Left Hand of Darkness

Sometimes you're just not ready for a certain book. That was definitely the case for Ursula K. le Guin's classic _Left Hand of Darkness_. I has started reading it some time ago -- perhaps ten years ago or more -- and at that time I'm not sure I had the mental maturity to appreciate the book (I was still in High School when I started reading it). Now that I've had a bit of life experience as well as reading exposure, I came back to the book and thoroughly enjoyed it!

This book firmly belongs in the camp of "Soft Science Fiction." What technology and science existed in the novel were there merely for background. Instead, she explores the meaning (or our preconceptions) about gender. This is accomplished through a species of Man inhabiting a forgotten colony world that has no gender. Or rather, has both genders in one. It would be a mistake to call these people hermaphrodites, since their sexual role (as either male or female) only manifests itself in the short period of "heat (called "Kemmer)," with either individual capable of going in one direction or another.

Into this is thrust Genly Ai, an emmisary from the Ekumen, a cultural and trade alliance uniting the lost colonies of mankind after some sort of unspecified disaster (war?). And of course his struggles to deal with these people who could be both men or woman -- often at the same time.

I must admit wrapping my head around such a gender disparaty was a challenge. Perhaps it is my own ideas about gender roles that intruded itself on the narrative. I found it difficult at times to remember that the characters (other than the protagonist, which is male). It was easy to fall into assigning those gender roles, since most of the characters are either gender neutral (and thus because of my male oriented bias I naturally assigned the male gender to those characters), or show a slight male bias. It didn't really start falling together for me until Genly and Estraven began fleeing across the ice, and Ursula challenged the reader with the two characters closeness.

Nonetheless, I also felt the book was too short, and there were issues I would have liked to seen explored more. I'm not convinced of Ursula's handling of (for lack of a better term) mating customs. There is no marriage per se, and when individuals feel the "need" they seek out others in Kemmer and ... well... let nature take its course. Families, therefore, are clannish rather than nuclear, with participation in rearing by other clan members (except in Ogoreyn, where socialism seems to have taken root, and children are wards of the state or such). I'm not so sure such types of organization would necessarily work, especially since my biological need to protect and nurture my daughter (as a father) is a very powerful one, and I can't imagine a society in which all fathers would not feel a similar attachment (despite the fact that there are plenty of fathers today who apparently feel no special attachment to their own brood...). I think a bit more exploration of this aspect was necessary.

Another aspect is that Ursula introduced a sort of supernatural mental abilities into the book that didn't serve any purpose except to show that despite the mutual affection Genly and Estraven had, such a level of intimacy (I think here Le Guin may have been making a point about the "mentalities" that separate men and women) is still not possible or sometimes even desirable (but at times -- especially when under stress -- become natural). The Gethenites (as the natives referred to their world) developed independently their own traditions of super-ordinary mental abilities (mostly focused on prescience it seems). The questions I would have is why did they develop abilities in this area, but not in the area of mindtalk that Genly's traditions developed? How does this relate to their unique gender? Is fortune-telling a feminine trait (doubt it)?

In the end, I think it would be illuminating to talk to a woman that had also read this book independently, and see if her perspective is different than mine, and to explore the book more fully.

Big Eagles in a Big Book

It's been a little while since I last posted. Next up is _Spirit Gate_ by Kate Elliot. A rather thick fantasy novel, per a burb I saw on Amazon, she intends to extend the series to 7 volumes in total, a "Jordan" run so to speak. However, unlike Robert Jordan (RIP), Kate's book has better characterization, even if it doesn't move along quite as fast.

In the setting, a land called The Hundred (for reasons not revealed in the book...yet...) has been patrolled by a group of peacekeepers called the Reeves. In the execution of their duties, they have as partners and transportation a race of slightly more intelligent giant eagles. In this way, they have kept peace in the Hundred for quite some time.

However, things have deteriorated over time. A hinted at race of beings that had previously administered justice has dissappeared sometime previously, with no hint at their return. It falls to the Reeves to step in and administer justice. As things often happen in fantasy novels, there is unrest in the land, and armies bent on conquest afflict society.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the continent, a vaguely asian inspired Qin officer (very much a Mongol analouge in many ways) flees from certain death as a political pawn in his own nation with his new wife, her uncle (hardly older) and a number of followers, making their way to the Hundred to serve as mercenaries...

That's about it.

Like Jordan, Elliot appears to be long and heavy on the characterization. In fact, the entire 1st book appears to be a setup establishing the characters. Although we start to see the beginnings of what I think the main thrust of the story will be, its only a glimpse. As such, a pure setup book of this length (I don't have the book handy at the time of this writing, but approximately 500 pages) might turn off some people, but the writing is lucid and the characters interesting (in one form or another) . However, if you're not interested in a 7 book series, you might want to avoid this one for that reason...

Revenge of the Mongols

Next up is Victor Milan's _A Rending of Falcons_. This book is another genre book, this time in the Mechwarrior (Battletech) setting. Genre fiction being what it is (soap opera for young men, though I like to think at a higher level of sophistication than pro-wrestling), this book was merely OK.

Victor continues with the Jade Falcon's storyline. Malvina, generator of the so-called "Mongol" doctrine (i.e. using utter brutality, far beyond the pale, to keep subject people in-line) returns to the Jade Falcon Occupation Zone. This time she has her sights set at usurping the Khanship of the Falcons.

The development of the character of Malvina is starting to get a bit unrealistic. In a genre where caricatures is pretty much expected, this character is going a bit beyond the pale. The utter brutality and lack of regard for other human life makes her worse than any of the Clans, and perhaps worse than the Smoke Jaguars (known for their brutality before their...comeuppance). She furthermore comes off as being totally self-centered, a despot and (worse) a demagogue. What's more, throughout the book I kept hoping someone would stick a bullet or some other sharp object in this turkey, but alas not to be.

Speaking of caricatures, the Hell's Horses makes an appearance in this novel, with plenty of stereotypes of their own. The Horses have appeared to have totally gone the way of the Mongol (historical peoples, not the above-mentioned doctrine), top knots, sabres, and all. Battletech/Mechwarrior has been going down this route for some time (just look at the Draconis Combine, a bunch of Samurai wanna-be's, including katana swords and dueling), but I find it dissappointing nonetheless. It would be nice to see a return to the setting as it was during the "Golden Age" (IMHO) of the House books (approx 1987-88). There was definitely a multi-cultural feel here, and despite attempts to bring it back (a memoral picture for me is in the Handbook: House Steiner, where a ethnic Pakistani or Sikh from Bolan is arguing with a merchant, turban and all), has been crushed under the iron-heeled boots of Stackpole and others...

Ysabel time...

It's been a while since I last posted (around a month or so!), but during that period I haven't been lax.

I started reading _Hammer's Slammers_ and got...bored. I may not be ready for it (yet). I sometimes find if I put a book on the shelf for a while, I can come back with a fresh perspective and enjoy it. For example, when I first started reading _God Emperor of Dune_ I couldn't get into it. Later when I came back to it I enjoyed it. I'm sure _Hammer's Slammers_ will be the same...

In the meantime I read instead Guy Gavriel Kay's _Ysabel_. I'll not try not to deny it: Kay is one of my favorite authors. After reading the superlative _Tigana_ I always look for his books eagerly.

_Ysabel_ is along the lines of his other fantasy books, in that it freely mixes history with fantasy. Unlike Kay's other books (a historical pastiche with fantasy elements...you can almost read the books and guess what historical personalities he's writing about), this book is very much set in the modern world with a barely-glimpsed at fantasy world behind the scenes.

The action starts out in Provence, France. A young boy...so on and so forth. What is interesting about this book is that the main character is a witness to the drama, rather than a true participant. It involves an age-old rivalry between a Celtic warrior and a Greek merchant -- and the clash of cultures that come with it. What is maddening though, is that he sets up a number of mysteries and doesn't follow through with a resolution. Does this mean there will be a sequel (maybe, probably not)? Only time will tell...

While this book was not one of Kay's best (there have been others), its interesting enough, and I think it is a book that might have a more popular appeal to those who generally don't read SF/Fantasy. In that sense, it was almost a fantasy version of a Chrighton book...

More Star Wars Action

Amongst the many books I read during my hiatus from the blog include Book 4 of the Legacy of the Force series of Star Wars books. This entry, called _Exile_ is brought by the pen of Aaron Allston. I like genre fiction; I won't deny it. It's comforting, can be fun, and every once in a while you get a real corker. This one, however, is lots more of the same.

Jacen Solo, Jedi Knight, continues his slide to the Dark Side, assisted along by a half-Sith with motives of her own. And there's this krazy female Twi-lek in it..

Blah, blah, blah...

Reading this series, I get the feeling it could have been compressed into a trilogy. It's not. I felt like not a whole lot went on here: more politicking, more mistrust, more Luke concerned about his son Ben. I already have quite a bit invested in the series, so I HAVE to finish it now (I'm a little obsessive to boot...). Hopefully later books will pick up more on the action...

For my next entry, I'm going to write about Mike Stackpole's latest ( and rare) entry in the Mechwarrior franchise of genre fiction, _Masters of War_. There's been a bit of electrons spilled on this book --well written but plot holes you can drive an Atlas through. I like to make up my own mind on that. And while I've always liked Stackpole's writing (the Warrior trilogy is amongst my favorites), the words I've read in response to this book have me concerned. We'll see.

I'm also going on vacation, and plan to read while down on the beach. I have an omni of Drake's Hammer's Slammers, so I think that'll go into the queue. After that...?

Little Green Men

In a departure from my normal routine, I picked up _Old Man's War_ by Scalzi, and started reading the first few pages. That was a mistake. Over the next couple of evenings (I has a little girl -- 18 months at the time of this writing -- so my time can be limited) I finished the book.

According to the blurb in the book, this is Scalzi's first work of fiction. It was a pretty good entry into the cut-throat competition of the bloated Scifi literature industry...(yes, I'm being a little sarcastic).

Here's the premise. In the future, competition for galactic real-estate is fierce. Sitting down and talking about it takes time, and it's just easier to send over a few divisions and secure the planet via "aggressive negotiations." Earth's answer is to recruit OLD people. People way past their prime. But before sending these geriatric 75 year old shock-troopers to the front line, everything that makes them who they are are transformed into the body of a green skinned, high tech super trooper. And away they go.

Scalzi sets up the premise well. I have no idea what I would do as a 75-year old geriatric transformed into the body of a virile early 20-something, but his idea of nonstop green-skinned nookie sounds about right to me... And while the main character shows a sufficient amount of pluck, he is in no way one of the übermensch of the book (in fact, besides his ideas an leadership ability, he's quite average...for a supersoldier). Oh, and why are they green? It's the chlorophyll...

There was only one point in the book that bothered me. A small aspect of the plot is an incident where human oil-rig jockeys go on strike. The green-skinned supertroopers escort scabs in to get the rigs working again. The strikers go berserk, assault the troops, and feed them to some shark-like creatures. The oil rigs are retaken, and in a fit of battlefield justice, the ring-leaders are fed -- alive -- to these creatures. While one can argue the crime done was rather inhumane, the fact that the troops perpetuated this action (and it seems had some sort of official license) smacks less of "justice" and more "revenge." But then a long murder trial wouldn't be as kewl and wouldn't show what kind of bad-asses we're dealing with, I suppose...

Next up, more Star Wars...

Roman Twilight, Part 1

It's been a while since my last post, but I have hardly been standing still!

As I indicated in my last post, I would be reading the Heather book on the Fall of the Roman Empire. Let me say this is a weighty book, but a good one. With that in mind, I have decided to split up my treatment of the book into sections. This also helps with my occasional book ADD I sometimes suffer from...

Naturally, here is section one.

Heather divides his book into sections, with the first being a general broad overview on the political institutions, general picture, and state of the Empire in the 4th C. More importantly, he analysis the meaning -- what it meant to the 4th C inhabitants of the Empire -- of being Roman. It was no longer an aspect of being a citizen of the city of Rome, or a descendant thereof. During Rome's slow but inexorable advance across Southern Europe, Asia Minor, and North Africa, it brought Roman culture with it. And with it, it brought its best means of integrating the disparate and diverse ethnic groups inhabiting the Mediterranean Basin into a cohesive whole. These subject people, Heather maintains, "bought into" the Roman culture, and while they may have still maintained aspects of local culture, over time they were transformed into Romans, and looked at the Empire as part of their birthright. This, in the end, would be part of the problem behind the collapse of the Empire: essentially the Empire was no longer able to contract its borders and defend areas important to its maintenance. It would be like the United States abandoning California, or New Jersey.

Furthermore, the popular image of the hairy, uncivilized barbarians may also be incorrect. Heather maintains that the Germanic peoples had begun to adapt their civilization thanks to close contact with Roman (and Mediterranean) civilization. Where previously Germanic tribes were an almost ad-hoc political organization centered around a strongman and his warband, the later Germanic tribes began to organize themselves more centrally, with aspects of Kingship and hereditary leadership developing. Furthermore, the material and political culture of the German people began to transform through trade and cultural contact, enriching them immensely.

Finally, and while the greatest threat of this time was the Sassanid Persian Empire to the East, the Romans had adapted their political and economic organization in order to deal with this upstart -- and increasingly powerful -- rival empire. The disasters of the 3rd century were painfully dealt with, and at the dawn of the 4th, Rome had regained a semblance of stability again.

How long would it last, and what was the stake in the Roman heart? More on that later...