In Mirage, the second installment in the Web Shifter’s Library series, Canadian author Julie E. Czerneda delivers another satisfying chapter in the saga of web-being Esen and her long-time friend Paul Ragem.
Esen and Paul run the All Species’ Library of Linguistics and Culture on the planet Botharis. Scholars can come to the library with new information, in exchange for the opportunity to pose a question. Most visitors play by the rules, but three assertive Sacrissee decide to jump the queue, making unusual demands. Tension builds as a triple homicide is discovered, along with the news that there might be a plague ship in the area. Add to that some scheming by the militaristic Kraal and a potentially-dangerous secret Esen is hiding in the greenhouse, and you have the recipe for plenty of adventure.

Mirage’s protagonist Esen is a semi-immortal entity known as a web-being. By manipulating their molecular structure, web-beings are capable of taking on the form of other species that they have studied up on, which sounds like a neat super-power to possess. But like any good author, Czerneda puts limits on Esen’s ability to leverage this capability. For one thing, many of the other sentient species in the galaxy fear Esen’s kind as a result of an unfortunate situation over a half-century ago involving another web-being who embarked on a killing spree. Only a very few trusted associates are aware of Esen’s true identity, and it needs to stay that way to keep her safe.

A second limitation to Esen’s abilities is this: when she takes the form of a member of another species, the “age” of the being she becomes is parallel to her own age as a web-being. And since web-beings can live for an extremely long time, this means when she takes on human form, Esen assumes the identity of a ten-year-old child. Though her intellectual capacity is unchanged in human form, it’s more difficult for Esen to accomplish physical tasks, let alone get adults who aren’t in the know to listen to her.

Esen makes for a likeable lead character. Despite her best intentions, she somehow seems to have trouble on speed-dial. Her irrepressible enthusiasm (which at times devolves into recklessness) and her dry sense of humor keep things lighter than they might otherwise be. The fact that Esen was the youngest of her web-family, and remembers with humility the many “lessons” imparted by various elders, heightens the reader’s empathy for her.

For the bulk of this particular book, Esen remains in her birth-form, that of a Lanivarian. Lanivarians are a canine-like species, so this is great for dog-lovers in the audience, who can fully appreciate how Esen plays on human emotions by using mannerisms that are all too familiar to anyone who has ever shared their home with a canine.

Mirage contains an entertaining supporting cast of characters, some of whom will be recognized by those familiar with Czerneda’s other works in the series. In addition to Esen’s long-time human friend Paul Ragem, the novel also includes Esen’s sometimes-antagonistic web-sister Skalet and her enemy-turned-friend Lionel Kearn. In addition, there is the delightfully naive (but tremendously efficient when he needs to be) Polit Evan Gooseberry, the dour but talented general contractor Duggs Pouncey, and the intimidating Carasian Lambo Reomattatii, all entertaining characters in their own right.

The story is generously sprinkled with alien species. As is the case in many of her other novels, Czerneda’s biology background helps her create a range of believable entities with their own unique physical structure and cultural norms. A section at the end of the book provides a brief profile of each species.

Czerneda’s Esen character has a storied past. The three novels that make up the Web Shifter series, Beholder’s Eye, Changing Vision, and Hidden in Sight, were published between 1998 and 2003. Czerneda returned to the Esen story in 2018, with the e-novella The Only Thing to Fear. The first installment in the Web Shifter’s Library series, Search Image, was published in 2019, with Mirage following in August, 2020. The third book in the Web Shifter’ Library series, Spectrum, was released in 2021.

Perhaps a little unwisely, I dove into Mirage without the benefit of having read any of Czerneda’s other Esen books. Though the author did a good job of providing backstory, I had the feeling it just wasn’t as rich a reading experience as I might have had if I’d read some of earlier entries in the series first. To confirm that suspicion, I subsequently read the first and third books in the Web Shifter series, Beholder’s Eye and Hidden in Sight. This provided a lot of aha moments, as I got a deeper understanding of many of the nuances I’d missed.

The other thing that threw me off just a little when I read Mirage is that Czerneda, in this book and some of her others, has a side-story going on in the background, which the focus shifts to every now and then. In the case of Mirage, the side-story dealt with the Sacrissee. This technique threw me off at first, and it took me longer than it usually would to get immersed in the story. However, as I read more of the books in the series, I became more familiar with this approach and it was less of an issue.

Based on my own experiences, I’d say that if you’ve read any of the Web Shifter or Web Shifter’s Library books previously, you’ll be able to pick up the story line of Mirage with ease. Even if you haven’t, Mirage still makes for an enjoyable read. But Esen’s character and concept are so intriguing that I’d recommend checking out one or more of the earlier books for yourself if you haven’t already done so. If you’re a fan of space opera told with a deft hand and a dash of humor, you won’t go wrong.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Was just okay for me.

Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.

I had forgotten how good a writer this woman is, as soon I write this review I have to buy every title I don't own!
...BY,by

I’m a mega Czerneda fan, and Beholder’s Eye (the first Esen novel) has long been a go-to scifi recommend. It was my first Czerneda… heck, it was one of my first sci-fi’s, and I’m sure that plays a role in how thoroughly I’m enjoying this revisit, even 15 years later. Since that first read, I’ve read all of the sci-fi trilogy sets she has on the market, and one thing has become abundantly clear: Czerneda is having more fun than ever.

Her writing always had a good bit of situational humor (my favorite kind), but this latest trilogy really amps up that component, making the books an absolute riot. The tone actually fits in nicely with the latest generation of sci-fi that boasts a lighter, feel-good atmosphere (hi Becky Chambers), so she’s on trend, and recommending her just got even easier.

Good humor aside, she includes some of my favorite creature creations (aliens) across the genre, which is still true now that I’ve read a LOT more sci-fi authors. With a background in biology, Czerneda’s aliens are always well thought out and expertly executed. The fun element comes into play here as well – the ways the aliens interact with the main characters is always great for some laughs.

She also has good characters. I like that Esen isn’t written from a human-minded POV. She’s a Web-Being with thought patterns and tendencies different than our own. Thank goodness we have Paul (human) to keep Esen grounded. ;P Czerneda also has excellent perspective immersion… which can sometimes be so well done that it sacrifices clarity for creativity. All of her books include these signature interlude chapters that take away all context and throw you into the depths of an alien perspective. They’re quite ambiguous and I often find myself retreading them to figure out what’s going on (not that reading them over helps much). Even when seriously studying them for the chance to become a beta reader for another Czerneda project, I struggled with these passages (which is probably why I just missed out on the opportunity). These passages also exhibit a clipped, to the point writing style that makes an appearance to a lesser degree in the rest of her works. Her writing is very stylized, and she often seems more interested in the cadence and mood of the delivery than she is in proper sentence structures (a liberty I don’t mind in the least as it makes the books feel more conversational). In recent books, that unique style has gotten more refined, to the point where the pacing of the scenes rockets (not to be confused with the pacing of plot-advancement, which is ironically a bit slow). It makes for an engaging read, just don’t blink or you’ll miss something.

Overall, this was a good bit of blue blob fun, and I can’t wait to see what Czerneda has in store next.

Recommendations: don’t start here! Go back and begin with Beholder’s Eye or even a different great series starting with Survival. Both hold sacred space on my bookshelves.

I’d like to thank DAW Publishing, Julie E. Czerneda, and Netgalley for the chance to read and review an early copy of Mirage!

Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller

Mirage (Web Shifter’s Library) by Julie E. Czerneda | Aug 11, | DAW

Julie E. Czerneda’s second novel about the All Species’ Library of Linguistics and Culture brings back a cast of characters that readers of her work will enjoy spending time with. These include Esen, the shapeshifting web being, and Evan Gooseberry, the alien ambassador with anxiety issues around aliens, who has chosen to spend his vacation at the library rather than facing family wondering when he’s going to provide more Gooseberrys. Since Esen, who’s a close friend, can morph into any known alien, it’s a good thing that her talent is kept secret from him and he only knows her in her favored form as a “canid-like” Lanivarian, though he actually knows her in several other forms…just not that they’re all her.

There’s a fair amount going on at the library. Esen is busy keeping a web being she’s resurrected from scattered DNA hidden until she’s herself again, so there are more secrets than usual floating around. A crisis Esen doesn’t actually cause arrises when the library is forced into lockdown as a possible pandemic site after the crew of the ship that Evan arrived on is found dead, and a group of gene-spliced aliens who’ve come to the library to research a place where their race can live sets of a whole new level of galactic intrigue. And much, much, more.

What follows is a fairly long romp with a fullish cast revolving around the central players. If you’re new to this world, I recommend reading her novella, The Only Thing to Fear, which introduced both Evan and the Library. Then dig in. Or you can just jump in.

This is a good-sized book, but what’s clear is that these are all people that the author loves spending time with, and there are a fair number of segues into backstory to flesh out some character, or history, which I often found as interesting as the main tale. I’d especially like to read the story of the webshifter Skalet, the no-nonsense security type at the library, and her time with the militaristic Kraal, whose form she adopted as her default.

Even if you don’t know Esen, Evan, and the others when you start, you’ll count them as friends by the time you’re done, and look forward to the next book, which promises some interesting revelations for Evan.