arnold@gatech.UUCP (08/30/83)
A very interesting series of books that I haven't seen discussed
yet on the net is "The Windhover Tapes", by Warren Norwood. So far, there
are three books, "An Image of Voices", "Flexing the Warp", and "Fize of the
Gabriel Ratchets". A fourth is due out in January of '84.
They tell the story of a contract diplomat, named Gerard Manley,
who roams the universe as a diplomat for his home galaxy. A major twist is
that he has just been mindwiped after a 10-year mission. He manages to remember
parts of what happened, but out of sequence, and out of context. He is
almost constantly forced to deal w/things from those 10 years that he doesn't
understand.
He also likes to talk to "Self", i.e. his subconscience, within
the diaries which make up the narrative. Self replies by giving him dreams,
sometimes consisting of memories, sometimes laced heavily with symbolism.
A final interesting plot twist concerns his simultaneous search
for a universal legend. Examples of the "Tenderfoot" legend are poems he
finds on different planets. What is really weird is that the poems, which are
hundreds to thousands of years old, relate to what is happening in Gerard
Manley's life at the time he finds the poem, yet he doesn't realize it.
Thus far the first two books. The third book tells the story of those
missing 10 years, and sheds a lot of light for the reader, but not for the
protagonist.
I found the books very enjoyable reading, and rather original in
several ways. There are several sub-themes which clearly will not be resolved
until later books, but that only makes you want to find out what finally
happened. All in all, good, main stream science fiction.
They're published in paper back, so you don't have to spend a
fortune if you want to buy them.
--
Arnold Robbins
arnold@gatech (CS Net) arnold.gatech@udel-relay (ARPA)
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