that book, Trial by Fire, is now available and I’ve just ordered it. I can’t wait.

Balticon 50’s come and gone. It was not without controversy. There with problems in double booking panelists and showing incorrect panel locations. Some panel rooms were on floors used for guest accommodations and resulted in complaints about noise. There were also some issues involving hotel security staff. BSFS posted an apology for the problems on its Facebook page.

By way of defense, the con was in a new hotel, and was very much larger than any previous Balticon, both in the way of guests (with G.R.R Martin as GOH) and in attendee count.

Not that any defense is needed. My reply to those who have complaint would be to refer to Theodore Roosevelt’s words:

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

Balticon is run by volunteers who did yeoman’s duty in pulling together and managing, as best they could, the amazing program. My own personal regret is that I didn’t volunteer to help.

I had the pleasure of seeing, at the opening ceremonies, two BSFS Writer’s Circle comrades accept awards for first and second place entries in the BSFS 2015 Amateur Writing Contest, Chris Rose for “A Thousand Solomons” (the story’s printed in the program), and T. Eric Bakutis for his story “Hunted”.

The highlight of the convention was the ‘Bring ‘em Back’ program, which attempted to bring back as many Balticon guests of honor as possible. Here’s the (partial) result:

From left to right: George R. R. Martin, Jo Walton, Joe Halderman, Jody Lynn Nye, Charles Stross, Connie Willis, Larry Niven, Peter S. Beagle, Steve Barnes, Steve Miller, Sharon Lee, Kaja Foglio, Phil Foglio, Harry Turtledove, Allen Steele, Donald Kingsbury, and Nancy Springer.

This review contains a few spoilers.

The news story of the past week (ignoring the current political circus) has been the death and funeral of Nancy Reagan, and much of it has centered on the love story that was Ronald and Nancy Reagan.

I find it a fitting frame for a discussion of Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen, which is also a love story, albeit in Bujold fashion, which is to say, with a few twists. Bujold’s described the book as “not a war story. It is about grownups.”  She’s made comments that it’s difficult to market, that she expects it to be controversial, and that perhaps it should come with a warning label for her readers.

That may well be true. We fiction fans often don’t want to grown-ups; sometimes we want simple escapism. And Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen is certainly quite different from some of the most popular Vorkosigan novels: it’s not a space opera, and Miles isn’t center-stage. On the other hand, the sixteen preceding Vorkosigan books aren’t of one stripe. Consider, in no particular order, Falling Free, Ethan of Athos, Komarr, Cryoburn, and A Civil Campain.

Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen takes place three years after we learn of Aral’s death at the end of Cryoburn. Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan is Vicereine of the planet Sergyar where she and Aral, as Viceroy, retired after relinquishing Aral’s roles as Prime Minister and Emperor Gregor’s Regent. Sergyar is also where Aral and Cordelia met, almost a half century earlier, she as a Betan Survey Ship Captain, he as the Captain of a Barrayan warship. Their love affair and marriage are described in Shards of Honor and Barrayar.

Oliver Jole is presently Admiral of the Sergyar fleet. We first met him as Aral’s secretary; he’s mentioned in a few of the novels, but only as a minor character.

He and Cordelia are the viewpoint characters of Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen. We soon learn that he was Aral’s lover. We know from Barrayar that Aral was bisexual; his horrific affair with Ges Vorrutyer after the death of Aral’s first wife, Ges’ sister, is related in Shards of Honor. That affair was common knowledge; Oliver’s long-term relationship with Aral, which was also a polyamory with Cordelia, was a secret known only to the principals and to Simon Illyan, head of the Barrayaran Imperial Secret Service during Aral’s time as Prime Mister and Regent.

Thus, when Bujold calls this novel ‘about grownups,’ one of the adult themes she refers to is the nature of secrets and openness in relationships. It becomes more of an issue when Cordelia and Oliver become lovers again. And when Cordelia, who’s decided to have a child with her dead husband Aral through the use of a frozen gamete, suggests that Oliver do likewise, using his genes and another frozen gamete, forcing him to make a life-changing decision. And yet again, when her son Miles, who has not known of the affair, comes to visit.

The questions involved are many and complicated. The role of technology such as uterine replicators and genetic manipulation in reproduction. Of age and sex: Cordelia is, I think, in her late sixties. Of what’s public and what’s private, and how even well-meaning secrets have a way of coming back to bite you. Of what to tell the children.

Ultimately, I think, the question at the heart of Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen is, simply, whose life is it?. It’s an issue to which we can all relate; culture change and technology collide in our world just as they do in Cordelia and Oliver’s universe.

Farpoint 2016 has come and gone (February 12-14.) It’s the first convention of the year for many in the Baltimore / DC area. It’s a respite from the mid-winter blues- after Kayla, the massive storm that slammed the east coast at the beginning of the month, we needed one.

Farpoint’s a little hard to describe, and the program doesn’t do it justice. It’s small, friendly and informal, It was founded by Star Trek fans and is a Trek convention, but it’s certainly not a Creation Con. This year’s headliners were David Gerrold and Firefly’s Sean Maher.

Following Friday night’s cocktail party, Prometheus Radio Theatre aired a hilarious radio spoof, THE BATMAN! Sean Maher and Keith DeCandito acted rolls very professionally, when they could keep from laughing. The send-up was a great example of the party nature of Farpoint. Last year’s GOH was Colin Ferguson; my wife, who’s a fan but who couldn’t attend, hasn’t gotten over it yet.

2016 is Star Trek’s golden anniversary (can you believe it?), and David Gerrold, the author of one of my favorite TOS episodes, “The Trouble With Tribbles” as well as many other scripts, series consultations, spin-off novels (and the great book The World of Star Trek) brought his wealth of knowledge. He’s not only a Hugo and Nebula winning author, he’s a big fan, and it shows.

Star Trek and Star Wars are universes, and it takes a lot of words to fill a universe. Over the past 23 years Farpoint’s attracted and keeps attracting a ton of writers- this year,  thirty of them.  Farpoint may be a Trek convention, but it’s pretty literary. Panels involving these guys and gals- Allyn Gibson Howard Weinstein, Bob Greenberger, David Mack, Michael Jan Friedman to name a few- have taught me a lot and rekindled my enthusiasm over the years. A recent innovation, an ‘Author’s Alley’, gives these folks a chance to sell their books, do readings, hang out and chat.

Farpoint’s like a reunion, a chance to see people you don’t see often but whose company you always enjoy. I’ll be back next year. I wouldn’t miss it.