Review: Interplanetary Politics
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 23, 2012
StarportA nation in economic trouble in an election year where a minority figure is the president and fuel problems fueled by religious extremists are a main election topic, this isn't a book it's today's newspaper. Actually it is a book and a good one at that. `Starport' by John Bowers takes us far into the future to examine issues we face today. It's a scifi political thriller with plenty of action and fast paced, intelligent dialogue.The main character is President Muriel Enza, a beautiful intelligent woman who holds her own among the good ol' boy politicians who surround her. Her opponent senator Barry Boyd is as charming as he is ruthless. His need for power is an addiction so strong it almost completely controls him. Lesser works have taken this element alone and forged a novel from it. Bowers however surrounds his characters with constantly changing plots and subplots that help to keep the reader guessing.Enza's faced with a shaky economy and a dwindling fuel supply as the nation's major supplier is caught in a civil war and saboteurs are bombing storage tanks. Boyd pounces on the unstable situation to gain political advantage. The political intrigue and backroom deals add a complete new dimension to the story that I found particularly interesting.With many political novels there are so many behind the scene characters it becomes laborious to sort through them. This leads to a confused read that detracts from the work. But Bowers has a writing style that's direct and easy to understand. He uses straight forward descriptions that are enjoyable without getting too flowering or over he top.The subplots involving crime, military operations, and a president's inner turmoil over breaking international (in this case interplanetary) law to retain power kept my interest. I read this with a jaundiced attitude partially expecting to be let down. Scifi isn't a preference of mine but I was won over very early into the read. The call girl recruited to be a spy, The not so innocent union leader, and the other characters were vivid and in depth. I found myself wanting to learn more about them.The author has a way of introducing characters as he allows the plot and subplots to unfold at a steady even passage. He never releases too much information to be predictable, and not enough to slow the pace.  He's also very good at evoking emotion from the reader. When he describes a sex scene between Senator Boyd and his secretary Cynthia it's depicts power and control over of emotion and concern. You feel the pain and humiliation of Cynthia being used and cast aside.Whether you're a scifi fan or not I'd suggest this piece. It's entertaining and interesting on numerous levels.