Arms-Commander, by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.

In Arms-Commander Modesitt revisits Recluce again, this time jumping back to an earlier time in the saga. I believe this is the first Recluce book with a female protagonist, and he makes full use of it spending much of the novel examining traditional male and female roles taken to their extremes. The plot revolves around Saryn, the Arms-Commander of the female-ruled Westwind, trying to find allies and stability in a male-dominated world. “She truly hadn’t understood, not emotionally, the depth of the misogynism embedded in the Lornian culture. Why not? What had changed her understanding? The fanatical male insistence on tradition, to the point of senseless death after senseless death? Or the inability or unwillingness to accept the superiority of a female force? The old Cyadorian dwelling, with its entire structure designed to restrain women?” In most of Modesitt’s books who is “right” and who is “wrong” is very clear; this is no exception, especially as the antagonists are unlikeable, old-school he-man woman haters. I wouldn’t recommend using this as an introduction to the world of Recluce, but for those of us that have visited this universe before it is a welcome and wonderful addition.

First Sentence:

In the late afternoon on the Roof of the World, the guards stood silent on the practice ground, their eyes fixed on the blackness rising just above the western horizon as Istril stepped out of the main door of Tower Black and crossed the causeway.

Empress of Eternity, by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.

A massive, impervious two thousand mile long canal stretches across an entire continent, its purpose long forgotten. Empress of Eternity tells three separate interleaving stories centering around the mystery of the canal in three radically different societies across time. Each story pits science against politics; each has obvious heroes and villains. As we reach the climax, it appears that one group is on the verge of harnessing the forces behind the canal—and those forces will destroy it in all times across the years.

I really like Modesitt’s writing, this effort was a bit flat. Trying to introduce one new civilization in a book can be difficult; introducing three while trying to give a unique personality to each individual is impossible. Jumping from era to era with each chapter causes characterization to develop slowly, meaning there isn’t a real connection with them for the reader until late in the novel. The jumping also makes the plot somewhat repetitive, as each timeline seemingly has to make the same discoveries in turn. Clearly very ambitious, Modesitt doesn’t quite live up to the promise but still turns in an entertaining story.

First Sentence:

The man in a working singlesuit and a thermal jacket, both of aristocratic silver, stepped out of the door, letting it slide close behind him, a wonder that hw had become used to over the past many months.