Halcyon Drift by Brian M. Stableford

The series is the story of star pilot Grainger, who is forced by circumstances, after his own ship is destroyed in a disastrous crash, to accept a job flying a new ship, the Hooded Swan, that is a fusion of human and alien technologies. She is faster and more manoeuvrable than any previous design, but despite the opportunity offered, Grainger resents the fact he is employed simply as a pilot but denied the position of Captain, and cannot resign at any time during his two-year contract without dire financial penalties that he regards as thoroughly unjust. In fact Grainger regards his terms of employment as making him little more than a slave, or at least an indentured servant. However, left little alternative by his financial situation, Grainger takes the job, and carries out a variety of assignments for his new masters, accompanied by the unwelcome alien symbiote sharing his brain.

My first exposure to Stableford's writing was his short story "An Offer of Oblivion" that appeared in Amazing Science Fiction.  It is part of a loosely connected series that is followed by the very good "Captain Fagan Died Alone" from "The DAW Science Fiction Reader".  They are worth looking up.  After I enjoyed his short story I went in search of his novels.  In the 70s, i was limited to what was in the library and new books on the newstands in our small town.  That is when i first found the last two books of this series ("The Hooded Swan").  The final two books were some of my favorites from that era.

Now I am going back and reading the series from the beginning.  I found this first story a disappointment.  Stableford violates one of the rules of writing.  He spends much of the early part telling us about events instead of showing them to us.  The elements of a good novel are all there but the execution undercuts the effectiveness of the story.  Based on my memories of the later books, I think this is just a temporary problem that the author corrects with future books.  I will find out when I read book two ("Rhapsody in Black").

The Patterns of Chaos by Colin Kapp

In the uncertain shadows against a broken wall the figure of a young man lay in foetal position, only partially aware of the devastation which raged around him. Such consciousness as he bore was almost entirely consumed by a battle of equally desperate proportions deep within his skull. 
From Goodreads.


Patterns of Chaos was originally published in three parts in Worlds of IF in 1972.  It was serialized in three parts.  One of my favorite stories in the classic science fiction magazine was another Kapp story.  It was called "Mephisto and the Ion Explorer" from one of the last issues of that magazine.  I can't tell you what the story was about anymore but it remains in my memories as one of my favorite stories of that time.  I plan on reading it again.


How does "The Patterns of Chaos" hold up over time?  Click on "Read More" to find out.

The Guns of Avalon by Roger Zelazny

The Guns of Avalon is the second book in the Amber Chronicles. My review of the first book, Nine Princes in Amber, can be found by clicking here.

Part two of the original Chronicles of Amber is a good continuation of the classic “Nine Princes in Amber”.  Corwin’s story follows his journey to Avalon, a shadow realm that he once ruled.  Many years have passed since he left and now he is remembered as a demon prince.  People do not named their children after this ruler from the past.  He pretends to be someone else.  He meets up with and befriends a soldier from his old army.  Another one of the main characters is Dara (the granddaughter of one of Corwin’s brothers).  Dara is a kindred spirit to Corwin.  He sees many of his traits in her.  All she wants to do is go to Amber, walk the Pattern, and gain the abilities that her family possesses.  

Guns cannot fire in Amber.  What Corwin’s family does not know is that a substance in Avalon can be used as gunpowder in Amber.  Corwin plans to build and arm a group of soldiers who will help him take out his brother Eric.  Corwin can then take the throne.

The problems this time around are presented by the Black Road.  It is a gateway that allows demons to enter Avalon.  

The Guns of Avalon was very good but it was a step down from the first story.  Part of that is due to the first book introducing many new ideas.  The second book in a series always suffers in comparison.  

Zelazny does plant some clues to the true identity of some of the characters.  I missed them the first time I read the series but, in retrospect, one of the clues is definitely in the book.  He draws on his love of Raymond Chandler’s mysteries with the clue about his missing father.  Zelazny continues to write this as a pulp noir type of story.  Corwin narrates “The Guns of Avalon” in a style that is reminiscent of Chandler.  He also uses similar pulp tools to keep the action moving to drive the story to it’s conclusion.

Another author who wrote a similar type fantasy series is Michael Moorcock with his Eternal Champion series.  It also features parallel worlds and a battle between order and chaos.  I am considering re-reading and reviewing at least some of the arcs in his series when I am done with the Amber books.  In the seventies, the Elric books were second only to the Amber books in my opinion.

Is this the end of Corwin’s tale?  No.  Three more books continue the quest to answer many of the questions left at the end of this book.  What happened to Oberon(Corwin’s father)?  Will Corwin be able to stop the demon creatures’ invasion?  What really happened to Brand?  Will Corwin be able to unite Amber and find a way to stop the forces of Chaos?  Books three through five address these questions.  Corwin’s son, Merlin, is the focus of books six through ten.  I also plan on reviewing the short stories that Zelazny wrote in this universe.

Next up on my Amber reading list will be “Sign of the Unicorn”.  This was my introduction to the writing of Roger Zelazny.  I originally read it as a serial in the Jim Baen edited Galaxy Magazine. 

"The Second Kind of Loneliness" by George R. R. Martin

First Printing:  Analog, December 1972

“The Second Kind of Loneliness” is one of my all-time favorite short stories. The author chose to tell the story in the form of diary entries. While I would not want to see this used on a regular basis, it was the right choice for this tale.

Martin’s classic is about the solitary man who works on a stargate station.  His job is to activate the gate and help ships navigate through it. Long spells between ships can make for lonely times. When the ship that is supposed to take him home does not show up on time, the operator starts to panic.

The story showcases the emotions and thoughts of the operator with skill. It reminds me of the tales of lighthouse keepers in the days of the sailing ships.  Martin pulled me into the mindset of the protagonist. I started to feel the same concerns as the main character. I think it helped that I read this while sitting on a beach when my wife and I were in Delaware. We were there in September and the beach was relatively empty.  Looking out at the ocean with few people around helped me sympathize with the protagonist.

If I had to compare this to a similar story I would suggest “Flowers for Algernon”.  The two stories are very different but both authors create similar emotions.

Highly recommended.