FINISHED READING S.M. STIRLING’S In the Court of the Crimson Kings last night. I enjoyed it very much; it’s one of those books whose feel sticks with you overnight, always a good sign. (Plus the cool King Crimson reference in the title). It’s a sequel to The Sky People, and part of his effort to update Burroughs-era pulp to the 21st Century. I was a bit skeptical of this when I first heard of it, but he’s definitely pulled it off. Here’s the interview where he described the series:

Right now I’m working on an alternate history series which might be summed up as “What if the background of some of the pulps existed in the real world?”

In the 1950’s, we discovered that Earth was definitely the sole inhabitable planet in this solar system, which was a terrible blow to traditional SF.

In my new alternate history, we discover instead that we have two other habitable, and in fact inhabited, planets. Mars is a cold, dry world of ancient ruined cities, thinly peopled by the decadent descendants of lost civilizations (or are they?); Venus a hot, wet, fecund one of primitive humans (and other hominids) with an archaic fauna.

Then I try to treat everything else in as densely realistic a style as I can. It makes for an interesting contrast.

It does.