October 4, 1994
OTHER by Gordon Dickson (Tor) represents an interesting step in this Hall-of-Famer's evolution. It must be said at the outset that this book does not have the magic of Dickson's best--it is not on a par with such wonderful books as SOLDIER, ASK NOT and WOLFLING (lamentably out of print). And I have to wonder about the protagonist Dickson has chosen to wrap up the Childe Cycle. Bleys Ahrens is a cold fish externally, as so many of Dickson's heros have been, but he does not have the spark of lonely human empathy that makes so many of Dickson's characters so appealing.
On the plus side, this latest book in the Childe Cycle is adventurous in the depth with which Dickson explores the socioeconomic revolution brewing in his New Worlds. Given the length of Dickson's highly accomplished and prolific career, I hesitate to say that he's never explored this terrain before, but it definitely adds a new dimension to the Childe Cycle. It's nice to see Dickson stretching himself.
Editor's Recommendations, Summer 1996In this inaugural edition of IBIC's Featured Books, I'd like to draw your attention to several titles which have helped to shape my life and thinking.
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