chuqui@nsc.UUCP (Chuq Von Rospach) (04/04/84)
Bard by Keith Tailor (Ace Fantasy $2.75) Bard is a fantasy set in the early days of Britain (about AD400) just prior to the days of Uther Pendragon and Arthur. The Bard is an irish magician/storyteller travelling England and the adventures that befall him. It is a straight fantasy, and I found it was quite well done. People who are not as interested in early day England may not like it as well. Highly recommended. (*** of 5) The Many Colored Lands by Julian May (Ballantine $2.95) A while back I posted a review of this book where I panned it and left it unfinished. At the suggestion of a few people whos taste I respect, I finally picked it up again. If you can get past the first hundred pages or so, this is quite a good book. There is way too much introductory material (the first 100 pages or so) that moves much too slowly, and doesn't really mean much to the story itself. It could have been much better if it was cut by about 50%, and since the book is 425 pages, it wouldn't have made things too short. A better alternative might have been what Chris Stasheff did with 'The Warlock in Spite of Himself (highly recommended!)' by placing the details of the history of everything in its own book (called 'Escape Velocity', also recommended). There is definitely enough material here for a book of its own, and I think it deserves its own focus. Here it gets in the way of a really good fantasy story. The many colored land is the story of three fighting factions, set back in the time of the Pliocene stage of earth. Human misfits wishing to drop out of society are allows to travel back in time on a one way journey to this time in a attempt to find their version of paradise. When they get there, they are enslaved by an alien life form that uses them for their own purposes. This story is the story of the the start of the war between these aliens and those that would bring down their civilisation and the slavery they bring to the humans. Once the story gets going, it is quite well done, and Julian (a quite nice lady, by the way) is very good at creating interesting and attractive characters that make you care about them. This is the first book in a trilogy, so the climax of the book isn't as big as it might be, but it is quite satiisfying and the book ends at a very appropriate place. (*** of 5, four if you skim the first 100 pages). -- From under the bar at Callahan's: Chuq Von Rospach {amd70,fortune,hplabs,menlo70}!nsc!chuqui (408) 733-2600 x242 A toast! To absent friends... {clink}
syali@alberta.UUCP (Sy Ali) (04/07/84)
<> Just a note to tell those intrested that "Bard II" is out. It's fairly good, although (in my opinion not as good as its predessor). Same harpist main character (whose name escapes me), in different locales, with some weird bad guys. Sy Ali (...!alberta!syali)