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markk's review
1.0
Though not ranked among the giants of the “golden age” of science fiction, Ward Moore produced some of the more memorable novels and short stories of the period. Perhaps best known for his seminal alternate history/time travel novella [b:Bring the Jubilee|91099|Bring the Jubilee|Ward Moore|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348717944s/91099.jpg|988602], his tales emphasized humor and character development over scientific detail, and have endured longer than many of those of his contemporaries as a consequence.
Moore’s reputation was hampered by his limited output, with his last two novels written jointly with other authors. This, his second to last novel, was co-authored by Avram Davidson, who was then transitioning from short stories to longer-form work. Though both were excellent writers, the novel they produced reflects upon them both poorly. It’s premise is intriguing enough: provoked by the discovery that an $11 veterans’ pension was being paid out as far back as records allowed, two members of the Tennessee congressional delegation travel to their state’s backwoods to unravel the mystery. Their journey beings them to the cabin of Isachar Joyleg, a veteran of the American Revolution who has lived for over two centuries thanks to daily baths in moonshine. This remarkable discovery ignites a firestorm of curiosity, one that in the end changes the course of history itself.
Such a premise offers no end of interesting possibilities for a storyteller, and while Moore and Davidson do score some of satirical points off of it, their work ultimately suffers from poor plotting and unimaginative twists that squander its promise. After an intriguing buildup, the story follows a by-the-numbers development to its resolution, while the arc of the two main characters is predictable from the moment of their introduction. As a result, the novel fails to live up to the promise created by them names on its cover, with readers better off picking up instead one of the other, far better work, that these authors produced over their respective careers. It may make for enjoyable reading over a lazy afternoon, but in the end it serves as a pale reflection of what these authors were capable.
Moore’s reputation was hampered by his limited output, with his last two novels written jointly with other authors. This, his second to last novel, was co-authored by Avram Davidson, who was then transitioning from short stories to longer-form work. Though both were excellent writers, the novel they produced reflects upon them both poorly. It’s premise is intriguing enough: provoked by the discovery that an $11 veterans’ pension was being paid out as far back as records allowed, two members of the Tennessee congressional delegation travel to their state’s backwoods to unravel the mystery. Their journey beings them to the cabin of Isachar Joyleg, a veteran of the American Revolution who has lived for over two centuries thanks to daily baths in moonshine. This remarkable discovery ignites a firestorm of curiosity, one that in the end changes the course of history itself.
Such a premise offers no end of interesting possibilities for a storyteller, and while Moore and Davidson do score some of satirical points off of it, their work ultimately suffers from poor plotting and unimaginative twists that squander its promise. After an intriguing buildup, the story follows a by-the-numbers development to its resolution, while the arc of the two main characters is predictable from the moment of their introduction. As a result, the novel fails to live up to the promise created by them names on its cover, with readers better off picking up instead one of the other, far better work, that these authors produced over their respective careers. It may make for enjoyable reading over a lazy afternoon, but in the end it serves as a pale reflection of what these authors were capable.
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