Slocum.CSCDA@HI-MULTICS.ARPA (11/07/85)
From: Slocum@HI-MULTICS.ARPA
Review:
Flamesong by Prof. M.A.R. Barker, DAW Books, Sept. 1985, $3.50,
pp. 412.
Barker is one of those writers who has created the perfect
combination of fantasy and science fiction. His world of
Tekumel is a delightfully rich tapestry unlike any other. The
depth of detail rivals or surpasses Middle Earth or Darkover.
While basically fantasy, elements of technology are not far
under the surface, sometimes quite literally. Technology exists
in the form of artifacts of the Ancients, whose knowledge has
been lost many tens of millenia ago.
Barker draws from East Indian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, and
MesoAmerican sources, rather than European, and his societies
are reminescent of Imperial China or Mayan civilizations. This
is not your run-of-the-mill medieval fantasy story that so many
new authors write. A quality of strangeness is inherent.
Barker writes about adventure and intrigue, palace plots
and pitched battles, magic and technology. I especially enjoy
the way he describes technological artifacts in
non-technological terms, as the characters would see it. Barker
writes about complex characters with real motivations, unusual
often bizarre cultures, and stories that won't let you put them
down. (I read this substantial book in two days, and I work
full time.) Barker is a linguist as Tolkien was, and it shows.
Each country has its own language, customs, naming conventions,
etc. (e.g. At one point, the characters are trying to figure
out the nationality of a stranger from just a name.) For those
of you who are unwilling to handle unusual names and words --
beware, this book is full of them.
In Flamesong, his second book, Barker tells of the
adventures of a young military officer's attempts to bring an
enemy commander home as a prisoner, while dealing with a strange
form of Ancient transport, magic, a country that still believes
itself part of an empire that fell twenty thousand years ago,
and numerous other problems that impede his progress.
His first book, Man of Gold, (also from DAW), though very
good, was slightly marred by the attempts Barker made to
introduce the reader to his world. Flamesong avoids this
potential problem, without losing any of the magic of the
place.
Barker has been involved with the Role-playing games
industry almost as long as Gary Gygax and D & D. A role-playing
game called The Empire of the Petal Throne based on Tekumel, has
been available since 1975-6, and recently a new game called
Swords and Glory has been published. Swords and Glory was
written and playtested by Barker and his two weekly gaming
groups. The sourcebook which describes Tekumel is several
hundred pages long and so full of detail that it is
mind-boggling.
Lead miniatures for wargaming are available as well as a
bi-monthly newsletter both produced by Tekumel Games, a company
that deals exclusively with Tekumel products (address follows).
In conclusion, I would strongly recommend Flamesong and the
earlier Man of Gold for anyone looking for unusual settings and
cultures, realistic characters, and exciting plots. If
interested in the roleplaying aspects of Tekumel, contact :
Tekumel Games
Box 14630
University Station
Minneapolis MN 55414
Brett Slocum (Slocum.CSCDA@HI-MULTICS.ARPA)