In this third book in the series, Jak Jinnaka has been picked up by the Protectorates Administrative Service Corps (read: administrative duties) and posted on one of Mar's moons. With his boss, Reeb Waxajovna going on vacation, it looks like Jak will be in charge of the boring, quiet outpost for five months. All he has to do is make sure Waxajovna's great-great granddaughter Pikia stays out of trouble and builds up her resume enough so that Jak can write her a glowing recommendation that will help her get into the PSA, an important school. When a life log...a diary...written by the man who started the Wager, the religion their whole culture is based on is found in a Martian Kingdom, Jak's second job comes into play. He is a secret agent employed by The Hive, the largest and most powerful country in the union. (Country is not quite a good word...but the human tongue does not yet quite have a world for a huge space station that is in its own right a place with a name and currency and rules.) They want this lifelog, knowing that whoever has it holds the key to either changing the world or keeping things the same. They're not the only ones...Green World wants it too, forcing Jak to cross paths with his ex-lover, the Princes Shyf, who has had him conditioned to be her love slave, a conditioning that the Hive promises to undo, if he gets the lifelog, and if he gives all the credit to Clarbo Waynong, a man who, well, has more influence than brains. If he makes Clarbo look good, then he will not only be reconditioned so that he doesn't desire to kill people every time the mention the princesses name, but give him a new position in Hive Intel.
The most noticeable thing in this third installment of the adventures of Jak is that he's genuinely matured. In the first books, he's really just a teenager, for all the years he technically has. The whole feel of the books matched the main character's attitude, making for a more youthful feeling adventure. Again, the main character's attitudes color the tone, so this offering feels older, much more mature. I think that says a great deal about Barnes' talent, to be able to realistically show a character's growth. It also makes Jak a much more likable character. True, he's still pretty clueless about things, instead of considering the situations from all angles he keeps his vision pretty narrow, but he's someone I now have an even easier time relating to, and I found myself favoring him more than his toktru tove Dujuv when in the past the panth was my favorite character. Not that Dujuv, now a roving consul (and also showing a bit of maturity) isn't still as interesting as ever. Even so, Jak still has some hard lessons to learn...one of the reasons why he makes a good serial character. There's room for him to grow.
It's also a very humorous book. Clarbo is...inconceivably stupid. The first words out of his mouth ruin the diplomatic talks just seconds before the King seems ready to give Jak the lifelog. Watching Jak trying to keep the mission on track with this man in tow is rather funny, even as you feel bad for him.
The technology continues to create a deeply textured background. By now the marvels of this world have become second nature to it, yet they still maintain their marvelousness. I would kill for a purse. These small computers go everywhere with you, a simple command gets them to do everything from getting your laundry done to taxes to providing high security codes. All they ask in return is a push of the reward button.
A wonderful mixture of espionage, sf, and an exploration of both friendship and politics, this book is filled with enough adventure...and an deliciously ironic twist...to please readers of any genre.
In the Hall of the Martian King
John Barnes
