The Caphenon (Chronicles of Alsea, #1)

I never read Ms. Delaney's previous works because they are based on StarTrek, and I'm really not into StarTrek and its derivatives. But I am into sci-fi, and since there is a disturbing lack of sci-fi within lesbian fiction, I gave it a go, fully expecting a strong ST influence and with a determination to try and enjoy the story without over-analyzing things, something that is ruining my reading pleasure as of late. (I know where to put the blame for that, and its on me).

The ST influence is strong in this story, with a Prime Directive, a Federation of FTL- capable worlds and at some point even a Vulcan mind-meld (or whatever it was called in the series).

Basically, it's a First Contact story, and a violent one at that. We have a peaceful world, pretty advanced in cultural, scientific and mental capabilities, which as the story starts is pondering the existence of other worlds among the stars, but firmly believe they are alone. And they are throroughly disabused of that idea within a single night and they find themselves a pawn in a galactic struggle. Thankfully, the aliens that crash on their planet are benevolent and come with a warning.

I'll admit, the story is solid and well-written. It's action-packed, friendships develop and morals fought over. And that fight takes place on both sides, as the Alseans show their teeth when they hear they're about to be sacrificed. It ends in a planet-wide battle, and while there is plenty firepower around, the crucial weapon is an ability that makes the Alseans both feared and desired galaxy wide. Yet having to use that abilty leaves deep scars behind. It was an interesting twist to the story.

At first, I thought First Contact was a bit too sweet and there were no issues one would come to expect when you find out that you are not alone in the universe (anyone else hoping our turn can't come soon enough?).

The main characters were likeable, the author did a good job of painting some of the social and cultural aspects of Alsea and its civilization. The romance, while playing a big role in the events, was decidedly muted (which can be a good thing after one has overdosed on a certain author before starting this) but a deep friendship develops between the three main characters.

Overall, I liked the story, and I will read the sequel at some point in time.

Now, because I promised Jem I reserved the right to bitch about technology, I will point out some things that didn't make sense to me. I did my best (and I think I succeeded) to not let it get to me, but I have some observations.

From what I gathered throughout the book, the world of Alsea is a peaceful one. They had their fair share of troubles in the past, but at the start of the book they had no domestic issues and they had no reason to think of being invaded in the long term. Then why do they have an extensive militairy apparatus? They have an army and an airforce that includes fighters and bombers. What would you need to bomb? What targets are there to fire shoulder launched missiles at? I could understand a police force, but as far as I can tell, an army is superfluous. Of course, they'd need an army to fight of invaders, but they had no idea one was coming. To me, the warrior caste was just a plot device to put to use later on.

Another issue I had was with the matter printers. Besides the economical ramifications of such a device (which, I understand, plays a role in the sequel), there's also the issue of how it would work. There's an explanation that it converts waste into whatever you need, but that's just mindboggling. If you think about it, you need an equal amount of matter to create some other matter, not to mention the energy needed to power that process. A large city needs all of it's windows replaced, which amounts to a metric tons of matter conversion. Am I to understand that metric tons of poo are converted to metric tons of glass? If so, I need to re-evaluate my diet. I'm pretty sure I don't eat silica.

While it makes a great visual, I cannot see how anyone can think of a large metal box on legs makes a viable militairy weapons platform (I blame Star Wars). And it has the Ultimate Laser of Instant Doom on it. Then why bother with adding missiles, mortars and a railgun? And it takes an anthropologist to point out the one exploitable weakness the otherwise invincile contraption has. I'll admit that had some comedic value.

I'm not trying to trash the story or the writer here. I just want to illustrate that visuals and ideas may look great at first glance and make marvelous plotdevices. It's necessary. But sometimes I wish authors would think something through at bit more.

3.5 stars.