Deja Fu

Author: Michael Moorcock
Pages: 192
Year Published: 1972

If you’ve read Tolkein and are disturbed by the amount of regurgitated clones flooding the fantasy market, what do you do? There are a lot of answers to that question, but if you’re a writer of Michael Moorcock’s caliber, you create one of the first anti-Tolkein fantasies – the Elric saga.

Elric of Melnibone, the eponymous protagonist, is king of an island nation which had ruled the world for ten thousand years, but recently finds itself in its twilight years. Elric is an albino, and a cultural outcast in his own kingdom, where his subjects view themselves as the cruel masters of all around. Elric, however, worries about the future of his kingdom and is known for his rejection of magic, cruelty and sadism – all core Melinbonean attributes. Also complicating matters, are the ambitions of his cousin, Yrkoon, whom many people see as the ideal of a Melnibonean ruler.

With Elric, Moorcock creates a world diametrically opposed to the classic Tolkein conflict of good vs. evil. Moorcock’s world is ruled by the continual fight between dieties that represent order, or chaos, and each in turn acts good, or evil depending on how the outcome will advance their side. It’s an existential fantasy world, and frankly, since I read Elric first, made reading Tolkein very difficult.

This was another book I had not read since high school, but I was pleased it still worked for me. Moorcock is a good writer and certainly understands the meaning of brevity, unlike, say, Robert Jordan. Indeed the only caveat I have in recommending Elric is that Moorcock is one of those artists who constantly tinkers with their work. There are multiple editions of the Elric saga, and the novel I’m reviewing, in its form, has been out of print for some time. However, it seems to be readily available from used book sellers, if you want to read this edition.

Whatever one you choose, it’s certainly a good afternoon’s read.

-K

Author: Mario Acevedo
Pages: 288
Year Published: 2007

There are a number of authors these days writing quirky novels of absurdist fiction. Authors like Christopher Moore, Tom Robbins, and the like tell stories of people, but the picture always seems to be tilted, as if it were told entirely at a Dutch angle. I find myself fascinated by these stories, as often as not simply because of the viewpoint or setting, but mostly because they know how to tell a good story.

And that’s where Mario Acevedo goes horribly wrong. His novel, The Nymphos of Ricky Flats, has all the hallmarks of an absurdist novel, but they are just window dressing over an empty house. The main character, an Iraq War veteran turned vampire P.I., (don’t roll your eyes) is stereotypically adverse to consuming human blood, which makes him a loner – an outcast. The supporting cast is constructed from even more shallow archetypes – a Dryad who’s a sexy, perpetually aroused woman, for example.

All of which would be perfectly forgivable if there was a story worth telling, or empathetic characters in the book, of which there are neither. It’s not that it’s a bad book, or a good book, it’s a book that really didn’t need to be written. It has all the impact of a brick made of Jello. It’s simply not worth the effort to make.

-K

Author: Neil Gaiman
Pages: 320
Year Published: 2008

It all begins with a knife in the dark and the murder of a child’s family.

Not exactly how children’s books begin these days, although that is changing, but it would have been a beginning Kipling or Doahl would have recognized right off the bat. In fact, The Graveyard Book draws inspiration directly from Kipling’s The Jungle Book.

Bod (short for Nobody Owens) is adopted by the denizens of a local graveyard and there he begins his life and education among the ghosts and other inhabitants. Along the way, Bod learns about ghouls, how to Fade so no one pays attention to him, and explores every niche and crevice of his adopted home. Along the way, he also comes into contact with the larger world around him, which often brings conflict to his life. And all the while, his family’s murderer stalks the world looking for the one victim that escaped.

Gaiman is a master storyteller and this book is no exception. Each chapter is set up as an encounter in which Bod will learn something, either about himself, or the world. Oftentimes both. Reader’s of Kipling’s work will recognize a lot of parallels, but they are not all direct ones. There is no direct analogue of Shere Kahn, or King Louie. Rather, it is a story of a boy raised in a society not his own, just as Mowgli was, though with Gaiman’s own Gothic interpretation.

The Graveyard Book is a good read, even for adults, but it is primarily aimed at younger, pre-adolescent children. In an age where all children’s books are supposed to be light and airy (although, as I pointed out, this is changing a bit), Gaiman’s book is written to speak directly to children, instead of at them. The darker material will no doubt make some parent’s wary, but overall the book is worth it.

-K

Author: Naomi Novik
Pages: 416
Year Published: 2007

The fourth novel in the Temeraire series, Empire of Ivory begins right where Black Powder War left off, with Temeraire and Captain Will Laurence finally making it back to England. However, their accomplishment is short lived when they are sent to the Cape Colony (known to us today as South Africa), in order to find a cure for an illness that has taken hold of England’s dragons.

And there we begin another novel of cultural and societal commentary, much like Throne of Jade (where Temeraire and Laurence went to China). A lot of this novel is spent exploring the differences between native African societies and how they treat their dragons, as compared to the European nations. Along the way, because it was historically relevant at the time I suppose, Novik gives us an overview of the evils of slavery – a practice still going on during the Napoleonic Wars.

What emerges is a novel that’s a bit too polemic and lacking in focus, not to mention action. What was originally an interesting idea featuring dragons and an alternate timeline, seem to becoming a cultural expose. Even the core of the plot seems nothing more than an excuse to bring forth whole conversations peppered with social commentary.

In short, if the series continues with this formula, it’s going to lose this reader. It’s s shame too, because I don’t necessarily disagree with the points being made. The African slave trade was bad. I get it. I don’t need to be reminded of it for a hundred pages. I sincerely hope Novik moves her story along and tightens it back up. After all, there is a war on. Plenty to explore there too.

-K

Author: Robert Asprin
Pages: 217
Year Published: 1980

Having survived their adventures in Another Fine Myth, Skeeve and Aahz travel to the court of Possiltum so that Skeeve can audition for the job of Court Magician. Once they get there, Skeeve manages to land the job, but soon finds out he’s been hired for one reason – to stop an invading army. Worst than that, it seems each of the king’s advisers have their own reasons for ensuring Skeeve doesn’t make it out alive, whether he succeeds or not.

Myth Conceptions is the second in the Myth Adventures series from Robert Asprin. In many ways, this book provides the basis for all the rest of the books to come. Skeeve needs to recruit assistance in order to protect the kingdom, and in doing so, establishes relationships which are renewed and explored as the series progresses.

Asprin is still writing a good story and making some wry commentary at the same time. Another nice afternoon’s reading which is sure to bring at least a chuckle or two.

-K