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                      Electronic OtherRealms #14
                             April, 1987
                                Part 2

                             Pico Reviews


Artifact 	by Gregory Benford	[***]
	Tor (1985), 520 pages, US $3.95.

This is really a suspense/adventure story with a hard SF McGuffin
(i.e., the thing that all the characters are trying to get hold of).
It reminded me in several ways of novels by Elizabeth Peters, which I
consider a quite favorable remark.  It also reminded me of a
screenplay; the more SFish scenes are sometimes dominated by very
visual descriptions.  It begins at an American archeological dig in
Greece, with the threat of a coup by military people who are anti-
American, and one of whom is personally hostile to the archeologists.
Something remarkable is discovered, and the lead characters try to keep
it away from the Greeks.  But they don't know how much their chief
opponent wants it, nor quite how remarkable it is...
		-- Mark Brader
		decwrl!utcsri!sq.com!msb

The Ballad of Halo Jones Book 3	by Alan Moore and Ian Gibson	[****]
	Titan Books 4.95 pounds

This is a bound reprint of the Halo Jones stories that first appeared
in the British comic 2000AD, a comic which usually concentrates on
mega-death and violence.  It comes as a great surprise then to see a
perfectly normal girl emerging as the comics 2nd most popular strip.
Alan Moore's characterisation of a young girl caught up in a horrific
war in which she isn't even on the 'right' side is superb and
compelling, Gibson's artwork is beautiful (Halo has to be just about
the most attractive heroine in comics at the moment) and, although some
of the science is dodgy it doesn't really matter.  If you still think
comics are for kids give this a go and you will be pleasantly surprised.
		-- Piers Cawley
		pdc@UK.AC.Nott.Cs

The Book of Ellison	by Andrew Porter	[****]
	Algol Press, P.O.  box 4175, New York, NY 10017

This book is an examination of Harlan Ellison; the man, the author, 
and the words.  A third of the book are essays by people like David 
Gerrold, Robert Silverberg, and Ted White about Ellison.  The final 
two thirds are essays on various subjects by Harlan Ellison.  If 
you're a fan of Ellison, this book is a must have, as it will let you 
read them with a new perspective.  I've been a long-time fan of 
Ellison, and I thought I knew his works pretty well.  I was surprised 
how much I'd missed until I read this work.  
		-- chuq von rospach

The Cat Who Walks through Walls	by Robert Heinlein	[***+]
	Berkley Books, $3.95, 1986, 388 pages

It starts off innocently enough, with a bang.  And after that, it goes 
everywhere in just over two days (a la Number of the Beast), and 
winds up tying in to the rest of Heinlein's multi-verse (as does 
everything he writes).  Heinlein writings, much as I enjoy reading 
them, have gone to the author's head (look at the dedication of this 
book to see what I mean).  Does everything have to tie into 
everything else? And if so, does that tie in have to happen so 
abrubtly, right in the middle of all that great action that Heinlein 
writes so well? Grrr...  Still, I'll keep buying 'em, if for the first 3/4 
of the book, before all the old characters come in and spoil everything.
		--Peter Korn

Comet Halley	by Fred Hoyle	[***+]

A hard SF novel, with mystery/suspense overtones, from a famous
astronomer.  It's Hoyle's 4th novel on his own, the first such in some
years; his solo works are quite different from his collaborative
juvenile stories.  I found the characters charming -- the principal
setting is Cambridge University, and British humor is liberally
sprinkled.  The story gets going with a "first contact" radio message --
which seems to originate from a comet! Later, two-way communication
with the source is established, and then...
		-- Mark Brader
		decwrl!utcsri!sq.com!msb

The Cyborg and the Sorcerers	by Lawrence Watt-Evans	[***-]
	Del Rey

The Cyborg and the Sorcerers is "Space Opera meets Fantasy in the 
Aftermath;" fortunately, that's not as bad as it sounds.  A 
cyberneticized human (termed Slant) and his computer are scouts for 
Old Earth in the revolution of the space colonies.  Despite the fact 
that Earth lost the war some three hundred years ago, the computer 
is programmed to blow the Slant up should he attempt to "fraternize 
with the enemy" until such time as it receives a release code.  Of 
course, the computer defines any colonial inhabitant as an enemy, 
especially the wizards who seem to have developed a "new weapon" 
that might be used against Earth.  The focus is on the relationship 
between Slant and the computer, and the problems that arise; 
therefore, the descriptions are sometimes lengthy, but they do 
manage not to be too intrusive.  
		--Lisa Besnett

A Darkness at Sethanon	by Raymond Feist	[***+] 

The concluding volume in the Riftwar Saga, this book continues the 
fine storytelling begun in the earlier volumes.  While the first book 
was truly brilliant, and the rest merely fine, they suffer only by 
comparison.  In this book, the individuals, already excellently 
developed all manage to behave in character, even those about whom 
major background changes are revealed.  Raymond Feist has not 
succumbed to the temptation to leave plotlines dangling in order to 
extend the books into an open-ended series.  While a continuation 
with different story lines would not be inconceivable, all the 
plotlines introduced in the current volumes are satisfactorily 
resolved.  Together with the first three books, this is one of the best 
fantasy stories of recent years.
		-- Peter Rubinstein 

Isaac Asimov's Wonderful Worlds of Science Fiction #6: Neanderthals
	edited by Robert Silverberg, Martin H. Greenberg, 
	and Charles G. Waugh			[***]
	Signet books, $3.95

Another anthology from the prolific pair of Greenberg and Waugh, the 
theme this time is the Neanderthal in its varying forms, as different 
authors, from H.  Beam Piper to Thomas Easton, from L.  Sprague de 
Camp to Philip Jose Farmer look at this subhuman in various forms.  
Like most them anthologies, all of the stories are reprints (ranging 
from 1939 to 1981) and are useful for helping readers collect 
stories that haven't been widely anthologied in the past.  Unlike 
some anthologies, this doesn't contain a bibliography, which I like to 
see since it helps me use the anthologists research in finding things 
that didn't fit in the book.
		-- chuq von rospach

The Kundalini Equation	by Steven Barnes	[****]
	Tor Books, $3.50, 1986, 347 pages 

Steven Barnes likes the martial arts.  And anybody can learn these 
martial arts; just don't take things too far...  Good characterization, 
though the plot was pushing it just a bit on the self-consistency side.
		--Peter Korn
		korn@ucbvax.berkeley.edu

Masque World, The Thurb Revolution, & StarWell	by Alexei Panshin	[***]
	Ace Books, $1.75 ea, 1978

The story of our hero, Anthony Villers, both with, and without his 
moustache, both with and without verious and sundry young women, 
and almost always with Torve the Trog.  Unlike any other SF I've 
encountered.  Very interesting; yah, that's it, interesting.  Make sure 
that you have all three books before you start reading them; they are 
out of print.
		--Peter Korn

The Maze of Peril	by John Eric Holmes	[**]
	Space and Time, 138 West 70th Street (4B), New York, NY 10023, $6.95

Author John Eric Holmes merges a dungeon of a Fantasy Role Playing 
game into a Fantasy adventure.  We follow the magicians, fighters, 
dwarves, elves, and associated nasties through a desolate 
underground arena in search of adventure (plenty) and gold.  At times 
this book reads more like an FRP dungeon than a novel, but overall 
he's done a good job of taking a role playing adventure and fleshing it 
out into a full novel.  This book will probably be of interest mainly 
to the readers who also game.
		-- chuq von rospach

Night's Master	by Tanith Lee	[****]

Tanith Lee is a master of the heroic fantasy epic; she writes in the 
style of legend and myth.  Her use of language is exquisite; her 
descriptions are magical.  She paints with words and captures the 
emotion and power of a magical era.  This books tells three stories 
about Azhrarn, Prince of Demons and the heroic and tragic lives of 
the mortals whose fates were intertwined with him.  This is adult 
fantasy; some scenes may offend the prudish, but passion is 
essential to true legend.  If you want to read of imagination and 
dreams, read this.
 	--Brett Slocum

An Old Friend of the Family	by Fred Saberhagen	[***+]
	Tor Books, $3.50, 247 pages.

In the late 70's, Saberhagen retold the Stoker Dracula story from the 
point of view of the vampire in The Dracula Tapes.  This book 
continues that series starring Dracula as a sympathetic character.  
A good book, but not as good as the first book, which I hope also gets 
reprinted soon.
		-- chuq von rospach

On the Good Ship Enterprise	by Bjo Trimble	[****]
	Starblaze, $6.95, 1983, 286 pages

Stories of and about Star Trek, it's characters, and fans; all 
revolving around Bjo Trimble's personal experiences.  Divided into 
eight parts (such as "Revolving Fans", "Very Con-ventional", and 
"Star Trek--The Montion Pictures"), it is one of those "musts" for 
fans of Star Trek.  Very funny too.
		--Peter Korn
		korn@ucbvax.berkeley.edu

On the Good Ship Enterprise	by Bjo Trimble	[****]
	Starblaze Editions, 1986, 286 pages, $7.95 trade paperback

This is a memoir of the days of Star Trek from the den-mother of 
Star Trek Fandom, Bjo Trimble.  Bjo (pronounced bee-joe) has been 
involved in Star Trek since the very beginning, put together the 
million letter Save Star Trek campaign that brought it back for a 
third season, helped set up Lincoln Enterprises (the fan-letter 
answering and memorabilia company for Star Trek), put on 
conventions and generally acted as cheerleader for the Star Trek 
fans nationwide.  This is a very personal account of those years.  
Unlike David Gerrold's books about Star Trek, this book is definitely 
about Bjo, and about the things that went on around her.  It does not 
drop down into egotism -- I've been lucky enough to meet Bjo at a 
couple of conventions, and a nicer women you will never meet, a 
feeling that shows up throughout the book.  Star Trek fans will love 
this.  I think it gives a flavor and a perspective on the movement 
that you don't get anywhere else, and there is a lot of fun times here.  
		-- chuq von rospach

Our Lady of Darkness	Fritz Leiber	[****]
	Ace Books, $2.50, 1984, 183 pages

A Supernatural horror story that takes place in San Francisco.  
Reminds me of Ghostbusters, kinda sorta in a wierd way.  San 
Francisco foggy nights will never be quite the same anymore.
		--Peter Korn

The Postman	by David Brin	[****]
	Bantam Books, $4.95, 1985, 321pages

Damn fine read.  My only complaint is that Brin doesn't tell us enough 
of the story (or he tells us too much).  But to leave us where he did 
just isn't right; otherwise it's a great book.
		--Peter Korn

Retief at Large	by Keith Laumer	[****]

If you like the idea of a diplomat who ignores all his superiors and 
just does things, managing to have everything work out ideally while 
everyone else fumbles about, you'll love Retief.  He's a sort of inter- 
gallactic rogue, working for the implacable CDT (Corps Diplomatique' 
Terrestrienne) and his almost permanent boss Ambassador Magnan.  
This is a really fun anthology of Retief stories!
 	-- Dave Taylor
 	hplabs!taylor 

The River of Time	by David Brin	[****]
	Bantam Spectra, $3.50, 1987, 295 pages

Short stories written over the course of Brin's writing career.  "The 
Crystal Spheres" is my favorite (pictured on the cover).  Brin has 
divided the book into sections: Destiny, Recollection, Speculation, 
and Propagation; the stories in Destiny are worth the price of the 
book; the rest is of lesser calibre (especially "Roujours Voir", the 
250 word story).
		--Peter Korn
		korn@ucbvax.berkeley.edu

Roger Zelazny	by Theodore Krulik	 [*]
	 The Ungar Publishing Company, $15.95, 178 pages 

I've been waiting for a good book on Zelazny, both the man and his 
writing, for quite some time.  After reading Krulik's book, I'm still 
waiting.  In the notes preceding the bibliography, Krulik lists six 
personal interviews with Zelazny as being among the sources for his 
book.  Yet repeatedly the most interesting quotes are from other 
sources, notably Zelazny's remarks in two of his anthologies, The 
Last Defender of Camelot and Unicorn Variations.  The result is that 
there is little new material from Zelazny himself and his personal 
background is rendered in a shallow and superficial manner, leaving 
little feel for Zelazny himself and how significant events in his life 
have affected his writing.  Krulik's analysis of Zelazny's work fares 
no better.  Works are gathered together for examination in thematic 
groups; the result is no better than a collection of sophomoric book 
reports attempting to compare and contrast.  Give this book a pass 
unless you're a Zelazny completist.
 	-- Jim Brunet
 	hplabs!hao!ico!ism780B!jimb 

A Stainless Steel Rat is Born	by Harry Harrison	[****]
	Bantam Spectra, $2.95, 1985, 219 pages

The true story of Slippery Slim diGriz started his infamous career, 
and Harrison doesn't let us Stainless Steel Rat fans down.  More, 
hear me Harry? I want more.
		--Peter Korn

Star Trek IV, the Voyage Home	by Vonda McIntyre, based on the movie	[****]
	Pocket Books, $3.95, 1986, 274 pages

To be read only after seeing the movie.  Learn why the thing comes 
to Earth, and gain insights into the real reason that Scotty tells the 
things he tells the the person he tells it to reguarding a certain type 
of aluminum.
		--Peter Korn

Steel Brother	by Gordon R.  Dickson	[***]
 	Tor SF, 236 pages.  

This is an interesting anthology of early stories (for the most part)
from Gordon R.  Dickson.  "Out of the Darkness" is a wry mystery story
of a man in a lighthouse, "The Man in the Mailbag" and "Steel Brother"
are both interesting lead-ins to the sometimes-excellent later Dorsai
series (aka the Childe Cycle), "Perfectly Adjusted" is a fine,
humourous tale of a society where people are heavily conditioned
against seeing each other, and "The Hard Way" is a nicely crafted tale
of a society that lands on Earth to figure out if they can invade it or
not...  With the exception of the last two, I'd say this is one of the
finest anthologies I've ever read.  The last two 'stories', however,
are both gratuitous nonsense that don't belong in the book at all.  The
first is "The Childe Cycle Status Report" where Dickson discusses where
the ideas for the Childe Cycle came from, how he plans on approaching
the entire storyline, etc.  The second is "A Conversation with Gordon
R.  Dickson" by Sandra Miesel.  I'm not averse to these existing,
understand, I just don't think they are appropriate for the anthology
of fiction stories that they are almost a fourth of.  Seems like
self-indulgence to me...
 	-- Dave Taylor
 	hplabs!taylor 

The Tao of Pooh	by Benjamin Hoff	[****] 
	Penguin, $4.95, 158 pages 

This is not only a cute book, but it really is quite thought provoking 
- there really is quite a bit of the Taoist philosophy and ideas in 
A.A.Milne's childrens story "Winnie the Pooh".  As the back cover says 
"While Eeyore frets...and Piglet hesitates...and Rabbit calculates...and 
Owl pontificates...Pooh just is, and that's a clue to the secret 
wisdom of the Taoists.".  Very enjoyable.
 	-- Dave Taylor
 	hplabs!taylor 

Thieves' World Graphics #4	by Robert Asprin and Lynn Abbey	[**]
	Starblaze Graphic, b&w graphic novel, $3.95.  Art by Tim Sale.

The latest in the Black and White Graphic novel version of the 
Thieves' World story.  If you've read the Thieves' World books, the 
story is familiar, as the Graphic Novel simply retells the books in 
visual form.  Sale's art is, as usual, quite good, and the B&W format 
works much better for Thieves' World than the recently issued color, 
but I wasn't impressed with the story as much as in previous volumes.
		-- chuq von rospach

Ubik	by Philip K.  Dick	[***]
 	Dell SF 1970 

How can one adaquately describe a Philip Dick book.  He is one of the 
most unusual authors in the genre.  His descriptions are top-notch, 
and his plots are unique, to say the least.  In Ubik, Joe Chip is a 
tester for a company that protects people from psionics by 
employing 'inertials,' those with an anti-psionic talent.  After his 
boss dies, Joe's 1990's reality seems to be decaying into 1939, piece 
by piece.  And someone is killing off all the inertials.  And Joe had 
better find some Ubik or he'll be next.  The style is straightforward; 
just the events are confusing.  Definately a fuse-blower.
 	--Brett Slocum

The Witling	by Vernor Vinge	[***]
	1976, Daw 173pp.

This is reasonably standard adventure science fiction.  It doesn't 
reach the level of Vinge's recently reissued True Names, but is well 
written none-the-less.  The story concerns some space-faring 
anthropologists who are marooned on a seemingly backwards planet.  
The twist is that the natives have evolved various psychic powers 
and so have never had a need for technology.  Our anthropologists 
have to think their way out, and their recognition of the 
conservation laws the powers obey gives them a small advantage 
over the scientifically naive natives.
		--Chris Hibbert
		Hibbert.pa@Xerox.COM

Wizard of Pigeons	by Megan Lindholm	[****-]
	Ace Fantasy 0-441089467-4 2.95

I normally hate protagonists that are self-defeating, like the
protagonist of the Covenant series, and the protagonist of this book;
however, in both cases, I can see good writing.  This is good writing,
with images and people as strong and clear as reality.  There are many
moments in this book that haunt, vividly, and the basis for the magic
in the lives of the main characters is almost a frightening one.  The
plot is simple, one of the magic people in Seattle must confront his
personal nemesis, and this tells how.  The adventure is through his
life, not only the particular here and now of the confrontation, and it
is a fascinating one.  There is one feature of this book that one
should be aware of, and that is it is set in Seattle in intricate
detail, from the mapping of her streets to the attitude of the natives
to all the amazing jumble of historic fact that Seattle has accumulated.
		--Liralen Li



                           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.



Chuq Von Rospach	chuq@sun.COM		[I don't read flames]

There is no statute of limitations on stupidity