Speaker of the Shakk
John E. Rosenman
Reviewed by Abner Goodwin
Speaker of the Shakk is about a man named Theophilus Merlan, a
geologist who is a part of a research team sent to explore and gather
information on a planet called Yellowsand. Theophilus works for The
Confederation which is the government of the Human race and spans
several planets. One day while exploring the planet, Merlan has a
chance encounter with a young alien of the species humans call the
Shakk. Merlan ingratiates himself with the young shakk by giving him a
flower.
A little while after their meeting, a group of shakk come to the
Confederate's ship and demand that Theophilus come with them because
the shakk child that he had met was seriously ill. Merlan joins them
and is led to the child. When he makes contact with the boy he learns
that the child is willing himself to death because his parents don't
love him. At that moment Theophilus, determined not to let the child
die, tells him that he cares about him, and from that is spawned their
relationship. The child's condition rapidly improves and suddenly he
embraces Merlan, sinking his claws into Merlan's spine.
Merlan passes out and when he comes to, he learns that not only is he
now part shakk, he is to become the shakk's Speaker. The speaker's job
is to play negotiator between two warring species of alien that are
fighting for control over Yellowsand. These aliens are known as the
Morotox and the Xanteans. The Morotox are huge monstrous beings. The
Xanteans are shape shifters who can appear any way they like and have
telepathic abilities – but are hideous in their true form.
Merlan is in for an experience that will forever change his life. He is
chosen to be a father, a partner, a negotiator, and the savior of the
shakk people. Can things get any more complicated for poor Merlan? In
short: Yes.
I find that SCIFI can be really great in that it is free to use
incredible settings and situations to explore different concepts and
ideas in a way that is often easier to digest. I think that this is
because it removes the reader from what is comfortable and familiar and
encourages abstract thinking so that the reader is not lost in the
minutia of the story. SCIFI also sparks the imagination, inspiring and
challenging the mind of the reader.
Speaker of the Shakk challenges the mind of it's reader with it's
exploration of strategy and the negotiation process. As Merlan was
pushed into each new role and scenario, I was kept guessing what he
would do or what might happen next.
I think that the other main characters in the book were under developed
and mainly just plot devices to keep the focus on Merlan. The only
exception possibly being the shakk child who occasionally does
something unexpected but most of the time, the characters focus on
Merlan's thoughts and wishes. While he is the leader, I think that it's
a little too convenient that the individuals in the book who have
different points of view are either killed or brought around to total
agreement with Merlan. Even though I found the other characters in the
book to be one-dimensional, I thought that the story was over all, an
enjoyable read.