Electronic OtherRealms #14 April, 1987 Part 3 Books Received Bantam Books Crowley, John. gypt, 390 pages, $17.95 hardcover, April 1 ship date. Latest from World Fantasy Award Winning Author. DAW Books Friedman, C. S. In Conquest Born, 511 pages, May, 1987, $3.95. Friedman's first novel. Signet Books Adams, Robert. Trumpet's of War, 223 pages, March, 1987, $3.50. Horseclans #16. Clarke, Arthur C. A Fall of Moondust, 254 pages, 1961, $3.50. This (and the next three books) are the start of a re-issue of selected works by A. C. Clarke. The works will have coordinated covers and new introductions by the author. Clarke, Arthur C. The Nine Billion Names of God, 253 pages, $3.50, 1967. Clarke, Arthur C. The Sands of Mars, 246 pages, 1952, $3.50. Clarke, Arthur C. The Wind from the Sun, 244 pages, 1962, $3.50. Silverberg, Robert. Isaac Asimov's Wonderful World of Science Fiction #6: Neanderthals, 351 pages, March, 1987, $3.95. Another anthology from the prolific anthologers Charles Waugh and Martin Greenberg. St. Martin's Press Pohl, Frederik and Kornbluth, C.M. The Space Merchants, 169 pages, 1952, $3.50. A new edition of a wonderful classic. Pohl, Frederik. The Merchant's War, 296 pages, 1984, $3.50. Sequel to The Space Merchants. Tor Fantasy Llywellyn, Morgan. Bard: The Odyssey of the Irish, 461 pages plus bibliography, March, 1987, $4.50. Polikarpus, Viido, and King, Tappan. Downtown, 293 pages, March 1987, $2.95. Tor Fiction Sutcliff, Rosemary. Sword at Sunset, 498 pages, $4.50, reprint of a 1963 novel about King Arthur. Tor Horror Gray, Linda Crockett. Scryer, 346 pages, March, 1987, $3.95. Killough, Lee. Blood Hunt, 319 pages, March, 1987, $3.95. Saberhagen, Fred. An Old Friend of the Family, 247 pages, $3.50, reprint of a 1979 novel, part of Saberhagen's retelling of the Dracula myth. Tor Science Fiction Chalker, Jack L. The Labyrinth of Dreams, 320 pages, $3.50, March, 1987. First in the God Inc. series. Dickson, Gordon R. The Stranger, 254 pages, $2.95, March, 1987. New collection of 14 stories from the 1950's to the 1980's. Harrison, Harry. The Jupiter Plague, 280 pages, $2.95, reprint of a 1982 book. Saberhagen, Fred. The Mask of the Sun, 234 pages, $2.95, reprint of a 1979 novel. Silverberg, Robert. Invaders from Earth, 190 pages, $2.95, reprint of a 1958 novel. Tor Suspense O'Donnell, Peter. Modesty Blaise: The Xanadu Talisman, 278 pages, $3.50. First paperback of a 1981 book. Words of Wizdom Reviews by Chuq Von Rospach One of the things I enjoy doing for OtherRealms is reading the first book by an author. Anyone who thinks you can't break into the publishing business is wrong -- if you are talented, you can. I see at least one first novel a month these days, and I know I'm missing some, since it isn't always easy to tell. First novels need to be read not only for what they are, but also for the author's future potential. Because of this, I tend to judge first novels a little differently than other books, and I try to give an author the benefit of the doubt when things are a little rough on the edges. First novels are rarely bad, but they are also rarely things of glory -- William Gibson and R.A. MacAvoy are exceptions, not rules. The polish comes from experience, and I take great pleasure in watching authors find their voice and mature in their writing. There are two first novels in my stack this month. The first is The Misplaced Legion by Harry Turtledove (Del Rey Books, 323 pages, $2.95). Turtledove has picked up a reputation for writing strong and involving short works, both under his name and under Eric G. Iverson. This novel shows, if nothing else, how different writing novels. A legion of Romans in Gaul battle the Celts. In battle, the two leaders meet in single combat. The Roman centurion carries a modified Celtic sword, and when the two clash, the result is the unleashing of a magic spell that sends the Romans elsewhere. Hence the title. Where they are is Videssos, a country in a place completely unfamiliar. The implication is that they are no longer on Earth. They are contacted by the local military, and finally accepted by the Emperor and hired into his army as mercenaries. In reality, little happens in the book. You learn a little about Roman military lifestyles, but not as much as you'd like. You learn a fair amount about Videssos' lifestyles, but the chance to exploit the Roman's complete ignorance isn't leveraged. Most of the book is a series of subplots, none of them very important and few of them grabbing your interest. There is a long, slow build to the inevitable battle, but the battle rushes by before you're ready for it, taking no more than 30 pages, and much of the battle is only sketchily described. This is not a bad book. It has flaws and pacing problems, It reminds me of the very early Varley books. The similarity between Turtledove and Varley is very strong, as they both seem to write most powerfully at shorter lengths. The Misplaced Legion has some problems, but none of them are fatal. The pacing is inconsistent -- a lot of the book moves slower than I'd have liked, while others move too fast and forget what could have been interested detail. There doesn't seem to be any reason for shoving Romans into this world -- there isn't any real culture clash, Turtledove never uses them to discuss the Videssian culture, and they never really develop an alien feel -- they fit in much too easily for my tastes to be aliens. The transfer from Earth was never justified to my satisfaction, and I never accepted it as anything other than a convenient plot device. And I could never find a character I could relate to to use as a hook for drawing myself into the book -- all of the characters are somewhat static and kept at a distance. Turtledove is a good writer who is simply looking for his voice at a greater length. When he does, he's going to be a name to reckon with. This book is probably worth reading, even though it is more potential than application, as I expect future volumes in this series to be significantly improved. [***-] The other first novel is Project Millenium by Minnesota writer Curtis Hoffman (Ace Science Fiction, 198 pages, $2.95). The cover by James Warhola, unfortunately, is uninviting, showing the God Thor flying his hammer into battle with a large spaceship. Inside... Inside is a series of interconnecting stories ranging from inter- office politics to a replay of Ragnaroque, the Nordic myth of the death of the Gods. It sounds like a bit of a hodge-podge, and it is. At the request of a planet planning on celebrating its millenium, the Entertainment Company takes on a commission for a 100 year project to put together a major battle so the planet can congratulate itself on how civilized it has become. This battle, of course, is illegal, so the operation is covert. The two sides of the battles are coordinated by AI programs, one that calls itself Snorri Sturluson (after the Nordic bard) and the other Richard III (after the English King). They are watched over by an intelligent robot, who is watched over by his robot-bigot boss. Hoffman tries to tell a cohesive story while twisting his way through a large number of subplots and a number of different viewpoints. Unfortunately, it gets very hard to tell the viewpoints apart. I was constantly trying to figure out who knew what and where things were going, and I think Hoffman just tried to carry one more subplot than his writing skill currently allows. Also, the whole enemy camp, from Richard III down, was basically ignored, and so the story is somewhat stilted. As I read the story, I found myself getting more and more confused as to what was going on, because things switched around too haphazardly and too quickly for my tastes. The climax and ending were telegraphed. Hoffman has potential. He tried to write a complex novel, and almost pulled it off.He is definitely on my reading list for future works, but unless you're like me and really enjoy reading new writers, I can't recommend this work. [**] Now, a new work from a master. With the large number of Arthurian retellings and Celtic stories reaching the bookshelves, it is easy to forget that other cultures have their legends and lores as well. Fortunately, Poul and Karen Anderson didn't forget, and with The King of Ys: Roma Mater (Baen Books, $3.95) they give us a carefully researched and fascinating look at the French myths. Gratillonius is a Roman centurion, sent with his troops to be regent of Ys, a position vacant for many years. His mission is to rekindle the ties between Ys and Rome and to use the powers of Ys to support an upcoming overthrow of Rome by his general. Through a sequence of events, he becomes the Kind of Ys as well, and the husband of the Nine. The Andersons have woven a complex series of conflicts and subplots into a work that is likely to be the opening book in a series of stories about Ys. The storyline is relatively simple, primarily following Gratillonius from the time he is sent to Ys to the time he makes the choice to be King, rather Regent of Rome and King. But the real attraction isn't the story, it is the history and the way the story is presented. Ys is a coastal village, protected from the ocean by a large set of sea walls constructed many years ago by Augustus Caesar. It is ruled jointly by the King, who by covenant must be chosen from outside the realm, and seated when they kill the previous King; by the Nine, Wives of the King, Sorceresses and Wisewomen; and the Speaker for Taranus, one of the governing Gods. One of the major conflicts in the book is religious. Rome has recently outlawed all non-Christian pantheons, yet Gratillonius is a follower of Mithras. Ys, on the other hand, worships a triumvirate: Taranis, Lis, and Belisama. The lore of Ys states that it will be destroyed when it forsakes its Gods, for the floodgates survive at the whim of Those Who protect Ys. The conflicts are obvious. With Christianity gaining influence (the Andersons, unlike Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon chose not to portray Christianity as a nasty sect) over the God's that protect them, and with a Mithra worshipper as their King (a King who is willing to support their religions as long as they don't conflict with his beliefs, which, of course, they do). Gratillonius also has to come to grips with his devotion to Rome and the realization that what is best for Rome isn't necessarily the best for Ys. All in all, this is a very satisfying book, and an interesting view into another culture. Ys is pretty obviously the French archetype for Atlantis, the society protected from the sea by their Gods. Somewhere in a future book, it is almost inevitable that the forsaken Gods will destroy Ys as Atlantis was destroyed, but I certainly hope it doesn't happen soon. This book is highly recommended for people who like mature and complex Fantasy. [****] Tuf Voyaging by George R. R. Martin (Baen books, 376 pages, $3.50) is a novel pieced together from a series of stories that Martin has published since 1978, primarily in Analog magazine. They are all about Haviland Tuf, a fat, bald vegetarian who loves cats and owns a bio-ship, a warship from ancient earth that can create or clone living beings from its vast database. He travels from planet to planet, selling his wares and staving off disaster. The stories span about 10 years of ship time, starting with how Tuf came to own the ship. I've read a number of the stories when they were originally publisher, so I'd planned to skip through and read the unfamiliar sections. Tuf was so engrossing I found myself reading the entire thing, and enjoying it immensely. Haviland Tuf talks in a very formal style that might drive you up the wall after a while -- it is somewhat like listening to Miss Manners talk. I never could quite figure out whether Tuf talked this way naturally or if he was just trying to drive the people he was with crazy. Martin has a good sense of dialog, always keeping Tuf right on the edge of turning into a charicature. This is a highly enjoyable work, and worth your time. [****] When Jim Baen was with Ace, he started a paperback anthology called Destinies that was essentially a SF magazine in book form. Later, when he started Baen Books, he revived the format with co- editor Jerry Pournelle with Far Frontiers. Now, Pournelle has dropped off the project, and Baen has renamed it New Destinies (288 pages, $2.95) and turned out a solid first volume (issue?). I was never overly impressed with Far Frontiers, but New Destinies has significantly improved the quality of both the stories and the fact articles. Included are stories by Timothy Zahn, Poul Anderson, Joel Rosenburg, Doug Beason, Fred Saberhagen, and Keith Laumer. Fact articles are by Dr. Robert Forward, John and Mary Gribbin, and G. Harry Stine. All of the stories are good, and I specifically want to recommend reading "Not for Country, Not for King" by Rosenburg, which is on my early list of contenders for a Hugo nomination. In general, the only things I didn't like was Stine's article "The Space Beat: How to Stop a Space Program" which is simply a continuation of his constant whining about how rotten American politics treats its space ships. Overall, a good start, and I'll be looking forward to seeing if the quality continues in future volumes. [***+] A quick final note: Signet is starting to re-issue many of Arthur C. Clarke's early works. First out are two novels, The Sands of Mars and A Fall of Moondust, and two anthologies, The Wind From the Sun and The Nine Billion Names of God. All have new, coordinated cover art and new introductions by the author. The novels are somewhat dated, but still fun to rediscover after all these times. His stories, however, are a real joy, and it is amazing how well they've aged. If you've never read Clarke, now is a great time to start, probably with The Nine Billion Names of God. If you already have these works, you won't want to buy a new copy unless you are a Clarke completist, as the new introductions are only a page long, and there is little new material here. Letters to OtherRealms On Mirror of Her Dreams I want to stress a point you mention in your review of A Mirror of Her Dreams. Anyone who disliked Steven Donaldson's Thomas Covenant novels should read A Mirror of Her Dreams before writing Mr. Donaldson off. Unlike his previous novels, Steven Donaldson fills this novel with likeable characters (which aren't all killed off in horrible ways) and some hope that they can win. Also gone is the excess verbiage of the Covenant trilogies. This novel is refreshingly different from virtually all other fantasy novels in that it asks the characters (and the readers) to think in order to figure out what is going on and how to set things right. (Actually, the novel isn't really a fantasy, it's more of a SF novel in a fantasy setting.) The only thing I disliked about The Mirror of Her Dreams (besides the fact that it doesn't end) is that there is a major hole in the plot. Without giving to much away, in one part of the book, a disaster occurs that could easily be stopped by something which we are shown earlier in the book that all the characters know about. I can't believe they all just forgot about it. Overall, this is an outstanding novel that it so good I would recommend it to everyone even though the second part hasn't been published yet. It loses half a star only because of the plot hole. [****+] Micah Doyle micah@athena.MIT.EDU On Beasts This may have been pointed out already, but I thought I'd mention a minor bug in Alan Wexelblat's review of John Crowley's Beasts. While Beasts is indeed Crowley's second novel, Little, Big is not his first novel but his fourth. Bantam has reprinted Crowley's older novels, which explains why Beasts is on the stands. The proper order of publication is: The Deep (1975); Beasts (1976); Engine Summer (1979); Little, Big (1981); and Aegypt (1987). Of course there may be other books by Crowley which I've missed (I hope not!)... I'm going to buy Aegypt as soon as I can get my greedy fingers on it. Donn Seeley [[ This was something Alan missed, and I didn't take the time to check. My apologies to anyone who was confused by this mistake. Aegypt looks like another winner of a book. OtherRealms should have a review of it soon]] -- Chuq OtherRealms Reviewing the worlds of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. Editor Chuq Von Rospach Associate Editor Laurie Sefton Contributing Editors Jim Brunet Dan'l Danehy-Oakes OtherRealms #14 April, 1987 Copyright 1987 by Chuq Von Rospach. All Rights Reserved. One time rights have been acquired from the contributors. All rights are hereby assigned to the contributors OtherRealms may be reproduced in its entirety only for non-commercial purposes. With the exception of excerpts used for promotional purposes, no part of OtherRealms may be re-published without permission. OtherRealms is published monthly through July, then quarterly by: Chuq Von Rospach 35111-F Newark Blvd. Suite 255 Newark, CA. 94560 usenet: chuq@sun.COM Delphi: CHUQ Review copies should be sent to this address for consideration. Submission Policy OtherRealms publishes articles about Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. We focus on reviews of authors and books that might otherwise be missed in the crowd, but OtherRealms will publish anything of interest to the serious reader of the genre. Pico Reviews are solicited on any book. Duplicate the format in the magazine, and limit your comments to one paragraph. Your comments are solicited! Letters to OtherRealms are always welcome -- tell me how I'm doing, what I'm missing, or where I've goofed. All letters will be considered for publication unless otherwise specified. If you have an idea for an article you would like to see covered in OtherRealms, drop me a line. I'm always looking for new and interesting things to bring before the eyes of my readers. Artists! OtherRealms is looking for a few good hands. I'm looking for genre oriented pictures, comics, dingbats, doodles, and anything else that looks good on the printed page. I need anything up to and including full-page cover art -- my inventory is currently very small. Book Ratings in OtherRealms All books are rated with the following guidelines. Most books should receive a three star rating Anything with three or more stars is recommended. Ratings may be modified by a + or a - to for a half star rating, so [***-] is better (slightly) than [**+]. [*****] One of the best books of the year [****] A very good book -- above average [***] A good book [**] Flawed, but has its moments [*] Not recommended [] Avoid at all costs Subscriptions: A single issue is available for $2.50. Subscriptions are for $8.50 for four issues. Please make checks to "Chuq Von Rospach." Fanzine trading rules apply. Publishers are welcome to a free subscription upon request. Authors write for discount rate. OtherRealms is also available at Future Fantasy, Palo Alto, California. Electronic OtherRealms Electronic OtherRealms is a text-only version of this magazine that is available on a number of computer networks throughout the world. On the ARPA, CSNET, BITNET and UUCP networks, send E-mail to chuq@sun.COM for information on subscribing. On the usenet network, Electronic OtherRealms is available in mod.mag.otherrealms. Electronic OtherRealms is also available in the Science Fiction section of the Delphi timesharing system, and on numerous Bulletin Board Systems throughout the country.