When considering what to read next, I had to ask myself…what had I not read lately? The answer being science fiction. And anthologies. And wouldn’t you just know it, I’ve got more than a few things that fit that bill.
What I settled on was something that truly is a bit different from anything I’ve read in a while. Not just sci-fi, but military sci-fi. Not just an anthology, but a shared world. This is The Fleet, edited by David Drake and Bill Fawcett.
A few years back I was trying desperately to find new things to read and bought books simply because they checked a single box instead of several on the off chance that they’d work out for me. So when I saw a few volumes of The Fleet at a Half Price, I figured I might as well. Which then delayed when I could read them because of course the first book hadn’t been at that store. In fact, I didn’t get the rest until this past August and my book-based road trip.
I feel like the concept for The Fleet is self-evident, but I can lay it out regardless. Humans are a spacefaring race with numerous colonized planets. And they’ve come up against a species that seems utterly uninterested in peace on anyone’s terms but their own. These are the Khalia, nicknamed Weasels for comparable builds and attitudes.
The book is, as I said, an anthology with stories by a variety of authors, many of whom are notable names in the field. But what really sells it – makes the whole thing humorous actually – are the interludes that create a connective tissue between the tales.
From the mind of Bill Fawcett, the interludes show us a Public Relations officer of the Fleet who is tasked with convincing the civilians to accept higher taxes in order to better support the war effort. As such, he’s going through the records and recordings looking for a properly heroic figure to become the face of the campaign. Unfortunately, there just doesn’t seem to be anything that fits his bill. Either because the victory was based on a trick, or it all took place in the dark, or something else entirely. And yet, this is what makes the book so much better. Because we’re not getting the stereotypical story. We’re getting the weird and sidelined for our heroes.
Janet Morris starts things off, before the first interlude even, with “The Collaborator”. Which is so appropriate in so many ways. Not just because she created Heroes in Hell, another shared world of the eighties, but also because this entire book is a collaboration. And yet…the story itself is grim. A planet called Eire is under attack by Khalians. But it’s hard to mourn the destruction of its culture when the people their have backslid to a feudal system that sees them enslaving their fellow humans. This tale serves to introduce us to the conflict, the enemy, the fact that humans are most definitely still not perfect, and the fact that not all endings are happy.
“The Two That it Took” by John Brunner takes us back to the beginning of the human/Khalian conflict. When it was still just the disappearance of the odd ship or two. We see the start of the conflict from the human side, as a scout is searching for evidence of a missing ship. We also get a bit into the Khalian mindset and see what might have been the first planetside encounter between the two species. It’s noted that much of this story is unknown in terms of the fictional history. Some parts weren’t recorded, others were overlooked and extrapolated. It’s always fascinating to me what facts (or “facts”) are remembered and how centuries later.
Bill Fawcett offers “Tradition” for how someone, who got their posting due to nepotism, is still nonetheless not an idiot. They’re just not ideally suited for their role. And yet, nevertheless, there is a job they know well and between that and a bit of ingenuity, they might just manage to pull off a great victory.
“Bolthole” comes from Jody Lynn Nye and we see – how timely – Fleet medical officers delivering vaccines. But there’s an unexpected Khalian raid on the same planet at the same time. But such raids aren’t unknown…or unprepared for.
Margaret Weis mixes humor with sobriety in “The Thirty-Nine Buttons”. Our protagonist seems to be more than a bit of a self-important idiot and, frankly, only has himself to blame for the situation he finds himself in. And yet, there is that sober note in there…
“Klaxon” is a Robert Sheckley story and might just be one of my favorites in this book. Overlooking the fact that the main character seems to be out for her M.R.S. degree, it’s actually a nice little twist. I mean, I saw most of it coming, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it.
Steve Perry takes things in a different direction with “Contrapuntal”. This time our characters are Ndege, a race allied with the Khalia. And this is a set piece of Ndegian culture and thought processes. I mean, I like xenopsychology. There’s just one aspect to this story that I question.
“Pay Tribute to the Fleet” is, weirdly enough, by none other than Gary Gygax. Father of Dungeons & Dragons and this is the first time I’ve read any of the man’s fiction. Okay then. His story is about a fringe planet that is technically part of the Alliance (of humans and other worlds) but resenting it. See, the Alliance only allows for its own Fleet to be a military force. This sounds good in theory, but when they’re never around to deter a Khalian raid, either because they didn’t know or missed it by a couple days, people become resentful. And decide to find their own defense.
Poul Anderson’s story “The Only Bed to Lie In” shifts the focus to veterans. Not just any veterans either, but ones who find themselves almost abandoned in the wake of the Khalian war heating up. Some of them allowed their bodies to be modified to better serve in certain environments. People who had made friends with the natives. Natives that would now suffer because their human protectors were ordered home. It’s a tale of vignettes, with a through line shown in a reporter’s eyes.
“Duty Calls” Anne McCaffrey to answer the call! And we’ve got a reference to my absolute favorite of her series, the Brainships. It’s not obvious at first, but the pilot here is basically a brainship. He wasn’t always encased, which gives him a good balance of experience with flesh and blood people as well as flying his ship. Also there’s a catwoman and I kind of love this story?
Finally we end with David Drake’s “Rescue Mission”. A major Fleet operation against a Khalian base. Behind the scenes, to rescue an admiral’s son. But there’ll be a surprise cameo calling back to that first story, as well as all the on-the-ground military action a reader might have been craving by this point in the book.
Overall, The Fleet is pretty solid. It reminds me most of the Bolo books, as those are also shared world anthologies (those that aren’t novels, but that’s besides the point). I’m a little surprised to find that this is also from the eighties – the cover style and art have a definite nineties feel to them. It does make sense though, I’ve already discussed that the eighties were a prime decade fro shared worlds and it’s where you see so very many rise. Some of which still exist today.
I won’t say that this book is free from issues. Being military sci-fi, it’s very male-dominated. Annoying, but true. There are still several strong female characters throughout, even if only four out of eleven authors are women. And there’s definite issue with how some of the women are portrayed. I mentioned one who, aside from narrating the story, seems mostly interested in finding a man. And we’ve got some lovely virgin/whore complexes and, best of all, actual incest. I’ve seen worse – I’ve refused to own books that have worse – but that doesn’t make any of these things good to find.
Of course, these complaints make slightly more sense in the context of a 1988 publication date, but that doesn’t mean we should just nod and accept them. It’s more understandable, but that doesn’t mean it should be more acceptable. The discussion has been gaining more traction in recent years that yes, people should still read the classics (of speculative fiction), but we have to acknowledge the flaws in the works and the authors who created them. Racism, homophobia, sexism…it’s all there in black and white. It’s our job to be responsible readers and understand that we’re still allowed to like the story, as long as we know that it is flawed and should not be taken as holy writ.
That makes me think about fandoms today and how people allow that small part of their identity to dictate their lives, but that is a very long tangent and I am not up for it today. Nor do I think I’m up for more of The Fleet tomorrow, but I can worry about that part in the morning.