ted@usceast.UUCP (07/10/84)
<lunch time at the well of souls>
The subject of Jack Chalker recently came up, and I would like to make
an observation and see if anyone agrees with me.
It seems to me that Chalker is perhaps the most callous writer I can think
of with regards to his treatment of his characters. He never hesitates,
and in fact seem to glee in putting them through the most radical of changes.
His characters are lobotomized, changed in sex (both wholly and in part),
brainwashed, transformed into animals , put into other bodies, stripped of their
intelligence bit by bit and have their arms ripped off. ( I could go on).
I read Chalker's books (some of them anyway) because he has good ideas and
executes them well, but sometimes I find myself cringing slightly at the
thought of starting another one. Am I alone?
Ted Nolan ..usceast!ted
--
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Ted Nolan ...decvax!mcnc!ncsu!ncrcae!usceast!ted
6536 Brookside Circle ...akgua!usceast!ted
Columbia, SC 29206 ("Hid the bell with a blot, she did")
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------franka@mmintl.UUCP (Frank Adams) (06/30/85)
Expires: References: <2417@topaz.ARPA> Sender: Frank Adams Reply-To: franka@mmintl.UUCP (Frank Adams) Distribution: Organization: Multimate International, E. Hartford, CT. Keywords: *** mild spoiler warning *** > In many of >his stories [...] > a previously strong, likable female character is transformed into >some weird sort of mutant sex-creature for no adequately explored reason. As far as I can tell, Chalker uses the *same* two ideas in every book he writes: shape change and mind control/tyranny. He is reasonably inventive in coming up with variations on these, but as far as I am concerned, enough is enough.
EVAN@SU-CSLI.ARPA (07/10/85)
From: Evan Kirshenbaum <evan@SU-CSLI.ARPA> >> In many of his stories [...] a previously strong, likable female >>character is transformed into some weird sort of mutant >>sex-creature for no adequately explored reason. > >As far as I can tell, Chalker uses the *same* two ideas in every >book he writes: shape change and mind control/tyranny. He is >reasonably inventive in coming up with variations on these, but as >far as I am concerned, enough is enough. I think that you're both missing the essential device (and repetition) of Chalker's stories. Yes, he always has shape changing (and more to the point, *sex* changing); yes, a strong female character is generally transformed into a sexual slave (in Web_of_the_Chozen ?...I can't remember). The main device which links nearly all of his novels, though, is that every book has what could be called "magic", and each one has it "explainable" by some device or other (and in no case does he resort to a "sufficiently advanced technology"). These ways include: The warden organisms in the "Four Lords of the Diamond"; the Well World in the "Well of Souls" series; Flux in the "Soul Rider" books; the probablity engineering in And_the_Devil_Will_Drag_ You_Under; the Computer in Web_of_the_Chozen; and, of course (my favorite) the Rule Books in the "Dancing Gods" series. The only book of his that I've read that doesn't really use this as a central theme is Downtiming_ the_Nightside, which still had a computer controling the effects of time travel. This bothered me at first, but lately I've begun to enjoy seeing the new ways that he can rationalize magic. And even though he does use so many recurrent themes, he manages to work them in differently enough in each new book/series that he is consistantly fun to read. Evan Kirshenbaum ARPA: evan@CSLI.ARPA UUCP: ...ucbvax!shasta!amadeus!evan -------
randy@bcsaic.UUCP (randy groves) (07/11/85)
In article <472@mmintl.UUCP> franka@mmintl.UUCP (Frank Adams) writes: > >*** mild spoiler warning *** > >> In many of >>his stories [...] >> a previously strong, likable female character is transformed into >>some weird sort of mutant sex-creature for no adequately explored reason. > > >As far as I can tell, Chalker uses the *same* two ideas in every book he >writes: shape change and mind control/tyranny. He is reasonably inventive >in coming up with variations on these, but as far as I am concerned, enough >is enough. Not only that, but in the Lords of the Diamond tetralogy, he used almost exactly the same *TEXT* for about thirty pages. (... let's see, block copy from here to new passage, change the names ...) -- =========================================================================== ... only a hollygram, but one more is gone. =========================================================================== randy groves ...!uw-beaver!uw-june!bcsaic!randy
chris@umcp-cs.UUCP (Chris Torek) (07/15/85)
>>As far as I can tell, Chalker uses the *same* two ideas in every book he >>writes: shape change and mind control/tyranny. He is reasonably inventive >>in coming up with variations on these, but as far as I am concerned, enough >>is enough. >Not only that, but in the Lords of the Diamond tetralogy, he used almost >exactly the same *TEXT* for about thirty pages. (... let's see, block >copy from here to new passage, change the names ...) Ah, but in the Four Lords of the Diamond, it was *essential* that the text be exactly, or almost exactly, the same. (I found it interesting that he did change some of the text; I guess he believes that the physical substance making up a person affects (if not controls) that person's thoughts---a reasonable stand....) -- In-Real-Life: Chris Torek, Univ of MD Comp Sci Dept (+1 301 454 4251) UUCP: seismo!umcp-cs!chris CSNet: chris@umcp-cs ARPA: chris@maryland