STEALING LIGHT by Gary Gibson
© Tor Books
SF Obstacles
By: Pat FerraraDate: Monday, October 08, 2007
No matter the series, author, or even the medium used, science fiction is a genre inherently linked to (and some may say delimited by) technology. Hard line SF creators like Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, and William Gibson may make extrapolating current technology look easy, but there’s no doubt that doing so with a sense of realism is one of the greatest obstacles for any sci-fi writer.
Hello Maniac readers and welcome to the Buzz. Before we continue with this week’s discussion let’s take a brief look at the highlights of this Tuesday’s terse genre release schedule.
In light of Salvatore’s debut of The Orc King last week, Wizards of the Coast is unveiling two different collections of Drizzt novels in The Legend of Drizzt Boxed Sets. Though these sets are just the collapsed novels of the Dark Elf Trilogy, Icewind Dale Trilogy, Legacy of the Drow, and Paths of Darkness in two neat boxed editions, you do get some spiffy new artwork with each volume.
Nathan Long, author of Warhammer’s Gotrek & Felix series, brings an omnibus of his Blackhearts trilogy to the table with The Blackheart’s Omnibus while Random House UK offers an encyclopedia of all things Doctor Who on hardback.
William Goldman’s fantasy classic The Princess Bride also gets a hardcover reissue and Douglas Adams’ fifth and final installment in the Hitchhiker’s saga undergoes audiobook treatment with the fully dramatized, BBC release of The Quintessential Phase.
I’m a bit of a stickler when it comes to my tastes in science fiction. Engrossing, multidimensional characters are a must along with an involving, well-paced plot. One of my biggest turn-offs though when reading a new SF novel is encountering ridiculous, inconceivable, or just straight up poorly-imagined tech. Though crazy gadgets, outlandish hardware, and uber-powerful weapons may be fun to read about, especially in military sci-fi, if they’re not fully fleshed or smoothly integrated into the rest of the story they can be as jarring as piss poor dialogue or any other number of problems synonymous with bad speculative fiction.
Gibson’s Neuromancer, although a little intimidating at first, is a perfect example of nicely fabricated and integrated technology. Whether Case was conversing to himself about a variety of exotic drugs or Molly’s cybernetic augmentations were being described down to a ‘T’, Gibson was not only able to realistically present new fields of science but was also able to do something far more difficult: synthesize a world that had very plausibly adjusted to its high-tech culture.
The mega realms of Star Wars and Star Trek are also extremely successful because they create wildly different past and future settings with a high degree of realism. The very fabric of Star Wars may be held together by metaphysical principles, but they are principles with well-defined rules and guidelines. Star Trek, on the other hand, is a case study on real-world advanced concepts. On the show no technical dialogue is too far from grounded fact (except for maybe warp drive technology) and TNG’s Data is a clear homage to Asimov’s positronic man.
The paperback release of Stealing Light by Scotsman Gary Gibson spurred this week’s discussion. Set in the 25th Century, it tells the tale of mankind’s struggle to overcome the oppression of inferior technology. Light also tackles one of the hardest (and often most neglected) areas of science that all SF is usually hinged on: spaceship engine design. Even successful franchises like Star Wars and Star Trek tend to gloss over specifics of faster-than-light (FTL) travel, it simply is. FIRST CONTACT may have offered a glimpse into the impact of warp tech, but by and large the series is about afterwards, when humans can freely sail through the gargantuan oceans of space.
I have to tip my hat to anyone who’s brave enough to tackle the epoch period of FTL travel. Building craft that are able to reach our neighboring galaxies will be one of mankind’s greatest accomplishments… if we live long enough to achieve it. Credibly describing that event in the arena of science fiction is also a monumental task, and I haven’t read one such account that’s truly blown me away. Because conceiving fictional tech without creatively maintaining your own rule set yields novels that are as fun to read as playing DOOM with the god mode and no clipping cheats on. If the science fiction writer doesn’t work out the intricacies of his own technological creations, those nifty doodads will quickly become just another detested plot device in fiction’s graveyard of the blatantly contrived.
New in Hardcover:
Doctor Who Encyclopedia, Gary Russell (Random House UK)
The definitive A-Z packed with never seen before photos, concept drawings and special effects artwork this is a must for every fan of the new series Doctor Who. Covering both Christopher Eccelston and David Tennant's Doctors this encyclopedia is the perfect companion for anyone wishing to know more about the Doctor, the Tardis, his friends and enemies and the worlds through which he travels. This is the Doctor Who book all the fans have been waiting for. It is written by Gary Russell the author of the bestselling Doctor Who: Inside Story.
Fatal Revenant, Stephen R. Donaldson (Penguin Group USA)
The long-awaited sequel to The Runes of the Earth returns readers to the Land-and opens with the reunion of Linden Avery and Thomas Covenant! Linden Avery, who loved Thomas Covenant and watched him die, has returned to the Land in search of her kidnapped son, Jeremiah. As Fatal Revenant begins, Linden watches from the battlements of Revelstone when the impossible happens-riding ahead of the hordes attacking Revelstone are Jeremiah and Covenant himself, apparently very much alive. Here in the Land, Jeremiah is healed of the mental condition that had kept him mute and unresponsive for so many years. He is full of life, and devoted to Covenant. But Covenant is strangely changed. Sarcastic and bragging, he no longer seems like the man whom Linden adored. And yet he says he has a plan: he will take her and Jeremiah to a place where they can find a pure source of Earthpower and, after he has achieved his own purposes, Linden will be free to use that great power to go home, to take Jeremiah home, or to do anything else she sees fit. Even though she distrusts the seemingly different man he has now become, how can she make any choice except to follow him? Their journey will cover unimaginable distances through the Land-even through time itself-and will test Linden's courage again and again. In the end, fulfilling her destiny will call for a terrible leap of faith: Can she give up everything she thought had been restored to her, for the sake of the Land? The second installment of the Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant sequence.
Fearless, Tim Lott (Candlewick Press)
A Whitbread Award-winning novelist tells a chilling dystopian tale about a heroic girl prepared to risk everything in the pursuit of justice. In the not-too-distant future, the world is safe from terrorists, the streets are clean, and girls labeled "juvies" or "mindcrips" have been hidden away behind the smartly painted exterior of the City Community Faith School. Their birth names are forgotten and replaced with a letter and number, but they give each other nicknames like Tattle or Stench or Little Fearless. As they slave away at chores, Little Fearless, who is actually the bravest girl in the school, tells the other girls stories, stories about the day their families will return for them. Little Fearless’s own hope and conviction spur her on a dangerous adventure — a bold and unthinkable plan that will either save the imprisoned girls or mean the end of Little Fearless herself, or both.
The Princess Bride, William Goldman (Harcourt Press)
William Goldman’s beloved novel has sold over one million copies. A movie, released twenty years ago, perfectly captured the spirit of the book and has introduced new fans to its pages ever since. In 1941 a young boy lies bedridden from pneumonia. His perpetually disheveled and unattractive father, an immigrant from Florin with terribly broken English, shuffles into his bedroom carrying a book. The boy wants to know if it has any sports. His father says, "Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautifulest ladies. Snakes. Spiders. Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passions. Miracles." And the little boy, though he doesn’t know it, is about to change forever. As Goldman says, "What happened was just this. I got hooked on the story." And coming generations of readers will, too.
Tome of Salvation: Priests of the Old World, Green Ronin (Black Industries)
Packed to the gunnels with evocative background, detailing the life, times and ways of the priests of the Old World, the Tome of Salvation is an essential addition to any game of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. Not only are there a whole host of new miracles and divine items for priestly characters, there are scores of new careers, items and customs designed to add depth to any WFRP character. Full details of the Empire's cults, both official and otherwise, complement a whole host of detail on life in Sigmar's nation, from local customs, festivals, calendars and rites of passage.
New in Paperback:
Stealing Light, Gary Gibson (Tor Books)
In the 25th century, only the Schindleria possess the secret of faster-than-light travel (FTL), thus exerting an economic stranglehold on all interstellar travel. For a century and a half, mankind has operated within their influence, till now there are at least a dozen human colony worlds scattered along Schindlerian trade routes. Sonja Merrick, while serving as a military pilot, has witnessed atrocities for which this alien race is responsible. Now piloting a civilian cargo ship, she is currently ferrying an exploration team to a star system containing a derelict starship. From its wreckage, her passengers hope to salvage a functioning FTL drive of mysteriously non-Schindlerian origin. But the Schindleria are not yet ready to relinquish their monopoly of a technology they acquired through ancient genocide.
Once Bitten, Twice Shy, Jennifer Rardin (Orbit Books)
I'm Jaz Parks. My boss is Vayl, born in Romania in 1744. Died there too, at the hand of his vampire wife, Liliana. But that's ancient history. For the moment Vayl works for the C.I.A. doing what he does best--assassination. And I help. You could say I'm an Assistant Assassin. But then I'd have to kick your ass. Our current assignment seemed easy. Get close to a Miami plastic surgeon named Assan, a charmer with ties to terrorism that run deeper than a buried body. Find out what he's meeting with that can help him and his comrades bring America to her knees. And then close his beady little eyes forever. Why is it that nothing's ever as easy as it seems?
The Legend of Drizzt Boxed Set 1, R.A. Salvatore (Wizards of the Coast)
Give the gift of the Legend of Drizzt! Drizzt Do'Urden made his first mistake the moment he was born: he was a boy. In the rigid matriarchy of the dark elf city of Menzoberranzan, that makes his life forfeit. But when his own mother tries but fails to kill him, Drizzt's path is set. He must find a way to escape the treacherous Underdark, even if that means setting out alone into the no less dangerous World Above. This gift set includes the New York Times best-sellers Homeland, Exile, and Sojourn.
The Legend of Drizzt Boxed Set 2, R.A. Salvatore (Wizards of the Coast)
Put the Legend of Drizzt on your holiday gift-giving list! Drizzt Do'Urden has done the impossible--for a dark elf. He's made a home on the World Above, and surrounded himself with a circle of friends who will fight to the death for him. And when an ancient artifact of inescapable evil burns its way through Iewind Dale, they just may have to. This deluxe gift set includes the books The Crystal Shard, Streams of Silver, and The Halfling's Gem.
The Last Mythal Gift Set, Richard Baker (Wizards of the Coast)
"All-in-all, this is perhaps the best-written Realms novel yet." -- Ed Greenwood (creator of the Forgotten Realms on Forsaken House) When a half-elf, half-demon villain is released from thousands of years of captivity, the very heart of the elven community of Faerûn is threatened. And the only hope the elves have of defeating the vile daemonfey hordes is to once again return to the lands of Faerûn, to the forests of Cormanthor, and to the demon-haunted ruins of Myth Drannor. This deluxe gift set contains the novels Forsaken House, Farthest Reach, and Final Gate.
The Blackheart’s Omnibus, Nathan Long (Games Workshop)
Under threat of death for their crimes, Reiner and his companions are forced to carry out the most desperate and suicidal secret missions, all for the good of the Empire. Chaos cultists, ratmen, dark elves, rogue army commanders and more - time and again the Blackhearts are pitted against impossible odds and survive - yet what they most what is their freedom. Includes the novels Valnir’s Bane, The Broken Lance, and Tainted Blood.
New in Audiobook:
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: The Quintessential Phase, Douglas Adams (BBC Audiobooks America)
Panic! It's the last installment of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, with a brand new full-cast dramatization of Mostly Harmless, the final book in Douglas Adams' famous "trilogy in five parts." While frequent flyer Arthur Dent searches the universe for his lost love, Ford Prefect discovers a disturbing blast from the past at The Hitchhiker's Guide HQ. Meanwhile, on one of many versions of Earth, a blonder, more American Trillian gets tangled up with a party of lost aliens having an identity crisis. A stolen ship, a dramatic stampede, and a new and sinister Guide lead to a race to save the earth... again. Presented dramatized on 2 CDs.
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I had a feeling they would release yet another set for Drizzt when the Orc King hit and lo and behold, it's out. I may pick it up or just wait sometime down the road.
That upcoming Harry Potter omnibus has caught my eye as well. It's definitely a cool box set.
I haven't read any of Stephen R. Donaldson's latest series but the man will always have a place in my thoughts for his Gap Cycle series.
Damn, I loved the Gap Cycle even if it was twisted reading so many years ago. Speaking of which, since their travel methods dealt with "folding space"..
I align myself with you in hoping there is at least some semblance of possibility to a tech device used in a SF book but I admit that I can be very understanding if the story itself is greatly written. If I'm happily lost into the world by the early pages, I'll bypass some of the unplausible elements in terms of ships and technical devices..Sometimes, the authors can even lessen the enjoyment by trying to explain the technical reasons behind a device and end up ignoring the reason the reader bought the book in the first place. Great story and decent characters should come first.
But yes, plausibility is a must ...otherwise it should just be called a pure "Fantasy" book and not a Sci Fi.
Any column which mentions lighthearted action fluff like Drizzt, Stephen R. Donaldson and something related to the good book with "DON'T PANIC!" across its front deserves a bang..
And speaking to our other loyal readers...Don't be so silent. I know we have a lot of readers who enjoy most of these books featured in his column. Give Pat a conversation or two even if it's a "Hey Pat, run across any horrible coverart for good SF/Fantasy books lately?" He deserves it. :)
Jarrod S.