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OtherRealms Issue 14 Part 03
Electronic OtherRealms #14
April, 1987
Part 3
Books Received
Bantam
Books
Crowley, John. gypt, 390 pages, $17.95 hardcover, April 1 ship
date. Latest from World Fantasy Award Winning Author.
DAW
Books
Friedman, C. S. In Conquest Born, 511 pages, May, 1987, $3.95.
Friedman's first novel.
Signet
Books
Adams, Robert. Trumpet's of War, 223 pages, March, 1987, $3.50.
Horseclans #16.
Clarke, Arthur C. A Fall of Moondust, 254 pages, 1961, $3.50. This
(and the next three books) are the start of a re-issue of
selected works by A. C. Clarke. The works will have
coordinated covers and new introductions by the author.
Clarke, Arthur C. The Nine Billion Names of God, 253 pages, $3.50, 1967.
Clarke, Arthur C. The Sands of Mars, 246 pages, 1952, $3.50.
Clarke, Arthur C. The Wind from the Sun, 244 pages, 1962, $3.50.
Silverberg, Robert. Isaac Asimov's Wonderful World of Science Fiction
#6: Neanderthals, 351 pages, March, 1987, $3.95. Another
anthology from the prolific anthologers Charles Waugh and
Martin Greenberg.
St. Martin's
Press
Pohl, Frederik and Kornbluth, C.M. The Space Merchants, 169 pages,
1952, $3.50. A new edition of a wonderful classic.
Pohl, Frederik. The Merchant's War, 296 pages, 1984, $3.50. Sequel
to The Space Merchants.
Tor
Fantasy
Llywellyn, Morgan. Bard: The Odyssey of the Irish, 461 pages plus
bibliography, March, 1987, $4.50.
Polikarpus, Viido, and King, Tappan. Downtown, 293 pages, March
1987, $2.95.
Tor
Fiction
Sutcliff, Rosemary. Sword at Sunset, 498 pages, $4.50, reprint of a
1963 novel about King Arthur.
Tor
Horror
Gray, Linda Crockett. Scryer, 346 pages, March, 1987, $3.95.
Killough, Lee. Blood Hunt, 319 pages, March, 1987, $3.95.
Saberhagen, Fred. An Old Friend of the Family, 247 pages, $3.50,
reprint of a 1979 novel, part of Saberhagen's retelling of the
Dracula myth.
Tor
Science Fiction
Chalker, Jack L. The Labyrinth of Dreams, 320 pages, $3.50, March,
1987. First in the God Inc. series.
Dickson, Gordon R. The Stranger, 254 pages, $2.95, March, 1987.
New collection of 14 stories from the 1950's to the 1980's.
Harrison, Harry. The Jupiter Plague, 280 pages, $2.95, reprint of a
1982 book.
Saberhagen, Fred. The Mask of the Sun, 234 pages, $2.95, reprint of
a 1979 novel.
Silverberg, Robert. Invaders from Earth, 190 pages, $2.95, reprint
of a 1958 novel.
Tor
Suspense
O'Donnell, Peter. Modesty Blaise: The Xanadu Talisman, 278 pages,
$3.50. First paperback of a 1981 book.
Words of Wizdom
Reviews by
Chuq Von Rospach
One of the things I enjoy doing for OtherRealms is reading the first
book by an author. Anyone who thinks you can't break into the
publishing business is wrong -- if you are talented, you can. I see at
least one first novel a month these days, and I know I'm missing some,
since it isn't always easy to tell. First novels need to be read not
only for what they are, but also for the author's future potential.
Because of this, I tend to judge first novels a little differently than
other books, and I try to give an author the benefit of the doubt when
things are a little rough on the edges. First novels are rarely bad,
but they are also rarely things of glory -- William Gibson and R.A.
MacAvoy are exceptions, not rules. The polish comes from experience,
and I take great pleasure in watching authors find their voice and
mature in their writing.
There are two first novels in my stack this month. The first is The
Misplaced Legion by Harry Turtledove (Del Rey Books, 323 pages,
$2.95). Turtledove has picked up a reputation for writing strong and
involving short works, both under his name and under Eric G. Iverson.
This novel shows, if nothing else, how different writing novels.
A legion of Romans in Gaul battle the Celts. In battle, the two
leaders meet in single combat. The Roman centurion carries a
modified Celtic sword, and when the two clash, the result is the
unleashing of a magic spell that sends the Romans elsewhere.
Hence the title. Where they are is Videssos, a country in a place
completely unfamiliar. The implication is that they are no longer on
Earth. They are contacted by the local military, and finally accepted
by the Emperor and hired into his army as mercenaries.
In reality, little happens in the book. You learn a little about Roman
military lifestyles, but not as much as you'd like. You learn a fair
amount about Videssos' lifestyles, but the chance to exploit the
Roman's complete ignorance isn't leveraged. Most of the book is a
series of subplots, none of them very important and few of them
grabbing your interest. There is a long, slow build to the inevitable
battle, but the battle rushes by before you're ready for it, taking no
more than 30 pages, and much of the battle is only sketchily described.
This is not a bad book. It has flaws and pacing problems, It reminds
me of the very early Varley books. The similarity between
Turtledove and Varley is very strong, as they both seem to write
most powerfully at shorter lengths. The Misplaced Legion has some
problems, but none of them are fatal. The pacing is inconsistent -- a
lot of the book moves slower than I'd have liked, while others move
too fast and forget what could have been interested detail. There
doesn't seem to be any reason for shoving Romans into this world --
there isn't any real culture clash, Turtledove never uses them to
discuss the Videssian culture, and they never really develop an alien
feel -- they fit in much too easily for my tastes to be aliens. The
transfer from Earth was never justified to my satisfaction, and I
never accepted it as anything other than a convenient plot device.
And I could never find a character I could relate to to use as a hook
for drawing myself into the book -- all of the characters are
somewhat static and kept at a distance.
Turtledove is a good writer who is simply looking for his voice at a
greater length. When he does, he's going to be a name to reckon with.
This book is probably worth reading, even though it is more potential
than application, as I expect future volumes in this series to be
significantly improved. [***-]
The other first novel is Project Millenium by Minnesota writer
Curtis Hoffman (Ace Science Fiction, 198 pages, $2.95). The cover
by James Warhola, unfortunately, is uninviting, showing the God Thor
flying his hammer into battle with a large spaceship. Inside...
Inside is a series of interconnecting stories ranging from inter-
office politics to a replay of Ragnaroque, the Nordic myth of the
death of the Gods. It sounds like a bit of a hodge-podge, and it is.
At the request of a planet planning on celebrating its millenium, the
Entertainment Company takes on a commission for a 100 year
project to put together a major battle so the planet can congratulate
itself on how civilized it has become. This battle, of course, is
illegal, so the operation is covert. The two sides of the battles are
coordinated by AI programs, one that calls itself Snorri Sturluson
(after the Nordic bard) and the other Richard III (after the English
King). They are watched over by an intelligent robot, who is watched
over by his robot-bigot boss.
Hoffman tries to tell a cohesive story while twisting his way
through a large number of subplots and a number of different
viewpoints. Unfortunately, it gets very hard to tell the viewpoints
apart. I was constantly trying to figure out who knew what and
where things were going, and I think Hoffman just tried to carry one
more subplot than his writing skill currently allows. Also, the
whole enemy camp, from Richard III down, was basically ignored,
and so the story is somewhat stilted. As I read the story, I found
myself getting more and more confused as to what was going on,
because things switched around too haphazardly and too quickly for
my tastes. The climax and ending were telegraphed.
Hoffman has potential. He tried to write a complex novel, and
almost pulled it off.He is definitely on my reading list for future
works, but unless you're like me and really enjoy reading new
writers, I can't recommend this work. [**]
Now, a new work from a master. With the large number of Arthurian
retellings and Celtic stories reaching the bookshelves, it is easy to
forget that other cultures have their legends and lores as well.
Fortunately, Poul and Karen Anderson didn't forget, and with The
King of Ys: Roma Mater (Baen Books, $3.95) they give us a carefully
researched and fascinating look at the French myths.
Gratillonius is a Roman centurion, sent with his troops to be regent of
Ys, a position vacant for many years. His mission is to rekindle the
ties between Ys and Rome and to use the powers of Ys to support an
upcoming overthrow of Rome by his general. Through a sequence of
events, he becomes the Kind of Ys as well, and the husband of the Nine.
The Andersons have woven a complex series of conflicts and
subplots into a work that is likely to be the opening book in a series
of stories about Ys. The storyline is relatively simple, primarily
following Gratillonius from the time he is sent to Ys to the time he
makes the choice to be King, rather Regent of Rome and King. But the
real attraction isn't the story, it is the history and the way the
story is presented.
Ys is a coastal village, protected from the ocean by a large set of
sea walls constructed many years ago by Augustus Caesar. It is
ruled jointly by the King, who by covenant must be chosen from
outside the realm, and seated when they kill the previous King; by
the Nine, Wives of the King, Sorceresses and Wisewomen; and the
Speaker for Taranus, one of the governing Gods.
One of the major conflicts in the book is religious. Rome has
recently outlawed all non-Christian pantheons, yet Gratillonius is a
follower of Mithras. Ys, on the other hand, worships a triumvirate:
Taranis, Lis, and Belisama. The lore of Ys states that it will be
destroyed when it forsakes its Gods, for the floodgates survive at
the whim of Those Who protect Ys.
The conflicts are obvious. With Christianity gaining influence (the
Andersons, unlike Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon
chose not to portray Christianity as a nasty sect) over the God's that
protect them, and with a Mithra worshipper as their King (a King who
is willing to support their religions as long as they don't conflict
with his beliefs, which, of course, they do).
Gratillonius also has to come to grips with his devotion to Rome and
the realization that what is best for Rome isn't necessarily the best
for Ys.
All in all, this is a very satisfying book, and an interesting view into
another culture. Ys is pretty obviously the French archetype for
Atlantis, the society protected from the sea by their Gods.
Somewhere in a future book, it is almost inevitable that the
forsaken Gods will destroy Ys as Atlantis was destroyed, but I
certainly hope it doesn't happen soon. This book is highly
recommended for people who like mature and complex Fantasy. [****]
Tuf Voyaging by George R. R. Martin (Baen books, 376 pages, $3.50)
is a novel pieced together from a series of stories that Martin has
published since 1978, primarily in Analog magazine. They are all
about Haviland Tuf, a fat, bald vegetarian who loves cats and owns a
bio-ship, a warship from ancient earth that can create or clone
living beings from its vast database. He travels from planet to
planet, selling his wares and staving off disaster.
The stories span about 10 years of ship time, starting with how Tuf
came to own the ship. I've read a number of the stories when they
were originally publisher, so I'd planned to skip through and read the
unfamiliar sections. Tuf was so engrossing I found myself reading
the entire thing, and enjoying it immensely.
Haviland Tuf talks in a very formal style that might drive you up the
wall after a while -- it is somewhat like listening to Miss Manners
talk. I never could quite figure out whether Tuf talked this way
naturally or if he was just trying to drive the people he was with
crazy. Martin has a good sense of dialog, always keeping Tuf right on
the edge of turning into a charicature. This is a highly enjoyable
work, and worth your time. [****]
When Jim Baen was with Ace, he started a paperback anthology
called Destinies that was essentially a SF magazine in book form.
Later, when he started Baen Books, he revived the format with co-
editor Jerry Pournelle with Far Frontiers. Now, Pournelle has
dropped off the project, and Baen has renamed it New Destinies (288
pages, $2.95) and turned out a solid first volume (issue?).
I was never overly impressed with Far Frontiers, but New Destinies
has significantly improved the quality of both the stories and the
fact articles. Included are stories by Timothy Zahn, Poul Anderson,
Joel Rosenburg, Doug Beason, Fred Saberhagen, and Keith Laumer.
Fact articles are by Dr. Robert Forward, John and Mary Gribbin, and
G. Harry Stine. All of the stories are good, and I specifically want
to recommend reading "Not for Country, Not for King" by Rosenburg,
which is on my early list of contenders for a Hugo nomination. In
general, the only things I didn't like was Stine's article "The Space
Beat: How to Stop a Space Program" which is simply a continuation
of his constant whining about how rotten American politics treats
its space ships. Overall, a good start, and I'll be looking forward to
seeing if the quality continues in future volumes. [***+]
A quick final note: Signet is starting to re-issue many of Arthur C.
Clarke's early works. First out are two novels, The Sands of Mars
and A Fall of Moondust, and two anthologies, The Wind From the Sun
and The Nine Billion Names of God. All have new, coordinated cover
art and new introductions by the author. The novels are somewhat
dated, but still fun to rediscover after all these times. His stories,
however, are a real joy, and it is amazing how well they've aged. If
you've never read Clarke, now is a great time to start, probably with
The Nine Billion Names of God. If you already have these works, you
won't want to buy a new copy unless you are a Clarke completist, as
the new introductions are only a page long, and there is little new
material here.
Letters to OtherRealms
On Mirror
of Her Dreams
I want to stress a point you mention in your review of A Mirror of Her
Dreams. Anyone who disliked Steven Donaldson's Thomas Covenant novels
should read A Mirror of Her Dreams before writing Mr. Donaldson off.
Unlike his previous novels, Steven Donaldson fills this novel with
likeable characters (which aren't all killed off in horrible ways) and
some hope that they can win. Also gone is the excess verbiage of the
Covenant trilogies. This novel is refreshingly different from
virtually all other fantasy novels in that it asks the characters (and
the readers) to think in order to figure out what is going on and how
to set things right. (Actually, the novel isn't really a fantasy, it's
more of a SF novel in a fantasy setting.)
The only thing I disliked about The Mirror of Her Dreams (besides the
fact that it doesn't end) is that there is a major hole in the plot.
Without giving to much away, in one part of the book, a disaster occurs
that could easily be stopped by something which we are shown earlier in
the book that all the characters know about. I can't believe they all
just forgot about it.
Overall, this is an outstanding novel that it so good I would recommend
it to everyone even though the second part hasn't been published yet.
It loses half a star only because of the plot hole. [****+]
Micah Doyle
micah@athena.MIT.EDU
On Beasts
This may have been pointed out already, but I thought I'd mention a
minor bug in Alan Wexelblat's review of John Crowley's Beasts. While
Beasts is indeed Crowley's second novel, Little, Big is not his first
novel but his fourth. Bantam has reprinted Crowley's older novels,
which explains why Beasts is on the stands. The proper order of
publication is: The Deep (1975); Beasts (1976); Engine Summer (1979);
Little, Big (1981); and Aegypt (1987). Of course there may be other
books by Crowley which I've missed (I hope not!)...
I'm going to buy Aegypt as soon as I can get my greedy fingers on it.
Donn Seeley
[[ This was something Alan missed, and I didn't take the time
to check. My apologies to anyone who was confused by this mistake.
Aegypt looks like another winner of a book. OtherRealms
should have a review of it soon]] -- Chuq
OtherRealms
Reviewing the worlds of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror.
Editor
Chuq Von Rospach
Associate Editor
Laurie Sefton
Contributing Editors
Jim Brunet
Dan'l Danehy-Oakes
OtherRealms #14
April, 1987
Copyright 1987
by Chuq Von Rospach.
All Rights Reserved.
One time rights have been acquired from the contributors.
All rights are hereby assigned to the contributors
OtherRealms may be reproduced in its entirety only for
non-commercial purposes. With the exception of excerpts
used for promotional purposes, no part of OtherRealms
may be re-published without permission.
OtherRealms is published monthly through July, then quarterly by:
Chuq Von Rospach
35111-F Newark Blvd.
Suite 255
Newark, CA. 94560
usenet: chuq@sun.COM
Delphi: CHUQ
Review copies should be sent to this address for consideration.
Submission Policy
OtherRealms publishes articles about Science Fiction, Fantasy, and
Horror. We focus on reviews of authors and books that might otherwise
be missed in the crowd, but OtherRealms will publish anything of
interest to the serious reader of the genre.
Pico Reviews are solicited on any book. Duplicate the format in the
magazine, and limit your comments to one paragraph.
Your comments are solicited! Letters to OtherRealms are always welcome --
tell me how I'm doing, what I'm missing, or where I've goofed. All
letters will be considered for publication unless otherwise specified.
If you have an idea for an article you would like to see covered in
OtherRealms, drop me a line. I'm always looking for new and
interesting things to bring before the eyes of my readers.
Artists!
OtherRealms is looking for a few good hands. I'm looking for genre
oriented pictures, comics, dingbats, doodles, and anything else that
looks good on the printed page.
I need anything up to and including full-page cover art -- my inventory
is currently very small.
Book Ratings in OtherRealms
All books are rated with the following guidelines. Most books should
receive a three star rating Anything with three or more stars is
recommended. Ratings may be modified by a + or a - to for a half star
rating, so [***-] is better (slightly) than [**+].
[*****] One of the best books of the year
[****] A very good book -- above average
[***] A good book
[**] Flawed, but has its moments
[*] Not recommended
[] Avoid at all costs
Subscriptions:
A single issue is available for $2.50. Subscriptions are for $8.50
for four issues. Please make checks to "Chuq Von Rospach." Fanzine
trading rules apply. Publishers are welcome to a free subscription
upon request. Authors write for discount rate. OtherRealms is also
available at Future Fantasy, Palo Alto, California.
Electronic OtherRealms
Electronic OtherRealms is a text-only version of this magazine that is
available on a number of computer networks throughout the world.
On the ARPA, CSNET, BITNET and UUCP networks, send E-mail to
chuq@sun.COM for information on subscribing.
On the usenet network, Electronic OtherRealms is available in
mod.mag.otherrealms.
Electronic OtherRealms is also available in the Science Fiction
section of the Delphi timesharing system, and on numerous Bulletin
Board Systems throughout the country.
