Challenger’s Hope by David Feintuch
The 1995 sequel to ‘Midshipman’s Hope’. It is 2197 and Nicholas Seafort heads into the starways again on a ship full of arrogant colonists and violent transpop teenagers. The alien fish attack again. This is kind of racist also it is dated: mental illness is a stigma collectively called schizo, tech support are called Dosmen, New York is a ruined city full of either the super-rich or transpops who speak a poor people slang and the World Trade Centre still stands. A social worker is a bleeding heart, transpops are nicknamed trannies and Seafort is a self loathing, tyrannical tool who seems to be suffering from severe undiagnosed bipolar disorder. There is a crazy admiral, melodramatic dialogue, religious mania, info is stored on disks and there is a discovery made about the fish. It all compounds the problem of this unwarranted sequel. This is plain bad. The saga would continue in ‘Prisoner’s Hope’, ‘Fisherman’s Hope’, ‘Voices of Hope’, ‘Patriarch’s Hope’ and ‘Children of Hope’. Feintuch died in 2006 leaving the 8th volume ‘Galahad’s Hope’ in perpetual limbo.
Best Lines:
“May God damn you for that!”
“WAIT, YOU THING OF SATAN!”
“Those beasts have reached our home system.”
“I didn’t bring her back, the fish did!”
“You are damned irretrievably to hell everlasting.”
“A grimy boy shouted through the grillwork welded to the tour bus windows.”
~
Prisoner’ Hope by David Feintuch
More of the same with the bizzaro world future: slap music, steroplug, sterochip, holozines, public caller booths and atomic weapons banned after two nuclear wars. The fish return and somehow use bio weapons, there is sexism, rape as drama and an IRA mention. Captain Seafort and his emo self-pity is assigned to the Hope Nation colony. But the wealthy planters plan independence, the fish attack and Seafort does more emo whining. There is bullying, author tracts, religious insanity, hysteria, ass pull plotting and Seafort heads off to a new posting while wallowing in self inflicted misery.
Best Lines:
“Have you no gratitude? Men devote their lives to brining you supplies.”
“I had caused a nuclear detonation, an act so monstrous I would be loathed evermore.”
“You left him to die.”
“You will not express your resentment in my presence.”
“I grew up near the quarantine zone around Belfast; I’ve seen what nukes do, you bastard!”
“Society had endured enough mind alerted lunatics before the Era of Law succeeded the Rebellious Ages. Users were jailed, without mollycoddling.”
“I could brig him for his revealed abhorrence.”
“You’re evil and I hate you!”
“I will not be spoken to with contempt.”
“This is the United Nations, the Government ordained of Lord God!”
“After my trial, he can spit on me; I might even approve.”
“Some people want us to stop fighting the fish, pull back to home system, abandon the colonies if need be-”