A loss to science fiction

There have been several author deaths in the last several weeks. J.D Salinger, Robert B Parker, and Dick Francis are some of the more notable. But the science fiction world also suffered a loss recently with the death of Kage Baker. Baker (her first name comes from combining the names of her grandmothers, Katherine and Genevieve) had been battling uterine cancer. She passed away on January 31st.

She was best known for her “Company” novels and short stories. In these stories, the 24th century Dr. Zeus, Inc (the “Company”) had discovered how to travel into the past. There they recruit young children, raise, train them, and turn them into immortal cyborgs. These cyborg agents are then given jobs to preserve artifacts thought lost in time; art, literature, extinct plants and animals, and such. In return for their service, they are promised a life of comfortable retirement once they reach the “present” of the 24th century. The series covers the adventures of these agents through the centuries, and over time some learn that the Company may not be as benevolent as it appears, and that some within the company have agendas of their own.

The series is less about the science fiction and more about the characters. These stories are a fascinating look at the time periods visited by agents of the Company, including a rather dystopian, yet possible future. Just as the beliefs and customs of a past civilization would seem quaint and bizarre to someone from the future, we also get a look at how the views of someone from a future time period would seem equally bizarre to people from the past. In addition, the immortal cyborgs have their own viewpoints. What would it be like to be immortal, with knowledge of future events, but with only the ability to preserve “lost” artifacts? How would that color the perceptions of the “mere mortals” around you?

The series begins with the novel In the Garden of Iden

-JK