FACT SF Reading Group

April 2010

April 4: Planet of Adventure by Jack Vance

This meeting at the North Village branch drew twelve attendees. Our topic was Planet of Adventure, an omnibus combining four related novels by Jack Vance: City of the Chasch, Servants of the Wankh, The Dirdir, and The Pnume. They follow the adventures of Adam Reith, the sole survivor of an Earth ship sent to explore the planet Tschai. The planet is populated by three races, all dangerous to our hero.

Ten of us had read Vance previously. Ten started this book. Nine of us finished the first novel, and seven finished all four.
One reader enjoyed these stories. He felt they started quickly and showed great imagination. He liked how Vance handled social and psychological elements. He wished the characters were developed in more depth.

Another who’d read these books long ago said she enjoyed rereading them. She felt the stories held up well.

Yet another found the book was slow to get going. She felt the story got moving when the hero got involved in local politics and started trying to pull off a regime change. She enjoyed the princess, and appreciated it when she became psycho.

Another reader commented that the book felt like good space opera. The continuing series of cliffhangers gave the feeling of a movie serial.

One person in our group said he simply loves Jack Vance’s work. He said the basic framework of this book was a regency travelogue. He feels that the planet is the book’s main character. He loved Vance’s ironic footnotes. He liked how each race on the planet had a different concept of how they came to be.

A few people pointed out problems in the science of the book, particularly in issues of astronomy and physics. The big Vance fan in our group commented that “Vance is not interested in science.”

One reader that this book read like swashbuckling fantasy, and it was a disappointment as a science fiction novel.

Another praised Vance’s ambitious worldbuilding and smooth writing style, but felt the story was not compelling.

After the meeting, several of us got together for a good dinner at Casa Chapala.

April 20: Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews

Twelve people attended this discussion at the Milwood library. Our topic was Magic Bites, the first novel by ArmadilloCon 32 Urban Fantasy Guest Ilona Andrews. The book is set in a post-apocalyptic Atlanta where science and magic alternate for dominance in waves. The heroine, Kate Daniels, gets caught up in an adventure involving creepy shapechangers. Eleven of us started the book, and eight finished it.

One reader said the book was a lot of fun. She appreciated the disgusting Nosferatu-type vampires, which were a welcome change from the sexy teenage vampires so common recently. She liked how characters travel along ley lines. She wanted to know more about the history of magic in this world.

Many of us liked the magic-vs-technology aspect and how the characters have to be ready to react to a changeover. For example a car will suddenly stop when a wave of magic hits, so passengers have to be prepared to walk.

Another reader enjoyed the novel as a “popcorn read.” She felt the basic story was like that of a traditional mystery, so she called this a “cozy with blood.” She would not have read the book if our group had not chosen it, but was pleasantly surprised.

One person appreciated reading a rare post-apocalyptic fantasy. He liked the in-your-face heroine and the cozy mystery elements. He appreciated that the vampires in the book were not sentient.

Yet another liked the Atlanta setting and felt it was well-developed. He generally liked the book but felt it had pacing problems, with little action until the second half. He liked how well-drawn several of the supporting characters were, particularly the Beast Lord.

We were generally pleased that the book kept its romantic element smaller than expected.

One reader appreciated the lack of violence at the beginning. She appreciated the foreshadowing of story elements for later in the series. She felt invested in the romance between Kate and Curran. She said the ending was cinematic, and she could see the movie in her head.

Several people said that they liked this book so much that they’d bought and/or read the other books in the series. After the meeting, many of us had a nice dinner together at Culver’s.

---A. T. Campbell, III