Sign in with Facebook
Jack Kuhn's Reviews > Mirabile
Mirabile
by
by
The set of genetic engineering short stories centered on the planet Mirabile are lighthearted stories that are long time favorites of mine.
Abstract: These stories are an interlinked set of short stories showcasing the adventures of Annie Jason Masmajean (a genetic engineer) and her friend Leonov Bellmaker Denness (a jack-of-all trades).
These stories are genetic engineering science fiction. The technical premise to all the stories is that during the colonization of Mirabile "extra" genetic material was tucked into the DNA of the transported species for redundancy. Unfortunately, the DNA didn't stay put, and various unusual (REALLY unusual!) genetic mutations appear from time to time (called "Dragon's Teeth" in the stories). As such, the stories are various explorations of different kinds of oddball genetic mutations - from Terran DNA, but on a non-Terran planet - both in plants and animals.
Overall, the environment and genetic alterations are well thought out. While these stories might not be "hard" science fiction of the spaceship and ray-gun type, they certainly are science fiction stories that fundamentally rely on science and technology (in this case, genetic engineering). I particularly liked the attention-to-detail in describing the entire ecosystem (not just the ecosystem germane to any particular story). I also liked the description of interlocking ecosystems (a key feature of our own world, but one that often doesn't make it into science fiction stories).
The character development is also quite strong (as with most interlinked short stories, the character relationships are developed across the various stories). The relationship between Annie Jason Masmajean and Leonov Bellmaker Denness IS a romantic one, but with strong practical underpinnings (he gives her a Kangaroo Rex as a courting present, what is she going to do in exchange?) The underlying frontier society is also developed reasonably well - certainly a bit idealized and optimistic - but appropriate for the relatively lighthearted nature of the stories.
Note: This is a new review simply because I've recently joined Goodreads. The stories have been in my personal library for many years.
Abstract: These stories are an interlinked set of short stories showcasing the adventures of Annie Jason Masmajean (a genetic engineer) and her friend Leonov Bellmaker Denness (a jack-of-all trades).
These stories are genetic engineering science fiction. The technical premise to all the stories is that during the colonization of Mirabile "extra" genetic material was tucked into the DNA of the transported species for redundancy. Unfortunately, the DNA didn't stay put, and various unusual (REALLY unusual!) genetic mutations appear from time to time (called "Dragon's Teeth" in the stories). As such, the stories are various explorations of different kinds of oddball genetic mutations - from Terran DNA, but on a non-Terran planet - both in plants and animals.
Overall, the environment and genetic alterations are well thought out. While these stories might not be "hard" science fiction of the spaceship and ray-gun type, they certainly are science fiction stories that fundamentally rely on science and technology (in this case, genetic engineering). I particularly liked the attention-to-detail in describing the entire ecosystem (not just the ecosystem germane to any particular story). I also liked the description of interlocking ecosystems (a key feature of our own world, but one that often doesn't make it into science fiction stories).
The character development is also quite strong (as with most interlinked short stories, the character relationships are developed across the various stories). The relationship between Annie Jason Masmajean and Leonov Bellmaker Denness IS a romantic one, but with strong practical underpinnings (he gives her a Kangaroo Rex as a courting present, what is she going to do in exchange?) The underlying frontier society is also developed reasonably well - certainly a bit idealized and optimistic - but appropriate for the relatively lighthearted nature of the stories.
Note: This is a new review simply because I've recently joined Goodreads. The stories have been in my personal library for many years.
Sign into Goodreads to see if any of your friends have read
Mirabile.
Sign In »
Reading Progress
Finished Reading
January 5, 2020
– Shelved
January 5, 2020
– Shelved as:
genetic-scifi
January 5, 2020
– Shelved as:
favorites
