Book Review: Thieves' World

Book Review: 'Thieves' World' edited by Robert Lynn Asprin

4 / 5 Stars

'Thieves' World' (308 pp.) was published by Ace Books in October, 1979. The cover art is by Walter Velez.

'Thieves' World' is one of the earliest and most successful Shared World series in sci-fi / fantasy publishing. As of 2012, there were 14 anthologies in the series, with at least 15 or more spinoff novels and short story collections. 

During the 1980s a rather mediocre line of black-and-white comics was issued by indie publisher Starblaze, along with several Thieves' World-branded board games and role-playing games from Chaosium and Mayfair Games.

I was aware of the franchise during the 1980s, as its volumes were ever-present on the shelves of the sci-fi section of Waldenbooks, B. Dalton, Coles, Borders, etc. But I never picked up and read any title until just recently, when I sat down with the very first entrant in the series, 'Thieves' World'. 

Copies of the original paperback can be hard to find. An omnibus edition, published by the Science Fiction Book Club in 1982, and titled Sanctuary, contains 'Thieves' World', 'Tales from the Vulgar Unicorn' (1980) and 'Shadows of Sanctuary' (1981), and may be a more accessible way to gather the initial entries in the series.

In his Afterword to 'Thieves' World', titled 'The Making of Thieves' World', editor Asprin provides insight into how, in the Fall of 1978, he conceived of the idea of a shared world devoted to a fantasy theme, and set about recruiting sci-fi authors in his circle for contributions. The response to his pitch was so fulfilling that before the first volume in the series was printed, Asprin had sufficient tales for a second volume already assembled.

As for the stories in 'Thieves' World', they all are set in the decrepit city of Sanctuary, the most isolated metropolis in the Rankan Empire. Sanctuary's isolation has allowed it to become the Empire's preferred abode for would-be fortune-seekers, criminals, reprobates, and ne'er-do-wells. 

But as 'Thieves' World'  opens, the city's residents, long accustomed to (mis)governing themselves, learn that Prince Kadakithis has been appointed to govern Sanctuary. With Kadakathis comes change, for the Prince, a man of rectitude, has ambitions to turn Sanctuary into a respectable city.............one that generates considerable taxable income for the Rankan Empire...........

My capsule summaries of the contents:

Sentences of Death, by John Brunner: Jarveena the scribe comes into possession of a magic scroll, one that may offer leverage over the Guardsmen of the Governor's Mansion. But blackmail can be a dangerous enterprise in Sanctuary.......Brunner's prose is straightforward, but the story suffers from an underwhelming denouement.  

The Face of Chaos, by Lynn Abbey: Illyra the fortune-teller agrees to help a young woman who is destined to be sacrificed to one of the more odious of the Gods of Sanctuary. A competent tale.

The Gate of the Flying Knives, by Poul Anderson: Cappen Varra the bard learns that his love, Danlis, has - along with Lady Rosande - disappeared from the most secure tower in Sanctuary. Investigating the disappearance will mean crossing paths with entities best avoided. 

Anderson's use of straightforward prose and a well-composed plot makes this a rewarding entry.  

Shadowspawn, by Andrew Offutt: Shadowspawn the thief finds himself entangled in a plot to steal an valuable artifact from Prince Kadakithis......but trusting fellow thieves is never a good idea in Sanctuary..........

Offutt clearly wrote this lengthy story with an eye towards impressing his fellow contributors with his authorial elegance. Readers will encounter the words 'horripilation' (goose-pimples), 'falcate' (curved or hooked), and the phrase 'cupiditous concubine' (which sounds like a title for one of Offutt's sleaze novels). He lards the narrative with wordsmithings and turns of phrase designed to display his cleverness. 

Over-written and over-plotted, 'Shadowspawn' is not one of Offutt's better stories.

The Price of Doing Business, by Robert Lynn Asprin: Jubal, an ex-pit fighter and Sanctuary's most powerful crime lord, gets word that someone has information that would be of considerable value to him. But in Thieves' World, information always comes with a high price.......featuring a well-written segment of violent combat, this is another of the better tales in the anthology.

Blood Brothers, by Joe Haldeman: One-Thumb the tavern-owner seeks the culprit behind the theft of a brick of hashish. One-Thumb is never shy about using murderous violence to achieve his aims, but this time, has he met adversaries as ruthless as he is ?

Haldeman starts his story with three pages of conversational exchanges rendered in interposed italic and regular font text. There are no speakers identified, leaving it to the reader to gradually parse out who is saying what. This is a New Wave - era literary affectation that was trendy in the 1970s, but seems awkward and contrived nowadays. 

Anyways, once Haldeman adopts a more traditional diction, the story becomes more engaging and ends on an imaginative note. 

Myrtis, by Christine DeWees: Myrtis is the proprietress of Sanctuary's premiere brothel, Aphrodesia House. When Captain Zalbar, commander of the Royal Guard, demands a steep tax payment from Myrtis, she must use all her cunning and guile to find a resolution that lets the House stay in business. One of the better-plotted stories in the anthology. 

The Secret of the Blue Star, by Marion Zimmer Bradley: Lythande the mage, one of the more enigmatic and mysterious personages of Sanctuary, comes to the aid of a maltreated urchin. This story has a surprise ending that I at first found contrived, but when I went back and examined the story in detail, it was clear that Bradley had carefully crafted the ending's rationale. So informed, I then concluded that 'Blue Star' is the best entrant in the anthology.

Finishing 'Thieves' World', I thought it clear that Asprin had met his goal of freeing contributors from the need to labor on world-building in composing their entries, thus allowing them to focus solely on storytelling. As a result, all of the contributors successfully leveraged the grittier, even sordid atmosphere inherent in the 'Thieves' World' concept. Those who like late 70s - early 80s fantasy literature packaged into shorter, more digestible stories will find this anthology worth reading.

My Sweet Summer Suite

'My Sweet Summer Suite'
by Barry White and the Love Unlimited Orchestra

November, 1976

A track from the 1976 album of the same name, 'My Sweet Summer Suite' was released as a single in the Fall of 1976. On the Billboard R & B chart it reached a high of slot 43 in November. 

'Sweet Summer Suite' entered the Hot 100 pop chart in October, and maxed at position 81 on November 13.

Here is a link to the 12" version of the song. The song takes its time getting underway - the melody proper doesn't kick in till the 2:25 mark - but it's pure, undiluted 70s goodness. You can't ignore the 'burping Tupperware' notes, and the Fourth of July weekend looms. What more needs to be said ? 

Book Review: Earthblood and Other Stories

Book Review: 'Earthblood and Other Stories' by Keith Laumer and Rosel George Brown

edited by Eric Flint

3 / 5 Stars

‘Earthblood’ first was published as a serial in If magazine during 1966. That same year it was issued in hardback from Doubleday. 

This Baen Books paperback version (cover art by Bob Eggleton) issued in January 2008 is a hefty 703 pages in length, with 391 pages devoted to 'Earthblood' and the remaining pages devoted to short fiction from Laumer and Brown (rounding out the book is a 17-page preview of an awful David Webber novel from 2012). 

Needless to say, it took me a while to finish this book. 

I remember reading ‘Earthblood’ in the mid-70s and finding it quite entertaining. As an Old School space opera it offered something different, and in many ways refreshing, from the New Wave content that was then dominating sci-fi publishing: it was devoid of self-indulgent prose stylings, and featured a straightforward, plot-driven narrative. 

'Earthblood' is set far in the future, thousands of years after the Terran Empire has lost a war with the alien race known as the Niss. The fall of the Empire has left the myriad colony worlds to their own devices, and over the centuries knowledge of Terra, and its former glories, have faded into myth.

In the opening chapters we are introduced to our hero, Roan Corday, a genuinely ‘Terry’ child raised by a humanoid couple of limited means on the backwater planet of Tambool. Roan gradually becomes aware that he is an outcast among the races of aliens who dominate Tambool society, and that his Terry heritage marks him as a man destined for Bigger Things than can be found in the squalid slum district that is his home. In due course Roan finds himself travelling the galaxy in an increasingly fervid quest to find the fabled planet of Terra, defeat the remnants of the Niss, and restore the Terran Empire to its glory.

The fast pacing and plentiful action sequences that are Keith Laumer’s strong suit, and made me like ‘Earthblood’ nearly 50 years ago, remain engaging. But this time around I was more appreciative of the novel’s presentation of well-drawn human and alien characters, such as the erotic dancer Stellaraire, the stolidly noble Iron Robert, the pirate Henry Dread, and Roan’s sidekicks Skor and Sidis. 

Also worthy of note are the novel’s contemplative passages, which – presumably – were contributed by coauthor Brown. These passages, some of which deal with the discovery of long-abandoned Terran outposts, have an elegiac quality suffused with the sense of entropy that was becoming more and more prominent in the 1960s as the New Wave movement exerted its influence. It is the presence of these passages that give ‘Earthblood’ a depth not present in most (if not all) of the Space Opera fiction of the 1960s. 

‘Earthblood and Other Stories’ features three ‘Niss’ novelettes that Laumer published in sci-fi digests during 1963-1964. All reflect Laumer’s status as an author who wrote to earn a living: they are loosely plotted, and rely on all manner of contrived twists and revelations to keep the narratives rolling along (for example, a handgun is fired, but the villains in the adjacent chamber can’t hear it because ‘The Niss are totally deaf in our sound range without their hearing aids’). 

In ‘The Long Remembered Thunder’ an agent named Tremaine investigates the source of a mysterious, but powerful, radio signal. ‘The Other Sky’ is a rambling mishmash of sci-fi tropes such as time travel, portals to other dimensions, and alien overlords. Amidst all the frenetic action Laumer even works in a humorous take on ‘Gulliver’s Travels’, which gives the story the flavor of a Ron Goulart / Robert Sheckley composition. ‘The Soul Buyer’ sees tough guy Tony Adair tangle with city streets run by wise guys, some of whom are aliens; this story comes across as Laumer’s attempt to fuse sci-fi with the private eye theme.

Closing out the collection are six stories by Rosel George Brown (1926 – 1967), all first published in sci-fi digests during the interval from 1959 – 1962. These entries all are well-written, but basically apply a thin coating of sci-fi content to the sorts of wry domestic dramas that were representative of short fiction that, in the late 50s and early 60s, would have been at home in magazines like Women’s Day, The Saturday Evening Post, Ladies Home Journal, etc. 

For example, ‘Flower Arrangement’ sees housewife Sally Jo Warner enter the neighborhood contest with an unusual arrangement based on twisting an aspidistra leaf into a Mobius strip. There is drama when scientists, startled by the seemingly impossible arrangement, become involved, but Sally Jo just wants to one-up the Queen Bee of the Dried Arrangements committee.  

A 1962 story, ‘And A Tooth’, adopts a darker tone with its portrayal of Margaret Tilden, a distraught housewife who undergoes brain surgery to revive her from a coma, only to discover that she has acquired a split personality. It turns out the other personality is determined to take control of the shared body. It was an interesting premise at the time the story was written, and modern critics might expound that 'And A Tooth' has merit as a proto-feministic exploration of a woman rebelling against the strictures the patriarchy imposes on women who don't meekly accept their roles in society. Or something like that.

The verdict ? I would recommend that curious readers acquire 'Earthblood' on its own, rather than this particular Baen Books expanded version. I can't say that the ancillary material from Laumer and Brown included in this 703 - page compilation is all that impressive, save for those with a deep and abiding interest in collecting the output of either writer. 

Robo Hunter: Verdus

Robo-Hunter: Verdus

by John Wagner, Ian Gibson, and Jose-Luis Ferrer

DC Comics, 2004

The 'Verdus' storyline of 'Robo-Hunter' initially appeared in 2000 AD from prog 76 (August 5, 1978) to Prog 112 (May 12, 1979) with scripting by John Wagner and illustrations by Ian Gibson (with the initial issues handled by Jose-Luis Ferrer). 

This 136 - page compilation of the complete 'Verdus' comics was issued by DC in 2004, part of a rather short-lived partnership with the UK's Rebellion publishing house to issue reprints of selected 2000 AD titles for the American comics market. 

'Robo-Hunter: Verdus' has the dimensions (7 1/ 2 x 10 1/4 inches) of the American graphic novel, which means it was reduced from the UK format (9 inches wide x 11 inches).

As framed by writer John Wagner, the late 70s incarnation of Robo-Hunter has a determinedly comic attitude, one I have commented upon in past postings. This probably was a sensible course of action for Wagner, as at the time, a darker, more violent treatment of the character likely would have been difficult to compete with fellow 2000 AD property Judge Dredd. 

The 'Verdus' storyline sees our hero, Sam Slade, aka Robo-Hunter, sent off on an interstellar voyage to investigate the fate of the eponymous colony world. The absence of any communications from the first batch of colonists to arrive at Verdus has raised fears that something has gone wrong.......perhaps involving the plentiful robots who have been responsible for preparing the world for its human inhabitants.

En route to Verdus, the spacecraft transporting Sam encounters a 'light barrier' that has the effect of reducing one's age by several decades. This is a boon to Sam......but a bane to the ship's pilot, Jim Kidd, who is converted into a foul-mouthed toddler.....

Without disclosing any spoilers, I'll reveal that Sam Slade and Jim Kidd make it to Verdus and discover that things have indeed gone very, very wrong. Correcting the situation will require the utmost effort from Sam Slade and his robot allies...........

Writer John Wagenr's scripting for Robo-Hunter is competent, if not particularly imaginative (but then, one must keep in mind that in the late 1970s Wagner was juggling multiple storylines for 2000 AD and didn't have the luxury of crafting the the intricate narratives that were commonplace in American comics of the same era).

Ian Gibson's artwork for Robo-Hunter: Verdus has a looser style, enhanced by the occasional use of more elaborate shading and cross-hatching techniques (some Zip-A-Tone also makes an appearance here and there). Gibson shows an ability to bring a necessary amount of detail to panels and splash pages designed to be reproduced on newsprint paper, while at the same time giving Robo-Hunter the distinctive visual 'look' that was needed to make it stand out in the crowded pages of 2000 AD.

When all is said and done, 'Verdus' is a serviceable, but not memorable, entry from the early days of the 2000 AD franchise. Given that reprints of the series from UK publishers (like Rebellion's 'Droid Files') are long out of print and have high asking prices, this US / DC compilation is probably the most affordable way to acquire the complete first appearance of the character.

The ruins of New York City from Planet of the Apes magazine No. 7

The Ruins of New York City
by Alfredo Alcala

from Planet of the Apes magazine (Marvel / Curtis) 

Issue 7 (April 1975)

With issue 7 of 'Planet of the Apes' magazine, Marvel began a serialized comic treatment of the 1970 movie Beneath the Planet of the Apes. 

Filipino artist Alfredo Alcala was assigned to the story and did amazing work, as evidenced by the above panel depicting the scene where astronaut Brent, accompanied by Nova, discovers that underneath the wastes of the Forbidden Zone are the ruins of what used to be New York City.......

At McKay's Books

 At McKay's Books

A couple of weeks ago, with sweltering conditions in Central Virginia, it was too hot and uncomfortable to do anything out of doors. So I thought I'd drive the 100 minutes to McKay's Used Books in Manassas and see what was on the shelves.

Of course, the never-ending construction work on repaving Route 28 in Manassas, from Route 619 to Godwin Drive, added another 15 minutes to the drive there (and 20 minutes to the drive back). So each way, it was closer to two hours of driving.

Crouching and squatting among the shelving at McKay's left me with a thin coating of sweat.....I can't figure out how the women patronizing McKay's wear long-sleeved tops because it's too 'cold' inside........ 

But my perspiration yielded rewards: I was able to find, nestled among copies of 'Bitch Planet' and 'Black Science' graphic novels, some rare, vintage Euro comics for reasonable prices (i.e., under $5 each):

XIII is a French-language adventure series that emerged as one of the more popular and celebrated bande dessinee of the 1980s. 

In the U.S., in 1989 - 1990, Catalan Communications released English versions of the first few volumes in the series.  

'Deep City' (1986) is another Catalan Communications English translation, this time of an Argentine noir comic, called Evaristo, from artist Francisco Solano Lopez and writer Carlos Sampayo. 

Lopez is best known in the U.S. for his work on the 1950s Argentine sci-fi comic strip El Eternauta, reprinted in English in 2016 by Fantagraphics as 'The Eternaut'.

Garth was a sci-fi comic strip that appeared in the U.K. newspaper The Daily Mirror from 1943 to 1997, with more sporadic appearances thereafter. This Titan Books compilation, published in 1984, features strips from 1971 and 1972, illustrated by the celebrated artist Frank Bellamy. 'The Cloud of Balthus' is one of only a few compilations of the Garth strips that have been released in the past five decades.

After completing my shopping at McKay's, I went next door to Ollie's Bargain Outlet, where the temperature inside was close to 80 degrees. I was soaked in sweat by the time I left, but I was able to score some exotic styles of cheese doodles and other treasures........although that might best be the topic of another posting........

Book Review: Bolo Brigade

Book Review: 'Bolo Brigade' by William H. Keith, Jr.

4 / 5 Stars

‘Bolo Brigade’ (376 pp.) was published in May, 1997 by Baen Books. The cover artwork is by C. W. Kelly.

Following his death in 1993, the ‘Bolo’ supertank franchise of Keith Laumer continued under the aegis of Baen Books, who issued reprints of Laumer’s stories and novels along with new entries in the franchise.

William H. Keith Jr. (b. 1950) is an American author with extensive short story and novel credits for a number of licensed properties, including ‘Cybernarc’ (as by ‘Robert Cain’), ‘Battletech’, ‘Doctor Who’, and ‘Buck Rogers’. During the 2010s Keith, Jr. has been active in writing entries for the ‘Star Carrier’ line of eBooks for the Harper Voyager imprint of Harper Collins.

‘Bolo Brigade’ is set on the planet Muir in the Strahan Cluster, a system located on the edge of the spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy. As the novel opens, Lieutenant Donal Ragnor is taking command of the planet's major defense unit: the eponymous Bolo brigade. For Ragnor, whose checkered history includes a court-martial, the posting to Muir is a career dead-end, one designed to place him out of sight and out of mind.

Nonetheless, Ragnor remains dedicated to the military and his mission, and he promptly moves to discipline the lackadaisical soldiers who are responsible for the maintenance of the two Bolo tanks housed in the arms depot in the capital city of Kincaid.

What seems to be a backwater posting suddenly becomes something much more perilous, when an alien race known as the Malach emerge from the intergalactic void, intent on invading and exploiting the Terran colonies in the Strahan Cluster. The Malach, who field armies equipped with formidable technology, don’t observe the niceties that traditionally govern combat between humans………mass slaughter of the enemy is their one and overriding approach to every battle. Dissecting prisoners while they are still alive is a favored tactic for acquiring information.

The fate of the Terran civilization in the entire Cluster rests on the ability of Donal Ragnor and the two Bolos to defeat the Malach. But as Ragnor is to learn, it’s not just the aliens that the Bolos will have to overcome. For the imposition by the Terran High Command of ‘Rules of Engagement’ upon the AIs operating the supertanks means that the simplest of tasks are encumbered with all manner of strictures………strictures that can impose fatal acts of indecision on the battlefield..............

As military sci-fi novels go, ‘Bolo Brigade’ is a successful entry, one that adheres to the conventions of the genre while also necessarily staying true to the framework required by its participation in the Bolo franchise.

Readers fond of the Bolo novels will find much here that is familiar: the AIs operating the two supertanks, ‘Freddie’ and ‘Ferdie’, are given personalities (which emote in frequent passages of italicized text). The protagonist Donal Ragnor is the traditional Laumer-ian man of action, whose indifference to military protocol, and quiet self-confidence, turn out to be assets when the shooting starts. The Malach are suitably villainous (although the narrative tends to bog down when the author belabors their psychology and sociology). And, as is often the case in Bolo entries, their adversaries are unintentionally aided by the actions of scheming politicians and inept, desk-bound senior staff.

Summing up, readers fond of military sci-fi and the Bolo stories will find ‘Bolo Brigade’ to be a worthy entry in the genre. Those less familiar with the genre, but looking for a straightforward sci-fi action tale, also may be interested in this title.  

Two Enemies by Trillo and Salinas

'Two Enemies'
by Carlos Trillo (story) and Alberto Salinas (art)
from Merchants of Death No. 2, August 1988 (Eclipse)

I've previously posted another, two-part comic from this team, from issues 3 and 4 of Merchants of Death, Eclipse Comic's short-lived experiment in a magazine-sized anthology of adventure comics.

'Two Enemies' features amazing artwork from Argentinian artist Salinas (1932 - 2005). I couldn't find out where, in what Continental comic, this strip first appeared. 

I will say that personally, I would have pursued a different outcome to the story's end.........but then, I'm a reprobate............. 

The Inhumans graphic novel, 1988

The Inhumans

Marvel Graphic Novel, 1988 

'The Inhumans' is Marvel graphic novel No. 39, and was published in 1988. The story is by Anne Nocenti, with art by Bret Blevins, inks by Al Williamson, letters by Novak and Saladino, and colors by Michael Higgins.

'The Inhumans' opens with a tragedy taking place in the Inhuman's city of Attilan, on Earth's Moon. The reader learns that the judges of the Genetic Council have implemented a eugenics policy that dictates which members of the race can marry, and reproduce, with others. The justification for this policy is to avoid birthing individuals whose traits may - inadvertently or deliberately - lead to the death and destruction of the Inhumans. Needless to say, this draconian policy is the cause of much tension in Inhuman society.

We learn that Medusa, wife of Inhumans leader Black Bolt, is herself pregnant........and must present herself to the Council and accept their judgment as to whether she will be allowed to bear the child. 

Aware that Black Bolt is capable of destroying Attilan simply by speaking, the Elders decide that it is too risky to permit Medusa to give birth to the progeny of such a powerful being. This stance, of course, causes consternation among the Inhumans.

Determined to have the baby, Medusa uses Lockjaw to teleport herself to a wasteland in the Midwest, where she sets up in an abandoned house. The other Inhumans join her and agree to defend her from any who would try to enforce the Council's diktat.

However, Maximus, Black Bolt's psychopathic brother, has escaped his prison in Attilan and travels to Earth with unsavory designs on Medusa........and the terrain around her hideout has begun to display a disquieting tendency to act as if it is somehow sentient......and dangerous. Events soon are moving towards a crisis, one that jeopardizes not only the Inhumans, but perhaps their entire race as well...............

Marvel produced some pretty awful comics during the 1980s, but this is one of the worst. It's really, really bad. 

Sometimes superior art can salvage a bad story, but Bret Blevins's art has a hasty, half-finished quality, as shown in this panel where little effort was made to render recognizable human figures:

Nocenti's writing relies on a steady stream of melodramatic confrontations between the various Inhumans:

These are so pervasive that at some point Nocenti must have realized that any Fanboys who ventured to read 'The Inhumans' were going to be turned off, so she arranged for some cheesecake to hold their attention. 

Thus we have a shape-shifting girl, named Minxi, who wears the barest strips of black fabric; and some panels of Crystal, taking a bath:

The plot gets increasingly difficult to follow. Story beats are tossed in haphazardly, with little effort at coherence (for example, Triton periodically shows up in a parallel plot thread, says something angst-y, and then vanishes) and the corny, cliche-riddled dialogue fails to improve.

I won't divulge any spoilers, but I found the denouement to be underwhelming, so much so that it renders all of the Sturm und Drang in the preceding pages moot.

Summing up, 'The Inhumans' is an exemplar of what can go wrong when comics writers are given leeway to craft a narrative that serves as a conduit for their aspirations of being a Meaningful Writer. They may have intended to use the medium to say something Profound about society, kinship, responsibility, motherhood, etc., etc., but instead present a stream of theatrical posturings. Stay away from this one !