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A "Queen Mab Courtesy" is when a favour is given and received and neither party has a full understanding of the repercussions. It creates a web of guilt and obligation that ties the giver and receiver together for better or, more frequently, for worse. 

Tito, is a Denver Dwarf, suffering from a birth defect caused by a bioterrorism incident. In the aftermath of the attack, America has traded more freedom for safety and moved further towards a police state with robots patrolling the streets (but not one giving a perp 15 seconds to comply). 

Tito falls in with a fixer named Charlemange Skeezer who is a trader of courtesies and has more than one Queen Mab on his hands. He and Tito discover a scandal that reaches up to the very top of the power structure of the new America. They have to figure out what to do with their new found knowledge. Can they buy their way out or will the Queen Mab prove to be their downfall? 

Bruce C. Davis has put a great deal of thought into crafting his world and his plot, but to be honest, I think perhaps he tied things up far too neatly. All of the loose ends are wrapped up and all tie back towsards the mystery that Tito and Charlie get pulled into. It all seemed kind of pat. Somehow I was disappointed that it was all so neat. I was expecting more ragged edges and at least one red herring. 

Still the characters were real and acting from their own motivations and personalities. Davis has no problem creating characters that we like because of their flaws rather than in spite of them.  I look forward to more from him and hope he learns to tangle his stories a little bit more. 

John Enzinas reads frequently and passionately. In his spare time he plays with swords.