We Open on Venus

Starship Troupers #2

by Christopher Stasheff

Young Ramou and mentor Horace both narrate first stop of the Star Company actors on New Venus, run by Amalgamated Petroleum monopoly, who charge high for water and air. Smoking is a capital crime. Before landing, alcoholic Ogden 80s, has heart attack, forbidden to imbibe. The school gym overflows, the audience roars, and more catches fire than arts appreciation.

Greedy Larry brings contraband lighters. Prima donna Marnie 50s snipes. Barry directs. Winston 40s is typecast villain, but nice. Professorial Charlie finds poisoned needle, hides secret. Gray suited Man still trails. Marlo teaches Ramou set design; Captain McLeod his crew duties.

Petty bureaucrats only allow Macbeth, and traditional curses take effect. Lacey and Susanna compete, but older costumer Grudy is best witch. Local cab-driver entrepreneur Chovy brings in friends and family, soon made friendlier by Ramou's martial arts skills. Includes 20-page preview The Witch Doctor.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Humor

347 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1991

About the author

The late Christopher Stasheff was an American science fiction and fantasy author. When teaching proved too real, he gave it up in favor of writing full-time. Stasheff was noted for his blending of science fiction and fantasy, as seen in his Warlock series. He spent his early childhood in Mount Vernon, New York, but spent the rest of his formative years in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Stasheff taught at the University of Eastern New Mexico in Portales, before retiring to Champaign, Illinois, in 2009. He had a wife and four children.

Reviews

[Economondos · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book in the series covers the voyage to the Starship Troupers' initial engagement, the play, and the fallout from it. The 'company town' world seems a warning to to capitalist societies that rings even more true 30 years after publication. The petty bureaucrats could easily have been drawn from my life and are therefore quite believable. The characters are a delight and their problems do not interfere with the suspension of disbelief for this novel. Good pacing, just enough tangents to keep the story interesting without side-tracking the plot. Definitely recommend the series, but this would not be a good stand-alone work. 3.75/5

[Mike Sweeney · Rating 3 out of 5]

It isn't for everyone. That's the main reason for the low marks. If you haven't been in theater, and especially on the tech side, a lot of the emotional truth won't be there for you. There is also a bit of Libertarianism creeping around the shrubbery that threatens to suddenly become the big plot driver, and I have yet to see a book go in that direction and be more than "readable."

So on to the plusses. He knows theater. He respects theater. This is an amazingly refreshing book after a certain number of backstage murder mysteries and so on that don't get how theater actually works. And boy oh boy can some of us (and, I suspect, most IT techs as well) identify with some of those early chapters!

And it understands that theater is always political. Theater is the court jester, employed by the crown and obsequious to it, debasing itself for a cheap laugh because we still have to eat, but as part of that complex contract with the audience still there to shake things up, just a little. Not quite revolutionary (although it has been), more like the murmuring voice that is right there, in the jeweled halls, under the heavy banquet table.

[Centauri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just like the first tale, the last few chapters were pumped with energy & conflict & action; almost to an enflated level. It was a nice finish. It makes me want to read a side-story of all the stuff the character Chovy was doing; a "behind the scenes" type tale.
The troupe gets their chance to display their talent, and not just their "diva" tantrums. They also get to see what a cursed play could achieve for those locked in turmoil. I do hope the last tale is better than the first 2 (in regards to pacing, pov, & intrigue), and that all 3 are enjoyed by users of the southern Wisconsin mobile library system

[Gail Daley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fine installment in the serial

A very enjoyable book. All he characters are settling nicely into their roles. The switch between Ramou and Horace as narrator could use a little more definition as it is sometimes confusing at the start of a switch but it doesn’t detract much from the story.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good book with quite the unusual ending! Troup of offworld actors present MacBeth on a petroleum world full of unusual folks.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the Company of Stars reaches Venus they are out of time and options, with the way they were run out of town, let alone Planet Earth, broadway is looking like a long way off. How will they even open when they don't know which play they'll even be allowed to do?

[Lindsey Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second volume of Stasheff's Starship Troupers - actors in space! - and it is just as enjoyable as the first, though the author's particular style does show up more distinctly. (So I won't belabor the point about Stasheff's tendency to have his characters speak in soapbox / oratory fashion.) It picks up directly where A Company of Stars leaves off, with the actors blasting into space an instant behind a restraining order and off to the dubiously beautiful shores of New Venus. There, they encounter some unanticipated problems with performing, and are forced to putting on that most cursed of productions: Macbeth.

I love the rehearsal scenes in this book. They're a lot of fun, providing just enough context for the reader not conversant with the play (I did read it once, but I can't say as it made an impression on me; I'm more for Shakespeare's comedies) without getting bogged down in it. The interactions of the actors continues to entertain. They are still their archetypal selves, with occasional flashes of variation showing through. Charles Publican remains an enigma, an outsider in this band of insiders.

One thing I noticed rather starkly is the extensive infodump on the conditions of New Venus. Now, this is rather entertainingly done, and it has a definite purpose in the plot, but after a while, it becomes very obvious. It's something I think that was perfectly acceptable when this book was printed, and probably would have encountered editorial resistance now.

My only other complaint is that there was some duplication of events. There's a long sequence where the old hands instruct the younger actors about projecting so they can be heard without amplification ... and then when the play actually starts, everyone seems to forget about this and the series of events repeats itself. It's a great element, but it implies some amnesia.

Otherwise, events fall out like dominos, a believable cascade of obstruction, misfortune and timely assistance, all leading up to a wild and unnerving performance ... is Macbeth really cursed? And for whom?

[Anne Patkau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Young fight-loving Ramou and mentor Horace, both voices almost indistinguishable, narrate (prefer former as single narrator, more lively) first stop of founder Barry Tallendar's Star Company actors on New Venus. Amalgamated Petroleum monopoly charges high for water (fuel needed for takeoff) and air, keeping residents planet-bound, every generation more in debt. Smoking is a capital crime because of fire danger. As well as evil Earth Elector Rudder against free speech, the oil company is the villain against free enterprise. Again, too much philosophical rambling, only new characters and action keep interest. For 50 years, workers have planned insurrection, and an extra delivers the trigger line.

Before landing, alcoholic Ogden 80s, has heart attack, forbidden to imbibe. Greedy Larry imports contraband lighters. Lacey and Susanna compete, but older costumer Grudy is best witch. Snarky prima donna Marnie 50s snipes. Winston 40s is typecast villain, but nice. Professorial Charlie finds poisoned needle, still hides his background. Marlo teaches Ramou set design; Captain McLeod his crew duties.

Petty bureaucrats only allow Macbeth, and accidents reinforce superstition about traditional curses. Local cab-driver entrepreneur Chovy brings in friends and family, soon made friendlier by Ramou's martial arts skills. The school gym overflows, the audience roars, and more catches fire than arts appreciation.

[Patrick Lemieux · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second book in the Starship Troupers series is even better than the first, which is quite a feat. As with the first book, A Company Of Stars, the rigours and relationships of a touring theatre company are expertly reflected here. And like any great second act, the plot thickens!

[Leela4 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I strongly dislike the writing style, and I frequently just don't get the characters. Nevertheless, actors and theatre techs will particularly enjoy it starting from chapter 14.