Reader reviews of the NARC novels - gay Science Fiction at its best

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Many of us have been following the NARC books since 1993, and readers around the world will tell you right out, gay science fiction doesn't get better than this. On this page, a number of reviewers give us their thoughts on the series as a whole, and their favorite parts of it. (And don't miss Mel Keegan talks about Gay Science Fiction, a new-on-site feature article.)

the Death's Head cover

DEATH'S HEAD UNABRIDGED and EQUINOX
REVIEWED BY RANGER

I've read and re read this book now not a few times in the two weeks I've owned it, and I knew it very well to begin with. I seriously looked forward to the re release, and the book is entirely transformed. It always was GOOD, but it wasn't the fantastic that Equinox is, there always was a lack of the depth to it that made Equinox such an involving read. Mel Keegan plots are always riveting, but he has a real gift for writing characters strong enough to keep you interested all by themselves. There are some Keegan characters who I swear could just sit and chat in a park and still keep you reading. And this goes for minor characters as well as major. Kip Reardon, Harry Del and Gil Cronin are as visual and have as strong personalities emerging through the text as the marvellous Jarrat and Stone. I'd add too that I love the Mel Keegan skill of introducing you to a very minor character that flashes past- Crystal Jones for example- with a few lines that give you a real connection to who that person is and where they fit within the community of Athena. That sense of the carrier and that community is one of the things that make both these books so deeply involving.

The text returned to Death's Head puts it straight back on the level with Equinox, it's turned it into the book it always deserved to be, and for a hardened Jarrat and Stone fan it was a total joy to find those little added gems of information that adds to the characters, back story and plot. It adds a real richness and colour to the plot and to the characters. The background on Harry Del in particular, and Jarrat- for example bringing out further the skill Del has in communicating with Jarrat, there are some tantalising clues there about a man who appears very easy to like but not at all easy to get close to. I've always deeply admired the subtlety of writing in the NARC stories and Ice Wind and Fire about the realities of building and maintaining a relationship with someone who was a 'looked after' child, and in Greg's case, a survivor of abuse - working at the sharp end of that with some children in this situation, the connections to later adult character and relationships are painfully acute and perceptive, and yet so subtle, as they would be in these successful, dynamic men. And the beauty too of evolving relationships with partners able to understand and to support them is again symptomatic of how realistic and how strong the Mel Keegan written relationships always are. Both Alex and Stone have needed at times to teach skills that their partners just don't have- the gym/locker room scene in Equinox is wrenching. How do you at thirty learn to actually share those kind of emotions when you have no previous experience? Moreover how much in love do you need to be to trust someone enough to teach you how to do it? And this isn't an issue either, it's just one element of a complex character and relationship, part of that wonderful depth and strength that Mel Keegan characters have. And how good a writer do you need to be to slip this into the subtext of a complex, multifaceted novel? Pretty damn good.

It's amazing too how returning fragments of dialogue change and deepen your understanding of the central relationship- it evolves much more visibly and strongly in the updated novel, the returned section with the Apogee and shoot out with Del adds a great deal to the plot and the understanding of how Jarrat and Stone came to terms with the empathy and that it wasn't an instant transition. Jarrat actually with the returned dialogue comes over as slightly less mean, moody and magnificent - Not ENTIRELY sure yet if that's altogether a good thing ;) There is something about a man stalking around in armour with a large gun and a really good scowl...

I have enjoyed the reprint of this book and the whole new picture it creates very much indeed, this was a brilliant idea to re release it and I very much hope the sales make it worthwhile, for all the hard work put in and to encouraging keeping ON writing and publishing NARC fiction. I can't wait to read Scorpio.

I have no problem whatever with you using [this email] as a review, I hope it might help to sell you a few more copies, this book needs to be read!

Very much looking forward to the release of Scorpio, and I hope that won't be the last NARC novel either.

DEATH'S HEAD
REVIEWED BY "Combat Engineer, US Army" [anon., for obvious reasons]

For the record, Mr. Keegan does a great job with the military detail; from weapon and weapon system form, function, and application to the nature and quality of relationships among soldiers and between soldiers and the civilian leaders from whom we get our charter. Keegan's language is beautifully descriptive and his sensitivity to the angst a same-gender-loving soldier might experience in a prohibitive environment is spectacularly on point--rarely sentimental.

DEATH'S HEAD
REVIEWED BY ARICIA GAVRIEL:

This is my fave of the two Jarrat'n'Stone books so far. If I had to give a reason for why it's my fave ... I think because it's the one where the two characters get together (I love get-together stories). Otherwise, I actually believe EQUINOX is the better story, but the guys are already fully-defined in that volume, and they have it all worked out on a personal basis. The thing I love most about these books ... I guess it's two things really! ... is, 1) being gay in the day-and-age which is home to J and S is routine. Nobody even notices, and that is a HUGE relief after the never-ending aggravation of the 20th and now the 21st Centuries. And, 2) the idea of two guys being linked empathically, I find completely fascinating. Manymanymany years ago I got hooked on ST:ToS and one of things that kept me coming back even in the third season, was the mind-meld idea. As Trek went on (and on and on and on...) they overworked a lot of ideas (holodeck etc.) but whaybackwhen it was all new and so exotic it gave you tingles. The NARC books still generate the goosebumps for me. I want to explore their universe more and more, so it was great news for me that MK is planning at least one extra NARC book. I hope it's many more than one ... and I can't wait for the special edition of DEATH'S HEAD!!!

EQUINOX
REVIEWED BY ARICIA GAVRIEL

There's so much to comment on and talk about in EQUINOX, I hardly know where to start, so I'll begin with the on-going development of the Jarrat and Stone characters, which gives a whole new insight into these guys, in this book. You had to wonder, in DEATH'S HEAD, if either J or S would suffer any long-term harm from what they'd been through, and it turns out, they did, or at least Jarrat did. Jarrat is a character with a quick-hot, fast-burn temper, so it's not surprising he's the one to start suffering something like post-trauma stress disorder, while Stoney handles the situation better. Watching them work it out was page-turner stuff. In this book we get a bit more backstory on the guys, too, in particular Stoney (you only have to wonder what DEATH'S HEAD would have been like if MK hadn't had to cut it to pieces on account of GMP's book-length limits). The story of EQUINOX is so tight-knit and intrictate, it's a close-second to HELLGATE #1. It keeps you guessing to the end. Anyone who likes airplanes and flying will get a big kick out of this book too. One of the best parts is a low-level dogfight, where Jarrat is in the shuttle, in pursuit of a bad guy. Wow. There's also a high-speed car-chase on the freeway, in Twenty-Fourth century muscle-cars ... also wow. MK was getting into his stride with this one, and it's too bad GMP started to wind down soon after. Anyway, 'better late than never,' DreamCraft is going to do a new NARC book next year ('04), and here's hoping the D'sH special edition (full, uncut) goes ahead. I'll be keeping in touch with Dave at DreamCraft and will update my Jarrat and Stone webpage with news when available.

NARC: EQUINOX and DEATH'S HEAD
REVIEWED BY TOSHUA

I'm starting on NARC #3. I blew through the first 2, finishing #2 on the plane back [home]. I'm enjoying the series greatly. My hat's off to Mel. The detail in your universe is astonishing. How much research have you done to come up with all the little details scattered throughout the novels? [MK answers: a lot. Planet-building isn't as simple as thinking up a catchy name and setting the action there! Also, when your characters are drawn from a vast variety of backgrounds, you have to know a little about where people are from, to be able to figure out how they'll speak, perhaps behave. For instance, Stoney is easy: after APHELION you'll kbnow exactly where he's from — which I've known all along, of course! And his background goes a long way towards molding the character. Jarrat, however, is tough to write, and always was. He's from an invented place (Sheckley), so every detail of Sheckley had to be developed ... and Jarrat was 'engineered' to be a product of that background. All is revealed in STOPOVER! And then you get along to the science. How much real science is there in these books? A lot, and in the story set on Earth, Mars and in the Jupiter system, one heck of a lot. Glad you're enjoying the novels ... and thanks for letting me know! - MK]

SCORPIO
REVIEWED BY H.D.

Just finished reading Scorpio straight through for the second time. Wow! Mel wrote "Hope this one hits the spot" when he signed my copy - please tell him it sure did! I loved seeing more of Gil Cronin and the other Ravens, and seeing Harry Del back with a larger part. The relationship between Kevin and Stoney deepened and felt really solid - especially when Kevin had to go deep cover. Aurora gave you a closer look at how the Ravens function, and their relationship with the Captains. The unit leaders obviously have a much bigger part in planning and policy than you saw in DH or Equinox, and the "soap bubbles" fragility highlighted that. It was interesting to see how a starfleet carrier handled that kind of thing too - you could really see where the roots of how the elite NARC troops of J & S's time became the corrupt leadership and conscripted "slave labor" of Hellgate 200 years later. Fantastic! Marvelous! More! There was a very strong hint at the end that the next book would be set on Mars, and that a major confrontation with NARC leadership was on the way - no spoilers, but I can't wait for the next book. Or for Hellgate #3. When do you think White Rose of Night will be ready to order? Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you at Dreamcraft - especially you and Mel and his Mom.

SCORPIO
REVIEWED BY RANGER

I've read Scorpio three times now, and I'm still ready to go straight back to the beginning and start again. This plot was densely packed and complex enough for me to be tempted at times to keep a pen and notebook handy, but wow... it was well worth the waiting for. I loved Deaths Head and Equinox when I read them ten years ago, I thought then how astounding it was to find not only seriously good science fiction but seriously good gay science fiction, and I've been longing ever since for the series to continue. The re issued Death's Head was a delight, and Scorpio was every bit as fascinating and as powerful a story. It picked up the series without missing a beat or slipping one inch in the quality. The world of NARC has always had me riveted and Scorpio opens it right out, answering a few questions but mostly unleashing a whole lot more as it widens the setting and the background to such an extent.

I very much enjoyed the connections between Sheckley and the city bottom environments, and the inside knowledge of someone who'd grown up within that world. Like the differentiations of climate, and the time in this story spent groundside, especially following Jarrat once in cover, it created a very strong and realistic impression of cultures that have formed radically differently away from Earth, and the effects on and backgrounds of people raised in those environments. I also found it clever how essentially what Jarrat did to the transport in the opening scene was mirrored in how they shut down Scorpio. Very Kiplingesque! I always have enjoyed how all three of these novels have hit the ground running, a short and self contained action sequence, and it was great to see that pattern continued. The opening scene in itself was fascinating as a short, one step mission being executed. Throughout the entire novel I was constantly thinking "Wonderful, YES, I always wanted to know how they did this, and that, and what happened when THAT happened", from Gil Cronin in dress uniform at the enquiry to the press and how difficult the media must make life at times for NARC, to the briefings and how they were conducted. The briefing scene at the beginning of the end was seriously exciting reading, as was the entire final action. Very visual, very powerful and truly unputdownable.

I was in two minds throughout Scorpio - one thrilled with and thoroughly enjoying the non stop, rapid flow of action, and seeing so much and such a range of action- the concept of the carrier and how it works is every bit as fascinating as the assignment. The other mind was muttering mildly about missing the characters, who shot past in tantalising glimpses, too busy to do anything but work flat out in order to keep up with the plot! Serious questions had arisen by the end as to whether anyone had accumulated more than about ten hours sleep through the entire book. ;) The previous two books are very rich in character and character development, it was great to read so much based on that foundation that focused on the mission and the action. But these are such powerful characters and relationships that I'd love to know a lot more about them. Not just between Jarrat and Stone either, although they remain in themselves a fascinating combination: there are so many strong characters aboard the Athena. The scenes set in Venice, and the suggestions of life in Venice as a military city were fascinating, raising a lot of questions and setting a lot of hints and suggestions of what happens there in motion. Maybe another three or four chapters tacked on the end with no plot to bother the characters might be nice ;) I think the solution may well be to be patient and just wait for the next book. (And the one after that).

One thing I'd love to see now, from mentions in Scorpio, is seeing some of their training simulations and exercises. Seeing the development of the empathy and how it worked was intrieguing - I'd be interested to know now what's likely to happen during an argument, or when Jarrat's temperament starts to pull at the leash, or if one of them was injured- what puts the empathy under strain and what are its possibilities when stretched? I'll be very interested to see where NARC Intelligence want to go next with the testing. I'd imagine they would try simulations testing out extreme possibilities as a safety precaution if they truly want proof that the empathy won't lead to both Captains unstuck under certain situations? Incidentally I found the mentions of VR training and preparation fascinating throughout - what a brilliant idea.

Several questions arose during Scorpio, some slightly more sensible than others:

Am I imagining it or have the Raven units shrunk from 25 men to 15? [This is a good question! Mel explains right here...-Ed.] Who has to take Budweisser for a drink and a shoulder to cry on when shuttles, gunships and other parts of the Athena fleet are trashed in the line of duty? (Throughout the final battle scene, which I loved, I kept hearing Commander Scott's voice from the starship Enterprise muttering about "I cannae give her any more Captain..." and thought, considering, Budweisser took things pretty well.) What is going to happen to the wonderful and slightly trigger happy Tanya Reynolds? It was lovely to see Evelyn Lang join the Athena, but I hope she doesn't mean the end of Tanya. Is it going to emerge what happened to Jarrat's father and the blown up ship? Following the genetic pattern back a generation, it seems unlikely to have been quite the chain of co incidences it looked? Is Reardon always as laid back during the Rugby season? What IS aeroball and when do we get to see some? Is Petrov SERIOUSLY going to get a promotion to field officer? And if he does will the crew of that poor carrier let him live?

When is Aphelion due to be published? I'm eagerly looking forward to book 4. And 5. And so on. Thank you for another truly riveting read, and for continuing this marvellous series, it remains my absolute favourite in amongst many well loved Keegan tales. By the way, I was delighted to hear about the reprint for White Rose of Night- another beautifully written and vivid story.

STOPOVER
Reviewed by 'Black Raven 666'

one word for it ... fantastic ... but i could say a whole lot more! ... how Mel keegan does it beats me the stories seem to HAPPEN by themselves. (you know how when you read some books the plots seem to be pushed along?? any plot by mr keegan that i can think of seems to go along like something like lava or a stream of water following gravity - it just happens and takes you along for the ride. [STOPOVER] is great also because it lets us see some of the bg of the characters such as where they come from and how they grew up. seeing Shekley (i know i'm spelling that wrong, sorry, i don't have the book with me right now) makes me wonder HOW jarrat ever grew up at all - a lot of kids would of jacked it in and done angel ... shows us how strong jarrat is to survive. can't wait now for SCORPIO - hope it won't be long!!

STOPOVER
Reviewed by JEFF

This was the first NARC book I read (got the eBook, just couldn't resist, at the price: how could you), and am hooked. I know I'm reading the backstory first, but I think that it will actually enrich the experience when I get ahold on the others. Am waiting for them right now (time of post: 4-24-08) because the good folk at DreamCraft tell me they're bringing out a range of all the eBooks in the right format for my Pocket PC. So I'll be waiting a few days or weeks, whatever, because I have the ppc in the briefcase on the train five days a week (yeh, I work in an office downtown. How boring is that?). But I want to get in here and tell people, if they're thinking of starting on the NARC books, and they want to get to know the characters intimately (and I do mean intimately!!) before the panic starts ... you can do a hulluve lot worse than 'risk' five bucks and get this one first. Wow factor: 110%. [Thanks, Jeff: we appreciate the recommondation! To say 'thanks,' we'll send you the Microsoft Reader version of DEATH'S HEAD UNABRIDGED, as soon as it's out ... and it's due at the end of April '08. At this time, 90% of the eBook conversions are done, throughout the whole Keegan list, and we're waiting on some software to upload the online store. Thanks for bearing with us! -ED]

APHELION
REVIEWED BY DENNY B.

Aaaaahhhhhh, at last! I have it in my hands!!! I'm reading it!!! In fact, stayed up past midnight to finish. Woah. This one has everything. Can't hardly believe the amount there is in this book. And it's a page-turner from the get-go. Don't even ask me to name my fave part. Well .... maybe .... the scene in the storm in Harry's garden ;-) .... and then the 'sim' scene in the middle of the book before the ship arrives at Earth ... woooo. I also really like having TWO guys doing the undercover work. Bring it on. More please, soon please. And I want to take my next vacation on Mars!!

APHELION
REVIEWED BY BUCKEROO BONSAI

Now, this is the book I've waited fifteen years for. Since reading (devouring / inhaling / ingesting) the original Death's Head (which we all now know was abridged within an inch of its very life), I've wanted (longed / yearned / begged) to see the planet Earth. To know where Stoney comes from. To see what's become of human society (politics / fashion / environment). I freedly admit, this is the kind of sci-fi I like. There are no monsters and Earth is not being invaded for the umpteeth time. [MARGINALLY OFF TOPIC HERE: There are also no characters in alien costume (meaning, human actors who look almost 100% homosapien till one arrives as the head, where the unfortunate performer is wearing a large, often grotesque, rubber creation. Trek. Farscape, Stargate. Babylon. Star Wars ... it's been a Hollywood trend since somebody glued a pair of anetnnae on an actor whose face had been painted blue. I suppose I have nothing major against TV/cinematic SF; however, one grows weary of the masks, and aliens who appear so weird and then behave in ways that are so completely human, you can only go out for another bucket of guacamole dip and hope for better luck after the commercial break. I digress, for which, profuse apologies — but having said all of the above, you now know a little about me, and will perhaps value my opinions of Mr. Keegan's work all the more highly!] The NARC novels are about HUMANS BEING HUMAN, in a world that is very different ... yet strangely the same. One can see exactly how the world of Keegan's twenty-fourth century evolved, item by item, from our own world. Put another way, you could take the world in which the NARC books take place, and reverse-engineer it step by step — and end in our own world. As each novel was released (the first two from GMP, the latter works via DreamCraft) I was on tenterhooks to see if Keegan could maintain the sheer logic of the world-building, at the same time as keep up the integrity of the purely human drama. Ten out of ten. Five stars out of five in the Buckeroo Bonsai Great SF Guide. And as I began, the facet I've been waiting for was to explore the planet Earth, see where Stoney (my favourite; sorry; one isn't supposed to pick favourites, but there you have it ... guilty as charged) grew up. APHELION delivers, value plus. Highly recommended, if you're looking for human drama, gay romance, and a kind of sci-fi that has seldom been done to date — and has never been done better.

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