Fever Season (Merovingen Nights, 2)

As in all the anthologies in this series, FEVER SEASON's stories are written in a braided format, so that the effect is almost seamless as the events of the book flow forward. My comments are organized more by author than by appearance in the book. Cherryh's own story, "Fever Season", is the thread around which the others develop. There's been no Plague, only the Crud, but since Mondragon hasn't fully adapted to Merovingen's local germs, he is seriously ill. At this point in the series, the Takahashi brothers move into Mondragon's place, so that he can be cared for without publicly showing weakness. Abbey, Lynn: "Life Assurance" - More about the Kamats, particularly Richard, beginning with lunch at the Ramsey Bell, the tavern frequented by heirs and second sons of trading houses. (As Richard's peers are mostly his father's generation, he still eats at the Bell - a fine place to pick up information.) Jordie Slade, one of Kamat's workers, has disappeared, so Richard, with a Kamat's sense of responsibility, investigates the matter personally. Eleanora, Jordie's wife (or is she a widow?), appears for the first time. Asire, Nancy: "Night Ride" - When 6 men attack a youngster on a walkway, Justice Lee rescues the kid - who turns out to be Raj. Raj wants to know how an Adventist got into the College (no real Revenantist would get involved in a stranger's karma). He'd give anything for the College's medical training... Fish, Leslie: "War of the Unseen Worlds" - Rif appears at Jones' tie-up to collect on her promise (see Festival Moon, "First Night Cruise") to help Rif on her next run through the city. Lackey, Mercedes: "A Plague On Your Houses" - Raj has 2 apparently hopeless dreams - a crush on Marina Kamat, and becoming a doctor. As it happens, Raj'd be a fairly good doctor; he knows a lot of swampy herb lore...enough, maybe, to save the life of one Thomas Mondragon, if Raj can trade get the drugs he needs from the swamp. Unfortunately, Raj leaves anonymous poems for Marina Kamat. When she catches him, she believes his 'I'm-just-a-messenger' tale - then traces him to Mondragon's place(!). The consequences of Raj's actions come home to roost in subsequent volumes. Morris, Chris: "Hearts and Minds" - Cardinal Ito Boregy, conducting Mike Chamoun's catechism sessions, bitterly resents Cassie's betrothal to this Adventist convert. Consequently, he spices up the lessons with a 'sacrament' of hallucinogenic deathangel powder - with major consequences, as Mike apparently has visions of a past life. Morris, Janet: "Instant Karma" - Here is the 'sharrh overflight' we hear so much about in later books, which panics the city...but are the sharrh really responsible? The appendix on Merovingen ecology discusses Epidemiology 101 (this town is making me sick), Pharmacology 101, Aquatic Ecology 101 (what's to eat?), 102 (what's eating you?), and Oceanography 101 (whose fault is it?)