Fantasy/SF Book Reviews
Page One of TwoThe Approaching Storm by Alan Dean Foster
Del Ray, February, 2002Hardcover, 344 pages
ISBN: 0345443004
Ordering information:
Amazon.com
Bestselling author Alan Dean Foster takes the
reins in this exceedingly well-written book
which spans the bridge between the feature films
Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom
Menace and the upcoming second installment,
Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones.
Since the events of The Phantom Menace, the Republic
continues its downhill slide into anarchy, and the Jedi
are in demand more than ever to help the government
maintain some kind of order. The Approaching Storm
tells the story of Anakin Skywalker's and Obi-Wan Kenobi's
mission on the world Ansion, which occurs just before
Episode II opens.
The planet Ansion is small, but strategically important. There are those in the Senate who would find it advantageous to have Ansion secede from the Republic. The world has two main political groups: the city dwellers and the Alwari, the nomads of the desert. The city dwellers want to expand into the prairies around the cities, and are willing to secede if their demands are not met. Secession could start a chain reaction which would destroy the Republic. The Jedi Council sends Jedi Knights Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luminara Unduli to the planet to ensure that it does not secede. Padawans Anakin Skywalker and Barriss Offee accompany their Jedi Masters. The Jedi must set out across the plains of Ansion, find the Alwari, obtain a treaty and evade a mysterious enemy who is determined that their near-impossible mission will fail.
The Approaching Storm is the perfect prologue for Episode II. George Lucas asked critically-acclaimed author Alan Dean Foster to write The Approaching Storm in order to explain the politics of the Republic which are a crucial part of the backstory for the upcoming film. Mr. Foster has done an excellent job. The setting has almost an Old West feel, as the Jedi Masters and their Padawans set out on their quest, camping out under the stars at night and facing dangerous adventures by day. Especially compelling is the chance to listen in on Anakin's turbulent thought processes. A talented, but troubled young man, Anakin's bursts of impetuousness and rage are a grim foreshadowing of his future as Darth Vader. The focus of the book is the examination of the character of the four Jedi knights, although they certainly see their share of hand to hand combat. With his literate prose and deft hand at characterization, Alan Dean Foster has created a memorable and fascinating addition to the Star Wars universe.
Diuturnity's Dawn by Alan Dean Foster
Del Ray, March, 2002Hardcover, 341 pages
ISBN: 0345418654
Ordering information:
Amazon.com
Alan Dean Foster returns to his beloved Humanx Commonwealth
in this third entry in the Founding of the Commonwealth series,
a trilogy which details the very early and turbulent years
when the human, insectoid thranx and the reptilian Aann
must find some way to work together to make a livable
interstellar community in the Orion Arm of the galaxy.
Diuturnity's Dawn explores the growing interspecies relationships,
especially that between the thranx and the humans. Diplomat
Fanielle Anjou and her thranx counterpart are attempting to
cement relations between their two cultures, which are strained.
The humans find the insectoids disgusting to look at and the
thranx find the humans equally repulsive-looking. But as individuals
get to know each other, they find that the two species have
much to offer each other. However, there are members
of both species which would like to put a stop to the
relationship. As the Humanx Inter-Cultural Fair -- the
first wholly cross-species event -- approaches, terrorists plan
to stop the fair in the most lethal way possible. Meanwhile,
the real masters in the art of duplicity, the Aann, are also
doing their best to destroy the two species'
fragile relationship, and are plotting to turn events to
their best advantage. On an archeological dig
on a remote planet, the Aann watch as the humans
and one thranx excavate incredible artifacts left by
an advanced humanoid civilization.
For those who have read many of the books set in Commonwealth universe, such as the ongoing adventures of Pip and Flinx, the Founding of the Commonwealth is a welcome trip back in time to see how the Humanx universe was founded. Diuturnity's Dawn features some marvelous characters, especially Fanielle, the diplomat who must put personal tragedy aside to ensure the future of the human race. In light of 9/11, the planned terrorist attacks on the intercultural fair are especially chilling to read about. Foster excels at characterization and interesting plots, which makes for very entertaining reading. Fans' only complaint will be the amount of time it takes to get a new Commonwealth book into the bookstores.
Everything's Eventual: 14 Dark Tales by Stephen King
Scribner, March, 2002Hardcover, 459 pages
ISBN: 0743235150
Ordering information:
Amazon.com
Although it is nothing unusual to have your skin crawl as
you read a Stephen King story, this latest short story
collection from the horror master is seems especially
designed to scare the daylights out of the reader.
Introductory paragraphs provided for some of the stories work to
pull the reader even further into the tale, making for
a more intense reading experience.
Whether or not this was intentional on his
part, King's latest stories are each unique and
delightfully frightening in their own way.
One of the standouts
of the collection is "Lunch at the Gotham Café,"
the story about a
luncheon meeting between two divorcing couples
and the wife's divorce lawyer that goes haywire
when an insane maitre d' goes ballistic with a
butcher knife. The maitre d' has definitely lost
it, but as Stephen King says in
his paragraph before the story about the divorced
couple, "In their own way, they're crazier than
he is. By far."
The cover and back illustrations are based on this
story. Another story, "L.T.'s Theory of Pets," is about
a married couple who give each other pets as gifts.
Unfortunately, the pets despise the person they are given to
and only care for the person that gave them away. So, they each
end up with each other's pet -- a situation which does
not work out too well.
Then there is "Everything's Eventual" (from the title
of the collection) which is about a teenager who can
kill people with words and symbols. "Autopsy
Room Four" relates the story of a man on the autopsy table about
to be cut open and examined -- while he's still alive.
The book also includes "Riding the Bullet," a tale
about a hitchhiker that gets a ride from a dead
guy, which was made popular through its
debut as an ebook in 2000.
Overall, this is an entertaining collection of King shorts. In his introduction, King elaborates a little on the short story writing process. He says he is worried about the genre, because magazines that feature short stories are shutting down and fewer books containing short stories are being published. That being said, King certainly helps the short story market simply by continuing to write them. Some of his short stories have been made into successful films, such as The Shawshank Redemption. In support of the short story format, King recommends other authors' collections, including Sam the Cat by Matthew Klam and The Hotel Eden by Ron Carlson. King also talks about his surprise over the extremely high demand for the "Riding the Bullet" ebook. He said he was mobbed at airports and was bombed with requests to appear on talk shows. Does his ebook success mean he knows the secrets to epublishing? Maybe -- maybe not. He and his publishers probably do have quite a bit of marketing know-how, but that doesn't matter to the reader. What does matter (to the reader) is that he tells tales that interest and entertain them. Stephen King does it here again in Everything's Eventual. Enjoy.
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