Oh, to be an engineer in a Leo Frankowski book--you've gotta be honest and you've gotta work hard, but not only do you get to be as brilliant and rich as an astronaut, you get to pull down more than your share of the ladies. (Hey, after all those long hours studying fluid dynamics and systems analysis, it's only fair.) Back for another light-hearted but rumination-filled romp, the beloved author of the Conrad Stargard adventures turns his attention to a legendary nautical mirage, the Fata Morgana. Frankowski supposes the illusion might actually be the mythic Western Isles, which medieval mapmakers put off the coast of France, set adrift in an earthquake to float the world's oceans for hundreds of years.

Fata Morgana's two engineer-protagonists find themselves, naturally, shipwrecked on this strange island, a curious civilization of some 12,000 people largely cut off from present-day earth. Their tech level believably answers the obvious "what-ifs," with the islanders boasting advanced genetics and textiles (including an indestructible "Super-Hemp") but primitive sciences and stunted social progress otherwise. The two sailors create quite a stir with their SCUBA gear, cans of Spam, and Star Wars videotapes--not to mention the fact that the raw materials on their yacht make them rich in this metal-starved land--and intrigue soon ensues.

A fun book to be sure, with satisfying problem-solving and original ideas, but the main character's endless musings on everything from why the government wants us wearing clothes to why a just God can't exist will either irritate or charm you. (And consider yourself warned: our chief hero actually uses the term "Women's Lib" with a straight face and is quick to point out he's not "a f***ing queer!") --Paul Hughes

From Publishers Weekly
This unabashedly politically incorrect male technophile's wet dream has all the elements designed to make a man good with tools feel like a geniusAand to aggravate anyone who believes that racism, sexism or poverty are real problems without easy solutions. Nguyen Hien Treet, second-generation American and owner of a small Special Machinery business, has strange and unpleasant things happen to his company and ends up on the open sea with his best buddy, Adam Kulczyinski, in a fabulous yacht that unfortunately develops a gaping hole in its hull. As luck would have it, these stalwart technicians are soon rescued by the inhabitants of a floating island. On the isolated island of 2000 souls, a Duke reigns over property and marriages; the population of "real women" ostentatiously shows off its cleavage; a Warlock is in charge of technology and progress; and an Archbishop is rigorous about keeping his people religiously pure, even if it kills them. Treet, with Adam's help, must figure out how to keep the island from sinking, avoid getting murdered by religious fanatics and hammer out out a trade deal that will make both men wealthy and powerful. Since the motto of the book seems to be, as Adam puts it, "You're bleeding from twenty places, but that shouldn't bother a determined engineer," all things tend to work out in favor of the book's technically savvy heroes. Frankowski has a knack for writing amenable prose with enjoyable characters. Those not alienated by his Engineers-Know-Best attitude, and most especially those who share his women-as-eye-candy, religion-is-silly worldview, will find this to be a fun fantasy. (Aug.) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
When their yacht flounders in a violent storm, a pair of curmudgeonly engineering entrepreneurs discover the island country of Westria, a floating duchy forgotten by time and history. As they attempt to understand the society of their rescuers and bring the land back into contact with the outside world, they become the focus for a battle between Westria's religious and scientific communities. The author of A Boy and His Tank uses his narrator as a mouthpiece for his own strongAand often patronizingAopinions, limiting the story's appeal to like-minded readers. A marginal selection at best. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
Oddball contemporary fantasy from the author of A Boy and His Tank (p. 184). Narrator Nguyen Hien Treet of Bay City, Michigan, builds special on-off machines, a business that has its ups and downs. Treet winds up bankrupt (his best client fails to pay up) while his wife runs off with everything elseexcept a steel-and-concrete ship that his chief engineer Adam Kulczyinski suggested they build during lean times. With no better prospect, the two decide to sail around the world. In the South Pacific during a storm, they strike an uncharted rock and are wrecked on what turn out to be the Western Isles of legend. Composed of volcanic foam, the isles were formerly anchored off France but broke free and floated away. And with metals almost nonexistent on this new location, the pair, with the steel from their ship, are suddenly multimillionaires, both housed with attractive widows. Civilized, orderly, and respectful, the islanders are governed by a triumvirate: Duke Guilhem, Archbishop Phillias, and Warlock Tom Strong (he's actually a scientist; the islanders themselves are biology whizzes but weak in physical science). Among other problems, the reader learns, the Isles are sinking from coral growth and waterlogged bedrock. Renewed contact with the outside would benefit everyone, but thered be drawbacks too. The Warlock, an ex-Australian, wants contact; the Archbishop vehemently opposes it; the Duke remains undecided; and there's violence in the offing. An improbable, amusing, opinionated, entertaining romp. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The ancient tales of European Man, carefully recorded by pious monks and hedge wizards alike, are insistent about the Western Isles.

One of the tales of Doubting Thomas, the apostle, has it that he Christianized these islands and stayed there until the end of his days. The Arthurian legends clearly state that Arthur's father, Uther, came from the Western Isles.

Lyonesse was a part of the Western Islands, as was the City of Ys, Avalon, and the Land of Dahout. Up until the time of the First Crusade, there are records of pilgrims visiting the holy sites of the Western Islands. The Icelandic Eddas make similar references. Modern sailors and travelers sometimes sight great, many-tiered cities near the ocean's horizon, but these people are rarely believed. It is easier for modern, technocentric man to believe in an optical illusion, the Fata Morgana.

This book is about two modern, hardheaded engineers who find the Western Islands.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

This unabashedly politically incorrect male technophile's wet dream has all the elements designed to make a man good with tools feel like a genius--and to aggravate anyone who believes that racism, sexism or poverty are real problems without easy solutions. Nguyen Hien Treet, second-generation American and owner of a small Special Machinery business, has strange and unpleasant things happen to his company and ends up on the open sea with his best buddy, Adam Kulczyinski, in a fabulous yacht that unfortunately develops a gaping hole in its hull. As luck would have it, these stalwart technicians are soon rescued by the inhabitants of a floating island. On the isolated island of 2000 souls, a Duke reigns over property and marriages; the population of "real women" ostentatiously shows off its cleavage; a Warlock is in charge of technology and progress; and an Archbishop is rigorous about keeping his people religiously pure, even if it kills them. Treet, with Adam's help, must figure out how to keep the island from sinking, avoid getting murdered by religious fanatics and hammer out out a trade deal that will make both men wealthy and powerful. Since the motto of the book seems to be, as Adam puts it, "You're bleeding from twenty places, but that shouldn't bother a determined engineer," all things tend to work out in favor of the book's technically savvy heroes. Frankowski has a knack for writing amenable prose with enjoyable characters. Those not alienated by his Engineers-Know-Best attitude, and most especially those who share his women-as-eye-candy, religion-is-silly worldview, will find this to be a fun fantasy. (Aug.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

VOYA

Two thoroughly modern engineers are shipwrecked on the legendary Western Isles. The engineers must introduce the islanders to modern technology in order to solve several problems that threaten the very existence of the island. They must do so, however, in a way that does not destroy existing social and ecosystems, which have much to commend them. The two must accomplish their mission in spite of the vigorous objections of the local archbishop, a man who really does not like change. Frankowski's writing will remind readers of Robert Heinlein's later adult science fiction because he writes entertainingly about engineering problems and practices. In an amusing, often caustic manner, he addresses social issues such as political correctness, the difference between the sexes, organized religion, and the intrusion of government into private lives. Like Heinlein, Frankowski excels at plotting, pacing, and depictions of the local technological infrastructure but his characterization is weaker. While the hero and his best friend and business partner, Adam, are fully realized, everybody else is there to advance the plot and/or provide local color. Yet, also like Heinlein, Frankwoski's saving grace is that the straw men and women actually fulfill those functions well, creating suspense as necessary. This great read is a must for Heinlein fans as well as fans of Frankowski's own Adventures of Conrad Stargard series, which opens with CrossTime Engineer (Ballantine, 1993). VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P S A/YA (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12; Adult and Young Adult). 1999, Baen, Ages 16 to Adult, 313p, $21. Reviewer:TomPearson

Library Journal

When their yacht flounders in a violent storm, a pair of curmudgeonly engineering entrepreneurs discover the island country of Westria, a floating duchy forgotten by time and history. As they attempt to understand the society of their rescuers and bring the land back into contact with the outside world, they become the focus for a battle between Westria's religious and scientific communities. The author of A Boy and His Tank uses his narrator as a mouthpiece for his own strong--and often patronizing--opinions, limiting the story's appeal to like-minded readers. A marginal selection at best. Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Oddball contemporary fantasy from the author of A Boy and His Tank (p. 184). Narrator Nguyen Hien Treet of Bay City, Michigan, builds special on-off machines, a business that has its ups and downs. Treet winds up bankrupt (his best client fails to pay up) while his wife runs off with everything else￯﾿ﾽexcept a steel-and-concrete ship that his chief engineer Adam Kulczyinski suggested they build during lean times. With no better prospect, the two decide to sail around the world. In the South Pacific during a storm, they strike an uncharted rock and are wrecked on what turn out to be the Western Isles of legend. Composed of volcanic foam, the isles were formerly anchored off France but broke free and floated away. And with metals almost nonexistent on this new location, the pair, with the steel from their ship, are suddenly multimillionaires, both housed with attractive widows. Civilized, orderly, and respectful, the islanders are governed by a triumvirate: Duke Guilhem, Archbishop Phillias, and Warlock Tom Strong (he's actually a scientist; the islanders themselves are biology whizzes but weak in physical science). Among other problems, the reader learns, the Isles are sinking from coral growth and waterlogged bedrock. Renewed contact with the outside would benefit everyone, but there￯﾿ﾽd be drawbacks too. The Warlock, an ex-Australian, wants contact; the Archbishop vehemently opposes it; the Duke remains undecided; and there's violence in the offing. An improbable, amusing, opinionated, entertaining romp.

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