Mickey Mouse: Adventure in Outer Space

 Mickey Mouse: Adventure in Outer Space (1968) by George E. Davie

Billed as a Mickey Mouse adventure--Goofy really takes center stage as his interest in looking at the stars at night turns into a journey among the stars when he gets mistaken for a scientist and kidnapped by a UFO. When Mickey is asked by Chief O'Hara to come to the science lab and help investigate the disappearance of several scientists, Goofy tags along. Then, while Mickey and the Chief take the remaining scientists to a safe place, Goofy stands guard over the laboratory. But donning a white lab coat makes the men on the UFO think that he's another scientist ripe for the taking...so they nab him. Mickey manages to figure out what's going on and disguises himself as a scientist to be kidnapped, but who "woulda thunk" that Goofy's expert skills at making lemonade would save the day and help defeat that ol' space pirate Black Pete?

Another trip down memory lane with a Big Little book--I had a number of these when I was small and nostalgia tends to kick in whenever I see these for a good price at our annual book fair or at a used bookstore. A fun little story--but seriously I don't know how the chief scientist (pictured with Mickey) could ever have thought Black Pete had his best interests at heart. Luckily, he had a craving for lemonade and Goofy was able to win his trust. ★★★

The Entropy Effect

 The Entropy Effect (1981) by Vonda N. McIntyre

Mystery. Intrigue. Time Travel. The possibility of the end of the universe. McIntyre's books has little bit of it all.

While Mr. Spock is completing a scientific study of a naked singularity which had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, the Enterprise receives an Ultimate override command. Spock's initial findings are most disturbing. If his calculations are correct the appearance of the singularity signals more chaos to come and...the end of the universe in less than a century. The override command cuts his research short. Ultimate is reserved for only the most dire of circumstances--a sun going nova, an invasion, a critical experimental failure, or unclassified: danger never before encountered. The command directs Kirk to take his ship at maximum warp to Aleph Prime. But when they arrive, nothing seems to be amiss--except brilliant physicist, Dr. Georges Mordreaux, a former teacher of their own Mr. Spock, is being held as a murderer. He is accused of having perpetrated a murderous confidence game, promising to send people back in time and then killing them instead. The Enterprise has been diverted to transport him to the nearest penal rehabilitation colony. But it appears that someone other than Ian Braithewaite, Aleph Primes's chief prosecutor, sent the message.

Kirk is furious that the Ultimate has been misused and is ready to leave Ian Braithwaite to wait for the official prisoner transport when Spock urges him to take on the assignment. He knows that something is not right. The man he once knew could never have killed anyone and he wants time to talk with Mordreaux and get his side of the story. Before that can happen, a crazed doctor--having somehow escaped the quarters surrounded by a force field and security personnel--bursts onto the bridge, kills Captain Kirk and his new Security Chief Mandala Flynn, and promptly disappears into the turbo lift. Mordreaux is later found in the secured quarters and the guards swear he could not have gotten out. 

Once Spock is able to confer with the prisoner, he realizes that he must journey through time--not only to save his captain, but to save the universe itself. Dr. Modreaux's experiments have warped time itself and the longer the warp exists the worse the stress of entropy is for those on the Enterprise as well as everything in the universe. Spock leaves McCoy--the only other officer who's in on the secret--in command and this also leaves a disgruntled Scotty open to Ian Braithwaite's bizarre theories of conspiracy. So Spock and McCoy are working on an even shorter time limit--if Scotty and Braithwaite put a stop to Spock's time travels, there won't be any time left for anyone.

This is one of the first Star Trek novels I ever read. It came in a boxed set of the first six published by Pocket Books and found under the Christmas tree when I  was twelve. That started me on a long journey of Star Trek and science fiction novel reading. And I loved those first six books (well--five of them, anyway. Let's not talk about The Prometheus Design, okay?). 

Upon this reading, I was initially a bit disgruntled that my Star Trek characters weren't behaving properly. And then I thought it over. First, from the cover picture, it appears that this takes place after The Motion Picture. I'm going to guess not too long after. The crew has just gotten back together after Kirk had been riding a desk job for Starfleet HQ. They're still settling back in with one another. Second, we've got that whole entropy thing going on that is screwing things up more and more the longer it goes on. It shouldn't be a surprise that this is putting stress on everybody and so there would be some weirdness. BUT I still think McIntyre made some mistakes. 

As soon as Kirk knew that the Ultimate override command was no longer in effect, he should have briefed his senior officers. Scotty, as third in command after Spock, should have been included. Since this was McIntyre's first book in the Star Trek universe, I don't know if she was just not well-versed in how these people work together OR if she was relying on the weirdness of the effects of entropy to explain everything OR if she felt she needed the disgruntled Scotty sub-plot to help move things along. Regardless, it's just a bit off. I'm also a bit perturbed at the short shrift Uhura, Chekov, and Nurse Chapel receive--they pretty much have walk-on parts

On the plus side, this is a fun adventure with some very moving moments. Spock's distress when he repeatedly comes "this" close to stopping Mordreax. McCoy's grief. Even Scotty's bafflement at being left out of things (even though I don't think McIntyre should have left him out--his reactions are definitely relatable). I also loved (both the first time I read it and now) that the spotlight was on Sulu. This is one of the first (if not the first) Star Trek novels to feature a character beyond Kirk, Spock & McCoy in a major sub-plot. Sulu gets a first name, some back history, and a love interest (no debates here on the nature of that love interest and how it fits in with later revelations on the character). And the creation of Mandala Flynn and the other new security personnel as well as Captain Hunter was truly inspired. Strong characters--both strong women and strong non-humanoid species--that I would have loved to see more of. 

As a mystery--and I do consider it a bit of one--it is a how-dunnit rather than a who-dunnit. Spock must figure out how Mordreaux was able to kill the captain and the security chief without having left his secure cabin. And then he has to figure out how to stop him from doing it in the first place.  A good Star Trek adventure all around. I gave it ★★★ and 1/2 when I first read it forty-ish years ago and I see no reason to change my rating now.

First line: Captain James T. Kirk sprawled on the couch in the sitting room of his cabin, dozing over a book.

Last lines: Whatever did happen seems to have involved only Spock himself; whatever it was has not affected the Enterprise at all. And that, of course, as always, is my main concern.

*************

Deaths = 4 (two poisoned; two shot)

The Nine Billion Names of God

 The Nine Billion Names of God (1967) by Arthur C. Clarke

This was, as far as I can remember, my very first taste of Clarke when I began my exploration of classic science fiction in the 80s. The first (and title) story is a knock-out. "The Nine Billion Names of God" and "The Last Question" by Isaac Asimov are my two all-time favorite short stories in science fiction. "Names" hooked me on Clarke and made me search out his other work--from the Space Odyssey books through The Tales from the White Hart. Clarke's longer works are well worth reading, but he was an absolute master of the short story and this collection is a great introduction to him. ★★★★★

"The Nine Billion Names of God": This title story is a stunner. All about monks who want to use technology to speed up their sacred task. The last line is absolutely perfect. I loved this story when I first discovered Arthur C. Clarke and it still resonates with me. 

"I Remember Babylon": Clarke places himself as the narrator of this cautionary tale about the dangers that might come with the convenience of satellite transmissions. Those who use propaganda and information as a weapon are always eager for a new method of attack.

"Trouble with Time": A clever little mystery about a Martian robbery that goes wrong. Makes a play off of a key plot point from Verne's Around the World in 80 Days.

"Rescue Party": Aliens from another part of the galaxy head to Earth on a rescue mission when the scientists of their federation determine that Sol is going to go nova. When the ships arrive, they are confused to find evidence of primitive (by their standards) technology, but also evidence that the inhabitants may have escaped by rocket ship. In the middle of their mission, part of the alien crew gets caught in the humans' underground travel system. Will the rescuers be rescued in time?

"Summertime on Icarus": Scientists have always wanted to get a closer view of the sun--but if you get too close, you'll burn alive. Our narrator is part of team who is sent to Icarus (an asteroid that will pass near the sun). They plan to set up instruments on the side that will face the sun and scurry to the dark side before it's too late. And then something goes wrong with the mission...

"Dog Star": A story about an astronomer and the dog he rescues...and who rescues him--twice. The second time is after death (the dog's) and far away on the moon.

"Hide & Seek": A spy in the interstellar wars manages to out wit the commander of a huge battle cruiser by playing a little game of hide and seek on Phobos. The commander's superiors never could understand why the commander of the fleet's fastest ship couldn't catch a lone man in a space suit.

"Out of the Sun": Another story about observing the sun--this time from the surface of Mercury. This time astronomers are left wondering just what exactly is in those solar flares that erupt from the sun? Is it possible that the energy released is the energy of life?

"The Wall of Darkness": A story of the single planet revolving around a lone star. A wall of darkness lies at the edge of the habitable region of Shervane's world. And when he learns of it, he becomes determined to find out what is on the other side. Legends say madness lies there. Sometimes, legends hold an element of truth...

"No Morning After": A second story about intergalactic beings making an effort to rescue the human race. This time the humans are still on Earth, but only one man is in a receptive state of mind to receive their telepathic messages. And he thinks they're just the after-effects of a bottle of whisky.

"The Possessed": Clarke comes up with an interesting reason behind all those lemmings jumping into the sea.

"Death & the Senator": Senator Steelman receives two shocks. The first is when, in the months leading up to a possible bid for the Presidency, he's told he's going to die. The second occurs after he has made peace with the fact that is time is running out...only to be told that a new treatment, requiring him to spend time in space, could save his life. Has one the two best last lines in the collection.

"Who's There?":  When a space station supervisor is told there is a stray object floating about that needs retrieving, he's the only one available to do the job. It should be just routine, but what are those weird noises coming from his space suit?

"Before Eden": Earthmen are finally investigating Venus and are surprised to find flowing water at the South Pole (the coolest part of the planet). The biologist is excited to think that they may be there to witness the beginnings of life on the Venus. But will their presence change the course of Venus's history? This is a cautionary tale about how even the smallest change in an environment might cause great harm.

"Superiority": A story of David and Goliath on an interstellar scale. The more primitive race takes on those whose weapons are superior, but sometimes giants do fall. And sometimes they even trip over their own feet.

"A Walk in the Dark": Robert Armstrong is making his way from camp on an unnamed planet to Port Sanderson where he will catch a ship for home when a series of accidents impedes his journey. First his tractor transport breaks down. He fixes it. It breaks down again. He decides to walk the four remaining miles and sets off with a flashlight. The flashlight goes out. And now he must make the journey in total darkness. Feeling his way along to keep himself on the narrow road. And then he remembers the tale told by the old Base clerk at Port Sanderson about his walk in the dark and the sound of clicking claws he heard...

"The Call of the Stars": A man who left his father behind on Earth in order to be among the first on the space station watches the twentieth century turn into the twenty-first from space. He also prepares to watch his son leave him behind to head out on a mission to Mars.

"The Reluctant Orchid": A timid young orchid-grower by the name of Hercules is managed by an overbearing aunt. He discovers a carnivorous breed of orchid and imagines a life without his aunt...

"Encounter at Dawn": A survey starship with a three-man crew lands on a distant planet much like their own. There they find a bipedal race also much like their own but at a much earlier point of development and they wish they could stay and help the beings lift themselves towards civilization more quickly. [Clearly no Prime Directive in force here...] But they must leave to tend to their own civilization. They wonder what these beings will become.

"If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth...": Colonists on the moon are the last human beings left after a nuclear war on their home planet. Each generation is taken to a particular place in the colony to look on the Earth and be reminded that the colony must survive so that one day, when it's safe, they can return and reclaim their home.

"Patent Pending": A scientist's assistant, Georges, becomes obsessed with a machine that can record sensations and play them back just like music. He decides to use it for erotic pleasure and is so caught up in the experience that he neglects everything and everyone.

"The Sentinel": The story from which 2001: A Space Odyssey grew. Explorers on the moon find no sign of intelligent life ever having been there before man...Until they find a lone relic high up in the mountains. The narrator speculates that an ancient alien race placed it there, watching to see if intelligent life ever emerged from the cradle of the Earth.

"Transience": In both the first story and here in the penultimate story of the collection, Clarke gives us a view of the end of things. The first story gives us the end of everything. "Transience" shows us that all things change; all things must come to an end. Even our time here on Earth.

"The Star": A Jesuit priest/explorer suffers a crisis of faith when the exploration team discovers the protected records of an earth-like civilization lost when their sun went supernova.

First line (1st/title story): "This is a slightly unusual request," said Dr. Wagner, with what he hoped was commendable restraint.

He was still marveling at the narrowness of his escape when his time ran out and Death fell softly from the summer sky. (p. 142) [I think Clarke excelled at last lines. This is a marvelous ending to "Death & the Senator."]

Last line (next-to-last story--if I give the last line of the last story, it will spoil it): For man had come and gone.

The Trouble with Tribbles

 The Trouble With Tribbles (1977) by David Gerrold

The third of twelve fotonovels featuring original Star Trek episodes and published in the 1970s. The books tell the stories in a graphic novel style, using stills for the television show and using comic book balloons for the dialogue. These books were a real treat for fans of the show before VCRs and DVD players allowed us to re-watch episodes whenever we wanted. 

Gerrold's story is a fan favorite--who can resist those furry little bundles? It begins with the Enterprise responding to a priority distress call from Space Station K-7 only to find that undersecretary Nilz Baris wants Kirk to provide security for storage containers of grain. The Federation and the Klingons are in competition to prove to the Organians (who administer the peace treaty between the two) that their people are best suited to develop the disputed Sherman's Planet. Baris is convinced the Klingons are out to destroy the Federation's efforts. He also thinks that the means of sabotage will be the cute little animals called tribbles--but he'll find that he has the furry creatures to thank for giving clues to the plot as well as the spy behind all the trouble.

This has always been one of my favorite episodes. I enjoy the humor and I especially enjoy the scenes with Scotty and Chekov in the bar right before the brawl with the Klingons and then Kirk's interrogation of the men when he's trying to discover who threw the first punch. It is always fun to revisit the classic Trek episodes--whether by viewing them or reading this beautifully done fotonovels. ★★★★★

First line: Captain's Log: Stardate 4523.2 Our path is taking us into a quadrant of the galaxy that has been under dispute between the Klingons and the Federation since initial contact.

Last line: Before they went into warp, I transported the whole kit and kaboodle into their engine room where they will be no "tribble" at all!

The Tears of the Singers

 The Tears of the Singers (1984) by Melinda Snodgrass

The Enterprise is at a space station for a little R&R and a mandatory check of the ship. Uhura meets one of the most talented musicians since Mozart and there is romance in the air. But when a space freighter disappears in a space warp near the Taygeta V system, shore leave is cancelled and the Enterprise is sent to investigate. Taygeta is the home of a species of "singers" that has long been hunted for the crystal tears excreted upon their death. Spock proposes that a species that can create music must be intelligent and that the hunting is wrong...and Kirk doesn't disagree, but there are bigger issues to be faced. First, they need to find a way to stop the space warp from expanding further (and engulfing the planet)...then they can save the Taygetians from the hunters. 

Before leaving the space station, Spock's research into the Taygetians' music reveals that the songs themselves may be essential to solving the space warp crisis and he tells Kirk that the Enterprise needs a musician to interpret the music. So, Guy Maslin, our latter-day Mozart, is called upon for service (under a little-used Federation regulation) and off they go to Taygeta. Of course, saving the universe wouldn't be everything it could be without the Klingons getting involved too. Kirk's old rival Kor shows up and then they manage a truce (without the need for Organian influence), but there are hard-core Klingons on Kor's ship who might not let their captain be so cozy with earthers. While Kirk and Kor try to keep things calm in space, Uhura, Guy, and Spock work to unravel the song and make meaningful contact with the Taygetians before it's too late.

This is one of the few Star Trek novels to feature Lieutenant Uhura and give her the attention she deserves. She not only helps to save an entire species and their planet, but also helps them save the space-time continuum. The plot makes use of her musical talents as well as her abilities as a language specialist. I enjoyed this one very much the first time I read it (when it was first released and looking back now, it's interesting to know that this book came out in 1984 and featured a rescue through a species' song and it wouldn't be long before Star Trek IV would be released and whale song would feature so prominently. ★★★ and 3/4 

First line (Prologue): An ice green sea lapped softly at the sparkling sands and crystal cliffs of the strange, silver-lit world.

Last line: He would probably never hear their music again, but someday, with the help of the three Taygetians who traveled with them, a multitude of worlds would ring with their particular brand of music that sang to the spheres.

Star Trek: Voyage to Adventure

 Star Trek: Voyage to Adventure (1984) by Michael J. Dodge

Mystery...Adventure...Time Travel...all this and more await the reader of this Which Way Book (a choose-your-own-adventure-type) who finds herself assigned as an Ensign aboard the legendary U.S.S. Enterprise with Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock and the rest of the crew. Solve the mystery of the Klingon spy. Travel through time with Mr. Spock. Investigate the mysterious messages from an alien race. And try to avoid slip-ups that will result in your own destruction.

I loved the Choose Your Own Adventure Books from the time I ordered my first one (The Mystery of Chimney Rock) through the Scholastic Book Club order form in elementary school. Being a Trek fan, I immediately scooped this one up when it came out in 1984. And enjoyed it immensely. It was just as much fun revisiting this story now. I love the way Dodge has packed this small book with so many coherent adventures. Short and to the point, but full of mystery adventure to make reading fun for kids--and adults. ★★★★

First lines: You are an Ensign in Starfleet, just graduated from the Starfleet Academy. Because of your high scores as a cadet, you have been assigned to the starship Enterprise, commanded by Captain James T. Kirk.

Last line (of my favorite ending): Ask them if we can give them a ride home...without the dilithium crystals, of course.

************

Deaths (usually your own) = 11 (one accident; four shooting; three electric shock; one attacked by alien; one asphyxiated; one smashed by falling rock)

Black Sun

 Black Sun (2020) by Rebecca Roanhorse

An epic fantasy novel inspired by various pre-Colombian cultures in the Americas. Readers follow the path of Serapio, a young Crow whose destiny is to become the Crow God who will wreak vengeance upon the priest clans who destroyed Crow ancestors. Serapio's mother prepares him for his quest to become the Odo Sedoh. He will become blind, learn to talk to the crows, and be trained in power and battle skills that will allow him to defeat his enemies. When the time comes, he will rely on Xiala to take him back to Tova, the holy city where the Sun Priest--and the other priests are on the verge of celebrating another year under the power of the Sun God. Xiala is a ship's captain whose power of Song has the ability to conquer enemies as well as calm the stormy seas and who has the ability to get him to Tova and the Sun Rock in time to fulfill prophecy.

Waiting on the side of the priests is Naranpa, the current Sun Priest. Naranpa is a scholar priest who faces treachery among the priesthood. She has tried to bring change to the ruling class...making it more compassionate and involved with its subjects rather than standing aloof. But few of her fellow priests share her vision and there is danger all around. Her friend, the Priest of Knives (I read it as Master of the Guards), does his best to protect her, but will saving her from the priesthood simply keep her intact for the clash with the Crow God reborn?

Roanhorse does a beautiful job building the fantasy-world of what might-have-been in the pre-Colombian days of the Western hemisphere. We have a solid understanding of how this world works--the hierarchies within clans, the means of travel, the magic and powers that certain members of society possess. It's all given to us casually, but we soon become immersed in the world and it seems perfectly natural for this person to see the world through the eyes of crows and for this one to ride upon the backs of birds and that one to calm the sea with her song. She also creates interesting characters that we want to follow to the end (the real end for some of them, unfortunately). My favorite was Xiala. I really, really like our mermaid-like captain and hope very much that she appears in future books.

A smashing, epic adventure that I could not put down until it was finished. ★★★★ and 1/2.

First line: Today he would become a god.

A man with a destiny is a man who fears  nothing. (Serapio; p. 78)

Life is a series of false hopes. We all have misplaced hopes until we learn better. (Paadeh; p.86)

Last lines: "If you can hear me, hold on. We're going home."

The Price of the Phoenix

 The Price of the Phoenix (1977) by Sondra Marshak & Myrna Culbreath

Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, and The Romulan Commander (from the Classic series episode "The Enterprise Incident") take on one of the most mysterious and powerful men in the Galaxy. A man who has the strength of a Vulcan giant, the speed of a cheetah, the mind of a genius, and the pride and evil to match the Devil himself. Omne has created an outlaw planet, styled on Earth's wild west, where those who want to operate outside the Federation's "oppressive benevolence" or separate from the Romulan or Klingon empires can follow their rules--provided they agree to settle any differences via the laws of Omne's world. Disagreements to be settled by whomever can draw their gun the fastest. 

But Omne has decided that he is not satisfied just operating outside the Federation...he'd like to take it apart and the best way to do that is to expose the person he considers the most flagrant breaker of the Prime Directive, Captain James T. Kirk. He invites delegates from the biggest Federation stakeholder planets as well as those from outside the Federation and plans an event to begin the dissolution of the Federation. The Romulan Commander is on hand to take what advantage she can for her Empire. But..there are wheels within wheels in this plan...and it soon becomes apparent that his ultimate goal is to own a starship captain and possibly both his first office and his old enemy. 

It will take murder and the rising of an unexpected phoenix to bring Starfleet officers and The Romulan Commander into an uneasy alliance. Omne will force them to consider the cost of friendship and loyalty and pride. How much is an individual life worth? And does it make a difference whose life it is? And ultimately...are they willing to pay the price of the phoenix?

I first read this back in the early 80s. It was one of my favorites of the early Star Trek books. I loved the themes of friendship and sacrifice--watching Kirk and Spock...and even the Commander try to outdo each other in making wagers against Omne's stacked deck to try and save the others. It was an exciting adventure and a lesson in loyalty. It showed how one-time enemies could learn to work together when it counted. Rereading the book as an adult, I can see that some of the material is a bit over the top. If I were reading it for the first time, I'd probably be more critical of the fanfic nature of it. But....I know where this novel falls in the ST timeline and, so, I turned off the critic for this one. 

These early novels come from a time when the fans were what was keeping Star Trek alive. The show had been sent into syndication and the studio had given up on the ST property long ago. Phoenix came out before there was the hope of the first ST feature film and most of the authors of those early Bantam ST novels were fans who simply had to have more stories about their favorite science fiction characters. Having discovered what a great show ST was about that time, I understood the need for more stories about Kirk, Spock, McCoy and company and I read the novelizations as fast as I could find them. My one real quibble with this book is that McCoy features so little. 

For those who insist that this book turns Kirk and Spock's friendship into something erotic, I respond with a footnote included in the only ST novel penned by Gene Roddenberry, the creator of that friendship (novelization of Star Trek The Motion Picture; p. 22):

The human concept of "friend" is most nearly duplicated in Vulcan thought by the term t'hy'la which can also mean "brother" and "lover." Spock's recollection (from which this chapter has drawn) is that it was a most difficult moment for him since he did consider Kirk to have become his brother. However because t'hy'la can be used to mean "lover," and since Kirk's and Spock's friendship was unusually close, this has led to some speculation over whether they had actually indeed become lovers. At our request, Admiral [then] Kirk supplied the following comment on this subject: "I was never aware of the 'lovers' rumor, although I have been told that Spock encountered it several times. Apparently he had always dismissed it with his characteristic lifting of his right eyebrow which usually connoted some combination of surprise, disbelief, and/or annoyance. As for myself, although I have no moral or other objection to physical love in any of its many Earthly, alien, and mixed forms, I have always found my best gratification in that creature 'woman,' Also, I would dislike being thought of as so foolish that I would select a love partner who came into sexual heat only once every seven years."

So--I'd say the creator of Kirk and Spock...and Kirk himself ought to know. As Kirk says--I have no objection to love in its many forms, but I do object to taking friendship and/or brotherhood and making it into something it's not. There can be deep affection and love without sex. Caring deeply for someone and taking care of them physically does not mean that you want to bed them. And I know that reading this novel when I was a preteen helped me form some of my thoughts, beliefs, and expectations of deep, loyal friendship. I never once thought that the two men had shared anything beyond a friendship and kinship that could withstand and outlast anything that Omne threw at it.

And...for those in the Medical Examiner Challenge, if you're wondering how a Star Trek novel figures in the mystery realm--integral to the science fiction plot is a mystery of who was really killed and how...and how many times.

A thoroughly enjoyable reread-- ★★★★★ when I first read it and I'll not argue with that rating now.

First line: Dr. McCoy had one thought in his mind: Spock must be spared this!

Spock's hand closed on Omne's wrist and learned tt was not Human when it did not break. (p. 24)

The perfect murder [redacted because spoiler] and nobody died. (p.45)

"Script?" she said with a slow smile. "It is the simple truth." "That's the best kind," he grinned. (The Romulan Commander, Captain Kirk; p. 130)

Last line: And he saw that he had done it again as the Commander and James made it out the door. [empty space contains slight spoiler--highlight if curious]

*************

Deaths = 2 shot (that I can count--there were two more burned to death, but the authors didn't bother to give them names)

SpaceTime Reading Challenge

 

I've looked over my planned reading for 2022 and there are several SF books on tap. So I'm going to jump on board Jemima's spaceship once again and sign up for her SpaceTime Reading Challenge.  Here's the brief description of the challenge (for full details and to sign up follow the link above):

SpaceTime Reading Challenge

You choose your book, from any part of the science fiction/time travel genre universe – hard scifi, military, scifi romance, space opera, first contact, time travel, whatever.  Any subgenres are fine as long as they incorporate either SF or time travel. You add the book to your list of books read, with a review, as short or long as you like.  

There are several levels. I plan on starting with the first level 

~5 Books: Planet Hopper

1. The Price of the Phoenix by Sondra Marshak & Myrna Culbreath (1/4/22)

2. Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse (1/8/22)

3. Star Trek: Voyage to Adventure by Michael J. Dodge (1/22/22)

4. Tears of the Singers by Melinda Snodgrass (5/30/22)

5. The Trouble with Tribbles by David Gerrold (6/8/22)

Commitment Complete!

6. The Nine Billion Names of God by Arthur C. Clarke (7/2/22)

7. The Entropy Effect by Vonda N. McIntyre (9/10/22)

8. Star Trek: The New Voyages by Sondra Marshak & Myrna Culbreath, eds (9/17/22)

9. Mickey Mouse: Adventure in Outer Space by George E. Davie (10/10/22)

10.

  

Fahrenheit 451

 Fahrenheit 451 (1953) by Ray Bradbury is story of a dystopian future that is every book lover's nightmare. Guy Montag is a fireman--but not the kind children we have all known have always dreamed about being when they grow up. Firemen in Montag's world don't put out fires--they start them and they mostly start them wherever there are books, because in this world books have been outlawed and any that are found are burned.

Up till now, Montag has been pretty happy as a fireman--but encounters with Clarisse, his seventeen year-old neighbor, and their discussions about simple pleasures, his wife's suicide attempt, and a book-burning that results in the self-immolation of an elderly book hoarder all contribute to a growing set of doubts about his chosen profession. It isn't long before he's hoarding books and finds himself on the wrong end of a Mechanical Hound (a robot used to track bookish lawbreakers) hunt.

It's been a long time since I read this the first time--back when I was haunting Mason's Rare & Used Book Store in my hometown and spending all my hard-earned lawn-mowing money on classic science fiction...Bradbury, Asimov, Ellison, Silverberg, Tiptree and the like. I read Fahrenheit then because I wanted to read all of Bradbury that I could get my hands on after my first sip of his Dandelion Wine collection. And was absolutely amazed by it. I was surprised that it never got assigned in school (neither high school nor college).

This reading seems very timely in an age when social media takes up so much of our time, when there are literally thousands of television programs available at any one time, and when I regularly see articles stating the percentage of people who say they haven't even read one book in the last year. Books are such an important part of my life and have been since I learned to read. I can't even imagine what it would be like to live in a world where owning books...any books, not just certain banned books...was illegal. An incredible (if bleak) vision of the future by a SF master. ★★★★★

Quotes:

First Line: It was a pleasure to burn.

M: Why is it I feel I've known you so many years?                                                C: Because I like you, and I don't want anything from you. And because we know each other. [Montag, Clarisse; p. 26)

Always before it had been like snuffing a candle. The police went first and adhesive-taped the victim's mouth and bandaged him off into their glittering beetle cars, so when you arrived you found an empty house. You weren't hurting anyone, you were hurting only things! And since things couldn't really be hurt, since things felt nothing, and things don't scream or whimper, as this woman might begin to scream and cry out, there was nothing to tease your conscience later. (p. 33)

There must be something in books, things we can't imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don't stay for nothing. (p. 47)

She didn't want to know how a thing was done, but why. That can be embarrassing. You ask Why to a lot of things and you wind up very unhappy indeed, if you keep at it. (p. 55)

We have everything we need to be happy, but we aren't happy. Something's missing. I looked around. The only thing I positively knew was gone was the books I'd burned in ten or twelve years. So I thought books might help. (p. 73)

That's the good part of dying; when you've nothing to lose, you run any risk you want. (p. 76)

Last Lines: Yes, thought Montag, that's the one I'll save for noon. For noon....When we reach the city.

Neuromancer

 Neuromancer (1984) by William Gibson

[Synopsis from Britannica] Neuromancer follows its protagonist Case, an unemployed computer hacker who is hired by a mysterious new employer called Armitage. He's teamed with Molly, a cyborg, and Peter Riviera, a thief and illusionist, to carry out a series of crimes that set the stage for the group's ultimate purpose, which is played out on the orbiting space station called Freeside, home of the wealthy Tessier-Ashpool family. The family has created two artificial intelligences (AIs), Wintermute and Neuromancer, that are so powerful that they can only be connected at a single point. Case and his cohorts learn that they have been hired by Wintermute to break the separation between the AIs.

Reading this, I have discovered that cyberpunk is definitely not my thing. I found the book equal parts confusing, annoying, and offensive (mostly in language). The scenes jumped around and the characters spoke in jargon that we were expected to just soak up like a sponge, I guess. But none of it stuck with me. It's possible this sort of science fiction might have gone down better with me when I was younger, but it's not the kind of science fiction that appeals to me at this point of my life. I can see that the story has ground-breaking concepts and I understand why it won the awards that it did--it just didn't do anything for me.★★

First Line: The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel.

Last Line: He never saw Molly again.

A Night in the Lonesome October

 

A Night in the Lonesome October (1993) by Roger Zelazny

It's October and your favorite classic monsters and things that go bump in the night are coming out to play...a brand new (to us) Game. A paranormal game that will either usher in a whole new reality (if the openers have their way) or maintain the status quo, if the closers get the upper hand. We've got our friend the Count and the good Doctor and his huge, hulking Experimental Man. And then there's Larry Talbot who sometimes appears as "Lucky" the werewol--er dog. Yeah...dog, that's it. We've also got Jack, a fellow who's pretty handy with knife, and a few other players who maybe aren't quite so familiar. 

Speaking of familiars...each of of the players have a helper in the form of an animal. Jack's sidekick, and our narrator, is Snuff, the dog (who really is a dog). Snuff is a watcher and a calculator, whose job is to keep an eye on the various Things trapped in mirrors, wardrobes, and trunks around the house as well as to calculate the location for this year's paranormal battle. He has to manipulate a map in his head based on where each of the other players have their home base. His computations are made more difficult by the fact that the Count keeps changing the location of his coffin and Snuff isn't sure if Larry Talbot is a player or not. And should he take any note of the Great Detective and his friend with the military doctor air about him?

This is a rollicking good tale from a master of SF and Fantasy--made even better by the illustrations from the pen of the illustrating legend, Gahan Wilson. We follow Snuff as he loyally helps his master Jack collect the oddest of odds and ends necessary to play the Game properly. Snuff also makes friends with the other familiars--from Graymalk the cat and Needle the bat to Nightwind the owl and Quicklime the snake. Until the "death of the moon" they are allowed to trade gossip and attempt to discover how many players are in the Game as well as what their "persuasion" is (opener vs. closer). When some of the players wind up dead, the animals band together to figure out who is taking out the humans.

I haven't enjoyed anything so much for a long time. Excellent storytelling and having it all told from the viewpoint of Snuff, the watchdog was amazing. I love Zelazny every time I read him. And every time I read him, I wonder why I haven't read more sooner. ★★★★★

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PopSugar: Bird on cover

Dreamsnake

Snake went back to bed, musing about Center, which gave chains to slavers but refused to talk to healers. (p. 127)

Dreamsnake (1978) by Vonda N. McIntyre

In a post-apocalyptic world, healers have evolved techniques using a combination of nature and the little bit of off-world technology to treat and cure the people left outside the sealed City. Snake is a young healer who has been honored with a special name--her family believes she will make a strong healer and the name Snake has only been given three times before. She has begun her probationary year as a fully equipped healer and makes a trip into the desert with her three medicinal snakes. Two offer ways through their medically changed venom to treat cancers and other diseases. The third, a dreamsnake named Grass, has the ability to give soothing dreams and ease a dying patient's last moments. 

A misunderstanding among the desert people results in the death of Grass and leaves Snake crippled in her abilities to fully function as a healer. She dreads returning to the Center and telling her people that she has allowed one of the precious dreamsnakes to be killed. For dreamsnakes are rare and it is difficult to get them to reproduce. She doesn't fear punishment, but she knows that there won't be a replacement for Grass and that she may have to give up her profession. And that would be punishment enough.

But then a chance comes to travel to the City where she might find a replacement. The journey will be hard and there are dangers she can't imagine--from the crazies (half-mad from the effects of radiation) to thieves and the storm season is coming bring dangers of its own. Its a risky quest, but one that Snake knows she must take up. She makes friends along the way--helping a mayor's son named Gabriel to start his own journey to find his own path and rescuing a young girl named Melissa from an abusive guardian. If she's successful, she will have proved herself worth of her name. 

Dreamsnake was one of the first science fiction novels I read that was written by a woman and which had a strong female protagonist. Snake is a strong, well-rounded character. She is grounded morally and is at her best when relating to others--whether during healing sessions or through other means. Her care and concern for the others she encounters from Arevin and the desert people to Gabriel and Melissa are her strongest characteristics. She is a healer--not just by profession, but in her very nature. And seeing a woman on a quest was a great thing as well. So many quest stories are about men and boys. It was empowering for this preteen to read such a story about such a forceful personality.

I knew this book had made a strong impression on me when I first read it over 30 years ago. When I sat down read it again, it was like I had never left it. I knew what was going to happen next because it came back so clearly. But that didn't spoil this reading at all. It was more like it amplified it. It will sound very mystical (kind of like the "magic" medicinal changing of venom to cures), but it seemed as though I was both reading it as I had before as well as reading it now. I remembered the excitement of discovering a strong female character--strong and yet with flaws; strong enough to learn from her mistakes; strong enough to take responsibility for those mistakes and find a way to make things right. But I also read it with a sense of nostalgia, knowing that I had already read it and felt that way. It was an extraordinary reading experience. ★★★★★

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

Somebody's going to be murdered at the ball tonight. It won't appear to be a murder so the murderer won't be caught. Rectify that injustice and I'll show you the way out.
~The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle (2018) by Stuart Turton

That quote essentially sums up the plot of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. Evelyn Hardcastle has come home to Blackheath after being sent to Paris for schooling. Nineteen years ago her younger brother Thomas was murdered. The family abandoned their home, leaving the memories behind, until Lady Helen Hardcastle decides to throw a party in Evelyn's honor on the anniversary of Thomas's death. She invites all the same guests who were at the house nineteen years ago. And plans to announce her daughter's engagement to Lord Cecil Ravencourt at a gala ball. But all her plans are ruined when Evelyn dies of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound in full view of the guests.

That's the overall set-up. But then there's another thread to the story. Among the guests are some interlopers--our narrator, Aiden Bishop finds himself inhabiting the body of various members of the guest list. Eight guests in all--and he hops from body to body (through what mysterious means, we're never told) and back again over a period of eight "days." He slowly learns that he has been tasked with the unraveling of the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle--no matter how much it looks like suicide. A mysterious figure, named the Plague Doctor for the mask he wears, instructs him that if he solves the murder by 11 pm of the night of Evelyn's death, then he will be free to leave. Otherwise, once the eight days (actually the same day, spent repeatedly as different guests) are over, his memory will be wiped and he'll have to start again.

Oh...and there's another complication. He has two rivals who are also trying to solve the murder and earn their escape. He has the advantage over them--he has eight "hosts" to help him and can carry memories from each host's day with him. The rivals live the day as themselves and if the story gets reset, they lose what they've learned. Aiden is allowed to see the events from several different viewpoints to gather clues from all directions. He finds himself drawn to Anna, one of his rivals, and vows to save both her and himself even though the Plague Doctor tells him that only one of the three can escape. He will have to fight his way through lies and betrayals if he's going to make good his promise to Anna. He will also have to avoid being killed (in all his different bodies) by another mysterious figure known as the Footman.

This is an intricate book--not only intricately plotted at its most basic level, the storyline (which it has to be in order to follow so many viewpoints that switch not just once per host but multiple times) but there are also many layers to that plot. We have the basic murder mystery to solve. We have the backstory for the three rivals and trying to figure out who the Plague Doctor and the Footman are. There are intricate themes being played out--themes of revenge and redemption and loyalty and betrayal. There is an examination of just how possible is it for the most reprehensible people to really change

Do you know how you can tell if a monster's fit to walk the world again, Mr. Bishop? If they're truly redeemed and not just telling you what you want to hear?

Aiden Bishop learns. And while he inhabits the various bodies--belonging to people who are, for the most part, vile in various ways--he is able to influence them and help them be, if only temporarily, better people than they were. And each of these hosts also manage to leave their mark on him--assisting him in his efforts to find the truth and find a way out for both Anna and himself.

This was an exhilarating roller coaster ride through the fun house with a side trip through the house of horrors--complete with mazes and mirrors and scary things jumping out at you in the dark. I thoroughly enjoyed trying to piece together the murder mystery plot while puzzling over why the three were being held there. It was difficult to capture all the pieces as they flew by, but I caught enough to have a good time trying. One small thing that I would like to know is how the trick of making Aiden pop into the various bodies was done--was it some kind of Star Trek holodeck-type program? ★★★★ and 1/2.

**********
Calendar of Crime: February (Pub date)
Mystery Bingo: Card #2-Clues & Cliches: Muddy/wet clothing; Red Herrings: maid/butler/chauffeur
Deaths = 11 (five stabbed; three shot; two poisoned; one drowned)

Quotes
[First Line] I forget everything between footsteps.

We are never more ourselves than we think people aren't watching, don't you realise that? It doesn't matter if Stanwin's alive tomorrow, you murdered him today. You murdered a man in cold blood, and that will blot your soul for the rest of your life. I don't know why we're here, Daniel, or why this is happening to us, but we should be proving that it's and injustice, not making ourselves worthy of it. (Aiden Bishop; p. 323)

I've always known more than them. I knew more than you. Knowledge was never my problem. Ignorance is the condition I struggle with. (The Plague Doctor; p. 452)

We've both hurt each other, Anna, and we've both paid for it. I'm never going to betray you again, I promise. You can trust me. You already have trusted me, you just can't remember it. (Aiden Bishop; p. 464)

The Plague Doctor claimed Blackheath was meant to rehabilitate us, but bars can't build better men and misery can only break what goodness remains. This place pinches out the hope in people, and without that hope, what use is love or compassion or kindness? (p. 480)

...today feels like a good day, and Blackheath hasn't seen one of those for a very long time. I think I'll enjoy it for a while and worry about the cost tomorrow. It will come soon enough, it always does. (The Plague Doctor; p. 503)

[Last Line] I just have to keep walking until I get there.

2020 SpaceTime Reading Challenge

I've still got science fiction books hanging out on the TBR mountainscapes, so I'm going to jump on board Jemima's spaceship again and sign up for her 2020 SpaceTime Reading Challenge. This works better for me than the limited challenges I used to participate in since I'll have a whole year to read science fiction rather than trying to arrange my January reading schedule around SF. Here's the brief description of the challenge (for full details and to sign up follow the link above):

SpaceTime Reading Challenge
You choose your book, from any part of the science fiction genre universe – hard scifi, military, scifi romance, space opera, first contact, time travel, whatever.  It’s up to you.  You add the book to your list of books read, with a review, as short or long as you like.  Make your own rules about ‘only Hugo winners’, or ‘only space opera’…  as you wish.

There are several levels. I plan on starting with the first level 

~5 Books: Planet Hopper

1. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Scott Turton [Time loop] (1/15/20)
2. Dreamsnake by Vonda N. McIntyre (6/20/20)
3. A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny (8/20/20)
4. Neuromancer by William Gibson (8/22/20)
5. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (9/3/20)

Complete!

Challenge Complete: SpaceTime Reading Challenge

For the past several years, I have participated in two SF reading challenges/events that were limited (running only in December/January), but neither of these events seemed to be on offer at the beginning of 2019.  So I jumped on board Jemima's spaceship and signed up for her SpaceTime Reading Challenge.

There are several levels and I chose the basic level

~5 Books: Planet Hopper  

I actually finished this back in October, but neglected to post about it. Here are the books read:

1. Zion's Fiction by Sheldon Teitelbaum & Emanuel Lottem, eds (2/6/19)

2. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (2/17/19)

3. A Hard Rain by Dean Wesley Smith (7/31/19)

4. The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North (9/16/19)

5. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (10/4/19)