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OtherRealms Issue 05 Part 01
OtherRealms
A Fanzine for the Non-Fan
"Where FIJAGH Becomes a Way of Life"
Volume 1, Number 5
June, 1986
Table of Contents
Part 1: The Features
The Fifty Page Factor
by Chuq Von Rospach, Editor of OtherRealms
The Care and Feeding of Journals
by Barb Jernigan
The Chronicles of St. Germain -- A Vampiric Look at the Past
by Chuq Von Rospach
Jack Vance the Marvellous -- Master of Science Fiction
by Gary A. Allen, Jr.
Review: The Kif Strike Back
by Alan Wexelblat
Review: Pawns And Symbols
by Kahless tai-Hazar
Part 2: The Columns
Pico Reviews
by Our Readers
Readers Survey: The Monthly Question to Our Readers
Letters to OtherRealms
by Our Readers
Editorial Notes and Comments on OtherRealms
by Chuq Von Rospach
Editorial -- The Fifty Page Factor
and Other Reviews
by
Chuq Von Rospach
Editor of OtherRealms
I've been working on a series of reviews for another zine and it once
again brings me to the question of how to tell if a book is good. It
is important to be able to tell, as objectively as possible, how good a
book is when you write a review of it.
I've found a couple of indicators that seem to be good indicators of
the quality of a book. I've used them for years, but I'm just now
sitting down and thinking about WHY they work.
The first is what I call the Fifty Page Factor. When I'm reading I hit
a point where I have to finish the book. Nothing will stand between me
and the ending, and if I do put the book down I think constantly about
how it will turn out. For an average book this happens between 40 and
50 pages from the end as the author starts building the climax. The
better the book, the earlier I decide I have to finish it. A good
alternative name would be the 3AM factor, named for all those people
caught reading a great book at bedtime.
Books that don't grab your attention hit the boundary later and later.
You're bound to run into books where you don't care if you ever finish
them, even after the last page is turned, and occasionally you'll run
into a book so bad you simply close it and refuse to finish it.
The second factor is the skip factor, and it comes in handy with
collections, anthologies, and other short fiction. A short work has to
grab you quickly. I find that if I'm a page or two into a story, and I
don't like it (or simply don't care) I just flip to the next work.
Most people already use these factors to some degree. I'm simply
trying to make you aware of them. Anything you can use to help judge a
work helps, and the more you become aware of how you are reacting to a
work, the better you'll be able to read and judge others writings.
THE CARE AND FEEDING OF JOURNALS
by
Barb Jernigan
oliveb!olivej!barb
Copyright 1986 by Barbara Jernigan
[MISS PRISM] I really don't see why you should keep a
diary at all.
[CECILY] I keep a diary in order to enter the wonderful
secrets of my life. If I don't write them down I
should probably forget all about them.
-- Oscar Wilde, "The Importance of Being Earnest"
How often have we been told the Importance of Keeping a Journal in
English classes? How many of us heeded that advice? Some perhaps had
the strength of will (or sheer perversity) to shape noting the details
of their lives into a daily habit -- the rest of us (if we tried at
all) proceeded nobly for a month or two, then allowed the urging to
slip back into the dark unknown from whence it crawled in the first
place. SHAME ON US, I say, SHAME ON US.
The language that never leaves our head is like colorful
yarn, endlessly spun out multicolored threads dropping into a
void, momentarily compacted, entangled, fascinating,
elusive. We have glimpses that seem brilliant but quickly
fade; we catch sight of images that tease us with
connections and patterns that too-soon flow on; we hold in
momentary view a comprehensive arrangement (insight) that
dissolves rapidly and disappears.
-- James Miller, "Discovering the Self"
I call this "Feeding the Ether" -- we've all experienced it. The flash
of insight, the brilliant turn of phrase, the exhilaration felt in the
spray of that giant waterfall. Yes, in our minds we waxed poetic --
maybe even attempted to scribe the the thoughts -- but then we were
distracted. The thoughts fled -- and we were left excusing ourselves.
"If it was _really_ important I'll be able to reconstruct it." Sure we
will, while the Ether grows fat on our cast off inspirations.
I'm as guilty as any. My best mind-time is the 45 minute commute to
and from work. In that particular instance, however, a journal isn't
quite helpful -- though sometimes I manage to hold a thought long
enough to write it down at journey's end. Often I get distracted upon
arrival, and the thought takes its leave. We can't salvage EVERYTHING
-- but it does challenge us to rescue what we can.
I must confess, I am an inconstant journal keeper. I tell myself that
I should spend at least half an hour every morning. My mornings should
be so organized. I compromise; half an hour every other morning. For
about three weeks. So, muttering about good habits, I squeeze a
paragraph or two here and there -- which is far better than nothing.
But you did not come to hear my excuses. Instead, let me discuss a bit
of the theory and practice of journal keeping.
The first question is obvious: "Why keep a journal in the first
place?" I have a chorus of responses. Two appear above; three others
echo the same sentiments.
I think we are well advised to keep on nodding terms
with the people we used to be, whether we find them
attractive company or not. Otherwise they turn up
unannounced and surprise us, come hammering on the
mind's door at 4 a.m. of a bad night and demand to
know who deserted them, who betrayed them, who is going
to make amends. We forget all too soon those things we
thought we could never forget.
-- Joan Didion, "On Keeping a Notebook"
Keep a journal... It keeps you in touch with your nether
regions... You'll find it useful after graduation to be
in touch with your arms, legs....
-- Robert Bly (poet), in lecture UCD
Begin by keeping a journal. Give your writing muscles
a vigorous daily workout. You'll also be compiling a
priceless source of ideas for later on. Record your
experiences and impressions, describe the people you
meet, capture bits of dialogue heard in passing, write
yourself notes on your greatest work-in-progress, your life.
-- Marshall Cook, "Training Your Muse"
WRITER'S DIGEST, March 1986
Yes, the pros stress the importance of journals. Your journal
chronicles your thoughts, your memories, that odd wisp of inspiration,
and, perhaps, a little history. You are not -- nor should you be, I
think -- limited to facts.
"Fine," you say, "so keeping a journal is important. Tell me something
new." There is nothing new to tell, except perhaps a bit of practice to
go with the theory, launching you on your way.
First, materials. Don't depend upon the electronic medium for your
journal. You are too dependent on a machine and the desk it sits
upon. I believe that there is some value in scribing your thoughts by
hand. The physical act of wielding pen to paper can give a sense of
weight to your words -- and it's highly portable. Thus material number
one is pen or pencil. Something that writes fairly smoothly -- you
don't want your ideas fighting clogged ink.
Material number two is, of course, the journal itself. There are a
great number of cutes journals commercially available -- from the
padded diaries (complete with key) of the adolescent girl to the latest
rash of illustrated, quote filled "blank books". I admit prejudice --
these things get in my way worse than a dried up pen. The first is a
bit too self-important, the others too much like writing in a Book with
my mother's voice telling me "Don't!" at every line. Spencer Tracy
used a day-timer calendar -- though that medium has severly limited
writing space. There are also real blank books. These are very nice
in that the hard binding provides a writing surface. I prefer a spiral
bound notebook. It lays flat, it has no delusions of grandeur, and it
is cheap. I've filled a couple theme-books as well -- a compromise
between the hard-bound blank book and the spiral notebook. But don't
let my prejudices dictate your personal taste -- just remember that the
medium should be an invisible partner to your entries. *Your*
thoughts, after all, are what the journal is about.
Which brings us to the gist of the matter, what to write? Everything!
Do not limit yourself to the dry retelling of the day's events --
though this is a useful exercise, it can become tedious, and our Muses
will retort, "Enough of that!" and distract us away. My journals are
scrapbook, diary, idea-database, story outline keeper, essay-book,
sketchbook, and whatever else fits my fancy at the moment. Some days I
meerly write, "I have nothing to say today, good bye!" An attitude
rebellious of the nature of the exercise, perhaps, but honest. Your
journal should not be drudgery -- if it is, give it up -- or rethink
what you're doing. Forcing yourself only builds resentment -- yours
and your Muses'.
[GWENDOLEN] I never travel without my diary. One should
always have something sensational to read in the train.
-- Oscar Wilde, "The Importance of Being Earnest"
You should never be without a journal -- or at least something to write
on. You never know when the Muse will strike -- and toilet paper is a
terrible writing surface. I've resorted to this; also napkins,
placemats, envelopes... -- believe me, proper paper is much easier.
You should read your journals periodically. Although the simple act of
writing things down gives them a measure of legitimacy, perhaps even a
more prominent position in memory, they remain Ether-food if you never
look at them again. Rereading is an exercise both pleasurable and
painful and rife with discovery. At worst, you now have a wonderful
character study; perhaps you learn something about yourself. But never,
never, never tear the pages, no matter how much you may want to. We are
none of us perfect -- our dark sides are as much a reminder of who we
would be as our light sides, and we must never forget that we have them.
[ALGERNON] Do you really keep a diary? I'd give anything
to look at it. May I?
[CECILY] Oh no. You see, it is simply a very young girl's
record of her own thoughts and impressions, and consequently
meant for publication.
-- Oscar Wilde, "The Importance of Being Earnest"
Finally, we have the matter of audience. Who has not read the diaries
of a famous person, such as Hugh Prather or Kahlil Gibran, and dreamed
a bit? Our journals should have so much substance, we think, and set
out to meet the high standard. WRONG! Remember that you're reading
highlights, polished by an editor's careful hand. That level of
self-consciousness cripples Muses. Creativity can be urged but never
forced. Even if you can't banish such thoughts of greatness entirely
from your mind, don't let them drive you. Your journal has one
intended audience -- you. You may choose to share it on occasion but
you must never forget who the journal is for. Like you, it will have
moments of absolute brilliance and days of unadulterated drivel.
That's okay. When writing in your journal, unless you have a specific
exercise in mind, don't even worry about spelling and grammar. Write
your ideas as they occur, go where they lead -- there will be plenty of
time for editing later. Strive for Honesty -- a goal more easily
attained if you don't expect anyone else to be reading your
meanderings.
To live an aware life, the individual must begin with
an awareness of self.
-- James Miller, "Discovering the Self"
That is the truest purpose of our journal keeping. Oh, our diaries
record, but through that record our journals track our emotional lives,
like footprints in the snow, for discovery and education -- or simple
sharing -- with ourselves, and, sometimes, with our fellow travelers
and those who come behind. More than memory, I see journal keeping as
a need to reach out from the isolation of experience -- if only to
ourselves through the ever-listening ear of the blank page. Our
journals should be our closest confidants, keepers of our dreams and
secrets, sharers of our hope and pain, chroniclers of our best (and
worst) ideas. Often, as children, we entertained an imaginary best
friend. Now, grown-up, our friend, too, has grown -- and is named
Journal. It is waiting to hear from you -- isn't it time you wrote?
FURTHER READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY
Borges, Jorge Luis. "Borges and Myself" in THE CONSCIOUS READER
Caroline Shrodes, Harry Finestone, and Michael Shugrue,
editors. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1974.
Cook, Marshall. "Training Your Muse". WRITER'S DIGEST,
March 1986 Didion, Joan. "On Keeping a Notebook" in
THE CONSCIOUS READER; Caroline Shrodes, Harry Finestone,
and Michael Shugrue, editors. New York: Macmillan
Publishing Co., Inc., 1974.
Gergen, Kenneth J. "Multiple Identity" in THE CONSCIOUS READER;
Caroline Shrodes, Harry Finestone, and Michael Shugrue,
editors. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1974.
Mallon, Thomas. A BOOK OF ONE'S OWN: PEOPLE AND THEIR DIARIES.
Thicknor & Fields (ref. "Reader's Report", WRITER'S
DIGEST, March 1986).
Marin, Peter. "The Open Truth and Fiery Vehemence of Youth."
in THE CONSCIOUS READER; Caroline Shrodes, Harry Finestone,
and Michael Shugrue, editors. New York: Macmillan
Publishing Co., Inc., 1974.
Miller, James E. "Discovering the Self" in THE CONSCIOUS READER;
Caroline Shrodes, Harry Finestone, and Michael Shugrue,
editors. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1974.
Proust, Marcel. "The Crumb of Madeleine" from SWANN'S WAY
in THE CONSCIOUS READER; Caroline Shrodes, Harry Finestone,
and Michael Shugrue, editors. New York: Macmillan
Publishing Co., Inc., 1974.
Wilde, Oscar. THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST. New York:
Signet Classic, 1985.
The Chronicles of St. Germain
A Vampiric Look at the Past
Chuq Von Rospach
Copyright 1986 by Chuq Von Rospach
All rights reserved
The Palace (St. Martins, 1978, 376 pages) [***]
Hotel Transylvania (St. Martins, 1978, 252 pages) [***]
Blood Games (St. Martins, 1979, 439 pages) [****]
Path of the Eclipse (St. Martins, 1981, 433 pages) [***]
Tempting Fate (St. Martins, 1982, 690 pages) [****]
The St. Germain Chronicles (Pocket, 1983, 180 pages) [**]
Certain myth structures can be found in almost any society. On the
side of light are the Gods and the myths of Creation. On the side of
darkness are those that cannot die, for whom the normal cycle of
humanity has been broken. This is the vampire, the undead,
immortalized by Bram Stoker in _Dracula_ as the penultimate evil --
that which steals the life from others to allow its own cursed
existence to continue. Worse, those that it steals the life force from
are then converted to its unholy existence, spreading this evil
further and further abroad.
Vampires seem to be returning to the limelight. Anne Rice is in the
bestsellers list with _Vampire Lestat_ and a number of other writers
have taken a crack at redefining the legend of the vampire. A very
well written series of books, not as popular as they deserve, is a
series of novels and stories about Count Ragoczy, Saint Germain.
In some ways, it isn't surprising that the books aren't more popular.
They aren't classical horror, they aren't supernatural books, and they
aren't really about vampires. The five novels (_The St. Germain
Chronicles_, the most recent book, is a collection of short stories)
are all historical romances that happen to have a vampire as the
protagonist. The books mix all three genre types quite well, but fit
in none completely. This makes the book set very difficult to market,
and is guaranteed to upset hard core readers in each.
The books, however, deserve to be read. Yarbro has taken a very
traditional form of the vampire mythos and humanized it. Stoker's
version of the myth was pure evil -- Dracula himself had no real
personality and little more cunning than a rabid wolf. St. Germain,
however, is flesh and blood, can love, can die, can fear death and can
inspire the reader to care about him.
To do this, Yarbro has humanized the mythos. A vampires bite no longer
turns you into a vampire, unless there are repeated exposures. The act
of taking nourishment is transformed from an act of horror to an act of
love and the blood is not the nourishment, the act is the nourishment.
Each novel stands alone, and each is a picture into a given time
period. Yarbro has done an amazing amount of research into each
society and makes it live well beyond the tale of the story or the
pages of the book.
Within the framework of the period, each story has a similar plot. St.
Germain is trying to do right for those around him and helping to make
things better. He falls in love with a mortal woman, the world falls
into chaos, he saves the day (to some degree), and disappointed with
short lived humans he moves on. No two plot twists are the same,
though, and Yarbro weaves a complex set of twists, subplots, and
complications so the books are never boring or repetitive.
Each book has its strengths, with _The St. Germain Chronicles_ the
weakest because it is set in modern times and the flavor of the
historical periods is missing. _The Palace_, the first book in the
series, is set in 15th century Florence, a time of Religious upheaval
and plague. This book is a study of the paranoia of the small, the
fear of different. His enemies fear him not for being a vampire, but
for being a newcomer. St. Germain, interested in peace and friendship,
is hounded by those who hate him and those who wish to use him simply
because he isn't one of them.
The second book, _Hotel Transylvania_, looks at decadent 18th century
France. Amid the conspicuous consumption of the upper class and the
terrible squalor of the poor, Yarbro weaves a fascinating tale of
horror as St. Germain tries to save a loved one from murder by a coven
of Satanists. A careful layering of the concept of evil is in place in
this book since the traditional vision of horror in the vampire is
shown to be significantly more human than most of the people around
him. This is a book that really sits you down and make you think about
your values. Many traditional thoughts and beliefs are turned upside down.
The third book in the series is _Blood Games_, set in ancient Rome
during the reign of Nero. This is the least accessible work in the
series; not because it is bad, but because it is almost too good. This
is the earliest work in the series timeline to date, and sets up a lot
of the background. The rendering of Rome and the decadence of Nero and
his citizens is gritty and detailed, realistic almost to the point of
nausea. You don't just read about the Coliseum. You experience it,
you can almost smell the death and see the blood and head the bloodlust
of the crowds. Yarbro has painted the picture of not just a person who
has lost his humanity (as in _The Palace_ ) but an entire society;
brutal, selfish, and less humane than the animals starved and thrown
into the ring for the satiation of the crowds. This is a very bleak,
depressing book with little hope. Getting through it is not easy, but
well worth the time.
_Path of the Eclipse_ is a change of pace. Set in China at the
beginning of the invasion by Ghengis Khan and the Mongols, Yarbro is
looking not at the decadence of surfeit or inhumanity, but of
stagnation. The Chinese culture has become so ritualized and formal
that it is dead. Things are done as they have always been done, and
the bureaucracy is there to guarantee it. As in the case when a
society faces change by ignoring it, this is a story of dissolution and
defeat. It is also a story of honor and courage, and an interesting
peek into the very different cultures of the East.
The final novel in the series is also the best. _Tempting Fate_ is set
in the time between World War I and World War II, in the ruins of
Germany. This is an area most history books and classes seem to
ignore, implying that WWI ended, Hitler sprung up and started WWII, all
in five pages of a single chapter. The truth is much different and
much more fascinating, and this book is a good introduction into the
foolishness of the Allies and the rise of the Nazis and their reign of
terror. Yarbro also breaks a major rule of writing and gets away with
it: she kills off a major character in a random killing.
By doing so, she puts St. Germain into a position she carefully avoided
through all of the previous books -- in the face of the inhumanity of
the Nazis, he becomes the traditional vampire; a machine of death,
motivated not by love or caring or the softer emotions of the previous
books, but by hate and pain and grief. It is a strong shift in
characterization, but it also underscores the true inhumanity of the
humans he fights.
Each of these books, and the society it portrays, presents a basic
fallacy of humanity: sloth, ambition, lust, greed. In each, Yarbro
uses the inhumanity of her focus, the vampire, to counterpoint the true
inhumanity of society. In this way, she is really making some
carefully hidden social commentary on all of us. On top of that,
though, are some really well written books; books that aren't really
fantasy, that aren't really horror despite the trappings. These books
that transcend any particular genre by choosing the best of each.
Jack Vance the Marvellous
Master of Science Fiction
Gary A. Allen, Jr.
ESG7@DFVLROP1.BITNET
Copyright 1986 by Gary A. Allen, Jr.
The following table is a list of all of the writings in book form by
Jack Vance. Included is my own rating for each book. Jack Vance has
been in the science fiction business for some time. He is widely
regarded as being in the top twenty of the world's best SF authors. In
the Netherlands, where Jack Vance has had the good fortune of being
well translated, he is the most popular science fiction author. Vastly
inferior authors have received far more acclaim than Jack Vance. This
is partially due to Vance himself. He is an intensely private man and
does not involve himself in much of the self promoting ballyhoo that
many of his science fiction colleagues have engaged in.
Those who have never read Vance and have no qualms about reading a
piece of pseudo-fantasy, should read _Rhialto the Marvellous_ , which
is his best book. In terms of straight science fiction his novel, _The
Dirdir_ is the best. However _The Dirdir_ is a component of the
_Tschai Series_ and should only be read in sequence with the other
novels of the series. His best nonfantasy work which is not a
component of a series is _The Last Castle_.
The most widely currently available novels by Vance are of the
_Lyonesse Series_. These novels are NOT recommended. Jack Vance is a
full-time professional author. The _Lyonesse Series_ represents an
unfortunate attempt at trying to cash-in on the current fad with
"swords and sorcery" fantasy. Jack is extremely good at writing novels
such as _The Dying Earth Series_, or the _Tschai Series_. Commercial
authors like Vance will continue to write things like _Lyonesse_ if
people buy them, so if you must read this sort of stuff please read a
used copy or a library copy.
A good book about Vance is: _Jack Vance_ by Tim Underwood and Chuck
Miller, Taplinger Publishing Co. 1980. I would also be interested in
establishing a dialog with other Vance fans on acquiring first edition
hard bound books by Jack Vance.
TITLE DATE PUBLISHED RATING (0-10, 10 = best)
(* = Not rated)
The Five Gold Bands 1953 3
The Languages of Pao 1957 8
Slaves of the Klau 1958 *
The Dragon Masters 1963 9
Future Tense 1964 *
The Houses of Iszim 1964 8
Son of the Tree 1964 7
Monsters in Orbit 1965 *
Space Opera 1965 5
The Blue World 1966 9
The Brains of Earth 1966 *
The Complete Magnus Ridolph 1966 4
Eight Fantasms and Magics 1969 *
Emphyrio 1970 9
Vandals of the Void 1970 *
The Gray Prince 1974 5
Galactic Effectuator 1976 6
Green Magic 1979 *
The Last Castle 1980 10
Big Planet Series
Big Planet 1952 *
Show Boat World 1975 9
The Alastor Series
Trullion: Alastor 2262 1973 8
Marune: Alastor 933 1975 7
Wyst: Alastor 1716 1978 6
The Durdane Trilogy
The Faceless Man (The Anome) 1973 9
The Brave Free Men 1973 7
The Asutra 1974 7
The Demon Prince Series
Star King 1964 8
The Killing Machine 1964 8
The Palace of Love 1967 6
The Face 1979 8
The Tschai (Planet of Adventure) Series
City of the Chasch 1968 9
Servants of the Wankh 1969 8
The Dirdir 1969 10
The Pnume 1970 9
The Dying Earth Series
The Dying Earth 1950 9
The Eyes of the Overworld 1966 10
Cugel's Saga 1983 9
Rhialto the Marvellous 1984 10
The Lyonesse Series
Lyonesse I: Suldren's Garden 1983 0
Lyonesse II: The Green Pearl 1985 *
On the rating system used a 6 or better is recommended.
Works with a 10 either received a Hugo/Nebula or should have. ALL of
Jack Vance's works including _Lyonesse_ are better than 99.9% of what
one would typically find for sale as Science Fiction.
Prizes Won by Jack Vance
1958 nominated for the Hugo The Miracle-Workers
1962 BEST NOVELLA Hugo The Dragon Masters
1966 BEST NOVELLA Hugo The Last Castle
1973 nominated for the Nebula Rumfuddle
1974 nominated for the Hugo Assault on a City
1985 nominated for the Nebula Rhialto the Marvellous
The Kif Strike Back
by
C.J. Cherryh
SFBC Edition, 256 pages, Daw Books, copyright 1985
Reviewed by
Alan Wexelblat
texsun!milano!wex
Copyright 1986 by Alan Wexelblat
[Spoiler Warning]
This book is the second (or third) in a series of three (or four,
depending on how you count). It has the same characters as _The Pride
of Chanur_, but C.J. insists in the Author's Note that "Kif" is
actually the middle of a trilogy that starts with _Chanur's Venture_
and will end with _Chanur's Homecoming_. However, this note is
contradicted by the introduction titled "In Our Last Episode..." and
summarizes both "Pride" and "Venture". I highly recommend this Author's
Note; it clearly explains why there are so many trilogies.
This is an excellent, adventure-packed book. The action is fast, and
the tension is high. Do not start reading it at 10PM unless you enjoy
missing sleep. Cherryh's aliens are truly alien and yet are
understandable. There is a bit too much alien dialogue in some places,
but it's never overwhelming. And Cherryh's depiction of a member of a
female-dominated society trying to overcome her anti-male prejudices
provide bits of comic relief.
The plot of "Kif" is hard to review, as I don't want to spoil things
for people who haven't read "Venture" yet. To those people, I say
"Persevere"! "Kif" is much less obscure and much more fun than
"Venture" and made plowing through "Venture" worthwhile. Now you can
stop reading as I am going to spoil things below.
"Kif" picks up with Pyanfar going after Hilfy and Tully, and follows
her though their rescue and into a tangled web of kif/stsho/han/mahe
plots. C.J. writes intrigue better than any other SF writer I can
think of, and she is particularly good at using these situations to
develop characters. In "Kif" we see the maturing of Hilfy and get a
much better idea of the relationships among the Pride's crewmembers.
In addition, the secondary characters grow as well; we see new sides to
Tully, Goldtooth, and Jik. We also get meet and know the kif Sikkukkut
and another kif, Skkukkuk, who is "given" to Pyanfar.
One warning: _The Kif Strike Back_ REALLY is the middle of a story. Nothing
is resolved; all the threads are run through to the next book. Readers who
like to see stories progress in neat steps may be disappointed. [****]
Pawns And Symbols
by
Majliss Larson
Pocket SF, ISBN 0-671-55425-5 $3.50
Reviewed by
Kahless tai-Hazar
{ucbvax,dual,lll-crg}!ucdavis!samira!kahless
Copyright 1986 by Kahless tai-Hazar
We have all seen Star Trek novels which introduce one female character,
who then proceeds to be romanced by a personality from Star Trek.
Examples of this genre are _Vulcan!_, in which Spock becomes a Peeping
Tom, and _The Wounded Sky_, where Scotty falls for a jellyfish. While
I had hoped for more from Majliss Larson's _Pawns and Symbols_, I
didn't get it. Here, our female gets to have sex with Commander Kang.
The plot seems to be taken out of a Harlequin romance novel. Kang
rescues Jean Czerny, a Federation Ag specialist assigned to Sherman's
Planet. She was supposed to give the Empire a new version of
quadrotriticale, to help alleviate a famine in the Empire, but she
conveniently has some sort of amnesia that prevents her from
remembering that she is supposed to turn over the grain. Instead, she
is whisked off to a magical Klingon Empire in which everyone speaks
perfect English. In short, we have lots of action, but no plot.
And that seems to be the main problem with the novel. Lots of action,
but much of it is totally unrelated to the plot. I could describe
several examples, but the best would have to be the famous episode in
which we are told that Klingons can't see the color red. The entire
episode has absolutely nothing to do with the central story, but is
merely a cheap and unsatisfying filler, like the whipped lard and sugar
filling of a Hostess Twinkie.
These fillers seem to indicate a story which is quickly written,
without enough regard to the basic principles writing. The story is
full of boring technical details and sensory details, but details like
the color of every single character's clothing seem trivial and
confused, pulling us back from feeling the story. Often, the same
sentences are repeated over and over again. For an example of this,
look at the second to the last sentence of the fourth paragraph on page
52, and the second to the last sentence in the second paragraph on page
55. I found that the author also intruded into her own story. She
constantly footnotes Klingonese words, apparently lacking the skill to
let us know what the words mean without telling us blatantly.
Unfortunately, what might have been an interesting exploration of one
possible Klingon Empire turned into the expected and the typical. If
you're looking for an Imperial read, try "Final Reflection" instead.
This magazine is Copyright 1986 by Chuq Von Rospach. One time rights
only have been acquired from the signed or credited contributors. All
rights are hereby assigned to the contributors.
Reproduction rights: Permission is given to reproduce or duplicate
OtherRealms for non-commercial uses. Re-use, reproduction, reprinting
or republication of an individual article in any way or on any media,
printed or electronic, is forbidden without permission of the author.
--
:From the lofty realms of Castle Plaid: Chuq Von Rospach
chuq%plaid@sun.COM FidoNet: 125/84 CompuServe: 73317,635
{decwrl,decvax,hplabs,ihnp4,pyramid,seismo,ucbvax}!sun!plaid!chuq
The first rule of magic is simple. Don't waste your time waving your hands
and hoping when a rock or a club will do -- McCloctnik the Lucid
