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Warren Peace #2
Warren Peace
A humorous science-fiction novel featuring Warren Peace, first encountered in "Who Goes Here?". Warren embarks on a new career as a galactic troubleshooter. His first mission takes him to a water planet where a company producing a mind-blowing drug is having trouble with its alien workforce.
- GenresScience FictionFiction
Hardcover
First published October 15, 2012
1 person is currently reading
46 people want to read
About the author
Bob Shaw
212 books103 followersBob Shaw was born in Northern Ireland. After working in structural engineering, industrial public relations, and journalism he became a full time science fiction writer in 1975.
Shaw was noted for his originality and wit. He was two-time recipient (in 1979 and 1980) of the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer. His short story Light of Other Days was a Hugo Award nominee in 1967, as was his novel The Ragged Astronauts in 1987.
Shaw was noted for his originality and wit. He was two-time recipient (in 1979 and 1980) of the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer. His short story Light of Other Days was a Hugo Award nominee in 1967, as was his novel The Ragged Astronauts in 1987.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 1, 2025
Satire, Speculation, and Surprising Emotional Depth
In "Warren Peace," Bob Shaw demonstrates why he remains one of science fiction's most underappreciated stylists, crafting a novel that uses its punning title as merely the first step in a journey that skillfully blends satire, speculation, and surprising emotional depth.
Set on a distant colony world where humans share territory with the rabbit-like indigenous species (the Warrens), Shaw constructs a narrative that initially presents itself as light comedy before evolving into something far more complex. The protagonist's diplomatic mission among the Warrens becomes a vehicle for exploring themes of cultural misunderstanding, colonial guilt, and the possibility of genuine cross-species communication.
Shaw's world-building deserves particular praise for its subtle complexity. Rather than overwhelming readers with exposition, he allows the alien society to reveal itself gradually through the protagonist's encounters and misadventures. The Warrens emerge as fully realized beings with their own coherent cultural logic rather than mere allegorical stand-ins or exotic backdrops.
What elevates "Warren Peace" above similar first-contact narratives is Shaw's refusal to settle for easy answers or simplistic moral lessons. The novel's central conflicts arise not from malice but from fundamental differences in perception and values that resist facile resolution. By the conclusion, both humans and Warrens have evolved in their understanding, though significant gaps remain—a more honest outcome than the complete reconciliation lesser science fiction might have provided.
Shaw's prose alternates between crisp dialogue, moments of genuine hilarity, and passages of unexpected lyricism when describing the colony world's strange beauty. This stylistic range serves the novel's thematic ambitions, creating a work that entertains while prompting deeper consideration of how we might one day navigate relationships with truly different forms of intelligence.
"Warren Peace" exemplifies science fiction's capacity to use speculative elements to illuminate fundamental aspects of the human condition, confirming Shaw's place among the genre's most thoughtful practitioners.
In "Warren Peace," Bob Shaw demonstrates why he remains one of science fiction's most underappreciated stylists, crafting a novel that uses its punning title as merely the first step in a journey that skillfully blends satire, speculation, and surprising emotional depth.
Set on a distant colony world where humans share territory with the rabbit-like indigenous species (the Warrens), Shaw constructs a narrative that initially presents itself as light comedy before evolving into something far more complex. The protagonist's diplomatic mission among the Warrens becomes a vehicle for exploring themes of cultural misunderstanding, colonial guilt, and the possibility of genuine cross-species communication.
Shaw's world-building deserves particular praise for its subtle complexity. Rather than overwhelming readers with exposition, he allows the alien society to reveal itself gradually through the protagonist's encounters and misadventures. The Warrens emerge as fully realized beings with their own coherent cultural logic rather than mere allegorical stand-ins or exotic backdrops.
What elevates "Warren Peace" above similar first-contact narratives is Shaw's refusal to settle for easy answers or simplistic moral lessons. The novel's central conflicts arise not from malice but from fundamental differences in perception and values that resist facile resolution. By the conclusion, both humans and Warrens have evolved in their understanding, though significant gaps remain—a more honest outcome than the complete reconciliation lesser science fiction might have provided.
Shaw's prose alternates between crisp dialogue, moments of genuine hilarity, and passages of unexpected lyricism when describing the colony world's strange beauty. This stylistic range serves the novel's thematic ambitions, creating a work that entertains while prompting deeper consideration of how we might one day navigate relationships with truly different forms of intelligence.
"Warren Peace" exemplifies science fiction's capacity to use speculative elements to illuminate fundamental aspects of the human condition, confirming Shaw's place among the genre's most thoughtful practitioners.
November 2, 2013
Not as good as the first one
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews