cjn@calmasd.UUCP (Cheryl Nemeth) (12/21/85)
I just finished _Soul Rider_. I get the feeling that Chalker has one general idea and that's where most of his books come from. This has the usual people being thrown into an unfamiliar world and given very different physical forms than what they had before. Unfortunately, this was rather dry. I could never identify with any of the characters and the conclusion was less than satisfying. The details of the worlds of flux were interesting, but unless you like to read special effects, this one is not worth reading.
oleg@birtch.UUCP (Oleg Kiselev) (12/26/85)
In article <645@calmasd.UUCP> cjn@calmasd.UUCP (Cheryl Nemeth) writes: >I just finished _Soul Rider_. I get the feeling that Chalker has one >general idea and that's where most of his books come from. This >has the usual people being thrown into an unfamiliar world and given >very different physical forms than what they had before. Unfortunately, >this was rather dry. I could never identify with any of the characters >and the conclusion was less than satisfying. The details of the worlds >of flux were interesting, but unless you like to read special effects, >this one is not worth reading. I disagree. True, Chalker tends to have a single general premise : people get transformed and adopt/struggle/survive. It's a familiar idea to those who read Chalker : sex change(4 Lords of Diamond), species change(Well World), mind swap (Identity Matrix), physical change or mutilation ( Messiah Choice, Web of Chosen, others), body change ( And the Devil Will Drag You Under). At the same time these are only devices to create a situation which would be impossible to create otherwise. I have just finished "The Birth Of Flux and Anchor"(book 4 of Soul Rider series) and I find the series very coherent and much more than mere special effects. It's a study in human depravity, warped mentality and the meaning of wars and revolutions. There is a number of infuriating and enraging things happening in the book (and in real life) that can not be analyzed from a single point of view to be understood. If only for showing how sometimes it's better to leave things as they are (people suffer, etc) rather than destroy them ( and kill millions of innocents in the process) these books are worth a read. And don't complain about a "less than satisfying" conclusion! Chalker always treats the first 3 volumes of Soul Rider as ONE book! YOu have NOT read the conclusion : it's in vol.3 - "Masters of Flux and Anchor"! And for explainations of how thins started and how they work (what is Flux?) -- read "The Birth of Flux and Anchor", book 4 of Soul Rider (read it last in the series!). Over all, I found it an engrossing and entertaining series of books... As long as you keep in mind that the end of a chapter is not the end of the story ;-) -- Disclamer: My employers go to church every Sunday, listen to Country music, and donate money to GOP. I am just a deviant. +-------------------------------+ Don't bother, I'll find the door! | "VIOLATORS WILL BE TOAD!" | Oleg Kiselev. | Dungeon Police |...!{trwrb|scgvaxd}!felix!birtch!oleg --------------------------------+...!{ihnp4|randvax}!ucla-cs!uclapic!oac6!oleg
hutch@hammer.UUCP (Stephen Hutchison) (12/31/85)
This magic line will change the gender of the line eater. In article <214@birtch.UUCP> oleg@birtch.UUCP (Oleg Kiselev) writes: >In article <645@calmasd.UUCP> cjn@calmasd.UUCP (Cheryl Nemeth) writes: >>I just finished _Soul Rider_. I get the feeling that Chalker has one >>general idea and that's where most of his books come from. Indeed. He often uses his particular kinky sexual fetishes as "hooks" since it seems there must be a certain amount of eroticism in a story for it to mass-market well. However, the plotlines, without the kinks and the exploration of wierdness, are often quite interesting as an investigation of an alternative culture, even if they don't quite work. >And don't complain about a "less than satisfying" conclusion! Chalker always >treats the first 3 volumes of Soul Rider as ONE book! YOu have NOT read the >conclusion : it's in vol.3 - "Masters of Flux and Anchor"! I rather disagree with this. Although Chalker always hopes for a trilogy, in this case the publishers made him stretch out a book that seems like it was a single long novel. This is an irritating trend, and it sure looks to me like it wrecked the crafting of this story. There are rough edges, the characters aren't consistent and lots of them seem to be introduced as "cardboard character type 4a" for a particular use, then discarded as soon as he's done with it. >And for explanations of how thins started and how they work (what is Flux?) -- >read "The Birth of Flux and Anchor", book 4 of Soul Rider (read it last in the >series!). Definitely. The book stands by itself and is very enjoyable. In fact, if you would rather, just read it alone and ignore the other three, if you find that you can't stand the thought of yet another trilogy. Hutch