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OtherRealms Issue 10 Part 02
OtherRealms
A Reviewzine for the Non-Fan
Where FIJAGH Becomes a Way of Life
Issue #10
November, 1986
Part 2
Pico Reviews
ANYBODY CAN WRITE: A PLAYFUL APPROACH TO WRITING [****]
by Jean Bryant
Whatever Publishing, Inc. 1985 6.95 ISBN 0-931432-21-9
A must for the beginning writer who is often stymied by the sheer
volume of garbage one often writes before getting anything
"acceptable". It is for those who have tried to capture those
wonderful ideas but have been disappointed to find that they can't
spell, have terrible grammar, are completely disorganized, or just
can't get past their own inner critic. This is a cheerful and fun
approach that involves word play, some suggestions for a solid
psychological bask, and journal keeping. The book is supportive,
irreverent, amusing, and very practical, "for the unwriter, beginner,
and would-be writer." Normally I do not enjoy reading about how to
write; however this book had me chuckling, commiserating and then
writing throughout.
-- Liralen Li
li@uw-vlsi.arpa
CALLAHAN'S SECRET by Spider Robinson [****/**]
Berkley, 1986, $2.95, 172 pages
I didn't find the last story nearly as offensive as Chuq did, though it
did shatter some of my preconceived ideas as to what Callahan's
*should* be all about (hence the ** rating). Other than that, I'd give
the book the first rating. The Callahan stories are beginning to wear
on Spider in this book, though he still has some excellent moments and
puns. But really, one shouldn't give the Macintosh computer, for all
it's positive traits, plugs in a SF book. Come on Spider, you know
better than that!
-- Peter Korn
korn@ucbvax.berkeley.edu
THE CRUCIBLE OF TIME by John Brunner [***-]
Del Rey, 1982, $3.50, 413 pages
Short story type approach to the evolution of a space-faring race (in
the style of Asimov's Foundation trilogy). In the end it's satisfying,
but too little progress is made between the too many story-images that
this evolution is broken up into.
-- Peter Korn
korn@ucbvax.berkeley.edu
DREAMING THE DARK: MAGIC, SEX, AND POLITICS by Starhark [*]
Beacon Press, 1982, trade paper, $9.95
Witchcraft on the anti-nuclear protest lines. Boring.
-- chuq von rospach
EON by Greg Bear [*****]
TOR Science Fiction, 500 pages
This is an exceptional book. With a few slight reservations (too much
stereotyping of the Soviet characters) I would rate this as the best
new SF book I've read so far this year. Excellent. Well worth the
long read.
-- Dave Taylor
hplabs!hpldat!taylor
FOOTFALL by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle [****]
Del Rey, 1985, $4.95, 581 pages
Invasion by aliens, with almost every conceivable Earth faction
represented. Complaints: at $4.95 it should have been better than
Lucifer's Hammer -- it wasn't quite; additionally, I wanted more from
the Soviet contingent, which, as it was, didn't really say or do all
that much. But, like all Niven/Pournelle combos, it was highly
entertaining and pretty suspenseful (though again, not nearly as much
as Lucifer's Hammer). How Niven & Pournelle expect me to keep track of
all of their characters I'll never know!
-- Peter Korn
korn@ucbvax.berkeley.edu
GALACTIC CLUSTER by James Blish [***]
NEL, 1968 (first 1960), (English ed.), 128 pages
A collection of some good, some not so good short stories. The last
one, "Beep", is excellent, and worth the price of the book used. The
others are somewhat less than satisfying.
-- Peter Korn
korn@ucbvax.berkeley.edu
THE GAME OF EMPIRE by Poul Anderson [***+]
Baen Books, 1985, $3.50, 278 pages
Touted as the "First new Flandry novel in years", mighty little of Sir
Dominic Flandry is to be found within the many pages of this book.
It's really about a bastard(?) daughter of his, and her adventures and
the part she has to play in saving the Terran Empire from the Merasians
this time. In fact, she does next to nothing, but why should that stop
it from being called a Flandry novel anyway? That aside, it's a tad
slow for my liking, without enough character development (we see the
stereotypes, but not much more than that).
-- Peter Korn
korn@ucbvax.berkeley.edu
GLORIANA by Michael Moorcock [*-]
Questar SF, 1978, $3.95
A 1978 work hitting paperback in 1986. A World Fantasy Award winner,
Michael Moorcock writes Harlequin soft core porn. Someone must have
liked it to win that award, but I found it bad Fantasy, bad Harlequin,
and boring soft core.
-- chuq von rospach
HOKA by Poul Anderson and Gordon R. Dickson [**+]
Tor SF, 1983, $2.95
A fascinating premise: intelligent teddy bears with an imagination so
active they can't really tell where reality ends. Teddy bears with a
ferocious ability to read and adopt Terran literature. Anderson and
Dickson are writing stories that parody various pieces of literature.
the stories are well done, but there is only one joke told many
different ways, and half way through I found myself bored with the
sameness. A book to read one story at a time.
-- chuq von rospach
JACK OF EAGLES by James Blish [****]
Avon, 1952, $0.60, 176 pages
Very few faults in this one. Only it's not a typical SF book. Instead
it deals with PSI, and does a damn good job of it. To those who know
Blish, don't worry; he doesn't wax religious in this book (another
plus). Suspenseful too, with just a touch of Zelazny's Amber series.
-- Peter Korn
korn@ucbvax.berkeley.edu
ONE STEP FROM EARTH by Harry Harrison [***+]
TOR, 1985 (originally 1970), $2.95, 253 pages
Stories all around the central theme of a teleportation device, tracing
it's use and refinements to it over several centuries. I've seen one
of the stories elsewhere -- I'm not sure how many have been published
in separate works. The stories are all entertaining and lively, with
solid plots and characters.
-- Peter Korn
korn@ucbvax.berkeley.edu
ON THE GOOD SHIP ENTERPRISE by Bjo Trimble [****]
Donning Co., 1983, $6.95, 286 pages
A NEAT book! Bjo, (pronounced Bee-joe) relates various stories about
Star Trek (ST) fandom. While she does tend to stray from that central
subject occasionally, the paths she takes are entertaining enough for
me to not really find fault with them. It's a tad egocentric in it's
style (in the literal, and not derogatory sense); but then, she does
say in the forward that all the stores are going to be from her point
of view... but c'mon, having over 1/3 of the photographs of 'fandom'
being shots with the author in them is a tad much! Nonetheless, the
stories are VERY entertaining and nostalgic. If you enjoyed Star Trek,
you'll enjoy this book.
-- Peter Korn
korn@ucbvax.berkeley.edu
THE STAR DWELLERS by James Blish [****]
Sphere Books, 1979 (written 1961), 85p (English ed.), 141 pages
A good Heinlein Juvie if I ever saw one, save that the author's name is
different. Only complaint: we don't get details of the ending battle.
Else, it's hard to distinguish it from a Heinlein.
-- Peter Korn
korn@ucbvax.berkeley.edu
THE STAR FOX by Poul Anderson [****-]
Signet, 1964, $0.75, 207 pages
Good, intricate plot, well developed and told. My only two complaints:
1) too much foreign language [mostly French, with a bit of German as
well], and 2) he doesn't give us a detailed play by play of the final
space battle. Else, well worth reading.
-- Peter Korn
korn@ucbvax.berkeley.edu
SWORD AND SORCERESS by Marion Zimmer Bradley [***-]
Daw Books, 1984, $2.95
An anthology of Sword and Sorcery type books with a twist -- female
protagonists. The stories range from the good ("The Garnet and the
Glory" by Phyllis Ann Karr to pretty bad, with a lot of average
material. I give it a marginal recommendation depending on how you
like this type of material.
-- chuq von rospach
A TORRENT OF FACES by James Blish & Norman Knight [****]
Ace, 1967, $1.50, 285 pages
Reminds me a bit of Harrison's Make Room! Make Room!, without all the
judgemental anger. At times the characters can get a bit confusing to
follow, though it all works itself out in the end. The story's about
the life and times of a couple of characters on a overcrowded Earth,
and what these characters are doing about it. Good ending.
-- Peter Korn
korn@ucbvax.berkeley.edu
VIRGIN PLANET by Poul Anderson [**]
Warner Books/Galaxy, 1960, 65p (English ed.), 159 pages
Dumb idea with a dumber plot and even dumber characters. Cocky, wimpy
guy lands on a planet of only women and, though he tries his hardest,
never gets any. Why waste your time?
--Peter Korn
korn@ucbvax.berkeley.edu
WAVE WITHOUT A SHORE by C. J. Cherryh [***+]
DAW, $2.50, 1981, 176 pages
Could you build a society that *REALLY* believed in existentialism?
Something doesn't exist unless you believe it exists? The problems
this poses, as well as the struggle between art and politics is the
basis of some interesting speculations.
-- John Wenn
wenn@g.cs.cmu.edu
THE WAY OF ZEN by Alan W. Watts [****]
Vintage, 1957, trade paperback, $4.95
A history of Zen Buddhism as well as an introduction to the philosophy
and meaning behind this Eastern faith. A good starting point for the
interested reader.
-- chuq von rospach
WHEN GOD WAS A WOMAN by Merlin Stone [****]
Harvest/HBJ, 1976, trade paper, $6.95
A scholarly study of the older, woman/Nature based religions and how
and Christianity overtook, overthrew, and discredited them. A good
perspective religion as politics, religion as social control. The
Fundamentalists will hate it, as it shows Christianity in a negative
light, but from the looks of things a deserved light.
-- chuq von rospach
THE WORTHINGTON CHRONICLE by Orson Scott Card [***]
Ace, $2.75, 1983, 264 pages
This is largely based on two previous books: "Hot Sleep" and "Capitol".
These three books deal with the earth empire built on controlled
suspended animation, telepathy, the fall of the empire, and its
aftermath. This book is how the entire history is told to a young boy
in a small village of an obscure planet. As with all Card, it is well
written and the story is nice hard SF.
-- John Wenn
wenn@g.cs.cmu.edu
Books Received
Books Received lists copies of books sent to OtherRealms for review.
Since review copies are sent out near the time of publication it is a
notice that these books are now (or will soon be) on the shelves of
your local bookstore.
Avon Fantasy
Dietz, Tom. WINDMASTER'S BANE, 1986, 279 pages, $3.50
Avon Horror
Slonaker, Larry. VOICE OF THE VISITOR, 1986, 227 pages, $3.50
Avon Science Fiction
Anthony, Piers. MUTE, 1981, first publication, 440 pages, $4.95
Arnason, Elanor. TO THE RESURRECTION STATION, 1986, 176 pages, $3.50
Baen Science Fiction
Caidin, Martin. ZOBOA, 1986, 430 pages, $3.50. Mainstream near future
adventure. Exceptionally tacky cover blurb.
Space And Time
[Space And Time is a small press, with limited distribution.
Books can be ordered directly through
138 West 70th Street (4B), New York, NY 10023-4432]
Anderson, Jani. BRINGING DOWN THE MOON, 1985, 251 pages, $7.95 trade
paperback. Horror/Mystery anthology. Very good production
quality.
Gottfried, Chet. THE STEEL EYE, 1984, 151 pages, $5.95 trade
paperback. Science Fiction/Mystery novel, including material
published in IASFM. Not typeset, published from typewriter
copy.
Lansdale, Joe. DEAD IN THE WEST, 1986, 119 pages, $6.95 trade
paperback. Horror/Western novel. Originally published in
Eldritch Tales #10-13, tribute to pulps and Wierd Tales.
Linzner, Gordon. THE SPY WHO DRANK BLOOD, 1984, 127 pages, $5.95 trade
paperback. Science Fiction/Mystery novel. Very good production
quality.
Starblaze Graphics
Asprin, Robert & Abbey, Lynn. THIEVES' WORLD Graphic #1, 1985, $3.95.
graphic novel version of Thieves' World series, published
quarterly.
Asprin, Robert & Abbey, Lynn. THIEVES' WORLD Graphic #2, 1986, $3.95.
Asprin, Robert & Abbey, Lynn. THIEVES' WORLD Graphic #3, 1986, $3.95.
Tor Fantasy
Carpenter, Leonard. CONAN THE RAIDER. 1986, 276 pages, $6.95 trade
paperback. Includes essay "Conan the Indestructible" by L.
Sprague de Camp
Charnas, Suzy McKee. THE VAMPIRE TAPESTRY. 1980, first Tor printing
ctober 1986, 294 pages, $2.95
Cooper, Louise. THE OUTCAST. 1986, 316 pages, $2.95. Second book in
the Time Master Trilogy. THE INITIATE, first book in the
series, is being re-issued.
Shwartz, Susan. MOONSINGER'S FRIENDS: IN HONOR OF ANDRE NORTON. 1985,
first Tor printing, 342 pages, $3.50. Tor Horror
Davis, Maggie. FORBIDDEN OBJECTS. 1986, 276 pages, $3.50
Laws, Stephen. GHOSTTRAIN. 1985, first Tor printing, 314 pages, $3.95
Laymon, Richard. NIGHTSHOW. 1984, first Tor printing, 285 pages, $3.50
Tor Science Fiction
Chalker, Jack L. SOUL RIDER BOOK FIVE: CHILDREN OF FLUX AND ANCHOR,
1986, 350 pages, $3.50
Dalmas, John. THE WALKAWAY CLAUSE. 1986, 253 pages, $2.95
Klaper, Steven. AGENTS OF INSIGHT. 1986, 224 pages, $2.95
OtherRealms Notes
Space is very tight this issue (so what else is new?) so this is going
to be very short. After working with putting together short fiction
for the last few months, I've come to the conclusion that trying to
wedge fiction into OtherRealms is a Bad Idea.
I think publishing fiction is a Good Thing, personally, and I want to
do it, but the current format is doing nobody any service. It takes up
needed page space from OtherRealms primary purpose -- reviews. The
Pico Review section is very short this month because of this, even
though I upped the total page count from 30 to 36. As my article
backlog grows, spending space on anything that doesn't enhance
OtherRealms primary focus is wrong. So, for now, please hold your fiction.
* * *
There was a problem in the attribution of the copyright of the David
Lindsay article in #8. I accidently published the copyright in the
name of the dead author, David Lindsay, instead of the real author,
Gary Allen. Sorry for any confusion and my apologies to Gary for the
screwup.
Words of Wizdom
Reviews by
Chuq Von Rospach
Copyright 1986 by Chuq Von Rospach
Doubleday & Company is a hard publisher to comprehend. They aren't
well known for their SF or Fantasy, and they don't publish much,
despite the fact that their top author is Isaac Asimov. When they do
publish something, it tends to be quite good. Unfortunately, Doubleday
doesn't push their wares very heavily, and you have to watch them or
you'll miss some real gems. The Feist books (MAGICIAN, SILVERTHORN,
and A DARKNESS AT SETHANON) were originally published as Doubleday
hardcovers, and languished on the lists until Feist hit the convention
circuit and the book got published in paper.
They just published another gem, and it deserves better than being
hidden on the midlist. DAGGERSPELL (Doubleday & Company, 1986, $16.95
hardcover) is a first novel by author Katharine Kerr. Kerr is a
contributing editor for Dragon Magazine, the house organ for the TSR
Dungeon and Dragon people.
Kerr has a strong sense of Fantasy. This isn't a D&D game turned into
a novel. There are no unicorns, orcs, trolls, or any of the overworked
characters all too prevalent in Fantasy today. Kerr melds a strong
Celtic mythology (another Fantasy standard on the verge of overuse)
mixed with a theme of reincarnation. Nevyn fails his beloved and his
friends, causing them to die and await their rebirth, but also making
it impossible for them to find their final rest until the unrest in
their souls are resolved. Nevyn vows not to seek his final rest until
he repairs the damage he has wrought -- a vow the Gods, to his dismay,
take upon his word.
The result is a quest through the generations, as Nevyn searches for
the aura's of those he has vowed to protect. Their memories are lost
when they are reborn, but the personality and the problems carry
forward. He slowly untwines all of the tangles he's wrought as we
learn about the society, the people, and about Nevyn himself.
Kerr has charted a dangerous course here. There is a very extended
time line, various characters re-appear under different names over
time, and there is a fine line between the complexity she's built and
total chaos for the reader. A line, fortunately, she walks very
skillfully. This book is the first book in a series, which to me is
good news. I definitely want to see more from this author. At the
same time, it definitely stands alone, and Kerr brought it to a
definite ending, so you don't need to wait for the next books to find
out what happened. I can't recommend this book highly enough. You may
well have to order it, since Doubleday doesn't seem to be pushing it
very hard. It's worth it. In a year with a prime crop of new and
interesting authors, Kerr has earned my vote for the Campbell award. [*****]
* * *
Piers Anthony can be a very good author when he wants to be.
Regardless of how well he writes, though, he's built enough of a market
that anything with his name on it sells quite well. As a result,
everyone is publishing Anthony. In the last month, three books have
been released: Del Rey has WIELDING A RED SWORD, the latest
Incarnation of Immortality, Avon has MUTE, and Tor has brought out
STEPPE (Tor Science Fiction, 1976, 252 pages, $3.50), a 1976 British
book just seeing its first American release.
When Anthony is good, he is very good. With STEPPE, he is awful.
First, the book is VERY short -- my word count shows it to be less than
27,000 words, typeset very sparsely to make it look like a real novel.
It isn't, and its shortness is an advantage because the misery is
finished that much sooner. The plot reads like Conan the Barbarian in
the 24th and a Half Century. Anthony seems to be following Asimov into
the "publishing more is publishing better" end of the genre. He will
probably get quite rich doing so, but he isn't doing his readers any
favors. STEPPE is a bad book in general, and very bad Anthony. He can
do much better, and it is a shame he doesn't bother. [ ]
* * *
On the other hand, Anthony's latest Incarnation book, WIELDING A RED
SWORD (Del Rey, October, 1986, 267 pages plus 30 pages of authors
ramblings, $16.95) is as good as STEPPE is bad. We meet the fourth of
the five Incarnations -- Mars, the Incarnation of War. Satan is up to
his old tricks again, and the new Mars (who happens to be a Hindu and
doesn't particularly believe in Satan OR Hell, even though he visits
there; this was a nice touch) has to work his little tail off to try to
keep up. Barely, in a last minute effort, he outwits Satan. We meet
all of the other Incarnations, but they play very minor roles in this
novel. This is a rousing romp, closer to mind candy fun than serious
literature. I enjoyed the Hell out of it (so to speak). You probably
will, too. [***+]
This series has had problems with very uneven writing. ON A PALE
HORSE, the first book about Death, was wonderful, but the next, BEARING
AN HOURGLASS was simply bad. Anthony has always had trouble writing
decent female characters, which made the third one (about Fate, WITH A
TANGLED SKEIN) awkward. This tendency of his makes me worry about the
Gaea novel, the other female incarnation. Another worry is the fact
that Anthony recently signed for a number of new Incarnation novels
after the fifth and "final" one. I don't think ANY of the Incarnations
are going to be interesting more than once, and I'm sorry that he
didn't let it die when it was good. I don't know how he is going to
continue it (perhaps writing about minor Incarnations, a twist added in
SWORD). Regardless, I expect the series will run down long before the
books stop coming, which is too bad.
Also, I wish Anthony (and all the other authors that commit the heinous
sin of "Author Notes") would cut it out! Anthony's are getting longer
and longer, and more and more boring and offensive. I don't like the
concept of notes to start with (with very rare, scholarly exceptions)
and Anthony's are a waste of some valuable and rare paper pulp. If a
story doesn't stand on its own, there is something very wrong with the
story. I don't expect an actor to interpret his movie for me, so why
should an author interpret his book? Or, in Anthony's case, his life?
Save it for the scholarly press and the autobiography.
* * *
The sequel to R.A. MacAvoy's TEA WITH THE BLACK DRAGON is out.
TWISTING THE ROPE (Bantam, 1986, 242 pages, $3.50) is a frustrating
book, and I find it very hard to describe why. It isn't a Fantasy, for
one thing. MacAvoy puts in a few very tiny hooks to the genre, but the
really have nothing to do with the story, which is a murder mystery.
A group of touring Celtic musicians are in Santa Cruz, near the end of
an eight week tour. Tempers are at an edge, mainly centered around the
perverse nastiness of George St. Ives. The road manager is none other
than Mayland Long, AKA the Black Dragon, who tries to die of a cold
throughout the book.
To nobody's surprise, except the people in the book, St. Ives turns up
dead. One major problem with the book is that he doesn't die for the
first 100 pages, which is much too long for the cast of characters to
walk around waiting for something to do.
Once St. Ives dies, the book picks up, but it is more of a spiritual
sequel to THE BOOK OF KELLS than it is TEA. It looks like MacAvoy had
a contract for a Black Dragon book, had a lot of research left over
from KELLS, and wanted to write a mystery. I can't recommend it unless
you are a real MacAvoy fan. It isn't badly written by any means, I
just found it hard to get interested in anything the book did, because
none of the characters were well defined enough or sympathetic to make
me care.
I find this very disturbing. MacAvoy is a wondeful writer, but after
TEA and DAMIANO, her books seem to be getting less and less
interesting. MacAvoy seems to be writing distance between her
characters and the reader, and the later books are simply not as
engrossing. She is a major talent, but I'd hate to think that her
first books will be her best. So far, though, that has been the case,
and I hope the next book will be better. [**]
* * *
If you are as tired of unicorn Fantasy as I am, then you'll enjoy A
MULTITUDE OF MONSTERS (Ace Fantasy, 1986, 195 pages, $2.95) by Craig
Shaw Gardner. This is the sequel to A MALADY OF MAGICKS and Ebenezum
is back, still searching for a cure to his magical allergy before the
demons of the Netherhells catch up with him. This time, he and his
hapless apprentice Hubert and their entourage (the warrior Hendrek,
complete with rented magical club Headbasher and Snarks, the demon who
got kicked out of the Netherhells for being truthful) run into an
exploding Brownie and the Association for the Advancement of Mythical
and Imaginary Beasts and Creatures. The AFTAOMAIBAC, it seems, has
decided to get equal time on tapestries for all the mythical creatures
in the land (even Bog Womblers!), and they are just about as tired of
Unicorn's as I am.
This is all quite hilarious, and even funnier than the first book. The
story moves along quite quickly, from strange experience to stranger,
and tells a good tale while making fun of all the cornerstones of
Fantasy at the same time. A great change of pace. [****]
* * *
The big disappointment for me this month was THE SUMMER TREE by Guy
Gavriel Kay (Berkley Fantasy, 1984, 323 pages, $3.50). The book has
gotten good reviews, friends have forced copies into my hands, and I
was told nothing but wonderful things about it.
Kay is a good writer, but SUMMER TREE is a melange of half thought out
mythology (mostly a hacked up Celtic pantheon, with traces of Nordic
and Judeo-Christian, with sexes, names and faces re-arranged to protect
the godlings). I found the pantheon he developed half thought out,
incomplete, confusing, and inconsistent.
There are very few characters in the book. Instead, he writes in a
number of standard Fantasy archetypes -- the Aged and Good King (who's
dying, of course). The Eldest Brother and Heir, exiled. The second
brother, Drunkard and Lech, suddenly thrust into an unwanted Heirdom to
the throne. Political maneuverings. Evil Chamberlains. Gandalf the
Grey (actually, Silvercloak the Mage, but what means a name?)
The problem with this is that Guy allows the Archetypes to be his
characterizations. Instead on building upon the base they create, he
makes them the entire character. This is worse than a stereotype --
these aren't people, they are automatons. You know exactly what they
are going to do and why, and they never surprise you. Plot twists and
unexpected happenings simply don't exist in this book.
A major failing in the book for me is the non-character Jennifer.
Early in the book, five Chosen are brought through some kind of magical
time warp from Earth to Fionavar. Four of the five run around, talk,
have adventures, and generally attempt to develop their characters.
Remember Star , you can find the pieces from Mallory, but the pieces
from Kay are missing. The book is 100% derivative, and thanks, but I'd
rather read the original. [*]
* * *
SWORDS AND DEVILTRY by Fritz Leiber (Ace Fantasy, 1970, $2.95) is an
older work that I finally got around to reading. It is the first book
of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, and included the Nebula Award winning
"Ill Met in Lankhmar," the story of the first meeting between the two
swordsman. The other two stories, "The Snow Women" and "The Unholy
Grail" are about Fafhrd and Gray Mouser (respectively) before they meet
up. These characters are the classic characters of Sword and Sorcery
Fantasy, and reading the original will give you an idea of how this
subgenre ought to be written -- the rest of the genre is a pale
imitation. [*****]
* * *
FUTUREDAYS (An Owl Book, Henry Holt and Company, 1986, 96 pages trade
paperback, $12.95) is the first publication of a set of cigaratte cards
commissioned in 1899 to show what the future would be like in the year
2000. The cards have been in a previously unpublished, and they are
printed with commentary by Isaac Asimov.
There are some problems with the book that make me like it less than I
otherwise would have. It is published on high quality stock and all of
the plates are color, so a lot of work went into publication.
Unfortunately, most of the plates are printed so that they use less
than half the space on a page, the rest being left white. Other plates
are reduced and printed two to a page. I would have much preferred to
have them enlarged to page size, as there is a lot of detail to the
cards that can't be easily seen in their current format. Also, the
commentary by Asimov is irritating at best. He seems to alternate
between a superior tongue in cheek tone (admonishing a commercial
artist for not understanding the technology of the future) and being
snobbily superior. His 20-20 hindsight makes it easy for him to
second-guess the artist, but the way he does it was, to me, insulting
to the works he was trying to explain. When you can get it at
discount, buy it for the pictures -- they are good although they could
be better. I wish they had chosen someone more sympathetic to explain
them, though. [**]
* * *
SWORD-DANCER (DAW Fantasy, 1986, 286 pages, $3.50) is the first book
I've read by Jennifer Roberson, and its good. What happens to a male
dominated society when a swordswoman on a quest for her missing brother
comes traipsing into town?
If this sounds like a relatively standard plotline, you're right. But
Roberson writes around it and brings it to life. There are also two
twists that make this book especially interesting. First, it is
written in the first person from the point of view of a male swordsman
who hires himself on to help the woman find her brother. We watch a
male chauvinist come to grips with a woman, someone BETTER than him at
his chosen trade, through disbelief, ridicule and anger to respect and
love and admiration. Much has been written on the problems of male
writers writing believable female characters. Here is a case where a
female writer has taken on a sympathetic and complex male character,
and pulled it off marvelously. Another thing that Roberson explores is
what happens after the quest. When a person focuses their entire being
for a number of years on a single idea, something that comes to pass,
then what happens? Too many books ride happily (or unhappily, as the
case may be) into the sunset, living happily ever after. That just
doesn't happen in Real Life, and Roberson explores the withdrawal and
depression that happens when the one thing that matters in your life
for as long as you can remember no longer matters.
Very well done, the find of the month for me. Highly recommended, and
probably deserves consideration for some kind of award. [*****]
* * *
I'm a sucker for shared world anthologies. The Baen Books anthology,
the Heroes in Hell series, had a lot of potential. The first two
volumes were very disappointing to me, and the first novel, THE GATES
OF HELL by Janet Morris and C.J. Cherryh, carry on the tradition of
slipshod writing and unfufilled possibilities. Heroes in Hell is a
rehash of Farmer's Riverworld, but Morris and friends seem to insist on
playing cutsey. It isn't improving, so I'm pulling it off my reading
list. THE GATES OF HELL is not recommended. []
* * *
News of Note: Owen Lock has been named editor-in-chief of Del Rey
Books. He has been acting in this position since Judy-Lynn Del Rey fell
ill. He won't replace her, but he will, I think keep Del Rey a
powerful and progressive publisher.
OtherRealms is Copyright 1986
by Chuq Von Rospach
All rights reserved
One time rights have been acquired from the contributors. All rights
are hereby assigned to the contributors.
Reproduction rights: OtherRealms may be reproduced only for
non-commercial uses. Re-use, reproduction or reprinting of an
individual article in any way on any media, is forbidden without
permission.
