CassaFire

Cavanaugh follows CassaStar with another work that shares the pros and cons of old-school science fiction. With his glory days in the Vindicarn Warbut a distant memory, grizzled telepathic pilot Byron serves aboard the flagship Rennather. The ship is sent to the planet Tgren to help investigate a strange alien artifact that’s turning the Tgrens into mind readers. Byron is saddled with Mevine, an eager young space cadet, and charged with training the too friendly Tgren woman Athee to use her new powers, leading to a series of predictable complications. The main plot will be familiar to longtime fans of SF books and movies, and the chaste romance between Byron and Athee is straight out of golden age SF “juveniles.” Those looking for an unchallenging throwback will enjoy Byron’s adventure, but fans of more recent genre efforts will scorn its well-worn tropes. (Mar.)