A Review by Eric S. Brown

Auch das Schone: A review

By

Eric S. Brown


Auch das Schone is NOT your typical science fiction novel. Published in 2001 by Silver Lake Books and written by Stephanie D. Weidner, it goes well beyond the boundaries of normal genre fiction. The book is set in the distant future of mankind long after contact with alien races has been made. One alien race of very human like beings, called Na’ Darie, after many problems and differences have formed an alliance with humanity and the book revolves around these the relationship between the Na’ Darie and the Humans as they are faced with a new war. Three aggressive alien races under the direction of a much more sinister force set out to destroy the human/Na’ Darie alliance.

The first arc of the book takes place on a world inhabited by both members of the alliance under the command of a female Earth Captain and a Na’ Darie diplomat from a high ranking Na’ Darie family. They struggle to find a way to protect the colony from the coming war but ultimately fail and are forced to flee into space, on the run from the entity who has brought the war to their doorstep.

It first glance one might think Auch das Schone was your typical intergalactic war tale but it isn’t. The book isn’t about the war or even the politics so much as it is about its characters. Much like the epic Babylon 5 TV series, Schone focuses on the people of its tale and evokes emotions very strongly in its readers. The characters grow and develop being far from the two dimensional cut-outs one normally sees in genre works. As I read this book, I laughed, cried, and simply could not put it down. The romantic aspects of the book are written in such a way that they appeal to the male reader as much as much the normal romance crowd and everyone will find a character that they relate too from Schone’s huge ensemble cast.

Schone is a book that has real meaning which can be applied to the reader’s daily life and leaves one asking questions which linger long after the final page is turned. I should say however that the book is not strong on military action but it has enough to convincing and moves along quickly even without it. All in all, I highly recommend this book as a MUST read from any fan of the SF genre, people looking for something deeper than normal genre fare, and anyone who likes epic tales of love and loss.

The book is available on Amazon.com, Fictionwise.com, and of course from Silver Lake Books.