The Politics of Illusion
Jane McCaa
Author Bio
Scotswoman Jane McCaa has been writing pretty much since the moment she could hold a pen – she was writing science fiction before she knew what it was. Her academic background is in Classics and Archaeology, and she has taught and published in these fields, with specialist interests in the history of everyday life and history of religion. She has also managed to fit in a some Business Studies, work in publishing, P.R. and journalism and in Diocesan admin, and even jewellery design. She is also a qualified teacher of R.E. as an academic subject. She has worked with various charities. Her outside interests have ranged from rock-climbing and karate to embroidery and representing her university in cha cha, and she studied Singing for many years. Much of her wide range of study and experience gets fed back into her work.
Jane McCaa was born in the Scottish town of Clydebank, educated at the famous Mary Erskine School in Edinburgh, then at the Universities of Bristol, The West of England and Edinburgh. She has taught at every level from Junior School to University, and remains in touch with quite a few former students. She now lives in the Scottish Borders. Jane McCaa is a pseudonym.
Description
The Politics of Illusion is the first in the continuing Delos series. This draws on its author’s background in Ancient History and Archaeology to create a world in which an evolved form of Ancient Greek culture survives and thrives. Their qualities of independence, cleverness and unwillingness to step down from a fight remain unchanged. In this first volume we get to know the central characters. Lady Zoe Arete is a young aristocrat being groomed for the top and carrying a heavy burden of expectation. She has not been fully tested until her people, the Delians, find themselves in an ugly war with their erstwhile closest allies. The trouble is that the Delians, previously regarded as heroes and the go-to good guys, seem to be the villains in this case – even according to their own enquiries. Zoe is plucked away from her studies to find the truth. Her mentor in her academic life has been Lord Peter Minyas, whose professional experiences cover a great deal more than university teaching. Zoe’s other, less-well known mentor, has taught her some extra skills which will lend her an all too necessary edge.
Zoe’s investigations will take her from a bleak moon, where she will have to make the hardest decision of her life, to the capital city of the enemy planet. The journey from there is less fun. She will have to learn that adventure (which she thoroughly enjoys) comes at a price and that victory always includes loss, but in the meantime will also make some discoveries that will change more futures than her own. Many things are not what they seem.
Zoe’s adventures drive the main narrative, but we are also getting to know the Delians and the drives and obligations of their society. We also start to get to know the wider politics of the galaxy. The events of this story will have profound consequences for the direction and power balances in the galaxy which will continue to reverberate through the series. Readers who go along for the ride will get plenty of action and humour, and a tantalising wait for the answers. Jane McCaa’s work has been described by reviewers as gripping, well-paced and compelling.
Book excerpt
For a while it had all seemed too easy: a blessed time of peace amidst the mayhem. That was until the two wasp fighters dived out of the sky at them. As Lysander slewed the boat round to avoid their fire, Zoe was already pulling one of the blast-launchers up to her shoulder. “It’s automatic targeting,” Lysander yelled, “I’ll give you five seconds to fire.” She held the launcher into her shoulder, cradling her head down to focus the sights. “Now!” Lysander ordered. He held the course steady, and Zoe took two of the precious seconds to settle her aim before firing. One of the wasps exploded, and the ship rocked with the blast. The other had spiralled out of sight.
Instinctively Zoe knew it was coming in straight from above, where they could not see. “Stop her!” she shouted to Lysander, and dashed out onto the deck. The force of the wind at this speed threw her back across the deck. She managed to slam against the rail, and stop herself being tossed overboard. The wasp was directly above them – he had come in so fast and now so low she could actually see the pilot’s face. He made the mistake of hesitating to fire, perhaps because he wanted to make a visual check on the intruders before killing them. Braced against the rail, Zoe fired, throwing herself prostrate on the deck to protect herself from the explosion.
Lysander kicked the boat ahead, and she lay huddled against the rail for safety until he finally closed down the engines and came running out to her.
“Are you all right?” he asked anxiously when he saw the battered, bedraggled figure slowly uncurling in the stern.
“I feel as if I’ve been kicked head to toe by a herd of bad-tempered Chian policement, I’m wet, cold and salty – come to that, I’m probably singed too,” she said crossly, “but on the bright side, I think I’ve proved a point . . . ?”
“All right, I give in,” agreed Lysander. “They wouldn’t be tring to shoot a boat out of the water, no questions asked, unless they really didn’t want anyone coming this way.” He sat down companionably beside her. “I suppose you hadn’t thought where on an entire contiinent we might start looking?”
“Something will turn up,” she replied breezily. “Right now my strongest concern is whether the cabin in this thing has fresh water.!
“You’d make a great picture for the sleaze press,” Lysander teased.
Zoe ignored him and went below.
Lysander and Zoe stood on the shore of Korax, gazing around them. The silence was intense, palpable. Stretching out to the horizon was the blackish-brown eaerth, punctured her and there by jagged mountains, and far off to the east a suggestion of a haze, gas from one of the blow-fields.
“Nice place for a picnic,” muttered Lysander at last. The sound of his voice was uncomfortably loud against the silence.
“I’ve seen worse, said Zoe, in what she hoped sounded a brave and confident voice. “You haven’t been to Lars.”
“No worms yet,” Lysander said gloomily. “I wonder if they’re scared of humans?” Given that they were so big they could probably roll over a human and not notice he was there, he was not entirely hopeful about that. Being rolled over by a worm was not a nice thought. He tried very hard not to keep thinking it.
“Oh, come on,” Zoe tried to encourage them both, “no-one has any idea how many there are – you might go for months without seeing one.” Lysander tried to think of a response other than a less than many shudder, or perhaps throwing up.
Author Website
http://www.radisol.com/janemccaa/index.htm
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