Bookshelf

Tales from Planet Earth - Arthur C. Clarke - Legend œ3.99

Arthur C. Clarke has been writing SF since 1946 and he has written
with such frequency that there can't be many of us who haven't
read at least one of his many stories. This collection was first
published in 1989 but contains 16 short(ish) stories which,
chronologically, span his entire career so far; the earliest date
back to the late 40s. There is a preface by the late Isaac Asimov
and many of the stories also have introductions by Clarke, giving
some of the background to them, pointing out connections with
modern day life (The Road to the Sea mentions portable music
players - and that was written in 1949) and, occasionally, where
he 'went wrong' (certain details of the atmosphere of Titan).
However, any errors such as these can be forgiven easily since the
story in question, Saturn Rising, was written long before the
Voyager missions.

Though I read little SF these days, my tastes having gone more to
the fantasy side, I still enjoy books by the 'masters' and I count
Clarke as one of those. The collection covers many aspects of
traditional SF and more ... man's exploration of his planet
(wherever it might be), his search for knowledge, contact with
alien lifeforms, friendly or otherwise, conservation and sometimes
a man's search to find his true self. Though some are better than
others, all are worthy of reading. An excellent collection by a
truly talented author who knows the subject he writes about.

                        * * * * *

Dragon's Gold - Piers Anthony/Robert E. Margroff - Grafton œ3.99

This is the first in a new series though Anthony and Margroff have
collaborated on two previous novels (The E.S.P. Worm and The
Ring), neither of which I've read. It is, in fact, not clear that
this IS the first of a series, but I recently spotted the
follow-up, which I think was called Chimera's Copper, in a local
WH Smith.

It tells the story of Kelvin and his sister Jon (who yearns to be
a boy). They are the offspring of a local woman and an alien but
the 'alien' in this case is from Earth and the main thing that
sets Kelvin apart from other boys (and his sister) is the fact
that he has round, rather than pointed, ears. His father, being a
fugitive, is forced to flee for his life when they are still young
so they have been brought up by their mother and her new husband,
a local man, who she marries when she hears of her first husband's
death.

The story starts with the two youngsters searching for gold - not
any gold - dragon gold - from dragon scales. First find a dead
dragon or kill one if you dare! Fortune is on their side and soon
they are loaded down with valuable dragon scale but a chance
encounter with a highwayman results in not only the loss of the
scale but also in Jon's being kidnapped and taken to be sold as a
slave. In his hunt to save his sister, Kelvin will discover more
about his heritage, the meaning of a prophecy that his mother has
often quoted to him and a lot about his own strengths and
weaknesses.

I've long been a fan of Piers Anthony though I have only read a
fraction of the many books he has written. This is very unlike the
other books of his that I've read, maybe due to the co-authorship,
but none the worst for it. The characters (especially Kelvin and
Jon) are well-written, the plot moves on steadily and its
different facets mesh neatly into place.

                                                  Sue