In the Black by Patrick S. Tomlinson

Published by Tor on October 13, 2020

In the Black is a fun mix of space opera and military science fiction. It is also a story of interstellar intrigue involving a fragile peace between humans and aliens that may be undermined by traitors on both sides.

Susan Kamala commands a warship owned by the Combined Corporate Defense Fleet. Her cruiser, the Ansari, is patrolling near a colonized planet called Grendel. In relative terms, Grendel is near the treaty line that divides corporate space from free space. A Xre ship commanded by a Xre called Thuk has been quietly picking off recon drones in corporate space. Kamala is not amused. In defiance of orders designed to forestall interstellar war, she launches a clandestine attack that bedevils the Xre.

Ageless Corporation has a controlling interest in Grendel. The CEO of Ageless is Tyson Abington. Although Ageless is in competition with two other major corporations, it has teamed with them on a project involving Grendel. News of the skirmish with the Xre also jeopardize Ageless’ interests if it were publicized. Another of the Ageless projects hits a snag when a bulk carrier returning from a mining operation is infected by a plague. News of the plague leaks, sending investors into a tizzy and leading Abington to suspect there is a spy in his camp. Among Abington’s lesser problems is his executive assistant. She’s an AI but the new body that Abington gifted her at her request has apparently made her horny.

There are also problems on board Thuk’s ship, which seems to have been sabotaged. Those problems force Kamala to choose between war and humanitarian diplomacy as Thuk’s ship nears the treaty line. The problems affect Kamala more directly when the Defense Fleet appears to regard her with disfavor.

The plot builds tension that befits an action novel, but key characters display a sense of humor that balances the tension. Kamala, Abington, and Thuk all have convincing personalities that add credibility to the story. Patrick S. Tomlinson’s intelligent plot emphasizes diplomacy as much as military conflict and takes a surprising twist by the novel’s end. The story does not end at that point, however, as In the Black is the first novel in a series. Since the novel moves quicky and is free of padding, the story merits another novel.

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Starship Repo by Patrick S. Tomlinson

Published by Tor Books on May 21, 2019

As the title implies, Starship Repo falls into the category of science fiction stories that are intended to amuse the reader. It succeeds in that task by combining a basic science fiction action novel with some running jokes and imaginative aliens.

Firstname Lastname got her name from a mistaken data entry at a refugee center, but she goes by First during the novel. First has traveled far from home and is the only human most of the aliens she encounters have ever seen. Unfortunately for them, if they don’t keep a hand or tentacle on their wallet, she’ll probably take it.

First is in the process of stealing a car when the car steals her, depositing her in the penthouse of its owner. Since she has a knack for stealing cars, he blackmails her into joining his repo business. As the title suggests, he repossesses starships.

The plot follows First as the repo crew she joins uses a variety of schemes to take possession of various crafts, including a band’s spacefaring tour bus, a racer, a cruise ship, and a casino. Since First is the protagonist and since humans in sf novels are traditionally more clever than aliens, First devises most of the ploys to gain access to the ships and (in the case of the cruise ship and the casino) to evacuate passengers before seizing the vessel.

First’s exploits involve a fair amount of action, but since this is a comedy, there is little worry that any likeable characters will be irreparably injured. The plot is really just a mechanism for introducing imaginative aliens, including First’s best friend (who is something like a giant sloth that moves too slowly for any motion to be obvious) and the boss of the repo outfit, whose race assembles a variety of independently sentient components into an organic individual.

I appreciated the imagination that went into the development of the aliens and I chucked occasionally at the plot. First is a likeable if familiar protagonist, a plucky young woman who relies on her wits to get herself into and out of dangerous situations. I can’t rave about Starship Repo (there aren’t any ROFL moments and character development is minimal), but it works well enough as a diverting science fiction comedy to earn a recommendation.

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