Review: Freefall into a great short story
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 21, 2012
I don't usually read short stories but having read the entire available books from the series The Kolian Chronicles I decided to read the short stories that Alex Le Soum has written. I love the series and so knew I would love the short stories because they are about the same characters.I read Freefall already knowing Hammer Mehran (Sharif junior) but it was a pleasure to have my opinion of him vindicated when I discover he has always been a nice guy.Sure his sexual exploits are many and he can be ruthless but the character has a core of goodness when it comes to helping people, looking after the underdog and being `really nice' (shall we say) to women.The writer shows pluck starting the story with a sex scene and I think it's supposed to be light-hearted and introduce you to the side of Hammer's character that does enjoy sex whilst giving the reader insight into Aisha's character. The whole Kolian race has an irreverent attitude to sex whilst engaging in it freely and even when they do disapprove of it they are not afraid to talk about it. A lot of the dialogue between Aisha and Hammer in this short story is amusing and explains their love hate relationship perfectly.The rescue on the mining station and the subsequent social comment in the story is very well written. Science fiction being just that, fiction, it was easy to believe in the space suits, ships, and the mining operation in general as this writer draws you into the story.Freefall has humor, excellent dialogue, and adventure. If you like short stories or are using this as an introduction to this superb science fiction writer's work you can't go wrong. Five stars.