Skinner by Richard S. McEnroe

Published by Bantam Books in December 1985

Skinner is the third (and, apparently, the last) novel in Richard McEnroe's "Far Stars and Future Times" series. There is an ad in the novel's back pages for a fourth book titled Chains of Knowledge, but it isn't included in McEnroe's bibliography and I've found no evidence that it was ever published.

Skinner begins on the planet Wolkenheim, where most of the action in Flight of Honor (the second book in the series) takes place. The Earth emigrants who settled Wolkenheim (the First Wavers) have implemented a scheme to make sure their hard-won prosperity isn't supplanted by newly arriving immigrants: anyone setting foot on Wolkenheim who can't establish his financial solvency is forced into indentured servitude -- serving, of course, the First Wavers. Chavez Blackstone has been scraping by on Wolkenheim, but after engaging in a drunken brawl with a member of the power structure, he's declared insolvent. He seeks off-world passage from ship's captain Moses Callahan, a character in The Shattered Stars (the first book in the series), but before he can make his escape he's captured and taken to the planet Trollshulm where he's put to work for the powerful Santer Family. The Santers make their living by producing dragonskin, a fabric that comes from dragons that are native to Trollshulm. The dragons are docile creatures until someone tries to kill them, which is the difficult job given to skinners -- and Blackstone's new vocation.

Seamlessly merging with the main plot is a story of economic and political intrigue as Eli Santer fights to save his fabric monopoly from a competing product, from a disloyal employee, and from new flight technology that will undermine his way of doing business. Joining the two plotlines is a woman who works for (and sleeps with) Santer, who feels compassion for the skinners he economically enslaves. Political machinations run through the story, but politics and economics take a back seat to the action, making Skinner a very readable novel. It's almost as good as Flight of Honor, although it feels like it was written a bit hastily, as if McEnroe had to cut some corners to meet a deadline. Still, Skinner is a worthwhile, intelligent read for sf fans. It's unfortunate that McEnroe didn't continue the series beyond the three fine novels that he produced.

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Flight of Honor by Richard S. McEnroe

First published in 1984

Flight of Honor is the second novel in the short-lived "Far Stars and Future Times" series. Its predecessor, The Shattered Stars, is a space opera in the classic vein. Flight of Honor is a more ambitious undertaking, a novel of political intrigue and alien culture that is reminiscent of C.J. Cherryh's work. The two novels are so different, in fact, it wouldn't be clear that they are part of the same Future History if the banner on the cover didn't tell us so.

The Galatian hold-lord is dead, and his first born, Cianna Canbhei, has ascended to that title. Her brother, second born Cian, feeling he can make no meaningful contribution to the family in his current role, decides to join the Consortium Mercantile. On his journey to the Consortium Enclave, Cian encounters the one-armed outcast Oin Ceiragh, who formerly served the Consortium and makes it his business to dissuade others from following that path. Oin (a Galatian who seems to resemble a cross between a Hobbit and The Incredible Hulk) tells Cian his story -- a story of joining the Terran Dani Yuen as an assassin for the Guild of Resolution, self-appointed protectors of the Earth, destroyers of those who oppress it, from polluting industrialists to religious zealots. A journalist who has been critical of the Guild's methods becomes Oin's target.

The novel deals with serious and timeless themes of honor, betrayal, duty, and fear. The two Galatians each believe the other has made choices based on fear rather than honor, while the Terran's involvement with Oin leads her to question her own commitment to the Guild. While McEnroe's story raises interesting questions about situational ethics and moral dilemmas that cannot easily be resolved, the novel never bogs down in heavy philosophical discussions. Plentiful action scenes and a brisk pace make this short novel a quick read, while its larger themes make it a satisfying one.

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The Shattered Stars by Richard S. McEnroe

Published by Bantam Books in January 1984

The Shattered Stars is an old fashioned space opera. There's nothing very original in the novel's components, but McEnroe assembles them effectively, creating a fun story that pits good guy underdogs against a bad guy telepath who seeks to increase his already immense power.  It represents a good start to the author's short-lived "Far Stars and Future Times" series.

Moses Callahan, an independent freight hauler, is stuck on Hybreasil with a lien against his ship (the Wild Goose) for unpaid docking and service charges when Axyll Jakubowski offers him a contract to deliver cargo to Avalon. Callahan accepts the offer and hires the last available pilot on Hybreasil, Deacon Hallorhan, a former member of the Marine Infantry who was an "enhanced" soldier, a killing machine who fought a successful but bloody battle at Mishima before being conditioned against violence and discharged. Jakubowski's cargo turns out to be a weapon that creates a nuclear reaction from any element. Just before the Wild Goose is scheduled to depart, Jakubowski is killed and two passengers come aboard, one of whom is acting as a node for James Emerson White, a rogue telepath. The ship's engineer and third crew member, Mitsuko "Spooky" Tamura, is a also telepath, a fact she tries to keep hidden. Her former instructor, Eisberg, enlists her unwilling assistance in dealing with White, who is a threat to the telepathic community. Conflicts emerge in due course as the Wild Goose makes its way to Avalon.

As a good guys vs. bad guys story, The Shattered Stars is a bit formulaic; there's not much doubt about the goodness of the good guys or the badness of the bad guys, nor is there much doubt about who will prevail -- although to be fair, there's at least one significant surprise in the ending. Nonetheless, for what it is, the novel is well done: actions scenes crackle with vivid descriptions of battle; the crew members of the Wild Goose are easy to cheer for; and the story, despite being formulaic, is satisfying. Fans of classic space opera could do worse than to pick up a copy of The Shattered Stars.

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