In The Courts Of The Crimson Kings - A Planetary Romance By SM Stirling

In The Courts Of The Crimson Kings evokes memories of the science fiction pulps I loved as a kid. If you're a fan of Edgar Rice Burroughs and liked his "A Princess of Mars," you will most likely enjoy this book as well. Its number two in "The Lords of Creation" series, following on the heels of "The Sky People," but it can be read as a standalone.  Two hundred million years ago aliens populated Mars and Venus with life forms from Earth. Evolution produced new humanoids on both planets but now Martian civilization and its emperor are slowly dying.  It's the year 2000 and the United States and the Soviets are in a race to gain the power of these aliens. Archaeologist, Jeremy Wainman, arrives on Mars to study the lost city Rema-Dza. He hires Martian mercenary Teyud zha-Zhalt as his guide. Jeremy falls in love with her, but discovers Teyud is hiding her real identity. In reality she's the only heir to the long vanished Crimson Dynasty. Intrigue and schemes abound and Je
remy is not sure they'll survive long enough for her to claim the throne. I loved this book from the very first chapter where Stirling pays homage to classic science fiction authors by having them watch the first Mars probe land. There's plenty more to keep any sci-fi aficionado enthralled including more salutes to the classics, rodents of unusual size and aerial predators that are large enough to carry someone off. Stirling makes the fantastic believable because he is so adept at crafting an alien society. The Martians even have an elaborate language - it takes a little getting used to - and extraordinary biotechnology. Human and alien emotions are effectively portrayed as a complex romantic bond develops between a man and a Martian woman. Pulse-pounding action scenes, hairbreadth escapes and planetary romance - it doesn't get much better than this. Publisher: Tor (March 2008)ISBN: 978-0-7653-1489-5Pages: 304Price: $24.95

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