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A Gaggle of Book Reviews for April
Reviews
by: Li
Rapkin
End
of an Era
by Robert J. Sawyer (1994)
I suspect
that every science-fiction writer has a dinosaur story lurking
somewhere. End of an Era is Robert J. Sawyer’s contribution
to dinosaur fiction. Paleontologist Brandon Thackeray wants
to find out what killed the dinosaurs, as well as whether
or not his wife and best friend are having an affair—and not
necessarily in that order. The means for the first is a trip
back in time to the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary. As for the
second…well, that’s a little more complicated.
Sawyer’s
thrown several ideas that have been floating around science
fiction for years into an interesting mix. What killed the
dinosaurs? What happens to the future when you change the
past? What about the theory that life on earth originated
elsewhere? Each one of these questions has spawned hundreds
(if not thousands) of novels, but the blend is satisfyingly
complex. The characters are realistically rendered human beings,
and likeable in spite of it. Sawyer has also taken a good
deal of care with his research. If you’re a fan of paleontology,
you might recognize bits of the Marsh-Cope rivalry woven into
the story. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, don’t
worry; it’s a lovely addition, but not crucial to the plot.
Best of
all, the book really captured my attention—I lost a couple
of hours of good sleep because I couldn’t wait to get to the
ending. If you’re a fan of “hard” science fiction, paleontology,
or a good adventure, take the time to read End of an Era.
It blows Jurassic Park out of the water.
The
Grand Ellipse
by Paula Volsky (2000)
The Grand
Ellipse is best described as Jules Verne’s Around the World
in Eighty Days, set in Paula Volsky’s own particular fantasy
world. An eccentric king (the rich are never insane) has planned
a race around the world in order to impress a would-be mistress.
The participants, or “Ellipsoids”, must complete a circuit
of the nations of the world, with passports stamped at predetermined
stops. Any means of travel is acceptable. This would be of
no particular interest in a world that is currently being
conquered wholesale by one of the nations upon it, except
that the eccentric king insists upon strict neutrality even
as one of his mages invents an extremely powerful weapon and
leaked news of it despite the king’s orders to the contrary.
Given that the winner of the race known as the Grand Ellipse
will be granted an audience with the king, the importance
of the race becomes monumental. Naturally, each Ellipsoid
also has pressing personal reasons to win the race. “Unsportsmanlike
conduct” doesn’t even begin to describe the conduct of the
Ellipsoids and their supporters, which includes everything
from petty vandalism and horse theft to murder and selling
one’s rivals into prostitution.
The main
viewpoint character, Luzelle Devaire, has to overcome the
obstacle of being a respectable, ambitious woman in a world
where the most advanced nations are at a Victorian level of
propriety and an “adventuress” is a prostitute who enjoys
travel. She’s determined to win the Grand Ellipse in order
to escape financial ruin and a humiliating return to her overbearing
father’s household. As it happens, her very proper ex-fiancé
is also participating in the race, as well as an intriguing,
chivalrous young officer from the country that is currently
threatening to invade her homeland. Volsky’s imaginative,
detailed, and realistic settings provide an ever-changing
and exotic backdrop. She’s also got a keen nose for human
nature, and the relationship between the mad king and the
frustrated mage is exceptionally well written.
Probability Moon
by
Nancy Kress (2000)
In Probability
Moon, the human race has been using a poorly understood means
of interplanetary travel left behind by a mysterious, ancient
civilization. We’ve discovered several other sentient races,
all of which have a striking genetic similarity to humans.
All but one of these sentient races are part of a confederation,
and the lone holdouts, known as “Fallers”, are the type who
shoot first and don’t bother to ask questions later. The war
between the humans and the Fallers is going badly, and the
confederation needs a decisive military advantage. A manufactured
object masquerading as a moon in a relatively unexplored system
may have the edge the human race needs. This system is inhabited
by a near-human species of sentients, all of whom live in
a state of shared reality. Anything that violates the shared
reality causes violent headaches among those who experience
it. A xenoanthopological expedition provides cover for the
military mission. If the humans want to be successful in their
work—both on the planet and above it—they must convince the
natives that they are real. Kress has done a wonderful job
of demonstrating the nature of the shared-reality sentients
with a character who has been declared unreal as punishment
for a crime. Part of her atonement involves spying on the
Terran research team, a task that leads her far beyond the
reality she’s excluded from. Conversely, the human characters
are constantly adjusting themselves to what they think reality
ought to be, using a complex method of manipulating brain
chemistry.
Kress
often explores the nature consciousness and how it relates
to evolution in her work, and Probability Moon as a great
example of her work in general. I only had one problem, which
was that I though the ending was a bit weak compared to the
rest of the book. It’s not that I mind a dead character here
or there, especially if it’s consistent with the way the story
has to end. Instead, I almost got the feeling that the ending
might have been rewritten at the last minute with a sequel
in mind. Normally, I like a good, unresolved, not-necessarily
happy ending, but this one was a little too vague for my tastes.
It’s still worth your time, but I suggest that you get it
from the library instead of buying a copy. (Sorry, Nancy).
The
Fresco
by
Sheri S. Tepper (2000)
A well-known
editor once said, “If you’ve got a message, use Western Union.”
Sheri S. Tepper has been ignoring that suggestion for her
entire writing career, and The Fresco is no exception. Normally,
she manages to wrap the message into a really good story,
so that you don’t mind so much that she’s hitting you over
the head with it. The Fresco certainly does offer up a good
story, but the message is constantly competing with it. The
book simply lacks the necessary balance and subtlety necessary
to make the message blend into the fiction. We humans are
too irrational to solve our problems, so some aliens, the
Pistach, have to do it for us. Perhaps she’s just gotten impatient
with humanity, and not without good reason, but this particular
work has suffered because of it.
That said,
Pistach society is fairly interesting. Its entire moral code
is based on an ancient fresco that shows a prophet bringing
the message of “Being Neighborly” to the remote ancestors.
In the intervening years, the holy fresco has become utterly
obscured with the smoke of votive candles and oil lamps, so
that only indistinct forms can be seen. The great holy fresco
is never cleaned, but each dim panel is labeled with a description
of the scene. Modern members of the civilization rely on interpretive
sketches in an ancient commentary to guide them. These modern
individuals have wonderfully sneaky ways of going about making
the human race behave itself—which seem draconian until the
alternative is presented. If humans can’t learn to become
good neighbors, the planet will become a hunting ground for
an association of predatory species whose only restriction
is that they would not be allowed to let humans become extinct.
The main
character, a bookstore manager from New Mexico, is chosen
as the Pistach’s intermediary. Her life is a microcosm of
what’s wrong with humanity in general— she has an abusive,
alcoholic husband who has already had several encounters with
the so-called criminal justice system, and a son ready to
follow in his father’s footsteps. She’s so wrapped up in the
day-to-day concerns of coping with her family that she doesn’t
have the resources to help herself until the Pistach offer
her a very generous amount of money to be their envoy. This
welcome reversal of fortune starts the novel, and quickly
leads us into another recurring theme in Tepper’s work, the
Ultra-Conservative Conspiracy. The most depressing part is
that the Ultra-Conservative Conspiracy is so well written
that it’s hard not to start looking for it in real life. (Personally,
I tend to think that people are far too contentious to maintain
a really good, long-lasting conspiracy, but Tepper’s one of
the few who makes me reconsider that position). Overall, The
Fresco is a swift kick in the head wrapped around a pretty
good story.
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