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Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Ladies and Gentlemen...
John Varley has taken some time off from his Eight Worlds series of late. It's been rumored by Mr. Varley's fans that the wonderful Steel Beach and it's sequel The Golden Globe will have a sequel called Iron Town Blues. But this book will have to wait.
This time-travel tale brings a mammoth child into the 21st century. Due in part to the efforts of a physicist, Matt Wright, who is continually plagued by being unable to articulate his theories (conveniently for technobabble-worn readers), and an elephant trainer, Susan Morgan, Fuzzy ends up performing in the circus of wealthy businessman and collector, Howard Christian.
The scenes of theme park extravaganza are the most appealing and memorable in the book. Christian is the most interesting character, and the others, particularly Matt, are somewhat weak. The character of Fuzzy is a pleasant surprise, and there are plot twists in abundance. It's easy to forget that the story happens within the framework of a typical time-travel plot. When the mammoth is brought into the present... I'll not spoil that for you. But it's a delightful scene.
Even a very weak John Varley's novel (which this is not) would be quite good. Mammoth, while not Mr. Varley's masterful best, is a credible, thoughtful novel that does not disappoint.
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