Here's some quick comments by Pete...
Comments on "Tea With the Black Dragon" (spoilers avoided):
This is a nice change of pace from the usual somewhat "hard" sf we've been reading, and for the most part I enjoyed it. By far the strongest aspect of the book are the two lead characterizations. Martha Macnamara is a plain-looking, middle-age woman; a thrifty fussbudget with a seemingly ordinary existence. But she's also very smart and has a zest for living. After about 50 pages, I felt like I knew this person and she seemed very real.
Mayland Long is an older oriental gentleman (though far older than he looks!), very polite and with a wicked sense of humor. There's more to him than meets the eye, and as he and Martha become acquainted, she finds herself intrigued and attracted by this mysterious little man.
The plot is set in the silicon valley in the early '80s and involves the mysterious disappearance of Martha's daughter, and Martha and Mayland's attempts to track her down. For me the book sort of lost its steam as it became less a character study and more a detective caper. And the early computer-days jargon and description dates the story rather severely. Still the book was an enjoyable afternoon read, and I certainly wouldn't mind reading more about the protagonists.
Pete
Now the book itself. I don't know if the computer references hurt the book, even if they do date the book. The book could have been stronger if the two main characters didn't meet so early. We barely have time to appreciate the fact that Martha's daughter is missing and then we find her falling in love with and being mesmerized by Mayland Long. It kind of makes her seem less concerned about her daughter. That's a poor nitpick, because the strength of this book is the characters.
I'll get to the sequel soon, and I hope it'll be as good as this one was. Hope you all liked it.
Bryan
