Copy Link
Add to Bookmark
Report
OtherRealms Issue 22 Part 04
Electronic OtherRealms #22
Fall, 1988
Part 4
Copyright 1988
by Chuq Von Rospach
All Rights Reserved
OtherRealms may not be reproduced without written permission from Chuq
Von Rospach. The electronic edition may be distributed or reproduced
only in its entirety and only if all copyrights, author credits and
this notice, including the return addresses remain intact.
No article may be reprinted, reproduced or republished in any way
without the express permission of the author.
Pico Reviews
Alqua Dreams [*]
Rachel Pollack
Franklin Watts, $16.95, 246pp
This is a disappointing book. Pollack does a very good job of writing
about people but she has a serious problem with plotting. This story is
properly only a novelette. It is grossly padded out with background
development of the alien culture and the character development of the
protagonist, Jaimi Cooper. While well done , the mechanism used to
provide the excuse for this exposition is a very bad one. Basically,
Cooper is made to act in an inexplicably stupid manner. It takes him
half the book to discover the obvious solution to his problem when he
should have gotten it by the third chapter. He then spends the rest of
the book fumbling around trying to implement his solution when he could
have done it in two chapters.
The story is an old SF cliche; Cooper has to get the natives to sign a
legal contract allowing his company to mine on their planet, but the
natives want nothing that Jaimi can offer them. What is untraditional
about this story is that instead of figuring out a neat gimmick whereby
Cooper can get the natives to sign on the dotted line, Pollack uses
this old plot to explore the nature of religious fanaticism. The
problem is that she simply could not come with a plausible plot to
allow her to do this without destroying the story.
-- Danny Low
hplabs!hpccc!dlow
Barbary [***]
Vonda N. McIntyre
Ace, $3.50, ISBN 0-441-04886-2
This is a juvenile novel set on an O'Neill colony orbiting Earth. The
plot involves Barbary emigrating to the colony, smuggling a pet cat
along, and a first contact with aliens. If you grew up on Heinlein's
juveniles, this makes for a good afternoon's escape reading. Readers
expecting another Dreamsnake, however, will be disappointed.
-- Chuck Koelbel
chk@cs.purdue.edu
The Belgariad [****]
Pawn of Prophecy, 1982, 258pp
Queen of Sorcery, 1982, 327pp
Magician's Gambit, 1983, 305pp
Castle of Wizardry, 1984, 373pp
Enchanters' End Game, 1984, 372pp
David Eddings
Del Rey books, $3.50 each volume.
I'm giving this five volume set one overall rating because there is no
sensible way to separate the books or read them out of order. I'm very
glad I waited until all five were out before I started reading them,
because it is very much one story, broken into separate parts seemingly
whenever a book's worth of pages were filled. Eddings kept me turning
those pages the whole way through even when I could tell much of what
was going to happen far in advance. While this has the scope and story
line of an epic fantasy, the style isn't the epic poetry/historical
view of the Tolkien-clones but rather a down- to-earth, you-are-there
approach. The sequel, in another five books, has already started, but
I'll wait till they are all available too.
-- Mary Anne Espenshade
mae@aplvax.jhuapl.edu
The Broken Lands [***+]
Fred Saberhagen
Baen, 192pp, Dec, 1987, 0-671-65380-6
Like a book I recently reviewed (Winter's Daughter by Charles
Whitmore), The Broken Lands concerns a culture that exists after some
war has wiped out a modern technological society. What makes
Saberhagen's book much superior is that he has taken the time to let
the reader know what his main characters are all about. And two of them
make an interesting contrast. Rolf is a simple peasant who hates the
local Satrap, whose soldiers killed his sister. The Satrap Ekuman just
wants to rule the world. [Satrap is from the Old Persian meaning
"protector of the country," but Ekuman is only interested in protecting
and promoting himself.]
The plot development is also looked after. Both sides are after the
mysterious Elephant; both sides aren't quite sure what to make of
ancient technology' when they run across it; both sides have
interesting people around them; and both sides are obviously going to
come together at the end in a glorious battle. At least here we can
happily root for our heroes and hiss the villains.
A final note. This book proclaims it is Book I of Empire of the East.
There is nothing worse than a book obviously written to be the first
book of something, so credit is also given to the author for writing a
satisfying ending. There are enough loose ends to pique interest in the
future of the characters, but the ending is conclusive enough to leave
the reader with a very content feeling when it is all over.
-- Larry Kaufman
lsk@sun.com
A Clockwork Orange [****]
Anthony Burgess
Ballantine, $3.95, 0-345-35443-5
There isn't a lot new you can say about a modern classic. This is, of
course, the story of Alex, a nadsat with a taste for ultra-violence and
classical music who is caught and "cured" of those tendencies. The
reason that the new edition of this novel deserves attention is that it
is the first American paperback edition to include Burgess' original
ending. (That's right, the editor decided to cut the last chapter of
the book!) If you care about preserving the integrity of an author's
work, this is the version to buy. If you have not read this book yet,
it is highly recommended. Be aware, however, that it is not for the
squeamish. If you have read it, the added chapter is probably worth the
price of admission, especially if you haven't reread the book in a
while. Check to be sure that the copy you buy has seven chapters in
Part 3, not six as in previous American editions.
-- Chuck Koelbel
Corpseman [*]
Joel Henry Sherman
Del Rey, 1988, $3.50, 277p
Cyborg Spaceship pilots. Islamic assassins. Drunken sprees and mysterious
murders. Slavery for convicted felons. Here we have another issue of
the standard cyberpunk novel; mediocre imitation William Gibson. Mr.
Sherman has the unfortunate but not uncommon flaw of being unwilling to
leave anything to the reader's imagination and describes every detail
at excruciating length. Had he stuck to the story, it would have been
150 pages or less. If you absolutely cannot get enough CyberPunk, you
may be desperate enough to read this. Otherwise, not recommended.
-- David Shea
David's Sling [***]
Mark Stiegler
Baen, $3.50, 346pp, 0-671-65369-5
Spent too much time trying to decide whether or not to support SDI?
Take a rest and read David's Sling. He has the answers to defense
questions no one has even asked yet. Taking the "crowbars from space"
theme (first seen science fictionally in Footfall) to its logical
extreme and beyond, he posits a world that no longer needs a nuclear
defense force. The world will get there with the help of the Zetetic
Institute, and their advanced grasp of information processing. First
hard science fiction I've seen in quite a while where sociology was one
of the sciences.
-- Sandy Hereld
GODZLA.decnet!CROASDIL
The Door Into Fire [***+]
Diane Duane
TOR, $2.95, 290 pp, 1985, 2.95, 0-812-53671-1
Book 1 in a four part series, this is a most unusual sword and sorcery
novel. The most important theme in the book is taking responsibility
for your actions, and not accepting guilt for the actions of others.
The hero Herewiss is intelligent, charming, and guilt ridden, and his
lover Freelorn is feckless, irresponsible and the usurped heir of the
next Kingdom over. In this book, Herewiss strives to control the power
he feels he has inside him, so that he can help Freelorn take back his
throne. Very intricately worked out religion and magic systems; a very
nice variation on a theme. It would be 4 stars, but part of the social
structure is unlikely in the extreme, and the characters are a bit
uneven. If you have read So You Want to be a Wizard, the magic system
is totally different, but the fire elemental is back!
-- Sandy Hereld
An Excess of Enchantments [*]
Craig Shaw Gardner
Ace, 180pp, July, 1988, $3.50, 0-441-22363-X
There is nothing more disappointing than a funny book that isn't. I've
really enjoyed Gardner's series of books on Ebenezum and Wuntvor, the
Eternal Apprentice. An Excess of Enchantments, unfortunately seems to
hit a brick wall, and unlike anything else he's done, isn't even remotely
funny. It's as if Gardner just ran out of jokes -- and it looks to me
like Gardner knew he was in trouble. Some of the attempted jokes are
so obvious and weak you can almost see the snare drum in the background.
This is definitely a pass, even for the most die-hard Gardner fans.
-- chuq von rospach
Exile's Gate [****]
C.J. Cherryh
DAW, 1988, 414pp $3.95
The quality of mercy is not strained, it droppeth as the gentle rain
from heaven; but heaven is usually pretty far from those paths where
rides Morgaine the White, sealer of worlds, with the doomsword
Changeling under her hand and her henchman Nhi Vanye guarding her back.
Mercy is a luxury she can but seldom afford. The more things change,
the more they stay the same in the infinity of Gate-linked worlds.
Morgaine and Vanye, on the latest lap of their infinite journey, find
themselves in yet another land where humans and qhalur are at war.
Alliances are shaky, identity itself cannot be counted upon, and
victorious lords stake prisoners out on the hillside for the wolves.
After several years' lapse devoted to writing in numerous shared
worlds, and admittedly several false starts on this novel, the question
rose as to whether the author still had her finger on the pulse of the
series; whether, indeed, she really wanted to go on with it. This
doesn't read like a book that was simply hacked out to satisfy fan
demand. There has been growth, change, evolution, as there should be;
though Cherryh is still using Nhi Vanye as a viewpoint character, one
feels her prying deeper, if with less precision, into the soul of
Morgaine. The other characters are equally well drawn, especially a new
ally/victim/friend, Chei ep Kantory, in a role analogous to that played
by Chya Roh in the earlier books. The writing is consistent in style
and feel with the previous books as well, though the prose is not quite
so sparse and vigorous.
Exile's Gate is a thoroughly worthy successor to one of the most
appealing and successful science-fantasy series in contemporary SF.
-- David Shea
The Fall of Atlantis [*]
Marion Zimmer Bradley
Baen Books, 1987, 500pp, $3.95
Very disappointing. MZB is one of my favorite authors, but I could not
get into this book. Maybe the title mislead my expectations as very
little of the story concerns Atlantis at all and only the last 50 or so
pages take place there. The cover illustration was very obviously taken
from the title alone. Magic and secret plots are uncovered within the
Temples of the Priests of Light -- unfortunately they are so secret
the reader never learns what they are either. Great Mysterious Things
happen, but the characters are so awed by them that they forget to
describe them, so the reader isn't shown what is happening. The plot of
the book was the best kept secret, I couldn't find one anywhere.
-- Mary Anne Espenshade
Falling Free [****]
Lois McMaster Bujold
Baen, 1988, 307pp, $3.50
Leo Graf was an engineer, employed by the giant GalacTech company. His
assignment to the Cay Habitat orbiting the world Rodeo was solely as a
teacher of welding techniques. He soon grew attached to his bright,
energetic -- and perfectly free-fall adapted -- students, the
"quaddies," the result of biological experiments, have no legal status
as "persons." When another technological development rendered the
"quaddies" obsolete, however, it was chiefly Leo Graf who stood in the
way of a ruthless executive who wanted to liquidate the project --
and the "quaddies." Trust an engineer to convert an ethical problem
into an engineering problem!
With her first three novels, Lois Bujold has marked herself as one of
the most entertaining of the new generation of SF writers. She plots
well, creates entirely believable characters and has a rare talent for
pure story-telling. However, those who approach Falling Free expecting
the same level of humor and whimsy which prevailed in Bujold's most
recent novel Ethan of Athos may be in for a surprise. This book is
altogether more serious in tone, and much more technically oriented.
This should not be regarded as a bad thing; Falling Free is well up to
the high standard Bujold has established for herself. It's just
different. Here we see a major writer whose books one buys
automatically, the name alone being sufficient guarantee of quality.
Falling Free is definitely recommended.
-- David Shea
Final Frontier [****]
Diane Carey
Pocket, 1988, 434pp, $4.50
It's the third giant Star Trek novel and they're continuing to improve --
finally a story that doesn't feel like it's been inflated to fit the
longer length. The tie-in to the time period of the original series is
much better handled and less intrusive than in the previous volume.
The story concerns the very first emergency mission of the not-quite-finished
and not yet named U.S.S. Enterprise, with Capt. Robert April in command
and a very small crew of the scientists and engineers that built her.
Sabotage and Romulans provide assorted challenges along the way.
-- Mary Anne Espenshade
Free Lancers [****]
ed by Elizabeth Mitchell
Stories by Orson Scott Card, David Drake
and Lois McMaster Bujold
Baen, 1987 2.95
This is also known as Alien Stars 4, although the logo is getting
smaller and smaller each collection; this is the best one yet. The OSC
story is from an upcoming collection to be called "Tales from the
Mormon Sea," and is set in the Great Smokies, soon after a generic
holocaust. This story tells of a band of Mormons, thrown out of their
town, determined to make their way to Utah, and of the survivor type
that befriends them. The Drake story is a new Hammers Slammers story.
It's part mystery, and part psychological study. One of the better
Slammers stories I've read, it still doesn't live up to the quality of
the other two stories. "Borders of Infinity" is a Miles Vorkosigan
story, set a few years after Warriors Apprentice or Ethan of Athos. I
would say it stands on its own, but barely. Miles is thrown into a
prisoner of war camp with nothing more than the clothes he has on to
try to help a man escape. But the story really gets interesting when he
finds out that the man is already dead. Great puzzle, unfortunately a
fairly downer ending. All in all, a great collection.
-- Sandy Hereld
GODZLA.decnet!CROASDIL
The Grey Horse [***]
R. A. MacAvoy
Bantam, 1987, 247pp, $3.95
This Celtic fantasy is the tale of a horse-fairy who takes human form
to court his chosen bride, an Irish girl with fairy ancestry. A
different slant from the over-supply of Celtic-based fantasy books
available recently, no elves or leprechauns, just one fantastic element
added to everyday life. This appears to be a major point in MacAvoy's
style, as she uses the same approach in the Black Dragon books.
-- Mary Anne Espenshade
mae@aplvax.jhuapl.edu
How Much for Just the Planet [***]
John Ford
Pocket, 1987, 253pp, $3.95
I agree with everyone else on this one -- this book is a fun read. The
very idea of a Klingon in a tuxedo gives me a fit of giggles. You too can
save your planet by convincing invaders that the whole population is nuts.
-- Mary Anne Espenshade
The Moon Goddess and the Son [*]
Donald Kingsbury
Baen, 1986, 471pp, $3.95
Sometimes a writer can spin a viable novel out of a successful work of
short fiction, as Spider Robinson did with Stardance or Anne McCaffrey
did with Dragonflight. Sometimes even a good writer just can't make a
short work fly at novel length; John Varley's Millennium springs to
mind. Occasionally the result of such an attempted expansion is just...
well, strange.
This is the only adjective which seems applicable to the long awaited
novelization of Donald Kingsbury's well regarded novella of the same
name. The novel has all the problems of the original work, but little
of its charm. This is a book which is best read in a sort of "fast
forward" mode; anyone attempting to read it word for word will still be
at the task next February. An interminable 471 pages -- it seems much
longer -- Moon Goddess appears to consist in equal parts of dully
correct near-future space colonization, and gushy gosh-wowie juvenile
romance. Think of it as "Molly Ringwald Meets the Space Station," all
in high-polish chromium and bubble-gum pink. The central character
("heroine" is just not appropriate), Diana Osborne, has neither the
brains of Heinlein's Podkayne Fries nor the stubborn courage of Alexei
Panshin's Mia Havero. She bumbles in and out of misadventures, in
search of a saccharine infatuation, while the grown-ups bandy
early-Twenty-First-Century megapolitics over her head.
As the product of the author of the justly praised Courtship Rite, this
is a major disappointment.
-- David Shea
The Questing of Kedrigern [***]
John Morressy
Ace, 1987, 202pp, $2.95
The further adventures of Kedrigern and Princess, introduced in A Voice
for Princess. After attending Wizcon, the annual Wizards convention,
Princess is a frog again and Kedrigern must find a new transformation
spell to restore her. They get sidetracked many times going to find
another wizard to help them -- included in a knight's quest for his
lady who has been transformed into a fly, through a dangerous mist of
power, into the future, and meeting Death -- who, fortunately, is
looking for someone else at the time.
-- Mary Anne Espenshade
The River of Time [****]
David Brin
Bantam, 1987, 295pp, $3.50
A collection of short stories, reprinted and new, with a short
reflection on each by the author. All the stories are good, with
something for every taste, ranging from almost fantasy (The Loom of
Thessaly) to hard SF (Tank Farm Dynamo) to alternate history (Thor
Meets Captain America); from very depressing (A Stage of Memory) to
very funny (The River of Time). Overall the stories struck me as
downbeat. Even the most positive story internally, "Tank Farm Dynamo,"
is a sad commentary on how far the space program has fallen from the
goals it once had.
-- Mary Anne Espenshade
The Romulan Way [***]
Diane Duane & Peter Morwood
Pocket, 1987, 254pp, $3.50
Chapters in this Trek novel alternate between an adventure story
centered around McCoy and a history of the developments within Vulcan
culture that led to a large group building generation ships to go out
and find a new world to settle. After many setbacks they found two,
ch'Rihan and ch'Havran, and built what their neighbors came to call the
Romulan Empire. I liked the historical sections best. The rest of the
plot seemed contrived to include one of the central Trek characters,
but at least it was McCoy instead of Kirk or Spock. Good use of
characters and plot tie-ins from Duane's previous Trek novel My Enemy,
My Ally (especially Naraht, the Horta engineer, one of my favorite
original characters from previous novels). The adventure part of the
story finally picks up in the last 50 pages, but is distractingly slow
moving before that.
-- Mary Anne Espenshade
Shadow [***]
Dave Duncan
Del Rey, 1987, 272pp, $2.95
Sale Harl was a most junior officer of the Royal Guard, an offshoot of
the most trivial nobility. He was also a skyman, one who flew the giant
hooded eagles. However, a royal summons changed his life forever when
he was unexpectedly appointed to the role of Shadow: chief bodyguard,
and de facto advisor, to the Crown Prince. Escorting the prince on a
tour to a remote stretch of the kingdom, Shadow finds himself involved
in a convoluted series of plots in which he finds out much more than he
ever wanted to know about the eagles he rides, the prince he serves and
the kingdom. Eventually he is faced with a confrontation in which
anything he does is liable to be called treason....
The previous description might make you think that Shadow resembles a
bad imitation Anne McCaffrey. This is not the case. Duncan has a more
cynical and realistic view of both politics and interpersonal
relationships. His notions of aerodynamics are a shade more plausible,
although I don't find the notion of a flying creature large enough to
carry a man in anything approaching normal earth gravity likely.
However, Shadow is a novel which deserves to be read on its own terms
without false comparisons. In a sense it is primarily a SF vehicle for
a political novel, but the characterizations and writing work well
enough for it to be readable as a story. Moderately recommended.
-- David Shea
Station Gehenna [***]
Andrew Weiner
Congdon & Weed, Inc. $15.95 216pg.
This is an SF mystery. It is an inverse locked room murder mystery. In
this case, everyone is locked in Gehenna station as the environment on
Gehenna is deadly. The murder took place outside but there is no
indication that anyone went outside or could have gone outside.
As a mystery, the story is written well. All the clues and lots of red
herrings are presented. The "locked room" was all too easy to solve.
Weiner's style is very much like that of Isaac Asimov when he writes a
mystery, but with better characterization. Even so, it is the weakest
part of the story. Only the main character is well defined. His
character is much like that of Sherlock Holmes unfiltered through the
softening of a Watson so you get the full brunt of a rather cold
personality.
Since this is a SF mystery, the solution is a science fictional one but
not quite what you might guess. This is a well done puzzle mystery that
does not rise above being formula. People who enjoy this type of
mystery will enjoy this book.
-- Danny Low
hplabs!hpccc!dlow
Strangers From the Sky [***]
Margaret Wander Bonanno
Pocket, 1987, 402pp, $3.95
This is the second "giant" Star Trek novel and is a vast improvement
over the first. I found it a very believable scenario within the Star
Trek universe for the first contact between Earth and Vulcans... up to
a point. There is gratuitous use of time travel here -- I have
reached a saturation level with Kirk and Spock being present at every
historically significant event in this region of the Galaxy. Hasn't
anyone else ever done anything? The story felt expanded to fit the
"giant" size. The novel subplot, especially since it had already been
used by John Ford to introduce The Final Reflection, seemed to be
padding on the real story. I guess Pocket decided all books have to tie
in with the "present" (ST movie) time frame or readers won't be able to
follow them. Pity. I would have preferred either the first contact
story without the Enterprise crew at all (the story within the "novel")
or the adventure of Kirk, Spock, Mitchell, Dehner and Kelso in the past
without the "dream sequence" tie-in to the ST present. Very nice to
see the "Where No Man..." characters used again however.
-- Mary Anne Espenshade
Takeoff! [*****]
Randall Garrett
Starblaze/Donning, 1979, 247pp, $7.95
Takeoff! is the first volume collecting Randall Garrett's parodies of
classic SF stories, pastiches in the styles of famous SF authors, book
reviews in verse and punny stories. If you're in the mood for some
thought-provoking fun, try this. To describe anything beyond the
titles, such as "Backstage Lensman," would be spoilers. My favorites
were "The Best Policy," "The Cosmic Beat" and "Look Out! Duck!."
-- Mary Anne Espenshade
Takeoff, Too! [*****]
Randall Garrett
Starblaze/Donning, 1986, pp, $7.95
A second volume collecting Randall Garrett's writings, Takeoff, Too is
more than just parodies. My favorite stories in this volume were "Cum
Grano Salis," ". . . After a Few Words," two with Twilight Zone type
endings -- "The Briefing" and "Pride and Primacy," and "The Foreign
Hand-Tie" (the characters all have names taken from Marx Brothers movies).
-- Mary Anne Espenshade
Taltos [****]
Steven Brust
Ace, $2.95, 181pp., 0-441-18200-3
The most recent in the same series as Jhereg, Yendi, and Teckla, I think
that this could be read first. This story tells how Vladimir first met
Morollan and Sethra. Though not as dark as Teckla, it is still more
thoughtful and introspective than the first two. This series could be
used as a textbook on how to let a series grow and evolve over time.
-- Sandy Hereld
Uneasy Alliances [***]
(Thieves' World #11)
Robert Lynn Asprin & Lynn Abbey, ed.
Ace, 258pp, August, 1988, $3.50, 0-441-80610-4
I was ready to drop Thieves' World after #10, but I gave it one more.
I'm glad I did. Uneasy Alliances gets back to Sanctuary -- not as the
gods backyards, but as a place where people live and try to survive.
There is some new authors (I was very impressed with both the C.S.
Williams and the Robin Wayne Bailey stories) that give the world some
new characters and a fresh vision. Not High Art, but it doesn't pretend
to be. Good escapist fantasy.
-- chuq von rospach
The Universe [***+]
Byron Preiss, ed.
Bantam, 0-553-05227-6
A mixture of science fiction and fact. Each of the twelve sections is
an essay and a science fiction short story. Both fact and fiction are
illustrated, the former with photographs and computer graphics and the
latter with original art. The themes of the sections range from "Our
Galaxy" through black holes to contacting extra-terrestrial civilizations.
The essays were well written, if standard material. The fiction is
generally good. The only story I actively disliked was by Greg Benford.
Anderson's, Bishop's, and Brin's stand out. They range from extrapolations
of the ideas in the accompanying essay to experimental pieces with only
tenuous relations to anything in the book. No matter what your
preference, you will probably find a story here that fits it.
Illustrations range from poor to excellent. Most of the photos are
beautiful and appropriate. The art in the short stories is not as
good. Most of it is neither exceptionally interesting technically nor
particularly accurate to the story.
-- Chuck Koelbel
Vickers [***]
Mick Farren
Ace Science Fiction $3.50 263pp
This is a standard roguish hero story. Mort Vickers is a professional
assassin for Contec, one of the Big Four corporations that rule the
Earth. He has been given an unusual mission: to determine if two
corporate officials have turned against the company and if so,
terminate them. Vickers finds that the two have indeed turned and
appear to be instigating World War III.
The plotting is tight and fast paced until two-thirds the way through.
There is some reasonable although two-dimensional characterizations.
The characters are no more than stereotypes and most of them are more
suitable for a comic book. There is a fair amount of humor and in-jokes
in the story. One of the major corporations in this future world is the
Tyrell Corporation. Background development is the strongest point of
this book. The near-future world has the appropriate gritty feel. In
all, this is a pleasant read for those interested in this type of story.
-- Danny Low
hplabs!hpccc!dlow
A Voice for Princess [***]
John Morressy
Ace, 1986, 213pp, $2.95
Fantasy for fun -- I picked this up on an OtherRealms recommendation.
Kedrigern is a wizard expert in counterspells but has numerous
misadventures in restoring the voice of a princess who could talk as a
frog but only "brereep" when spelled back to human form. The side
adventures on the way to the main plot keep things interesting.
-- Mary Anne Espenshade
Winter's Daughter [*]
Charles Whitmore
Avon Books, 220, Dec 1988, 0-380-70117-0
Earth is recovering from a war that almost destroyed the planet and
we're reading about a family that survived. This is nothing new, but
the story is told as saga.
While getting an A+ for following a strict format, he receives a D- in
character development, excitement, and holding the reader's interest.
Nothing really happens, and the plot is weak. Style is fine, but there
must be substance to back it up.
-- Larry Kaufman
----
End of Part 4