Catholic and Enjoying It!
Starting with The January Dancer. The whole series is just such a fun read, all set in a remote future of bards, spies, dashing heroes and cunning rebels where humanity has been thoroughly stirred with a stick (the names of the characters alone are wonderful hodgepodge of ethnicities that no longer mean anything like what our current assumptions train us to think they mean). Humanity has spread out across the Orion Arm, built a vast League of Worlds and seen that League crumble to ruin. There’s even the remnants of a Catholic Church still plugging away at it work in the post-Christian pagan culture where the memory of science is preserved in post-science legends about the god shree Einstein and the laws he decreed in competitions with the god shree Ricci and shree Newton.
Now the Orion Arm is dissolute and is run by a few competing Masters in possession of technology they no long understand but still know how to wield in a world where the strong do as they please and the weak suffer what they must. Into that world comes a curious object called the January Dancer–and odd bricklike stone that slowly twists and changes shape. It becomes the focal point of a Grand Pursuit that takes us to multiple worlds and lots of intrigue, scheming, clever escapes and a host of memorable characters. And, of course, there is a surprise ending which, on second reading, is even more cleverly constructed now that I see all the bread crumbs that Flynn laid earlier in the story.
The series just gets better and better with Up Jim River, In the Lion’s Mouth (my favorite), and On the Razor’s Edge (the very satisfying conclusion to the saga of our hero Donovan, whose mind has been split in multiple personae and who moves from tragic figure to hero over the course of the books). I’d love to see somebody turn these yarn into screenplays. I see a younger Grace Jones playing the delightful Ravn Olafsdottr, one of the many resourceful assassin spies who populate this world. Here is a bit of her wit and wisdom, courtesy of The O’Floinn himself:
“When diligently sought, it is best to be someone else.”
“All this miigimoos stop when enemy appear. Well, perhaps not all miigimoos.”
“We need bigger ship. Accoommodate Doonovan’s egoo.”
Mashdasan ran a hand across his cheek and chin. “Don’t be too certain, Deadly One. My loyalty is to the Confederation and to the Names.”
“Good. So be mine. Hooray for Confederation. Huzzah for Names. We do secret handshake later. Will you give me back my ship?”“Love doos not mean you nayver spank the little rascal.”
“Always problem with undercover. Better job you do, more your friends shoot at you.”
“The Lion’s Mouth sends you out in pairs, don’t they?”
Ravn nodded. “Usually. Second kills first if first falters. Nice system. Encourages heartfelt commitment to job.”
If you like big rollicking, clever adventure stories with really well drawn characters and smart ideas, this series will delight you for a good long while.
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