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Pioneer
reviewed by
Stoker Award winner Melanie Tem writes in several areas, not just horror, and this slender SF-ish tale represents one of them. On the surface, it's a story of ecological discovery. While exploring a new planet which may eventually stand in for Earth, scientists are shocked to find that life seems to be increasing in exponential relation to their contact. On the surface, Laura should be thrilled to locate the first sign of life, a tiny plant. But her response is shocking.
Underneath the surface, then, this is more than a tale of ecological SF and Laura is much more complex than might be at first apparent. Pursued by Cooper, a wishy-washy superior who is not quite free to pursue, Laura's relationship with the planet she is to study changes dramatically. To say more would spoil the gentle overlapping of themes Tem so skillfully sows, allegory firmly in hand like a multi-purpose garden tool.
The introduction is by Tem's friend and collaborator, Nancy Holder, and a cover painting by Joanna Erbach graces the cover of this first signed and limited offering from Wormhole Books - a new player in the small press, but one to watch. Like its companion, the Ed Bryant release, this slim volume will not look out of place in most collections, and it's likely to win Melanie Tem some new and well-earned fans.