The Sky People
(Libby/OverDrive eAudiobook)

A long time ago, in a time line slightly to one side of our own, aliens terraformed Mars and Venus, a fact that, when discovered, transforms the course of the second half of the twentieth century into a frantic though peaceful race. Amid Venus' lush vegetation and fierce wildlife, Cajun ranger Marc Vitrac's wilderness savvy makes him valuable but gets him sent on a dirigible expedition to rescue survivors of a crashed Russian shuttle and to discover that the aliens left behind an AI that is either wearing out or insane. It takes all his savvy, including taming a dinosaur, to get his friends out of a sticky situation. This is the first of two novels recalling the aura and action of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Mars and Venus yarns; the next will shift some of the finest action writing in sf to Mars. --Roland Green Copyright 2006 Booklist

Undeterred by modern science's discoveries of the true nature of Venus and Mars, Stirling posits an alternate history/reality where the pulp-era visions of those two planets were actually correct. In this first volume of the series, the American and Soviet space programs send emissaries to the lush jungle planet of Venus-which they find is inhabited by dinosaurs and intelligent natives-to vie for control of the planet's valuable resources. McLaren reads in a rich, resonant baritone and deftly handles dialogue, throwing a nice variety of accents into the mix-adding just enough to flavor the performance without overwhelming it. The pulpy nature of the narrative makes it well-suited to audio; it harks back to the days of the old radio dramas. McLaren conveys this essence while keeping his performance in line with modern narration standards. Stirling does a fine job updating and bringing some scientific rigor to the "planetary romance" genre pioneered by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and McLaren delivers an engaging performance that will leave listeners no choice but to stay tuned for Stirling's next episode. Simultaneous release with the Tor hardcover (Reviews, Sept. 18). (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

The Cold War still rages in 1988, and the Eastern and Western Blocs compete for colonies on Mars and Venus, both homes to humanlike sentient though primitive races. American Marc Vitrac, assigned to the U.S. base of Jamestown, finds the lands outside the Venusian colony teeming with quasiprehistoric life as well as filled with mysteries that could threaten the human presence on Venus. Stirling's alternate histories have dealt with misplaced islands ("The Island in the Sea of Time" series), asteroid impacts (The Peshawar Lancers), and technological disaster ("Dies the Fire" series). Now he tackles the world of pulp sf popularized by Edgar Rice Burroughs, bringing to the genre his talent for verisimilitude and appealing characters. A good choice for most sf collections, particularly where the author has a following. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

A fanciful, politically tinged tale from Stirling (The Ship Avenged, 1997, etc.), set on the frontier of Venus circa 1988 as the Eastern Bloc rivals the US Sky People in the great space race. The Sky People have established a stronghold on the Gargarin continent of Venus, at the settlement called Jamestown, directed by Ranger Lieutenant Marc Vitrac, formerly of Louisiana Cajun country. He welcomes the arrival of fresh reserves on the spaceship Carson, including an attractive young geologist, Lieutenant Cynthia Whitlock, and RAF Wing Commander Christopher Blair. Together they comprise "explorers at the cutting edge of the human story." However, there are other settlements entrenched in the strange land habitable by both dinosaurs and mammals: the small community of Kartahown, made up of numerous Earthlings and local tribespeople, traders and pilgrims; rank, savage tribes of marauding Neanderthals of the Wergu tribe; and the blond-haired, ethereal Cloud Mountain People of the Far West, in fur loincloths and bearing blowguns. And all kinds of curious beasts flourish here, such as giant mountable reptiles called ceratopsians and strong, scary raptor-like Quetzas. While the Sky People explore the geography of Venus, Blinkis, captain of the low-hovering Eastern Bloc space shuttle Riga, crashes into Wergu territory and is captured and brainwashed by the hairy brutes, who nonetheless shelter and heal him. Among the superior Cloud Mountain People, young female warrior Teesa has visions of invaders, who turn out to be Marc Vitrac and his gang in pursuit of the Russians. In fact, Blinkis's own pilot wife, Jadviga, arrives with blimp and crew to find her husband, and all of them end up confronting the nasty, smelly Wergus. Stirling offers an easygoing, atmospheric tale airbrushed with fuzzy political overtones, along with a good bit of humor and lively characterization. The adventures of these nutty space dudes will surely set off a series of its own. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Undeterred by modern science's discoveries of the true nature of Venus and Mars, Stirling posits an alternate history/reality where the pulp-era visions of those two planets were actually correct. In this first volume of the series, the American and Soviet space programs send emissaries to the lush jungle planet of Venus—which they find is inhabited by dinosaurs and intelligent natives—to vie for control of the planet's valuable resources. McLaren reads in a rich, resonant baritone and deftly handles dialogue, throwing a nice variety of accents into the mix—adding just enough to flavor the performance without overwhelming it. The pulpy nature of the narrative makes it well-suited to audio; it harks back to the days of the old radio dramas. McLaren conveys this essence while keeping his performance in line with modern narration standards. Stirling does a fine job updating and bringing some scientific rigor to the "planetary romance" genre pioneered by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and McLaren delivers an engaging performance that will leave listeners no choice but to stay tuned for Stirling's next episode. Simultaneous release with the Tor hardcover (Reviews, Sept. 18). (Mar.)