@RUTGERS.ARPA:donn@utah-cs (04/23/85)
From: donn@utah-cs (Donn Seeley) WELCOME, CHAOS (Berkley, 1985, 297pp.) is the most fun novel I've read by Kate Wilhelm since the excellent WHERE LATE THE SWEET BIRDS SANG, which won the Hugo award for 1976. I won't flatly say 'the best', because Wilhelm has written so many different kinds of books that I don't want to make that kind of a judgment. But this is one of those stories I just love to come across -- a novel that works on many levels, that grabs you with page-turning suspense at the same time that it tickles you with interesting ideas. Since WELCOME, CHAOS is (at one level) a suspense novel, I don't want to spoil it by explaining too much of the story; but I will say that the two main characters are a woman named Lyle Taney, an associate professor of history who has published a popular book on hawks (of all things), and a mysterious man named Hugh Lasater who arrives unexpectedly in Lyle's life with a curious assignment: when she goes to Oregon to research her next book, on eagles, he wants her to spy on someone... Who does Lasater work for? What does he want? That would be telling, but I am willing to say that the novel works its way up from suspense at the detective-novel level to an amazing climax where literally billions of lives are at stake. The characters are mostly well-drawn and memorable; I have my usual complaint that the good guys seem unbelievably calm, rational and nice, but Wilhelm makes up for it with a solid, credible portrayal of the ambiguous enemies. The last hundred pages left me sweaty-palmed, and my only disappointment was that the book had to end at all. A few warnings: one element among the bad guys in the novel is an American administration which looks suspiciously like the current one, and you may find your politics clashing with Wilhelm's (mine didn't -- I find her description of world tensions at the breaking point all too plausible). Also, the blurbs and quotes from reviews on the cover of this edition give part of the game away; if you dislike spoilers you should at all costs avoid reading the cover material. Fortunately I had read Wilhelm's story 'The Winter Beach' in her collection LISTEN, LISTEN and thus the cover didn't reveal anything. This book is so well plotted that I'd almost suspect that Damon Knight, an advocate of the tight plot, had an influence on it... It's sort of a pity that Knight's latest novel, CV, doesn't have more of a Wilhelm influence in it, or so it seems to me. Maybe they should collaborate? :-) Donn Seeley University of Utah CS Dept donn@utah-cs.arpa 40 46' 6"N 111 50' 34"W (801) 581-5668 decvax!utah-cs!donn
wfi@unc.UUCP (William F. Ingogly) (04/24/85)
> WELCOME, CHAOS (Berkley, 1985, 297pp.) is the most fun novel I've read > by Kate Wilhelm since the excellent WHERE LATE THE SWEET BIRDS SANG, Hooray! I'm glad to see Wilhelm has a new novel out. I'll definitely have to add it to my reading list. "Where Late The Sweet Birds Sang" was indeed excellent; I recommend it to anyone who loves a gripping plot and convincing characterization in SF. Unfortunately, I wasn't nearly as satisfied with "Juniper Time," which (I think) was her next novel after "Where Late..." The characters were well-drawn, but I found the plot a bit stale (yet another First Contact story a la Lem's "His Master's Voice" or DeLillo's "Ratner's Star"). Anyone out there agree or disagree? Any votes for other Wilhelm books? > ... It's sort of > a pity that Knight's latest novel, CV, doesn't have more of a Wilhelm > influence in it, or so it seems to me. ... You mean you didn't like "Love Boat Zombies??" :-) I read the serialization of "CV" in F & SF, and was less than impressed. Knight must be hard-up for plotlines. Let's see, we've got this really big boat that can submerge and steer along the ocean currents; let's throw in a few subplots like they do in the B movies (hey! a perfessor being stalked by a cold-blooded assassin would be just right!!). A-and the perfect touch would be something REALLY WEIRD, like a mind parasite from outer space, and it can take over the people on the boat one by one and then finally at the end the good guys WIN!! Boy, I bet them SF fans will really eat this one up. For sure. --Cheers, Bill Ingogly