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Otherland: Mountain of Black Glass
The time draws near for immortality to become reality
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Otherland: Mountain of Black Glass
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By Tad Williams
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DAW Books
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$24.95/$34.99 Canada
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Hardcover, Sept. 1999
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ISBN 0-88677-849-2
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Review by Susan Dunman
 eing trapped in a fantastic virtual universe might seem like paradise to any
nethead goggleboy, but it can be a deadly prison for uninvited guests to
Otherland, a private network created by the mysterious Grail Brotherhood.
Mountain of Black Glass, the third volume in Tad Williams' Otherland saga,
continues the exploits of a
small group of unlikely heroes determined to find out if the Grail
Brotherhood is responsible for a sinister malady that causes hundreds of
children who go online to fall into a coma.
Searching for a way to cure her own little brother, Renie and her close
friend !Xabbu, along with a handful of other adventurers, gain unauthorized
access to Otherland, but discover they cannot leave the network. Their
harrowing experiences continue when they find themselves wandering in a huge
Victorian house that covers an entire world. Another part of the network
resembles ancient Egypt, where teenage pals Orlando and Fredericks attempt
to uncover vital clues while trying to avoid a catastrophic power struggle
between warring Egyptian deities. Complicating matters is the fact that
Orlando is suffering the ravages of a deadly childhood disease and must
solve the mystery before his physical body wears out.
Time is also running out for the programming enigma named Paul Jonas.
Having survived numerous virtual landscapes, Paul is instructed by a
beautiful woman to go to Priam's Walls. He then discovers he is in Ithica
and has taken on the persona of legendary Odysseus. His beloved Penelope
insists he immediately set sail for Troy, and before long, Paul wishes he'd
studied Homer's Odyssey just a little bit harder back in school.
Cyber sorcery on a grand scale
Once again, Williams displays remarkable talent in making the
unbelievable seem more than plausible. The many virtual worlds he creates
in Otherland offer
entertainment, insights, and commentary on a near-future Earth that is often
downright scary simply because it seems so familiar--in a bad sort of way.
The author manages to portray a callous, uncaring society that still has
concerned and unselfish citizens. The sheer heft of 689 pages gives hope
that the author has something worthwhile to say, and most readers will not be
disappointed.
This volume includes excellent summaries of the two preceding books, which
are an immense help for those without photographic memories. These
summaries also make it possible to understand the ongoing plot without
having read the first two novels, but a great deal of emotional attachment to
pivotal characters may be lost. Homer's Odyssey plays a significant
role in the story, so readers may want to brush up on this classic
beforehand. Don't get too serious, however, because there's also a healthy
dose of humor throughout the story, sometimes in the most unexpected places.
Also be warned that this is only the third book in a four-volume series.
Alternating plot lines and subplots keep things interesting. The virtual
universe is riveting, but the physical world holds its own set of
challenges. There's the psychopathic killer, Dread, who is deadly in both
the real and simulated worlds. Detective Skouros is closing in on Dread and
lawyer Catur Ramsey begins to see connections between a golden city and
dying children. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking as the most powerful man on
the planet is ready to become immortal.
Tad Williams is a master of description. Scenes seem to leap off the page,
grab you by the collar, and then pull you into the story.
-- Susan
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Dune: House Atreides
A prelude to more Dune novels
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Dune: House Atreides
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By Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
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Bantam Spectra
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$27.50
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Hardcover, Oct. 1999
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ISBN 0-553-11061-6
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Review by Nalo Hopkinson
 rank Herbert's uncompleted Dune series was a literary
phenomenon. Thirteen years after his death, the six novels still
have a popularity that few other SF works have achieved. The pressure
upon son Brian Herbert, an SF writer himself, to complete his
father's work must have been enormous. Which may explain why the duo of Brian Herbert
and Kevin Anderson have created a prequel to Dune as a
prelude to writing two more Dune novels. In the
afterword, Herbert and Anderson describe their passion and
respect for the original series.
Writing new Dune novels would be a massive project:
they either had to convincingly match Frank Herbert's execution,
or be so original and fresh that they defied comparison. As
the younger Herbert says, tackling a new series to complement the
enormous Dune legacy was "immense, so daunting."
But tackle it they did. Young Leto Atreides, ducal heir to
the planet of Caladan, is sent to foster on the machine planet of
Ix. Meanwhile, the brutal Harkonnen clan takes over Arrakis, the desert planet
that is the only source of spice, a substance that extends human life and
also bestows semi-prescience on its users. The
Padishah Emperor Elrood IX plots elaborate revenge on a former
concubine who married Dominic, earl of the planet Ix. Elrood's
son Shaddam, impatient to rule, starts poisoning his father's
spice beer. The Harkonnens plan the destruction of the Atreides
clan. Planetologist Pardot Kynes convinces the Fremen natives of
Arrakis (a.k.a. Dune) that he can bring water back to their desert
planet; and the eerie Reverend Mothers include Baron Vladimir
Harkonnen in their breeding scheme to produce a male child with
visionary powers.
Passion isn't enough
Herbert and Anderson have thought through the events of this
novel in detail; this is where their passion shows. There are
interesting twists, such as the younger Baron Harkonnen being
handsome and trim, or the revealed connection between the Lady
Jessica and the Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam. Encountering
these characters again is like visiting with old friends after a
long absence.
Sadly though, passion, no matter how keenly felt, is not enough to create
a great work. Herbert and Anderson have not given the Dune series
back to the world; neither have they created a fresh vision and voice for
the new novels. The point-of-view shifts are dizzying. The writing
is derivative and lacks the political astuteness that a geopolitical epic must
have. The authors paint characters and situations in broad, thin strokes, thus
magnifying a touch of essentialism that did characterize the Frank Herbert
novels (e.g. the bad guy was obese, perverse and ugly; the muslimesque
Fremen were belligerent, polygamous and dogmatic). In the original
Dune, the Suk Imperial school of medicine seemed to have aspects of
an Asian philosophy or culture. The Herbert/Anderson Suk doctor has a black
ponytail "longer than a woman's" (what is the regulation hair length for
women?), walks with a shuffle, and refuses to treat anyone until he's paid.
This is caricaturing, not character development. Doctor Yungar does all but
say, "No tickee, no shirtee."
Then there's Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, the wonderfully hateful
and depraved force of evil in the first Dune novel.
In the original, Baron Harkonnen was a sexual predator who
enjoyed torturing young boys and men. The new novel, however,
twists this information: it makes much of the fact that he is
"attracted" only to males, as though attraction were the same as
preying. The Baron says, "The actual procreation process,
involving women as it does, disgusts me." It's a disturbing
conflation of homosexuality with sexual pathology, not to mention
misogyny.
Perhaps having laid this groundwork, Herbert Junior and
Anderson can go on to push their writing talents and develop a
new Dune series that is a fit complement to the original.
Dune: House Atreides, however, is not a promising
start.
I am also the daughter of a now-dead writer, much loved by his
peers. It can be intimdating to live in that shadow, so I have
some sympathy for what Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson have
taken on. I hope that their future work is more successfully
executed than this novel.
-- Nalo
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