Hodgepodge

TITLE Blood and Iron

AUTHOR Elizabeth Bear

PUBLISHER Roc - mass market paperback - 431pp

COPYRIGHT 2006

PRINTING 2008

This is first in the Promethean Age series. It is a story about the Prometheans - a group of mortal mages - and the fairies. These two forces are at an uneasy peace but that's about to change. The catalyst is the knowledge that a new Merlin is in the world. Merlins only appear every generation or two and they are special - they do not use magic they control it. That power makes them a valuable ally so as you can guess, both sides decide to woo the Merlin.

The story winds through a complex plot that involves werewolves, power struggles within the fae world, and even the minions of hell get involved. The climax takes place in Times Square in front of the mundane world and that will require some clean up.

I have not read many books that deal with the world of the fae and so many of the in jokes and plot lines were not easy for me to get. That combined with the pace of the book in the beginning, made me almost put it down after the first few chapters. I persevered and enjoyed the book somewhat. I felt the book suffered from an identity crisis; it couldn't decide if it was action, fantasy, or romance. In the end it gets sorted out but not clearly.

If you are a fan of this type of fantasy, you will probably like it more than I did. Other wise - I would recommend you pass.

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TITLE The Stars My Destination

AUTHOR Alfred Bester

PUBLISHER Vintage -Trade paperback -258pp

COPYRIGHT 1956

PRINTING 1996

Considered by some to be Bester's best novel, it is the tale of Gully Foyle, a spacer of no renown who speaks gutter and gets only the lowest jobs on a ship. His life changes drastically when he is marooned for six months as the only survivor of the wreck of the Nomad. The Vorga passes by close enough to hail but it goes on leaving Foyle stranded. He gets so worked up over this he manages to find a way to leave the ship and lands in the asteroid belt where a group of people rescues him but disfigures his face.

The story from here is all about the grudge against the Vorga, and no one holds a grudge like Gully Foyle. He rapes, maims, and murders to find the crew of the ship that left him to die. He becomes the most wanted man in the solar system and poses as a circus master to cover his tracks. In the end, he finds out why he was passed by and even more shocking information.

This is a fantastic story, but it is quite dated, as are many classic science fictions stories of the 40 and 50. I also felt that the character of Gully Foyle is not very well developed and that many of his escapes from certain capture are too contrived to be believable.

There is a quote on the cover that states this is considered by many to be the greatest science fiction novel ever. I dispute that strongly. Several novels by Heinlein, Clarke, Asimov and others wrote much more interesting stories that stand up today. In fact, I would say this isn't near as good a novel as The Demolished Man. The novel is worth reading certainly and I enjoyed it, but it has its flaws.

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