FIREFLY: THE MAGNIFICENT NINE

Reviewed by Steven H Silver

The Magnificent Nine is the second original novel set in Joss Whedon's Firefly universe and, as with its precursor, Big Damn Heroes, it takes place prior to the film Serenity, providing the full cast of characters for James Lovegrove to play with. As the book's title hints at, there is a certain amount of homage paid to The Magnificent Seven in this book, although it is mostly in the situation the crew of Serenity find themselves in, rather than the specifics of their adventure or the individuals they deal with as they attempt to rescue the outpost town of Coogan's Bluff from marauders.

The action really starts when Jayne gets a wave from an old partner, Temperance Jones, asking for his assistance in fending off a group of "Scourers," led by Elias Vandal, who have slowly been taking control of the water supply on the moon Thetis. Jayne and the crew of Serenity convince Mal Reynolds to fly to Thetis to help the townsfolk and things immediately go cock-eyed when a heat-seeking missile is launched against the spacecraft as they come in for a landing.

While the plot of The Magnificent Nine certainly feels like something that could have been produced as part of the original series, it suffers from some of the same issues as Lovegrove's first Firefly novel. He still hasn't managed to capture the voices of the characters (although he does a better job). Their interactions and comments just don't quite ring right. Perhaps the most egregious is his portrayal of Shepherd Book, who makes more references to God and Christianity in The Magnificent Nine than he did in the entire run of the television show.

The other carry over from the earlier book is a large number of references to the show. References to the hat Jayne's mother made him (which only appeared in "The Message," but became a fan favorite) are made an integral part of the story, but references to "Heart of Gold," which bears a glancing similarity to the plot of The Magnificent Nine isn't really needed. While these references may be intended to build familiarity among the readership, they tend to come across more as an eye-wink that drops the reader from the story.

If The Magnificent Nine were not a novel set in the Firefly universe, these issues wouldn't be important because Lovegrove would be introducing his own characters on their own terms and not having to meet the expectations of a readership who already felt they knew the characters. Lovegrove has a good handle on his own characters and integrates them well into his plot. His story has a good pace and jumps between the characters to give different views of the events that are taking place around Coogan's Bluff. He includes a variety of twists, some of which are telegraphed and others come as a surprise.

The Magnificent Nine works well as a science fictional homage to Westerns like High Noon, Coogan's Bluf, and, of course, The Magnificent Seven. It works less well as an extension of the Firefly universe in which it is ostensibly set. After two volumes, Lovegrove doesn't quite have a handle on the characters from the television show, even if he demonstrates an understanding of the general setting. A third volume set in the Firefly universe, by Tim Lebbon, is scheduled for release in October.

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