The Fata Morgana - Softcover

Frankowski, Leo

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0671578766 ISBN 13: 9780671578763

Publisher: Baen, 2000

Synopsis

Ancient tales of European Man, recorded by pious monks, tell of the Western Isles, from whence King Arthur's father was said to have come. Ancient and medieval maps show them off the Western Coast of France. Irish records refer to floating islands drifting past the Emerald Isle. Modern sailors sometimes sight great, many tiered cities near the ocean's horizon, but they are rarely believed. It is easier for modern man to believe in an optical illusion, the Fata Morgana. And then two modern, hardheaded engineers found the Western Islands....

About this title

Review

Oh, to be an engineer in a Leo Frankowski book--you've gotta be honest and you've gotta work hard, but not only do you get to be as brilliant and rich as an astronaut, you get to pull down more than your share of the ladies. (Hey, after all those long hours studying fluid dynamics and systems analysis, it's only fair.) Back for another light-hearted but rumination-filled romp, the beloved author of the Conrad Stargard adventures turns his attention to a legendary nautical mirage, the Fata Morgana. Frankowski supposes the illusion might actually be the mythic Western Isles, which medieval mapmakers put off the coast of France, set adrift in an earthquake to float the world's oceans for hundreds of years.

Fata Morgana's two engineer-protagonists find themselves, naturally, shipwrecked on this strange island, a curious civilization of some 12,000 people largely cut off from present-day earth. Their tech level believably answers the obvious "what-ifs," with the islanders boasting advanced genetics and textiles (including an indestructible "Super-Hemp") but primitive sciences and stunted social progress otherwise. The two sailors create quite a stir with their SCUBA gear, cans of Spam, and Star Wars videotapes--not to mention the fact that the raw materials on their yacht make them rich in this metal-starved land--and intrigue soon ensues.

A fun book to be sure, with satisfying problem-solving and original ideas, but the main character's endless musings on everything from why the government wants us wearing clothes to why a just God can't exist will either irritate or charm you. (And consider yourself warned: our chief hero actually uses the term "Women's Lib" with a straight face and is quick to point out he's not "a f***ing queer!") --Paul Hughes

From Publishers Weekly

This unabashedly politically incorrect male technophile's wet dream has all the elements designed to make a man good with tools feel like a geniusAand to aggravate anyone who believes that racism, sexism or poverty are real problems without easy solutions. Nguyen Hien Treet, second-generation American and owner of a small Special Machinery business, has strange and unpleasant things happen to his company and ends up on the open sea with his best buddy, Adam Kulczyinski, in a fabulous yacht that unfortunately develops a gaping hole in its hull. As luck would have it, these stalwart technicians are soon rescued by the inhabitants of a floating island. On the isolated island of 2000 souls, a Duke reigns over property and marriages; the population of "real women" ostentatiously shows off its cleavage; a Warlock is in charge of technology and progress; and an Archbishop is rigorous about keeping his people religiously pure, even if it kills them. Treet, with Adam's help, must figure out how to keep the island from sinking, avoid getting murdered by religious fanatics and hammer out out a trade deal that will make both men wealthy and powerful. Since the motto of the book seems to be, as Adam puts it, "You're bleeding from twenty places, but that shouldn't bother a determined engineer," all things tend to work out in favor of the book's technically savvy heroes. Frankowski has a knack for writing amenable prose with enjoyable characters. Those not alienated by his Engineers-Know-Best attitude, and most especially those who share his women-as-eye-candy, religion-is-silly worldview, will find this to be a fun fantasy. (Aug.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Baen
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0671578766
• ISBN 13: 9780671578763
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Number of pages: 320