Sunbirds #2: Epidemic

Andrew Browne

One of the key words in my review of the first SunBirds novel was “potential.” Things won't be changing much in review #2.

We continue on in the story of the SunBirds and their aiding of the beetles in the battle against the flies for world domination. (No, I promise you, the premise really does work well.) This book is told from the point of view of Shadow, one of Aquarius' (narrator of the first book) associates in the SunBirds, and a much flightier, happier- go-lucky character. Browne handles the change in narrative voice with aplomb, something that often catches more seasoned writers out, which makes the underlying problems a bit more confusing than they would otherwise be; this is obviously not the work of an amateur, no matter how young the author.

But there are problems with it. Most of them have to do with Browne's treatment of emotion (and again, this is a problem which does affect more seasoned writers, usually in genre fiction, so it's not something one can dismiss as the work of a neophyte); characters will illogically shift their emotion in the space of a sentence or two, or pop up with something inappropriate for the situation (laughing while facing the possibility of death, say, but in a carefree way rather than with bravado). When done right, this can be a powerful tool in showing a character's actual emotions through the inappropriateness of what's shown; Glendon Swarthout utilizes this technique masterfully throughout Bless the Beasts and Children, for example. Here, it fails, for either of two possible reasons: either Browne was too focused on the plot of the story to get far into characterization, or just doesn't have the life experience necessary to pick up on subtleties in the conveyance of emotions. This is not necessarily age-related, as anyone who's ever read a Danielle Steel novel will heartily attest.

Okay, enough with the bad. On with the good. The second novel in the series is similar to the first in its slimness, quickness, originality, and all-around fun. Nick Carter for kids, except with power chips instead of guns and far more interesting bosses sending the agents out on missions, to be sure. If you can get past the inappropriate emotional responses, which are really a minor thing here, this is another fun read in the SunBirds series. May there be many more.