Pretty d*** cool – if you haven’t ever read him – he was one of the ‘big three’ way back in Weird Tales days – the other two (better known than CAS) were H.P. Lovecraft (Cthulhu sushi, anyone? Tastes better than Soylent Green! ) and Robert E. Howard (creator of Conan the Barbarian).

I had never heard of CAS myself until reading Stephen King’s ‘Different Seasons’ many many years ago – Different Seasons is really four novellas, the first 3 of which have since been made into movies – bu the fourth story – ‘The Breathing Method‘ – has not. If you’ve read it, you probably know why. But several times through the story King references CAS alien landscapes and settings, which got me interested in finding some stories to read.

Given no convenient ‘internets’ to check out at the time – I went to the next best thing – Powell’s Books – which actually had some used paperbacks (imagine that) – CAS is often as hard to find on the stacks as Philip K. Dick and for a while there, I was thinking CAS was harder to find than Kilgore Trout books. But, thankfully other fans exist out there too and besides the existing paperbacks here and there, a few hardback story collections have been put together. CAS didn’t write novels – only short stories and poetry.

Anyway, check out some of the stories here and enjoy – after which you may be ready to find a copy of The City of the Singing Flame all your own…..

candybowl

So I finally finished the Inheritance Trilogy – the 3rd trilogy in a series – the first is the Heritage Trilogy and the second is the Legacy Trilogy. Ultimately, this is a nine novel series about the ‘US Marines in space’ – and how they end up battling a mysterious and powerful alien menace (the Xul) several times while morphing into an interstellar fighting force that support’s mankind’s galactic expansion.

As with other military sci-fi I’ve read recently – there are positives and negatives with this type of space opera. On the one hand, I don’t really expect philosophy or complex characterizations (say, compared to Childhood’s End, Stranger in a Strange Land, or even the Hyperion series) but on the other hand, I *do* expect to be entertained, I do expect there to be a purpose (bad, good or indifferent) behind what the main characters are doing, and I do expect some historical setup/context to be provided.

I think on most counts this series succeeds. While I don’t think it’s quite as good with the ‘interpersonal politics’ as the Clone Republic series – it has many similiar themes (central characters are mostly ‘fish out of water’ as regards society; most love battle and seek it out in most situations; most soldiers are played pretty sympatheticallly to the reader – which might not necessarily be the case in reality, etc.). The back-story and history set up here is more diverse (and potentially interesting) than many, even if fairly focused on the Marines above all other story elements. Mr. Douglas – if you put out any other books using this universe/these characters, there are a LOT of great potential alien cultures and potential side-stories here to be explored – just a thought.

Besides the human themes noted above, there are plenty of other tidbits to interest the reader. Douglas does a good job of setting up, describing and carrying the reader through the various battles with a sufficient level of detail. You get a decent sense of ‘you are there’ despite the novels being set in the far future with far more advanced technology, weapons, etc. Ever since reading several Tom Clancy novels a few years ago, it’s always clear who can adequately describe combat, technical details and the human element all at the same time, successfully. Clancy certainly does (although not science fiction) – and I’ve tended to measure novels with a strong dose of military action in them by that yardstick since. Douglas does not disappoint.

I’d rather not spoil anything – but I would also recommend starting with the 1st trilogy (Heritage) if you think you might want to read them all – because if you mistakenly start with one of the last books, it will spoil much of the earlier books due to quick summarizations of earlier events from the previous trilogies. In my case, I missed out on the middle trilogy largely for that reason. But if you like the early stories, you will most likely enjoy the rest of the series.

candybowl

Couldn’t resist a Spinal Tap reference when a ‘henge’ is involved. Just finished reading Kim Stanley Robinson’s Icehenge sci-fi novel. And as the wiki entry notes, it is similar in many ways to his later Mars Trilogy, although with different characters and plot. The book is divided into three sections, based around three central characters that live in three successive time periods, but have inter-weaved history with one another as you progress through the book. The book touches themes of separation, revolution/resistance, and friendship.

One common feature of this book and the Mars Trilogy is the very long life given to the characters based on advances in medical science (the books in both cases take place at least 100-200 years from now), which adds a new dimension to their experiences and perspective – again explored much more thoroughly in the later trilogy. Given that we don’t presently live over 100 years (and most often not even that long), the way the main characters deal with these situations is interesting and unique. Sci-fi has long discussed extending life through a variety of means (read about Lazarus Long in Heinlein’s Methuselah’s Children for one of the earliest, best examples) but I still think the perspectives in these Mars books is a unique one on the subject.

I liked it. If you like this book, you probably would *really* like the Mars Trilogy, because there is a lot more going on, across three much more detailed (and longer) books. And in that series, the interplay between the various lead characters is pretty diverse and definitely not all harmonious (I read the series several years ago, been meaning to re-read it someday again). This is a quick read, too – in some ways it kind of reminds me what the later Mars-related plots of Babylon 5, specifically seasons 3 & 4, might have achieved with a little more detail (and in many cases better dialogue and less silly melodrama). Check it out and see what you think!

candybowl