Carnival

by Elizabeth Bear

Bantam, 395 pp, $6.95

Carnival is a stand alone novel by the author of Worldwired and Hammered.

Old Earth is a world of spies wanting out from under the hand of the Governors, logical arbitrary responders to the eco problems and overpopulation of the past. They run the Coalition and want everyone subject to their rules. Vincent and Angelo two spies, who are back in service to act as homosexual lovers on a matriarchal world the Coalitions wants for energy source. But nothing is as it seems. Both have their own agendas. Amazona has it’s own rules and as many agendas. And they have few revolutionary groups as well. Behind every mask is still another and another. The power source the coalition wants is not Amazonia’s to trade, and the root of there is alien to all that seek it , and makes up it’s own mind.

 This is action adventure with intellectual stimulation , well realized characters and complete world[s] that holds your interest. The action is fast and byzantine with more twists and turns than a bowl of pasta. This is a book that is hard to put down, and you will want to read it again. This is a good time to get your plastic or paper out. - Pam Allan