� e Monthly Aspectarian

three novels reprinted in The Legend
of Jig Dragonslayer all feature this
very likeable goblin who somehow
wins despite the odds. That lets us see
“Below” (in the text) that which is
“Above” (good wins!)
S. L. Viehl has this long-running
series called Stardoc about an artifi cial
intelligence shaped as a woman, who
believes she is a woman, and who is
a healer, and maybe a weapon, in an
interstellar war. She fi nally unravels
the truth about who and what she is in
Dream Called Time, but that raises a
lot more questions. This entire novel
is a showdown, a set of climaxes to a
long story. This is where the artifi cial
intelligence gives that little smile and
says to her opponents, “Let’s dance.” If
you haven’t been reading Stardoc, start
with the novel titled Stardoc.
I’ve been following Celia Jerome’s
In The Hamptons series since Daw
sent me the fi rst one. It’s an ongoing
urban fantasy story, so I recommend
you start with Trolls In The Hamptons.
This little town in the Hamptons is at
the intersection with another dimension
where magical creatures abide. They
aren’t supposed to come over here, but
something about Willow Tate’s magical
gift attracts them. She can communicate
with them by drawing, as she draws and
writes graphic novels for a living. In
Life Guards In The Hamptons, Willow
Tate once again must confront the
overwhelming forces re-shaping her
life, against her will.
Celia Jerome is using the structure
of a typical amateur detective novel
where each novel is a “case” that
drops into the detective’s life (Willow
Tate). The story is about how Willow
Tate struggles to meet book deadlines
despite the “cases” she has to cope with,
solve, resolve via confrontation. She
is resisting being manipulated by her
grandmother. Often she ends up in a
magical battle to protect the town full
of people. Sometimes they help. Her
compassion is her undoing.
Jack McDevitt is doing something
very similar, but in a more science
fi ction interstellar setting where the
“magic” is science beyond our current
ability to understand. Alex Benedict,
the amateur detective, is an antiques
auctioneer, a fellow who buys and sells
42 Th e Monthly Aspectarian - March 2013
unique artifacts usually of artistic value,
often with archeological value. It’s a
profession akin to that of a detective,
needing vast amounts of expertise,
powers of observation, and Sherlock
Holmes level logic.
In each Alex Benedict novel, some
artifact, or an estate that must be closed
out, drops into his life. Benedict is
famous enough to be a TV talk show
guest upon occasion, so everything
interesting ends up in his life!
In Firebird, the sixth Alex Benedict
novel, mysteries discovered in previous
novels begin to be solved. Benedict has
to auction off the estate of a physicist
who is famous in the fringe-science
community, perhaps the most scoffed
at among the fringe crackpots for his
theories about former civilizations in
the galaxy. As Benedict suspects the
truth, then proves it, we get a sense of
a galaxy-spanning mystery emerging, a
mystery that affects our ideas about who
and what humanity is. The past matters,
pay attention.
McDevitt’s terse, precise prose
creates a refreshing, fast-paced, hardhitting
mystery/detective series as
award-worthy as his Nebula Award
work. You don’t have to read these in
order, though it helps.
From all these novels, it’s possible
to learn to dance with adversaries
such as advertisers, politicians, and
others who are treating you the way
the miscreants in these novels treat the
amateur detectives—with misdirection,
covert actions, hidden clues, and outfl
anking maneuvers.
One of my favorite TV shows was
on again this summer, Burn Notice
on the USA Network (Characters
Welcome) season seven, I think. You
can get previous seasons on Amazon
streaming video, Netfl ix and elsewhere.
Michael Westin is a spy—just like a
detective who has to fi nd out something
other people want very urgently to
keep from him. But he’s no amateur.
In the season opener in June, Michael
has found the man who “burned” him
(kicked him out of his spy job without
I.D.). Michael and his friends leave a
trail of explosions across Miami as they
chase their quarry of several seasons,
and fail to nab him. This leaves Fiona,
one of the team, in jail framed for
murder, and Michael at his wits’ end.
The fellow Michael’s been chasing
is a con artist who uses Michael’s
love for his mother, for Fiona, and
his willingness to sacrifi ce himself
for the good of others, as weapons to
manipulate Michael into doing things
Michael considers evil. For the good
of others, Michael has done things that
make him emotionally unstable, one
might say, that make him hate himself.
He has to save Fiona by proving that
this man, who was a spy boss with
power over Michael, who may not be
the only rotten apple in the FBI/CIA
barrel, is the murderer.
Burn Notice is plausible because
the plot choreography replicates some
elements in modern politics.
Send books for review in this column
to: Jacqueline Lichtenberg, email jl@
simegen.com for instructions.
Tell me what you like and I’ll
tell you what you are.
—John Ruskin
e meaning of life is to give
life meaning.
—Ken Hudgins
A di cult time can be more
readily endured if we retain
the conviction that our
existence holds a purpose - a
cause to pursue, a person to
love, a goal to achieve.
—John Maxwell
Outstanding people have one
thing in common: an absolute
sense of mission.
—Zig Ziglar