Kurt R.A. Giambastiani

As I mentioned a while ago, my mind is once again calm enough to allow me the enjoyment of reading fiction. In fact, I’ve read four novels in the past few weeks, which is about three more than I read in all of 2019.

Seriously. It was that bad.

The first books had been in my TBR pile for a while, but this latest one was a recent arrival, and it was a serious break from the “literary” works I’ve been reading. Written by Tim Lebbon, Generations is not only science fiction, but (gasp!) a television “tie-in” novel, the fourth novel set in the Firefly ‘verse.

The previous titles in this series, all written by a different author, were (to put it mildly) a tremendous disappointment. I reviewed the first two (here and here), but frankly, I didn’t see the point in bothering you with a review of the third one, so I read it and tossed it aside.

Seriously, they were that bad.

With Generations, though, Lebbon improves upon those titles by an order of magnitude, if not more. Unlike the previous titles, I spent time enjoying this book’s dialogue, continuity, foreshadowing, and character development. Browncoats (aka Firefly fans) may rejoice.

Seriously. It’s that good.

Generations, at its core, is a treasure hunt—a map leads our crew to a salvage opportunity that lies past the Outer Rim—but it is a hunt that is wrapped up in a sheaf of other secrets, old and new. For Browncoats, it also comes with tales of Earth-That-Was, Hands of Blue, and backstory galore.

Beyond that (which is a lot, compared to previous titles), it’s also well written. Not once did I shout at someone’s battle-scene-monologuing. Not once was I able to plot out the chapter’s events on the first page. Not once did the patois overwhelm or intrude. Not once did errors in continuity imperil the safety of the book in my hand.

Rather, Lebbon gives us a well-wrought book that compels us from page to page. Aaaahh, such bliss.

For one thing, he gives us character-specific dialogue. I don’t know if Lebbon is a Browncoat or just studied up, but whereas previous books gave us generic speech patterns (bad guys had a lot more dialect than heroes, but that was as differentiated as it got), the characters in Lebbon’s book each have their own mannerisms of speech, and those mannerisms mimicked to a high degree the characters in the television series.

Example (for Browncoats only): Imagine Mal giving an instruction to Kaylee, something needed urgently or all will be lost. Calmly, he gives her the instruction, and appends to the end the phrase, “Quick as you can.” That’s Mall and Kaylee; much different than Mal with Jayne.

Lebbon also switches limited POVs with ease, and each character’s view of the world is distinct, just as their concerns, motivations, fears, desires, are distinct. They are not pieces of wood being pushed around a stage, but people, individuals in every aspect, and Lebbon does this well. He even gives us tremendous insight into how some characters’ minds work. I’ll say no more on that, for fear of spoiling it for you.

Moreover, Lebbon’s talent with structure also helps make Generations a pleasure to read. He lays clues, not ham-handedly, but with a subtle touch, leading us, inviting us onward.

Most importantly, Lebbon’s Generations, even though a stand-alone novel, adds to the Firefly ‘verse. The world of Firefly is enhanced by this book. It is fuller, more interesting, broader, and older.

I know I’m gushing a bit, but after the foul taste of the first three titles—books seemingly intent on merely cashing in on a franchise—this was a delight.

I hope Lebbon is tapped for future titles, as well.

k