Bookshelf

Cat-a-lyst - Alan Dean Foster - Orbit œ4.50

From the author of Alien comes a very different book, more like
his Spellsinger series though more humorous in some ways.  Jason
Carter is a movie star. Not one of the biggest names; most of his
parts have been in films like 'The Toxic Waste Monster'.  His
latest film is finished and he could do with a break. But the
chance discovery of a CD-ROM disk sets him off on the adventure of
a lifetime in search of hidden treasure in Peru.

What he does discover is a lost tribe of Incas who have managed to
cross into another dimension. Now they can get back to their
original world, they are determined to get their own back on the
Spaniards, once and for all. Isolation hasn't lessened their
feelings towards their conquerors. Add to this a mad
archaeologist, a movie wardrobe mistress who 'isn't what she seems
to be', a gossip columnist who will do ANYTHING to get a story,
true or not, two cats and various other characters, each slightly
more crazy than the last, and you'll realise Jason isn't in for a
relaxing holiday.

                         * * * * * * * *

Kindred Spirits - Mark Anthony and Ellen Porath - TSR œ3.99
Wanderlust - Mary Kirchoff and Steve Winter - TSR œ3.99
Dark Heart - Tina Daniell - TSR œ3.99
The Oath and The Measure - Michael Williams - TSR œ3.99

These four books are the beginnings of The Meetings Sextet, which
chronicle the early lives of the Companions of the Lance.

Kindred Spirits covers the first meeting between Tanis Half-Elven
and Flint Fireforge. Flint is invited to travel to the Elven city
of Qualinost to carry out a commission for the Speaker of the Sun.
Tanis, being half elf, half human, is generally regarded as a
misfit by his people and a strong friendship develops between him
and Flint, especially when Tanis is wrongly accused of murder.

Wanderlust takes place after Flint and Tanis have left Qualinost
and travelled to Solace. Flint has been commissioned to make an
unusual bracelet for a mysterious woman. Unfortunately it falls
into the hands of a light-fingered kender - yes, Tasslehoff
Burrfoot 'accidentally' picks it up. Flint and Tanis have to
recover the bracelet (which, of course, has since been mislaid by
Tas) and gradually the reason for the bracelet's creation becomes
clear.

Dark Heart is the story of Kitiara Uth Matar, half-sister of
the twins Caramon and Raistlin. Hunting for her long-lost father,
she gets drawn into a series of adventures and more and more
fascinated by evil, rather than good.

The Oath and The Measure is the story of Sturm Brightblade.
Attending a ceremony held by the Solamnic Knights, much against
the advice of Caramon and Raistlin, Sturm finds himself drawn into
a challenge from a mysterious stranger, Vertumnus, Lord
Wilderness. Sturm's belief in the Code of the Solamnic Knights
gets badly shaken by his experiences as he attempts to travel to
the Southern Darkwoods for the first day of spring when he must
battle Vertumnus.

I've been a fan of the Dragonlance series since the beginning and
these scene-setting books are excellent ... apart from The Oath
and The Measure which was rather slow. I see it was written by
Michael Williams, author of The Forest Lord (reviewed in Issue 25)
which I also found tedious. But part of the reason I didn't enjoy
the book was Sturm himself - I've never been keen on his
character, he's just too good for words!

                    * * * * * * * *

Quozl - Alan Dean Foster - New English Library œ4.50

The Quozl have sent ships from their planet before, in search of
new planets on which to establish colonies. Some have been
successful and have reported back; others have never been heard of
again.  Now a new ship is making its way across space. Several
generations have passed but soon it will arrive at the planet it's
been aiming for. Imagine the Quozl's surprise when they discover
the planet is already inhabited. There's only one thing to do -
settle the planet in secret and wait for the right time to
announce their presence.  But how do you hide a colony of giant
rabbits on Earth for a century? The answer - with great
difficulty, especially when one Quozl decides he's had enough of
being cooped up in the space ship and sets off to explore.

This is the best book I've read for a long time. The Quozl are a
delightful race with names like Looks-At-Charts and Senses-Go-Fade
and a very individual and colourful way of dressing with
bandannas, scarves, ear rings and sashes.

                         * * * * * * * *

Knight Life - Peter David - Ace Fantasy/clearance sale 99p

King Arthur has returned - and he's now called Arthur Penn and
living in New York. What is more natural than that he should run
for Mayor? Coincidences being what they are, it isn't surprising
when people from his past turn up in strange disguises. Gwen
DeVere, Merlin (now an eight year old boy) and Percy Vale are
working on his campaign, and against him are Moe Dredd and his
mother.

This may sound rather silly but it works well and makes for an
entertaining book. But by far the best characters in it are two
ex-muggers called Groucho and Chico, and the Lady of the Lake who
makes a brief appearance from the depths of the lake in Central
Park.

                         * * * * * * * *

Elf Defence - Esther M. Friesner - Headline œ2.99

With a title like that, you can't expect a serious story. Amanda
Taylor, once the lover of the King of Elfhame, Kerilson, has fled
Elfhame with her stepson, Prince Cassiodoron (Cass). Kerilson has
vowed to find them and bring them back, and he seems willing to
break all the rules, moral and otherwise, to do so.

Amanda and Cass seek refuge in a small American town called
Godwin's Corner.  The locals don't know what's going to hit them
and disrupt their previously-peaceful lives.  Also living in
Godwin's Corner are Sandy and Lionel, two characters from 'New
York by Knight', another book by Esther Friesner which was
reviewed in Issue 23 of SynTax. With their previous experience of
a magical confrontation between opposing sides, it's obvious
they're going to be drawn into the battle between Amanda, Cass and
Kerilson. A great book, better than 'New York by Knight' and with
some good characters in it.

A postscript: I loaned this book to my friend Lynn and she rang me
up in hysterics at a misprint which I'd missed ... about a room
being lit by scones! I guess they meant 'sconces' but it does
conjure up a great mental image. Presumably the electricity came
out of the curra(e)nts!

                         * * * * * * * *

Virtual Mode - Piers Anthony - Grafton œ4.99

Piers Anthony keeps starting new series. This is his latest, and
tells the story of a young girl, Colene. The book starts with her
attempting to commit suicide. This is not the most promising start
for an enjoyable read but luckily things improve somewhat from
then. She encounters an injured man and discovers that he is a
ruler from a world where magic is a reality. He is travelling from
world to world, or Modes, looking for a partner who can augment
his magical powers which get drained as a result of being King. He
thinks Colene is the one; she isn't so sure, and by the time she
realises her mistake, he has gone and the two of them end up
travelling through the Modes to try to find each other.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Xanth series of books, also the
Incarnations of Immortality Series, but most of Piers Anthony's
other books have struck me as being on the weird side. Virtual
Mode is no exception and some of the bits of storyline do not
appeal to me at all. Whether I will read any more in the series
remains to be seen ... at the moment I feel it's unlikely.

                         * * * * * * * *

Against the Fall of Night - Arthur C. Clarke
Beyond the Fall of Night - Gregory Benford
Gollancz SF hardback œ13.99

Back in 1948, Arthur C. Clarke first published Against the Fall of
Night, though he had first started writing the story in the mid
30s. Gregory Benford, author and Professor of Astrophysics at
University of California, Irvine, and one of NASA's technical
advisors, wanted to write a sequel to it and Clarke readily
agreed.  Though Against the Fall of Night had been published in
several forms over the years, as Clarke later revised and rewrote
it as a novel, The City and the Stars, this is the first time
both stories have been published together. Clarke wrote the
foreword and states that he won't comment on either story, apart
from giving their historical background, but will leave it to the
reader to enjoy both.

I had read Clarke's story before, though I didn't remember too
much of it. It tells the story of Alvin, the first child to have
been born in the city of Diaspar for many centuries because the
inhabitants have become virtually immortal. Earth is now largely
deserted, Diaspar is the only city left amidst desert, and the
residents never leave it, mostly through fear of the outside world
but also because there would be nowhere for them to go.

Alvin, however, has none of the fears which are held so strongly
by the others and through his explorations and investigations
discovers another city, Lys. The people there have remained close
to nature, unlike those of Diaspar who are served by robots and
dependent on technology. They are as fearful of Diaspar finding
out about them as Diaspar will be when they know that they are not
alone on Earth. Alvin's adventures are only just beginning.

Beyond the Fall of Night takes place some years after Clarke's
story. Man is attempting to reclaim Earth and turn it, once more,
into a verdant planet. The main characters in the story are Cley,
a woman and Seeker, a strange creature who is like an intelligent
racoon. Cley's importance in the grand scheme of things only
becomes apparent as the tale unfolds and she leaves Earth on a
strange interplanetary journey to discover ... well, that would be
giving too much away.

Against the Fall of Night is typical Arthur C. Clarke -
well-written, atmospheric, compulsive reading. Beyond the Fall of
Night is tedious beyond belief. I am very reluctant to give up
when reading a story but I almost did with this one and when I'd
finished I wished I had. Read Against the Fall of Night if you
want, but you'd be better off mentally inventing your own sequel
than spending hours reading Benford's.

                                          Sue





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