Viscous Circle / Piers Anthony

Viscous Circle

(category: science fiction)
book 5 of Cluster Series by

Piers Anthony

published by Grafton Books in 1982
Nick read a library book, in March 2010

Nick's rating: 5 out of 10

Nick's opinion:

Anthony likes to take a play on words -- and work it to death. Viscous circle, a planet of doughnut -- circular -- aliens, discussion groups where the circular aliens form a circle for exchange of ideas. Ah well, it can be entertaining.

Viscous Circle presents a simple yet perfect civilisation: no nasty thoughts, no lies, no fighting, no fear of death because their heaven -- the "viscous circle" -- is so perfect. Humans, of course, come in to spoil it all. Only the hero -- a human mind transferred into a doughnut body -- can save the aliens. First, he falls in love with a female alien (then cements the bond with circle sex). He tries to teach the pacifist aliens to fight back, but they die rather than fight. Only the hero can save the day, and he is willing to die to do it.

But wait a moment: isn't that the plot of Avatar?!

Avatar was accused of plagiarism... of various stories. Viscous Circle can be added to the list of possible inspirations. In fact, the "military human spies on aliens, falls for alien girl, sympathises with alien culture, fights against human evils" plot is very, very standard in science fiction. And in fantasy. And in any other genre where bigger, social issues are explored. Just add Viscous Circle to the list of stories where one human sees the light and protects the innocent aliens against the rest of (evil) humanity.

Apart from that, the book offers very little. Take a bunch of doughnuts who fly along magnetic lines of force. Explore and explain what this will do to their lifestyle. Add doughnut sex and human sex. Leaven with perfect pacifists and evil invaders... It's an Anthony fable pushing his own ideas of right and wrong.

Speaking of which... Anthony seems to feel that both of these civilisations offer full equality of the sexes. Then he tells us how every female, in every race of the galaxy, is a conniving schemer, intent on gaining flattery and top quality sperm. The "perfect" doughnut aliens also have internal contradictions. Their stated aim is to gain as much knowledge as possible, then die, so that their knowledge can be absorbed back into the unified, after-death consciousness. Yet they show no interest in seeking knowledge outside their own group of planets.

At the end is an Anthony, I-am-always-right author's rant: interesting but strange. On the interesting side, this seems to have been his his last SF novel before he switched to fantasy (well, to fantasy with some SF). Interesting. But it doesn't make this book any better than, "adequate".

..o0o..

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