The late Nigel Findley completed his final chapter in this world in 1995, long before the first season of House, M.D.. Yet, Dirk Montgomery’s (Finley’s continuing protagonist) paranoia (of necessity in order to survive in the shadows of the Shadowrun universe) could well have inspired the very first episode of the modern medical series. Montgomery’s assumption is simply that everyone lies—even him. But Dirk Montgomery isn’t as churlish as the television doctor. In fact, for a person who has to be suspicious in order to survive, he is incredibly flexible and willing to learn all about every nuance of, not just the contacts, but the incidental characters upon which his star-crossed self is thrust. Remember that line in the original Godfather where Don Corleone says that he’ll do something for his petitioners but they will have to do some undefined favor on a later day? There’s no Don Corleone per se in House of the Sun, but you can probably guess to what level of society Montgomery owes his favor. He doesn’t dare turn down the “simple” courier mission and he senses from the very beginning that it is not going to be “simple.” I don’t believe it’s a spoiler to say that it isn’t a “simple” courier mission.You might also remember Joseph Heller’s Catch 22, the quintessential “no-win” situation? Well, House of the Sun moves its protagonist through more “no-win” situations than you can believe. You want powerful enemies? You have them. You want powerful allies? You have them, maybe! You want allies who might be enemies or enemies who might be allies? You have them. The truth is, any of us would be paranoid if we were jacked into Montgomery’s console.House of the Sun is an ironic name for a Shadowrun novel. As the word “shadow” suggests, this universe is mostly about the shadows. Yet, Montgomery finds shadows and deeper shadows in both the underbelly and the corp side of Oahu. He has to use everything he’s learned about “runner” culture and everything about Hawaiian culture (spelled slightly differently than our current state and with an important rationale) in order to survive. Of course, the Shadowrun universe is also about magic and power—something of which our protagonist knows very little. Nonetheless, he discovers plenty about it before the ride is over in this tale of double-cross, espionage, kidnapping, riots, and magical ritual. The result is a politically astute, sociologically feasible, and fantastically powered adventure that truly captures the shadows of this incredible game universe. I’m sorry to have discovered this author after his creative years were over, but I’m glad I shared part of his legacy.
