For the sake of completeness, thought I’d post a review of Snare, which I just read for the second time. Unfortunately, there are spoilers in what follows.

It’s always a bit of a departure for Katharine Kerr to write anything other than one of her series of fantasy novels, but at first glance this would appear to be more of the same. The cover design shows a man dressed in clothes that would fit any (non-technological) era, carrying some kind of staff, with some kind of mythical flying creature in the background. He could indeed be a Deverry man, with his riding brigga and battle spear.

But this impression is somewhat mitigated by the US cover art, which (though much lower quality) seems to show a blonde woman, dressed in Native American (Plains Indian) gear, but shadowed by a huge, dinosaur like creature who is echoing her gestures. Have to say, though: why to American readers have to put up with such shitty covers?

So. Fantasy or not?

Actually, [spoiler alert] Snare is the name of a planet, and the humans who live there (sharing the single continent with the indigenous species) have travelled there at some time in their distant past, in space ships.

Science Fiction, then, but this is not some deep-future space opera about impossibly sophisticated and advanced cultures. Instead, it’s about several different cultures, experiencing an uneasy coexistence amidst myths, forgotten technology, garbled history, and twisted religions. In fact, as I’ve said before, it’s an ideal (and gentle!) introduction to Science Fiction for the Fantasy fan. Or vice-versa, I suppose

There’s a hint of controversy here, because one of the three disparate human groups on the planet are the so-called Kazraks, descendents of fundamentalist muslims who sought to colonise their own planet, away from the corrupting influence of other societies and religions. Their culture, however, has degenerated over hundreds of years into a rigid military society, ruled with fear and terror and controlled by a secret arm of the military called The Chosen. Some Kazraks, however, are planning a revolution, having heard rumours that on of the Great Khan’s brothers, thought murdered, is still alive.

But – if alive – he’s living in exile at some distance, in the middle of the third group of settlers in an area known as the Cantons. In between the Kazraks and the Cantons is the second group of settlers, the Plains People, who lead a nomadic existence and trade horses with both sides.

This bizarre set of human circumstances is complicated by the presence of the natives of the planet, known as the Cha Meech.

The plot of the novel concerns the journey of a group of Kazraks, led by a “sorcerer” from the Cantons, across the plains to meet up with the exiled Jezro Khan. They’re pursued, in a fashion, by one of The Chosen (Zayn Hassan), who joins up with a company of Plains riders (called a Comnee) and allies himself with a Spirit Rider called Ammadin. The Comnees have their horse-based society, but they also have preternaturally good health, great strength, strong family resemblances, and a set of rules (or Banes) that they live by. Spirit Riders, in particular, are revered for their ability to heal, advise, and scout ahead, using their treasured Spirit Crystals.

But what seems to be a society based on that of the Plains Indians of North America turns out, of course, to be something quite different. Initially sceptical of the spirits and magic utilised by Ammadin, Zayn comes to see their real power, and begins to doubt his own beliefs. Ammadin herself, too intelligent not to be questioning the basis of her beliefs, leads Zayn into the Cantons, where they both discover the truth about their existence.

How did three such disparate cultures end up sharing the same small amount of land on a strange planet far from home? What is the origin of the technology behind the Spirit Crystals? Why are the Plains People so strong and long-lived? What is the origin of the long list of Banes that these people live by? Who created the strange document known as The Sybilline Prophecies? Why has everybody forgotten where they came from and why?

Like a lot of SF, then, this is at heart a mystery story. You read not just for the plot but to find answers to the questions that occur to you early on in the book. Over 600 pages, the questions are answered. It’s mostly satisfying in that respect. While you get multiple points of view, you inevitably end up sympathising with some characters more than others, and you wish that the narrative point of view would stay with them.

This is a good, chunky read (600 pages), that could easily be twice as long and remain as satisfying. In fact, one negative criticism is that everything is too neatly explained and tied up by the end, whereas you might wish for some mysteries to remain unanswered so that there could be a sequel or two. Both times I’ve read this, I’ve found myself thinking of how this would be as a long-running TV series, like Firefly might have been. Apart from the difficulty is creating a convincing alien landscape (orange and purple vegetation, away from the two permanent human settlements) and convincing Cha Meech and other alien species, this is in the end about strong characters and plot, which makes it ideal for an adaptation. In the end it’s too good, though, too far from home, to ever get so far.