Emergence / David R. Palmer

Emergence
by David R. Palmer

science fiction

copyright 1984
read in April 2013 (and before)

rated 9 out of 10: really, really good

In an afterword the author admits to being a great fan of Heinlein. I hadn't thought of it before -- despite having read this book before, several times -- but yes, I can see the Heinlein influence... Intelligent and capable good guys will fight the good fight, and win, simply because it's the right thing to do...

In my opinion, Palmer does it better than Heinlein.

Emergence is fun, it is exciting, it is science-based. The heroine is intelligent, she is feisty, she is extremely likeable. She is also a young girl, only just old enough to consider that she is approaching womanhood. So the "romance" is pre-teen. But the bonds are strong.

When the boy drops everything in order to save the girl -- terrific!

Meanwhile, the girl is risking everything in order to save her friends and family. Brilliant!

I have read this book several times, over many years. My taste in books may have changed. Emergence is a book which I still enjoy. Immensely.

As an aside, back to that author's afterword...

Palmer tells us that he is a fan of Heinlein. He also gives us a potted history of the writing of Emergence, and of his other books and his other work. I may be imagining it, but...

I feel that Palmer sees life as a Heinlein universe: ability and hard work will lead inevitably to success. Palmer tells us of other stories being planned and written. Yet as far as I can tell, Palmer has published only two books... Hard work and ability have not been able to overcome the need to earn a living. Being an author requires more than the ability to write a good story.

I hope that I am wrong. I hope that Palmer has published many successful books, I just failed in my quick search of the internet. Or perhaps Palmer enjoys his day job and is happy to do that, rather than to publish more books.

It's not easy to make as living as an author!

In any case... I'm glad that Emergence was written and published. It is a thoroughly enjoyable book. I have read it -- and enjoyed it -- several times.

To the author: Thank you.

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Problems ? Solved

Debatable Space / Philip Palmer

Debatable Space

category: science fiction, author:

Philip Palmer

original copyright 2008

read in Jan 2012

Agamedes' opinion: 6 out of 10: read to pass the time

Imagination. Action. Breadth. Motivation. Justification. Tedium.

Tedium!?

It was a struggle to finish this book.

There is a grand scale to this galactic adventure. Backstory provides an understanding of the main characters. But it just goes on and on... and on.

All very well to provide a history of a key character. To explain her reasons for being as she is, for doing as she did. Yet it becomes a major block to the development of the main story.

Okay, perhaps the author wants us to see the future history of human expansion into the galaxy. The technology of planetary settlement and control is clever, worth writing about. The life story of Lena is just too much.

Other characters provide insights into the technology and the cruelty of the Earth-galactic dictator. They provide their insights in simple stories of a couple of pages each... While Lena gets half the book to explain her own part on the plot.

And it is very difficult to like her.

Yawn...

Not that it isn't interesting!

Just overdone, overblown, too long, and tedious...

Then there's the plot itself: complex, clever, annoyingly multi-climactic.

Is that a word? "Multi-climactic"?

What I mean is: The story reaches a crescendo... The heroes win the big battle / conquer the key planet / succeed in their ultimate goal... Only to find that there is another battle / planet / goal to now be reached.

It becomes a standard formula: Oh look, we've won :-) Wait, the baddies have an unexpected trick, we've lost after all :-( It's okay, I expected this, here's the real battle / planet / goal which will now become our target...

The hero, apparently, planned everything in advance. Each plot climax is essential, either as a step on the way or as a step which must be attempted rather than going straight to the really difficult task... All very clever. I just wish that there were some hints in advance...

As it is, the story is very episodic. A series of separate stories, where each story must be more exciting than the last. As though the author reached the end of the book then decided, oh dear, this is still too short, what shall I write about now...

On the other hand -- each story is exciting. Imaginative. Over the top. Action-packed.

It's a fine flow of action-packed space opera.

It just suffers from too much history of civilisation.

Like the war that the story covers, I guess: episodes of life-threatening action, interspersed with long periods of mind-numbing tedium.

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Extra note:

I did appreciate the development and explanation of the character of Lena, the female lead character. It is well done. It gives a good insight into her drives, her motives. It just slows down the story.

This book is a story of war, violence and revenge in the distant future. It is also a story which analyses the character of a woman who is born mousey and who fights her way to power.

One or the other...

Having both stories in the one book means that one is interfering with the other. Whichever story you like -- the other story gets in the way.

..o0o..

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