An interesting attempt at electronic publishing, this novel has some pleasant elements, but suffers from choppiness, implausible environments, and fuzziness of the mystical ideas.
Reviewed by David on September 15, 1998
Genre: Fantasy (New Age, ESP, Ecology)
Synopsis: In the near future, as the ozone layer gets progressively more depleted, and precious trees start to die, a woman from Earth is mysteriously transported to a multi-planet civilization. The civilization enjoys high technology, but the individual worlds have wildly different cultures and development levels. The traditional religions honor the powerful sentient forests which once helped save the people from extinction, but Toelakhan, an irreverent, power and money-hungry association of merchants have less respect for the peaceful Law of Forests.
On the run from Toelakhan, the woman visits many worlds, learns to listen to the sentient forests, and joins the struggle against the greed and oppression of slavery.
This book is published electronically, on the Internet. While I do not know the eventual form of electronic publishing, I very much welcome these early developments in the publishing revolution. For one, there are many environmental benefits to avoiding printing, transportation and storage of a large number of books, many of which won't be sold. For another, older books can stay "in print" almost forever, making it possible to read old favorites and to allow new readers to enjoys them.
However, the most important advantage is lowering the cost of publishing. No matter how the hard-working editors struggle, the limits of shelf space, distribution costs, marketing budgets, allow only a limited number of SF (or any other genre) books to be published. Any book which doesn't, in the editors' opinion, appeal to a wide audience, has little chance of reaching a reader. On the Internet, the barriers are minimal, the distribution is almost free. Any author can publish a book: a handful of readers can easily justify the cost of e-publishing a book.
However, there are disadvantages to this as well. In a world of expanded choice, how does a reader evaluate a book prior to purchase, when there is no screening by the publisher?
Well, the author can make available a synopsis, blurbs, or, most effectively, some sample chapters. The other guide, is, of course, reviews. Therefore, I look forward to helping potential readers determine whether an electronic book is worth the time and the money required.
Zolocco is one such book. It is a short novel: the page count is only approximate, since the pages will depend on the font, paper size, etc. While showing very attractive and rather humorous writing during interactions with the sentient forests, the novel needs both beefing up and editing. The plot is very choppy: major developments occur with only a sentence or two, or just implied. There are rapid shifts of scenery which leaves the worlds as no more than thin sketches. The religion of the Priests and Priestesses seem quite fuzzy: it consists mostly of new-age self-realization and some unexplored psychic powers. The word "holy" is used frequently, without any particular portrayal of reverence, worship, philosophy or theology, the usual elements one expects in a religion.
In another potential shortcoming, the author seems rather unfamiliar with the conventions and state of the art in science fiction. While this is not necessarily a drawback, in this case the resulting technological and cosmological structure seems so implausible as to jar the narrative.
For instance, the civilization possesses hand-held interplanetary transporters, and yet cannot rig a remote control or a timer for water irrigation. The brief historical exposition of the Laser, the Bread and the Ocean civilization reads more like a children's fairy tale: for instance, during an interplanetary war, the Laser culture uses holograms to confuse the enemy starships; while the Bread civilization send gifts of bread on their exploration missions. There seems to be some confusion between interplanetary and interstellar distances. Other, equally implausible elements abound.
The characterization suffers by comparison with that of the more polished authors. The teachers are all wise and patient; the Toelakhan are all greedy and unreasonably evil: unreasonably because there seems no support built for their dastardy. For instance, if greed is the motivator, why conduct a multi-year, multi-planet hunt for one female "illegal immigrant"? In addition, it is mentioned that there are 6 human slaves in the whole culture. It appears unlikely that there is much commercial benefit on this scale, especially considering the complexity and ill will involved in human slavery. Several times some person or action is just labeled "evil", "taboo", "good", with practically no explanation. In short, the motivations and methods of both the good and the bad guys seem rather sketchy.
This is a novel which shows deftness and wit during a number of dialogues and monologues. The main character seems resourceful, likable, and posessed of a healthy dose of sarcasm.
Unfortunately, the flaws in the rest of the novel make it difficult to enjoy the book as a whole.
Overall: 3.5; Plot: 3; Characters: 4; Style: 5; World-building: 4; Originality: 6;
Looking Glass Books, April 1998, Internet, about 111
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