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OtherRealms Issue 28 Part 13
Electronic OtherRealms #28
Fall, 1990
Part 13 of 18
Copyright 1990 by Chuq Von Rospach
All Rights Reserved.
OtherRealms may be distributed electronically only in the original
form and with copyrights, credits and return addresses intact.
OtherRealms may be reproduced in printed form only for your personal use.
No part of OtherRealms may be reprinted or used in any other
publication without permission of the author.
All rights to material published in OtherRealms hereby revert to the author.
From Beyond the Edge [Part 1 of 2]
Reviews by our Readers
Agviq
Michael Armstrong
Popular Library, 1990, 0-445-20848-1, 275 pp., $4.50
Not since Ruesch's classic Top of the World have I had such an
interesting nose-nuzzle with the Real People. Armstrong's version of
isolated survivors of World War Last strands a blonde anthropologist
among North Slope Eskimos when the bombs fall. He paints an authentic,
legitimately chilling panorama of Inupiaq life, both before and after
"civilization."
Claudia Kendall is digging at the abandoned village of Pingasagruk, in
search of artifacts and her doctorate, when her undergraduate assistant,
Rob, hears the first radio confirmation of nuclear Armageddon.
Fortunately, Rob has read Dean Ing, and turns their excavation of an old
Inupiaq house into a fallout shelter for the next three weeks. The two
emerge, somehow still chaste, and begin to walk to Wainwright. They are
turned back to Barrow, however, by three men who have retaken their
tribal lands from the taniks and no longer welcome Whites. On their way
to Barrow, Rob falls through the ice and drowns. Claudia continues on
alone, only to meet new horror outside Barrow where a ravine contains
the bodies of hundreds of dead taniks.
As she cautiously enters the ravaged town, Claudia is met by armed men
who recognize her, Inupiaq cousins who have returned to Real People ways
and names. Tuttu takes her before the village elders, now led by his
grandfather, Malgi, who decrees that they have use for this tanik woman --
if she shows proper respect -- for the Real People need instruction on
their ancient ways. Before she can become a proper wise woman and
hunter in the tribe, however, she must fight for her life with her new
extended family. The ensuing battle destroys most modern supplies and
food, and survival of all Barrow depends on a successful return to
hunting agviq, the bowhead whale -- if Claudia and Malgi can remember how!
As one of the few whose "after things fell apart" novel does not depend
on nuclear war, I sympathize with Armstrong. The rapid rust-through of
the Iron Curtain flenses the blubber from his whale tale. Despite
excellent feel for the territory, a few plot elements gnaw at suspension
of disbelief. Laptop PCs and snow mobiles turn up at too convenient
moments, and most lesser characters are sticks to be blown away. And
while much is made of the Inupiaq lesbian character, Tammy, the lack of
any credible sexuality in this Eskimo story is a real snow job.
-- Dean R. Lambe
Arachne
Lisa Mason
William Morrow, 1990, 0-688-09245-4, 263 pp., $19.95
You've got to admire the spunk of a novice novelist who writes her own
puff sheet for her first novel, especially when that book finds the rail
right from the starting gate and gallops almost all the way to the
finish line. But then unusual things might be expected of a woman who
escapes the Byzantine world of corporate law with her soul intact --
which is pretty much what the novel is about.
After the second Big Quake, in a San Francisco almost a century hence,
young Carly Nolan straps into a telelink chair for her first case. As
her brain fuses with the worldwide Telespace network, something terrible
goes wrong and she encounters images of spiders and mayflies instead of
the cutthroat legal interchange that will strip a widow of her just due.
Suddenly the perfect world of this genetically-engineered superYuppie,
on the fast tract of megacorporate Ava & Rice, crashes to the mean,
gridlocked streets, where neoAztec gangs cut the hearts from those who
offend the corn goddess, dropouts carry Aboriginal spears, pirates sail
the Bay, and robots conspire to collect human "electro-neural energy."
As her mentor's brain crashes to mush, and the Telespace judge threatens
disbarment, Nolan tries loveless sex and illicit drugs as her condition
worsens. Finally, intertwined human and AI forces push her into the
claws of Prober Spinner, a robot shrink with its own secret
meta-program, who may have to destroy her mind in order to save it.
Mason knows just enough about computers to get details wrong, and
nothing about neurophysiology, yet this dead-on tour of the real "paper
chase" glows with energy and creativity. The combination of
now-standard cyberpunk metaphors with Jungian archetypes, Greek
mythology, and New Age metaphysics works surprisingly well, so long as
the reader doesn't inquire too closely about the Freudian images at the
back of the neck. At the end, well, we're not . . . at the end, but
such sequelitis may be blamed on the geeks of modern publishing, and we
do want to read more by this talented writer.
-- Dean R. Lambe
Circumsolar!
Richard A. Lupoff
Ace, August 1989, 262pp, $3.95, 0-441-11791-0
The novel is set in a universe which may be familiar to readers of
Lupoff's Circumpolar! To readers who did not read that novel the setting
remains a bit of mystery. Forget all laws of physics, probability, and
do not count on logic when reading this book. "Suspension of disbelief"
is strained beyond the breaking point, and in general the book reads
like a modern version of the kind of movie that gave SF a bad name in
the 50's.
In this novel the Earth, which is doughnut shaped, like all other
planets, finds out in 1927 that it has a second hemisphere which is
reached by traveling through the central hole. First contact is made
with the people living on the "far side" and out of this new technology,
such as "magnetic ray propulsion" comes. Then (in 1942), it turns out
that there is a second Earth, in the same orbit but exactly opposite the
first Earth, and it is calling for help. Two unlikely groups of
characters respond by setting out to reach the alter-ego of earth. The
good guys are Einstein, Northrop, and two baseball players, while the
bad guys are Peron and Evita, a renegade German aircraft designer and an
English noble.
They all set out in two airplanes that can move in space by Magnetic
propulsion and a nuclear engine (also originating from the far side of
the Earth. Not to spoil it for those of you who will want to read this
book, let me just say that from this point on the characters undergo a
series of unlikely events, and most of these events serve only to add
dramatic, action filled moments to the novel, while having no apparent
connection to the plot. They can also ignore all physics and logic at
will (e.g. they make several landings but still have to de-accelerate
to shed the speed given by passing through the center hole of the moon
when they left the Earth.) In addition they have some unexplained and
seemingly purposeless mystic experiences, and can, sometimes, survive in
space with no spacesuits at all. When they finally get to their
destination a pale excuse is given as to who summoned them and why.
Then all is made well suddenly and without any basis, in a classic Deus
Ex Machina conclusion, which left me convinced that Lupoff, like me, got
tired of his characters and flimsy plot, and took the easy way out.
The only saving grace is lots of action. If you want to read a classic
40's or 50's "B" movie - this may be the book for you. Otherwise, this
is a waste of time and money. [*]
-- Michael Orr
Contrarywise
Zohra Greenhalgh
1989; Ace Fantasy Special; 290 pp; $3.95
Below the Presence (God), there are the twenty-seven Greatkin (lesser
deities). Among these is the whimsical and perverse Rimble, called
"Trickster". While the other Greatkin are patrons of Love or
Imagination or Mathematics, Rimble is the force of chaos, wandering the
world in many guises, upsetting apple carts and sowing confusion. He
plans to keep on doing so, even if it causes the end of the world.
I found much to admire in this book, and also much which seriously
bothered me. The author seemed to toss in every idea she could think
of, as if she couldn't bear to waste one, even if it didn't advance the
plot. Among these is the offensive notion that different racial groups
have inherently different personality traits. Periodically the book
breaks out, like a rash, in attacks of terminal contrariness. I could
have done without the low dialect, or the frequent dependent clauses
left standing waveringly on their own. However, the level of
inventiveness is high throughout; and the good writing (when the author
controls her bad habits) is quite good indeed. Given more practice and
more restraint, Ms Greenhalgh shows the makings of a promising
fantasist. Those who admired such earlier Ace Fantasy Specials as Emma
Bull's War For The Oaks might want to check out Contrarywise. [***]
-- David M. Shea
Dreams Of An Unseen Planet
Teresa Plowright
1986; Arbor House; $16.95; 273 pp; 0-87795-863-7
Optimistic young intellectuals brought the Ventura habitat to orbit
rugged Gaea, but as the years pass, agronomist Miera Tull is depressed:
contact with Earth has been lost, the birth rate is dropping, and her
own biological clock is ticking.... Actually, that's about it. If the
name of the planet is not sufficient hint, we find such lines as, "...to
suckle a moment of peace...", "...a pregnant pause...", "...new life
burst forth..." And that's all in the first three chapters. That last
one is about plants, by the way, but you get the picture. In short,
it's an I Want To Be A Mommy book, thinly disguised as sci-fi. Will
Michael be faithful to Daphne? Will Miera get knocked up and/or validate
her womanhood? Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.
-- David M. Shea
Fire
Alan Rodgers
Bantam; 0-553-28777-X; Sept. 1990; 525 pages
The Fire in this excellent second novel by Alan Rogers concerns the
Battle of Armageddon as foretold in the Bible when fire will consume the
world. However it is not God but one man, Herman Bonner, a man held in
high esteem by the government who wants to 'sterilize the planet and get
rid of Sodom and Gomorrah'.
The President's wife has accidently died while on a trip to Russia and
in retaliation he declares war against them. A recently discovered
microbe is accidently released during these nuclear explosions. This
microbe, trilobite, can reconstruct a fossil from bits and pieces of its
DNA. The horror of this is that it resurrects all the people and
creatures that have died. In effect you die, then are resurrected, then
die again and the pattern repeats itself, ad infinitum. Nothing can
stop it! Can you imagine being electrocuted, dying and then coming back
to life only to repeat the same death over and over? The thought of that
continuing agony makes me shudder. Also released in the blast is a
creature whose appearance resembles the Beast of Revelation -- a
physical abomination with several heads growing from its neck. This
creature apparently can communicate telepathically and it convinces Ron
Hawkins to travel with it on a cross-country journey to try and stop
this Apocalypse. The ending was superb. Rogers ties everything
together in a most fitting and satisfying conclusion. Fire has enough
action, violence and suspense to fill a couple of books. The ending was
a minor letdown for me only because I wanted this fine epic to continue.
I feel it cries out for a sequel.
This marvelously crafted novel challenges the reader's imagination by
theorizing on many of man's religious dilemmas regarding death and the
end of the world, while leaving the answers to one's own beliefs. It
does make one think.
The characters are superb and more than believable, but the one I most
enjoyed was old Tom the dog. Tom seemed to have the best role and at
times had more personality and insight than the others. Rogers even
managed to sneak in a couple of Bantam Books executives as characters,
namely his wife Amy Stout as a store manager and Lou Aronica as a
sheriff.
Alan Rogers is a rising star in the horror field and Fire will only
enhance his future position. Don't miss this novel.
-- Richard Weilgosh
The Founder
Christopher Rowley
1989 Del Rey 251 pp; $3.95
Set in the Fenrille universe, this novel is a prequel to the author's
award-winning The War For Eternity (1983) and The Black Ship (1985).
Like most prequels it has the built-in disadvantage that one knows, to
some extent, how it comes out. However, this book contains enough
action for any two ordinary novels: Clan Fundan's escape from the Sol
system; civil war aboard the starship; and humanity's first contact with
the fein, the chitin, and the woodwose. Rowley has a knack for
portraying the human race's darker side, without losing touch entirely
with our meager virtues. Those who know the Fenrille universe will find
new insights; those who don't, might start here and then catch up with
the other books. Recommended. [****]
-- David M. Shea
Heritage Of Flight
Susan Shwartz
New York: TOR, 1989, $3.95, 338 pp
This is a difficult novel to categorize and perhaps is best described as
ecological science fiction. Not that there aren't other elements
present, there are: Galactic war, discrimination within and between
races, colonization of new worlds, the struggle for survival and the
struggle for growth of self all dart in and out from chapter to chapter.
But these serve more as sheep dogs, herding the plot along to its
somewhat predictable, if only in a general sense, end.
In fact, this is ecological SF from a science perspective. Sort of like
a treatise on the impact of oil spills as written by Exxon. The points
are all there and well made, but the final conclusions and the actions
taken are somewhat contradictory and driven by expediency. For example,
one of the major themes in the novel has to do with the fledgling
colony's contact with a race of moth-like beings who turn out to possess
intelligence. Unfortunately, much like their Earthly counterparts, these
moths -- or Cynthians as they are called -- pass through a larval stage
to reach adulthood. And the larvae are ravenous, directly threatening
the area staked out by the colony. And so, the settlers are forced to
make a choice -- albeit a somewhat loosely explained one -- in which
they decide to eradicate all traces of the Cynthians -- larvae and
adults. This produces a great deal of cultural angst which is present
throughout the book. Not that the decision is lightly made, it isn't,
only following much discussion and soul searching. The driving voice of
reason, in the person of one Beneatha, the group's Xenobiologist, is
unfortunately muted due to Shwartz's decision to make the character a
whiner and a nag. While Benethea says all the right things about
protection of the environment and its native species, the message is
warped by the medium. And the message is important, if not crucial, to
the theme and plot.
This message, embodied by the act of genocide, returns in discussions
concerning what sort of cultural heritage the colony is leaving for its
children. Parents and the colony's leaders fear that their actions will
leave the children mentally scarred beyond healing.
The emotional impact of making major decisions rings true and Shwartz
has done an excellent job of capturing the mental anguish of leadership
in no-win situations. Characters thoughts, words and deeds ring true to
life. This is both a very good thing and a very bad thing. While I
found myself nodding in agreement with the internal dilemmas I was also
somewhat annoyed with the amount of time spent on them. True to life,
yes, but, I think, too true for fiction to be comfortable.
Shwartz's ability to show the dilemmas faced by this tiny colony whose
only mission consisted of the order "to live and be human," is quite
detailed. Too much so, perhaps, in that a great deal of time is spent
with these characters guilt, anger and depression and too little with
their search for possible solutions. A number of times I found myself
wanting to reach into the pages and slap some sense into these people.
If they were truly worried about their children they should have been
more concerned with the effect their constant moaning and groaning was
having.
The primary groaner is Pauli Yeager, former deep space fighter pilot and
now colony commander, mother, wife, chief decision maker and conscience
for the people. Pauli mumbles and stumbles her way through the book,
wracked by indecision concerning the future and regrets about the past.
When the opportunity presents itself, in the form of a contact from a
now unified galaxy, Pauli freely gives herself up to authority, in fact,
demanding court martial and the subsequent penalty for genocide --
death.
It should be noted that this book is composed of three short stories,
two which previously appeared in Analog in 1983 and 1986. While this in
no way affects the plot, it does make the flow somewhat choppy. The
breaks, where one story ends and another begins are fairly obvious, but
this proves far less distracting than Shwartz's adherence to "real life"
in her characterization.
-- Stephen Sawicki
Heritage Of Flight
Susan Shwartz
Tor; 1989; $3.95
Pauli Yeager was trained as a combat pilot. But when her ship fled an
unsuccessful battle, she and a handful of other officers were assigned a
thankless task. Dumped on a virtually unexplored planet with a shipload
of refugee children, Yeager and her companions are instructed simply to
"survive, and stay human". With limited supplies and virtually no
briefing, a handful of soldiers and a troop of half-feral children are
left to make it on their own. Survive they will; but at what appalling cost?
Like Yossarian's fish, I have ambivalent feelings about this book. The
author, best known for historical fantasies, proves she can spin a
credible space opera. The book is well-written, the pace is crisp, and
the characters are believable. Still, Heritage Of Flight is an
uncomfortable companion. It's about things I'd rather not think about:
things like atrocity, guilt, atonement. (It's a very Jewish sort of
book ...) And that, presumably, is the point. That this book insists
you think about the unthinkable is at once its best recommendation and
its chief drawback. [****-]
-- David M. Shea
[continued]
------ End ------
