"Wonderful back story on establishing the tower! True to the spirit of Darkover and all of its cultures and the change in personal values." --Nikki K, Amazon reader
More praise for The Laran Gambit, this from an Amazon reviewer:
"A compelling and excellent return to Darkover…such a great conflict and resolution…"
It has been a while since I've read a fantasy that, at first glance, appears to be categorized in the genre as clearly as The Seven-Petaled Shield. It is almost deceptive in this way. What the author does with the form, and the narrative is engaging, unique and managed to keep me up past my bed time a couple of nights. There are swords, there is sorcery and as the cover suggests, yes. A sea god does appear. Though to many, such themes are familiar territory, what she does with them, how they serve the narrative, and how all of this is viewed through her protagonist's unusually compassionate gaze is unique and engaging. I'm still digesting a lot of this as I've finished reading this book only recently, but one of the things that I noticed as I read it was having the thought, "Oh, this is another Chosen One story," and then of course having that perception proven wrong, which is an absolutely delicious experience as a reader. There are moments like this throughout the book, accomplished with deft prose and subtlety. I agree with another reviewer about how the mutli-cultured worldbuilding is handled well. For me, as a reader, I love a strong character, and in that regard this book does not disappoint. It was a joy getting to know her main character, Tsorreh. I will definitely read the rest of this series.
"A critical, inventive spin brings an exciting uniqueness to the good and evil quest theme." —Midwest Book Review
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The Laran Gambit has another five-star review!
Here's what literary scholar Tanja Nathanael says about Collaborators:
A deeply sympathetic portrayal from my friend and author Deborah J. Ross of the havoc that ensues when a damaged Earth ship arrives on an alien world. Misunderstandings and tragedies occur on both sides as a result of language and cultural differences. Most especially convincing, the Bandari--the feline gender fluid native population of the planet--are deftly constructed in terms of their biological, emotional, intellectual, and political motives. Like all good #scifibooks , Collaborators engages with the ethics of alien encounters and the consequences of making assumptions based on one's own limited world view.
Amazon (ebook and trade paperback)
B & N (ebook, trade paperback, and hardcover/laminated cover)
Ingram: (for your local bookstore orders)
Trade paperback: 9781952589003
Hardcover/dust jacket: 9781952589027
Deborah J. Ross opens Collaborators by flipping the script in a first contact scenario and not stopping there. In her story of a strange new world, the Terrans are the outsiders reaching in and the people of Chacarre and the Erlind are the normal, the everyday folk.
It’s through this flipped lens that the story first opens, a rare look at our version of humanity through the eyes of a different… humanity. Because, as details of this alien world get revealed, it becomes apparent that while some of the structures of Chacarran civilization are strikingly familiar, particularly in politics and protest, there are just as many cultural and biological differences, from gender constructs that transcend the binary on through to clan structures and societal languages hidden in the tremble of fur.
Ross brings us along to follow several life stories as they play out across the backdrop of the politics and perils of diplomacy and, as is almost inevitable when new cultures meet, mistakes are made. Brief windows into the lives and relationships of the Terrans first reveal an earnest attempt to stay neutral and avoid upsetting the balance between two nations in conflict, then a desire to do everything in their power to repair their ship so they can go home. As they overstay their welcome, the Terrans leverage first their influence and then their might. The logic is the same line we have all heard before both in real-life and fiction, to establish a new and stable rule of law so they can get the help they need and leave. The Chacarran and the Erlind start the story on the edge of conflict with each other, but as all the tragedies unfold, the truth of the Terran manipulation comes to light.
With the Terrans and the Chacarran now entangled in a conflict that none wants to continue, but neither can find a way out of, the storylines of our main characters all come together, each contributing their own piece to the final outcome and ultimately finding a way forward that everyone can live with.
This novel is a refresh of a work Ross originally published under the name of Deborah Wheeler, and as such, I feel it may have been a bit ahead of its time. The depth of the world and the complex relations feel much more at home among today's science-fiction trends than in previous decades and as such I am delighted I managed to catch this novel in it;s latest release. Deborah Ross is an expert worldbuilder and the care and attention she pays to developing the specifics of Chacarran culture and the diverse viewpoints of her world helps to put a fresh frame a complex story of first contact, political machinations and a revolution that everybody, even the invaders, wants to see succeed.
Here's where to order the book (ebook, trade paperback, and hardcover editions):
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