Template - A Novel of the Archonate (Planet Stories) [Paperback]

Matthew Hughes has been called the best kept secret in science fiction, but I say, why keep him secret? His novels of the "Archonate" in the "penultimate age of Old Earth" are riproaring fun, and, to the extent they are Jack Vance homage, they are absolutely the best of their kind.

Template, here published by PS Books, was actually written in 2003 but was not published. Stupid publishers, because it's a great read.

It has some of the elements of Jack Vance's Star King and other space novels. A young man of exceptional ability and a dark, secret past, with mysterious and implacable enemies, in a galaxy of adventure. Also, Hughes has a somewhat similar sardonic wit and gift for atmospherics, esoterica, bits of philosophy, and a lovely way with unusual characterization and mordant dialog. This is entertainment, not Deep Thought, but it's very well crafted and holds interest throughout.

There's a game in the story called birl, which reminds a Vance fan of hussade (also mentioned in passing), and there are many other nods of homage to Vance (Amboy, the planet of Emphyrio, is briefly mentioned, and there are others for the fan to pull out). The romance element is not really surprising, but it's believable, and the resolution of the mysteries, and of the plot itself, are Vancian and satisfying.

Highly recommended, especially to those who love a good old fashioned space opera, or, even more, to those who cut their teeth on Jack Vance. As I said, it is especially reminiscent of the "Demon Princes" novels of Vance (The Star King, The Palace of Love, The Killing Machine, The Face, and The Book of Dreams, all featuring the character Kirth Gersen).

I've been aware of Matthew Hughes for several years, and had picked up several of his books over the years, but didn't read any until a couple months back when I decided to try his short story collection "The Gist Hunter and Others".

Wow! I was completely blown away by how good it was. I quickly set about reading as many of Hughes's books as I could lay my hands on, and was uniformly impressed by each one.

But I have to say, the best of the bunch is "Template." It's simply stunning, one of the best science fantasies I've ever read.

I was originally planning on waiting until the paperback edition came out, but broke down and bought the limited hardcover and, unlike other limited hardcovers in my collection, I couldn't keep myself from actually READING this one. I'm glad I did, because it's brilliant. The hardcover came out a couple years ago, so it's not eligible, but if I was choosing the World Fantasy Award this year, "Template" would get it.

Other reviewers have compared Hughes to Jack Vance, and it's a fair comparison. If you like Vance, you'll like Hughes. If you've never read any Vance, don't let that stop you from giving Hughes a try.

Matthew Hughes is an under-appreciated writer. For years he has been toiling in a mainly Jack Vancean sort of vein, turning out stories and novels set in a world where science is just about to turn over to magic, but not quite yet. Old Earth, with a baroque and dizzying array of ancient cultures, is a rich field for Hughes to explore. On an even larger scale, Old Earth is itself but one planet in "The Spray", Hughes's answer to Jack Vance's Oikumene. A dizzying array of planets of even more diversity than Earth itself, Hughes' fiction allows the reader to experience a full and inexhaustible range of cultures, environments and characters. His prose brings these environments and characters to life, transporting the reader to areas both familiar and absolutely alien for all of their humanity.

In Template, Matthew Hughes starts us far away from Old Earth, on a backward part of the Spray. Conn Labro has been raised from an orphaned birth to be a gaming duelist. Indentured to a Gaming House, his life is mostly duels and fighting for his employer. When his one link to a life outside Horder's Gaming Emporium, a mysterious old man who is his only friend, is murdered, events sweep up Labro into an intrigue of double-dealing and an even more unusual inheritance that Labro never expected to be heir to. Along with a showgirl tied to his murdered friend, Labro makes a journey toward Old Earth, and beyond, to uncover the mystery of something even greater than a inheritance or his old friend's death.

His own origin.

Unlike many of the other stories Hughes has written in the Archonate, Template starts us far away from Old Earth, and Old Earth is only a waypoint (albeit a major one) in the rambling journey of the protagonist. Template appears to be Hughes' interpretation and riff on the themes and ideas of Jack Vance's Demon King novels. Labro is a lens that allows us to see a wide variety of worlds and characters. Labro's own provincial attitudes are the barometer by which other (and there are many in this book!) cultures are judged.

Admittedly, Jenore, the aforementioned showgirl, is more of a plot device than a completely fully formed character, and I didn't quite buy the romance between the characters.This is perhaps the weakest part of the book for me. Perhaps had the book been longer, this weakness might have been addressed.

Still, even given these weaknesses, the writing is strong and bright, and dense. It might be among the strongest writing that I have read from Matthew Hughes, perhaps because we get to see corners of the Spray from the eyes of characters who are new to Hughes, and thus have the contrast of being something different for him. Labro and Mordene are not his usual type of characters to explore and use as focal points. The structure of the plot almost follows Van Vogt's maxim that plot twists and plot advancement should occur at a breakneck pace. Combine that with a dizzying array A slim and slight volume, I devoured Template rapidly. Fans of Jack Vance, or Matthew Hughes' prior work, will appreciate Template.