Review: The Stars, Like Dust by Isaac Asimov

The Stars, Like Dust by Isaac Asimov

Published : Doubleday, 1951

Series : Book 2 of the Galactic Empire

The Book :

“Biron Farrell was young and naïve, but he was growing up fast. A radiation bomb planted in his dorm room changed him from an innocent student at the University of Earth to a marked man, fleeing desperately from an unknown assassin.

He soon discovers that, many light-years away, his father, the highly respected Rancher of Widemos, has been murdered. Stunned, grief-stricken, and outraged, Biron is determined to uncover the reasons behind his father’s death, and becomes entangled in an intricate saga of rebellion, political intrigue, and espionage.

The mystery takes him deep into space where he finds himself in a relentless struggle with the power-mad despots of Tyrann. Now it is not just a case of life or death for Biron, but a question of freedom for the galaxy.” ~barnesandnoble,com

This is my second novel read and reviewed for the Grand Master Reading Challenge over at WWEnd.com. I’ve been a big fan of Asimov’s work, ever since I discovered I, Robot as a kid.  I’ve since read the majority of his novels and short stories, but I’d never read any of this particular trilogy (Pebble in the Sky, The Stars, Like Dust, and The Currents of Space).  Thus, when I saw The Stars, Like Dust in a used bookstore, I grabbed it.  If I’d done a little research first, I suppose that I would have discovered Asimov has apparently referred to this one as his “least favorite novel.”  In any case, it’s an interesting look at a lesser, early novel of Asimov’s.  The Stars, Like Dust, contains a standalone story, so I don’t think the novels that comprise this trilogy need to be read in order.

Sadly, there won't be much more Asimov featured on my blog, only because I've pretty much read most of his work, and I don't generally re-read.  If you really want to get into Asimov (and who wouldn't?), his robot short stories are a good place to start.

My Thoughts:

The Stars, Like Dust seems like a pretty typical pulp SF adventure story.  There’s an evil empire (the Tyranni), a plucky young hero with a crew cut and well-trained muscles (Biron), a secret rebellion, a feisty love interest (a pretty girl named Artemisia), and even a helpful old inventor.  Most of the details of the plot, and the various twists, seem pretty clichéd, though I imagine that might not have been the case back when it was published. 

The characters do little to break out of their one dimensionality.  Artemisia has little to do in the story besides fall for the hero; she’s an aristocrat on the run from her arranged marriage with a powerful older man.  Biron is the typical naïve, ignorant young man who ends up being somehow vastly more capable—physically and mentally—than everyone around him. It doesn’t help that the writing itself also seems clunky, and the dialogue doesn’t seem to flow naturally. There is also a rather ridiculous subplot about mysterious ‘important Earth document’, which I have heard was added against Asimov’s will.

If you’re willing to go along with a fair amount of cheesiness, however, the story is pretty fun.  I think that The Stars, Like Dust is clearly one of many similar stories that contributed to the imagining of Star Wars, though this earlier novel misses some of the strengths in plot and character that made Star Wars such a cultural phenomenon.  The Stars, Like Dust, is  a fast read, and I kind of enjoyed reading such an example of campy 50’s Sci-Fi.

My Rating: ~/5

The truth is, I don’t want to rate this novel.  Therefore, I won’t.  I can’t in good conscience say it is a good novel. However, I did enjoy it, at least as a glimpse into Asimov’s earlier, lesser-known work.  This is also, apparently, Asimov’s least favorite novel, so it was interesting to see what he considers the worst of his large and mostly impressive body of work.  I think The Stars, Like Dust is a novel that would mostly appeal to Asimov completionists, though it’s also a fun, short little novel for anyone who wants a dose of good-natured, corny, 50s-style, pulp SF star-spanning adventure. 

Review: Green Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson

Green Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson

Published : 1993, HarperCollinsUK/Bantam Spectra

Series : Book 2 of the Mars Trilogy

Awards  Won : Hugo Award, Locus Science Fiction Award

Awards Nominated : Nebula and British Science Fiction Association Awards

Spoiler Warning:  This review contains some details of the plot of the first novel of the trilogy, Red Mars

The Book :

“Mars: the Green Planet. Man's dream of a new world is underway but corrupted. Red Mars is gone, ripped apart by the violent and failed revolution of 2061. The First Hundred have scattered or died, and for the moment their dreams with them. The rebels are underground, dreaming of their utopia. The transnational corporations have a dream, too. Mars can be plundered -- for the benefit of a ravaged Earth. It can be terraformed to suit Man's need -- frozen lakes form, lichen grows, the atmosphere slowly becomes breathable.

But most importantly, Mars can be owned. On Earth, countries are bought and sold by the transnationals. Why not Mars too? Man's dream is underway, but so is his greatest test. The survivors of the First Hundred -- Hiroko, Nadia, Maya and Simon among them -- know that technology alone is not enough. Trust and co-operation are need to create a new world -- but these qualities are as thin on the ground as the air they breathe.” ~WWend.com

At long last, I’ve read the second novel of the Mars Trilogy! I’ve always intended to finish KSR’s story of Martian colonization, and I’m looking forward to reading the concluding novel, Blue Mars  (though with my current rate, I’m guessing I will read it in early 2013).

My Thoughts:

Green Mars involves some dramatic events, but it is a very, very slow-paced novel.  It is a continuation of the story that began in Red Mars, so I would definitely recommend reading that novel first.  The First Hundred are still around, thanks to their anti-aging treatment, and they face many of the same problems.  They still need to find a way to establish a non-dependant and non-submissive relationship with the troubled Earth, which is increasingly controlled by powerful corporations.  The debates about terraforming—to what extent and by what means it should be done—still rage.  However, no matter what decisions are made, Mars is slowly and inevitably changing.  The physical environment is being permanently altered, and new generations of Martian-born people are coming of age, people who know Mars as their only home.

Much of Green Mars is dedicated to explorations of the landscape, and to debate about the major political, sociological, economic, and environmental problems that face those who want to form an independent Martian society.  Some very interesting segments featured scientific or political conferences.  I enjoyed how relatively fairly Robsinson portrayed many different points of view.  The issue wasn’t for the ‘right’ people to be triumphant, but for many groups of people with varying cultural backgrounds and beliefs to find a way to work together.  I think the conferences themselves were very realistically portrayed, as was the difficulty in coming to any kind of consensus.

Like Red Mars, Green Mars is separated into long sections, told from the third-person point of view of various characters.  Given the high amount of dry ideological debate and geographical detail in the novel, feeling a connection with the characters was absolutely essential for me to feel engaged by the story.  There were some parts, more notably early in the novel, where the point-of-view was not as strong as I would have liked, leaving me feeling a little detached from events.  As the book progressed, though, I felt more involved, particularly as it built up to the final, breathtaking conclusion.

A few new characters were added to the cast for Green Mars: the young Martian Nirgal, and the Earthman Art Randolph.  I can see how these characters were useful additions as viewpoint characters.  Nirgal provided insight into the state of mind of the new generation of Martians.  I didn’t strongly dislike Nirgal’s personality, but I felt that he was portrayed as a little too perfect and special, especially initially.  He’s wise, charismatic, attractive, and has strange powers of metabolic control.  His metabolic powers are never really explained, and I felt like the novel could really have done without them.  Art Randolph provides an interesting look into the state of the deteriorating Earth, and his sense of wonder for Mars is a pleasant addition.  Overall, I felt that these were valuable viewpoints to add to the story, though Art, in particular, seemed little underutilized.

Of course, many of the characters from Red Mars also made another appearance as viewpoint characters.  The First Hundred, now down to less than half their number, still wielded considerable influence. I really enjoyed Nadia’s segments, but I think that Sax and Maya were the most notably developed throughout the story of Green Mars. Sax, who was mostly a lab worker in Red Mars, began to take a much more active role in the problems that faced Mars.  I was not much of a fan of Maya in Red Mars, but she became much more aware of her own weaknesses and mental issues.  Maya’s sections most clearly showed the psychological toll that the longevity treatment was taking on the First Hundred. Overall, this is a cast of characters that I will gladly follow into Blue Mars. 

My Rating: 4/5

Green Mars is an incredibly dense, thorough, and slow-paced continuation from the Mars colonization story that began in Red Mars.  Green Mars features the development of a Martian ecology and society, and it is filled with many debates between disparate groups about how each of these things should develop.  Many familiar faces show up as viewpoint characters, such as Nadia, Maya, and Sax, as well as a few new characters, such as the Martian Nirgal and the Earthman Art.  For me, the story picked up interest significantly in the second half of the novel, and it came together in the end to a very satisfying conclusion.  I don’t think I enjoyed this quite as much as Red Mars, but I still think it was an impressive work of science fiction.  

Review: The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers

The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers

Published: Ace Books, 1983, Chatto & Windus, 1983

Awards Won: Philip K. Dick Award

Awards Nominated: British Science Fiction Association Award, Locus Fantasy Award

The Book: 

“One day, twentieth-century English professor Brendan Doyle, on the basis of his status as a fairly mediocre expert on Samuel Taylor Coleridge, receives an unbelievable job offer from a rich old eccentric.  He is asked to escort a group of equivalently wealthy travelers on a field trip to 1810 London, where they will attend an evening lecture by the great poet.  To Doyle’s surprise, it appears the old man is not a crackpot—Doyle is actually transported back in time.

The evening seems to be going well, until a gypsy kidnapping causes Doyle to miss his ride home.  Doyle now finds that being a student of history may not help him survive the real thing, especially when there appears to be so much that was unrecorded.  Doyle must find some way to navigate his new life’s landscape of horrific beggar clans, gypsy sorcerers, period poets, and the body-snatching murderer known as ‘Dog-Face Joe’.  As he does so, he finds himself drawn unwillingly into the adventure of a lifetime—one that may well claim his, in the end.” ~Allie

After I read Powers excellent dark fantasy spy novel, Declare, I was determined to read more of his work. The Anubis Gates definitely lives up to my expectations.  I’d also like to note that I think this work has aged very well. When I read it, I just assumed it was a relatively recent work, and I was shocked when I saw that the novel was older than I am.  Part of that is surely due to the story mostly taking place in the early 1800s, but I also think this kind of adventure story is the sort that will always have an audience.

My Thoughts:

I was a little surprised to see that both science fiction and fantasy awards recognized The Anubis Gates, since I would personally classify it as firmly fantasy. The story does feature time travel, but the time travel is basically powered by magic, not science.  I don’t mean that to sound like a criticism, though, as The Anubis Gates is a very enjoyable fantasy adventure.  Like Declare, the magic system of The Anubis Gates is very tangible and dangerous, and the story has some of the same dark, violent atmosphere.  However, despite this sinister edge, The Anubis Gates somehow also manages to be a rather playful and enthusiastic story.  The constant threats of torture, disfigurement, or death are balanced out by humor, action, and the protagonist’s unstoppable optimism.

The protagonist, Brendan Doyle, is the typical ordinary guy who gets reluctantly swept up in an adventure.  Though Doyle’s a pretty common character type, I still found his personality to be very engaging. He certainly makes plenty of mistakes, but I was impressed with his resilience and adaptability in dreadful circumstances.  Also, his slightly detached, optimistic view of the situation did a lot towards shifting the tone of the story away from horror and towards adventure.  

Aside from Doyle, the story was full of memorable and vivid characters. The fast-paced, plot-driven nature of the story didn’t lend itself to particularly deep character development, but there was just enough background on each character to pique the reader’s interest. One of my favorite minor characters was a young woman who was masquerading as a boy to get revenge for her murdered fiancé.  There were also plenty of characters that were fun to hate, such as the elusive murderer, Dog-Face Joe, or the sadistic Horrabin, a beggar king who covered up his disfigurement by dressing as a clown. Even the most minor of characters seemed to have their own agenda, and Doyle couldn't seem to help but get tangled up with all of them.   

While there is a lot of creativity in The Anubis Gates, it also has many similarities to other fantasy and action-adventure stories.  As a result, some of the major plot twists tended to be a little predictable.  For instance, Brendan Doyle’s transition from ordinary academic to reluctant hero is pretty standard for this kind of story. I also felt that the motivations and actions of the ‘main’ group of antagonists were a little too simple and familiar, in an action-movie kind of way.  However, there were so many different characters, all with their own goals, that I didn’t mind the simple villains all that much.  While some specific twists and elements may seem very familiar, I thought that there were still plenty of pleasant surprises to enjoy along the way.

My Rating: 4/5

The Anubis Gates is a fast-paced, imaginative, adventure story, featuring a middling academic, Brendan Doyle, who’s stuck in a supernatural take on early 1800s England.  Doyle has a much rougher time than he initially expects, but his resilience, resourcefulness, and general pro-active attitude all make him a very entertaining protagonist.  Powers’ fictional 1800s are filled with all sorts of interesting characters: sorcerers, beggars, gypsies, poets, murderers, time travelers, cross-dressers and more.  The Anubis Gates is a highly entertaining novel, though its use of several common adventure plot-elements does render a few of its twists predictable.  Altogether, it is a timeless kind of story that I imagine will continue to be enjoyed by people for many more years to come.