OBIR: Occasional Biased and Ignorant Reviews reflecting this reader’s opinion.
CLUBHOUSE GUEST REVIEWER – Lisa Timpf
Of the novel:
THE STRAGORI DECEPTION – by Arlene F. Marks
Publisher: Brain Lag Publishing, Milton, Ontario, Canada, January 2025.
Cover Design: Catherine Fitzsimmons
Billed as Book One of the Sic Transit Stragon series, The Stragori Deception plunges the reader into the richly-imagined world of Stragon, a planet inhabited by native Stragori as well as humans of Terran descent.
As the novel begins, a team from Earth Intelligence Services (EIS) has just been extracted from Stragon after failing to complete their mission. Stragon is in a perilous situation, poised on the brink of civil war.
We are introduced to two main characters early on. Isabela, a xeno-biochemist, is a deactivated EIS agent who uses a job as a schoolteacher as a cover. Though she could have evacuated with her colleagues, she chose to stay behind in order to seek justice for her brother Carlos and husband Vikram, who died under suspicious circumstances.
Angeli, who also served with the EIS, faked her own death in a recent incident. She and Isabela are commissioned by Dennis Forrand, a member of a powerful family (and Angeli’s biological father), to take on assignments that support Dennis’s master plan to derail an imposter who is stirring up sentiments against Terrans. Angeli is tasked with going to Borea, on the northern continent, to win support for Dennis’s cause. To make matters trickier, she needs to pose as Eva Moss, an identity Dennis has set up for her. If she blows her cover, the fallout could have serious consequences.
Right off the bat, complications arise. Isabela learns that she will need to work with someone she’s butted heads with in the past and isn’t sure she can trust. Angeli discovers that her assignment can’t be run as intended, so she’ll need to make new plans on the fly.
A third character, Drew Townsend, is in charge of the Daisy Hub station, which also plays a role in the events. Drew struggles with a gastric ulcer, which gives him more grief as the tension mounts. Drew has a lot to worry about and plenty of unknowns to grapple with, but like the other characters, he also needs to rely on his instincts and his knowledge to work his way through the situation. Many novels give us people who have been visibly injured by their life events—scarred, having lost the function of limbs, and so on. But an ulcer is no less valid as a byproduct of the job, and it’s interesting to see a character portrayed with struggles like this rather than the commonplace.
The “Deception” in the book’s title is a good fit, for a number of reasons. For one thing, even those working for Dennis Forrand don’t fully trust him. He’s known to keep certain pieces of information to himself, so the reader is kept guessing, along with the main characters, about some facets of their assignments. Secrets, half-truths, and unknowns build tension and suspense as readers try to discern what’s really going on.
The Stragori Deception unfolds through different third-person viewpoints, giving the reader a broad perception of the happenings while also building tension. The novel also offers convincing and detailed world-building. Marks uses little touches to convey a unique place that at the same time has enough similarities to Earth to make it relatable—in fact, characters point out some of the similarities at different points in time. We learn a bit about Stragon’s flora and fauna and history. We even sit down to dinner with some of the Borean residents, getting a sense of different foods and preparation methods. Then there’s the strange Directorate composed, not of living people but memories translated into data. In addition, we get a close-up look at the massive aurochs that roam the plains.
Nothing is exactly as it seems on Stragon, and the reader is continually surprised, in believable ways, both by events and by the back-story. There are revelations about family relationships, social experiments being conducted on humans, and examples of anti-Terran sentiment.
While parts of Stragon are heavy with surveillance tech and many residents have chosen “optimization,” (installation of implants which link the user directly to the net), Boreans have chosen to be more low-tech, though this does not mean “no tech.” The contrast between high-tech and low-tech has echoes in our own time and place. Is technology a force we must embrace, or do we retain the right to choose? The Boreans Angeli meets seem happy enough with their lives, and their home businesses and down-to-earth lifestyles seem almost utopian.
Immigration and integration are also a sub-theme. Stragon houses millions of Terran immigrants, and there are mixed feelings about their presence—particularly now, when some factions are blaming Terrans for terrorist acts.
CONCLUSION:
The Stragori Deception is the first in the Sic Transit Stragon series, which was preceded by the three-book Sic Transit Terra series. Marks provides enough background to enable people like me who hadn’t read the three preceding books to follow the action. Though, also like me, after reading The Stragori Deception, readers might be tempted to check out the earlier books to learn more . . .
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About the Author of “The Stragori Deception”:
Arlene F. Marks has been a professional writer, editor, and educator for going on fifty years. Since retiring from the classroom, she has written and had published several short stories and 21 books, including two literacy programs, a collection of stories containing a 2022 Year’s Best Canadian SF Novella, and 13 speculative fiction novels. She has two more books coming out in 2025 from Brain Lag Books: The Stragori Deception (January 31) and a paranormal mystery, Remains To Be Seen (July). For more information and to view her portfolio, visit her website: www.thewritersnest.ca
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About the Guest Reviewer:
Lisa Timpf is a retired HR and communications professional who lives in Simcoe, Ontario. When not writing, she enjoys bird watching, vegetable gardening, and walking her cocker spaniel/Jack Russel mix Chet. Her speculative poetry has appeared in New Myths, Star*Line, Triangulation: Seven-Day Weekend, Eye to the Telescope, and other venues. Her collection of speculative haibun poetry, In Days to Come, is available from Hiraeth Publishing. You can find out more about Lisa’s writing projects at: http://lisatimpf.blogspot.com/.
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Check it out at: < The Stragori Deception >
