Multi Planet Human Empire of the Merchant Princes

In the first volume, known as TIMEWEB, author Brian Herbert creates a world, which in some ways resembles the politics of today. Noah Watanabe, leader of a group of eco-warriors known as the Guardians, has waged his own personal crusade to mend the destruction brought to various worlds by the greedy development of the Merchant Prince Alliance. He becomes aware of the Timeweb, the mysterious delicate network by which the Aopoddae, the sentient podships, travel time and space, and he realizes that, somehow, the web is deteriorating. In the second volume, the Human empire and the Mutati, a race of shapeshifters, have gone to war, and the Hibbils and Adurians have formed a secret Coalition to destroy the two races they pretend to help. Though the podships have abandoned human worlds, the Coalition is working to manufacture artificial podships, grown in labs, to deliver their own military attacks on both humans and Mutatis.

Doge Lorenzo, head of the MPA, and Noah’s twin sister, Francella, both of whom wish to remove his influence from the human worlds and to discover the source of Noah’s apparent immortality, have taken Noah prisoner. Noah can also send his consciousness into the Timeweb and control a podship from a distance, but his powers are unreliable. Will Noah’s Guardian Alliance discover where Noah is hidden and free him to lead them in saving the galaxy before it all falls apart?

Brian Herbert is the son of Frank Herbert of DUNE fame. Both authors created worlds with secret alliances and agendas. The Timeweb Chronicles also reflects some of the struggles going on today between ordinary humanity and powerful corporations. Mr. Herbert displays the potential to create complex plots and counterplots. However, by the second book in a series, the reader should have a clear understanding of the main characters personalities and what motivates them in their actions. This is where the story falls short; dramatic and disastrous things take place, but the characters reactions and emotions are summarized instead of explored. Emotions and personality are important methods by which readers decide whether they can support or accept a character; they need depth. THE WEB AND THE STARS is a space opera with classic characters: the hero, the traitorous evil woman (Francella), and mysterious aliens. It is a good book for those new to science fiction, or those looking for an homage to the late Frank Herbert.

Lisa Baca