pteich@cayman.amd.com (Paul Teich) (06/25/91)
THE BOAT OF A MILLION YEARS
by Poul Anderson
review Copyright (c) 1991 Paul Teich
Disclaimer: I usually don't finish books I don't like, no matter how good
the ending is alleged to be. I won't spend the time to review a mediocre
book which I barely managed to finish reading. Therefore, you may assume
that I thoroughly enjoyed any book that I've taken the time to write a
review about. I tend to be a "hard" sf reader; though I like general
fiction, I avoid fantasies completely - I require some technical/cultural
ties to our (my) own reality (B.S. in CS, minor in E.E., probably overly
literate for my education). My views are those of myself, and no other
("Mine, mine, all mine" - D. Duck).
%T The Boat of a Million Years
%A Poul Anderson
%C New York
%D 1989
%G ISBN 0-812-50270-1
%I A TOR Book, Published by Tom Doherty Associates, Inc.
%O paperback, US$4.95
%O Reviewed: large format BOMC paperback, US$9.95
%P 470 (large format)
I shall refer to the book as _TBMY_ throughout the text of this review.
Every once in a while, I find a book which captures my attention and refuses
to release it until I finish reading the last page. _TBMY_ is no slim
volume - it is a full fledged novel, and a long one at that. The single
attribute of the novel which permitted me to put it down long enough to eat,
sleep, say hi to my wife, etc. is that it is told as a series of short
vignettes (19 chapters, each divided into many sections). Due to the superb
nature of Anderson's storytelling, I have confined any overt reference to
any, even seemingly innocuous, details of the book to the spoiler section
following the review proper.
I found Anderson's character development to be the most satisfying feature
of _TBMY_. Even the secondary characters display a richer texture than many
science fiction novels allocate to their main protagonists. This novel
stands in the same arena as the best of Ellison, Bradbury, and (switching
genre) Anne Rice; for there is nothing in _TBMY_ which excludes the
characters or story line from being part of our history, our continuum. His
characters could exist, and the story line blends with recorded human
history.
_TBMY_ can also be compared favorably to novels such as Joseph Heller's
_Catch-22_ or Kurt Vonnegut's _Slaughterhouse_Five_ for its scope, human
texture and the complexity of interaction between the protagonists, their
environments, and secondary and tertiary characters. In _Slaughterhouse_
_Five_, Mr. Vonnegut portrayed the many events and personal conflicts with
such a deft hand that they made sense even when delivered out of
chronological order. His empathy for Billy (protagonist) is clear; perhaps
Mr. Vonnegut's personal experience in Dresden during the bombing is as
fragmented in his mind as well. In addition, Billy's experiences (on Earth)
do not create a separate reality from our own. In _TBMY_, Anderson
accomplishes much of the same (maintaining, however, chronological order) -
the tale could be separate from our reality, but fits so well that my spine
occasionally tingled. Anderson has obvious empathy for his characters, of
which I say more in the spoiler.
_TBMY_ is not "hard" science fiction; Anderson seems to eschew technology in
favor of plot and character development, which works extremely well for him.
He does not digress from our own historical timeline, and presents a
plausible vision of the future where he maintains his focus on his
characters. I plan to read this book again in a few months, it is almost
impossible to retain all of the detail from this novel as the protagonists
and their timeframes evolve.
My primary complaint about the book is the positioning of the Chronology and
Glossary. I did not find them until I finished the book, as it is not my
habit to look at the last few pages before I start reading. They should be
situated at the front, or some mention of their existence should be made on
the title sheets. If they remain in the back of the book, they should also
be separated from the last page of the story by a blank sheet (I hate
spoilers, and I read very fast).
***SPOILER WARNING***:
I don't disclose any plot twists, or the ending; I do disclose some of the
plot mechanism which is gradually presented to the reader during the first
few chapters, and I reference the ending in a vaguely general way. For
those who like to read as a "virgin:" stop here and read the book.
The premise of _TBMY_ is that the same statistics which bring detrimental
mutation to any (in this case, the human) species also allow an occasional
very beneficial mutation. Remember your "bell" curves and standard
deviations from Sadistics 101? The particular mutations we are talking
about here favor the immune system and reduce transcription error in
cellular division to nil. The protagonists in this book are effectively
immortal - if they can keep from getting killed. They heal fast, but they
cannot regenerate appendages; they are robust, but can be run down and
killed, just like any mortal. Stupidity, even a momentary case, can snuff
the life of an immortal. All things being equal (more or less), immortals
of any race, sex, intelligence, whatever can be born - that's statistics.
After birth, an immortal must survive for a normal human life, and then
reckon with his/her peers. Their peers have probably noticed the lack of
aging, as their children become apparently older than the immortal. This is
where the survival of immortals becomes skewed to those more astute than the
norm. Some survive on luck for a while, but given a _long_ time the odds
even.
It is the portrayal of their lives against the tapestry of human history
(O.K., just one cliche...) that gives _TBMY_ its vibrance. With regard to
story texture, character depth and historical context, I compare _TBMY_ very
favorably to Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. Both have truly impressive
historical scope and attention to detail; both display deep empathy for
their immortal protagonists. Anderson's mood is not as dark as Rice's, but
he does generate deep pathos (along with high adventure) for much of the
book. _TBMY_'s point of view shifts among the protagonists, which differs
>from the Vampire Chronicles' fixed point of view (for each book, though
_The_Queen_of_ _the_Damned_ experimented with alternate POVs), but provides
more depth to the interplay between the protagonists.
At the close of _TBMY_ Anderson makes a startling hypothesis about evolution
itself. Though the ending may be too nicely wrapped for some, I thought
that it concluded a fascinating book in an intriguing manner.
_TBMY_ opens more than 2 millennia ago, and progresses past our present
turn- of-the-century timeframe. _TBMY_ is (are) the story (stories) of a
group of immortals (as individuals and, later, a group). Anderson tells
their stories with such empathy that I began to wonder why his picture is
not on the jacket of the book. His bio indicates that he was born in 1926,
which means that he's 65 years old now. Hmmm...
Paul R. Teich pteich@cayman.AMD.COM
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Direct 1-512-462-4268
5900 E. Ben White Blvd., MS 561 WATS 1-800-531-5202 x54268
Austin, Texas 78741 FAX 1-512-462-5051