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Weber Woman's Wrevenge No. 53 February 1999 Contents Diary notes Book notes LOCs Background by Windy |
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Science fiction and fantasy book notesby Jean Weber The Fleet of Stars, by Poul Anderson, Tor, 1997This book is the latest (the cover says "final") in the series begun with Harvest the Stars and including The Stars Are also Fire, and Harvest the Fire. We meet again with the download of Anson Guthrie, who started it all, some hundreds of years later. The humans of Earth, the Moon and Mars are dependent on technology, have their lives shaped by machine intelligence, and believe they are far better off than their ancestors because they have no more wars or poverty. The few people who want something more, who have a burning desire to do something different, to go to the stars simply because the stars are there, are treated as unfortunate cases who need help to overcome their problem. Then there are the Lunarians, genetically altered humans, with a different culture and attitude, who see a conspiracy to deny them their freedom. "Out there" are the descendents of Lunarians and humans who left Earth long ago. Also "out there" is a mystery, and a few people on Earth and Mars believe that the Cybercosm is suppressing information information about what's happening away from the inner solar system. Can Anson be the catalyst to solve the mystery? What is the Cybercosm up to? And why? I much enjoyed this book, after being slightly disappointed in Harvest the Fire, which seemed a bit too much fantasy after the (to me) reality of the first two books. Cosm, by Gregory Benford, Avon, 1998A scientific who (or what) dunnit by a working physicist, featuring a sharp look at the way research is done and funded and the power plays involved, in addition to the scientific mystery. Will the research unleash something dangerous? Can the accidental discoverer of the Cosm finish her research in time? Benford has managed to create some quite believable characters with believable interactions, then mix in a lot of theoretical physics without (in most cases) detracting from the story. After all, real physicists really do explain things to each other while scribbling on whiteboards or scraps of paper! I found this book, its characters and the action much more interesting and believable than some of Benford's other recent works (in the Galactic Cente series), which were a bit "far out" for my taste, despite his writing skill. David Brin, Brightness Reef, Bantam, 1995The first book in a new Uplift trilogy, this one focuses on a planet where the refugees of six intelligent races have settled and have (mostly) come to terms with each other after a series of wars among them. Then a strange starship arrives and throws their delicate balance into turmoil. Brin does a good job depicting non-humanoid aliens and their thought processes, and his characterisations of humans has improved over his earlier books. Emma Bull, Falcon, Ace, 1989, reprinted July 1996Okay, so sometimes it takes me awhile to catch up with the writings of an author when I discover her well progressed into her career. Niki Falcon is a "gestalt pilot", able to pilot starships. He has an altered metabolism and an addiction to a drug that keeps him alive. Unfortunately, this combination will cause him to die young, as have all the other gestalt pilots. Meanwhile he is trying to save a planet from destruction. Can he also find a way to save himself? Finity's End, by C.J. Cherryh, 1997Set in the universe of Cyteen and Downbelow Station, this book follows a young man, Fletcher, who was born on Pell station (during the Company Wars) to a crew member of the ship Finity's End. Fletcher grew up hating his family for what had happened to his mother, and was trying to build a life on Pell despite the restrictions of the rules imposed on him by station society. Now his family is back to claim him for the ship, and he doesn't want to go. After lashing out in a typically rebellious teenage fashion, Fletcher is forced aboard Finity's End, where he must adapt to life with a very different set of rules amidst a collection of cousins who are his age but whose apparent age is much younger. The serious politics go on at much higher levels, as the Captain tries to defuse a renewal of the war and bring the independent merchanters into agreements that can save all of their lives. Meanwhile, Fletcher is learning about himself and about loyalty, love and family ties. A powerful book, as I expect from Cherryh. ISBN 0446606703, out of print. C.J. Cherryh, Inheritor, Daw, 1996Third in the series begun with Foreigner and Invader. A young human male is the ambassador from one group of humans to the alien atevi. The humans have been trying not to transfer their technology to the atevi before they think the aliens are ready to receive it (also they need something to bargain with). Then another group of humans shows up from space, and the atevi are needed to build up their technology level to enable the humans to build spacecraft to save themselves. The atevi, reasonably enough, want to make the best deal for themselves, so the politics gets complicated. Cherryh manages to make many good points (about the dangers of making assumptions about other cultures, for example) without interfering with the story. Although this series has a lot of psychological musings in it, there's enough drama to keep the story moving along. Did You Say Chicks?! edited by Esther Friesner, Baen, 1998Following the success of Chicks in Chainmail, this collection of short stories romps all over the usual cliches of women warriors. This book features some of my favorite writers, including Elizabeth Moon, Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, Barbara Hambly and Margaret Ball, all of whom can turn out a truly hilarious story with a (pardon the pun) cutting edge of reality to it. (The other writers have done a great job, too.) Order Did You Say Chicks?! now Mother of Winter, Barbara Hambly, Del Rey, 1996Return to the world of Darwath (featured in the trilogy The Time of the Dark, The Walls of Air, and The Armies of Daylight), where Californians Gil Patterson (now a Guard) and Rudy Solis (now a wizard) are still fighting the Dark alongside the locals, who mostly don't appreciate them. This is not a book to read with meals, unless you're trying to lose weight. The detailed descriptions of vile creatures, the creeping "slunch" (a porridge-like plant?), disease, death and destruction should really put you off your food. I can't remember if the earlier books were quite this disgusting, or if the characters were more interesting (and therefore I overlooked the disgusting bits) or what. I can't say I enjoyed this book, though I will say it is certainly well-written, with believable (and sometimes likeable) characters (even if, for me, the circumstances weren't those I could relate to). I was, however, most interested to learn the secret of the Dark: what it was and why it was doing what it was doing; so I'm glad I read the book. Nancy Kress, Oaths and Miracles, Roc, 1996Not marketed as sf, this mystery "thriller" has a strong sf background (biotechnology). Her excellent writing, as you'd expect from the author of Beggars in Spain, Beggars and Choosers, etc., carried me through far more deaths than I like in a book. A Game of Thrones, by George R.R. Martin, 1996I probably wouldn't have read this book, except that Martin was at Thylacon and he's an interesting person to talk to; I know he writes exceptionally well, but he's one of many writers whom I admire but whose books (especially if fantasy) I'm not particularly interested in. But I did read it, I enjoyed it thoroughly, and I'll probably read the second volume. Most of tThe women are strong (though not always likeable); some of the girls are foolish (appropriate given their lack of experience); most of the men are arrogant and unpleasant (the exceptions are far more interesting). Altough that summation sounds fairly typical of fantasy (especially of the pseudo-medieval "who'll inherit the crown" and "take back my birthright" variety), Martin does an exceptionally good job with his material. His characters are very believable, whether likeable or not. Once a Hero, by Elizabeth Moon, 1997, BaenEsmay Suiza was a young (and reluctant) hero in Winning Colors, who participated in a mutiny against traitorous superior officers and thereby won a major battle and saved a considerable number of lives. Unfortunately, since it was a mutiny, she has to answer to a military court, which is necessarily hard on her. Having survived that, she is pressured to take further command-officer training, but she resists, telling herself that she doesn't have what it takes (though clearly she does). It turns out that her past is haunting her, and she doesn't want to submit to psychological counselling to deal with it. Eventually we discover that much of what she's hiding is hidden even from her, because the childhood experience was so traumatic. Slowly the reality of those experiences is revealed to her (and to us) and she begins to work through the memories and take control of her life. All of this is interwoven with a fast-paced, quite exciting story of space battles and life in The Fleet. Moon knows her military stuff as well as writing believable, well-rounded characters and detailed settings. Elizabeth Moon, Remnant Population, Baen, 1996I enjoy anything by Moon, and I particularly liked the idea of an elderly woman, who'd been pushed around by her family for some years (and by society for much longer than that), simply refusing to do what she was told. Then, after a period of Ofelia's happily being all by herself, this bunch of alien youngsters shows up and gets underfoot. Finally some older, wiser aliens turn up, and the humans come back, and guess who ends up being the go-between? As a "revenge" story with a difference, this one's great. Just a few of the many other books by Elizabeth Moon (I love them all): Nadya, by Pat Murphy, Tor, 1996Nadya is a werewolf like her mother and father. In the 1830s, soon after reaching puberty, she is forced to flee the Missouri wilderness when her family's Christian neighbors kill her parents. (The fact that Nadya is a better shot with a rifle than most of the men in town, and she's a beautiful young woman who lusts after the young men, doesn't help. "Good" young women of that day didn't let their sexual nature show, and being better at a "male" sport only made the men resentful.) After her parents are killed, Nadya flees westward, wearing men's clothing. Somewhere on the great plains, she meets Elizabeth, who's been left behind by a wagon train when her father died. The two women continue their journey together, although Elizabeth believes Nadya is a young man named Nat. Elizabeth has no idea how to survive by herself, or even that it's possible for a woman to do so. They catch up with the wagon train, which has been attacked and burned; they find one survivor, a girl Jenny. Nat begins teaching them survival skills. Before long, Nadya realizes that she is attracted to Elizabeth, and Elizabeth learns that Nat is female. Eventually they become lovers. The story of their trek across the plains, the Nevada desert and the infamous Donner Pass is also the story of the development of Elizabeth and Jenny as strong, capable people. However, as soon as they reach California and "civilization," Elizabeth reverts to being a "proper" churchgoing Christian woman. (Jenny, being younger and less indoctrinated, presumably changes less. A throwaway line in this book suggests the possibility of another book about Jenny's life.) Nadya, meanwhile, is distinctly unimpressed with Elizabeth's relatives (and most of the other people she meets), whose views on "Injuns" and women (and just about everything else) is rather at odds with Nadya's view of reality. She continues on towards Oregon, seeking someplace where she can be herself, not what others expect her to be. The book is a good study of life in the mid-1800s, when women had mainly two roles (from men's point of view), Native Americans were "dirty Injuns," and just about everybody was considered inferior by white males. Murphy could probably have written at least as good a novel about those issues without having Nadya be a werewolf. I've read some criticism of Murphy for doing so (along the lines of "what was the point?"), but I enjoyed that aspect of the book. For me, the werewolf connection, which I thought was quite well done, gave the added value of creating sympathy for the wolves; I think that would have been hard to do otherwise. Ciara's Song, by Andre Norton and Lyn McConchie, Warner, 1998The second Witch World novel by Lyn McConchie. Lyn is a fine storyteller and she's done a good job here. Ciara is a young girl when the witchhunters come to destroy her family, who carry the blood of the Old Race. She escapes by hiding in a cave and is rescued by a sympathetic neighbouring lord, who adopts her as his own daughter. Court intrigues and politics don't touch them as much where they live, but they cannot escape being caught up in the wars between those who would be the Duke of Kars. Years later Ciara marries her rescuer's son and produces some quite awful children who sneer at their parents and run off to be involved in a more interesting life in the city. This should sound familiar to anyone of the baby-boomer generation. Two of the grandchildren, however, are quite okay (one isn't; he's even worse than his parents). Aisling and Keenan love their grandmother Ciara and the life away from the city, far from petty squabbles and bullying. Aisling has Ciara's gift of magic and is thus in danger from the witchhunters during any of their occasional periods of power and purges. Aisling is eventually called to perform a heroic deed to escape from her oldest brother, Kirion, whose ambition is not stopped by kinship bonds. This book makes a lot of good points about intra-family dynamics, both positive and negative. One minor quibble: this otherwise fine story could be improved by some judicious copy-editing to correct Lyn's punctuation oddities. Order Ciara's Song from Amazon.com : Order from Amazon.co.uk The Last Continent, by Terry Pratchett, 1998This is the first Terry Pratchett book that I've read all the way through. I've started reading several others and given up in the face of a type of humor that I just can't get into. I know he does a great job, but it isn't a style I enjoy. However, I kept going through this one because of the Australian connection and managed to enjoy it thoroughly despite the overwhelming insanity. I certainly did a lot of laughing out loud while reading it. I'm not whether non-Australians will pick up enough of the references, but Australians ought to be rolling in the aisles with laughter. He's managed to parody a vast range of Australian cultural icons. Some silly things seemed so Australian: the town names of Didjabringabeeralong and Buggarup, for example. If they're not real town names, they ought to be! They even sound Australian. The plot? Uh, there was a plot? Oh yeah, I suppose there was, but does it matter? When you're on a laugh-a-minute roll, who needs a plot? You'll either love it or hate it, depending on your taste - or possibly, as in my case, in spite of your taste in humor. Splashdance Silver, Tansy Rayner Roberts, Bantam, 1998This book won the inaugural George Turner prize for science fiction and fantasy. Roberts is a twenty-year-old from Tasmania. She is studying Classics and English at the University of Tasmania. The press release says she was "raised on a steady diet of Dr Who and British comedies" and it shows. Roberts has written an amusing comic fantasy about pirates and politics, treasure and traitors. The tone of the book reminds one of Terry Pratchett's work, and she's done a very good job of it. She has a good turn of phrase, some clever ideas, and an interesting cast of characters to toss into what would otherwise be a fairly standard plot. Kassa Daggersharp's pirate father is dead and she is heir to a vast silver treasure-trove, but she doesn't actually know where the treasure is, and she has to contend with a lot of other people trying to get their hands on it too. Will Kassa embrace her pirate side, or her witchy side, or succeed in becoming something else entirely? Unfortunately, for me the novelty wore off (and the whole story started sounding repetitious) around page 100. Though possibly if I'd read it in smaller doses, it would have held up better. (I have a low tolerance for ludicrous situations, and I've found that some books are good for 15-minute bites on the bus; this is one of them. Other books suffer badly from being read in small doses). Still, well-done humor sells, and this is certainly well done. I wish the writer well and look forward to reading her next book. Kim Stanley Robinson, Blue Mars, 1996Sequel to Red Mars and Green Mars. I have been totally enthralled by the whole Mars series by Robinson, even though I could quibble with some of the long rambling passages, particularly in this book. The vision just sweeps me away, and I can so easily picture being there myself, in the groups he describes, doing the things they are doing.
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Mage Heart, by Jane Routley, Avon, 1996, and Fire Angels, Avon, 1998Jane Routley is an Australian-born writer who divides her time between Australia and Denmark. Her first published novel is Mage Heart, a fine piece of feminist writing in the fantasy-verging-on-horror style. The first few pages, an excellent example of the narrative hook, almost had me giving up on the book because I don't enjoy reading stories about females tempted by demons. ("If that's what this book is about, I have better things to do with my time," I snarled in irritation.) Fortunately I was determined to read more, since I've met Jane and various people such as Lucy Sussex say good things about her writing. I say "fortunately" because within another dozen pages the story became something I do very much enjoy reading. Dion is a girl with magical abilities generally considered beyond what females are able to do. Her (male) protector and teacher has died, and the college of mages isn't quite sure what to do with her. Dion is hired to protect Kitten Avignon, the beautiful mistress of the Duke of Gallia against a necromancer who is stalking her. Dion is outraged, having been raised on a steady diet of prejudices about people and her own status ("What will people think if ...?" "My reputation will be ruined if..." "A proper woman wouldn't ...." And so on). At the same time, she must face society's view of what women can do and should do, most of which she has accepted despite her own exceptional abilities. As demonstrations of the sort of thinking that inhibits many capable women and causes sexual discrimination in our own society, these are fine books. Once she is part of the court, Dion slowly unbends a bit, particualarly when pursued by Andre, a dashing man who won't take "no" for an answer. She's simultaneously attracted to him and suspicious of his motives (though never dreaming the awful truth); her body wants him but her brain knows she shouldn't let him have his way (lest she be "ruined"). A familiar problem for teenaged females in a male-dominated society, and reminiscent of the '50s in the USA (possibly later in Australia?). I wouldn't have thought Jane was old enough to have personally lived through this sort of discrimation and personal angst, but the book rings very true to me. You'll have to read the book to find out if the necromancer and his demon slave manage to get to Kitten, or if Andre manages to seduce Dion. The book ends with a dramatic magical battle that would go really well on screen - in fact, I think the whole book would make a good TV series. Obviously the hero, Dion, survives, because she's back in Fire Angels. She's left the court and is living in a small town near the border of Moria, her original home. Moria had been taken over some years before by a collection of fundamentalist religious fanatics who burn "witches" (Dion was in Gallia to escape them). Her boyfriend doesn't know she's the most powerful mage in the land, so he's quite condescending to her. One day two of her long-lost brothers show up, asking her to return to their home (despite the considerable danger) to save her sister, who has apparently been taken over by a demon. She goes with them (the boyfriend goes too) and ends up in the middle of a major political crisis. The Duke of Gallia wants to marry the heir to Moria and unite the lands, with himself as king. Enter the Wanderers, a tribe of displaced people who seem to combine elements of gypsies and Australian Aboriginals. They are seen by most people as nothing but worthless, dunken layabouts, but actually have a rich culture and are the original inhabitants of a small area (now surrounded by Moria) that was - centuries before - destroyed by a freed demon and is now taken over by another necromancer and his enslaved demons. They want the Morian heir, the Lady Julia, to be crowned as Queen, as they know she will respect their rights and the claims to their homeland; the Duke is playing typical male power games and would happily sacrifice the Wanderers to his ambition. Again we read a lot about the abilities and the appropriate role of women as Dion and Lady Julia work to conquer the real enemy, the necromancer and his demons. Despite the subject matter, I found this book (like the first) totally engrossing, and stayed up late to finish it. Gibbon's Decline and Fall, by Sheri S. Tepper, Bantam, 1996It is the year 2000 and fundamentalist religions (not all of them Christian) have made considerable gains in restricting the rights of women, fomenting race hatred, and increasing other restrictive practices that tend to concentrate power in the hands of a few. Those few appear to not be content to have power, but them seem to thrive on all the negativism. One could be forgiven for thinking that it's a conspiracy... but of whom? Men? A small subset of men? One man and his (possibly unknowing) followers? Is someone (or a small group) behind all the nasty things that are happening? If so, who? And why? Can anyone stop it? Carolyn Crespin and six women friends from college days (one presumed dead) have some clues, but putting the clues together and finding a solution is quite a challenge. This intriguing book combines elements of fantasy (but in a science-fictional way), conspiracy theory, mystery solving, science, and horror as it tackles feminism, fundamentalism, wider political and religious issues. As a feminist, I thoroughly appreciate books where the women win (preferably without tossing the whole male sex on the scrapheap while doing so), and I consider any book well written when it causes me to both gnash my teeth in rage at injustice, and cheer when someone does something I approve of in attempting to overcome that injustice. Tepper appears to have a rather bleak view of life as we know it (witness many of her recent books), yet she always holds out hope, too... we can do something about our problems, insurmountable as they may seem. The solutions aren't easy or obvious, but they can be found... if we have the will to do so, rather than thinking that it's someone else's job. I'm interested in books that look at the common American habit of finding someone else to blame, rather than taking responsibility for one's own actions (the most conspicuous example being a tendency to sue people over anything and everything negative that happens to you). Tepper's books frequently take a serious look at this situation, so I greatly appreciate them. This book is no exception. It's a good one. Order Gibbon's Decline and Fall now The Family Tree, by Sheri S. Tepper, Avon, 1997Another apocalyptic novel from Tepper. This time it's the trees taking over our world, springing up in yards and roadways, making space for those who treat them well and are polite to them, but less benign to others. Third and greater children in families simply disappear. Other weird stuff happens, scientific researchers are being killed, and someone is trying to derail any investigations. In alternate chapters, we follow some people on a quest through a land that sounds oddly as if it's out of the Arabian Nights or some such. Strange things are happening in this world too, and it's apparent that there is some connection between the two worlds. Eventually some people from both worlds meet, and I must admit that Tepper caught me completely off guard as to the true nature of one group. I hadn't caught any of her clues! Together the two groups work to solve the mystery and save the situation, though not easily. I really enjoyed and appreciated this book. Promised Land, by Connie Willis and Cynthia Felice, Ace, 1997Fast-paced, wacky and amusing, as I've come to expect from these accomplished authors. Delanna was sent off-planet to school by her mother after her father's death. Her mother hated the planet where she lived (Keramos) but (for reasons that slowly become clear as Delanna learns about the property and inheritance laws of Keramos) she apparently was unable to leave. Now Delanna's mother is dead and she has come to claim her inheritance, sell the land, and go back to "civilization." Delanna is outraged to discover that in order to sell her property, she must live on it for a year, and - far worse - that upon her mother's death she automaticaly became married to the heir to the adjoining farm. Delanna is typical of many people with limited experience and a prejudice handed down from a parent: she sneers at the people living on Keramos, who don't have many of the comforts and gadgets that she takes for granted. She thinks they are ignorant hicks who are crazy to actually enjoy their barbaric lives. Worse, they gossip about everything on the shortwave, and they tease her constantly about mistakes she makes out of ignorance of local conditions. As for the inheritance laws - they are beyond belief. Unwilling to give up her inheritance, she arranges for an appeal to be heard by the circuit court at its next visit (in about 6 weeks) and sets off for her property. On the long journey and after arrival, as she comes to grips with the harsh land and its people, and strives to keep her (illegally imported) pet scarab from being destroyed 'by the "rules are rules" quarantine veterinarian, many things happen that at first outrage her and then slowly cause her to see that there is a lot more to the people than is apparent at first glance. Most of them are good, likeable, hardworking, loyal, considerate and intelligent folks who just happen to have some habits that she's not used to. This is a fine example of one of the styles of writing that I most admire: a book that can be read as a humorous, fast-paced adventure, or as a thoughtful examination of human prejudices and friendships. It's the sort of book that I have to read at least twice: first for the adventure, and again to savour the human aspects. The writing team of Willis and Felice has also produced Light Raid and Water Witch. Home | Wrevenge 53 Contents | Book Notes | LOCs | More book reviews Contact me jean@jeanweber.com Page last updated 29 March 2002 |