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From: wfi@unc.UUCP (William F. Ingogly)
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: Kate Wilhelm's WELCOME, CHAOS
Message-ID: <79@unc.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 24-Apr-85 13:12:17 EST
Article-I.D.: unc.79
Posted: Wed Apr 24 13:12:17 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 26-Apr-85 07:32:06 EST
References: <topaz.1738>
Reply-To: wfi@unc.UUCP (William F. Ingogly)
Organization: CS Dept., U. of N. Carolina at Chapel Hill
Lines: 33
Summary: 


> WELCOME, CHAOS (Berkley, 1985, 297pp.) is the most fun novel I've read
> by Kate Wilhelm since the excellent WHERE LATE THE SWEET BIRDS SANG,

Hooray! I'm glad to see Wilhelm has a new novel out. I'll definitely
have to add it to my reading list. "Where Late The Sweet Birds Sang"
was indeed excellent; I recommend it to anyone who loves a gripping
plot and convincing characterization in SF.

Unfortunately, I wasn't nearly as satisfied with "Juniper Time,"
which (I think) was her next novel after "Where Late..." The
characters were well-drawn, but I found the plot a bit stale (yet
another First Contact story a la Lem's "His Master's Voice" or
DeLillo's "Ratner's Star"). Anyone out there agree or disagree? Any
votes for other Wilhelm books?

> ...  It's sort of
> a pity that Knight's latest novel, CV, doesn't have more of a Wilhelm
> influence in it, or so it seems to me.  ...

You mean you didn't like "Love Boat Zombies??" :-) I read the
serialization of "CV" in F & SF, and was less than impressed. Knight
must be hard-up for plotlines. Let's see, we've got this really big
boat that can submerge and steer along the ocean currents; let's throw
in a few subplots like they do in the B movies (hey! a perfessor being
stalked by a cold-blooded assassin would be just right!!). A-and the
perfect touch would be something REALLY WEIRD, like a mind parasite
from outer space, and it can take over the people on the boat one by
one and then finally at the end the good guys WIN!! Boy, I bet them SF
fans will really eat this one up.

For sure.
                                     --Cheers, Bill Ingogly