dht@druri.UUCP (Davis Tucker) (06/07/85)
THE PROBLEMS OF SCIENCE FICTION TODAY
PART V: Rays Of Hope Through The Clouds Of Despair
by Davis Tucker
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Lest anyone think that I am an ill wind that blows no one good, this install-
ment will deal with the positive side of science fiction, those authors who
are not hacks, who try to improve with every novel, who are and with luck
will remain truly creative. These are the people to whom science fiction
needs to turn in its hour of need, either to re-read a classic work or to
eagerly await a new one. These authors have shown a commitment to their craft
which is sadly lacking in many of their cohorts. There is much that we can
learn by reading their works, lessons of love and pain and joy, despair and
hatred, how to write a good sentence and a good paragraph, that turn of the
phrase which sticks in the mind, plots that illuminate their characters,
characterizations that are real and fascinating and wonderfully developed,
dialogue that is not hokey, and so on.
First on the list would have to be GENE WOLFE. From the very beginning,
Wolfe has shown an incredible command of science fiction, the English
language, and literature at its highest form. His short stories are
beautifully crafted gems, fully-fleshed and filled with substance. His
novels are so far above the usual run that it's not fair to describe
them as science fiction, and taint them with that sordid connection.
I could go on and on for days - let's just leave it with the statement
that "The Book Of The New Sun" tetralogy revolutionized the field in
a very quiet way, and made some authors see that they had been sitting
on their Neaderthaloid preconceptions for far too long. In some isolated
instances, a writer who had been in a slump, or a funk or a stew, had,
after reading Wolfe's masterwork (conceivably), got off his butt and
said "Hey - he can't do that! I gotta get out there and show this jerk
I can write as good as he can!" And lo and behold, the quality of the
genre has improved slightly, almost imperceptibly, since Wolfe has
sprung his surprise on us. Unlike many, Gene Wolfe can justifiably
say that the whole of science fiction is better for his having been
a part of it. It's too early to tell, but "The Book Of The New Sun"
may well turn out to be a turning point for science fiction. Let's hope
so...
ORSON SCOTT CARD is another. His work shows nothing but quality, pure
and simple. Even when he retreats to an overworked theme, he brings
something new and refreshing to it. There are a finite number of themes
in the universe, and it all has been said before, but Card really goes
to great lengths to provide a new viewpoint. "Unaccompanied Sonata" is
an extremely well-written short story, a tribute to all that is art and
all that is an artist, that still contains all of the trappings of a
science fiction story (even down to the surprise ending). "Hart's Hope"
is the best fantasy novel I have read in years, a novel that transcends
its genre as all great literature should. The best example I can think
of to introduce someone to Card is his short story "A Plague Of Butterflies".
It's all that you can ask for in science fiction or fantasy. Card is one
of the few new authors who has consistently avoided the pitfalls of fame,
who has avoided insidious sequelization and has pursued his own muse to
the exclusion of the illusion of popularity.
BRIAN ALDISS has been around for years, unheralded in America, except
perhaps for his editorial work on the Golden Age Of Science Fiction,
"Billion Year Spree", and "Galactic Empires". It is ironic that this
extremely experimental writer should gain his acclaim for compiling stories
of that formulaic time. From such diverse works as "Galaxies Like Grains
Of Sand", "Starswarm", "Barefoot In The Head", "The Saliva Tree", and
"The Malacia Tapestry", Aldiss has put together an oeuvre that shouts
and whispers at the mind and the heart. Some of his work is highly dis-
turbing, malevolent. Some of it is blissfully pastoral. To read him at
his pinnacle, pick up "Helliconia Spring" and "Helliconia Summer", his
two latest novels. You will be lulled into the dreams of a master at work,
reading novels that grip the spirit and move the soul, watching characters
that you care about live and die and fail and succeed and grow up to have
their children desert them, or stand by their side. Three-dimensional is
the best phrase to describe Aldiss' work. Nothing is left unpainted, and
the reader is always left with a sense of having read about much more than
was on paper. One fantastic descriptive fragment illustrates what I mean -
in "Helliconia Summer" he described the last breaths of dying men as
"apostrophes on the possessive case of life". *That* is great writing.
J. G. BALLARD is another unrecognized giant. Perhaps it is because his
work is much more reminiscent of surrealist literature (such as Borges)
than of science fiction. And given the usual science fiction optimism,
Ballard's dark and oppresive tone doesn't quite fit in with the run of
the mill. He is not a flowery writer, nor is he given to overemphasis.
His moods and textures sink into the psyche and resurface much later.
His work is often concerned with the human implications of technology,
not in the facile and glib manner we have come to expect ("Gee, Biff!
If I get inside a computer, will I be able to get out?"), but with
depth and disturbing clarity. From "The Drowned World" to "Chronopolis"
to "The Subliminal Man", Ballard has shown us the dark side of psychology
and symbolism, the overwhelming nature of what we do to ourselves in
the name of progress.
R. A. LAFFERTY may seem a frivolous inclusion here. To be honest,
sometimes his writing style gets to be infuriating, but what he is
trying to say in his own convoluted manner is important and interesting
enough to bear with his lapses. And often a second reading will show
those apparent lapses in a different light. "Past Master" and "Fourth
Mansions" are stylistic masterpieces of psychological insight and just
plain weirdness. His short stories are often blunt and not articulated
well enough, but still far above the pack - especially the collection
"900 Grandmothers". Lafferty digs deep into uncomfortable territory
with a distinctive style that challenges and provokes and cajoles
the reader.
URSULA LE GUIN - what can anyone say that hasn't already been said? Sure,
she's written some fluff, but by and large, she's managed to write
fantastically and consistently, and has improved with the passage of
time. She's great. Her newer novels and short stories show an incredible
grasp at greatness, especially "Malafrena" and the collection "Orsinian
Tales", neither of which, coincidentally, are science fiction.
I'm going to included SAMUEL R. DELANY mainly because I hold the hope
that he has another novel of the stature of "Dhalgren" in him. In many
ways, Delany is a wild talent, writing a wonderful paragraph here, a
fantastic novel there, but sprinkling them amid inexplicable humdrum.
Delany at his best is the premier stylist of science fiction, and it
is his lot in life to be saddled with the epithet of being a "science
fiction writer" in the eyes of American publishers. I do not profess
to fully understand "Dhalgren", but I appreciate it as much as my flawed
understanding permits. Delany has lent a serious air to discussions of
science fiction literature, which has been a welcome change from the
"Who Predicted What First" arguments that previously held sway as the
field patted itself on the back for predicting all sorts of marvelous
inventions. Regardless of his flaws, and he does have them, Delany is
a consummate artist. "Dhalgren" is the "Ulysses" of science fiction.
There are many more that I should include, many more that I should not,
much that should have been said about the above, but time does not permit.
I regret the omission of many new writers for whom I have high hopes.
Well, that's just one man's opinion. Tune in next week for "THE PROBLEMS
OF SCIENCE FICTION TODAY, PART VI: The Short Story Mentality".rwl@uvacs.UUCP (Ray Lubinsky) (06/11/85)
> in "Helliconia Summer" he described the last breaths of dying men as > "apostrophes on the possessive case of life". *That* is great writing. No, it's not. Strange juxtapositions of words that appear to say something profound are not examples of good writing, just the mummery of a wordsmith who mispreceives the meaning of art. -- Ray Lubinsky University of Virginia, Dept. of Computer Science uucp: decvax!mcnc!ncsu!uvacs!rwl