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OtherRealms Issue 09 Part 02
OtherRealms
A Reviewzine for the Non-Fan
Where FIJAGH Becomes a Way of Life
Issue #9
October, 1986
Part 2
Pico Reviews
ALL THE MYRIAD WAYS by Larry Niven [*****]
Del Rey, $2.25, 1971, 181 pages
Classic Larry Niven. Not only very good hard SF stories, but three
essays on interesting topics (Superman's sex life, time travel, and
teleportation). Overall excellence. A must own book.
-- John Wenn
wenn@g.cs.cmu.edu
ANNALS OF THE BLACK COMPANY by Glen Cook [****+]
[Omnibus] The Black Company, Shadows Linger,
The White Rose Doubleday [SFBC], 1984, 1984, 1985
Impressive, realistic, gritty fantasy (if that isn't a contradiction in
terms). The Black Company is the last of the free companies of
Khatovar, and they have fallen on hard times. A bunch of tough
mercenaries in the service of the Lady, an ancient evil recently
returned. Here war is a tough, dirty business. Major characters die,
magic doesn't have all the answers. A good study of the possible forms
of evil, apocalyptic battles, and a satisfying final battle and
aftermath.
-- John Wenn
wenn@g.cs.cmu.edu
THE COMING OF THE QUANTUM CATS by Frederik Pohl [***]
296 pages, Bantam Books
What if there were infinite parallel worlds? What if some of them
figured out a way to move among the parallels? What if they showed up
in OUR world with weird weapons and plans to use OUR world as a way to
surprise attack their world? What if yet ANOTHER parallel world showed
up to attack OUR world? This is the confusion that Pohl unravels in
this most engrossing story. Very interesting. A bit of a pat ending,
but worth checking out.
-- Dave Taylor
hplabs!hpldat!taylor
THE COPPER CROWN by Patricia Kennealy [***]
Signet, $3.50
An interesting book, where the Terrans find a space empire started by
pre-Christian Kelts who fled St. Patrick. After getting past the
mechanism that got them there (I won't spoil it), the book is an
enjoyable read about the extension of a classic culture into an SF
setting, and the culture shock of the Terrans on finding them,
especially the Asian captain of the search vessel. The first in a
series (labeled the 'Keltiad'), but completely readable on its own.
-- Bob Halloran
topaz!caip!unirot!halloran
DARK OF THE MOON by P. C. Hodgell [***+]
Atheneum [SFBC], 1985, 370 pages
Sequel to her excellent book "God Stalk". This is ultimately less
satisfying since it doesn't include the most interesting character of
"God Stalk": the city of Tai-tastigon. This goes more into the
background of the characters and the world, and deals with the battle
against 'The Perimal Darkling'. The major problem is structural, the
chapters alternate between the story of Jame (heroine of the last book)
and her twin brother Tori (who is 12 years older). While this
technique has been used to good effect elsewhere, it doesn't really
work here. A worthwhile book, but read "God Stalk" first.
-- John Wenn
wenn@g.cs.cmu.edu
THE DREAM YEARS by Lisa Goldstein [***+]
Bantam Spectra, $2.95, 1985, 195 pages
I'm still not quite sure to make of this book. The basic story takes
place among the surrealists of Paris in 1924. But then there is the
elements of the Paris riots of 1968 and Paris of the 21st century.
This is more of a character oriented story than most of SF, and the
prose, characters, and dialogue are all first rate. The material
dealing with surrealism rings true, but I haven't the slightest idea if
it is accurate. This is worth reading, but I really couldn't say what
it's "about".
-- John Wenn
wenn@g.cs.cmu.edu
THE FOREVER MACHINE by Mark Clifton & Frank Riley [***]
(AKA THEY'D RATHER BE RIGHT)
GALAXY, 1954, 159 pages
Winner of the 1955 Hugo award. This remains a readable story of a
supercomputer and its use as an rejuvenation machine. The only trouble
is that to become rejuvenated, you must be willing to give up all
prejudices. And, of course, most people would rather be right and
dead. Cardboard characters (naturally), but not bad for the period.
-- John Wenn
wenn@g.cs.cmu.edu
GENE WOLFE'S BOOK OF DAYS by Gene Wolfe [***+]
Doubleday [Hardcover], $9.95, 1981, 182 pages
A short story collection with a theme (each story is connected with a
day of the year). This is a weak Gene Wolfe collection, but still has
several excellent stories. Some favorites are Lincoln's Birthday
(reinstatement of slavery), Valentine's Day (what if computer dating
**REALLY** worked?), and Mother's Day (a pregnant car). Even mediocre
Gene Wolfe is better than many other authors, so this is worth checking
out.
-- John Wenn
wenn@g.cs.cmu.edu
THE GREY MANE OF MORNING by Joy Chant [****]
Bantam, $3.50, 1977, 332 pages
A refreshing fantasy story. Instead of young heros battling evil
wizards for the fate of the entire universe; this is a quiet, pastoral
(but by no means dull) tale of a tribe of plainsmen, and how they
learned to war against the villages. There is no earth shattering
battles, but a well told story of a proud people and their way of
life. Recommended.
-- John Wenn
wenn@g.cs.cmu.edu
HALF PAST HUMAN by T. J. Bass [***]
Del Rey, $2.75, 1971, 279 pages
Interesting speculation on the far future. Trillions of four toed
near-humans live in computer controlled hives on an earth totally
converted to food production. And a few five toed genetic throwbacks
live on the surface, fighting for survival. The prose is nothing
special, but the plot and characters are adequate.
-- John Wenn
wenn@g.cs.cmu.edu
THE HAMMER AND THE HORN by Michael Jan Friedman [*+]
Questar, $2.95, 1985, 297 pages
The story of Vidar (Odin's bastard son), who has been on earth since
Ragnarok, and his reinvolvement with current Asgardian affairs. The
description of what really happened in Norse mythology is kind of
interesting, but doesn't make up for the standard fantasy plot devices. Yawn.
-- John Wenn
wenn@g.cs.cmu.edu
HARDWIRED by Walter Jon Williams [**]
Tor Books $15.95 343pp
This is basically a post holocaust shoot 'em up with lots of sex and
drugs and rock 'n roll. The Earth has lost The War with the Orbital
Corporate Blocs and is now being bled white by them. Sarah is a
dirtgirl whose dream is to get enough money to buy a ticket off-world
for herself and her brother. Cowboy is a smuggler who wants to bring
down the Orbitals. They meet, they fall in love, they triumph but then
you know all this by the seventh chapter. There is nothing original
about either the characters or the story. On the other hand, Williams
has written a sufficiently fast paced story that it is possible to
gloss over the cliches. Atmosphere is very important in a story of this
type and Williams has also done a good job of creating a suitable
electric punk rock feel. However, on the balance, this is not one
Williams' better works and one has to have a preference for this type
of story to like this book.
-- Danny Low
hplabs!dlow
HART'S HOPE by Orson Scott Card [****+]
Berkley, $2.75, 1983, 261 pages
What makes this book interesting is its prose style. Virtually every
book written today (at least nearly all SF&F) is written in a modern,
conversational style. "Hart's Hope", however, is written in the old,
allegorical style that brings to mind Arthurian legends and old myths.
The story itself is well suited to this approach, dealing with gods,
princesses, revenge, love and death. Also its refreshing to read a
fantasy novel that isn't part of an N-ology.
-- John Wenn
wenn@g.cs.cmu.edu
THE HIDDEN LAND by Pamela Dean [****-]
Ace Fantasy, $2.95, 1986, 202 pages
Continuation of "The Secret Country", this is a well written,
interesting fantasy novel. A group of children are mysteriously
transported to their make-believe land. But things aren't quite as
they imagined them, the people are more complex and the events have a
life of their own. I kept wanting to shout at the characters "What are
you doing? Don't you know that could be dangerous?" The children act
like children, not adults in small bodies. The major trouble is that
their are *LOTS* of loose ends still hanging around. This is just
crying for another book to resolve everything.
-- John Wenn
wenn@g.cs.cmu.edu
THE HUMANOIDS by Jack Williamson [****+]
Avon, $2.25, 1949, 259 pages
Forget Steven King, this is **SCARY**. A lone scientist creates (via a
newly discovered natural law) a race of robots (called humanoids)
instructed "To Serve and Obey, And Guard Men from Harm". The problem
is that the humanoids are *TOO* efficient and judge everything from
bicycles to unsupervised sex as potentially harmful. This is a classic
tale of technology gone wrong, close enough to possible that it scares
the daylights out of me. It has been taught at MIT as an example of
where technology can lead. My copy also includes the even better short
story "With Folded Hands".
-- John Wenn
wenn@g.cs.cmu.edu
THE INITIATE by Louise Cooper [**+]
Tor, $2.95, 1985, 278 pages
A perfectly average fantasy plot, better written than most. An
interesting premise that in the war between law and chaos, law won
completely ages ago. Now the protagonist is being manipulated into
helping the return of chaos. Of course, its the first book in an N-ology.
-- John Wenn
wenn@g.cs.cmu.edu
THE KRAKEN WAKES by John Wyndham [*****]
240 pages, from Penguin
This is another wonderful Wyndham book. The storyline is that
mysterious asteroids show up in the sky (remember the beginning of "Day
of the Triffids"? *smile*) and crash into the sea. As time passes
strange things happen at sea, including ships mysteriously disappearing
without any warning... the really exceptional thing about the story is
the characterizations.
-- Dave Taylor
hplabs!hpldat!taylor
THE KUNDALINI EQUATION by Steven Barnes [***+]
Tor, $3.50, 1986, 348 pages
Another SF/Martial Arts book by Steven Barnes (the other being
"Streetlethal"). This time a man stumbles upon an ancient killing
discipline that makes Bruce Lee look like a paraplegic. Nice prose,
interesting characters, and nicely written gratuitous sex scenes.
-- John Wenn
wenn@g.cs.cmu.edu
LORD OF LIGHT by Roger Zelazny [*****]
Doubleday Science Fiction, 1967, [SFBC]
A Hugo winning novel, would you believe Zelazny tells a Science Fiction
story about the Buddhist Pantheon and gets away with it? A group of
people land on a planet and turn themselves into Gods, literally, with
technology. They rule their offspring with all the typical weaknesses
that the Gods of humans would be expected to show, and do everything
they can to hold back the progress of their minions. On the side of
Good, however, is Mahasamatman, but you can call him Sam. As the
Buddha, the Prophet, this unbeliever puts together the revolution that
will overturn Heaven itself. A fascinating book with insights into a
lesser known philosophy and about humanity itself.
-- chuq von rospach
LYTHANDE by Marion Zimmer Bradley [***-]
DAW, $3.50, 1986, 237 pages
A collection of short stories dealing with the Blue Star wizard of
Thieves World. Lythande was one of my favorite characters from the
first book. So it is really unfortunate that these stories don't fulfil
the promise of the character. While Lythande has several interesting
adventures, and we learn a bit more about her character, there is too
much of Fantasy Plot 217 (hero fights old adversary in unexpected
place) to be really satisfying.
-- John Wenn
wenn@g.cs.cmu.edu
THE MISTS OF AVALON - Marion Zimmer Bradley [****+]
This is yet another retelling of the Arthurian legend, though this time
from the point of view of the women in the story. They include
Gwenhwyfar, Igraine, Viviane but the main (and definitely the most
interesting) character is Morgaine - priestess of Avalon, half-sister
to Arthur and mother of his child who will destroy him. While I found
the start of the story somewhat slow, Igraine (Arthurs's mother) not
being a terribly interesting character, it soon became quite
engrossing. The book has a marvelous feeling of a world where the old
magic and ways are being replaced by a new religion (the author's
sympathies lying with the old religion). Being the Arthurian legend
the story ends in tragedy, though not quite the same tragedy as is
usual. It is the best fantasy I have read since 'Thomas Covenant.
Toivo Pedaste
seismo!effigy.oz!toivo
THE MULLER-FOKKER EFFECT by John Sladek [****]
213 pages, from Pocket Books,
This is a very Kurt Vonnegut style story with lots of strange and
irreverent things. Muller Fokker is a technique by which one can
capture the personality of a person on computer tapes... there are some
hilarious comments on religion, government, etc.
-- Dave Taylor
hplabs!hpldat!taylor
ON A PALE HORSE by Piers Anthony []
303 pages, Del Rey
This book was quite good, indeed surprisingly good considering the
dreck Anthony has been foisting on (a willing) public as of late.
Until about half way... then we started seeing the 'superhero' syndrome
rear it's ugly head. But even then it was okay until I got to the
"Authors Note". Okay, so maybe he has something interesting to say...
but Nooooo... The Authors Note (21 pages worth!) ruined the book. Don't
buy it. yech.
-- Dave Taylor
hplabs!hpldat!taylor
PARK: A FANTASTIC STORY by John Gray [****]
107 pages, Carcanet
Good luck finding this one. If you do, though, buy it! It's an
excellent philosophical story of a man who wakes up one morning
hundreds of years in the future. The comments on early 1900s' English
society are most interesting... and make for a good tale too! With an
afterward by Philip Healy, this might be more appropriate for a
Literature or Philosophy class in college.
-- Dave Taylor
hplabs!hpldat!taylor
THE RELUCTANT KING by L. Sprague de Camp [***]
[Omnibus] The Goblin Tower, The Clocks of Iraz, The Unbeheaded King
Doubleday [SFBC], 1968, 1971, 1983, 533 pages
On the whole, an average fantasy about Jorian, an former king trying to
keep out of the clutches of his subjects (you see, every 5 years they
behead their king and appoint a new one). What brings this up to 3
stars is the marvelous stories Jorian tells about the exploits of the
past kings of Kortoli (all of whose names begin with 'F'). The
exploits of Fusinian the Fox, Filoman the Well-Meaning, Forimar the
Esthete, and others are quite amusing (better than the main story in
most places). A readable light fantasy.
-- John Wenn
wenn@g.cs.cmu.edu
SILVERTHORN by Raymond E. Feist [****]
Doubleday [SFBC], 1985, 309 pages
Middle book of the Magician trilogy. It suffers from the standard
middle book syndrome: you don't have the thrill of learning about the
setting, and you don't have a satisfying climax. This is why it only
gets four stars instead of five. A smaller scope than the previous
book, this only deals with the quest for a cure for the princess in
enemy territory. Excellent book.
-- John Wenn
wenn@g.cs.cmu.edu
THE SPACE MERCHANTS by Frederik Pohl and C.M. Kornbluth [*****]
170 pages, from Penguin
This is a great story! Anything that pokes fun at Madison Avenue and
the games they play to manipulate us, the innocent public, into buying
things is good in MY book! In this vision of the future, the ad
agencies run the world, have armed military encounters with each other
to get new people, and have torture experts to kidnap and find out the
success of the 'other side'. Very funny. Very good. Buy it and read
it if you can!
-- Dave Taylor
hplabs!hpldat!taylor
THE STARMAKER by Olaf Stapleton [****] for imagination
[**-] as a novel
Berkley, $0.50, 1937, 222 pages
A travelogue on the history of intelligent life in the universe, and
its search for spiritual enlightenment. As a work of imagination, this
works very well, detailing all manner of strange and wonderful
creatures and civilizations. However, it has its problems as a novel.
Seeing so many different societies rush by doesn't give time to see any
but the most obvious features of any of them. There aren't really any
characters in the entire novel, just a vast panorama opening before
us. Still, it is an interesting an influential early SF book.
-- John Wenn
wenn@g.cs.cmu.edu
STEPPE by Piers Anthony [****]
1.25 U.K. pounds, Granada, 1976, 191 Pages.
If you like anything the Piers Anthony writes and if you can find this
book (I don't think there is a U.S. version), then it is well worth
reading. It is a fun techno/primitive adventure that doesn't fall prey
to any of Anthony's problems. The book reminds me in many ways of
Split Infinity and I expect that Split Infinity grew out of Steppe.
-- David Muir Sharnoff
muir@ucbvax
THE SUMMER TREE by Guy Gavriel Kay [*****]
Arbor House [SFBC], 1984, 311 pages
One of the best fantasies I've read this year. What distinguishes this
from most other excellent fantasies, say "Magician", is that five of
the main characters are from Toronto, and are transported to Fionavar
by Silvercloak the wizard. The contemporary characters give an
accessible point of view, and their personalities are both fully
developed and change through the story. Great setting, great prose,
great characters. Read it.
-- John Wenn
wenn@g.cs.cmu.edu
SUNFALL by C. J. Cherryh [**]
DAW, $2.50, 1981, 158 pages
The worst Cherryh book I've read. This is a collection of short
stories about the fate of cities in the far, far future. None of the
stories is terrible, but the entire collecting is unsatisfing. Both
Vance and Wolfe have done better with the same idea.
-- John Wenn
wenn@g.cs.cmu.edu
THIEVES' WORLD #9, BLOOD TIES [****]
edited by Robert Lynn Asprin and Lynn Abbey
Ace Fantasy, August 1986, $2.96, 238 pages
The latest collection in the THIEVES' WORLD series. After some
mid-series doldrums, the last few books have snapped back, and this
issue is as good as #1. The denizens of Sanctuary are learning a new
trick -- subtlety -- as they live and die (well, mostly die) and fight
for the survival of their city and themselves. This book injects
something missing in all the previous volumes: Hope. Since the total
despair of Sanctuary was my only real gripe about the series, this is
now on my buy regardless list. It is beginning to look like this
series will go on forever. I, personally, hope it will.
-- chuq von rospach
THE TRANSVECTION MACHINE BY Edward Hoch [*]
176 pages, from Pocket Books,
Perhaps the best review (he says tongue firmly in cheek) is to quote
the review on the back cover; "A beautifully plotted and clued
detective story that just happens to take place in the twentyfirst
century... hanky-panky in high places, sex, threats of torture, escape
attempts and a shoot-out at the end... perfect!" Uh huh...
-- Dave Taylor
hplabs!hpldat!taylor
VISIBLE LIGHT by C. J. Cherryh [****]
DAW, $3.50, 1986, 348 pages
A good short story collection. A good balance of fantasy and SF, old
and new stories. There isn't a bad story in here. Also entertaining
is the meta-story, which forms as the introduction to the individual
tales and as a platform for Cherryh to expound on all manner of ideas
on literature, art, history, and the universe. And a nice cover
picture that's a fairly good likeness of the author.
-- John Wenn
wenn@g.cs.cmu.edu
VOYAGER IN NIGHT by C. J. Cherryh [***+]
DAW, $2.95, 1984, 221 pages
Interesting speculation on *ALIEN* aliens and how human beings could
relate. And I absolutely refuse to give away any of the plot, since
finding out what in the world is going on is much of the fun.
-- John Wenn
wenn@g.cs.cmu.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 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
OtherRealms Salutes the 1986 Hugo Winners!
Best Novel
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Best Novella
24 Views of Mount Fuji, by Roger Zelazny
Best Novellette
Paladin of the Lost Hour, by Harlan Ellison
Best Short Story
Fermi and Frost, by Frederik Pohl
Best Non-fiction book
Science Made Stupid, by Tom Weller
Best Dramatic Presentation
Back to the Future
Best Professional Editor
Judy-Lynn del Rey*
Best Professional Artist
Michael Whelan**
Best Semi-Prozine
Locus, Charles Brown, editor
Best Fan Writer
Mike Glyer
Best Fan Artist
joan hanke-woods
Best Fanzine
Lan's Lantern, George Laskowski, editor
John W. Campbell Award
Melissa Scott
* Lester del Rey refused the award on the grounds that if Judy-Lynn had
not died, she would not have won, and that she would not have wanted it
under these circumstances.
** Michael Whelan removed himself from Hugo contention next year
OtherRealms Notes
This issue is, by far, the most difficult one to put together yet.
This issue introduces an entirely new format, thanks to the Macintosh
and MacPublisher II, a desktop publishing program. The people reading
the electronic version can't appreciate it, but with a new font and
entirely redesigned format, I think OtherRealms is significantly more
readable than in the past. It is a big improvement, and the time it
took learning the new software and starting over with the display
decisions is worth it.
Beyond the cosmetic, there are a lot of other changes to this issue.
I've published the first OtherRealms cartoon, which is the first piece
of art to go into the magazine. Again, I'm using advanced technology,
digitizing the art into the Mac and laying it into the issue
electronically. The results are not as impressive here, and if I can't
get the quality up in the next issue or so, I'll go back to traditional
paste-up. We'll see if it is the technology or the operator once I get
some time to really work on it. Thanks to Alexis Gilliland for
suggesting that OtherRealms use art and acting as initial guinea pig.
Jim Brunet is the author of the first piece of OtherRealms fiction,
"Insufficient Transmission" and a good piece it is. Jim is a long time
contributor to the zine, and this story is a good example of the
quality of fiction I'm striving for.
One feature that is taking a rest this issue is the lettercol.
Preliminary results of the Readers Survey last issue show that the
space I was giving it was way out of proportion to the interest. Since
I'm tight for space this issue anyway, I'm going to take some time to
rethink how I want to handle letters. I feel strongly that a lettercol
is important to help everyone get their views heard, but I need to be
more selective in what and how much gets printed. I do read
everything, and the letters I get affect the future directions of
OtherRealms, so don't stop writing!
Another thing I've decided to do is consolidate is my writing. Looking
back on previous issues, my writing was scattered all over the place.
I'm consolidating everything into a single review column where I can
tie things together a little better, do a little more commentary and
practice my A. J. Budrys impersonation. I feel more comfortable in a
column format and I think it will help me keep from dominating an issue
by spraying lots of little things all over the place. "Words of
Wizdum" premieres this issue.
"Books Received" is the last new feature. OtherRealms is getting a lot
of support from many publishers in the form of publication schedules,
press releases, and review copies. I'm going to start dedicating some
space to getting this information out to you, and "Books Received" is
the first part of this. It lists all the review copies that
OtherRealms has gotten since the last issue. This serves two
purposes. First, it will let you know to expect a book at the store
even if it doesn't get reviewed, and it also lets you know which books
that DO get reviewed came directly from the publishers. Getting a
review copy doesn't guarantee a good review; it doesn't even guarantee
a review, for that matter, but this is one way I can help you keep us
honest by giving you a list of the freebies. I definitely give review
copies priority on my reading list, but that is because these are the
new books and the books that should be reviewed. In future issues, I'm
going to start printing the lists of upcoming books as I get the
information. There are a lot of good books coming out between now and
Christmas, and I hope to start telling you about them next month.
The flow of review copies has gotten to the point where I can't even
try to read all of them anymore, much as I'd like to. This gives you
the opportunity to get "paid" for writing for OtherRealms. I want to
set up a network of people that I can send books to and get a review
from in a timely manner. In return, you get to keep the book. I'm
looking for both a Pico Review and about a 500 word review on each book
I send out, within 30 days after you get the book. I'll use one or the
other depending on interest and space. If you're willing to make room
in your reading list on short notice and want to write reviews, drop me
a line and tell me your interests. (If you're in the Bay Area, so much
the better, as I can save postage on the mailing!) Please don't sign up
if you can't read the book quickly, that isn't fair to me, the readers
of the magazine, or the publishers who sent us the book.
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.
