chuq@sun.uucp (Chuq Von Rospach; Lord of the OtherRealms) (01/19/87)
Electronic OtherRealms #12
February, 1987
Part 1
Table of Contents
Part 1
Editor's Notebook
Chuq Von Rospach
Burning Chrome
Freb Bals
Voice of the Visitor
Dan'l Danehy-Oakes
The Silent Tower
Danny Low
Little, Big
Alan Wexelblat
Agents of Insight
Dan'l Danehy-Oakes
The Quest of the Riddle Master
Liralen Li
Echoes of Chaos
Danny Low
Children of Flux and Anchor
Dan'l Danehy-Oakes
Review Feedback
Books Received
Part 2
Pico Reviews
Part 3
No Prisoners!
Laurie Sefton
Words of Wizdom
Chuq Von Rospach
Letters to OtherRealms
Editor's Notebook
The New Look
OtherRealms is back from the break with a new look. If you're not
interested in the changes, skip along, but since OtherRealms is as much
a place for me to experiment with technologies as it is a place to
review Science Fiction, I want to talk about some of the things going
on with the layout and look of the zine.
First, and foremost, I'm now the proud parent of a bouncing baby Apple
Laserwriter Plus, and the newly released Ready Set Go! 3.0 desktop
publishing software. By switching from a dot-matrix printer to a
laserwriter, I can put more material in the same page space and make it
look significantly better. Ready Set Go! 3.0 gives me a lot more
flexibility than I could get with MacPublisher II, my old software, as
well as giving me better access to the power of the new printer.
For those that care about such things, I'm now using the Palatino
typeface in a 9/10 point size for the text. Headers are done in Zapf
Chancery. I occasionally use something else, but I'm trying for a
clean and simple style that complements and shows off the words rather
than upstages them. These new faces are smaller than I was using
before (the old layout was based on a 12/15 point size) but because of
the increased resolution of the printer, significantly easier to read.
Another change is that OtherRealms is going to start using a lot more
artwork. You see the first results of this decision in this issue
[special thanks to Brad Foster and Barb Jernigan for acting as guinea
pigs, and Alexis Gilliland for lots of early support and advice] and I
hope that it makes OtherRealms a prettier zine to look at. If you do
genre art, now is a great time to submit it to me, since my inventory
is small, and I'm actively seeking new sources of material.
I'm currently experimenting with using cover art as a supplement to the
reviews, and if that works, you should be seeing it in a few issues.
You do it monthly?
Another change, this one down the road, is that I don't plan on
publishing OtherRealms monthly forever. One problem with a monthly
schedule is that all you have time to do is publish the zine. It means
I don't have time for any of my other writing projects, or OtherRealms
misses a deadline.
Because of this, I've decided that, sometime this summer, probably
after the July issue, OtherRealms will convert to a quarterly. I'm
waiting because I need to let the changes I'm making this issue settle
and take a close look as what publishing 70 pages a quarter instead of
30 pages a month really means. Note that with the change to the
Laserwriter, that is about the same material as before, it just is
delivered a little less often. Even though the amount of material
doesn't change, their is a significant reduction in administrative
overhead that should free up a fair amount of time.
The New Names in the Block
I've added some names to the masthead beginning this issue, and with
them comes the final change in the format. Starting with this issue,
I've appointed two of the people who have been writing for OtherRealms
to the post of Contributing Editor, and each one will now be doing a
quarterly column instead of the individual reviews they'be done in the
past.
Jim Brunet has been with OtherRealms since issue #1, and Dan'l
Danehy-Oakes has been a major contributors in the last few months.
Why? Partly because I feel that they deserve some recognition for their
continuing support of OtherRealms, partly because they have shown a
professionalism in their writing , so that I want to let them write in
a column format and give them more flexibility in how they write their
reviews, and partly because I'm getting so much material from them that
it is hard for me to get it published while it is timely -- this way
they have to decide what to do with their word quota, rather than me.
This should also make it easier for other, less frequent contributors
to get their material published with less delay.
The third addition is my "new" associate editor, who has actually been
keeping me honest and sane since the first issue. Laurie has been
doing a lot of the background work, proofreading, critiquing, and
helping out on the administrative end. Her first column, No
Prisoners!, debuts with this issue, and she's finally in the masthead
where she belongs.
I think the new column format will both improve the overall quality of
OtherRealms and make it easier for others to get their material
published as well. If it works,I expect I'll be appointing new
Contributing Editors as I find other people who write well and want to
contribute to OtherRealms consistently.
Warning!
System Failure!
Just a quick warning to people who submitted material to me in
December. Just before Christmas, my Mac took a nosedive and completely
destroyed my hard disk. I do regular backups, but not regularly enough
-- the failure caught me after I'd gotten a some material downloaded
from the network and before I got it onto a backup. I know I lost some
material, but I don't remember what, so if you submitted something to
me, check and see if it went into the byte bucket so I can get a fresh
copy.
Technology is wonderful, but Murphy is always looking for a way to make
your life interesting... Just when you least expect it.
Until next month!
Burning Chrome
William Gibson
Arbor House, $15.95
[*****]
Reviewed by
Fred Bals
bals%nutmeg@decwrl.dec.com
Copyright 1987 by Fred Bals
From now on, things are going to be different.
- Bruce Sterling, in the preface to Burning Chrome.
The luckiest of those riding the crest of history's wave are sometimes
privileged to see the transition from old perceptions to new visions.
Perhaps "lucky," is an inappropriate term. The shock of the new is
always unsettling, often frightening. Riots broke out in the audience
at the premiere of Stravinsky's, "Rites of Spring." Bob Dylan was booed
off the stage when he played electric guitar for the first time in
public. And it's easy to forget, as warm, glowing Muzak versions of
"She Loves You" emanate from elevators and supermarkets, that the
Beatles were as often reviled as hailed in the early days of the
group's career.
Closer to home, the "New Wave" movement that arose nearly two decades
ago heralded a new view of SF, opening the field to both authors and
fans who were not overly interested in stories concerned with hardware
and celestial mechanics. The "New Wave" caused an impact that -- while
considerably lessened -- is still being felt to this day. All to the
good. Science fiction at its best should always be a genre for risk -
takers. It comes with the turf.
Yet over the past decade, the bulk of SF writing has become
increasingly sluggish and bloated as the genre slowly edges out of its
ghetto into mainstream popularity. Established authors have fallen
prey to market demand and answer the fan's outcry for familiarity by
recycling plots and characters in never - ending series and sequels.
Even many of the new kids on the block have seemingly come to realize
that the best synonym for "marketable" is often "familiarity."
It's been a long, boring winter for SF -- one that has lasted much too
long. But the ice is starting to break. The ice - breaker's name is
William Gibson. Burning Chrome collects all of Gibson's published
short fiction under one cover. The book consists of ten short stories,
three written in collaboration with other "cyber - punks," John
Shirley, Bruce Sterling, and Michael Swanwick. They are all excellent,
and like Gibson's two novels, "Neuromancer" and "Count Zero," they are
all opening rounds in the battle to reclaim SF as the genre of the new
and unexpected. "From now on things are going to be different."
Of special interest in Burning Chrome is Gibson's second published
short story, "The Gernsback Continuum." In this, Gibson deliberately
takes aim at some hoary SF conventions and reworks them with
devastating effect. It is a cry of triumph from Gibson to all who
would listen, "This is the way things were. It's not like that
anymore."
The three works that operate in the future - history of the Sprawl
series, "Johnny Mnemonic," "New Rose Hotel," and the title story,
"Burning Chrome," evoke a clear, beautifully wrought picture of the
future. It is not the future of space empires or of the
postapocalypse. But it is a future cunningly extrapolated from today,
a future that seems real enough to smell, to touch, to hear. It is a
future that you can fully expect to live in. Gibson's characters live
on the edge in this future. They inhabit the underside of society, the
alleys, backways, and dark corners of their world, where high - tech is
seen as only another means for survival. But rather than doom -
saying, Gibson's characters take a wild, fierce joy in beating the
odds. They've seen the face of the Apocalypse... and are mightily
bored with it.
Burning Chrome transcends any attempt to judge with stars, pluses, or
awards. What it can be seen as is a trail into completely new
territory by someone who is the literary descendant of those characters
who lived on the edge of the American Territories; the ones avoided by
their neighbors when they started wondering what was on the other side
of the mountain.
The ones -- who finally becoming so deadly bored with the familiar --
struck out to see what they could find.
Voice of the Visitor
Larry Slonaker
Avon Books, 1986 $3.50
[***]
Reviewed by
Dan'l Danehy-Oakes
djo@ptsfd
Copyright 1987 by Dan'l Danehy-Oakes
The cover of Voice of the Visitor is of a type that always puts me off
immediately. It shows a woman's head, in an uncertain but intense grimace,
her hair tendrilling off into a swirling cloud and her neck appearing to
grow out of the bottom surface of some type of box. There is a little
slogan saying that this is "a novel of unending terror." Bad start.
The inner blurb is a quotation from the book, a scene of graphic
violence: the protagonists husband, recently injured, takes a can
opener and rips the stitches out of his scalp, becoming extremely
bloody in the process.
To my surprise and delight, that proved to be the only scene of real
graphic violence in the entire book. Rather than resembling King,
Voice of the Visitor bears a more-than-passing resemblance to the works
of the late Shirley Jackson. This is not an egregious comparison; with
all its ambiguities and innuendoes, this tale of a pregnant woman
receiving dictation from an evil revenant could easily have been
plotted by Ms. Jackson.
But have no fear, Larry Slonaker is not receiving dictation from Shirley
Jackson -- or if he is, he does it poorly. Jackson was a past master of
style in the English language. She would never have written this:
About halfway to the cabin, the good trail petered out, denigrating
into a rock-strewn, partly overgrown path. [P 188]
There are only a few of these, ahem, infelicities in Voice of the
Visitor, but each of them set my teeth on edge.
One other flaw: ambiguity can be too ambiguous. The protagonist's
pregnancy is apparently important to the story, but I was never able to
figure out exactly why. Evil is neither victorious nor defeated at the
story's end -- though the ending is a definite and satisfying ending
(no, I won't explain that).
Recommended with reservations; if you don't like horror stories because
of the gross outs, this is for you. On the other hand, if you're
bothered by the kind of story that slowly draws icy-cold cobwebs across
the back of your neck...
Stay away.
The Silent Tower
Barbara Hambly
Del Rey $3.95 369pp
[****]
Reviewed by
Danny Low
hplabs!hpcc!dlow
Copyright 1987 by Danny Low
This book has many points of similarity to Hambly's Darwath trilogy.
Based on the story situation at the end, the series is probably
restricted to just two books unless Hambly pads out the second book
tremendously. Someone has opened a Gate through the Void connecting
our universe to another, magical, universe. Abominations from other
universes are slipping into the magical universe causing havoc.
However, the abominations are only a side effect of having an opened
Gate. The mystery of the book is who opened the Gate and why.
Clearly, the motive bodes ill for the magical universe. Joanna is a
computer programmer from our universe who is caught up in the
intrigue. Antryg is a wizard who is the prime suspect. Naturally, the
two fall in love. These two, along with the swordsman Caris, are the
main characters in the story. Caris is convinced that Antryg is the
villain. The government is convinced that Caris' grandfather is the
villain. Caris needs Antryg to prove his grandfather's innocence.
Antryg professes to be innocent. Joanna is torn between her love of
Antryg and the evidence that Antryg may well be the villain.
Hambly has improved greatly as a writer since the Darwath trilogy. The
characterization is very much better. Even the minor characters have
distinctive personalities. The mystery is handled well. Joanna, it
turns out, is not just an innocent bystander. She was deliberately
brought into the situation by the villain although it is not yet clear
what her role is in his intrigue. The story development is done well.
Little, Big
John Crowley
copyright 1981, Bantam book, 627 pages
[****+]
Reviewed by
Alan Wexelblat
texsun!milano!wex
Copyright 1987 by Alan Wexelblat
It's 102 Texas summer degrees outside; my poor window AC is struggling
to bring the room temperature down to 85. And I'm shivering with
cold. Why? Because I'm reading a winter scene in John Crowley's
masterpiece Little, Big.
The cover blurb is actually quite good: "Somewhere beyond the City, at
the edge of a wild wood, sits a house on the border between Here and
There, a place where Somehow reality and fantasy can intertwine and
mortals can believe in fairies. Sometime in our age, a young man comes
here to be wed, and enters a family whose Tale reaches backward and
forward a hundred years, from the sunlit summers of a gentler time, to
the last, dark days of this century -- and beyond to a new spring."
The book is a fantasy novel, telling the Tale of a group of people and
how their destinies come to pass and how the world changes them and is
changed by them. I think this is one of the finest books ever
written. People who have given up on fantasy as hackneyed and
repetitive should read this, if only to rediscover what fantasy is all
about.
The novel is written in an unusual style which may take some getting
used to. Crowley writes long sentences. Up to 75 words, by my count.
In addition, his writing style is very rich and dense. At the
beginning I couldn't read more than six pages at a time. At the end, I
stayed up until 1 AM to finish the last 100 pages.
The plot begins with the induction of Smoky Barnable into a strange
family. He marries Daily Alice, a woman with a Destiny. Smoky thus
becomes part of a Tale and Little, Big tells this Tale in bits and
pieces following characters forward in time, flashing back to tell the
stories of Daily Alice's family. The title of the book is significant
at several levels. It refers to the fact that Smoky is smaller than
Daily Alice. It refers to a theory about the fairies. And, it refers
to actions and their consequences. Each of these themes is neatly run
through the appropriate parts of the plot. The plot is divided into
six books, each of which has four or five chapters. The story runs
fairly continuously throughout; I'm glad Bantam published it as a
single volume.
Little, Big won a World Fantasy Award; its preface is loaded with
complimentary comments from big names. Crowley is a master of
description and character development. There's not a single
two-dimensional character. I was not exaggerating when I described it
as a masterpiece; I recommend it strongly to all of you. So, why four
stars plus, and not five?
Well, some people may not like the way the book shifts viewpoints.
There are many threads being woven together here. Some people may not
like Crowley's ornate writing style. Some people may not like the fact
that there are no "good guys" or "bad guys." There are just people who
sometimes do good things and sometimes do bad things.
I didn't mind any of that; what bothered me was the ending. Crowley is
a master; he tells you 100 pages in advance that the end is coming and
keeps you in suspense the whole way. And yet the ending is a
let-down. Most of the threads get tied up neatly but some are let slip
and the ending comes out, well, wrong. Still, Little, Big is well
worth its cover price.
Agents of Insight
Steven Klaper
TOR Books 1986 $2.95
[**+]
Reviewed by
Dan'l Danehy-Oakes
djo@ptsfd
Copyright 1987 by Dan'l Danehy-Oakes
I was standing in the parking lot at Chef Chu's when I saw the Big Guy
coming. He had a book in his hand. He gave it to me. "Read this," he
said. "I need a review."
So I looked over the evidence. Steven Klaper, eh? Never heard of him.
Must be a new punk in town.
The style was Chandleresque, if you know what I mean. Short sentences
and fragments everywhere. Like this:
My problem. Yeah. I put on the insulsuit, brushed the curtains aside,
and scanned the window. Nothing but a thin paste of soot and bugs... (P 13)
The plot was Chandleresque, too. Hard-boiled. Guys in trench coats
running around trying to solve their partners' murders, people getting
beat up left and right. There were enough levels of conspiracy and
betrayal to make a Republican faint in sheer disbelief.
Now, I got nothing against Chandleresque except maybe the name. Ought
to be Hammettesque. But I couldn't help wondering whether it would
work in a sci-fi book.
My concerns immediately proved to be well-founded. The plot was
borderline cyberpunq: some telepathic spy/'tecs go searching for the
Mysterious Device that kills t-paths...or makes them kill themselves.
The way is blocked by disinformation, renegade t-paths, and common stupidity.
The best characters didn't come on stage until the book was more than
half done. The protagonists were just ho-hummers I couldn't bring
myself to care about. But take Vox, now; there was a fun guy.
So I plowed on and finished the damn thing. Untidy. I mean a lot of
loose ends stay loose. And not in the way that leaves space for a
sequel; things just got dropped. Like I said, untidy.
But what the hell. I had fun reading it. There were two characters I
actually liked, even if they did come in late. The plot was twisty
enough that I didn't feel like I knew everything before it happened.
Give it two and a half.
The Quest of the Riddle Master
The Riddle Master of Hed (2.25)
The Heir of Sea and Fire ($2.25)
Harpist in the Wind ($2.25)
Patricia McKillip
Del Rey Fantasy
Reviewed by
Liralen Li
li@vlsi.cs.washington.edu
Copyright 1987 by Liralen Li
At first glance at the back cover blurbs and introduction, this trilogy
seems to follow a particularly common trend of Tolkien look-alikes. It
seems to have a protagonist with a hidden heritage, some sort of
talisman that will bring out that heritage of power, a journey all over
the protagonist's lands (making a map of the area absolutely
necessary), a love interest, a final meeting of Good and Evil, and the
protagonist wins the war single-handed due to that special hidden
heritage. It has been done, redone and seemingly overdone. And while
Tolkien, LeGuin, and Donaldson have done wonderful things with this
formula, most of the authors in this area have done terribly. Almost
badly enough for me to have missed this marvelous trilogy by Patricia
McKillip.
When I first sat down to read these books it was from a sense of duty,
because I had loved her The Forgotten Beasts of Eld so very much; and I
thought that it would be a good thing to see what else she had
written. When first faced with that formula staring at me from the
back of the books, I groaned a little inside. But I wanted something
to read for the time before bed, so I started reading. And I didn't
finish reading until dawn broke the next day.
McKillip creates a fantasy land, full of magic, lore, legend, and
challenge, rooted deep in history and emotion. The language is rich,
and as smoothly and tightly woven as a Persian rug. Her characters
live and breath, love, hope, despair, and share not only thoughts and
words, but experiences with the reader. They are not the one
dimensional good or bad characters of many of the stories by the
formula, they are people growing, trying to find not only what would
help and hold what they love the most, but also trying to find that
which would define themselves.
The two main characters are Morgan, the Prince of Hed, and Raederle,
the Princess of An. The first and third books are devoted to Morgan,
and the second is devoted to Raederle. The books are in chronological
order, and are a single story told first from Morgan's point of view,
then Raederle's, and, then again from Morgan's. In the beginning of
their stories both of the protagonists are defined by their lands,
their parents, their history, and their teaching. McKillip then shakes
the very foundations of what they have known to be the truth of their
pasts and lets them go to find their abilities and work through their
fears to the future. The balance of the books between introspection
and action is amazing. She manages to convey most of the characters
thoughts through their actions, instead if the old "he thought," "she
thought," or "somebody could sense that he thought." Morgan and
Raederle go through, not only a search for the powers to hold their
world together, but also through learning and accepting the
responsibility for those powers.
The first book follows Morgan, a born prince of the earth, whose main
heritage was of growing things, who farmed from his home that his
sister cleaned and the chickens and dogs ran through. He is different
from the usual, stolid Princes of Hed in that he has a curiosity and a
sense of wonder for that which is outside his island realm and because
he was born with three silver stars on his face. His curiosity was
such that he was sent to study at the College of Riddle-Mastery by an
understanding father. The first book follows him as he discovers the
meaning behind those stars, driven by the tenets of his education and
heritage as well as love and fate. The action conflict is that of him
against the mysterious shape-changers that threaten him as well as
everything that he has ever loved. The emotional conflict is that
between knowledge that he should take up the powers needed to protect
what he loves and the knowledge that those powers may alienate him from
all that he would save.
The second book is about Raederle, the Princess of An, introduced in
the first book as nothing other than the "Second most beautiful woman"
and the woman that Morgan loves. Promised to Morgan by a vow made by
her father that she would marry whoever won a specific riddling battle,
she has known for a long time that she really does love the solid,
stubborn Prince of Hed. She also knows that he would not claim her as
some prize from a fight. So, when he does not come her, she starts out
to find him. In her wanderings she finds that she is as important as
Morgan, the Starbearer, in the confrontation between the shape-changers
and the powers of their earth. She also finds that the heritage of An,
land of war, ghosts and the knowledge of hidden things had hidden her
powers not only to those who would look to destroy them but also from
herself. Her struggles are as much to accept what she finds herself to
be as against a mysterious and powerful foe. The second book lacks the
letdown of most transition books in a trilogy because one is introduced
to a new protagonist and a new problem
The final book is the finale. Where Raederle and Morgan go out and
attune their powers, go through all sorts of difficulties and trials to
find not only the extent of their powers, but also break many of the
internal barriers from their childhoods. Much of the third book is
purely physical, as the two battle their way across the land to where
the main seat of power and the final confrontation will be, and the
final confrontation is as spectacular as any I have read. However,
even in the end McKillip chooses to define the battle in the terms of
self-control, self-knowledge, and the necessity of love in making power
effective.
The books are action packed. They move well, and the unique and
beautiful elements of the culture are introduced as they are needed.
The tone of the books is somewhere between the scene by scene
descriptive style of Tolkien and the dreamlike style of LeGuin's
EarthSea trilogy. The lore and magic are broadly based on the four
elements and their interaction with life, as well as the concept of
inner knowledge before use of external knowledge can be effective. A
personal favorite was her use of riddles as the structure behind all
knowledge. Each riddle has the question, within or as a natural
adjunct to a story; the answer, sometimes natural, sometimes horrible,
yet often phrased from the question; and a stricture or moral without
which the riddle would have no meaning. The riddles helped to tie the
story to itself, weaving throughout the telling, sometimes appearing as
a tale, sometimes as a question, occasionally as a bittersweet reminder
of the fallibility of legend, and gave a leavening of wisdom to the
stuff of fantasy. There are many lessons to be learned in the books;
however they are introduced so naturally and integrally, there is no
feeling of being lectured to.
I enjoyed the trilogy immensely. McKillip has a sense for language
that makes the story flow into the rich and strange, laying out her
story and lands for the reader to see and enjoy. I highly recommend
this to those that enjoy a fantasy of many layers, where the characters
are fully fleshed out and endowed with fears as well as the courage to
overcome those fears.
Echoes of Chaos
Robert E. Vardeman
Berkley Books 1986 183pp $2.95
[***]
Reviewed by
Danny Low
hpccc!dlow
Copyright 1987 by Danny Low
The plot of this book can be summarized as "Indiana Jones and the
Doomsday Machine Part 1." The story is built up from standard SF plot
elements. Experienced SF readers will quickly guess what the story is
about from the back cover blurb.
However, the quality of the writing is well above that usually
associated with such a cliche ridden plot. The transformation of
Michael Ralston from mild manner xeno-archeologist to super competent
adventurer is believable as the reader is forewarned by casually
dropped hints of Ralston's past before he became a professor of
xeno-archeology.
The pacing is a little erratic. The story starts off slow, accelerates
to a high speed and has a foreshortened end. However, the story does
end at a natural breakpoint in the story.
There is much about the story that is appealing. Ralston is the
perfect hero for a SF fan. Ralston is very intelligent, highly
principled, an outsider because of this and yet has friends in the
right places. The mystery of the doomsday device is well handled. It
is clearly established that such a device must exist but nothing else.
The reader is left tantalized. In summary, unless the reader has a
definite aversion to this type of story, this book should be worthwhile
reading. My only real objection to the book is that it is rather short
for a novel. It really is a rather long novella.
Soul Rider Book Five:
Children of Flux & Anchor
Jack Chalker
TOR Books, 1986 $3.50
[**+]
Reviewed by
Dan'l Danehy - Oakes
djo@ptsfd
Copyright 1987 by Dan'l Danehy-Oakes
How do you review the fifth book of a series when you haven't read the
first four? Quick, let's see, is there a summary? Hmm... "To New and
Old Readers of the Soul Rider Saga." Well, he says it's the last one,
and that's a relief. "Familiarity with [the first four books] is
assumed, although the book will, I hope, stand on its own."
Well, there's a tactic. Does the book stand on its own? Do you really
need to have read the others? Does it make you want to go out and get
and read the others? These are the questions I tried to keep in mind
while reading SR5.
Tried, but not entirely successfully. There were places where I just
got picked up by the story and carried along. A point in its favor
right there. On the other hand, there are places where I wanted to
make a book - shaped dent in the wall. In particular, Chalker shares
with Piers Anthony (and L. Frank Baum, for that matter) an inability
to disguise the "expository lump." The first two and a half
forpetessake pages are one monstrous expository lump. There are longer
ones, but this is particularly hard to swallow because of position;
when I start a book, I want something to happen right away.
You can read and understand this book without having read the others.
I'm living proof. Several of the expository lumps seem to exist for
the sole purpose of making it possible; they must be terribly boring
for those who have read the others.
But despite this, some important information is missing. It took me
better than 100 pages to figure out what a "stringer" was (basically a
combination caravan leader and communications technician), and I never
did find out why Cass was so important, which would probably have made
her appearance (sort of) late in the book much more exciting.
What's it about? Fifty years after the Big War with the Aliens, the
people of World (clever name, huh?) have discovered a New Weapon of War
that threatens to let one country impose its lifestyle on others.
Potential allegories abound, although Chalker has the grace (or the
lack of understanding) not to use them in a heavyhanded manner. A
stringer and several wizards try to settle the war between the Sexist
Male Culture and the All - Female Pseudo - Lesbian Culture in a manner
that will protect the rest of World.
A few pointless and not particularly erotic sex scenes establish the
sexual mores of the main characters; the subject of sex is then kept on
the political level. Mind control is used by all three sides. It's
hard to decide who the good guys are, except that Chalker tells us.
The first and last chapters seem to have nothing to do with the rest of
the book; they exist only to close the series off semi - permanently.
Does all this make me want to read the first four? No.
One more quote from the opening note: "If anyone gets through Chapter
15 and claims not to be very surprised, I guess I should hang it up."
That made it particularly hard for him to surprise me; I was thinking,
"What can he do here that will be a surprise?" Damn if the sonofabitch
didn't take me for a ride anyway, and make it make plot sense too.
That seemed to me to be a major achievement. Jack Chalker is one hell
of a story teller; it's a pity he doesn't write better.
Review Feedback
Every so often, your fearless editor blows it.
My review of Ancient of Days was too harsh. The book has its flaws,
but it isn't as bad as I held it out to be -- I went into the book with
a set of expectations that weren't there, which isn't the books
fault. It really deserves a rating of [***-] and a recommendation.
More serious, my review of The Summer Tree is offbase completely due to
terminal Celtic Fantasy burnout. I've commissioned a rebuttal review
because there is so much bad Celtic Fantasy being published I'm no
longer really able to enjoy the good stuff when I see it, and from the
feedback I got on that review, I definitely missed it. Pretend I
didn't say anything, and I apologize to Kay for lumping him in with the
rest.
Books Received
Books Received lists books sent to OtherRealms for review.
OtherRealms tries to list books around the time they are shipped to
bookstores, so these books are (or soon will be) in distribution.
Avon Horror
Asimov, Issac; Waugh, Charles G.; Greenburg, M. H. The Twelve
Frights of Christmas, December, 1986, 263 pages, $3.50.
Avon SF
Anthony, Piers. Bio of a Space Tyrant #5: Statesman, December, 1986,
310 pages, $3.50.
Harrison, Harry. Bill, The Galactic Hero, 1965, 185 pages, $3.50. A
classic farce back in print.
Whitmore, Charles. Winter's Daughter, 1984, 220 pages, $3.50. A
first novel.
Tor Fantasy
Cooke, Catherine. Veil of Shadow, 286 pages, january, 1987, $2.95.
Harris, Deborah Turner. The Burning Stone, 307 pages, January, 1987,
$7.95 trade paperback.
Orr, A. In The Ice King's Palace, 170 pages, January, 1987, $15.95
hard cover. Book 2 in the World in Amber series.
Perry, Steve. Conan the Fearless, 275 pages, 1984, $2.95.
Resnick, Mike. Stalking the Unicorn: A Fable of Tonight, 314 pages,
January, 1987, $3.50
Tor Horror
Farris, John. Catacombs, 522 pages, 1981, $3.95. First Tor
printing.
Masterson, Graham. Night Warriors, 405 pages, 1987, $3.95.
Tepper, Sheri S. The Bones, 315 pages, January 1987, $3.95.
Tor Science Fiction
Bear, Greg. Beyond Heaven's River, 192 pages, 1980, $2.95. First
Tor printing.
Bova, Ben. Voyagers II: The Alien Within, 344 pages, 1986, $3.50.
Paperback of a hard SF story reviewed in #7 [***+])
Laumer, Keith. Galactic Odyssey, 252 pages, 1967, $2.95.
Modesitt. L. E. Jr. Dawn for a Distant Earth, 340 pages, January,
1987, $3.50.
Schmidt, Stanley. Tweedlioop, 233 pages, January, 1987, $8.95 trade
paperback.
OtherRealms is Copyright 1986
by Chuq Von Rospach
All rights reserved
One time rights have been acquired from the contributors. All rights
are hereby assigned to the contributors.
Reproduction rights: OtherRealms may be reproduced only for non-commercial
uses. Re-use, reproduction or reprinting of an individual article in any
way on any media, is forbidden without permission.
--
Chuq Von Rospach chuq@sun.COM
It's only a model...chuq@sun.uucp (Chuq Von Rospach; Lord of the OtherRealms) (01/19/87)
Electronic OtherRealms #12
February, 1987
Part 2
Pico Reviews
Always Coming Home by Ursula K. Leguin [****]
Harper & Row, 1985, 525 pages, $24.95 trade paperback with
accompanying cassette and box. Also Bantam paperback, 562
pages, January, 1987, $4.95.
A fascinating but hard to digest anthropological study of the future.
Billed as a novel, it really isn't -- rather it is written as a formal
study of a post-apocalyptic California tribe. Very detailed,
occasionally very dry and hard to follow, it could have served very
well as a Ph.D. Thesus at any major University. Not easy reading, but
well worth fighting your way through. Leguin just won the Kafka award
for this work.
-- chuq von rospach
Barnaby #6: Mr. O'Malley Goes Hollywood [***+]
Del Rey Books, $2.95
The premise is getting a little tired, but Crockett Johnson's gentle
sense of humor carried me through the book with nary a complaint. For
those not in the know, Barnaby is a '40s comic strip about a little boy
and his Cigar Chomping Irish Fairy Godfather. During this outing, Mr.
O'Malley (the CCIFGF) makes an epic motion picture, teaches a course on
the little folk, pitches for the Dodgers, and detects a thief, with his
usual success. Good fun.
-- Dan'l Danehy-Oakes
djo@ptsfd
The Berserker Throne by Fred Saberhagen [***+]
Tor Science Fiction, December, 1986, 319 pages, $3.50
A new novel in the long-running Berserker series, about intelligent
machines with a purpose -- to destroy all life in the Universe. As old
as the series is, Saberhagen still writes it with an enthusiasm that
keeps it fresh and alive. If you like Berserkers, you'll like this
book. If you've never read a Berserker story, it would make a good
introduction.
-- chuq von rospach
Blood River Down by Lionel Fenn [**]
Tor Fantasy, November, 1986, 310 pages, $2.95
An unemployed football player finds a pasture in his pantry while
looking for some preserves. With this unauspicious start, he ventures
forth into another dimension in search of the key to saving a world --
a white duck. "Why a duck?" you might ask, as he does in this farce of
the princess in distress and knight in shining armor Fantasy. Fenn
almost pulls it off, but the humor he builds in the early part of the
book isn't quite sustained, and it ends up going flat towards the end.
Fun, but not as fun as it might have been.
-- chuq von rospach
Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart [***+]
St. Martin's Press, $13.95, 248pp.
A charming book of whimsy set in an ancient China that never was. A
brave young man and an old, drunken magician follow the dreaded Duke of
Ch'in from one treasure trove to another in a quest to save the lives
of their village's children. In doing so, they find themselves
embroiled in a mystery which involves Heaven itself. Many ghosts,
monsters and magical traps hinder the way of our intrepid heros. The
story is told slightly tongue-in-cheek and liberally sprinkled with
humor.
-- Austin Yeats
sun!nova!austin
Brightness Falls from the Air
by James Tiptree, Jr. [****+]
Tor, $3.50, 1985, 382 pages
What starts as a pleasant, fast read becomes a can't-put-down thriller
midway through with action from surprise corners. This is a very
character centered story with hard SF plot elements. Tourists visit
the rim planet Damiem to view the final passing of the shells of gas
left from an exploded star, but the planet holds several disturbing
secrets that all come together at this event.
-- Mary Anne Espenshade
mae@aplvax.arpa
Burning Chrome by William Gibson [***]
Arbor House, 15.95, 200pp.
This book contains 10 short stories, many of which previously appeared in Omni.
Several stories are based on the same world as Gibson's novels, Neuromancer and
Count Zero. "Burning Chrome" and "New Rose Hotel" could indeed be the seeds for
each novel, respectively. In these stories we meet the familiar supporting
characters Molly Millions, the Chiba enhanced mercenary, and Finn, the
underworld software fence in his moldering Sprawl store front. These peripheral
characters seem to add a lot to the cyberspace world for which Gibson is famous.
His novels and short stories make him the successor to John Varley's high-tech,
gene-spliced stories which he abandoned when embarking on the Titan series ( the
novel The Ophiuchi Hotline with its supporting short story base, The Persistance
of Vision and The Barbie Murders remind me very much of Gibson's current works).
-- Austin Yeats
sun!nova!austin
The Cat Who Walks Through Walls
by Robert A. Heinlein [**]
Berkley Science Fiction, 1985, 388 pages, $3.95
Heinlein is arguably the best writer of dialog in the genre. Cat is
another example of this -- his characters patter their way through an
endless series of encounters with some of the snappiest comebacks
you're likely to see. Unfortunately, little of the dialog seems to
have anything to do with the dialog, and the characters suffer from
Super-Heroism and Convenient Happenings -- these people can do anything
they want, no matter how obscure it may be -- especially when it is
needed to get out of a jam. Heinlein is also attempting to bring
together many of his different Universes into a single coordinated
whole, so there are references and in-jokes from many of his books.
This is not the best Heinlein, but the key to whether you'll like it is
whether you like his other works -- if you do, you won't be
disappointed, and if you don't, this work won't change your mind.
There seems to be no middle ground with this grandmaster.
-- chuq von rospach
Clive Barker's Books of Blood Volume I [*****-]
Berkeley Books, $2.95
You say you like horror. Okay. I have a book for you, but don't blame
me if it works... Get thee hence to thy purveyor of books and pick up
a copy of Clive Barker's Books of Blood Volume 1 Turn to the first
story -- not the introduction -- and read the first paragraph. That's
all. If you walk out of there without buying it, you're a better man
than I am.
-- Dan'l Danehy-Oakes
djo@ptsfd
Contact by Carl Sagan [****-]
Pocket Books, 1985, 431 pages, $4.95
I approached this book with great trepidation -- a bonus baby
($2,000,000 advance) long delayed first novel by one of the writers of
accessible science (Dragons of Eden, Cosmos, Broca's Brain), what could
you really expect? What you get is a pretty solid piece of Hard SF.
The only weak spot is when the intrepid voyagers meet the aliens -- it
is obvious that Sagan wants them to act this way, but it isn't
convincing. Other than that, solid writing, solid science and lots of
fun. (Sagan was nominated for the Campbell award for new writer for
Contact -- but I don't think a single work really should have qualified
him. It isn't that good, frankly, but a name does wonders).
-- chuq von rospach
Count Zero by William Gibson [***+]
Arbor House, 15.95, 278 pp.
Gibson has written another novel based on the world created in
Neuromancer, his award winning book of last year. While there are a
different set of main characters, the exciting, dangerous world of
cyberspace is further described. The action takes place several years
after the break up of the Tessier-Ashpool clan. The action follows the
course of a free lance trouble shooter whose expertise is helping high
level scientists and executives defect from their current employers.
The cyberspace equivalent of a head hunter. Perhaps not as good as
Neuromancer, it is certainly a gripping adventure story with well
developed and sympathetic characters. Much more upbeat ending than the
previous novel.
-- Austin Yeats
sun!nova!austin
DESTROY! by Scott McCloud [***]
Eclipse Comics, 32 pages 11x17 format, $4.95
Billed as the loudest comic book in the Universe, they may be right.
McCloud has done 32 pages of mindless violence and mayhem as two
superheroes battle each other, destroying large portions of Manhattan
in the process. The plot is somewhat thin, intentionally, but a lot of
fun as the entire superhero genre has a little fun poked at it.
-- chuq von rospach
Dracula: A Symphony in Moonlight and Nightmares
by Jon J. Muth [**]
A Marvel Graphic Novel, 1986, $6.95 trade paperback.
A definite change of pace from most comic book graphic novels, this is
an original interpretation of the Dracula story, and doesn't follow the
Stoker version very closely. The artwork, done in watercolors on a
high quality glossy paper, is stunning. The story, unfortunately,
doesn't come up to those standards, but you might want to get it just
for the art.
-- chuq von rospach
Engines of Creation by K. Eric Drexler [**]
Doubleday, $17.95, 1986, 298n pages
This non-fiction book takes on the next technological frontier --
nanotechnology. Imagine materials, machines, computers; all built on a
molecular level. Self-repairing bodies lead to practical immortality.
Intelligent viruses destroy all life. Drexler looks at the practical
and social aspects of something that may well change society more than
all previous technological advances (from fire forward) combined. He
drops into rhetoric and opinion too often, and his research is
sometimes out of date and sometimes conflicting (especially in the
psychological and social science fields) but I don't think this
invalidates his basic ideas -- just makes them harder to swallow. A
great research book for writers looking into this area, one of the
first able to really make a hard subject almost intelligible.
-- chuq von rospach
Extra (Ordinary) People
by Joanna Russ [*****]
St. Martin's Press, 10.95, 160pp.
An excellent collection of Russ' work consisting of the Hugo winning
"Souls" and four other pieces of short fiction. The stories range from
the mediaeval past to a far future past the extinction of humans where
aliens reconstruct long dead people for their study and amusement. A
multiple universe story is also included. Russ is able to combine
believable SF story lines with good writing and characterization. My
favorite was "The Mystery of the Strange Young Gentleman," about a
telepaths special problems in keeping his talents hidden during the
Victorian era.
-- Austin Yeats
sun!nova!austin
The Fourth Dimension by Rudy Rucker [***+]
Houghton Milton, 8.95, 228 pp.
Not an SF book, but a tour of the higher dimensions by science/SF
writer Rucker -- a good read for those who enjoy SF or write it. Here,
in the same vein as Abbot's Flatland or Burger's Sphereland, we are
encouraged to throw away our three-dimensional prejudices and try to
imagine what four (and even higher) dimensional
objects/beings/situations might look to us poor "flatlanders." Wish I
had this book as a kid when I tried to argue the existence of the
fourth dimension to my teachers and my friends parents.
-- Austin Yeats
sun!nova!austin
Free Live Free by Gene Wolfe [****]
Tor Science Fiction, 400 pages, November, 1986, $3.95
A hard book to describe -- very little plot, Free Live Free follows a
group of strange people as they (more or less) look for a missing
comrade. What they mostly do is get involved with other strange people
in strange happenings. It doesn't turn into SF until the end, and then
only as a convenience to the author. A very good but difficult book by
one of the literary masters of the genre. Not an escapist read, Wolfe
makes you think your way through.
-- chuq von rospach
Freedom Beach by James Patrick Kelly and John Kessel [**]
Tor Science Fiction, 1985, 259 pages, $2.95
Based on (and including) a powerful story from Fantasy & Science
Fiction magazine, this book tells the story of a man placed on Freedom
Beach, a place where a group of people can do anything they want --
except leave. All they are told is that they came willingly and they
are not to write. Why? It turns out that this is therapy for Shaun (or
so they say), and the keepers use dream therapy to try to solve
whatever unknown problems exist in him. The original story (the first
chapter) is very powerful and moving, but the therapy shifts gears as
Kelly and Kessel try to rearrange reality to fit their needs -- to the
point that by the end of the book you aren't sure which reality is the
real one. If any. It isn't a bad book, but it certainly isn't what
I'd hoped for from the promise of the first chapter -- the whole
concept of Freedom Beach is left in the lurch of the dream therapy.
-- chuq von rospach
The Gates of Hell by C. J. Cherryh and Janet Morris [***]
Baen Books, 14.95, 250pp.
Alexander the Great, Cleopatra, three Caesars (Julias, Augustus, and
Tiberius) and a whole bevy of generals, kings, heros, and terrorists
from throughout history collaborate on a scheme to escape what seems to
be a cross between Riverworld and Dante's Inferno (either version). I
had just finished reading quite a bit of ancient history, so it was fun
to read about rulers meeting their heros from their past and argue over
past feuds. Can you imagine Julias having Machiavelli as an
intelligence advisor or Judah of the Maccabees working with Israeli
commandos? The authors are quite good with their historical character
groupings. Not much is said (there are only hints) about Satan or the
internal workings of Hell, but I'm sure that will be explained in forth
coming books... this is not a complete novel.
-- Austin Yeats
sun!nova!austin
The Glass Hammer by K. W. Jeter [***]
Jeter's first book, Dr. Adder, really wowed me and so I picked this
one up sight unseen. It has its flaws but in general it is worth
reading, and perhaps my problems with it are due to the fact that a
large portion of it is written in video-ese, with director's
instructions. It's set in a grim future where weather satellites have
gone berserk and the church controls most of the western U. S. while
L. A. is an uneasy DMZ between church and state. The protagonist is
a runner of illegal chips who is also a video star in the factories of
Brazil, who spends the book alternately living the last part of his
life and watching his story on television. Jeter goes out on a limb
with this, and I thought it worked as well as it could; it's usually
not very easy to flip-flop without losing the reader, but by putting it
in the context of a futuristic "This Is Your Life," he makes it
accessible. There's a little too much Gnosticism in this, and I think
the church was made out to be a little too evil, but there is some
interesting symbolism in the whole conflict. As with his other book,
the plot moves quickly, almost to the point of being hurried, and then
slows down here and there for emphasis. His pacing has improved. His
characters are drawn well, if sketchy, and the dialogue is superb.
Definitely a writer to watch.
-- Davis Tucker
ihnp4!druri!dht
Imaginary Lands edited by Robin McKinley [***]
Ace Fantasy, $2.95, 1985, 230 pages
A very uneven collection of short stories. The main failing of several
stories is that they are nothing more than the imaginary land setting-
no plot to speak of, no characterization. The settings were intriguing
but they needed something in them. "Evian Steel," by Jane Yolen,
pulled the overall rating up from 2 stars.
-- Mary Anne Espenshade
mae@aplvax.arpa
Imaginary Lands edited by Robin McKinley [***+]
Ace Fantasy Books, 2.95, 230 pp.
This is a fairly good selection of recent fantasy short stories. I
must admit, I'm pretty much into straight SF and am not familiar with
some of these writers, but I was quite impressed with most of the
stories. The first , "Paper Dragons" by James Blaylock, was my
favorite -- a somewhat sad and whimsical tale of dragon construction in
the California northlands. "Flight," by Peter Dickenson, could very
well be considered anthropological SF a la Chad Oliver. More and more,
the boundary between what is considered SF and Fantasy is breaking
down.
-- Austin Yeats
sun!nova!austin
Into the Out Of by Alan Dean Foster [***]
Warner Books, 15.95, 292pp.
A chilling book of evil influences coming out of Africa to threaten the
world and how a Masai elder must combat them with the help of two
Americans. The African parts of this novel, descriptions of the Masai
and their land, are very well done and will fascinate you. The
American interludes and characters are quite wooden and staged (you
know the type... "there must be some logical explanation," after some
hulk dripping green goo takes off half his foot). Like King's It, the
finale in monster land drags on too long, stalling the fast pace of the
book. Read it for the marvelous African bits.
-- Austin Yeats
sun!nova!austin
The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories and Other Stories
by Gene Wolfe [*****]
Pocket Books, 2.95, 410 pp.
This book contains some of Wolfe's best fiction, short or long. The
stories include hard science fiction, whimsy, religious allegory and
situations of supernatural horror. My favorite is "The Doctor of Death
Island." Or was that "The Death of Doctor Island?" Oh well... The
story "The Eyeflash Miracles" is well worth the price of the book. I
have heard it is out of print, but have been able to find copies a
various used book stores. Makes wonderful gifts to my literary friends
who don't believe any science fiction can be well written.
-- Austin Yeats
sun!nova!austin
It by Stephen King [***+]
Stephen King has recaptured some of the same scariness of Salem's Lot
and The Stand. I always wondered if King's later stuff just wasn't
scary or whether I had just become jaded over the years. It put the
fear of King back into my soul. It also contains the well developed
characters of children which always seem to spring up in his novels
along with their sense of wonder world. The book is rather long,
however, and the length took some of the scare out of the story. I
suppose the anticipation of the monster is much scarier than the
monster itself.
-- Austin Yeats
sun!nova!austin
The Magus by John Fowles [*****]
Triad/Panther Books (British Edition),
#2.50 (about 4 bucks), 655 pp.
This is a new, recently reissued version of the famous novel.
Originally published in 1966, I imagine the main difference is a little
spice added to the racier sections. Quite a gripping story. Not SF!
you say? Well, I don't know either. My definition is pretty broad.
What you do read, however, is the tale of a spoiled, naive youth led
through a series of unexplicable circumstances by a charismatic,
unpredictable, and seemingly omniscient host. After reading this, I
saw where Castaneda got his inspiration. Oh, all right... maybe it's
just a mystery, but it'll knock your socks off.
-- Austin Yeats
sun!nova!austin
A Matter of Time by Glen Cook [**]
268pp; 1985 Ace
A relatively routine time-travel story. A persistent police detective
investigating some disappearances and an extra body discovers
connections to events 50 years past. Eventually a plot involving
brainwashed MIAs and a future dystopia is thwarted. The characters are
well drawn and the investigations details are interesting, but they're
not enough to overcome an only average story.
Hibbert.pa@Xerox.COM
The Modern Witch's Spellbook: Book II
by Sarah Lyddon Morrison []
Citadel Press, 226 pages, $6.95
Want to know how to get back that lost lover? Want to get that nasty
co-worker fired? Morrison gives tried and true spells for the Modern
Man. This book is frankly quite hilarious, but I don't believe this
was her intent -- she sounds quite serious. A great example that if
you try hard enough, you really can get published...
-- chuq von rospach
Moonsinger's Friends: In Honor of Andre Norton
edited by Susan Schwartz [****]
Tor Science Fiction, 342 pages, $3.50
Andre Norton is one of the most important writers in the genre, and her
works have inspired many of the other greatest writers. Because she
has never really looked for publicity, many people have overlooked
her. Now, though, the people who have enjoyed her works over the years
have banded together to honor her with works of their own that tie back
to things Norton has done thematically. Almost as good as reading the
real thing! You should definitely do both.
-- chuq von rospach
More Adventures of Samurai Cat
by Mark E. Rogers [**]
Tor Books, 127 pages (8.5 x 11 format), $9.95 trade paperback
Mark E. Rogers is back with more stories of Miaowara Tomokato, a one
feline attempt to satirize, backbite, and generally make fun of
everything in the known universe. The stories this time take on King
Arthur, E.R. Burroughs, and Star Wars. Heavily illustrated (but not
to the graphic novel level), most of the stories and jokes fall flat
because Rogers is trying much too hard to be funny. No subtlety, and
little attempt at coherency, but the illustrations are in general
pretty good. Maybe for some, not for me.
-- chuq von rospach
Nerilka's Story by Anne McCaffrey [****]
Del Rey, $12.95, 1986, 182 pages
A short companion story to Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern, this book won't
make much sense if you haven't already read that one. There is a very
useful prologue on the history and culture of Pern for those not
familiar with the rest of the series. Nerilka was a minor character in
Moreta and here tells the same events during the plague from her
viewpoint within a Hold.
Mary Anne Espenshade
mae@aplvax.arpa
One Hundred Years of Solitude
by Gabriel Carcia Marquez [*****]
Bard Books, 4.95, 383 pp.
This is one of the most enchanting novels I've read in years. It
follows six generations of a mysterious family which founded a village
hundreds of miles from civilization in the South American wilderness.
The action takes place sometime in the middle of the last century. The
family members include alchemists, household spirits, unkillable
revolutionary leaders, and children who are levitated into heaven (body
and soul). A mad collection of travellers and settlers pass through
this strange village; gypsies bearing ice, assassins, a mechanic
followed around by flocks of golden butterflies, and the innocent
Erendira, a sad young girl carried from town to town and sold nightly
by her terrible aunt to pay off a never ending debt. First published
in Argentina as Cien Anos de Soledad, this novel contributed to the
author's winning of the 1982 Nobel Prize for Literature. His writing
lies somewhere between Vonnegut and Castaneda. Unfortunately, Marquez
died last year (along with Jorge Borge, another excellent South
American writer). Marquez's books have opened up a whole new world of
Spanish writers for me.
-- Austin Yeats
sun!nova!austin
The Postman by David Brin [****]
321pp; 1986 Bantam
A story of hope set in the US 30 years after the bombs fell. A
survivor, wandering across the country, dons a mailman's uniform and
becomes a sign of reviving civilization and renewed communication with
the outside world. The traveller gets caught up in his own stories as
the isolated communities he visits begin to work together to rebuild.
Sometimes all it takes is the belief that you're not alone.
Hibbert.pa@Xerox.COM
Prometheans by Ben Bova [**+]
Tor Science Fiction 1986 $2.95/$3.75 Can.
A concept collection: Bova divides the human race into Prometheans (or
technophiles, or neophiles, or Good Guys) and Luddites (or
technophobes, or neo phobes, or Bad Guys), and presents stories
ostensibly about characters who fall into the Promethean category, each
with an accompanying essay. The essays range from entertaining to
dull, and none of them contain much new to a regular reader of SF. The
stories are generally well plotted. The characters, however, are
cardboard and unattractive -- even Chet Kinsman, Bova's best-known
character, who comes off here as two-and-a-half dimensional at best.
If you like Analog, you'll probably love this book.
-- Dan'l Danehy-Oakes
djo@ptsfd
The Secret Island of OZ
by Eric Shanower [****]
First comics, 45 pages, $7.95 graphic novel
The second in a series of graphic novels on Oz by Eric Shanower, he is
showing that he really understands the magic of Oz. This aren't
ripoffs of a classic series -- rather Shanower does a good job of
carrying on the feel and myth of Baum's classic. As a long-time Oz
fan, I'm very happy to see the series being worked on by someone who
cares.
-- chuq von rospach
Soldier of the Mist by Gene Wolfe [****]
Tor Books, 15.95, 333 pp.
You'll want to bone up on your ancient history while reading this
book. Wolfe once again gives us the story of a lone soldier's trek
through a mysterious world of magic, gods, and spirits. Like Severian
in the books of the New Sun, the soldier, Latra, has a mysterious past
which is only hinted at. He also possesses strange powers that he is
not fully aware of. He is a mercenary who has lost his memory due to a
head wound, and is obviously a Roman Legionaire who was fighting with
the Great King of Persia against the Greeks in 479 BCE. As Wolfe does
not give us the common names of the locale or it's inhabitants, I
poured over history texts trying to tie the places and characters
together. The names he gives are the literal Greek translations,
"Thought" is Athens, "The Shining God" is Apollo, and "Warm Springs" is
Thermopylae.
-- Austin Yeats
sun!nova!austin
Sorcerors! edited by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois [***]
Ace Fantasy, 244 pages, $2.95
Another in the series of theme anthologies from Ace. These books are
primarily useful to bring together stories from lots of different
places to help fill out the collection. Don't expect the best stories
about the theme -- they tend to pick works that haven't been highly
anthologized to date, which I think is a good thing. None of the
stories, however, are really terrible, and there is a good bibliography
at the end.
-- chuq von rospach
The Sorceror's Lady by Paula Volsky [****]
Ace Fantasy, April, 1986, 264 pages, $2.95
Lady Verran has been married off to Lord Terrs Fal Grihzni, the
Pre-eminent magician and least liked person of Lanthi-Ume. Little did
she know that she would come to look on that as a highlight of her
life. Grihzni turns out to be one of the nicest characters in a bleak
and depressing book of political intrigue and general nastiness. This
is an extremely well written book, but hard to enjoy because it is
unrelentingly forced towards the worst possible scenario. The bad guys
win (sort of), most of the people (including many of the bad guys) die,
and everyone is generally left feeling miserable and looking forward to
the sequel for revenge. It is worth reading despite the downers.
-- chuq von rospach
The Starry Rift by James Tiptree Jr. []
Tor Books, 14.95, 250pp.
An abysmal book. Tiptree (Alice Sheldon) is one of my favorite writers
and I could not be more disappointed. Set in the same universe as
Brightness Falls From the Air this is a loosely bound collection of
short fiction. It seems to be pitched for a juvenile audience as it's
pretty mild compared to the author's past, hard hitting SF. I found
this stuff hard to swallow coming from the writer of "A Momentary Taste
of Being."
-- Austin Yeats
sun!nova!austin
The Startling Worlds of Henry Kuttner
by Henry Kuttner [****]
Questar SF, 1987, 357 pages, $3.95.
Ignore the title, Kuttner doesn't really need a hardsell. This book
contains three novellas by Golden Age master. If you've never read
Kuttner (and you probably have, as he wrote the Gallegher series about
the inventor who could only work blind drunk) you couldn't find a
better introduction than this volume.
-- chuq von rospach
The Steps of the Sun by Walter Tevis [***]
Berkely Books, 2.95, 260 pp.
A well written, well characterized book which, unfortunately suffers
from "V disease" (why would a star-hopping culture try to con earth out
of it's water when they have the rings of Saturn?). In the depression
ridden, resource exhausted near future, the hero steals the last fueled
starship to discover a lode of needed uranium. This is safe,
non-radioactive uranium, mind you, which may be a great base for non
toxic yellow pottery glaze, but I doubt that it would do much good as
core material. Had the author a better pretense for his SF base, this
would be an excellent novel along the lines of Disch's On Wings of
Song. If you can get over this flaw, it's not a bad read. Tevis is
the author of The Man Who Fell to Earth.
-- Austin Yeats
sun!nova!austin
Tales From the Spaceport Bar
edited by George H. Schithers and Darrell Schweitzer [***]
Avon SF, 235 pages, January, 1987, $3.50
A lot of different people, from Lord Dunsany to Spider Robinson and
Larry Niven, have written stories that take place in the bar, tavern or
gentleman's club. This book is a sampler of those stories. All the
stories are good, and while many of them will probably be familiar,
many more will introduce you to authors you might want to read more
of.
-- chuq von rospach
Terror by Frederik Pohl [*]
Berkley, 1986, $2.95, 220 pages
Hawaiian terrorists trying to send the haoles home; U.S. government
terrorists/nuclear geologists trying to trigger a mini ice age; wimpy
boring Patricia Hearst character caught in the middle. The Hawaiian
history sounds right; the victim psychology sounds right (but who
cares?); the nuclear history is ludicrously wrong. Pohl thinks the
Nagasaki bomb was a Plutonium gun-type bomb (an impossibility), and the
Hiroshima bomb had yield of forty kilotons (it was more like fifteen).
Other technical inaccuracies abound. Pohl is getting careless.
-- Jef Poskanzer
unisoft!jef
Time Wars edited by Charles Waugh and Martin H. Greenberg [***]
Tor Science Fiction, 374 pages, $3.50
This is the first in a new series of theme anthologies created by Poul
Anderson and edited by Waugh and Greenberg. The stories relate around
time travel and the conflicts that arise because of it -- especially
the Time Police, people who have to patrol the ages. There are some
very good stories here, with "Gunpowder God" by Randall Garrett being
the best, and "The Timesweepers" by Keith Laumer right behind. All of
the stories are good (none are original, however) and only McCaffrey's
"Dragonrider" seems out of place. There is no bibliography like other
anthologies have, so you can't help yourself to the research these
people have done -- hopefully in future volumes that will change.
-- chuq von rospach
The Twelve Frights of Christmas
edited by Isaac Asimov, Charles G. Waugh
and Martin Harry Greenburg [***-]
Avon Horror, December, 1986, 263 pages, $3.50
A theme anthology thirteen Christmas stories -- twelve horror pieces
and A. C. Clarke's "The Star." Probably of limited interest -- none
of the stories are bad, but none are really wonderful, either, and I
wouldn't use this for the Christmas Eve fireside story telling.
-- chuq von rospach
The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice [***]
Ballantine Books, 4.50, 550 pp.
This is Anne Rice's long awaited sequel to Interview With the Vampire.
It is much more a historical novel rather than a book of supernatural
horror. Here, we learn the origins of vampires and Lestat's
immortalization during the French Revolution. She writes much better
of the past, however, as her description and action placed in the
present seems somewhat flat. It would not be necessary to have read
the earlier novel to enjoy this one, but beware, as you finish this
500+ page novel, you will find that it is not a sequel, but the second
book of a trilogy.
-- Austin Yeats
sun!nova!austin
The Wandering Unicorn
by Miguel Mujica Luniez [****]
Normally I would never pick up a book with this title, but it came with
a foreword from Borges and I'm a sucker for Latin literature. This is
a tale of unrequited love, told by an immortal fairy who has been
turned into a barely visible dragon. Set in 12th Century Provence, it
is concerned with courtly love and the development of the concept of
romance. We follow the protagonist as she falls in love with a young
boy and aids his career, only to fall prey to her evil mother and the
Crusades. Her mother allows her to be at her lover's side, but as a
boy, thus providing the cruel twist of fate that all romance must
have. It is a multi-level work -- one, a fairy tale of love and war,
another a comparison of modern times with medieval, another an
exploration of courtly love and what it means, another a symbolic
retelling of the tale of the unicorn, another a treatise on faith, the
kind of faith that we do not have anymore. I am sure there are more.
The prose is well-written and flowing without being flowery, the plot
moves well and the episodes are nicely constructed, and the climax is
handled beautifully.
Davis Tucker
ihnp4!druri!dht
Wave Without a Shore by C. J. Cherryh [****]
176pp; 1981; Daw Books
This is a wonderful story about a society of solipsists. The main plot
line involves an Artist and a Politician who, each in his own way, want
to leave a mark on their world. Cherryh quite effectively resolves the
conflicts this creates in each of them as they try to change their
society without admitting that they could be affected by it. The
dialectic used to teach solipsism is also quite interesting: How do you
teach denial of the external world without admitting that it exists?
Hibbert.pa@Xerox.COM
The Wicker Man by Robin Hardy and Anthony Shaffer [****]
Pocket, 1978, 239 pages
While this book isn't exactly SF, it is definitely bizarre, sort of a
horror/detective novel. The investigation into a girl's disappearance
on a remote island leads a policeman into a world easily as alien to
him as if it were on another planet. The islanders lead a life
separate from the modern world, centered around their crops and the
religion they have revived from their Celtic heritage.
Mary Anne Espenshade
OtherRealms is Copyright 1986
by Chuq Von Rospach
All rights reserved
One time rights have been acquired from the contributors. All rights
are hereby assigned to the contributors.
Reproduction rights: OtherRealms may be reproduced only for non-commercial
uses. Re-use, reproduction or reprinting of an individual article in any
way on any media, is forbidden without permission.
--
Chuq Von Rospach chuq@sun.COM
It's only a model...chuq@sun.uucp (Chuq Von Rospach; Lord of the OtherRealms) (01/19/87)
Electronic OtherRealms #12
February, 1987
Part 3
No Prisoners!
Reviews by
Laurie Sefton
lsefton@sun.COM
Copyright 1987 by Laurie Sefton
A few years back, PBS had a series of concerts with Danny Kaye as the
conductor. During one of these concerts, Kaye gave an example of "why
we have conductors -- even though the musicians know the music." He
started into a piece, and then left the conductor's stand to talk to
the audience. The orchestra started to lose time with the piece, each
musician appeared to have a slightly different sense of rhythm and
time. When Kaye came back to the stand, the orchestra came back into
time. The editor of a shared - world anthology has a role similar to
that of a conductor: if he loses control of the timing and rhythm of
the book, the work falls into a jumble of individual interpretations.
Wild Cards (Bantam Books, $3.95), edited by George R. R. Martin, is
an excellent example of how an editor holds together a shared - world
anthology, not only from individual viewpoints, but through the passage
of time.
The premise of the book (and promised series) is that a virus capable
of genetic manipulation is released on New York City. The virus, from
the planet Takis, is designed to give those who survive it, some sort
of "super - power." Earth has been chosen to be the testing ground for
the virus. Dr. Tachyon, also from Takis, is trying to intercept the
cannister containing the virus before it is unleashed on the
unsuspecting public. Since Dr. Tachyon is dressed in full Cavalier
period costume, the US government finds it hard to take him seriously.
The cannister is released, and chaos follows.
The stories are written in homage to the pulp heroes of the 40's.
Those of us who read Airboy will immediately recognize the character of
Jetboy. In the pulp tradition, Jetboy comes with the full complement
of evil villians.
However, if the stories had dealt with Jetboy clones, or had attempted
to give everyone who came in contact with the virus a "neat"
superpower, the book wouldn't have the impact it does. Ninety percent
of the people who come in contact with the virus die. Of the 10 % who
don't die, 9% are left with mutations that cause them to be named
"jokers." The mutations are disfiguring (noses are turned into trunks,
hands become claws) or potentially lethal (bleeding from all orifices,
or bruising at the slightest touch). The victims are herded into
ghettos, so that the "fine upstanding human beings" (called "nats" by
the "jokers") untouched by the virus don't have to see them (except
when they're looking for a cheap thrill). Only 1 of 100 who came into
contact with the virus develop useful mutations (telepathy,
telekinesis, super - strength). And even these powers are shown to
have the potential to be a liability.
The continuity between the stories shows just how tightly the book has
been edited. Characters who are the main focus in one story may be
mentioned as a side note in the next. They may even pop up as minor
characters in stories 5 years removed from their original debut. The
Wild Cards are integrated into a post - war society which parallels our
own. The fortunes of the "aces", those who have the useful mutations,
first rise with their novelty, and then fall with the paranoia of the
McCarthy investigations. The "jokers" replace blacks as cannon fodder
in Vietnam, and then discover their own civil rights movement. They
also discover pandering politicians, who are only interested in the
plight of the "jokers" as long as long as it furthers their careers.
The fit of the jokers into what is quite recognizable as our own
society is what makes this book work. Each one of the stories builds
upon the mythos presented by the previous stories.
Overall, I enjoyed the stories presented in Wild Cards. The rough
spots (during the McCarthy investigations) I found were more of my
reaction to history repeating itself, rather than flaws in the work.
That a story would have me despairing for its characters shows what an
impact the writing has. I was also, as I said earlier, delighted by
the editing. I was amazed at how well a shared - world anthology could
be put together, and how each story fell tougue - in - groove with the
next. I would recommend that you find this book on your next trip to
the bookstore. [****]
Unfortunately, the other shared - world anthology I read, The Blood of
Ten Chiefs (Tor, $6.95), edited by Richard Pini, Robert Asprin, and
Lynn Abbeyl, doesn't hold up as well. The Blood of Ten Chiefs, for
those of you who don't cross over into the comics medium, is an
anthology relating to the Elfquest characters, a recent 20 issue series
written, drawn, and edited by Wendy and Richard Pini. The book is an
attempt to show how the elves in Elfquest came to be. This is done by
tracing the group through its changes and evolution.
However, it appears that there should have been some attempt to provide
a foundation for what the elves do and don't do. For example, while
Diana L. Paxson did an excellent job on the elf culture in The Spirit
Quest, this is the only place where a rudimentary religion for the
elves is mentioned. Nancy Springer's delightful Tanner's Dreams is
slightly marred by the supposition that the elves have forgotten how to
tan hides. Were hides cured previously only by magic? Was this a
talent only held by purebred elves? Especially since the elves showed
no problems in earlier generations in tanning hides, this would have be
interesting to know. The elves also seem to have indeterminate
lifespans. A purebred elf died only by accident or self - intent and
the elves with wolf blood appear to have wildly fluctuating lifespans:
logic dictates than since the wolf blood elves bred back into the
purebred population, the mean lifespan, as well as other traits, would
become fixed in the population.
What is holding this book back, then, is the inconsistencies between
the generations. Even Pini realizes that there are inconsistencies in
the book, as he presents two rules for reading the anthology:
1.) There are no inconsistencies.
2.) If an inconsistency is discovered, refer to Rule 1.
Unfortunately, it's just these inconsistencies that keep this book from
achieving what it could. I'm hoping that the second book in this
series will overcome this. [**]
The last book, The Hall of the Mountain King by Judith Tarr (Tor,
$15.95), isn't a shared - world anthology at all -- it's just one of
the best pieces of fantasy you're likely to read this year. This is
volume one in the Avaryan Rising trilogy, and it made me want the other
two books to be available immediately. It is such an elegantly written
work that I didn't want to read it all at once, it needed to be savored.
The book concerns the kingdom Han - Ianon, where the king has been
waiting for his daughter and heir to return from her ritual trip. The
daughter is years overdue, and the thought is that the son of the king,
Moranden, will become king after the death of the old king. However,
Mirain, who claims to be the son of the king's daughter and the sun god
Avaryan, shows up unexpectedly. The rest of the book covers the
struggle and ultimate conflict that ensues.
Judith Tarr has created a likeable and fallable character in Mirain.
He is able to charm almost everyone he meets, but he also suffers from
saddle - sores after riding a full day in a woolen kilt. He also
agonizes over the eventual outcome of his struggle for the throne, and
even though he is known to be the realization of a prophecy, he isn't
quite sure of it at times.
The rest of the court is lovingly painted, from the rowdy squires to
the court singer. The group of squires, and the squire Vadin, in
particular, reflect the populace's bewilderment, resistance,
acceptance, and then love for Mirain. The squires' drunken show of
alliance with Mirain, by shaving their prized beards off with their
knives, is both amusing and touching. Ymin, the court singer, is the
first of the court to accept Mirain. She is graceful, intelligent,
sure where Mirain is doubtful. Ymin reflects and complements Mirain's
godhood. The attention to detail, both in characterization and
setting, is what makes this stand above most fantasy novels.
In the past year, fantasy has been typified by visits to Celt - land,
or overrun with variations on elves. It is refreshing to read a work
which doesn't have either. You don't want to wait for this novel to
come out in paperback -- buy it now. [****+]
Words of Wizdom
Reviews by
Chuq Von Rospach
Copyright 1987 by Chuq Von Rospach
Steven Brust's third book about Vlad Taltos is out, and Teckla (Ace
Fantasy, January, 1987, $2.95) may be his best work yet. In this book,
Cawti gets involved with revolutionaries, Vlad gets into a battle to
the death with a rival crimelord, all hell breaks loose, and Vlad, an
assassin about three steps behind, finds a way to put everything back
together again. Sort of.
Teckla is a lot darker work than Brust has written before. Amid all
the chaos he normally throws at his main character, he also puts him
through the wringer emotionally -- Vlad has to deal with his own
mortality, his self-confidence, his marriage breaking up, and his
entire view of reality getting smashed to pieces. In this book the
main characters do a lot of growing up, and Vlad comes to realize that
there isn't always a correct answer, but an infinite series of
ambiguous ones.
My feeling is that Brust is going to upset a number of his readers
because this book isn't the light, easygoing Fantasy he's done so well
in his previous works -- in much the same way that people complain
about Woody Allen because he doesn't make funny movies anymore. Teckla
is funny, but a different kind of funny -- poignant and more human.
With Teckla, Brust proves that he has left his apprenticeship and taken
his place among the masters of Fantasy. This is a book you do not want
to miss. [*****]
The find of the month for me is Tailchaser's Song by Tad Williams (DAW
Fantasy, 1986, $3.95). I missed this when it came out in hardback, and
I now regret waiting. Tailchaser is Williams' first novel, and it
tells the story of Fritti Tailchaser, a young cat searching for a
missing loved one. One the way, he finds adventure, learns about
himself and the world around him, and finally finds a way to save the
Cat universe from total destruction.
This book will inevitably be compared to the classic Watership Down.
I'll refrain, because while there are similarities, this book
definitely stands on its own. Williams has built an entire culture
around the society of the cat, including a very detailed folklore and
history. The detail and skill that he weaves all this together shows a
maturity rarely found in a first novel.
This is a very good book, which at the time I'm writing this is
hovering on the brink of the paperback Best Seller lists. It deserves
to be there, and if you haven't already you should run down and buy it
as soon as possible. You won't be disappointed. [*****]
Artificial Things by Karen Joy Fowler (Bantam Science Fiction, December
1986, 218 pages, $2.95) is a gamble for Bantam, one I hope pays off
handsomely. This is Fowler's first book, and it is a collection of her
short work -- something almost unheard of in modern publishing. The
crossover between the magazine market and publishing is rather weak,
and collections don't tend to sell as well as novels. If you don't
have the name value of a novel to help carry the collection through,
there is the possibility that the book will sink from sight without a
trace.
Which would be a real shame. Fowler is one of the most innovative
voices to show up in the field in years. Every story in the collection
is a gem. Fowler's forte is people, rather than places or things. The
SF or Fantasy is incidental, sometimes only hinted at. She writes the
person, though, with the strength and vigor of John Varley, and it is
fascinating to see someone with the power of Varley but with a strong
feminine edge. It would probably be fascinating to see the results of
a collaboration of the two -- I almost think it would be hard to
survive the emotional enslaught.
Buy this book, read it, enjoy it. Fowler is the best new female voice
in the genre today, and may well be one of the best ever. These are
not the early stories of a writer with promise, but the polished words
of an author in control of their work. You won't be disappointed.
[*****]
Melissa Scott is the winner of last years Campbell award for best new
writer. Her new book, Silence In Solitude (Baen Books, November 1986,
313 pages, $2.95) gives a wonderful example why. This book continues
the story started in Five-Twelths of Heaven, as Silence studies her
Apprenticeship while awaiting a chance to continue her search for the
starship path to the long-lost Earth. Nasty people are still looking
for her, which forces her back into the spaceship and finally into the
palace of the sister of the Hegemon (the leader of everything, and one
of the prime nasties looking for her) to rescue the hostage daughter of
one of her allies.
This book is a sequel, but it doesn't depend on the first book -- you
can very easily read and enjoy it on its own. The material and
background necessary from the first book are woven in skillfully, and
there is none of the long winded (and boring if you read the last book)
expository, the "As you know, the stars are twinkling lights in the
sky" dialog that gets in the way of the story.
As with Karen Joy Fowler, I could say that Scott is the best new female
voice in the genre. I'd be right, but it would probably confuse some
people. They are both strong, mature, and wonderful writers, and
trying to choose a best between the two is impossible. Both are
writers that you should search out and read at every opportunity.
[*****]
Trying to be funny while telling a story has to be the hardest form of
storytelling. Many authors try this at some point in their career, but
few (Randall Garrett being the major exception) can be humorous
throughout an entire novel without either losing the funny edge or
getting in the way of the story. Mike Resnick's Stalking the Unicorn:
A Fable of Tonight (Tor Books, January, 1987, $3.50) travels this
tightrope without falling off either side. John Justin Mallory is a
hardboiled PI, a down and out investigator right out of Raymond
Chandler who is hired by an Elf to search for a stolen Unicorn in
downtown Manhattan.
There's a catch, of course. The Manhattan he is taken to is on an
alternate plane from our reality, and the unicorn holds the key to his
return. He has to find it before the Demon of this reality, Grundy,
finds it and puts the powers of the Unicorn to its own evil deeds.
Resnick never forgets that he is telling a story, which is the key to
why this book works. The jokes are there, but only when they can be
told within the context of the story. Too many funny books either turn
serious when the jokes run out or stop the story for an interlude of
slapstick. This does neither; rather, when you walk into an Irish bar,
Resnick takes a poke at all the Irish caricatures and still remembers
to give Mallory enough information to take him to the next point in the
story. I didn't giggle my way through this book like I do some books,
but Stalking the Unicorn is enjoyable on many more levels than a simple
gigglefest. [***+]
Mirror of Her Dreams (Del Rey Fantasy, 642 pages, $19.95) is the latest
from Stephen Donaldson, and is the first book of a new two book series
titled Mordant's Need. It is very well written, and I think that even
people (like myself) that just never were able to get into Donaldson
before will want to take a look at this book.
The main characters are both typical Donaldson protagonists -- not very
successful and with a low self-esteem. They are put into situations
where their survival (and that of those around them) depend on them
doing the right thing. One thing I really liked about this book was
the character development -- as things happen, the protagonists start
to realize that maybe they aren't rotten people after all, and start
growing into themselves and showing their potential.
On the production side, this is one of the prettiest books I've run
into. The binding is rock solid, and in general this is a book you
not only want the author to sign, but the book designer as well. In
an era of rip-away covers and fall-out pages, this book feels like a
limited production book, not one on the Best Sellers list.
The only major gripe I have about this book is that it is incomplete.
Be aware that this is not the first book of a two book series, but the
first half of a very long book. Donaldson and Del Rey literally take
you right to the point where all hell breaks loose and then drops in a
commercial, telling you to wait for book two. This is irritating even
in a bad book, but in this case I really want to know what happens, and
I don't want to wait. Unfortunately, like the serials in the
magazines, you don't have much choice (this is one reason I almost
never read the serials). If you're like me, you probably want to hold
off buying the book until the second part is published, just to save
yourself the hassle of having to wait. This cliffhanger costs Mirror
about a star and a half, since Del Rey could have gone to a thinner
paper stock and gotten the entire story in one volume if they had
wanted to -- It by Stephen King, for example, goes well over 1000
pages. I hope the second book comes out soon. [***+]
Windmaster's Bane by Tom Deitz [Avon Fantasy, October 1986, 279 pages,
$3.50] should be a strong contender for the World Fantasy Award. Earth
continues to encroach upon Fairie. David Sullivan, a human, sees the
Sidhe on a walk through the borderlands one night, showing the Power
that few humans retain. This puts him in the middle of battling
factions -- those that need him as an ambassador, those that wish him
dead, and his friends and family who don't quite understand any of this.
It's very well written, quite powerful in places. The characters are
quite real, and the actions and motivations move the story along
without looking awkward or floundering. Although you can guess the
final resolution, Deitz keeps you in suspense and doesn't make it any
easier for his people to get there. This is a good book, and it is a
first book to boot. Deitz is definitely someone to watch. If this
book is any guide, when he hits his stride he'll be one of the best. [*****]
The first thing you'll notice about The Walkaway Clause is the Tom Kidd
cover. There is a castle in the background, in the foreground a number
of knights (in shining armor, of course) on horseback. The next thing
you'll notice is that this is a Science Fiction book and not Fantasy.
Neither is lying. John Dalmas (Tor Science Fiction, October, 1986, 253
pages, $2.95) has written an interesting SF yarn about the impacts of
advanced technology on backwards society. Barney Boru is a
professional assassin, sent to a backwards world to kill their King.
When he gets there, he finds himself in the middle of a major political
battle between competing bureaucracies throughout the Galactic
Confederacy. Does he carry through the hit, or does he invoke the
Walkaway Clause, allowing him to cancel the hit without repercussion if
things aren't kosher. If he does, how does he survive, and help the
Kingdom survive?
All these are answered, and more, with a few unforseen twists and a lot
of solid action. The end result is satisfying, but you'd never guess
it along the way. A good, solid, escapist book, it'll give you a good
time while making you ponder some difficult questions. [***+]
M.Y.T.H. Inc. Link (Donning/Starblaze, $7.95 trade paperback) is the
seventh book in the Myth Adventures by Robert Asprin and the first in a
new six book contract. It is also a change from previous books
because characters other than Skeeve are used as the primary point of
view. Future Myth books will continue to be about Skeeve, and the
M.Y.T.H. Inc. books will be from other viewpoints.
This isn't a bad book, but it is not as good as the earlier Myth books
-- writing funny is hard work, and writing funny through multiple books
about the same people is harder still -- you eventually run out things
to do to them. By bringing in the viewpoints of other characters,
Asprin may be giving himself the room to rejuvenate things. This
book, being a link between the two styles of books, is a bit uneven,
and some of the viewpoint characters are better than others (I
especially liked hearing about reality from Gleep's point of view, and
I'd like to see an entire book about Gleep someday). If you're a fan
of the Myth books, you'll want to read M.Y.T.H. Inc. Link. If
you're new to the series, look for one of the earlier books. [**+]
Can lightning strike twice in the same place? The Donning/Starblaze people hope
so, because Robert Asprin is trying to duplicate his success with Myth
Adventures in a new series called Duncan & Mallory ($6.95 graphic novel). The
story (with art by Mel. White) is about Duncan, a knight errant and klutz, and
Mallory, a Dragon with an eye to a quick buck.
Does it work? I don't think so, although I'm willing to wait for the second
volume (it is scheduled as a semi-annual graphic novel series) to be released
before really judging it. Duncan &Mallory just isn't that funny, and it
doesn't have the sharpness that the Myth Adventures series has. It is
derivative of Myth and some other works (namely "The Dragon and the George") and
I just don't know how well they are going to be able to keep from repeating the
gags here -- unlike Myth, this seems to be self-limiting. We'll see, though.
[**]
If you think comic books are for kids, then you haven't read Batman:
The Dark Knight Returns (DC Comics, $12.95 trade paperback). This is
the compiled edition of the four part mini-series written by Frank
Miller that re-examines the Batman in light of today's society and
morality.
The Batman has been retired for ten years, and Gotham City is falling
apart. Bruce Wayne still battles the ghosts of his past, and as the
Mutants begin an assault to take over Gotham, he loses the fight and
dons the costume once again.
This is not Batman the superhero. This is not Batman the Caped
Crusader. Miller has written Batman as vigilante.
Dark Knight is not a pretty book. Miller takes a very negative stand
on current society and lets it show throughout the story. The picture
of Batman is very different from that you are probably used to -- his
sanity is questionable, his motives dark and his actions clearly
illegal. There are no clear-cut solutions, in fact Batman's cure may
be worse than the diseases he is fighting.
If you think you are too old for comic books, you're wrong. If you
believe that you can't tell a solid story in a picture format, you're
wrong. If you think that comic books aren't a "serious" literary
form, you're wrong. This book will change your mind. You won't like
reading it, you won't enjoy the story, there isn't a happy ending.
But there is a strong tide of emotions that will pull your through and
force you to react in ways that will keep you thinking about it long
after you've put the book down. [*****]
Bridge of Birds, subtitled A Novel of Ancient China That Never Was (Del
Rey Fantasy, $2.95) is a first novel from Barry Hugart, who writes the
story of a boy and a wise man who travel through the Chinese universe
in search of the Great Root of Power, an herb needed save the children
of the village from a lingering death.
In an industry suffering from Celtic mythos overkill, Bridge of Birds
is a wonderful breath of fresh air. This is a very hard book to
describe -- it is written sort of as a Chinese Fable, sort of as a
novel, with a lighthearted touch of whimsy and a very serious plot.
It is basically a travelogue, as Lu Yu, who is called Number 10 Ox, and
Li Kao, a wise man who has a slight flaw in his character, travel from
place to place, meeting interesting and strange people and having
interesting and strange adventures. Death is always chasing them down
the road, but never quite seems to catch up, and they finally
accomplish their quest with the seeming ease given only to those who
never quite realize how impossible their goals are.
This is a lot of fun, and a great relief from the druids and elves and
unicorns that are flowing out of the publishing houses these days. It
isn't a new book, but my only wish is that I could have gotten around
to reading is a little sooner. [****+]
Letters to OtherRealms
About Australian voting...
I can imagine you getting a lot of mail from this side of the world
rather like this. The Australian preferential voting system is
probably the fairest invented yet when there are more than a couple of
candidates.
Sure it's complicated, and even worse to try to explain quickly, that
is certainly its biggest fault. Another fault is that its quite easy
to make superficial criticisms if your favoured candidate doesn't win!
But then again, you should examine the voting method used to elect the
Senate here, that makes preferential voting seem childs play!
The mistake that you have made in understanding it, I think, is in
assuming that the voter lists the candidates in the order that he
prefers them (best, second best, etc). That's close, but not exactly
it. They should be listed with first being the one you want to win
most, second being the one you want to win if your first choice doesn't
win, etc.
You can think of it that way though -- first there are 5 candidates.
Everyone votes. The candidate with the least number of votes is
eliminated, clearly that one isn't going to win. Then everyone votes
again, the voters who selected the now eliminated candidate select from
one of the remaining four. Iterate this until there are just two
candidates, and the one with the most votes wins.
Holding a ballot with all those iterations is impractical in most
cases, so instead of doing it that way, voters are asked to choose who
they would vote for in the next round if their primary candidate is
eliminated, and number that candidate 2, and then continue that for the
3rd and following rounds.
If you're just choosing 1 winner from a largish (more than 2 probably)
field, this way just has to be fairest.
I suspect that the only really fair way to hold an election (any
election) is to get all the voters together in a room, and then let
them change their votes as often as they want until one candidate has a
clear majority (all schemes I know of award a win to anyone with more
than 50% of the vote). This is my (maybe wrong) impression of the way
the US presidential candidate conventions work.
If you can't do that, then preferential voting, which tries to simulate
that, is next best.
[Ignorance can make you look silly with the best of
intentions. Thanks to many Australian readers, I now know how
the preference ballot works, and can see the logic behind it.
The only real problem is that most Hugo voters are American, as
I am, and American schools are notorious about not talking
about things that weren't born in the USA.
One thing that is obvious is that there are no easy solutions,
if solutions exist at all. Taking pot shots is easy,
rebuilding the mortar hole after is not...] -- chuq
About Steppe:
Also, I disagree with your review of Piers Anthony's Steppe, I thought
that was one of his better early works. The books of his that I really
felt were below standard were the TAROT series, which I thought were
probably rather self indulgent. I haven't yet read some of the most
recent ones though.
Robert Elz
Melbourne, Australia
More Hugo
In your December issue you editorialize agains the Australian ballot.
What you said is: There are a number of ways that the Hugo can be
improved, though. First and formost, to me, is the silly Australian
ballot preference system used for counting votes. Your objection to
the Australian ballot is apparently that as the losing candidates are
eliminated and their votes distributed, the candidate with the early
lead can lose on the basis of second and third place votes.
There are thus two possibilities open to you. The first is to reduce
the candidates to two instead of the present five. In this manner, you
are virtually certain to have a winner, as the most votes is
automatically a majority. The second is to have the votes select only
a single candidate, thereby eliminating the problems of ranking their
choices and award the Hugo on the basis of a plurality. In a candidate
field with Noah Ward making a respectable showing it would be possible
to win with a plurality of 17 percent.
Neither of these suggestions is flawless. In the first case,
nominating campaigns for one of the two places on the ballot would be
encouraged, and bloc voting would become the rule rather than the
exception. In the second case you are trading off a winner having a
majority of the vote for the ease of tallying the count. A more subtle
objection is this: when you like Smith a little bit better than Jones,
but Jones has an even chance of winning while Smith is a long shot, do
you let your perception of winning chances influence a vote which ought
to be purely on artistic merit? Deciding what you like is bad enough
without having to handicap your choices.
The present system is not perfect, but a perfect system does not
exist. I may be biased in favor of the Australian ballot, having come
from behind on more than one occasion, but you ought to think about
what you want to replace it with before telling us to throw it out.
If you really must make a reform in the Hugos, however, why not
eliminate the semi-prozine category and replace it with Fanzines,
Journeyman (less than three Hugos) and Fanzines, Master (three Hugos or
more)? Nobody except Geis and C. N. Brown have more than two Hugos
for fanzines, and Geis has dropped out as of the end of this year. Or
if you long for controversy, advocate the eliminations of the fan
category Hugos entirely, whilst combining the novella and novelette categories.
[Since I've seen the light on the balloting system, is there
anything we CAN do about the Hugo?
My answer is a definite maybe. It is possible that we could
adopt Robert's suggestion of locking everyone in a room, but
that limits Hugo voters to people rich enough to travel to
Worldcon. Not good. Another possibility is to remove the
membership requirement to Worldcon for Hugo voting and pass
ballots around in any way we can think of -- via fanzines,
Locus, in paperback books, whatever it takes to make the Hugo
representatie of the general readership. Which creates an
enormous administrative load and lots of neat new problems.
Solution? I'm not sure, but perhaps a pilot program can be put
together to see how it works.
One thing I do agree wtih Alexis on is the Fanzine and Semi-pro
Hugos. The people who vote for Hugos aren't really oriented
towards these awards, and the total number of votes is very
low. Rather than eliminating them completely, though, I think
the voting for these awards should be done through a Fan
oriented con, or through ballots distributed at a number of
conventions and in different fanzines. Again, before we leap,
a lot more discussion is needed.] -- chuq
About Fortune of Fear
I have to disagree with Nelson's review of Hubbard's Fortune of Fear,
which rates [**] at most. Hubbard is funny like the Three Stooges are
funny, and at a tediously greater length.
Alexis A. Gilliland
Arlington, VA.
Piers Anthony and Etc...
Dear Up-chuq (gawd, I'm sorry. But when am I ever going to have an
opportunity like that again?).
If nothing else, Anthony's letter reminded me of why I dropped out of
fandom and stopped subscribing to fanzines after our brief flirtation
in the `70s. With the possible exception of comicdom, SF is the only
genre I know of where some of the writers show a level of immaturity
equal to -- if not exceeding -- some of the fans. I'm old enough now
to realize that many of the authors I put on pedestals when I was
younger really have feet of clay.
But they don't have to go out of their way to *prove* it to me.
Okay, having got *that* off my chest, I thought #11 was the most solid
OR I've read yet. Dan'l's review and guest commentary were both
excellent.
All the reviews were of much higher quality than the last few issues.
Words of Wizdom was the standout, as always. BTW, I'd like to see more
Small Press reviews from you, too.
[So would I, and there will be as I track them down. If you
know of a small press publisher out there, please let me know!
One of the problems iwth the small press is finding them. They
rarely get into the major bookstores. I'm trying to put
together a resource book of magazines and sources for
information that people might want to use for keeping up with
the genre -- if you have something that you think should be in
it, drop me a note.] -- chuq
I noticed a few Picos by Ray F. Nelson. While I totally disagree with
him about the latest in Elron's "dekology" (I found the book more
laughable than satirical), I'm glad that Nelson is doing stuff for
you. Looks like he's your first cross-over from SFR. Hope to see some
larger pieces from him.
[I'm glad he's here, too. I miss Science Fiction Review
already, and while I don't expect to replace it (I'm not Dick
Geis, by a long shot) I am more than happy to make room for
people who have something to say] -- chuq
Fred Bals
bals@nutmeg.DEC.COM
Campbell Award Snafu
In the Books Received section, you write that Karen Joy Fowler won the
Campbell award. Nope, she was only nominated. Melissa Scott won the
award this year.
[I caught that coming back from the printers. I'm sorry for
any confusion, but frankly BOTH women deserve the award, and
both of them are authors you should be on the lookout for.]
-- chuq
Tom Galloway
GALLOWAY@VAXA.ISI.EDU
Missing Diadem
I'd rate the series as a whole and some of the parts higher than it was
given credit for, but the descriptions and explanations of what goes on
in each book were quite good. However, why was Quester's Endgame
omitted? It has been out in paperback for some time now.
I'd say that it ties up the loose ends rather better than most
end-of-the-series books, and handles the anticipation of the encounter
with the super-race quite well, as well as pulling off the inevitable
letdown when it turns out they are mortal after all.
Wayne Throop
mcnc!rti-sel!dg_rtp!throopw
Electronic OtherRealms
Reviewing the worlds of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror.
Editor
Chuq Von Rospach
Associate Editor
Laurie Sefton
Contributing Editors
Jim Brunet
Dan'l Danehy-Oakes
OtherRealms #12
February, 1987
OtherRealms is Copyright 1987
by Chuq Von Rospach.
All Rights Reserved.
One time rights have been acquired from the contributors.
All rights are hereby assigned to the contributors
Reproduction rights
OtherRealms may be reproduced only for non-commercial purposes. With
the exception of excerpts used for promotional purposes, no part of
OtherRealms may be re-published without permission.
OtherRealms is published by:
Chuq Von Rospach
160 Pasito Terrace #712
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
usenet: chuq@sun.COM
Delphi: CHUQ
Review copies should be sent to this address for consideration.
Electronic OtherRealms
Electronic OtherRealms is a text-only version of this magazine that is
available on a number of computer networks throughout the world.
On the ARPA, CSNET, BITNET and UUCP networks, send E-mail to
chuq@sun.COM for information on subscribing.
On the usenet network, Electronic OtherRealms is available in
mod.mag.otherrealms.
Electronic OtherRealms is also available in the Science Fiction section
of the Delphi timesharing system, and on numerous Bulletin Board
Systems throughout the country.
Submission Policy
OtherRealms publishes articles about Science Fiction, Fantasy, and
Horror. The main focus is reviews of authors and books that might
otherwise be missed in the crowd, but OtherRealms will publish anything
of interest to the serious readers of the genres.
Pico Reviews are solicited on any genre book. Duplicate the format
in the magazine, and limit your comments to one paragraph.
Your comments are solicited! Letters to OtherRealms are always
welcome -- tell me how I'm doing, what I'm missing, or where I've
goofed. All letters will be considered for publication unless
otherwise specified.
If you have an idea for an article you would like to see covered in
OtherRealms, drop me a line. I'm always looking for new and
interesting things to bring before the eyes of my readers.
Book Ratings in OtherRealms
All books are rated with the following guidelines. Most books should
receive a three star rating Anything with three or more stars is
recommended. Ratings may be modified by a + or a - to for a half star
rating, so [***-] is better (slightly) than [**+].
[*****] One of the best books of the year
[****] A very good book -- above average
[***] A good book
[**] Flawed, but has its moments
[*] Not recommended
[] Avoid at all costs
Subscriptions:
OtherRealms is available at Future Fantasy bookstore, Palo Alto,
California and through the mail. A single issue is available for
$2.50. Subscriptions are for $11.00 for five issues and $21.00 for 10
issues. Please make checks to "Chuq Von Rospach." Fanzine trading
rules apply. Publishers are welcome to a free subscription upon
request. SWFA members -- contact me about professional discounts.
--
Chuq Von Rospach chuq@sun.COM
It's only a model...