Divine Right (Merovingen Nights, No 5)

Rating:
Summary: Revolution's brewing...
Review: As in all the anthologies in this series, _Divine Right_'s stories are written in a braided format, so that the effect is almost seamless as the events of the book flow forward. My comments are organized more by author than by appearance in the book. This volume (which has only had 1 edition to date) has a painting of a cat-whale on its cover, which I mention only to joggle the memories of those who may have read it before.
If you're hard up for a Merovingen-like story, try _The Shadow of the Lion_; Mercedes Lackey, one-third of the writing team, gave medieval alternate-history Venice some distinctly Merovingenish touches.

Abbey, Lynn "Red Skies" Richard Kamat's getting an ulcer, mainly from dealing with Mondragon, not just from playing politics with Boregy and Anastasi Kalugin. He'd happily get Mondragon a *real* boat instead of the sorry hulk he just bought, and pray to get him out of the city. Coping with his sister's so-far-unwed pregnancy and his mother's addiction, Richard's not amused to banter words with a deacon at Cassie Boregy's on the subjects of deathangel and abortion. Dr. Lambert encounters him, and offers frank advice - and Mondragon is less than thrilled to learn of the Sword revolutionary's presence, physician or no.

The Samurai security force is protecting trade properly, and giving Anastasi a counter to his sister's blacklegs. Then a large, mysterious box arrives, marked with symbols from the same reference book that inspired the Samurai's name, and everything changes yet again.

Asire, Nancy "Draw Me a Picture" Marina Kamat is convinced that Tom Mondragon is supplying her mother with deathangel. Raj, with his Takahashi honor, puts aside the temptation to use this as a lever on Marina's affections. He draws his College art student friend Justice into a plan to identify the real source of Andromeda Kamat's drugs.

Cherryh, C.J. "From the Files of Anastasi Kalugin, Advocate Militiar" - Various background documents, included for flavor.

Cherryh, C.J. "Seeds of Destruction" - The mysterious seeds sown by the Janists on the canals back in spring have spread all over the city canals as tangle-lilies - so called because where they grow thick, they tangle boat-poles. Change one thing, and you have to change another - as the canalers are forced to run their engines to be competitive, the engines break down more often. Fortunately, the Janists' study of ecology has given them a talent for predicting the consequences of tampering, and they're good at long-range planning.

Fish, Leslie "Run Silent, Run Cheap" And here's where the Janes fire up the next stage of their plan for getting a foothold in Merovingen: dealing with the old engine problem.

Lackey, Mercedes "Turning Point" A message from Rigel's grandfather has sobered him, carrying with it the full burden of Takahashi honor. His knowledge of medicine may not lead him to the life he wanted, but it may help repay the Kamats for their protection; as a former swampy, he knows some things about deathangel addiction that the Kamat house physician doesn't.

Morris, Janet "Second Opinion" Dr. Lambert's take on things, including walking a tightrope between two old lovers: Karl Fon, de facto dictator of Nev Hettek, and Chance MacGruder, ambassador to Merovingen.

Morris, Chris "Postpartum Blues" - Dr. Danielle Lambert, one of the devotees of the Nev Hettek revolution sent to the Merovingen embassy, is now torn by divided loyalties. Maintaining the alliance forged by Mike Chamoun's marriage to Cassiopeia Boregy of Merovingen involves her services, and acting as physician to deathangel-addict Cassie and her daughter is increasingly distressing, after the loss of her own child.

Rogow, Roberta "Farren's Folly: Meeting of Minds" - Farren has taken up with the least-respected of the Kalugins: Mikhail, who admires Cassie Boregy while at the same time taking an unRevanantist interest in technology; this time, fire-fighting equipment and a firewatch to operate it.

Sinor, Bradley H. "Foggy Night" - Waiting for a no-show lover down by East Dike, Rafe Morgan's pebble tossing turns up a corroded metal box, bearing the insignia of House Rohan. But when he seeks a reward, Lady Tanith Rohan neither ignores him nor pays, but has him beaten without payment. Angered, Morgan begins finding out more than he wanted to know about whether the Rohans are unusually wily, crazy as rabid skits, or both.