littauer%BBN-UNIX@sri-unix.UUCP (11/04/83)
From: Ben Littauer <littauer@BBN-UNIX>
The time travel belt story is "The Man Who Folded Himself" by
David Gerrold (Trouble With Tribbles & Flying Sorcerers (w/Niven)).
I have a PB copy, but I doubt that it's still in print, though
someone did re-release some early Gerrold stuff (Space Skimmer,
if I remember right) last year.
Picked up four relatively new books last weekend:
Spider Robinson, "Mindkiller"
Michael McCollum, "Life Probe"
Charles Sheffield, "My Brother's Keeper"
Jack Williamson, "Manseed"
I've read the first two already. Mindkiller is the usual Robinson: good
writing, a little too much fondness for punning, and very decent handling of
hard moral and ethical problems. Deals with an old Niven favorite, with
credit given, namely "wireheading". Definitely a good read. Buy it.
The second, Life Probe, is by an author I'd never seen before, though it
says that a previous novel "A Greater Infinity" has also been published by
Del Rey. This is a pure "hard science" first contact novel. "The Makers",
an alien race somewhat more advanced than humanity, send out a "Life Probe"
to find alien (to them) intelligences, in the hope of further advancing their
own sciences through a sort of synergistic effect when different intelligences
meet. The probes finds us, and the book deals with how we react to that. It,
too, is well written, though not as flowing as Robinson. It reminds me of
Hogan, a little, though not quite as dry as his early stuff. Plenty of
politics, which makes it reasonably believable. Also a good read, but buy
the Robinson first. If anybody has read "A Greater Infinity", I'd appreciate
a review, especially if you've also read this one.
I'm halfway through the Sheffield, and enjoying it. It's less science-fiction
and more adventure/thriller with only incidental SF. So far so good, more
later.
If anyone out there is still reading the new books which seem to appear on the
local bookstores' shelves, please do send in reviews and comments - I find it
hard to cough up three buck a copy for stuff I know nothing about.
-ben-leichter@yale-com.UUCP (Jerry Leichter) (11/04/83)
Re: Michael McCollum's two books. I've read both Life Probe, and the earlier A Greater Infinity. Both are good, though not top-notch. McCollum has a solid if unspectacular style; comparing him to Hogan is apt. Some Hal Clement is in a similar style, as is some old Clarke. However, McCollum is more interested in the people and politics than these other writers. A Greater Infinity is a "time war" story. The protagonist unexpectedly finds himself drawn into a battle. It's been a while since I read it and I don't remember the details off-hand; however, I enjoyed it enough to pick up Life Probe on the basis of the author's name (and the plot, as described on the cover - but that was secondary). BTW, the cover blurb on Infinity tells you almost nothing about the book; it sounds exciting and all, but actually the impression it gives is appropriate to less than the first 1/4 of the book. On Leichter's 1-10 scale, where anything below 3 isn't worth reading unless you are desperate, I'd give McCollum a solid 7 to 7.5, and hope he continues to produce and improve. -- Jerry decvax!yale-comix!leichter leichter@yale