It’s always hard to review a Tim Powers novel without spoiling it, because a great deal of the pleasure involved in reading the novel lies in figuring out Just What The Heck Is Going On Here, Anyway. If I describe the plot in any detail, I’ll be giving away details you should discover on your own. All this leaves me wondering just what to say about it.

Let’s see. First, I bought it in hardcover and was not disappointed. I usually buy Powers’ stuff in hardcover these days, and delightfully he had a signing at one of our local bookstores, so I’ve got a signed first edition, for whatever that’s worth. For long-time Powers fans, I’ll say that it put me in mind of both Last Call and Declare, while not repeating anything in either of those books in any significant way. And I liked it.

The book is firmly in Powers’ standard territory. He gathers up a vast quantity of historical detail–in this case, detail about Albert Einstein, Israel, and (of all people) Charlie Chaplin–and uses it as background for a wild tale of secret history involving spies, secret societies, nearly magical devices, and several nearly ordinary people caught up in the whole thing. Oh, and there’s a definite nod to C.S. Lewis‘s That Hideous Strength. Call it a science fantasy thriller and you won’t be too far off the mark.

Not Powers’ best work, I think–it’s hard to tell, as most of his books benefit from multiple re-readings–but not his worst either; and even his worst is pretty good. Definitely a keeper.

If you’ve not encountered Powers before, this is not an unreasonable book to start with; but you should also look at The Anubis Gates and Last Call.

This is the second volume of Pamela Aidan’s trilogy, Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman; it begins shortly after Darcy takes Bingley off to London, safely away from Jane Bennett, and ends (so I guess) shortly before Darcy horrifies Elizabeth Bennett with his proposal of marriage. As Darcy has no contact with Elizabeth during this period of time, the entire book is off-stage, as it were; and frankly, it’s all the better for it.

In terms of Pride and Prejudice, the point of the novel is Darcy’s struggle to put Elizabeth behind him. He attends to his business interests, celebrates Christmas with his sister Georgianna and other family members, renews his acquaintance with old friends, and eventually tries to find a suitable wife of his own station (to no avail of course). Along the way we get to know a rich, delightful cast. Georgianna, no more than a plot contrivance in Austen, is here a vivid character with a neverending ability to surprise and astonish her older brother. Much of the growth we see in Darcy between the two ends of Austen’s book is here set down to Georgianna’s influence. There is the remarkable Lord Brougham, a college friend of Darcy’s, who is clearly More Than He Seems. There is Fletcher, Darcy’s valet, staunchly loyal but with definite (if carefully expressed) opinions as to where Darcy’s good lies.

There are a few places that are maybe a little over the top, where Aidan had, as my wife would say, “way too much fun”; Darcy’s encounters with Beau Brummel and Lord Byron come to mind, as does the new novel one of the characters reads–a story about a widow with three daughters who are cast out of their family home by the widow’s stepson and his nasty wife. And the final major sequence, during which Darcy meets a femme fatale named Lady Sayres, sidles well into the territory Austen mocked so gleefully in Northanger Abbey.

No matter; it was fun, and if the third volume were available I’d no doubt be well into it by now. I’m given to understand that it will be out in January, and I’m looking forward to it.

This is the first of a set of three novels which aim to re-tell the story of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice from the standpoint of one Fitzwilliam Darcy. As it’s exactly the sort of book I approach with trepidation, it’s unlikely I’d have read it if the good people at Simon & Schuster hadn’t sent me a review copy. Having read it, my reactions are mixed, but are positive on the whole.

When writing a book like this, there are two paths the author can take. She may attempt to complete the story by filling in the gaps, or she may try to tell the “real” story, the story behind the story, the story Jane Austen elected to suppress. The latter is the easier approach in this cynical and post-modern era, offering a multitude of opportunities for cheap gags at the expense of Miss Austen’s classic. Fortunately for us, the author has chosen the more difficult path of trying to craft a tale that augments the original without tearing it down.

A digression: it’s the more difficult path, but I can hardly call it the “road less travelled.” I did a quick Google search and came up with the following titles, all by different authors:

• The Confession of Fitzwilliam Darcy
• The Diary of Fitzwilliam Darcy
• Darcy’s Diary
• Darcy’s Story
• Darcy & Elizabeth: Nights and Days at Pemberly
• North by Northanger, or The Shades of Pemberly: A Mr. and
  Mrs. Darcy Mystery

Aidan does appear to have the distinction of being the first to expand her version of the story into a trilogy.

This volume, the first, covers the span from the beginning of Pride and Prejudice until shortly after Darcy moves his friend Bingley to London, to save him from a misalliance with the Bennett family. It begins slowly–the opening paragraphs are particularly stilted–but improves as the author hits her stride. There’s a noticeable difference in tone between the “on-stage” sections, where Aidan is showing us one of Austen’s scenes from Darcy’s point of view, and is perforce required to use Austen’s dialog, and the “off-stage” scenes where she exercise her imagination fully. The latter are freer, and generally more fun; in the “on-stage” scenes Darcy often seems somewhat uncomfortable with his lines, especially when addressing Elizabeth Bennett.

Aidan’s Darcy is nevertheless an intriguing character, consistent with Austen’s Darcy. He inhabits a larger world than Austen’s Elizabeth Bennett, just as a man of Darcy’s station would have in Austen’s day, being more concerned with business and the latest news of the war in Spain, and more aware of various social trends and fads. Further, his ever-increasing fascination with Elizabeth rang true, at least to me.

In short, Aidan has managed to produce a tale that, while slow in spots, did no damage to my memories of Pride and Prejudice and left me wanting more. All in all, not a bad days work.

Please note, I have no intention of dipping into the “Mr. Darcy” books by other authors which I listed above. My satisfaction with this one still leaves me feeling rather like I dodged a bullet, and I’m not into playing Russian Roulette.

The November Issue of Ex Libris Reviews is now on-line.

This, the immediate sequel to Ender’s Shadow, continues the story of Bean and the other Battle School graduates in the world that follows after the end of the Formic War. In the former book, Bean has a vision of a world in turmoil as all of the political ambitions which were held in check by the need to present a united front are suddenly cut loose. In this book, the turmoil begins as all of Ender’s top commanders, his “jeesh”, are kidnapped as precious military resources. Bean manages to stay free, and sets out to free his comrades as the world situation spirals into war.

On the whole, this isn’t quite as good a book as Ender’s Shadow. Bean spends a lot more time reacting than acting (though to be fair he has to rely on adults to get anything done, and they usually have their own ideas). It isn’t nearly as moving, either. That said, it’s still quite an enjoyable ride, with plenty of action and intrigue, and of course it’s the second volume of a four volume set. Middle volumes are by their nature less interesting than either the first of the last volume in the set. Further, according to the afterword the material in this book and its successor were originally intended to be covered in a single volume. So all things consideredShadow of the Hegemon succeeds pretty well.

I’ll definitely be getting the third and fourth books in the series.

Michael came across this list of the 50 most significant SF&F books of the last 50 years at this website here; apparently the list came from somewhere else, though it’s not clear to me where. The books are listed in order; I’ve bold-faced the ones I’ve read, and added some comments. I’ve put “+++” by the ones I’ve read multiple times, “—” by the ones I’ve read but didn’t much like, and “000” by the ones I’ve read that I can’t remember anything about. As you’ll see, I’ve read 40 of the 50, and at least tried to read most of the others.

1. +++ The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien.
2. +++ The Foundation Trilogy, Isaac Asimov.
3. +++ Dune, Frank Herbert.
4. +++ Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein.
5. +++ A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin.
6. Neuromancer, William Gibson. I started this one, and hated it,
   and never finished it. This almost never happens.
7. +++ Childhood’s End, Arthur C. Clarke.
8. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick. I’ve
   read a little of Dick’s work, and didn’t like it, so I never tried
   this one.
9. The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley. I’ve read a fair
   amount of Bradley’s “Darkover” series; I’m not sure why I’ve never
   read this one. It seems to be targetted more at women than men, though.
10. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury.
11. +++ The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe.
12. +++ A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr..
13. The Caves of Steel, Isaac Asimov.
14. Children of the Atom, Wilmar Shiras Never heard of this one.
15. +++ Cities in Flight, James Blish.
16. +++ The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett. Though this is hardly the best of the series.
17. Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison.
18. Deathbird Stories, Harlan Ellison.
19. +++ The Demolished Man, Alfred Bester.
20. Dhalgren, Samuel R. Delany. Couldn’t get through this one, either.
21. +++ Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey.
22. Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card. The short story is better.
23. +++ The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Stephen R. Donaldson.
24. 000 The Forever War, Joe Haldeman.
25. Gateway, Frederik Pohl. I’ve never read anything by Pohl that
    I cordially liked.
26. +++ Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, J.K. Rowling.
27. +++ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams.
28. I Am Legend, Richard Matheson.
29. — Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice.
30. +++ The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin.
31. Little, Big, John Crowley. I’ve tried to re-read this several times, and never gotten very far. Interesting, but I don’t think I ever really understood what was going on.
32. +++ Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny.
33. The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick. See above.
34. Mission of Gravity, Hal Clement.
35. More Than Human, Theodore Sturgeon. I don’t remember whether
    I’ve read this one or not.
36. +++ The Rediscovery of Man, Cordwainer Smith.
37. On the Beach, Nevil Shute. Oddly, I’ve not read this one; I
    tried it when I was far too young, and didn’t like it. I ought to
    give it another try.
38. +++ Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke.
39. +++ Ringworld, Larry Niven.
40. 000 Rogue Moon, Algis Budrys.
41. +++ The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien.
42. 000 Slaughterhouse-5, Kurt Vonnegut.
43. Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson.
44. +++ Stand on Zanzibar, John Brunner.
45. The Stars My Destination, Alfred Bester.
46. +++ Starship Troopers, Robert A. Heinlein.
47. +++ Stormbringer, Michael Moorcock.
48. — The Sword of Shannara, Terry Brooks.
49. Timescape, Gregory Benford. Like Pohl, Benford does nothing
    for me.
50. — To Your Scattered Bodies Go, Philip Jose Farmer.

This is the latest of Fforde’s very funny “Thursday Next” series, which also includes The Eyre Affair, Lost in a Good Book, and The Well of Lost Plots. In this book, Thursday returns to the Real World after an absence of two-and-a-half years. She’s got Hamlet, Prince of Denmark in tow; it seems that he and Ophelia have had a falling out, and Ophelia needs a little space. Meanwhile, page-runner Yorrick Kaine is trying to take over England with the help of the Goliath Corporation, and Thursday’s time-hopping father needs her help to prevent the resulting world cataclysm. In short, it’s a typical Thursday Next book.

The first of the series was outstanding; the second was also quite good; the third had its problems; and this one does too. In particular, it starts slowly–say that again, even more slowly–so slowly that it took me several weeks to get through it. The ending was OK, and I’m curious to see what comes next; but action-wise, this book is clearly the low point in the series to date.

My, but this book is filled with folks who aren’t politically correct.

The premise is simple. Following WWII, a vet named John Rolfe, a Southerner, settles down in a house in Oakland, California. A freak accident with his shortwave radio set opens a gate between his basement and…somewhere else: an alternate California that’s approximately as it was when Columbus first came to the New World. A California that’s unspoiled, unpolluted, by modern standards almost unpeopled. Rolfe knows a good thing when he sees it, but he realizes that he can’t make use of his discovery all by himself. Who else to enlist but his old army buddies and their families? After all, there’s plenty of land–and there’s gold in them thar hills!

Flash forward six decades. A game warden named Tom Christiansen is on a bust of a ring that smuggles endangered species…including a California condor. Except that every California condor in existence has been tagged and tracked from birth; and this condor is unrelated to any of them. Something very odd is going on.

The story jumps back and forth between Tom Christiansen’s detective work and eventual discovery of the gate, and vignettes of the history of Rolfe’s new country, the Commonwealth of New Virginia. Ultimately, Tom gets caught up in a power struggle between the Rolfes and some of the other “Thirty Families” who lead the Commonwealth.

Surprisingly, Stirling doesn’t gore any of my personal team of oxen with this book. On the other hand, he certainly expected to gore somebody’s cattle, for the book’s dedication page includes the following quotation: “There is a technical, literary term for those who mistake the opinions and beliefs of characters in a novel for those of the author. That term is ‘idiot’.” I find it interesting that Stirling felt this disclaimer was necessary. In the power struggle that concludes the book we’re definitely on one side rather than the other; but it’s also clearly presented as a choice between lesser and greater evils. One would have to be an idiot to think that novel celebrates Rolfe’s imperalism; and yet I can’t think of anything else in it which would motivate such a disclaimer. Unless he’s all for imperialism despite Rom Christiansen’s concerns about it? Perhaps he’ll step in and let us know what he was thinking.

Anyway, I liked it, and wouldn’t mind reading further tales set in the same world.

I used to be a big fan of Orson Scott Card, ever since I read his first published work, the short story “Ender’s Game”, in Analog magazine. It was a dynamite story, and though I bought the novel Ender’s Game PDQ when it was published I always thought that the short story was better. In recent years, though, I’ve rather stopped reading him, for a variety of reasons, one of which is a tendency he’s developed of rewriting his early works, works I remember fondly, in ways that annoy me. When Ender’s Shadow was published some years ago, it seemed like more of that. I didn’t buy a copy, and when my brother loaned me his and suggested I read it, it sat on the shelf.

Just in the last few months, several readers have told me that it’s actually a pretty good book. So when I headed off to Chicago for the Tcl conference this year, I decided to give it a try. And it’s become clear that I had dismissed it too hastily–from what I remember of Ender’s Game (the novel), I do believe I like this one considerably better. Bean’s a more interesting character than I would have guessed–more interesting than Ender, in fact–and Card does a neat job of developing him. He also manages to put a new spin on the story without breaking what’s gone before.

That’s all there is to say, really. Those of my readers who are familiar with the Ender books have probably already read this one, and I can’t say much about the plot without spoiling the earlier books for those who haven’t read them. I liked it. I’m going to have to look up the sequel(s). ’nuff said.

Tim Powers has a new book out (which I have but have not yet read) (it’ll be next), and Julie D. ran across an interview with the author. Plus, he’s going to be at a local bookstore tomorrow….