Lianne Burwell's Reviews > Mirabile

I bought this when it first came out, and reread it on a regular basis (usually when I want a chuckle without the slapstick of most humor).

The stories are set on an interesting world, settled a few generations earlier, with animals that Earth scientists embedded extra genes into. Unfortunately, a lot of records were lost in a disaster on the way to Mirabile, so the information on controlling those extra genes were lost.

As a result, sometimes animals (and plants) produce unexpected results. Whether it's deer giving birth to wild boars crossed with moles (Frankenswine), otters that 'chain up' to a moose (The Loch Moose Monster), to kangaroos with nasty extras (Return of the Kangaroo Rex).

We also get an older heroine who still get romance (with a man who has adult children), and is *smart* (she's in charge of the team that deal with chimeras -- the animals that aren't earth authentic, and that pose a danger).

I always wished there were more stories in this series. Sadly, the author died from complications due to lyme disease with only this volume, two novels (Hellspark, and Star Trek: Uhura's Song), and a handful of other short stories to her name. A lovely lady, gone before she really hit her stride.