mini-review, _The Poison Master_ (Liz Williams)
Sharon Goetz
-- an accidental-tourist adventure that lifts its protagonist, Alivet
Dee, from her quiet existence as an apprentice alchemist to respond, not
entirely willingly, to the title character's request for help
-- a secret history of John Dee, sometime astrologer to Elizabeth I of
England (what *really* caused him to disappear from public view and
records)
-- a vividly imagined and expressed framework of how some planets are
connected and why, what they and their inhabitants are like, and how
interplanetary travel works under those circumstances (edging spoilers
here)
-- and a thinking person's Gothic novel, complete with appealingly
intelligent heroine, ambiguously attractive and mysterious man, and an
intricate, neatly paced plot that not only takes care of Alivet's
personal concerns but resolves genre-required romantic pressures without
violent damage to prior characterization.
I enjoyed this book.
More randomly-- most of the few things I found on the Web about Liz
Williams mention what Bantam's "About the Author" blurb does, namely her
PhD in philosophy (recte epistemology) of science. The training entailed
by that degree is a significant underpinning of each of her novels, both
in their visible themes and in the planning that built their worlds.
_Ghost Sister_ and _Empire of Bones_ muse over issues of causality and
responsibility a bit baldly at times (intrinsic to character and plot,
yet presented a bit intrusively); in _Poison Master_ Williams has
achieved a fine control over how her characters voice aspects of
epistemological debate. Also, all three novels (I haven't managed to
read any of her stories) partake of a quiet English post-colonialism in
very different ways, if that's of interest to anyone; it's loosely akin
to the more overt take expressed by Gwyneth Jones' "Identifying the
Object." (I haven't managed to read other things by Jones, either,
but recommendations are welcome.)
sharon
(Now, back to that other book I'm reading, Patrick Wormald's _The Making
of English Law: King Alfred to the Twelfth Century. Vol. 1: Legislation
and Its Limits_ (1999), which I certainly wouldn't review here but
recommend very highly to anyone who likes that sort of thing. :P )
Sharon Goetz
I enjoyed this book.
Object." (And I haven't managed to read other things by Jones, either,
Sharon Goetz
I enjoyed this book.
Object." (I haven't managed to read other things by Jones, either,
but recommendations are welcome.)
sharon
(Now, back to that other book I just finished, Patrick Wormald's _The
Sharon Goetz
why Gravity decided to send drafts.
sharon
Richard Shewmaker
Nope, just one. Thanks for the review!
--
Madgett: "I'm not playing games any more, I've got enough of game
playing -- this is serious. Besides, you're better at game playing
than I am."
Cissy 2: "This game is very dangerous."
Madgett: "Oh, but haven't I told you? All games are dangerous."
-- Peter Greenaway, "Drowning by Numbers"
Peter D. Tillman
Richard Shewmaker <notint...@nospamforme.moc> wrote:
> Sharon Goetz wrote:
> > huh. If you saw three copies of that post, my apologies; I've no idea
> > why Gravity decided to send drafts.
> >
> > sharon
>
> Nope, just one. Thanks for the review!
Williams fans will want to read Nick Gevers interview of her at SF Site:
http://www.sfsite.com/01a/lw143.htm
Quite the exotic author photo, too!
I need to get off my duff and read some of her stuff...
Cheers -- Pete Tillman
Book Reviews: http://www.silcom.com/~manatee/reviewer.html#tillman
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/cm/member-reviews/-/A3GHSD9VY8XS4Q/
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/iplus/nonfiction/index.htm#reviews
http://www.sfsite.com/revwho.htm