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 Destiny's Road by Larry Niven
Orbit Hardback, UKŁ16.99 438pp
reviewed by Underview
Original appearance: Albedo one issue 16, Spring 1998
A new Larry Niven novel has never been cause for celebration in the Underview household, so it was with trepidation that I undertook the journey along Destiny's Road. But like him or not, there is one thing that Mr Niven's name on the dustjacket guarantees: a straightforward, scientific adventure. Usually. He's also been known to turn out the odd first rate space opera.
His latest offering could almost be termed a scientific romance (not lovey dovey, mushy stuff but the sort of thing Jack Vance used to do so well in the fifties). The science content is low, outside the initial premise, and it takes on the form of a fantasy-style quest for the protagonist's own version of the Holy Grail.
Destiny is a colony planet, long abandoned by Earth and left with only the merest shreds of advanced technology left over from the original landing and some self replicating machines. But these are slowly braking down, never to be replaced. The road of the title is a long ribbon of fused rock laid down by the rocket exhaust of one of the original landing vehicles.
The central character is Jemmy Bloocher, a farm boy who murders a trader and runs away from home to escape the trader caravan's retribution as well as the drudgery of his former existence and also to search for the secret of Destiny's Road. As usual with Niven, the tale is long on action and adventure and short on incisive characterisation. It is also episodic and lacking in a strongly defined central theme. But that said, it is a cracking read and will be equally rewarding to Niven's fans and those new to his writing.
Fallen Angels by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle and Flynn
reviewed by Underview
Original appearance: Albedo one issue 7, 1995
FALLEN ANGELS was the novel I picked up after the three false starts mentioned at the start of the column. And thank goodness for its existence, it may have saved me from GAFIATING. And what is GAFIATING? you might well ask. the dedicated fans among you will recognise the term. It is SF fanspeak and it means GET(TING) AWAY FROM IT ALL - and refers to fans who get away from SF, fandom, the lot.
Why should I bother to impart this wholly useless piece of information at this particular point in time? (Full of questions today, aren't I). Well, it so happens that fanspeak is pretty important to the novel. Which should have put me of right from the start. If there is one thing guaranteed to put me off SF it is a juvenile made-up language designed to keep out the mundanes (ordinary folk - non SF aficionados). Possibly my second least favourite word in the world - nothing will ever surpass gotten - is fen, the plural of fan. (Billy Connolly is right, there is always diced carrot in puke. Now, how do I get the pieces out from between the keys.
But as a story Fallen Angels is A Okay. It really is juvenile wish fulfillment, but as such it is very well written and clips along at a fair old pace. The plot revolves around some spacemen who live in artificial satellites orbiting an Earth which has banned all space technology. They come to Earth to steal much needed air but their ship is shot down. Their only hope, though they know it not, are the last technophiles on the planet - SF fandom, which has been forced underground.
When the news breaks that the Angels of the title (spacemen) are down a core group of fans bail out of Worldcon and rush to the rescue. If you can manage the suspension of disbelief this is a rip-roaring adventure novel that would not have seemed out of place in the golden age of SF. Admittedly it would not be one of the classics, but it will do until the next one comes along.
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