Jubilee

What made people think that the middle of the desert was the right place to build a town like Los Vegas where people from around the world flock to get their vice on? It was the fact that it was in the middle of nowhere, safe from prying eyes and it was desperate to for people to visit. There should be plenty of spaces to hide and indulge in your deepest pleasures in space, but in Jubilee by Stephen K. Stanford the encroaching powers of The Movement means that you must take a little sidestep into a parallel universe to get your freak on. 

Detectives Col and Danee have been assigned a simple case in a complicated place. All they must do is retrieve the body of a dead dignitary, but the person died on Jubilee, a pleasure complex hidden in a parallel universe. Jubilee is a place outside the law where you can do anything if your money is good. When the dead body proves to be trickier than first hoped, Col and Dannee find themselves framed, lacking an eye and on an adventure that will span more than one universe. 

Space Operas are a great genre, but they can often be staid. You can have fun in space and that is what Jubilee brings to the party. The book is described as a sci-fi romp and that is a perfect encapsulation of what you get; high adventures and some fun set pieces. There is an interesting mix of gritty world building with some fun characters. In the background we have a fascist movement taking over planet after planet, but over on Jubilee you have a chirpy AI with a Scottish accent ensuring that all the humans that come to visit can indulge in anything their heart desires. 

There is enough going on Jubilee itself to capture a reader’s imagination. This is a spaceport fashioned together over the years to be a hodgepodge of pleasures. It is not all red-light districts and illegal surgery, there is also more innocent fun to be had including a low G playground for adults. Col is thrust into this situation, alongside Danee who has some experience. The opening part of the book is all about Jubilee, but it expands far beyond this. 

The narrative feels more like a series of misadventures for Col, firstly on Jubilee, then against The Movement. The character of Col changes drastically, physically at least. He acts as a steady centre for the story to spin around. Col is a loyal man, steady, a little on the dull side. He drives on with a single determination to protect others. Things happen to him, rather than Cal affecting them. His love life being one. The book has a love triangle at the centre that Cal is part of, but with little control over. 

Although set in a dystopian future, this is lighter science fiction and should be read to be enjoyed. The adventures have life or death consequences but read like antics. Even with the all-powerful AI Douglas on their side, Col and Dannee seem to stumble through events. This gives the book a fast pace and a sense of fun. Tonally it works, think of it like the Flash Gordon film, if you spend a little more time really considering how evil Ming the Merciless was. I would gladly read more misadventures of Col and would love to learn more about life on Jubilee.