Star Trek: DS9 - Ep 27 - Necessary Evil

"Necessary Evil" is a wonderful episode of Deep Space Nine. Peter Allan Fields shows that he is the premiere writer for the show, especially for Odo (Rene Auberjonois) and Kira (Nana Visitor). He knows their characters so well. He has an ear for dialogue, the plot is wonderful, and the mystery is intriguing. Everything comes together to make one stellar episode. If "Duet" is the heart of the show, "Necessary Evil" showcases the soul. The friendship between Kira and Odo is one of the cornerstones.

Quark (Armin Shimmerman) is hired by Vaatrik Pallra (Katherine Moffat) to go into her dead husband's old store back on Deep Space Nine and find a box that is hidden there. Quark, being the greedy soul that he is, opens it, and is shot for his trouble. Vaatrik knew he would do it and sent somebody to watch him. Thanks to Dr. Bashir (Siddig El Fadil), Quark is saved, and Odo begins an investigation into what happened. Rom (Max Grodenchik) leads Odo to the chemist's shop, which takes Odo back to the Cardassian occupation. Vaatrik's husband had been murdered and Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo) asks Odo to find out who did it. Kira is one of the main suspects, but she has an alibi. A murder from five years ago may reach forward to the present and destroy a friendship.

I normally don't talk about the direction of an episode, though Deep Space Nine usually has a talented director at the helm. This time, though, I have to. James L. Conway does a masterful job with the transitions between the present day and the past, especially the first. When Odo opens the door to the abandoned chemist's shop, the scene suddenly changes time periods as the door opens. It's a masterful shot, and most of the other transitions are almost as good. The set design is also wonderful, this being the first time we've seen the station as it was under the occupation. Everything is dark, the mood is depressing, armed guards are everywhere and the Bajorans walk around like a beaten people. The camera work is great, capturing all this in the background even as the foreground has a standard questioning scene. It's all wonderfully done.

Enough can't be said about the strength of the story or the dialogue either. The main episode (after the teaser) begins with a wonderful security log entry by Odo, where he goes on about humanity's obsession with keeping records and him saying that Starfleet doesn't trust his "fully adequate" memory to suffice. He then makes his entry. "Everything's under control. End entry." It's a great laugh, but also a great device to get Odo's thoughts across to the viewer as he investigates this murder that's clawed at his mind for the last five years. The scenes with Rom & Quark (and later, Rom & Odo) are funny in their own way, but they don't really fit the tone of the episode. Rom's going back and forth between fear for his brother and fear that his brother won't die (he'll inherit the bar if Quark dies) are very amusing, and would work better in a different episode. They're a little too slapstick for this one, though they do break the tension a little bit. We also (*shudder*) get to hear Rom scream a few times. Definitely not a plus.

That would be the only misstep, though. Odo gets to demonstrate his observational skills (did he take a few lessons from Sherlock Holmes?) as he deduces when people are lying to him. His investigation on the station five years ago was very thorough and he faces the pressure from Dukat to find the name of the murderer as soon as possible. The dialogue between Dukat and Odo is almost perfect, with Alaimo being his normally smarmy self. Auberjonois also plays the scenes with Dukat perfectly, but he is definitely at his strongest when he's compared to his present-day self. Currently, he's confident and direct. Back then, he wasn't sure of himself, making his way on the station by settling petty disputes for the Bajoran slaves. He speaks a bit hesitantly, he looks down a lot, he's unsure of everything. It's completely unclear why Dukat would pick him for this job, as it's obvious that he's lying when he gives his reasons. We do find out at the end why he would, and the revelation is marvelous.

Even better are the scenes between Odo and Kira. Their friendship has often been portrayed in previous episodes, but it's never been a centerpiece. It's the glue that's held them together but it's never been the basis for a show. This time, however, it's showcased. When this murder comes to the foreground again, she's obviously uncomfortable around it. She's by the book whenever she's with Odo. The final scene between them is simply the best scene since "Duet."

The other characters don't have much to do, but that's ok. They get a token scene, but none of them are gratuitous. The only one we don't see is O'Brien, but that's because there was no need for him to get involved. The doctor has to take care of Quark, Odo has to ask Sisko (Avery Brooks) for permission to have Vaatrik brough on to the station. They each play their parts and then get out of the way. Quark is put to his best use in a long while as the catalyst that brings it all together (though you would think he'd have a breaking and entering charge against him when he woke up).

This is simply a beautiful episode from start to finish. The only problem is that there is no fallout from this episode in subsequent episodes. Still, that's not a strike against this one. Sparkling dialogue, excellent sets and costumes, direction, acting. You name it, this episode has it. And best of all, you don't really need to know anything about the show to enjoy it. This is one of the best Deep Space Nine episodes ever.

Memorable Quotes:

Rom: "Wait a minute! You're not suggesting that I…"
Odo: "I've had my eye on you for a long time, Rom. You're not as stupid as you look."
Rom: "I am too!"

Dukat: "Have you ever seen a dead man before?"
Odo: "Yes. In your mines."
Dukat (scoffing): "Oh, those are *casualties*. This…is murder."

5 Stars

Star Trek: DS9 - Ep 26 - Rules of Acquisition

I'm not a big fan of Ferengi episodes. Some of them are funny, but a lot of them are lame attempts at humour that just don't work. The first Deep Space Nine Ferengi episode, "The Nagus," actually was quite good. However, the more the Nagus (Wallace Shawn) comes back, the more grating he is. This, coupled with Quark (Armin Shimmerman) acting like he's in love with no real indication of how he got there, knocks a couple of points off. Thankfully, "Rules of Acquisition" was a lot better than I had remembered it.

During a game of Tongo with Dax (Terry Farrell) and a bunch of Quark's Ferengi waiters, a young Ferengi named Pel (Helene Udy) brings himself to Quark's attention. He's fluent in the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition, which govern all Ferengi business practices. Their game is interrupted by news that Grand Nagus Zek is coming to the station. Zek is holding trade negotiations on the station with the Dosi, and he wants Quark to run these negotiations. This will give the Ferengi a great presence in the Gamma Quadrant. Pel insinuates himself into the negotiations by giving Quark some great advice, and Quark asks Pel to be his assistant. Unbeknownst to Quark (or anybody else for that matter), Pel is actually a female! Ferengi women are not allowed to leave the home or wear clothing, and they're certainly not allowed to acquire profit. Pel is determined to change that, even if she has to masquerade as a man to do it. Unfortunately, she finds herself falling in love with Quark, a complication she hadn't intended on.

I'm almost ashamed to admit that I actually enjoyed this episode, because I did not have good memories of it. However, this time there were no really offensive parts (offensive to my sense of humour, if not to my morality) other than seeing a close-up of Zek's ear hair being combed. I could have done without that. Hell, we don't even get any Ferengi screaming! There is some laughter, however, that felt like fingernails on a blackboard.

What we got instead was an examination of gender roles in Ferengi society and Quark learns a lesson. Except for the fact, of course, that he *doesn't* actually learn it, but that's beside the point. The whole thing is almost offensive in itself, but Dax's acceptance of (and actual affection for) the Ferengi as they are mitigates that a little bit. As in the quote below, she knows how they are and deals with them like that. I think she enjoys the attention and enjoys the interplay between them.

The acting is pretty good too, though nothing stellar. Shawn has his moments as Zek, but I did find him a lot more annoying this time around. Actually, he's at his best when his voice lowers and he is threatening somebody. When he's talking normally, he's almost so shrill that it hurts my ears. The final confrontation between Pel, Quark, and Zek is wonderful because of that. The two Dosi, Zyree and Inglotu (Emilia Crow and Brian Thompson) are pretty good, if a little too thug-like. (Fans of The X-Files will recognize Thompson as the Alien Bounty Hunter) Udy is actually pretty good, as it's sometimes hard to tell that she is a woman when she's got her full male Ferengi make-up on. She lowers her voice quite effectively. She also shows that she's in love quite well, with lingering glances at Quark.

The rest of the characters on the show get little or nothing to do. The scene where Zek first comes on the station is marvelous with Sisko (Avery Brooks) and Kira (Nana Visitor) requesting Zek's assurance that the Dosi will not be cheated. Sisko shows he has the mind of a Ferengi in backing Zek into a corner. However, this scene produces the sub-plot of Zek pursuing Kira, which doesn't lead anywhere interesting (other than producing Dax's line quoted at the end of this review). It's too obvious and not well-played at all by either Visitor or Shawn.

There is one thing that I found fascinating however, especially coming immediately after the "please hit me on the head with your message" episode Melora. In "Rules of Acquisition," we have a very effective indication that homosexuality is widely accepted in the 24th century. Dax realizes that Pel is in love with Quark and talks to her about it. She *then* finds out that Pel is a woman. The fact that Dax doesn't even bat an eyelash about Pel's feelings when she thinks Pel is a man speaks volumes and is a much more subtle morality statement then a bludgeoning episode like TNG's "The Outcast." Kudos to the writers for putting this in.

This episode also introduces the concept of the Dominion, which will have far-reaching effects on the show. We don't see the Dominion in action, but we get a sense of just how far the Dominion's reach goes, as the Dosi give Quark a link to them. Right now, there's no hint as to what they are. They could just be a trading consortium of some sort. But I do remember my alarm bells going off when I first saw this episode.

The main problem with "Rules of Acquisition," however, is Quark, or at least his abrupt feelings for Pel. He's clearly uncomfortable when Pel reveals herself to him, and he's clearly against everything that Pel has done to make herself noticed. I can understand Quark defending Pel to Zek, but the ending of the episode just doesn't to make sense. He acts like he has feelings for Pel when there's no way they could have developed that quickly. Unless, of course, we're seeing that Quark swings from that side of the fence too, which we haven't seen any sign of and never will again. I just found the whole thing unbelievable.

All in all, "Rules of Acquisition" is an enjoyable fluff episode. It doesn't say much, despite the fact that it deals with gender issues. Instead, it's a comedy that mostly works, or at least doesn't offend. I didn't laugh very much, but I did chuckle now and again. Is that all we can ask?

Memorable Quotes
"They're greedy, misogynistic, untrustworthy little trolls and I wouldn't turn my back on one of them for a second."

"Neither would I. But once you accept that, you'll find they can be a lot of fun." Kira & Dax, about the Ferengi

"You're…starting to *annoy* me." Inglotu to Quark, echoing the audience, perhaps?

4 Stars

Book Review - Dark Currents by Jacqueline Carey

Jacqueline Carey is an interesting writer. She's best known for the Kushiel series of books, a series noted for their sado-masochistic tone as well as their excellent world-building (I say "known" since I haven't actually read them yet, though I do have them). They are thick books and evidently fairly dark. I look forward to actually reading them one day and seeing if they match my taste.

However, with the thriving urban fantasy market out there, it's not a surprise that she might want to dip her hand into it. Dark Currents is her latest novel, and is apparently the first in a series of books about Daisy Johannson, a half-breed (her father is a demon) agent of Hel (a Norse goddess). Typical urban fantasy has a heroic (and sexy) female protagonist who's dealing with something supernatural, be it vampires, werewolves, demons, magic, or what have you. Dark Currents is no different. I'm not a big fan of the genre, though a number of authors have attracted my attention and made me get past my animosity towards it (Devon Monk, to name one example).

Carey is now another author who has done so. Despite Carey's dark reputation (or, better put, reputation for dark books), Dark Currents is actually quite funny. The tone of the book almost causes whiplash (and may literally cause it if you've just read a Kushiel book before reading this one, though I'm not a doctor so can't say that for sure). The subject matter is still dark, but Carey tells it with a light tone characteristic of the genre. She matches it perfectly.

My review is up on Curled Up With a Good Book.

From the review:

"The Michigan resort town of Pemkowet is a strange place, full of eldritch beings that live side-by-side with normal ("mundane") people: ghouls, werewolves, fairies, nymphs, even vampires. It's also the hometown to an agent of the Norse goddess Hel, Daisy Johanssen. Daisy's father is a demon, so she's already a half-breed. She even has a tail. Working for the local police force as a clerk, she also takes on tasks for Hel that have to do with the supernatural community. When a young college student drowns in the river, signs point to more than just a drowning, and the local police chief asks Daisy to help with the investigation. What was the boy doing on that fateful night? Will Daisy and friends be able to solve the crime before the resort town is shut down by normal humans who are getting tired of co-existing with the supernatural?"

The story does delve down into some rather peculiar sexual practices (which will mean Carey fans can breath a sigh of relief), but it doesn't show them "on-screen" and Daisy is a very breezy narrator. She's able to lighten the tone of the book quite a bit, even as she's horrified by the implications of what really happened.

Even if you're not a fan of the genre, Dark Currents is excellent. More detail on why can be found in the review.

Star Trek: DS9 - Ep 25 - Melora

After the wonderful Cardassians, you would think that Deep Space Nine was on an upswing. Unfortunately, that would not be true. "Melora" has to be the worst episode of the series so far, worse than Q-Less, and that's saying something! This episode is so bland and boring that I couldn't even find a quote for the end of this review. A couple of Quark's (Armin Shimmerman) lines come close to being quote-worthy, but they're too long. "Melora" contains the three killer B's: Bad Acting, Bad Dialogue and Bad Plotting. Put this mish-mash together and you get the fourth killer B: plain, simple, Badness.

A new cartographer is coming to the station on a mapping mission to the Gamma Quadrant. Her name is Melora (Daphne Ashbrook), and she's from the low-gravity planet of Elaysia. Because of this, when she's in normal gravity, she must use a wheelchair and leg supports if she's walking. She also comes bearing an enormous chip on her shoulder because she's tired of everybody trying to make special allowances for her. She's the stereotypical "handicapped person with an attitude" that we've seen in all of those "the disabled are people too" after school specials. She bristles when Commander Sisko (Avery Brooks) won't let her pilot a runabout by herself, despite the fact that no newly assigned ensign would be allowed to do it. She does form a special relationship with Dr. Bashir (Siddig El Fadil), though, which quickly blossoms to romance. When Bashir discovers that there may be a way to make Melora able to walk without help, she has a dilemma.

Meanwhile, Quark is confronted by an old "friend" (Peter Crombie) who he sold out to the Romulans eight years ago. Now Fallit Kot is back to exact his revenge. Much Ferengi whining ensues, though thankfully there is no screaming. I think I would have put my foot through my 47" widescreen TV if I had to put up with more of that.

"Melora" is not of the "so bad it's funny" vein of television shows. No, it's just bad. Some shows take themselves so seriously and try so hard to be "relevant" that they make a mockery of themselves. The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when it first came out, I'm sure was intended to be a serious movie, but we now laugh at it. We don't laugh at "Melora," though. We resent the 45 minutes we spent with it. The writers go through every disabled cliche; in the book: Melora attacks everybody to keep anybody from getting too close. Dr. Bashir forces her to see that being dependent on somebody is not a bad thing. Dr. Bashir falls in love with his patient (thankfully, though, he waits until she's not his patient to do so, but then he becomes her doctor again when he begins the treatments to make her walk). The Quark story doesn't suffer as much as the Melora story, but it too is fairly standard stuff. Odo (Rene Auberjonois) gets to make some "I don’t like Quark" jokes, in which Auberjonois appears to just go through the motions. There's really not a lot of substance in any of these.

The story also has a couple of incidents of questionable morality. First, there's Melora's decision about Bashir's treatment. I couldn't believe that Bashir would even offer to change who Melora fundamentally is. The low-gravity existence is part of being an Elaysian. Sure, being able to walk while she's in Starfleet would make her life a little bit easier. But she would effectively be cutting off her entire world, her entire heritage. It would be like asking a Vulcan to give up logic so he can better relate to the humans he's going to be working with. It's just ridiculous.



[MAJOR SPOILER IN THIS PARAGRAPH] The second issue is a combination of this episode and the series itself. When Melora ultimately decides not to go ahead with the treatments, Bashir looks completely crestfallen. The final scene has an uncomfortable moment at dinner between Bashir and her, where Bashir apparently struggles to be affectionate to her, the disappointment all over his face. While that could usually be explained as a temporary thing and he'd get over it, the fact that she's never even referred to again says a lot about Bashir that I don't necessarily like. I'm sure it wasn't intentional on the production side of the story, but the way El Fadil played it combined with that fact was actually quite repugnant.
[END OF SPOILER]

The acting in the episode ranges from passable to atrocious. Crombie is pretty wooden and Ashbrook tries way too hard. El Fadil doesn't have much to play off of, which makes him come off pretty badly too. The zero-gravity scene in Melora's quarters, while it's supposed to be romantic and touching, comes off as very flat. The rest of the cast phones it in too. When even Auberjonois looks bored, you know there's a problem. Wait. Nana Visitor, as Kira, delivers her two lines fairly well, so I shouldn't leave her out. Her "aye, sir" and "the ship [I can't remember its name – Dave] has docked" were well-done. I think she's probably glad she didn't have much to do. Oh, and Ron Taylor is wonderful as the Klingon chef. He does play the role with some gusto.

That's about it. This episode has a couple of inadvertently offensive aspects, but everything else is just bland and boring. After such a wonderful high in the last episode, somebody should have warned them about that cliff they were about to fall off of. Hopefully, the next episode will be better. There's nowhere to go but up.

1 Star

Podcast Stuff - Episode 52 of Down the Hall

Isn't it amazing what you can do with DNA?

In this week's episode, we talk about how a researcher has managed to code every one of Shakespeare's sonnets into a strand of his DNA (the "why" of this may elude you). Is this the key to our data storage solutions? Not until it doesn't cost you multiple thousands of dollars to decode the DNA strand. But it's still cool!

We also have part 2 of our interview with Dr. Michael Marker, talking about the challenges involved with bringing good education to remote indigenous communities, as well as getting a little bit metaphysical. How about the clash of cultures when attempting to bring teachers to these communities from the outside? It's another great interview, one that I know you'll enjoy (though you should listen to Part 1 if you haven't already).

All of this, the remains of an English king, and why Penguins don't tweet!

You can check out episode 52 here.

You know what else you could do on this Valentine's Day (ok, week, since we still have a few days)? You know, as a Valentine for me?

Why not go to our Facebook page and "like" us?

You do care about me, don't you?

Don't answer that.

Star Trek: DS9 - Ep 24 - Cardassians

One of the horrors of war is the effect it has on the children involved. Innocent children who have done nothing wrong but are scarred for life anyway. When the war is over, what happens to the children left behind? In "Cardassians," we have a story that starts out being about that concept. It eventually becomes a Cardassian political episode, but it still brings to light the issue of the many Cardassian children left behind on Bajor when the Cardassians withdrew. It's an outstanding episode with no "good" or "bad" side (except Dukat, of course, who usually has something up his sleeve). I do wish more had been done about the issue itself, but that's a small quibble. The episode also marks the return of Garak (Andrew Robinson) in a wonderful showcase.

Dr. Bashir (Siddig El Fadil) and Garak are having lunch at the Replimat when a Bajoran man and a Cardassian boy walk in. Garak tries to say a friendly hello and the boy, Rugal (Vidal Peterson), responds by biting him on the hand. Very soon after this is reported to Commander Sisko (Avery Brooks), Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo) is calling from the Cardassian High Command asking about the incident. Sisko and Bashir investigate if there has ever been any mistreatment of the boy by his adoptive Bajoran parents, and in the meantime Rugal stays with Chief O'Brien (Colm Meaney) and his family. Bashir and Garak continue their investigations, discovering that Rugal is not a war orphan after all, but the long lost son of a Cardassian politician (Robert Mandan). Why is Dukat so interested in the plight of war orphans? What could it get him? Bashir and Garak have to figure it all out while Rugal gets stuck in the middle of a political power play.

"Cardassians" is an outstanding episode for one basic reason: the acting. Bringing together the likes of Andrew Robinson and Marc Alaimo seems to draw out the best in Brooks and Fadil. Meaney's always good, of course, and the other guest stars do an acceptable job as well. Robinson and Alaimo light up the screen, though. Garak is the ultimate game player, never wanting to reveal his cards too early. He leads Bashir around by the nose and Bashir is hopelessly outclassed. Robinson plays Garak with relish, with an almost permanent smile on his face as if he's enjoying one of the best jokes in the world.

However, he can get a bit uncomfortable, such as when they are visiting a Bajoran orphanage and he's confronted by some real Cardassian orphans. His brusque dismissal of the girl who asks if he's come to take them home shows this. Alaimo, on the other hand, is at his malevolent best, with oily opportunism seeping from every utterance. Considering that all of his scenes except the last one are on the viewscreen, and thus must have been acted against a blue screen of some sort, he does an exceptional job.

The rest of the guest cast do ok, though they aren't stellar. Robert Mandan (of the television show Soap does a remarkable dramatic job, though he does appear to be forcing it a little in his initial meeting with O'Brien before seeing his son for the first time. The same goes for Terrence Evans as Rugal's adopted father. Overall he's fine, but he occasionally goes a little too far, especially when his hatred of Cardassians is being highlighted. Poor Dion Anderson, as the alien who brings Rugal's family to the station, does an ok job with a limited role, but the makeup must not like him. He's doomed to wear the underside of a penis on his head, and it doesn't look good on him.

I have to give credit to the writers as well. The dialogue, especially between Bashir and Garak, is simply wonderful. Granted, some of that is due to the actors, but in this case they don't have to make a bad script look good. There are bits and pieces here that don't work, such as the above mentioned meeting with the orphans that doesn't go anywhere, but overall it's top notch.

The script is at times poignant (such as O'Brien's talk with Rugal about Cardassians and how you can't hate an entire race) and at times funny (when Bashir interrupts Sisko's conversation with Dukat to ask about leaving the orphans behind), with just the right mix. As usual, Garak gets the best lines, though Sisko has a few too. When Bashir wakes Sisko up in the dead of night to ask for a runabout to take Garak to Bajor, and then proceeds to tell Sisko that Garak won't tell him why, Sisko sarcastically says "will one be enough?"

"Cardassians" builds on the mystery of Garak, as it establishes that Garak and Dukat hate each other, but it doesn't tell us why. That's one of the things I love about this series. We're give storylines that won't necessarily be played out in one hour. Boiled down to its basics, this story is about Garak and Dukat, with the Deep Space Nine crew being manipulated into following along. Sisko even admits that he feels this in a log entry. While some crewmembers are heavily involved, it's not really about them. What other Trek show would make a story that's mainly about two guest characters? Very impressive.

There are a couple of quibbles with the episode, but these in no way bring it down in my eyes. First, there is an effective scene that reiterates O'Brien's feelings about Cardassians after fighting them for years. He comes into his quarters and finds out that Rugal and Molly played together, and he's incensed. He makes a vicious comment that Keiko (Rosalind Chao) calls him on. Later, O'Brien is very tender with Rugal trying to get to the bottom of Rugal's feelings about his own people. It seemed like a very quick turnaround to me, despite the earlier dinner scene where they were united in disgust at the Cardassian stew that Keiko made. I realize why the scene was put in (it would have looked very weird not acknowledging his prejudice), but I think the latter scene could have been played better.

The other issue is the orphans. Their meeting with Garak seems to imply that something is going to happen, but the story stays a political story between two Cardassians and the orphan issue is never addressed. I liked the ending of the episode, which shows the Cardassian reluctance to deal with the issue, but it jarred with the way the meeting scene played out.

Overall, this is a massive step up over the last two episodes. These are the kinds of episodes Deep Space Nine did best. Bajoran and Cardassian politics were a rich mine of stories, and when the show played to its strengths, it was a winner. Well-acted, well-written, this episode was one of the best of the second season.

Memorable Quote:

"I believe in coincidences. Coincidences happen every day. But I don't trust coincidences." Garak

5 Stars

Book Review - Armored - Edited by John Joseph Adams

John Joseph Adams has quickly become one of my favourite anthology editors. He's also editor-in-chief of Lightspeed Magazine, with each issue full of great science fiction and fantasy short stories. I have many of this recent anthologies just waiting for me to pick them up when I have a spare moment.

The latest anthology I've read, Armored, has a rather obvious theme: powered armor in all its forms. Mostly it's the armor such as you see in movies like Starship Troopers, but not always. Two of the stories in the anthology actually take place in the past, not the future. Some take place on a future Earth. Most, however, take place out in the depths of space or on some alien planet where the armor is the only way that you're going to be able to survive.

With such a seemingly narrow theme, you would think an anthology with twenty-three stories in it would suffer from too much of the same thing. That's not true of this anthology, though. The stories are quite varied, ranging from a cat rescue at an abandoned space station to steam-powered armor in the late 1880s to help a criminal fend off the law. The authors do an amazing amount of work bringing these characters to life, and even the worst stories in the book are still a treat to read. They may not all have worked for me as a story, but I didn't want to put the book down in boredom when reading any of them.

My review is now up on Curled Up With a Good Book.

From the review:

"The stories don't all take place in the future. "The Last Days of the Kelly Gang" actually takes place in 1880s Australia and involves the notorious Australian criminal Ned Kelly and an old man named Ike who is forced to create a suit of steam-powered armor so that Kelly can fight off the law closing its noose around him. A brilliant inventor, Ike self-exiled after the mishap of one of his greatest inventions. It's a nice character piece about the man and his regrets, as well as his relationship with the gang as he races against time to build the armor, hoping that Ned won't kill him in the process."

If you don't have an inherent bias against short stories, and you like to add a little powered milk to your story-reading coffee, you can't really go wrong with Armored

Note: The Kage Baker retrospective I promised last week will be posted in two weeks.