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jhereg's review
3.0
Definitely a product of 1960s SF world. That has it's good -- a quick read, only 220 pages of big type; and a quick plot without endless twists. That also has the bad -- a not very deep story, and an overly sexualized cover painting (no such indication is evident in the writing). I enjoyed the alien world, seemingly designed by a botanist.
pedanther's review
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
expendablemudge's review
3.0
Real Rating: 3.5* of five
I read this as part of a collection of Schmitz's work, [b:The Hub: Dangerous Territory|128887|The Hub Dangerous Territory (The Hub)|James H. Schmitz|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1387742927s/128887.jpg|124134]
In 1968, this book's original version appeared as a two-part novella called "The Tuvela" (which title I prefer) in Analog magazine. The author was, at that time, fifty-seven. He had spent most of his early life in Germany, where his American family was based and his father sold International Harvester equipment. He was the very rare optimistic writer of Space Opera, whose characters were thrown into extreme situations; but they came from, and one is left to feel returned to, ordinary and reasonably pleasant lives.
The main thing everyone latches onto, however, is the fact that a Schmitz Hero was as likely to be female as male. And when I capitalize Hero, it is deliberate and thoughtful. A heroine is thrust into a situation where she must Rise Above her femaleness and save the day. Schmitz had no time for suchlike goins-on. Nile Etland, the Hero of this book, starts out as the omnicompetent person she remains; her ascension to Hero status comes from her willingness to overcome her *human* responses to stress and thus save the day:
She's not a girl making girl-noises as she forces herself to do what needs to be done. She's a human being with human responses and she quells them in order to make the world safe for democracy or humanity or whatever. I was clear that her fight against the enemy was about survival but never really cottoned on to the bigger picture until after the battle.
The battle in question takes place on a water-world that's been colonized by humans. As we know now, water worlds are common as pig tracks in the universe, appearing in many if not most other star systems. Like a Hot Jupiter and a Super-Earth, it's something our own solar system failed to produce or retain, we can't figure out which as of yet. Schmitz, probably all unknowing unless he was a time traveler (an eventuality I do not scorn to entertain, given his attitudes), posited the existence of a water-world with a terrestrial atmosphere:
So more or less they're pelagic mangroves on an Earth-in-Pangaean-times. That was nothing short of prescient in 1968. It's extra impressive given the fact that the man was born in 1911. Isn't that about the time the last plesiosaurs died out? Nandy-Cline is a part of a pan-Galactic human polity, seemingly similar to the colonial world of the Bronze Age Greeks and Phoenicians. The ships of the Overgovernment are like the ships of the Athenian or Carthaginian (aka Phoenician) navies, they fly the homeland's flag and squash the most egregious floutings of the social contract. Of course, being so far removed from the nuts-and-bolts of daily living, the Overgovernment takes a necessarily broad view of what the social contract holds:
That sounds grimly familiar, doesn't it. Your individual well-being is none of their business, but the functioning of human society as a whole is, and a carefully managed business it is. The plot of this book is, well, direct and pared-down compared to what we're accustomed to in this age of book bloat:
We could call that shorthand for much longer and possibly more interesting scenes of character development. Of which there is comparatively little for anyone except Nile. She is notably endowed with powers of observation and analysis in abundances not ascribed to any other person or being on the page. It was a novella when in came out, so this is comprehensible. It's not ideal in today's world, and for once that's a shame because this story is one the modern marketplace would like, with its gender-neutral heroics.
Because this story takes place within Schmitz's shared-worlds universe called "The Hub" there are connections to the broader story of humanity in colonized space. This is dealt with in an end section, I don't think it's exactly considered a chapter, titled: "Conclusions of the Evaluating Committee of the Lords of Sessegur, Chiefs of the Dark Ships—Subject: The Human-Parahuan Engagement of Nandy-Cline". This purports to be the minutes of a governing body's committee charged with the observation and assessment of species' behaviors and their consequences, as they pertain to larger issues of cohabiting the galaxy with the aforementioned Lords. So this short tale assumes larger and more resonant meaning in the Schmitzverse, and therefore illuminates the true nature of all aspects of our existence. We are not alone. As we judge, so we are in turn judged...and the judges aren't always known to us.
Sobering thought, that.
I read this as part of a collection of Schmitz's work, [b:The Hub: Dangerous Territory|128887|The Hub Dangerous Territory (The Hub)|James H. Schmitz|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1387742927s/128887.jpg|124134]
In 1968, this book's original version appeared as a two-part novella called "The Tuvela" (which title I prefer) in Analog magazine. The author was, at that time, fifty-seven. He had spent most of his early life in Germany, where his American family was based and his father sold International Harvester equipment. He was the very rare optimistic writer of Space Opera, whose characters were thrown into extreme situations; but they came from, and one is left to feel returned to, ordinary and reasonably pleasant lives.
The main thing everyone latches onto, however, is the fact that a Schmitz Hero was as likely to be female as male. And when I capitalize Hero, it is deliberate and thoughtful. A heroine is thrust into a situation where she must Rise Above her femaleness and save the day. Schmitz had no time for suchlike goins-on. Nile Etland, the Hero of this book, starts out as the omnicompetent person she remains; her ascension to Hero status comes from her willingness to overcome her *human* responses to stress and thus save the day:
She was frightened; and knowing that now of all times she couldn't afford to be frightened simply was making it that much worse. For moments her thoughts became a shifting blur of anxieties. She tried to force them back to what she would say to the Everliving, to anticipate questions to which she must have answers. It didn't work too well. But the physical reactions faded gradually again.
She's not a girl making girl-noises as she forces herself to do what needs to be done. She's a human being with human responses and she quells them in order to make the world safe for democracy or humanity or whatever. I was clear that her fight against the enemy was about survival but never really cottoned on to the bigger picture until after the battle.
The battle in question takes place on a water-world that's been colonized by humans. As we know now, water worlds are common as pig tracks in the universe, appearing in many if not most other star systems. Like a Hot Jupiter and a Super-Earth, it's something our own solar system failed to produce or retain, we can't figure out which as of yet. Schmitz, probably all unknowing unless he was a time traveler (an eventuality I do not scorn to entertain, given his attitudes), posited the existence of a water-world with a terrestrial atmosphere:
Nandy-Cline's pelagic floatwood forests, forever on the move about the watery planet where one narrow continent and the polar ice massifs represented the only significant barriers to the circling tides of ocean.
***
Beneath the surface they were linked by an interlocking net of ponderous roots which held the island sections clamped into a single massive structure.
So more or less they're pelagic mangroves on an Earth-in-Pangaean-times. That was nothing short of prescient in 1968. It's extra impressive given the fact that the man was born in 1911. Isn't that about the time the last plesiosaurs died out? Nandy-Cline is a part of a pan-Galactic human polity, seemingly similar to the colonial world of the Bronze Age Greeks and Phoenicians. The ships of the Overgovernment are like the ships of the Athenian or Carthaginian (aka Phoenician) navies, they fly the homeland's flag and squash the most egregious floutings of the social contract. Of course, being so far removed from the nuts-and-bolts of daily living, the Overgovernment takes a necessarily broad view of what the social contract holds:
The Overgovernment evidently isn't interested in establishing a paradisiac environment for the harmless citizen. Its interest is in the overall quality of the species.
***
"It's been a long time between wars," Mavig said. "That's part of our problem. How about the overall Hub reaction, Director?"
"We'll let it be a three day sensation," said Sindhis. "Then we'll release a series of canned sensations which should pretty well crowd the Nandy-Cline affair out of the newscasts and keep it out. I foresee no difficulties."
That sounds grimly familiar, doesn't it. Your individual well-being is none of their business, but the functioning of human society as a whole is, and a carefully managed business it is. The plot of this book is, well, direct and pared-down compared to what we're accustomed to in this age of book bloat:
"In brief," Ticos said slowly, "the Great Palach intends to discredit the Tuvela Theory by showing he can torture the Guardian to death and add her to his collection of trophies?"
***
A very different type of mentality seemed involved. A mentality which systematically tortured human minds and bodies, leaving the victims degraded in death and carefully preserving their degradation, as if that were a goal in itself. . . .
***
Roles were distributed and the party set off.
We could call that shorthand for much longer and possibly more interesting scenes of character development. Of which there is comparatively little for anyone except Nile. She is notably endowed with powers of observation and analysis in abundances not ascribed to any other person or being on the page. It was a novella when in came out, so this is comprehensible. It's not ideal in today's world, and for once that's a shame because this story is one the modern marketplace would like, with its gender-neutral heroics.
Because this story takes place within Schmitz's shared-worlds universe called "The Hub" there are connections to the broader story of humanity in colonized space. This is dealt with in an end section, I don't think it's exactly considered a chapter, titled: "Conclusions of the Evaluating Committee of the Lords of Sessegur, Chiefs of the Dark Ships—Subject: The Human-Parahuan Engagement of Nandy-Cline". This purports to be the minutes of a governing body's committee charged with the observation and assessment of species' behaviors and their consequences, as they pertain to larger issues of cohabiting the galaxy with the aforementioned Lords. So this short tale assumes larger and more resonant meaning in the Schmitzverse, and therefore illuminates the true nature of all aspects of our existence. We are not alone. As we judge, so we are in turn judged...and the judges aren't always known to us.
Sobering thought, that.
jameseckman's review
3.0
Strong female character without romance, a pleasant change of pace. A bit more serious than Schmitz's other Hub books.
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