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OtherRealms Issue 28 Part 16
Electronic OtherRealms #28
Fall, 1990
Part 16 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.
Words of Wizdom
Reviews by Chuq Von Rospach
But what is the literary merit of Science Fiction?
By what standards should it be judged?
By precisely the same standards of other fields of fiction. I myself
prefer fiction which is entertaining, although some critics do not
seem to care about this point. -- Robert Heinlein
Summer. Vacation time. A time to relax. A time to unwind. A time to
read like crazy and try to catch up on all those great books that have
been gathering dust through the deadlines. I'll spare you the
commentary this time -- but if this column seems long, you should see
how many books didn't make the cut.
The Quiet Pools
Michael P. Kube-McDowell
Ace, $17.95, May, 1990, 371pp, 0-441-69911-1
In the movie When Worlds Collide, one of the most powerful moments of
the movie is when the general populace realizes that the people in the
spaceship are going to leave them behind to die. It doesn't really
matter that the ships can't carry everyone -- the riots begin as those
who don't have seats decide to go and create an place -- or make sure
that nobody goes.
It's easy to talk about sending people out to space. The people that
are going, obviously are going to be motivated to make sure the project
succeeds. But what about the people being left behind? What is in it
for them? How do we keep the people staying home behind a multi-year,
very expensive project designed to benefit only a small percentage of
people?
This is what Michael Kube-McDowell has chosen to explore in his latest
book, The Quiet Pools. Allied Transcon is funding a project to send
five ships -- a few tens of thousands of people -- out into the Void.
The first ship is on its way and the second ship is close to completion,
and reality is setting in on Earth. Homeworld, a radical organization
attempting to stop the migrations, is stepping up their activities and
the people of the Earth are wondering why they're spending all this
money. The "What's in it for me?" attitude that has plagued the
American space program for so long is rearing its ugly head again.
This is the story of those who are left behind, and it's the story of
those keeping the dream alive in the face of increasing odds. It is,
even more importantly, a careful look at why some people drive
themselves out into the unknown while others hunker down in their caves,
afraid to stare at the stars. It is both very similar to and quite
different from Dan Simmons' wonderful Phases of Gravity, and those that
liked that work will definitely want to track this one down. It's not
an easy read, it isn't supposed to be either escapist or particularly
enjoyable and some folks are guaranteed to come out of this work feeling
rather depressed. There's a lot to be depressed over here. On the
other hand, this book says a number of very important things that fluffy
mind-candy could never even hint at.
Readers should be aware that there is some sexually explicit material.
Easily offended sensibilities need not apply -- but this is by far the
best piece Kube-McDowell has written to date and one of the best books
I've read in what's is turning out to be a fairly average year for
books. Highly recommended. [****+]
Castleview
Gene Wolfe
Tor, 278pp, $18.95
If I was kidnapped by a Whitley Streiber Bug-Eyed Monster and told I
could only take the books of one author with me to the dissecting table,
I'd want to read Gene Wolfe in the waiting room. Wolfe is a writer that
epitomizes not only what is good about the Science Fiction field, but an
indication of what Science Fiction can be. His series about Urth, which
starts with Shadow of the Torturer, is a classic of the field. His
other works, from Free, Live Free to Soldier of the Mists, all go and
redefine the pieces of the field that he chooses to touch. Some of his
work is highly experimental -- Free, Live Free is a character study done
in an SF setting, for instance and a highly complicated look at a number
of different people. His works are noted for the precise language and
exacting use of English, their complex tapestries of words and ideas and
things. Wolfe is also a rare beast in that he's equally adept at
Science Fiction as he is Fantasy. His lesser works (There are Doors and
Soldier of Arete, for instance) are still the kind of book many writers
wouldkill to be able to produce. He's the kind of writer that other
writers look up to technically, and that readers have grown to expect a
thought-provoking journey from.
One thing to be aware of: Wolfe requires the reader to be an active
participant in the journey. He does not feed you pablum. His books are
not one-evening entertainments to be read and discarded. They have
texture and taste and at times they fight back -- Wolfe is the kind of
writer that collaborates with a reader in a trip to the end of the book.
There are nights when I don't have the energy to keep up with him and I
turn to lighter fare -- but long after the mind candy is forgotten, a
part of Wolfe sticks with me and whispers in my ear. There aren't many
authors that can do that. Unfortunately.
Wolfe's latest is Castleview, a fantasy with Arthurian overtones.
Castleview is a town in Illinois named because at various times you can
see a castle in the distance. Into this come Will Shields, new owner of
the car dealership, and his family. Then lots of weird things start
happening.
Part of me is convinced that Wolfe specifically set out to write a book
designed to drive book reviewers crazy. There's no way I can coherently
explain the plot. Suffice it to say that whatever Arthurian stuff there
is in Castleview is very subtle and usually hidden beneath the other
layers -- there are vampires (maybe) and there are nasty people and a
werewolf (maybe) and Fairie hanging off on the side and a cult religion
that might be killing people and revenge and....
It could just be that someone's spiking the water in Castleview, too.
What really got to me in the book was that, over a period of a number of
hours, Wolfe throws in half a dozen fantasy genres, mixes thoroughly
with a few contemporary sub-plots, throws a little Fairie dust on it and
then puts it in front of a fun-house mirror just to watch everything
bend and twist -- and at the same time makes it look as though, ho-hum,
it's just an average night in Castleview, Illinois. There's a strong
surreal sense to the book, as though Wolfe is seeing exactly how far he
can push you before you throw the book down in disgust and say "I refuse
to believe this!" -- if you accept flying castles, how about vampires?
and werewolves? And King Arthur? and Fairies?
All at once? Somehow he pulls it off. Thinking back, I'm not sure how,
but he had me pushing to the end, mentally thinking "what next? what's
he going to do to me next?"
This is the kind of book that drives reviewers crazy -- it's good, but
impossible to describe. You'll just have to read it for yourself to
find out. And if you can explain it coherently, please tell me what
it's about. [***+]
Hyperion/Fall of Hyperion
Dan Simmons
Foundation, $8.95 ea., 482+517pp, 0-385-26348-1, 0-385-26747-9
I'm reviewing this set together because this is really a two book novel.
Are you ready for a 1,000 page novel (in actuality, between 1,100 and
1,200, because Doubleday went to a denser layout in Fall; if published
in one volume, it would have rivalled some of Stephen King's
hernia-makers). More importantly, can Dan Simmons write a successful
1,000 page novel?
In a word, yes. Hyperion has just won the Hugo award at the 1990
Worldcon, a fact that bothers me only because I felt the ending of the
first volume was very abrupt, inconclusive and arbitrary (it is not an
ending, merely a stopping point until you start up the second volume).
I also think that of the two volumes, Hyperion is the weaker one.
On Hyperion, the time vaults are showing signs of preparing to open.
The vaults, which are (as far as anyone can tell) travelling backward
from the end of time for reasons that are unknown. A religion, the cult
of the Shrike, has sprung up around the tombs, and it is said that
parties of pilgrims that travel to the Shrike will have the wish of one
of the pilgrims. Lest that sound like a good deal, the other pilgrims
are all killed. The cult believes that when the vaults open the Shrike
will be released on the world and that Armageddon will result.
Add to this the fact that Hyperion is a primary point of conflict
between the Hegemony and the Ousters (if you think of Niven's Earth and
Belters, but on a massive scale, you get the general drift), a quiet
conflict that looks like it will finally erupt into full-scale
interstellar war. Then there is the Core, the collection of Artificial
Intelligence entities that deal with keeping the Web (a FTL
point-to-point transfer system and massive data transfer network, among
other things -- think instantaneous intergalactic subway system -- the
kind of system that takes you close, but not to, most destinations) and
the administrative aspects of the Hegemony alive.
Simmons has built an immense, complex tapestry to weave his tale. There
are about a dozen sub-plots winding around here and there, popping in
and heading back out for a while, each ultimately helping to carry the
main storyline forward to the end.
Hyperion, better titled Prelude to Hyperion, I think, is the tale of the
pilgrimage and mimics Chaucer's Canterbury Tales fairly closely. As
such, there's not a lot of action in the book -- the Pilgrims are
chosen, they travel to Hyperion and begin the pilgrimage to the time
vaults. Along the way each pilgrim tells their story of why the roads
of fate have carried them on this journey. This is told in a classic
style that readers used to a faster-paced, action-based story might find
a little tedious. Not a lot, relatively speaking, really happens --
Hyperion is an exercise in emulating Chaucer and getting everyone in the
proper positions to start the real story.
Fall of Hyperion is where it all hits the fan. The Pilgrims arrive at
the vaults and meet the Shrike, the Hegemony and the Ousters go at it,
the time vaults open and the Shrike appears. To say much more would
require heading off into plot spoilers, and to say it intelligently
without making a hash of it would require pages -- Simmons is juggling
many subplots around, and none of them turn out to be incidental to the
story. This is one of those books where you really can't hint at the
action without saying too much, and it's a story I don't want to take a
chance of ruining for someone. It's too good.
If you tried to read Hyperion and found it slow for your tastes, I
recommend pushing your way through -- if it doesn't completely grab you
along the way, you'll find the second book (which has an entirely
different pace and tone, much more modern in style) will more than make
up for it. I think Fall of Hyperion stands alone, but this is a set
that really should be read together. Together, they set a new standard
for high-quality Science Fiction that authors are going to find
themselves hard-pressed to meet. This book (it may be in two volumes,
but it definitely one book) is one of the few books I've read in the
last few years that I think has a chance of becoming a long-term classic
of the field. It is definitely a must-read. [*****]
The Dragonhiker's Guide to Battlefield Covenant
at Dune's Edge: Odyssey Two
David Langford
Drunken Dragon Press (UK)
Good luck finding this book. I got mine from the Serconia Press people
in the huckster room at Westercon, and I got lucky finding it. Tracking
down your own copy in the United States will be a chore, but well worth it.
If it isn't obvious from the title, Langford has sharpened his legendary
pencil and poked some fun at many of the big names of the field.
Included in his list of victims are Harlan Ellison, Piers Anthony,
Asimov, Lewis Carroll, Frank Herbert, Michael Moorcock (in a hilarious
story called "The Mad Gods' Omelette"), Doc Smith and James White (with
a parody of his Sector General stuff that will change how I view that
series forever -- no higher praise can be made of a parody).
This is good stuff. Classic, top-level Langford. It not only kept me
up far into the night, it kept up Laurie, because, try as I might, I
couldn't stop giggling. Maybe we'll get lucky and someone here in the
states will issue an edition. [****]
Polar City Blues
Katharine Kerr
Bantam, August, 1990, 288pp, $4.50, 0-553-28504-1
Katherine Kerr takes a break from her Deverry series and tries her hand
at Science Fiction in Polar City Blues, a low-brow, down and dirty
murder mystery/intrigue story set on the planet Hagar, a dry planet
that's in the middle of competing factions just waiting for an excuse to
come in and take over. A member of the Confederation Embassy is found
dead -- murdered -- and with hints that he was under suspicions of
working with Alliance (the other faction) we're suddenly in the middle
of an interstellar Situation. Then people start dying, and there's a
nasty new (and unknown) virus that's eating people and if things don't
get fixed quickly, one or the other of the factions are going to come
down and 'stabilize' Polar City and then all Hell will really break
loose.
Oh, and did I mention the previously unknown aliens?
Polar City Blues is a fun romp. It's not deep or complex but it's a
well-written combination of the SF field with the Mystery/Suspense field
(similar, in many ways, to the works of John Stith, who with works like
Redshift Redevous is showing you can cross these genre-lines without
screwing one or the other side up) that will give you an enjoyable
evening's read. Recommended. [***]
The Dragon Revenant
Katherine Kerr
Foundation, 403pp, $8.95, 0-385-41098-0
The Deverry series continues with book four, The Dragon Revenant. This
review has spoilers, for which I apologize. If you wish to avoid them,
skip past, but there's no way to discuss the heart of the book without
giving stuff away.
You've been warned. In this book Kerr resolves much of the crisis
that's been hanging through the story. In it, the thread that has tied
the books together -- the vow of immortality by Nevyn until he can
resolve the wryd of his love (currently reincarnated into the character
of Jill) -- is resolved. So is the long-standing rivalry between Nevyn
and the Old One, as they finally meet in a climactic battle and the Old
One is permanently destroyed, not just in this world but beyond
existence within the afterworld as well.
Dragon is, from accounts, the end of the first cycle of Deverry. Nevyn,
the focus of the first three books, is moving offstage and finally seems
to be in reach of his final rest. Not without cost: Jill, Rhodry's
lover and chosen wife, is forced to make the choice between the man she
loves and the wyrd she desires.
Kerr does some gutsy things in this book. First, she decides to retire
the focus of her story and move on to a new storyline, probably
focussing on Jill and Rhodry. The tone of the series seems to be in
transition, and I think the future books will be very different from
what we've seen so far. Another thing she did that both surprised and
intrigued me -- she made a point of reminding both Nevyn and the readers
that Nevyn, immortality and power or no, was not the demi-god-like
figure he'd come to believe he was. He was a tool of the gods, true,
but no more than that, and lest the readers forget like Nevyn had, the
gods came down to make sure everyone understood where he stands in the
scheme of things.
So Kerr moves on to deal with other things in Deverry, taking us along
joyously to see where we end up. This is clearly the best book of the
series to date. Kerr's skill as a writer has matured and she avoids
some of the awkwardness that popped into the first book, and with all
the stuff going on and the plotlines being resolved, the sense of
marking time that sometimes pervaded the middle books is long gone ("We
CAN'T solve the puzzle now! There's three more books to write!")
The entire Deverry series has been a fascinating, well-written work to
date, but The Dragon Revenant is the book that makes it all shine like
polished silver. If you're one of those people who waits for the series
to be published before starting, now is the time to pick it up and jump
in. Deverry is the story that shows how to move beyond the
three-book-novel type of series into the kind of complex tapestry that
makes all those pages worthwhile.
If I have a gripe, it's the book design. The book was typeset in
Cochin, which, while a really pretty baroque face that goes well with
the material in the book, is also a real pain in the eyes after a few
hours of reading. This book kept me awake four straight nights past
midnight while trying to finish it, and this typeface is not pleasant
reading when you're tired. They would have been better off sticking
with something a little more traditional and easier to deal with,
frankly. [*****]
[continued]
------ End ------
