THE PROMETHEAN CHALLENGE

In Lallier’s SF prequel, a human is appointed by aliens to unite a fractious Earth.

By 2182, the people of Earth are exploring the cosmos under the aegis of the Solar Commonwealth, a governmental body led by a sharp, charismatic, and somewhat mysterious man known as the Regent. In this novel, the Regent relates his origin—and that of the Solar Commonwealth—to an aged admiral of his fleet. Initially, the Regent was an anonymous human, plucked from Earth in 2017 by powerful, benevolent aliens who erased much of his memory but granted him enhanced intelligence, longevity, and other advantages. He was then put in charge of a formidable fleet of advanced ships (including one called Enterprise) and some 12 million human troops abducted by aliens over centuries. The Regent must use these to make contact with Earth and unite the peoples of the turbulent planet under a single, progressive authority; otherwise, mankind will be classed as a hopeless case and quarantined. Unlike many humans under his command (including latter-day imperial Roman troops), the Regent wants to find a peaceful way to get Earth to submit. However, his methods not only make him an enemy of China and the United States, but also spawn treachery in his own ranks. Followers of Lallier’s Solar Commonwealth series hopefully consider it one of contemporary SF’s better Star Trek–inspired space operas, and this book will do nothing to dissuade them. It doesn’t follow the Roddenberry blueprint excessively closely, but it’s clearly fueled by that franchise’s optimistic view of an imperfect but diverse, human-led military/scientific federation that uses intelligence, good judgment, and diplomacy. Some readers will be delighted by this prequel’s characterization of the unnamed U.S. president as a Donald Trump–like caricature; he’s an egotistical blowhard surrounded by sycophants and bolstered by right-wing media. It sets up a dynamic that brings to mind James T. Kirk versus Richard Nixon, or Spock against Gen. William Westmoreland. Clever maneuvers and statesmanship keep this prequel cruising at full impulse power, and it will leave readers ready to boldly go back to Lallier’s previous installments.

An entertaining, very-special-episode entry of a fine series.