urban@trwspp.UUCP (07/11/84)
M.A.R. Barker started thinking up his imaginary world of Tekumel, we are told, when he was 10 years old. Tekumel is extraordinarily rich in culture, geography, history, languages, and mythology and is probably the first such creation that can justifiably be compared to Tolkien's world with respect to the sheer volume of creative energy that has gone into it. Perhaps most appealing about it is that it is not yet another medieval European clone-world, but is more strongly influenced by a combination of Arabic, Hindu and (curiously) Central American Indian languages and cultures. But where Tolkien used the conventional forms of literature as his public outlet for his mythology, Barker instead found his medium in 1975 in the then-infant medium of Fantasy Gaming, and published "Empire of the Petal Throne". Since then, the game has been completely revised and rewritten and is published under the name of "Swords and Glory". This month, Barker's first novel of Tekumel, "Man of Gold", has been published by Daw books. As a first novel, it's not bad, but nothing special. The Young Hero is somewhat vapid (a common enough fault) but the people around him are pretty interesting folks and everyone has the unmistakably "alien" feel of a really different culture. The resolution of the plot has a couple of interesting twists to it, but I don't want to generate a spoiler. The problem with the book is that Barker is rather more caught up with showing you his world and giving you something of a travelogue than he is interested in coming up with a really original or interesting story. He's not the first writer to have this problem (Lichtenberg's Sime/Gen novels come to mind), but I was hoping for more from such a creative fellow. On the other hand, I already knew a fair amount about Tekumel, and was glad to "visit" it again, so I enjoyed it anyway. To a reader new to his world, the reaction might be either intrigue or utter confusion; I'd be interested to hear.
Martin@YALE.ARPA (07/20/84)
From: Charles Martin <Martin@YALE.ARPA> On the whole, I agree with the review of M.A.R. Barker's first novel of Tekumel. The Young Hero IS vapid, but that doesn't interfere with the story and setting. I find it difficult to be unbiased about a book like this since I'm already interested in the world of Tekumel-- I have the impression that almost any passable novel set in this mythos would find favor with me. To make a comparison to another recent work, I enjoyed "Man of Gold" much more than I have the first four books of "The Belgariad" (by David Eddings). This series sports an equally vapid Young Hero, and the series as a whole is slow to develop, with entirely telegraphed plot turns and a general feeling of straining for effect. I think Eddings is really trying to make his world as believable as Middle- Earth; sadly, only the effort shows. There's a problem with writing a novel based on a fantasy role-playing game, of course, and this is that the novel may come to resemble a transcript of a particular game. (I know that Barker was developing Tekumel long before FRP emerged, but the problem still exists.) Plot devices and storylines may be lifted from gaming (e.g., dungeon crawling) rather than developed along the original and interesting paths allowed through the medium of a novel. It has also been pointed out to me that a novel presents the opportunity to show real character development (e.g., greater wisdom and maturity), rather than the acquisition of the trappings of power which takes the place of development in gaming. This problem is not limited to novels based on FRP, of course; most "Sword & Sorcery" fantasy falls down on this criterion. Barker's "Man of Gold" escaped this trap for the first two-thirds of the book. There are plenty of interesting supporting characters, each with drives and motivations of his/her own, and complex plots revolving around the strictures of the alien cultures of Tekumel. Unfortunately, the resolution of this web of intrigue relies upon more conventional "Sword & Sorcery" plot units. Even so, Barker handles these in a creditable fashion. There are some twists in the final accounting which may be interesting or confusing depending on the degree to which the reader is able to immerse himself in the world. Unfortunately, the book lacks a real sense of character development (beyond the "S&S" trappings) for the Young Hero. Still, this is at least par for the course for fantasy, and the book is a good read.