Remains

Mark Tiedemann knows how to tell an exciting story, building suspense while managing large casts of characters and largescale intergalactic events, as he does in his Secantis sequence. For many writers, these skills are sufficient to produce popular and entertaining work. What is so impressive about Tiedemann's work is that he goes so far beyond the basics. Not only are his characters portrayed in psychological complexity and depth, but his plots rarely offer obvious choices between the good and the bad sides--the political and ethical conflicts are as complex as any encountered in modern literature. The political intrigue and enormous stakes of the conflicts in the Secantis sequence force the reader to think through the differing claims of our own international political and social forces. Remains differs from the Secantis novels, in that the characters are mostly confined to a single highly evolved orbital station, though the narrative actually begins (very dramatically) on Mars. It quickly moves to Aea, where a tricky web of intrigue and spying draws several characters into a danger that is familiar in Tiedemann's work--that danger is the impossibility of being certain who is on whose side, and which side is "good," which "bad." All this is played out in the context of a world in which constant and nearly unavoidable surveillance of all aspects of the physical and psychological lives of the characters is taking place, and where the consequences of that surveillance may be exile or even death. Remains, with its limited cast of characters and geography, is somewhat in the tradion of the noir thriller, a more personal drama, whereas the Secantis novels have more in common with the espionage thrillers of Alan Furst or Le Carre. In the Secantis sequence, we are impressed with Tiedemann's ability to portray the "good" on all sides, so that the challenge to the reader is not to choose sides, but to understand and empathize with the human dilemmas that force individuals to choose a side, in some cases, or to attempt to play as independent agents working for both (or really, all) sides. Tiedemann's large intelligence develops the reasoning and interests of all contenders, forcing the reader to recognize the worthlessness of simplistic binary we-they thinking, even though moving into the realms of complexity will lead to sometimes overwhelming anxiety and trauma. I don't want to mess with the old canards about flat characters and contrived plots, dependence on flashy fireworks and clever technology--some science fiction gets by with those because it has other things to offer--interesting ideas, for example, or just enough excitement to distract. But what impresses and engages in Tiedemann's fiction is the utterly convincing humanity of his characters--he takes the time to portray their inner conflicts and uncertainties, their mixed loyalties and personal insecurities. While there are other science fiction writers who take the time to portray th