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james_davis_nicoll) wrote2013-07-25 10:17 pm
james_davis_nicoll) wrote2013-07-25 10:17 pm
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The Science Fiction Book Club Reviews Revisited: 1979 (second quarter)
List courtesy of Andrew Wheeler.
Contents from Contento.
* * *
snip broken links
* * *
April THE AVATAR by Poul Anderson
In the early 21st century, humanity finds a truncated Tipler device on the far side of the Sun and using it we gain access to another Earthlike world. When an expeditionary ship returns from a first contact mission, well intentioned statists attempt to cover the information up. This leads to a journey across time and space.
There are some nice descriptive passages in here but the story and characters did little for me. I also think Anderson never calculated how massive that Tipler Device was.
[I've tried to reread this one and I think it is arguably Anderson's worst, with most of his weaknesses and few of his strengths. Since it has not been reprinted since the 1970s, I suspect a lot of people agree with me.
It was thanks to a review of this I found a claim Irish has a word for a prostitute posing as a musician. Interesting if true]
STARDANCE by Spider and Jeanne Robinson
In a more benevolent universe, Robinson is not allowed to attempt to turn his short stories and novellas into novels.
The first section details the struggle of one woman to become a dancer, at a great cost. It ends with her saving the Earth at the cost of her life.
The rest of the novel also shows people attempting to become dancers in space (Inspired by Henry S.F. Cooper's A House in Space I think) but it manages to undermine all that is good about the original section.
[I am guessing the blatant antisemitism in this was pointed out to me after I wrote these reviews]
ROGUE MOON by Algis Budrys (Alternate)
Around 1960, America established a base on the Moon, using a duplication device. Duplicate humans are briefly linked telepathically; this fact is used to explore a mysterious alien artifact on the Moon, sending duplicates in to inevitable doom as the original shares the experience through their link. Most humans can not stand the experience. This book is about one man who can.
I liked this as a teen but have not reread it recently.
LEST DARKNESS FALL by L. Sprague de Camp (Alternate)
A classic story of a fellow named Martin Padway who finds himself transported back to Ostrogothic Rome. Knowing that Belesarius is due to flatten the place in a few years, he sets out to use what knowledge he brought back in his mind to reform the place.
Again, I liked this as a teen. It was only lately that I discovered one trick Padway uses to embarrass an opponent was right out of US politics.
RINGWORLD by Larry Niven (Alternate)
This is set in Niven's Known Space. A huge artifact is discovered, a million miles wide and long enough to loop about a star at 1 AU. The inner surface is habitable. This is the story of the first expedition to the RW that included a Kzinti and a human.
I still have fond memories of this (I have the first edition, in which Earth rotates the wrong way). Not much in the way of characters or a plot but man, is the RW a nifty idea!
[At least it is if you are 14]
City Clifford D. Simak (Gnome, May '52, $2.75, 224pp, hc)
+ o Aesop o Clifford D. Simak o nv Astounding Dec '47
+ o Census o Clifford D. Simak o nv Astounding Sep '44
+ o City o Clifford D. Simak o nv Astounding May '44
+ o Desertion o Clifford D. Simak o ss Astounding Nov '44
+ o Hobbies o Clifford D. Simak o nv Astounding Nov '46
+ o Huddling Place o Clifford D. Simak o ss Astounding Jul '44
+ o Paradise o Clifford D. Simak o ss Astounding Jun '46
+ o The Simple Way ["The Trouble With Ants"] o Clifford D.
Simak o nv Fantastic Adventures Jan '51
There's another story in this setting (Epilogue) and I am not sure if the SFBC edition contains it.
This is the episodic tale of how humanity, with the best of intentions and without ever resorting to weapons of mass destruction, drove itself extinct and how the intelligent animals and robots we left behind decided to pick up the torch of civilization humans dropped. I am quite fond of it.
THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS by John Wyndham (Alternate)
In a world on the verge of global peace, the combination of what may have been orbital weapons and the recent appearance of mobile carnivorous plants leaves most of humanity blind and easy prey.
Wyndham was one of the two masters of the cosy catastrophe novel (John Christopher being the other). I am still fond of this, having reread it recently.
May THE FOUNTAINS OF PARADISE by Arthur C. Clarke
This is the story of how the first orbital tower on Earth came to be built and is, I think, still one of Clarke's best novels.
[Yeah, don't know if I still think that. I notice if I reread a Clarke, it's never that one]
MEDUSA'S CHILDREN by Bob Shaw
I *think* this is set in part on a balkanized Earth where the WInds of Change kept blowing (A common Shaw theme) and in a giant glob of water in space that is connected to the Earth's oceans.
Not one of Shaw's better books, I think.
Spring SAINT CAMBER by Katherine Kurtz
I never read this.
THE STAINLESS STEEL RAT WANTS YOU by Harry Harrison
Nor this.
CAMBER OF CULDI by Katherine Kurtz (Alternate)
Nor this.
THE FANTASY WORLDS OF PETER BEAGLE by Peter Beagle (Alternate)
Nor this.
[Beagle's another one of those authors I mean to read more of and I never do]
June
The Book of Morgaine C. J. Cherryh (SFBC, 1979, hc)
+ o Gate of Ivrel o n. New York: DAW Mar '76
+ o Well of Shiuan o n. New York: DAW, 1978
+ o Fires of Azeroth o n. New York: DAW, 1979
These are three linked novels about a woman whose job it is to go from place to place to close down the space/time spanning gates an elder race built, to limit the catastrophic effects they have on history.
I liked them at the time but have not reread them in years and years.
BROTHER TO DEMONS, BROTHER TO GODS by Jack Williamson
I don't recall this well enough to review it.
[I still own it, though]
IN MEMORY YET GREEN by Isaac Asimov (Alternate)
This is part of Asimov's two-part autobiography and I am still quite fond of it. I wonder why so sfnal autobiopgraphies like this came out at this time?
.
Contents from Contento.
* * *
snip broken links
* * *
April THE AVATAR by Poul Anderson
In the early 21st century, humanity finds a truncated Tipler device on the far side of the Sun and using it we gain access to another Earthlike world. When an expeditionary ship returns from a first contact mission, well intentioned statists attempt to cover the information up. This leads to a journey across time and space.
There are some nice descriptive passages in here but the story and characters did little for me. I also think Anderson never calculated how massive that Tipler Device was.
[I've tried to reread this one and I think it is arguably Anderson's worst, with most of his weaknesses and few of his strengths. Since it has not been reprinted since the 1970s, I suspect a lot of people agree with me.
It was thanks to a review of this I found a claim Irish has a word for a prostitute posing as a musician. Interesting if true]
STARDANCE by Spider and Jeanne Robinson
In a more benevolent universe, Robinson is not allowed to attempt to turn his short stories and novellas into novels.
The first section details the struggle of one woman to become a dancer, at a great cost. It ends with her saving the Earth at the cost of her life.
The rest of the novel also shows people attempting to become dancers in space (Inspired by Henry S.F. Cooper's A House in Space I think) but it manages to undermine all that is good about the original section.
[I am guessing the blatant antisemitism in this was pointed out to me after I wrote these reviews]
ROGUE MOON by Algis Budrys (Alternate)
Around 1960, America established a base on the Moon, using a duplication device. Duplicate humans are briefly linked telepathically; this fact is used to explore a mysterious alien artifact on the Moon, sending duplicates in to inevitable doom as the original shares the experience through their link. Most humans can not stand the experience. This book is about one man who can.
I liked this as a teen but have not reread it recently.
LEST DARKNESS FALL by L. Sprague de Camp (Alternate)
A classic story of a fellow named Martin Padway who finds himself transported back to Ostrogothic Rome. Knowing that Belesarius is due to flatten the place in a few years, he sets out to use what knowledge he brought back in his mind to reform the place.
Again, I liked this as a teen. It was only lately that I discovered one trick Padway uses to embarrass an opponent was right out of US politics.
RINGWORLD by Larry Niven (Alternate)
This is set in Niven's Known Space. A huge artifact is discovered, a million miles wide and long enough to loop about a star at 1 AU. The inner surface is habitable. This is the story of the first expedition to the RW that included a Kzinti and a human.
I still have fond memories of this (I have the first edition, in which Earth rotates the wrong way). Not much in the way of characters or a plot but man, is the RW a nifty idea!
[At least it is if you are 14]
City Clifford D. Simak (Gnome, May '52, $2.75, 224pp, hc)
+ o Aesop o Clifford D. Simak o nv Astounding Dec '47
+ o Census o Clifford D. Simak o nv Astounding Sep '44
+ o City o Clifford D. Simak o nv Astounding May '44
+ o Desertion o Clifford D. Simak o ss Astounding Nov '44
+ o Hobbies o Clifford D. Simak o nv Astounding Nov '46
+ o Huddling Place o Clifford D. Simak o ss Astounding Jul '44
+ o Paradise o Clifford D. Simak o ss Astounding Jun '46
+ o The Simple Way ["The Trouble With Ants"] o Clifford D.
Simak o nv Fantastic Adventures Jan '51
There's another story in this setting (Epilogue) and I am not sure if the SFBC edition contains it.
This is the episodic tale of how humanity, with the best of intentions and without ever resorting to weapons of mass destruction, drove itself extinct and how the intelligent animals and robots we left behind decided to pick up the torch of civilization humans dropped. I am quite fond of it.
THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS by John Wyndham (Alternate)
In a world on the verge of global peace, the combination of what may have been orbital weapons and the recent appearance of mobile carnivorous plants leaves most of humanity blind and easy prey.
Wyndham was one of the two masters of the cosy catastrophe novel (John Christopher being the other). I am still fond of this, having reread it recently.
May THE FOUNTAINS OF PARADISE by Arthur C. Clarke
This is the story of how the first orbital tower on Earth came to be built and is, I think, still one of Clarke's best novels.
[Yeah, don't know if I still think that. I notice if I reread a Clarke, it's never that one]
MEDUSA'S CHILDREN by Bob Shaw
I *think* this is set in part on a balkanized Earth where the WInds of Change kept blowing (A common Shaw theme) and in a giant glob of water in space that is connected to the Earth's oceans.
Not one of Shaw's better books, I think.
Spring SAINT CAMBER by Katherine Kurtz
I never read this.
THE STAINLESS STEEL RAT WANTS YOU by Harry Harrison
Nor this.
CAMBER OF CULDI by Katherine Kurtz (Alternate)
Nor this.
THE FANTASY WORLDS OF PETER BEAGLE by Peter Beagle (Alternate)
Nor this.
[Beagle's another one of those authors I mean to read more of and I never do]
June
The Book of Morgaine C. J. Cherryh (SFBC, 1979, hc)
+ o Gate of Ivrel o n. New York: DAW Mar '76
+ o Well of Shiuan o n. New York: DAW, 1978
+ o Fires of Azeroth o n. New York: DAW, 1979
These are three linked novels about a woman whose job it is to go from place to place to close down the space/time spanning gates an elder race built, to limit the catastrophic effects they have on history.
I liked them at the time but have not reread them in years and years.
BROTHER TO DEMONS, BROTHER TO GODS by Jack Williamson
I don't recall this well enough to review it.
[I still own it, though]
IN MEMORY YET GREEN by Isaac Asimov (Alternate)
This is part of Asimov's two-part autobiography and I am still quite fond of it. I wonder why so sfnal autobiopgraphies like this came out at this time?
.
no subject
That's why Fritz Leiber's wonderful 1961 story, "The Beat Cluster," is ahead of its time.