The Illearth War / Stephen R. Donaldson

2.5 stars out of 5

Thomas Covenant found himself once again summoned to the Land. The Council of Lords needed him to move against Foul the Despiser who held the Illearth Stone, ancient source of evil power. But although Thomas Covenant held the legendary ring, he didn't know how to use its strength, and risked losing everything....

I’ll admit that book 2 is an improvement over book 1, but it’s a grudging admission.  Having said that, Thomas Covenant is STILL an ass, but the improvement is that this installment isn’t all in Covenant’s POV.  Mind you, Hile Troy as narrator is only a small step upwards.  What is it with the Lords’ magic that they can only seem to snag “damaged” men from “our” world?  At least Troy had some theoretical battle knowledge to contribute [but he would probably be much better at mission planning if he was less emotionally involved, à la Ender’s Game].  

I hate that there are lots of female characters and all of them are cardboard cutouts (mind you, even the vast majority of the male characters are extremely under-developed, so I guess I shouldn’t bitch too much).  High Lord Elena wastes time “massaging the brows” of upset men, instead of giving them a swift kick and telling them to get over themselves.  Especially since Covenant and Troy both really need to get over themselves.  Plus if a male High Lord spent time cooking and cleaning up along the journey, we’d wonder what the heck was wrong with him—where is his support staff?  Elena’s willingness to just go haring off after the Seventh Ward right before battle just baffled me—once again, behaviour which wouldn’t be acceptable in a male character in her position and I didn’t find acceptable for her either.

Pacing was a big issue for me in this book.  This tale just whips you onward, giving no respite, no hint that there is hope with which to buoy your spirit as the battle unfolds.  I kept waiting for a switch, for a chapter to describe what Elena and Covenant were doing, for example.   Instead, I was getting beaten down, as the army keeps on making heroic sacrifices and nothing is gained, they just face another retreat when they are already completely worn down and worn out.  Even a glimpse behind enemy lines would have be an improvement, just to tear the gaze away from the grind of marching and making a series of “last stands.”  Eventually, we get Covenant’s perspective, but I would have preferred some kind of alternation between the two, rather than just doggedly following one plot line to the end before starting in on the second plot line.  And we never get a glimpse into the enemy camp, to know what the good guys are up against.

My biggest beef, I think, is that the people don’t act like any real people that I know.  The people of The Land are sheep-like in accepting that Covenant’s ring accords him special treatment and in placing their faith in him and in Troy without any suspicion or any real discussion.  There seems to be blind faith in their leadership by the council of Lords.  The only emotions expressed by any characters are those of anger and unhappiness—if you don’t count unbelievable insta-love (which I don’t because it doesn’t exist).  [And women falling in love with their fathers—like that’s going to happen except in Sigmund Freud’s wild imagination.]

2.5 stars, and that’s being generous.

Beyond the Blue Event Horizon / Frederick Pohl

4 out of 5 stars

The story begins when the hero of Gateway finances an expedition to a distant alien spaceship that may end famine forever. On the ship, the explorers find a human boy, and evidence that reveals a powerful alien civilization is thriving on a transport ship headed right for Earth…


Beyond the blue horizon
Waits a beautiful day.
Goodbye to things that bore me.
Joy is waiting for me.
I see a new horizon.
My life has only begun.
Beyond the blue horizon lies a rising sun.

(Beyond the Blue Horizon, Jeanette MacDonald)


I wonder if Frederick Pohl had these song lyrics in mind with the title of this book? Or whether he had any say in the title at all, a clever combination of the song title and the event horizon of a black hole, a consuming preoccupation of Robin Broadhead, the main protagonist.

I found myself fully engaged in this novel from the first few pages—trying to figure out what the heck was going on. I find that authors who engage my curiosity, rather than telling me too much, keep me reading more quickly and with more persistence. I really enjoyed the vagueness of the threat which Pohl used to keep the reader hooked—not knowing exactly which details are significant or what exactly they mean. Who are the Dead Men? Are they really dead and if so, how do they carry on conversations? Who or what are the Old Ones? Are they really a threat to our intrepid explorers?

Of course, all of this is layered on top of the basic questions asked in the first novel, Gateway—who or what are the Heechee, where did they go, and can we expect to find them?

There is rather a lot of theoretical physics discussed, in the guise of having a computer program explain it to Robin, our billionaire protagonist. Those sections drag a little bit, being barely disguised info dumps. Despite those chunky bits, this book carried me along very quickly.

My only disappointment was how quickly things resolved in the final chapters—details that I would have liked to know were glossed over, steps were skipped in my opinion, some things tied up a little too neatly, others seemed neglected. I guess Pohl must have had a third book in mind and needed a platform on which to begin the next installment. I have many questions about what went on and where the characters go from here, so undoubtedly I will carry on to the next book in the series.

The Whale Road / Robert Low

4 out of 5 stars

Life is savage aboard a Viking raiding ship. When Orm Rurikson is plucked from the snows of Norway to brave the seas on the Fjord Elk, he becomes an unlikely member of the notorious crew. Although young, Orm must quickly become a warrior if he is to survive.

His fellow crew are the Oathsworn---named after the spoken bond that ties them in brotherhood. They fight hard, they drink hard, and they always defend their own.

But times are changing. Loyalty to the old Norse Gods is fading, and the followers of the mysterious “White Christ” are gaining power across Europe. Hired as relic hunters, the Oathsworn are sent in search of a sword believed to have killed the White Christ. Their quest will lead them onto the deep and treacherous waters of the whale road, toward the cursed treasure of Attila the Hun and to a challenge that presents the ultimate threat.


By Loki’s hairy arse, this book is best read with a shot or two of Akvavit to get one in the mood for death and destruction. Because there’s lots of both to go around.

Apparently the Oathsworn are like a cross between an urban street gang and the Mafia—once you’re in, it’s next to impossible to get out and your many acquired enemies will remember you forever and show up when you least expect them. Forget the whole “band of brothers” idea—these guys are held together more by an oath to Odin than to any personal loyalties.

Orm is no hero, but he keeps getting through situations that he realizes should have killed him, starting with being attacked by a formerly-captive polar bear, the accidental survival of which gives him his nickname, Bear Slayer. Unfortunately, Orm knows that the epithet isn’t deserved and yet it places a target on his back—many men will want the glory of being the one to defeat the Bear Slayer.

This is very firmly a man’s world—women feature only as wives (not seen very often), as witches (there are a couple of those), but mostly as thralls (slaves) suitable for housework and humping in the otherwise all-male camps. It is also a very violent world, filled with blood, guts, and shit—not a very glorious depiction of the battlefield. I appreciated the outlook that Low gives to Orm, that real battle is nothing like the glorious sagas of Norse culture. Other authors have explored the idea that heroes are actually people who have blundered through the danger of battle and survived only by luck (if you consider the survivors to be the lucky ones), like Kurt Vonnegut in Slaughterhouse Five, for example. Low is no Vonnegut, but he certainly takes the glamour out of the battlefield.

I was interested to note that the author participates in Viking re-enactments during the summer season. Perhaps this helps with the depictions of the parry and thrust of his battle scenes in the book, which were very realistic. Nothing like actually being part of a shield wall to give him the language to describe it.

I will definitely be reading book two, The Wolf Sea, to see where Odin leads young Orm next.

Second Stage Lensmen / E.E. Smith

2.5 stars out of 5

Kim Kinnison, Number One man of his time, had faced challenges before - but rarely one as daunting as this. To him fell the perilous task of infiltrating the inner circle of Boskone, stronghold of galactic civilization's most deadly foe. Kinnison had to become a local Boskonian in every gesture, deed - and thought. He had to work his way up through the ranks of an alien enemy organization, right into the highest echelons of power. Then it would be he who issued the orders - orders that would destroy his own civilization...

If you can ignore the most obviously dated parts of this book, the story will still pull you along.  However, Smith does like to go into the details of space flight as he imagined it and I found myself speed-reading those sections just to get by them.  Not a computer in sight, of course, since this series was written in those misty years before computers became such a part of our society.  I was somewhat disappointed that none of the engineers in this yarn pulled out their trusty sliderules!

What absolutely amazed me was Smith’s depiction of a matriarchal planet—and the degree of vitriol which he put into it!  In previous books, a woman was sent to Arisia to become a Lensman, but was turned down by Mentor or Arisia (letting the aliens be the bigoted ones).  In this one, Kinnison’s fiancée achieves Lensman status, which you would think meant that women were doing okay.  However, while on the planet of the Matriarchs, Kinnison couldn’t be more contemptuous—Smith depicts these women as completely unconcerned with their own appearance.  Free from the male gaze, they are completely ignorant of any form of beauty, even natural beauty such as water falls, rainbows or mountain ranges!  Smith’s depiction of an outraged Kinnison seems extreme.  He says far worse things about these women than he does about the whole Boskonian organization!  Apparently the concept of capable women, who can run a planet just fine, thank you, really flipped a switch in Doc Smith.  Very revealing of the tone of the times.

Worth a read if you are into the historical roots of science fiction or if you are interested (as I am) in the evolving role of women in the genre.

2.5 stars.

The book haul

 

These are the books I picked up at the Calgary Reads book sale, two weekends ago.

I donated 6 bags of books to the sale and only bought one bag, so I do have room on my shelves right now for all of my current collection.  Yay!

Plus, the proceeds of the sale go towards literacy programs for children.

Win, Win!

 

Favourite books of April and May

This book was by far and away my best read during April. 

See my review:

http://wanda-thenextfifty.blogspot.ca/2014/05/mr-penumbras-24-hour-book-store-robin.html

I love penguins, Antarctica and memoirs, not necessarily in that order.  I really enjoyed this account of a doctor over-wintering at a British Antarctic base.

My review:

http://wanda-thenextfifty.blogspot.ca/2014/05/empire-antarctica-gavin-francis.html

The Hound of the Baskervilles / Arthur Conan Doyle

4 out of 5 stars

Holmes and Watson are faced with their most terrifying case yet. The legend of the devil-beast that haunts the moors around the Baskerville families home warns the descendants of that ancient clan never to venture out in those dark hours when the power of evil is exalted. Now, the most recent Baskerville, Sir Charles, is dead and the footprints of a giant hound have been found near his body. Will the new heir meet the same fate?
 
This was a re-read for me, but after many decades.  I had forgotten the charm of the Holmes stories and I’m glad to revisit one of my favourites.  I just attended a theatrical performance of The Hound of the Baskervilles last weekend and wanted to compare the production to the original.

The roots of the forensic mysteries that I enjoy today are on display in The Hound, as Mr. Holmes uses logic and investigative techniques to catch slippery criminals.  Conan Doyle was the great-grandfather of the genre, introducing components that we still expect in modern crime novels—an expert protagonist (medical examiner,
anthropologist, police detective), an attention to all kinds of details which can work as clues, and a side-kick or partner to create the conversations that allow the reader to know the thought processes that are crucial to solving the crime.

Because I had just seen the play, I’m not a good judge of whether there is still any sense of surprise when reading The Hound—I did enjoy the quality of the writing and the well-structured story, despite knowing the outcome.   Not as elaborate or wordy as many novels from the 19^th century, The Hound also displays a more stripped-down language, showing the evolution towards the 21^st century crime procedural novel.