Well… it’s not nearly as good as its opposite number, which is to be expected, since Robert Silverberg evolved into quite a well respected author of science fiction and James White is more of a journeyman.

The plot is, while not confusing, entirely too convoluted to write down, suffice to say that the climax is both unrealistic and somewhat rushed. I read that White didn’t like violence and was a sort of pioneer of ‘medical scifi.’ Okay, fine, then don’t make the denouement a space battle. And after building up to a romance of sorts, he manages to leave unsatisfactorily unresolved. The only excuse would be if this is part of a series… which, apparently, it is. The first of his Sector General novels. So hopefully Lockhart and Kelly get together down the road.

On the plus side, I’ve got some more Ace Doubles, including one with two novels by Leigh Brackett and one with a novel by Philip K. Dick, which I’m looking forward to.

So far, The Briar King is a good, gripping read for a fan of fantasy, like myself, but also irritating in some important ways, both as a fan of fantasy and a general lover of fiction.

It’s pretty much required these days that no one right a standalone scifi/fantasy novel anymore. It’s simply not done. So I’m okay with it being the first of a series. And while it ends, clearly leading into another, it’s not an annoying cliffhanger. And Keyes avoids other pitfalls of the fantasy series by not letting the number of main characters get out of control. There are basically five main characters, but he keeps them paired up much of the time, so we don’t have a massive sprawl problem.

The world is generally well done. The ‘history’ is good, though I rarely get a strong feel for the cultures, except in the story’s heartland, which is kind of your generic fantasy land with technology similar to 14th century Europe, so knights on horseback in articulated plate armor with big swords. Some of the other areas are less well described.

There is a bit of a villain problem, because the world spanning threat, the titular Briar King… doesn’t seem so bad. Kind of nature guy. Does not inspire fear in me. Some of the human villains do – they’re pretty nasty. But it’s hard for me to feel that concerned about a apocalpytic baddie who comes across more like a less damp version of the Swamp Thing, just doing his thing and keeping his swamp (or, in this case, forest) safe. But that wasn’t what bothered me most. No, it was the names.

The names are lazy. Some are basic English names, like Anne and Neil. There’s an occasional attempt to get something more archaic or fantasy sounding into it, but generally, they’re cribbed straight from the British Isles and (disconcertingly) Italy. At least take some time to look up some old Celtic or Saxon names that sound a little different, a little alien and not immediately recognizable. What he did just creates a jarring clash. And… ugh Virgenya. A place in his world where people are and speak Virgenyan. I live next too Virginia and used to be a Virginian, so this just takes me out of it ever time he does it, which is pretty frequent. Oh, and there’s an ancient, founding heroine named ‘Genya Dare.’ Since ‘Virgenya’ is clearly in honor of ‘Genya,’ let’s put those together, shall we: Virgenya Dare. That’s right, the first child born in the English colonies in America. Ugh.

The good bits generally outweigh the bad, though. I’m glad I read it. But… Virginia Dare. Ugh.

This was one half of an Ace Double (the other being The Secret Visitors by James White).

I read a novel by Silverberg many years ago… a sort of combination of science fiction and old school planetary romance called Lord Valentine’s Castle. It was part of a series and never read anymore. I remember both thinking the book was good, but not great, yet also having the contradictory feeling of sadness that comes after finishing a good book and knowing that one can never read it for the first time again.

I didn’t get that feeling from Master of Life and Death, but it was still a fast, bracing read. It’s science fiction, with some faster than light travel, aliens and a global institution responsible for both euthanasia and resettlement as a means to deal with overpopulation, but really, it’s more thriller, with a touch of conspiracy style espionage. The ‘hero’ is a fellow named Roy Walton and he quickly becomes the head of said global institution. I put ‘hero’ in scare quotes because, while he clearly means well, virtually every action he takes is morally dubious. Towards the end, his efforts to escape the tightening noose become so incredibly unethical that it becomes cringe inducing. Roy is being blackmailed by his brother Fred, while trying to preserve his job and also more or less carry out his duties and save humanity. Honestly, the science fiction is just an overlay on a thriller.

But like I said, it’s still pretty gripping and ratchets up the tension nicely. You’ll probably never encounter this book, but if you do and if early silver age scifi is your bag, then this book should be your brand new bag.

I had a birthday a little while back and among my present were a classic scifi magazine and three Ace Doubles – two books in one (just flip it over and start reading from the back after you finish the first one), including novels by Dick, Brackett and Silverberg.

I’d read a couple of books by McKillip in my teenage years, namely the first book in the trilogy of which Heir of Sea and Fire is the second, and a book called The Forgotten Beasts of Eld. She’s very much a fantasy writer in the vein of Ursula LeGuin, but without LeGuin’s interest in colonialism (or rather, anti-imperialism and post-colonialism); less political and more elegiac and definitely more influenced by Tolkien (not so much Lord of the Rings; check out a short novel of his called The Smith of Wooton Major).

But anyway… In most ways, it’s not as good as The Riddle-Master of Hed, having the ‘middle book syndrome’ or being most dedicated towards getting to place where the third volume embark on its conclusion.

In another sense, though, it has something more important than its predecessor: it is about a woman’s journey. Granted, she’s looking a guy, but still, she (Raederle is her name, by the way) gets her own book with her own arc and self discoveries. But it’s not as good as the first book. Her journey still isn’t as interesting as Morgon’s in the first book (and it doesn’t have the magic of my old memories of The Forgotten Beasts of Eld). I was also hampered by having waited too long between books and being a little unsure of the characters.