"He could be anyone he chose to be...wherever and whenever he wanted. Not a bad cover for a confidential agent on assignment."
My Name Is Legion by Roger Zelazny is not really a novel. It is more properly a set of three inter-connected novellas of the future (from the perspective of 1976). In the first section, "The Eve of RUMOKO," we meet "Albert Schweitzer." A man who was originally part of the global computer effort to enter every piece of data about every single person in the world--theoretically, a useful thing, because if all your health records were available at any time to any doctor then the chances of saving your life go up, right? And if everybody's activities and income and all that can be tracked it would difficult for crime to exist, right? The more involved Schweitzer had gotten in the project, the more doubts he had about the truly humanitarian motives behind it and the more invasive and controlling he found it. And then he's offered the chance to opt out. Certain people have been given the chance to beat the system. And so he does. His previous identity is ended (we never find out that name) and the poor computer data specialist "dies" and so he begins his life outside the system. In order to make a living, he becomes a confidential agent, available to the second largest detective agency in the world and able (with his knowledge of the Central Data Bank--how to enter and erase data at will) to change identity whenever necessary. His first assignment in the book is to find out who's trying to sabotage the RUMOKO project--designed to create a new island and more space for the every-increasing human population--and stop them. But will stopping them really be as good an idea as it seems?
In the unpronounceable "Kjwalll'kje'koothai'lll'kje'k," our hero--now "James Madison"--is assigned to discover if dolphins really are to blame for the deaths of two men in an aquatic preserve/lab area. The media has hyped the deaths as "dolphins gone mad," but there are those who want the dolphins exonerated. Could somebody have deliberately agitated the normally peaceful dolphins to violence or has a human agent tried to cover their own murderous attacks by making the wounds look like those made by dolphin teeth? And if so, why?
And, finally in "Home Is the Hangman," a semi- (and possibly fully) sentient deep space exploration robot comes home after having an apparent "nervous breakdown" and losing contact with its creators for a number of years. All the evidence seems to point to the "Hangman" device being on a mission to wipe out the four members of the team which designed it. "John Donne" is assigned to find out if the Hangman really did survive the crash landing, if it is responsible for the death of the first member of the team, and if the others know why it might be out for revenge. Donne finds that, as usual, everything is not necessarily what it seems.
At the heart of each of these stories are some very interesting questions about humankind, especially our behavior towards one another and to other intelligent species--from our fellow mammals to artificial intelligence of our own making. How much control should we have and how do we decide who holds it? Can we ever overcome the tendency to take the most benign control and somehow turn it to evil purposes? And can we appreciate and learn from intelligence different from our own without fearing it?
Even thirty-some years later, these novellas seem very relevant. We still don't really understand the intelligence of dolphins. We are living in a world where more and more data is collected about our lives and stored in that mysterious place called the internet. And as computers get more and more sophisticated, who can say whether we will, either inadvertently or purposefully, create intelligence along the way? My only misgivings with this read are two-fold. First, the characters are not quite as fully developed as has been usual in Zelazny's work--even his short stories. And, second, there is a somewhat disjointed feel to the work--in part due to the clear division of three novellas, but also because of some of the main character's introspective musings. These musings seemed to break into the flow of the narrative rather than helping it to move along. I'm not quite sure how Zelazny could have provided the details in a better manner--just that I wish he had. Three and half stars (would have been four, but for the misgivings).
**This counts for the Read Your Own Library Challenge--January edition. It's another book that I picked up during my science fiction binge days (teens-20s) and then never got 'round to it. I'm glad I finally did. I'm not sure what my February book will be...have to think on it.
That Hideous Strength is the final book in the space trilogy written by C. S. Lewis. Only this time our space traveler, Ransom, is staying firmly at home on earth...where the battle between Good and Evil will rage in the middle of English village life. While Ransom (or the Director as he is now known) plays a major role, our story focuses on Jane and Mark Studdock--a recently married couple whose married life has already begun to sour. Soon Jane and Mark will be drawn into opposite sides of the battle without realizing quite what they're choosing. Before the very grim (and sometimes quite violent) action is over, we'll be introduced to Mr. Bultritude (I won't spoil it by telling you who/what he is), Merlin brought back from the grave, and a quite literal Talking Head. Lewis also gives us a quite delightful scene straight from the Tower of Babel.
This book was written in the years just prior to and during World War II. This would be apparent to anyone who knows anything about that time period. It is quite scary to see how easily the N.I.C.E. Organization (read the Nazi Party) insinuate themselves into every area of British life and take over everything from the government to education to the police. They talk a line of patter that quite effortlessly brings in those who "just want to belong." And that is at the heart of the matter--we all want to belong. We want to feel that we're part of something important and in the "inner circle." We're going to help make things happen; we're going to be in the know; we're one of the "cool kids." And that's how the evil forces can get control. They make it sound so good.
Once again, Lewis has written a good book. I found myself liking it better than Perelandra--it "drew me in" and made me want to keep on reading. But I still feel some of the beautiful language he used in Out of the Silent Planet is missing. Perhaps it's difficult to write quite so beautifully about the battle of Good and Evil. The action is a bit slow towards the beginning, but it picks up about half-way through and is superb once Merlin is brought in. I'm definitely glad that I've finally managed to read this series (chalk up another plant for the Victory Garden!). Three stars.
This book counts for several Challenges--particularly the Off the Shelf Challenge and featuring as this month's book for the Read Your Own Library Challenge (I'm at the Running Behind Level). It's nice to clear off books that have been looking at me reproachfully for oh, um, ....twenty years or so. In January I'm going to attack My Name is Legion by Roger Zelazny. That's another book that's been sitting on my shelf since my last major science fiction binge.
Dragons of Light by Orson Scott Card (ed) is a collection of short stories with (surprise) a theme running to dragons. Thirteen authors bring us stories, legends, folk tales and rumors of dragons and their doings from Ireland to a Native American settlement; from somewhere very like ancient Asia to the deep South. Thirteen illustrators are also on hand to give the authors' visions visual life.
"The Ice Dragon" by George R. R. Martin is a story about a young girl who was born during one of the coldest winters in her land. The bitter weather was said to have killed her mother and to have made her a winter child. The cold did not affect her and it even seemed that coldness had become her nature. Because of her unusual gifts, she is able to make friends with a rare ice dragon. Her family is unaware of her friend and, when their king's enemies come to pillage their land--using traditional fire-breathing dragons--it is Adara and her ice dragon who save her family...at a great loss. A lovely story about friendship and sacrifice.
"The George Business" by Roger Zelazny: Just in the last year I have started reading Zelazny again. I'm wondering why I ever quit. He writes so well and with great humor. This little gem tells the story of how a knight named George and a dragon strike a little business deal....The first two attempts don't quite work out as planned. And then they have an idea that should make both of them happy.
"One Winter in Eden" by Michael Bishop. This one doesn't do a darn thing for me. Basic story line: there's this teacher in the deep south who has a dragon hidden inside him. Well, okay. Isn't that nifty? Do we know why? Nope. Does it matter one iota for the story, really? Not that I can see. The teacher has recently arrived at the school. He's taken the place of one of the few black teachers who have worked there. He's an outsider. There's another black teacher who is now considered an outsider too. Did the hidden dragon have anything to do with any of this? Can't say that it did. When the dragon popped out at the end (sorry if that spoils it for you), did that seem to be important? No, not so much. I mean the dragon could have burned the evil school board members to a crisp or eaten them up or something....but nope. Nothing. Nada. The end.
"A Drama of Dragons" by Craig Shaw Gardner. This is another humorous story. It's about a wizard who can't really practice his magic anymore because he's under a curse that causes him to sneeze uncontrollably every time something magical is in the area. Dragons are magical. A dragon shows up and threatens a local duke and the wizard needs to ward off the dragon. In a nifty twist, the dragon helps the wizard....or does he? Nicely done.
"Silken Dragon" by Steven Edward McDonald. A well-told tale that has the feel of a folk tale or fable. There is skulduggery afoot as a thief plans to steal the kingdom's treasure. He doesn't much believe in the rumors that the treasures are guarded by the curse of the silken dragon. Nor in the ability of a woman warrior to help stop him. By the end of the story both the dragon and the warrior show him that a little faith in what he didn't understand just might have been a good thing....
"Eagle-Worm" by Jessica Amanda Salmonson. A Native American tale in which the eagle-worm (dragon, thunderbird, lizard of fire) serves as a totem animal for a young Native American woman. She is sent on a quest to confront the dragon and to test and see if she is worthy to be the next Tribal Mother. The dragon has more to reveal than she knows. Well-told.
"The Dragon of Dunloon" by Arthur Dembling. A young man comes to Dunloon to record local music and gets more than he bargained for. The citizens begin telling him tales of dragons and soon a sea dragon is spotted off the coast. But when the young man looks, all he sees is a boat. The citizens seem very sincere...are they all crazy? Are they all plotting an enormous leg pull? Or can they really see something he can't?
"If I Die Before I Wake" by Greg Bear. About a dragon that seems to represent growing up. I think. Or maybe not growing up. Not sure. This one didn't do much for me either.
"As Above, So Below" by John M. Ford. "Here there be dragons." Or least there were. A very short story about the day the dragons disappeared.
"Cockfight" by Jane Yolen. A young bondsman steals a dragon and trains it for the cockfights....in an effort to gain his freedom. Another good shorter short story.
"From Bach to Broccoli" by Richard Kearns. A cautionary tale about building and expansion taking over all the places where dragons may roam.
"Dragon Touched" by Dave Smeds. A great magician sets off on a journey to kill two powerful dragons. But what will happen if one of the dragons joins minds with him?
This is a fairly good collection of stories most are good (save for those I have indicated) and some are terrific. My favorites: "The Ice Dragon," "The George Business," "A Drama of Dragons," and "Cockfight." This is another plant for the Victory Garden and my November entry for the Read Your Own Library Challenge. As I mentioned last month, this one has been hanging out on the TBR shelves since July 1999. My best friend gave it to me for my birthday. I tried to read it then, but I just wasn't as into science fiction as I once was. It's nice to finally sit down and read these stories that she loved so much. Having sat on my shelf so long, it also qualifies for the Off the Shelf Challenge. Three and a half stars for the entire collection.
Next up for December's edition of the Read Your Own Library Challenge will be That Hideous Strength by C. S. Lewis. This is the final book in his space trilogy series and has been hanging out on the TBR pile for more years than I can count. It also will help towards several of the 2011 Challenges that I still have pending, so it's all good!
I picked up A Question of Proof by Nicholas Blake a little over 6 months ago at my friendly neighborhood "Friends of the Library" bookstore. It's rare that I can wander into the little bookstore which panders to the bookaholics who frequent the library without wandering back out with at least one or two new-to-me books. They're sneaky that way--offering good used, sometimes rare, and discarded books for miniscule amounts of money. I can feed my book habit and feel virtuous about supporting my library all at the same time. A definite win-win situation.
I decided to read the Blake book as my first entry into JNCL's Read Your Own Library Challenge. I'm in for the basic--Running Behind--level. Just committed to reading one book from my own library per month. I chose it because I was in the mood for a vintage mystery (written in 1935) and one that had an academic setting. I do love me a good academic mystery.
A Question of Proof is the first mystery in Blake's (aka Cecil Day-Lewis, England's Poet Laureate from 1968-72) series starring the charming and erudite Nigel Strangeways. The story is set a Sudeley Hall, a typical boys' preparatory school with the typical mix of popular boys and miscreants; favorite schoolmasters and loathsome teachers. Strangeways is called in when one of the obnoxious boys--the headmaster's nephew no less--is found strangled in one of the haystacks near the school.
The police soon focus their suspicions on Strangeways' friend Michael Evans, a schoolmaster who happens to be in love with the headmaster's wife....and who coincidentally met his love earlier that day in that same haystack. It doesn't help that he managed to lose a silver pencil while wooing his fair lady. Fortunately, the circumstantial evidence isn't quite strong enough to warrant an arrest and Strangeways has a chance to use his charm and his wits to get to ferret out clues--mostly psychological. When the headmaster himself is stabbed and the police decide to arrest their favorite suspects (Evans and the wife), Strangeways puts together a reenactment of the crime and brings down the final curtain.
This was a very nicely done first mystery. The language is lovely--as you would expect from a future Poet Laureate--and the characters are finely drawn. The superintendent may be a bit of a stereotype as a thick-headed policeman, but I think Blake/Day-Lewis is spot-on with his portrayal of the boys at school. Strangeways is most charming, yet a bit odd as it seems vintage detectives should be. The story held my interest and kept me guessing. I thought about the actual criminal, but couldn't really come up with a motive. Three and a half stars.
My next book for the Challenge will be Dragons of Light edited by Orson Scott Card. This is a science fiction/fantasy short story collection that I've had since Christmas of 1999. My best friend gave it to me. I feel guilty for not having read it yet. (And why haven't you? Hmm?) But the thing is, she sent it to me thinking I was still in major SF/fantasy mode and I'd jumped ship back to mysteries without letting her know. I still like SF/fantasy (more SF than fantasy), but I don't seek it out like I do the mystery field. So....I'm going to sit down and read this one during November. This one's for you, Paula.
So....there I am minding my own business, looking at my blogroll. And, ooh, look! A post from Gina over at Hott Books. What's that you say, Gina? You've made a new friend? Oh. You've signed up for another challenge. How nice. Wait!!! Did you say CHALLENGE?! You know I can't resist challenges.
And, of course, I couldn't. I didn't. I'm signing up for The Read Your Own Library Challenge hosted by The Beauty of Eclecticism.The rules of the challenge are few and simple, and are listed below in no particular order.- Read at least one book every month that you've owned for 6 months or more and have never read previously, then write us a post about it. Please write at least a minimal review (no spoilers!), and any interesting anecdotes you have about how you came to own the book in the first place are always appreciated.
- The linky will open on her blog at 12:00 a.m. (US Pacific) on the 5th day of every month, and will remain open until 12:00 a.m. on the 8th. Simply add your text link TO THE RELEVANT POST ONLY to the linky list, place the Challenge badge on your site, and try and visit as many of the others' links as possible. (Html code for the Challenge Badge can be found in the right sidebar.) Please leave comments wherever you visit--silent hovering depresses her.
- Choose from the three possibilities the level of backloggedness from which you suffer, and follow the guidelines accordingly. Please indicate your level in each Library Challenge post.
I am going for the simplest level:Running Behind--You need to catch up on your reading a bit, and feel this challenge would be a good motivator to do so. You are committing to read one book per month that fits the requirement, and nothing else.--mainly because there is no way on earth I can possibly agree to not buy more books (which the other levels require). It's just not going to happen.And per the first post requirements, I am declaring my first Challenge Book to be:A Question of Proof by Nicholas Blake. This book in the Nigel Strangeways mystery series takes Nigel to a boys' prep school. He is called in to find murderer who has disrupted the normal chaos of Sudley Hall. And the police suspect his friend Michael Evans, one of the teachers, who just happens to be in love with the headmaster's wife. I picked this book up back in March 2011 (just a little over the 6 month requirement) from our Friends of the Library Used Bookstore. I just had to have it because it has an academic setting and I'm a sucker for what I call academic mysteries. Unfortunately, the TBR is so huge that I haven't read books that I've had for years...let alone only 6 months or so. Next time I'll pick a book that's been hanging out in the pile a lot longer.
Books Read:
A Question of Proof by Nicholas Blake
Dragons of Light by Orson Scott Card (ed)
That Hideous Strength by C. S. Lewis
"He could be anyone he chose to be...wherever and whenever he wanted. Not a bad cover for a confidential agent on assignment." 
