{Put This One on Your TBR List} Book Review The Book of Swords Edited by Gardner Dozois by Karen S. Wiesner

 

{Put This One on Your TBR List} Book Review

The Book of Swords Edited by Gardner Dozois

by Karen S. Wiesner 

  Be aware of unintended spoilers! 

The Book of Swords was published in October 2017. Edited by Gardner Dozois, this particular collection includes stories that fall into the fantasy subgenre of "sword and sorcery". Below is a chronological listing of the stories that are featured in it:

1)          "The Best Man Wins" by K.J. Parker

2)          "Her Father's Sword" by Robin Hobb

3)          "The Hidden Girl" by Ken Liu

4)          "The Sword of Destiny" by Matthew Hughes

5)          "'I Am a Handsome Man,' said the Crow" by Kate Elliott

6)          "The Triumph of Virtue" by Walter Jon Williams

7)          "The Mocking Tower" by Daniel Abraham

8)          "Hrunting" by C. J. Cherryh

9)          "A Long, Cold Trail" by Garth Nix

10)        "When I was a Highway Man" by Ellen Kushner

11)        "The Smoke of Gold is Glory" by Scott Lynch

12)        "The Colgrid Conundrum" by Rich Larson

13)        "The King's Evil" by Elizabeth Bear

14)        "Waterfalling" by Lavie Tidhar

15)        "The Sword Tyraste" by Cecelia Holland

16)        "The Sons of the Dragon" by George R.R. Martin

Before I get into this anthology, I'll quickly summarize how I handle these types of mixed-bag story caches in my reviews: I don't usually review all the books include--only the ones that I actually enjoyed enough to cover here, though I do make exceptions about reviewing stories I don't like. I'll explain any anomalies within the individual reviews. The logic for why I haven't included a particular story isn't usually because it wasn't well-written. Most of these anthologies include some of the biggest names in the industry. For whatever reason, I don't always connect with certain selections or they simply don't resonate with me. I freely admit sometimes I'm just not in the mood for what one author has to offer. Rather than bad-mouth what's probably a perfectly good story, I find it easier to not include it in my line-up of reviews. Readers will have to look elsewhere for a summary or review for any story that's missing. Also, at the end of my reviews, I like to include the order I believe the stories I'm reviewing should have been placed within the collection, as I believe the placement of stories within an anthology is absolutely crucial to its overall success. There has to be a good balance and interspersion of strong stories at the front, back, and middle in order to "couch" weaker ones. Too many bad stories in a row may cause readers to abandon the collection altogether. Search "anthology" or "collection" on this blog to read my previous reviews of mixed-bag story caches like this one. 

"The Best Man Wins" by K.J. Parker: This story is told from the point of view of the blacksmith who has a young man come to him asking him to make the best sword in the world, for which he'll pay handsomely--literally, every last bit of money he owns, he's willing to part with for this task to be completed. After the blacksmith makes it, the kid asks him to teach him how to use it, as he knows nothing of sword-fighting. The blacksmith is much more than he seems on the surface. I was sucked into this tale from the first sentence. The blacksmith was compelling, and his view of life and his personal history were doled out in the process of him grumbling while he worked. As he says, he doesn't enjoy the doing (which is grueling), only the "having-done", obsessive aspects of smithing. If I had to summarize this story in a few short sentences, I'd say this: "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." (The Princess Bride) For all intents and purposes, this sentence that’s actually featured in the story: "I'm going to use it [i.e., the best sword in the world that you create for me] to kill the man who murdered my father…" told the whole story. It was uttered on page 13 of the 27-page story. From that point on, I knew what was going to happen. And that is exactly what did happen. However, that didn't make the tale any less enjoyable. In fact, it was my favorite of the whole lot. I was utterly fascinated by the blacksmithing aspects of the tale, and the POV of the blacksmith was the perfect choice for delivering the story. 

"Her Father's Sword", A Realms of the Elderlings Story by Robin Hobb: This short story takes place during the early years of the Red Ship Wars and forging, with Fitz visiting the setting within the story as a secondary character (in all the novels he's in, his perspective is first person); set "somewhere in the middle" of Farseer and recommended to be read either before or after Book 2. Sadly, I was disappointed by this story, though initially excited as I've read every other Realm of the Elderlings offering currently available (and reviewed them on this blog). This last one set in a familiar world for me wasn't one I've read previously. In this tale, a village has been destroyed, their people kidnapped and "forged" (mentally destroyed and become something like ravenousness zombies) by the pirates on the Red Ships. When their demands go unmet, the Forged are returned. These lifeless though walking beings take whatever they need. Fitz comes to warn the survivors not to trust their own people when they come back to the village, as they're not what they once were and will harm and kill them without conscience. Young Taura, like everyone else in her small, ravished town, doesn't want to believe this could have happened. Her father is too strong to not have resisted, she believes. My problem with this tale was that I can't stand stories where the resolution is left unclear. What is the purpose of telling something that has a wishy-washy ending? I have no desire to finish writing someone else's story on my own, for one thing. For another, leaving your own story unfinished is a cop-out, cheating, and just plain shoddy writing. Very frustrating, especially considering the biggest reason I purchased the (albeit used) hardcover of this book was for this story specifically. However, in its favor, I'll add that seeing the story of the Forged from this opposite perspective than has ever been presented before in the series does elevate it considerably. In the past, we saw these poor, unfortunate victims of the pirates as little more than zombies that had to be put down in order all those "unforged" to survive. The Forged retain nothing of who or what they were before, and family members must beware of forgetting that truth in favor of compassion and abiding love. Here, a young daughter can't let go of the stalwart father, nor the life she once had--even though (no question about it) she'll soon regret it. 

"The Sword of Destiny" by Matthew Hughes: I don't want to spoil this rollicking bit of good fun by telling you too much. The basic premise is that a wizard hires Baldemar to steal a magical sword for him, the operation is bungled, and this reluctant henchman finds himself fleeing--only he ends up running into one trouble after the other in his attempt to escape the first. The world created here in this 29-page story is so big and well-drawn, I think you'll find, as I did, that you'll want many more stories to follow this one. A bit of research on my part revealed that, after writing "The Sword of Destiny" for The Book of Swords, Hughes went on to expand into a novel and ten shorter works focused on Baldemar's origins and his time spent as a wizard's henchman. The setting Baldemar comes from is called Dying Earth (credited to author Jack Vance). Hughes has standalone works and those associated with Baldemar and another popular character of Hughes', Raffalon, who also has his own set of stories. In the future, I look forward to reading much more about this amazing character and the world he comes from, though it might be a chore to find copies of the books, as they don't seem to be in wide circulation anymore. 

"The Mocking Tower" by Daniel Abraham: In this creatively told tale, a man learns that war is not an arrow but both a circle and a sundial while revenge is a double-edged sword that never makes a clean cut on either party. Those who follow after will also feel its influence. I'm a general fan of Abraham's, as he's half of the S. A. Corey pen name that wrote The Expanse series (my favorite sci-fi space opera), though I haven't reliably loved his solo work. This is an exception. Very elegantly done. 

"Hrunting" by C. J. Cherryh: I love the Beowulf legend, and I own many translations of it. So as soon as I heard that this story continued where Beowulf left off, revealing the aftermath of those who survived, I wanted to read it. I enjoyed the conjecture in this tale a lot. However, it was told in an awkward, choppy and stilted way that made it very hard at times to understand what was being conveyed. Despite that, I recommend it to all fans of this enduring, Old English poem. 

"The Sons of the Dragon", A Song of Ice and Fire World by George R.R. Martin: This is another excerpt from Martin's "fake history" of House Targaryen, the dynasty that ruled the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros in the backstory of his A Song of Ice and Fire series. As such, it's not a story, per se, but it's absolutely not the dry old history textbook you'd read in school either. This selection was also published in Fire & Blood. The lives of Aegon I's sons--Aenys I and Maegor I--are detailed here, ending with Maegor's death and the ascension of Aenys's son Jaehaerys I Targaryen to the throne. All these histories are the basis for the HBO House of the Dragon TV series, and, honestly, if you want to have an easier time of keeping track of the gazillion characters, you might want to watch that. At least then you can put faces to the endless strings of names. Note that the novella included in this anthology is abridged. 

In terms of the order I believe this stories should have been presented in, I would have spaced my favorites out much more, so "The Best Man Wins" would stay at #1 and "The Sons of the Dragon" at #16; but "Her Father's Sword" would have been #3 instead; "The Sword of Destiny"#6, "The Sword of Destiny" #9, "The Mocking Tower #11; and "Hrunting" #14, with the rest of the books interspersed between them.

There's a lot for fans of fantasy and of the excellent writers to love with the 16 stories included in The Book of Swords. You may even find a new author to follow, as I have, to further broaden your fantasy reading horizons. 

Karen Wiesner is an award-winning, multi-genre author of 156 titles and 16 series. 

Visit Karen here: https://www.writers-exchange.com/Karen-Wiesner/

 

Mysteries of Pacing Part 11- Pacing the Character Arc

Mysteries of Pacing

Part 11

Pacing the Character Arc

Previous entries in this series are indexed here:
https://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2020/07/index-to-mysteries-of-pacing.html

Mysteries of Pacing Parts 9 and 10

9. Character Arc Pacing Using The Foible
https://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2020/07/mysteries-of-pacing-part-9-character.html

10. Show Don't Tell Character Arc
https://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2020/08/mysteries-of-pacing-part-10-show-dont.html

...discussed showing rather than telling the Character Arc.

So if you can't "tell" the Character Arc Story, but story is all about the intangible, psychological, spiritual, morphing of a Character, how do you convey the Arc, or the Change in how the Character evaluates a situation and how the Character decides to act, and what actions she chooses?

For example: How do you depict the shift in a Character from Republican to Democrat?  From Warrior to Lover? From Poet to President?  How and why do people CHANGE?

Or do they change?

What is the experience of your reader?

To convince a reader that the Character you have designed for them to identify with has changed, that change has to seem plausible to the reader.

This is the "hole" in the comic book, or graphic novel, approach. To stay away from the "slow" parts, to keep the pacing fast enough for young (teen, or younger, even twenty-somethings) you have to skip the important small steps that make it plausible this Character would do That Action.

Adults, especially over 30, know how stubborn older people can be, how "set in their ways."

You, the writer, must understand how the elders in your story got so set in their ways.  The backstory is so important, but you can't "tell" that story, or well ... back up and start the series of novels at the events that shaped those elder's beliefs?

If you show-don't-tell the shaping of a stubborn elder starting with early teens, or maybe 20 something, and progressing through another twenty years, you will have a 20 book series.

We've been looking at a few of those, most recently C. J. Cherryh's Foreigner novels.

https://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2017/07/reviews-32-cj-cherryh-and-gini-koch-in.html

https://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2020/12/reviews-58-divergence-by-c-j-cherryh.html

Other mentions of C. J. Cherryh are Indexed here:

How do you change his mind on issues he's sure he understands?

We've talked a lot about C. J. Cherryh.  Here is an index of some posts mentioning her work.

https://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2020/12/index-to-posts-mentioning-c-j-cherryh.html

And we've discussed several series of novels running 20 books or more, a phenomenon you would not find in Romance Genre prior to the admixture of Vampire, Paranormal, or Science Fiction genre forms with Romance.

In an old fashioned Romance Genre novel, the couple meets, tries to cope with their attraction, overcomes obstacles to getting together, gets together (sometimes to the Wedding Day, often just to "Will You Marry Me?") and that's the end of the story.

We are to assume they live into an HEA lifetime.  And we go on to pick up another Romance novel that starts the same, and ends the same.

The addition of the near-immortal Vampire character, or the problems of relationships with Ghosts, or mythical creatures from another dimension, Aliens from Outer Space, made the "ever after" more interesting, attractive, and problematic.

Readers wanted more, writers gave more, and we have serious like Gini Koch's ALIEN series.

Falling in love is an adventure in self-discovery -- the amazement that another person could have THIS affect on how you think, what you value, what you're willing to give up to get a life together.

The Second Time Around Romance often captures much of that advanced story arc where both Characters have a complex, rich, backstory -- with pain, with lessons learned, with consequences accepted (children) and avoided.

Romance has come of age, no longer about teen crushes and infatuations, but about real relationships and how another person reshapes you.

But still, you are you.

No matter how "old" you might be, how "elder" in a family or community, you are still you.

The readers of Romance are old enough to understand that, having seen children grow up.

A parent learns the traits of their children from earliest years, what their talents are, the proclivities, and personalities.  There is a sense of each child responding differently to the same home environment.

The Romance reader's perception of the real people around her is that people grow up from childhood by growing into their Personality - not by changing it.

Old advice to youngsters just entering a new situation is, "Be yourself."

That's harder than it sounds. Thousands of experiences shape the contents of that innate framework of Personality, and along through the decades of life, mistakes are corrected, bits discarded, other bits smoothing over the cracks where a heart was broken, and what emerges is an Elder who is as solid as he will ever become.

Younger people who are still correcting their mistakes, trying to find their limits and define "self" see such mature people as stubborn, wrong, set in their ways. fossils no longer relevant to the changing world.

See? Writers know that Character is all in point of view.

The Villain is the Hero of his own Story.

So Character Arc is also in point of view more than in objective reality.

As you age, your point of view changes even though you are the same you.

So, if your Main Character is mature, that Character's "Arc" -- or change in response to the impact of Plot Events -- may be very small on an objective scale. December Romance.

But if your Main Character is a teen, the Character Arc may be gigantic.  Scared Straight.

The Character Arc of  a younger person can change the direction of their whole life, and move an entire civilization.

Think about Bill Gates leaving college to found Microsoft.

Now think about a man in his 70's deciding to run for President. How do you change his mind on issues he's sure he understands?

C. J. Cherryh's Foreigner novels trace an all-too-young and unsure of himself (but arrogant in his confidence in his linguistic skills) through the Character Arc (22 books and counting) of mastering the Art of Maturity.

Bren Cameron, by the novel DIVERGENCE,
https://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2020/12/reviews-58-divergence-by-c-j-cherryh.html

...has learned how inaction can speak more loudly than action.  He has learned to choose when and how to act.  He shoots someone with a gun he's not supposed to have, and saves the day, unraveling a dark plot that could have damaged the economic footing of a civilization. His only other action in the entire book is to quietly write some notes to various dignitaries, and to go talk to people who distrust each other.  Mostly, he sits still and evaluates the various moving parts of the situation.

This makes for a novel replete with intricate exposition about the events of previous novels -- but all from Bren Cameron's now mature point of view.

The shift in how Bren interprets the events he lived through, and the things he finds out from others, shows without telling that this is the same Character from Book 1 (FOREIGNER), but now way out along a Character Arc we can now see without being told.

https://www.amazon.com/Foreigner-10th-Anniversary-Book-ebook/dp/B006JHXPDW/

So if you set out to show not tell a major change in a person's character, you will need more space than a few comic books offer.  A single novel won't do it, as each "novel" in a real person's life brings one unique point into view, resolves one issue.

To chronicle a real maturation, you need a long series of novels.

So study some of the long series we've discussed, and translate them into Romance.

Study the Netflix Original, Madame Secretary, which depicts a couple living the Happily Ever After portion of their lives, raising children, struggling to balance home, family, and work.

What lesson of Maturity makes your readers unbearably curious?

Jacqueline Lichtenberg
http://jacquelinelichtenberg.com

Index to Posts Mentioning C. J. Cherryh

Index to Posts Mentioning C. J. Cherryh

I seem to talk about C. J. Cherryh frequently, and make references assuming the reader has followed what I've said about her work.

Although her work is not "Romance Genre" - it is Science Fiction about characters who respond to their Relationships with others, who work out what to do about problems, especially the mysteries of Alien behavior.

She has become the primary reference source for world building, plots, and non-human civilizations structured around complex "Situations."  Just like a very intimate Romance, C. J. Cherryh's novels pivot on multi-dimensional situations with many moving parts.

Here are some of the posts mentioning C. J. Cherryh's work.

https://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2020/12/reviews-58-divergence-by-c-j-cherryh.html

https://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2020/06/reviews-54-resurgence-by-c-j-cherryh.html

https://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2019/05/theme-worldbuilding-integration-part-20.html

https://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2018/07/reviews-36-by-jacqueline-lichtenberg.html

https://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2017/07/reviews-32-cj-cherryh-and-gini-koch-in.html

https://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2016/08/alien-sexuality-part-two-what-is-life.html

https://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2016/07/reviews-27-foreigner-series-by-c-j.html

https://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2014/08/reviews-9-sex-politics-and-heroism.html

https://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2013/09/theme-dialogue-integration-part-2-whats.html

https://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2012/01/research-plot-integration-in-historical.html

https://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2009/06/crumbling-business-model-of-writers.html

https://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2007/08/two-of-swords.html

Jacqueline Lichtenberg
http://jacquelinelichtenberg.com

Reviews 58 Divergence by C. J. Cherryh

Reviews 58

Divergence by C. J. Cherryh 

Reviews haven't been indexed yet.

Divergence is the 21st Book in C. J. Cherryh's Foreigner Series, so I recommend not reading this book first.

This is a "series" arranged in trilogies with short plot arcs and one long, over-reaching plot arc for the entire story of Bren Cameron, a human translator sent among non-humans.

Divergence is all about power-politics, and how the Atevi (the Aliens) avoid the sort of all-out War humans tend to use to settle matters.

All of these novels are tightly focused on Bren Cameron's point of view, but with occasional accompaniments of a young (ruler to be) Atevi child who has learned to understand humans (somewhat).

Divergence emphasizes how Bren Cameron has come to understand, on a deep level, just how much he will never, ever, understand about Atevi.  He now lives among Atevi, is honored by (some) of them, and his human friends and family find him truly odd because he's become so very Atevi in behavior.  In fact, Bren finds himself a little odd.

So in Divergence, Bren takes action only once, and perfectly properly, then sits out action-situations

that he formerly would have plunged into and derailed by his human reactions.  He uses mature good sense instead of human impulse, and tweaks the Atevi politics just a bit, here and there, helping to bring peace to a troubled region of the Atevi civilization.

The novel ends off with a springboard into the next novel, as Bren and a train load of Atevi head for the estate Bren now calls home, anticipating a little time to breathe before the next emergency.  I don't think they'll have much time.

Much of Divergence is simply Bren thinking over the salient moves by Atevi in previous novels, understanding now (as never before) how these moves have led to the current opportunity to make peace.  It is a long reprise of previous events, reminding the reader of which events are the most significant for understanding what must come in the next novel.  This makes the book almost one, lone, expository lump.  But Cherryh's writing is so deft, so cogent, so tightly pointed, that it is an absorbing good read.  The previous novels are so well written, the characters so vividly portrayed, that the reader remembers each of these movers sand shakers of the Atevi world as they are mentioned -- full context.

That is why I recommend this series so highly, but start with the first novel, Foreigner.

If you've been reading the Foreigner Series, study Divergence closely for exposition techniques.  Long-long passages summarizing and reminding of previous novels in the series, but re-interpreting events you thought you understood but now know ever so much more about.

The real hero of Divergence is The Dowager.  In fact, she's the real hero of the whole series, according to this new interpretation of events.

And now she's feeling her mortality.

Jacqueline Lichtenberg
http://jacquelinelichtenberg.com

Reviews 54 - Resurgence by C. J. Cherryh

Reviews 54

Resurgence by C. J. Cherryh 

Reviews haven't been indexed yet.

As you've noticed, I've been reviewing books set in series, many times starting later in a series than Book 1.

With some series (like my own Sime~Gen, for example) it doesn't matter where in the sequence of published books you start.  For others, like the Foreigner Series by C. J. Cherryh, it does make a difference, but sometimes not too much difference.

Cherryh has been telling one, long, continuous story of a single human's life-experience.

This tight focus on the personal and professional issues and advancing problems, each more complex and difficult, dangerous and with higher stakes than the last, gives the feeling of being swept along in a single "novel."

There is an envelope plot, and an ever widening view of the main character's universe.

It also deals with the way an adult human might be "assimilated" into a non-human culture.

For example, when Bren Cameron (the Hero of this series), visits his hometown of his home human culture, he is considered to have somehow acquired an emotionless, unsmiling, un-frowning, inscrutable facial expression.  He, himself has to consciously remind himself to let his feelings show on his face, as part of speaking his native language.

That was in the book immediately previous to RESURGENCE.

https://www.amazon.com/Resurgence-Foreigner-Book-20-Cherryh-ebook/dp/B07RPJLXBS/

Now, in Resurgence (Book 20 in the series), Bren Cameron is back among the non-humans (where he feels more confident, grounded, oriented) and something has changed.

Previously, Cherryh pretty much left facial expressions out of communication with the Atevi, the non-humans, but in this book all of a sudden, Atevi emote with facial expressions and are utterly transparent to Bren's eye.  They see and interpret him, and he sees and interprets them (we don't know what inaccuracies might be embedded in these non-verbal transactions yet).

If Resurgence is your first book about Bren Cameron and the Atevi, you won't notice this shift at all.  It's a perfectly readable book, and just as with any stand-alone novel, the characters have a past that affects their present and a future that goes on beyond the end of the book.

That "happily ever after" ending we all love is a future that goes beyond the end of the book.  It gives the reader a sense that it isn't over.

C. J. Cherryh has structured this series as a series of trilogies.  There is a series envelope plot - Bren Cameron's life story and the historical importance his departure from tradition (and even the law governing his people and his appointed office).  And then each trilogy advances that series plot one step, while filling in a detailed tapestry of the background, making commentary on human nature, and expanding knowledge of the galaxy.

Resurgence is the middle book of such a trilogy, and as such really doesn't seem like a great place to start reading the series.  It starts right after the end of the previous book, with Bren on a boat arriving at the Atevi port near his residence on the Atevi side of the strait -- the other side being the island ceded to humans.

In the previous book, he left the human port on this boat.

So this is a continuous story -- and now we find out many things that Bren missed while he was away. The other viewpoint character is the young prince who is being groomed by his father to be the ruler of the Atevi.  He has matured since we last followed him.  In this volume, he deliberately refrains from messing up the affairs of his father, Bren, his mother, uncle, great-grandmother, etc who are busy rescuing the world from the brink of disaster.

But this youngster also has human youngsters for dear friends, and is plotting to have them over as guests at Bren's house (which has its own boat dock).

There is no overt Romance in this series, though the larger fate of civilizations is shaped by human/human and human/non-human Relationship.

The romance writer should study series like this to work up a comparable universe where Romance is explored, explained, utilized (maybe weaponized), exploited, analyzed, disproven, and proven.

This is the kind of series, with rich and detailed background, that could become the blockbuster production that explains to those who don't believe in the Happily Ever After, where they have made their cognitive error, and why it's worth their while to correct that mistaken belief.

Previous discussions of C. J. Cherryh include 12 posts on this blog. Here are a few of those.

https://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2017/07/reviews-32-cj-cherryh-and-gini-koch-in.html

https://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2019/05/theme-worldbuilding-integration-part-20.html

https://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2016/07/reviews-27-foreigner-series-by-c-j.html

https://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2016/08/alien-sexuality-part-two-what-is-life.html

I have the next book, Foreigner Book 21, DIVERGENCE on Kindle order for Sept. 2020.
https://www.amazon.com/Divergence-Foreigner-Book-21-Cherryh-ebook/dp/B084M68XBB/


Jacqueline Lichtenberg
http://jacquelinelichtenberg.com

Theme-Worldbuilding Integration Part 20 - Why Love Matters

Theme-Worldbuilding Integration

Part 20

Why Love Matters 

Previous parts in Theme-Worldbuilding are indexed here:

https://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2014/04/index-to-theme-worldbuilding.html

All readers, of fiction or non-fiction, are detectives working a mystery case.

First they want to know what this book is about, and why should I waste my time reading it.  A closed book is a mystery.

Once hooked by your first line, your reader becomes YOUR READER.  They have "entered" your world, they have invested themselves in opening the book.

At that point, the mystery becomes, "what are the rules of this "world" and how do those rules differ from the rules by which I live my everyday life."

A story becomes interesting by posing a question, and part of the intriguing nature of a question is the unconscious assumptions behind the frame of the question.  Those unconscious assumptions behind your crafting of a first line are in fact the elements that frame your theme.

The theme of a work of fiction must be stated, baldly, in "on the nose" vocabulary once in a work of fiction, first at the end of the opening scene -- about 5% of the total wordage of the work -- and then near the end, right after the climax.

The theme is what the story is about, but whether the thematic statement is true for your reader has to be argued in the Worldbuilding part of your story, not in plot, story, character, action -- all of the other components of a work of fiction illustrate the theme, and the theme is the statement of the essence of the World your Characters must cope with.

The mystery the reader is working through is, "How does this fictional world differ from my everyday world?"  And beyond that, whether the fictional world is an improvement on the everyday world -- or perhaps if the thematic thesis somehow illuminates or explains the everyday world.

The overall, core, theme of Romance is Love Conquers All, and beyond that, once "conquered" then All will deliver the Happily Ever After smooth glide through life.

In everyday reality, it's hard to see that happening to anyone, least of all yourself -- and very probably yourself while you are in love.

People who "fall in love" are usually astonished, bewildered, and experience the state of mind and heart as a "game changer."

Today, there is a lot of research going on focused on the brain, while even more money is being poured into research on the mind.  Scientists are trying to prove that the mind is a product of the brain.

If they can establish this beyond doubt, then they will have proven that the hypothesis of the existence of a Soul is an unnecessary complication, and all human behavior can be explained simply as a function of the brain.  Occam's Razor logic says go for the simplest explanation that works, so that will be the thematic basis of the science of the future.

To write SCIENCE FICTION -- and therefore to write SCIENCE FICTION ROMANCE -- the writer takes an idea that is currently unquestioned by science, something assumed, an axiom, or so well proven it may as well be an axiom.  Then the writer builds a world around the premise that this axiom of science just is not true.

The mystery the reader is solving is, "How would the world be different if this axiom of science is not true?"

No single novel, or single author, can compile all the possible differences a shift in axioms might bring, so we have to select one possible consequence and build the entire fictional world around that.

The THEME is composed of A) the axiom that's wrong, B) the corrected axiom, C) the consequence of the new axiom.

Suppose science concludes there is no Soul, but in fact there are Souls, therefore the meaning of life has nothing to do with the appearance, or fate, of the body.

THEME: LIFE IS ABOUT THE LEARNING EXPERIENCES OF THE SOUL.

Or maybe

THEME: LIFE IS ABOUT THE LEARNING EXPERIENCES OF THE BRAIN.

THEME: LOVE IS AN ATTRIBUTE OF THE SOUL

THEME: LOVE IS AN ATTRIBUTE OF THE BRAIN

Whether Love can Conquer All might depend on whether it is an attribute of the brain, the mind, or the soul -- and that writer's decision is called world building.

Here is an article (which may not be true, but makes good fiction fodder) posted in Elite Daily:

https://www.elitedaily.com/p/how-your-brain-changes-after-meeting-the-one-according-to-science-16422001

which says

-----quote------

If we really want to get technical, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans *actually* measure oxygen levels in the tiny veins in our brain, not just "the brain." For those of us who aren't literal brain scientists (hi), the take away here is that there's a lot to be learned from observing brain scans, especially when it comes to love. Finding "The One" has been linked to increased activity in the areas of the brain associated with sex, reward, and memory. And what's better? Being in love is also connected to decreased activity in brain sections linked to fear and dislike. So basically, being in love means more stuff is happening in the good places of your brain, and less stuff is happening in the bad.

------end quote-------

And that is science completely about the brain.  Is that all we are? Cells, and nerves, electrical signals?  Or is there a Soul that science can't detect?

You might want to reread the 6 or more parts of SOULMATES AND THE HEA series:

https://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2019/05/index-to-soul-mates-and-hea-real-or.html

If your thematic thesis is that there does exist a Soul, then your story, or your novel, would be about a particular Soul ripped, torn, mashed, stretched, and flung through a learning experience.

As you specify what Soul, starting where, going where, doing what, with which consequences, and what obstacles to conquer, your story emerges complete with plot, characters, situation, setting, etc.

Two good examples to contrast and compare are these novels:

Tanya Huff's Peacekeeper Series is one to watch -- #3 in the series, THE PRIVILEGE OF PEACE is about a second encounter with the defeated obstacle of previous episodes, Big Yellow, an alien spaceship which seems to mean humanity no good.  It's a takeover attempt, invading the body-brain of humans, and doing more than just spying.

https://www.amazon.com/Privilege-Peace-Peacekeeper-Book-ebook/dp/B075HY7YDB/

Now contrast/compare THE PRIVILEGE OF PEACE with C. J. Cherryh's 1997 entry in her MERCHANTER series, part of the ALLIANCE-UNION saga she is still expanding for us with the 2019 entry, ALLIANCE RISING (#1 in the HINDER STARS series).  (note this was from Warner Books, not DAW, so it's hard to get since she went back to DAW as her main publisher).


https://www.amazon.com/Finitys-Cherryh-August-Market-Paperback/dp/B015X4BDWG/

"Finity's End" is the name of a starship.

I enjoyed re-reading FINITY'S END after that ship turned up, brand-spanking-new in ALLIANCE RISING.

So I puzzled over why I enjoyed this old story so much -- and concluded it was the meticulous world building that generated the vivid, deep, torn and tormented Characters, shattered by war and loss of those close to them, but now healing, re-connecting, creating a new vision of a better future.


Tanya Huff deals directly with a sexual love bond, while Cherryh explores the strife/strength axis of family bonds -- great-grandmother, cousins, aunts, etc. extended over (rejuvenated) lifetimes complicated by the time-dilation of FTL travel.

But they both write in universes where the Soul is a real component of the world building, while the Characters (just like us) have no clue about that and don't want to know.

This world building technique (what the Characters don't know about their world and aren't curious about) lets the reader either see it's there or firmly believe that it is not there.

Ambiguity is one of the most difficult aspects of Art to master, and both these writers have achieved that. 

But in both these novels, you see that ambiguity used in broad strokes to great effect.

Why does love matter?  Because, whether there is a Soul or not, Love reconfigures the brain and that changes what you do, when you do it, why you do it, and even whether you'll do it or not.

Love configures behavior by reconfiguring the brain.

Since the brain is so plastic, so impressionable, it is entirely possible that love could be reconfigured out of the circuits.  And therein lie a lot of novels.  The question could become, "Can love conquer the obstacle of its own lack of existence?"

Jacqueline Lichtenberg
http://jacquelinelichtenberg.com

Reviews 36 by Jacqueline Lichtenberg Comparing Expository Techniques

Reviews 36

by

Jacqueline Lichtenberg

Comparing Expository Techniques

Reviews posts have not yet been collected into an Index post.  Some other blog series also discuss novels of Romance and/or Science Fiction and/or Fantasy/Paranormal all mixed or separately.

In general these Tuesday posts are about writing techniques, and though techniques are not (as course instructors will insist) the same in all genres, we float techniques across genre lines to blend genres seamlessly.

One of the techniques common to most kinds of fiction is taming the Expository Lump.

The lumping together sentences, paragraphs and whole pages of explanation of what the reader needs to know before they can understand the story, the plot, or the Characters' motivations and emotions, is a mistake beginning writers make because they have no other tools to convey the necessary information.

That information may be fascinating, and completely engrossing to the target readers, but unacceptable, unreadable, or just too much work for the readers at the edge of the target.

To broaden the swath of readers a story might reach, engage and stimulate, the writer has to find other ways to explain things -- entertaining ways.

This is necessary to establish a byline in the commercial marketplace.  The new byline has to earn the trust of readers who finish the book, and then finish the sequel, so the reader knows for a fact this writer will deliver on the promises of Page 1, and deliver big time.

The satisfaction readers experience at the end of a novel is what they pay for, it is the writer's product.  That emotional payoff is what the writer has to sell, but it first must be manufactured.

The final satisfaction has to be packaged to grab attention of readers browsing for something to read, and it has to stimulate the reader to mention it to friends (or Facebook Friends, people they don't know who don't know them, but share interests).

However, once a byline is established as one that delivers all it promises in the cover blurb, flap copy, and genre logo, and the writer is three long, complicated books into the Series, editors require Expository Lumps.

Of course, editors will declare unequivocally that there must be no expository lumps.

Then they ask the writer to make sure new readers who have not read the previous books can just pick up the series here, right in the middle.

Writers tend to go bald pulling their hair out over this one.  To keep the series in print you have to explain the previous books' adventures, but to engage a new reader you must SHOW DON'T TELL all that explanation.

WORSE!! Editors take the manuscript to committee, it gets accepted provided it is half the size that was turned in.

What goes?  The action?  The exposition? 

There comes a point in a long series where you just can not both explain what happened before, why it happened, and what this oddball universe uses for physical Laws, and still advance the plot a novel's worth of events.

So today let's look at the effect various solutions have on readers.

Here are two Series to compare. 

The 19th book in C. J. Cherryh's FOREIGNER series -- 6 trilogies and book 1 of another trilogy. 
https://www.amazon.com/Emergence-Foreigner-C-J-Cherryh-ebook/dp/B073PB22BS/

And Book 3 of Bradley P. Beaulieu's THE SONG OF THE SHATTERED SANDS series.
https://www.amazon.com/Veil-Spears-Song-Shattered-Sands-ebook/dp/B0738KC9NW/

FOREIGNER is set on a planet where a lost-colony ship from Earth left humans stranded to cope with the native Alien civilization.  It is all very tight point of view, though bits come from the point of view of an alien child being groomed to rule the world.  The story is about the human linguist interpreter, Bren Cameron , and most is from his point of view while he works through Human/Alien politics.

The "romance" angle is that he sleeps with one of his Alien Security Guards, though there aren't many sex or bedroom scenes and very little "relationship" -- still the warmth and firm bonding is vivid.

Book 19 in this series is shorter than some previous ones, and filled with Bren Cameron's long, intricate thinking about the Situation that has emerged from the previous trilogy's interactions with a third Alien species -- and doesn't mention the secret Bren carries (except obliquely) that he met a human who is a captive of these (formidable and menacing) Aliens.

The political situation is coming clear to "The Young Gentleman" (the Alien kid who will rule when his father dies).  He's only 9, but obviously more broadly mature than a human 9 year old.

Between Bren's adventures on one continent and "The Young Gentleman's" adventures on another, we understand why these new Aliens are a disaster waiting to happen -- they have left orbit, but their influence reshapes this world.

Bren "sold" the world as peaceful, but in truth it is a powder keg that will explode.

The specific threads of plot from the previous 18 novels that are going to mature in this trilogy (or the next) are all described in long expository lumps, couched in terms of Bren Cameron's new and changing understanding of the broader Situation.

Here's the challenge: If you have not yet read any FOREIGNER novels, or read only a couple and have forgotten, pick up EMERGENCE and see how hard it might be to slog through the exposition of Events past that you have not read.

Ask yourself as you struggle with names, places, and event sequences Bren is thinking about as he makes decisions, is this stuff interesting?  Do I write like this -- all about what has happened, not what is happening? 

Mark points where your eyes glaze over with a, "Who cares?" 

My secret is that I gobbled down every word of that exposition, loving the ride in Bren Cameron's head, whooping with joy at the Young Gentleman's maturation (when he takes over the House command position and orders servants to prepare a welcome for his mother and baby sister - he is perfect, so you know what is going to happen!)

I just love this series, and I have every confidence that C. J. Cherryh did not put a word in there which will prove unnecessary. 

Now, if you have not read THE SONG OF THE SHATTERED SANDS, try diving in with Book 3.

I have not read the previous books, do not know Beaulieu either personally or by previous writing.  I have no particular affinity for the oddball Fantasy world with a crazy-quilt of complicated "powers" that this story is set within.

I did not finish reading this thick novel. 

Why?  Expository Lumps - couched as narrative, and a wild and pointless floating point of view.  Bits and pieces in different locations involving different people whose actions are not clearly the result of, or connected to, what happened in the previous chapter from another point of view.

In other words, by page 118 of 582, I had no idea what this novel is ABOUT - who it is about, or why it might be interesting. 

Yes, the unique "powers" and the complex political revolution against entrenched and powerful "Kings" is fascinating.  The deep and odd bonding between two of the main characters is intriguing.  The basic material of this series is meat and potatoes to me.

But I bounced out 20% through.  Why?

Does it matter why? 

Yes, actually, it should matter to the author and maybe the editor. 

If the writer's skills were a "hit" with me, I would have gone searching for Book 1 and read from the beginning.  That would sell 2 books the publisher wants to move off the warehouse shelves -- maybe more if I tout the book on Facebook.

I would have been caught up in the series if there were any indication why these events are happening to these people -- or if there were fewer people so there is enough time to get to know them before the next group is introduced. 

I would have been caught up in the series if there was something about the main Character to show she deserves what is happening - that her efforts, and the backlash of responses from forces around her, will lead her to revising her innermost Character, make her grow stronger, understand where she's been wrong about "right and wrong and the difference between them."

In other words, the third book has to have a "hook" into the heart and soul of the character indicating why this is her Karma.  

In my real life, life and the world make sense -- if only you can get the right camera angle on yourself (see yourself as others see you).

In C. J. Cherryh's novels (all of them) the Characters fit their lives, learn and grow stronger for the hammering they take.  There's a comprehensible logic underlying events, however odd.

You can find that underlying logic right at the beginning of each of her books, and even if you disagree personally, you can comprehend the Characters innermost Souls because it is clear why they live the life they do.

In A VEIL OF SPEARS (lovely title), as the Characters come on stage, there is no hint that their souls belong in the lives they are living, and no awareness that belonging in your life is possible or desirable or that the Characters are working to get to a life where they do belong. 

So as I read, I never was compelled to ask myself, "What would I do in that Situation?"  I barely understood the Situation and had no idea why this Character was in that pickle (pretty marvelous pickle, could have made a great book.)

Eventually, I did ask myself, "Why am I reading this?" 

You never want your readers to ask themselves that! 

I love the material Beaulieu has created, but after about a hundred pages I still have no confidence in the writer's ability to deliver on the material's promise because the skills we have discussed on this blog over the years are not evident.

For example, there is no plot-or-story reason why the point of view changes except a lazy writer who can't be bothered to tell the story.  There is nothing to follow from one chapter to the next, no story at all, so why turn the page? 

Of course, if in the previous book, you were engrossed in these other characters, you might be pleased to go visit them.  But the writer's job is to engross you in the Character whose story this is -- and there's no hint whose story is being told. 

Contrast with the flipping from Bren Cameron to The Young Gentleman -- Bren is striving mightily to keep the human friends of The Young Gentleman happy, healthy and safe, while The Young Gentleman is getting a grasp of the threats that are coming -- and will need those human friends all grown up and well educated.  The Young Gentleman on one continent and the human friends on the other form the lynch pin of the world to come.  These people belong in their lives but have to grow into them. 

I love the FOREIGNER series, and don't want to read THE SONG OF THE SHATTERED SANDS. 

This is odd because both the Cherryh and  Beaulieu series are from one of my favorite publishers, DAW BOOKS (OK, prejudiced -- I've had some titles from DAW, too).

I like and admire these editors. 

Note that both writers here are creating intricate plots involving complex relationships between human and Alien (or not-quite human) and both involve a vast canvas of history, war, regime change -- all focusing the abstract topics we have discussed in this blog as ripped from the headlines.

DAW has created a collection of works that will appeal to similar readers, and they've done a great job of it.

I don't doubt that Bradley P. Beaulieu has an avid following that will devour this third novel in this series with rapt attention.  Knowing the payoff coming at the end, it won't seem like a difficult read.

But in general, widening your readership, grabbing new readers into a series as you go along, is the more commercial strategy.

So, if you are faced with a writing situation requiring exposition explaining what happened in previous books, make that exposition a precursor to what will be not a rehash of what was. 

Use exposition to explain how a Character now sees the same events from a new perspective.  What those Events portend for the Character's future differs from what readers of the previous books expected. 

Without spelling it out, show-don't-tell how many things might go wrong, how many different paths might lead out of the current pickle, and more why that how these Characters got themselves into this pickle.  What aspect of soul is begging to grow and learn this new karmic lesson?

Jacqueline Lichtenberg
http://jacquelinelichtenberg.com

Alien Sexuality Part Two - What Is Life? by Jacqueline Lichtenberg

Alien Sexuality
Part Two
What Is Life?
by
 Jacqueline Lichtenberg

Part 1 of this series on Alien Sexuality is
http://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2010/12/alien-sexuality-part-one-root-of-all.html

Part 1 is about the root of all conflict -- i.e. sexuality itself.

Last week
http://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2016/07/reviews-27-foreigner-series-by-c-j.html
we discussed the various reasons writers of Science Fiction Romance novels should be sure to read C. J. Cherryh's FOREIGNER series novels, if not the entire Alliance-Union universe novels.

One reason we did not discuss for reading this 16 book series was the underlying style of the writing in the Foreigner novels.

They are chatty, internal dialogue focused, watching the linguistic gears mesh (or fail to mesh) inside the mind of a human who is being acculturated into a non-human society, and ends up sleeping with an Alien who does not have the capacity to comprehend the emotion of "Love."  This Alien has a totally different, but equally "hot" emotion.

The current trilogy in the FOREIGNER series (so far, no cross-fertilization) opens a new jar of worms with the main protagonist (Bren Cameron) once again acting (after way over-thinking) to disrupt the balance of power in a war between the Kyo and a segment of humanity his own group of humans lost touch with two centuries before.  So those humans would be almost as alien to him, culturally, as the aliens he lives with (the Atevi).

To create such a large canvas as C. J. Cherryh writes on (the Universe called the Alliance-Union universe), a writer needs a very large set of what I call "nested themes" -- wheels within wheels -- themes that accrete in layers like the layers of a natural pearl.

We discussed nested themes here:
http://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2011/10/believing-in-happily-ever-after-part-4.html

Since this blog is about Alien Romance -- romance between a human and a non-human -- whether it be ostensibly science fiction or fantasy or Paranormal -- we focus on when, how, and whether to blend "science" with "romance."

I define "Science" as the facts we know (by independent verifying experiments) to be true about the structure of the universe organized in a way that the body of knowledge can be passed down from one generation to another, added to along the way.

I define "Fiction" as the art form that creates a story out of a selective arrangement of subjective "facts" (or emotions, spiritual states, Eternal Truths learned or discarded).  A story may not be "true" at all, but has the power to reveal truths otherwise imperceptible.  Story is an art form -- and can use real people and true facts about their actions arranged to reveal something which might not be true.  The same art form can be used on imaginary people and non-real facts about what they did and why.

Sometimes, fiction can reveal more about reality because nothing in the story is true.

When you put Science and Fiction together in a seamless blend you may be able to "pass down from one generation to another" the Wisdom of the Ages.

Now add Romance to that mix, and you can communicate the Wisdom of the Ages about Life itself.

Science is in hot pursuit of "the origin of life" -- not just "life on earth" but the origin of life itself, somewhere out there among galaxies like grains of sand.

-----------QUOTE-----
In a fascinating 2014 study for Nature, a team of scientists mapped thousands of galaxies in our immediate vicinity, and discovered that the Milky Way is part of a jaw-droppingly massive "supercluster" of galaxies that they named Laniakea.
---------END QUOTE--------

http://www.vox.com/2014/9/4/6105631/map-galaxy-supercluster-laniakea-milky-way

In that image, each of the tiny pixel sized dots that make up the hair-like threads of light -- each dot is a whole Galaxy, some bigger than ours.

Studies are turning up "earth-like" planets and traces of complex organic chemicals far out in space, chemicals which are either the building blocks of "life" or maybe the by-products of "life."

Current arguments debate whether Earth is surrounded by deceased civilizations out there somewhere, or embedded in (maybe at the edge of?) interstellar traveling civilizations we just haven't found yet. (which may or may not have found us.)

Yes, that very old debate is once again raging.

So a science fiction romance writer has to do what C. J. Cherryh has done and postulate the basic facts about that image of all the galaxies like grains of sand.

Science deals with the physics, math, and chemistry -- with Higgs Bosons and other nifty particles that the Hadron Collider is documenting.  Fiction deals with the ultimate truth behind that scientific reality, with reasons and motives.  Romance combines to create that which lives, which propagates.

Classic biology identifies 5 basic functions that define "life" as opposed to matter in general.

If you want to turn your ad-block off, you can find a good primer on basic biology here:

http://slideplayer.com/slide/5956766/

But that is derived from life on this little planet.  Science Fiction has long postulated a wide variety of kinds of sentients with "life" distinguished by other factors.

To create a "romance" that modern readers will believe well enough to enjoy, you need your alien member of the couple to be configured somewhat like humans -- even if other species in the novel are very different.

Such a species would, like humanity, have imagined, postulated, encountered, or otherwise discovered or perceived (maybe prophesied) a Cosmology and Cosmogony.  They would have their own notions of how things work.

You, as the writer, need a notion of how your Aliens approach describing the cosmos, and what moral principles they might derive from that description.  To begin writing your saga, you do not need to create the entirety of the Alien's history and religion.  You need only one, fixed, vividly delineated difference between your Aliens and your human readership.

That one starting point will lead to all the rest, and sometimes it is best if you do not consciously know all the details but discover them with the reader as you go.

You can find examples of Alien ways of looking at reality all over the literature of science.

Take, for example, the question of "What Is Life?"

Even the question is ambiguous.  Does it refer to growing up, getting married, having kids, defaulting on a mortgage, getting divorced, etc?  We say "that's life" with a sigh and a shrug when stuff goes wrong.

Or the question could refer to the simple facts of biology as delineated in the five basic functions of living organisms.

If you can find a philosophical point where the two meanings of that Question coincide, you can generate an entire set of nested themes (like that pearl mentioned above) rooted in that single concept.

For example, today, in the midst of the political fracas in the USA, one pivotal issue (other than The Economy and War) is Abortion.

How could you explain to your visiting Alien the simple biological process of voluntary reproduction becoming a political football?  How could you explain the adamant pursuit of "the origin of life" -- either out in the galaxy, seeded onto our primeval Earth by meteors, or arising uniquely on this planet?  And from the other direct, the biologist's pursuit of the moment "life" "begins."

This year, biologists discovered a "flash of light" emitted at the moment of conception when human sperm meets human egg cell.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/04/26/bright-flash-of-light-marks-incredible-moment-life-begins-when-s/

It is the result of a chemical reaction, nothing mystical.

But immediately, the political dimensions are apparent since the argument against abortion is that a fetus is a human life, and killing it is murder under the law.  However, the law in the USA is settled at the adult woman's right to choose whether to gestate that fetus -- or not.

So some humans regard the discovery of a chemical reaction at conception as proof that a human "life" (in both senses, marriage-kids-divorce, and 5-basic-functions) begins at joining of sperm to egg cell.  The two-celled organism is a human being with all the legal rights and protections due a human being.  Others are offended that anyone could use SCIENCE, the main opponent of ignorant superstitious nonsense, to take away the basic human right to control one's own reproductive processes.

Note how REPRODUCTION is one of the 5 signature traits of "life" -- and nowhere in the biological (scientific) definition of "life" is there anything about voluntary control of any of these 5 traits.  In fact, there's nothing "voluntary" about "life."

What would your Alien think of this argument?

Would he/she consider all reproduction voluntary?  Would your alien's very biology require the alien to will themselves to become pregnant?

The concept of "Free Will" is actually somewhat "mystical."  Free Will is a property of the Soul, usually considered to be the key to spiritual growth.  Choose, of your own free will, to do good rather than evil, and you will experience "life" in a more fulfilling and satisfying way -- a very mystical concept.

Today there is some scientific investigation into the idea that we actually do not have any Free Will.

http://www.iflscience.com/brain/free-will-may-be-more-illusion-we-previously-thought-claims-study

Free Will may be imaginary?  Or we, as a society, could come to believe that and structure our various cultures around that idea, then meet up with Aliens who are convinced they have Free Will.

Here's an article about the illusion of Free Will published in May 2016.

http://www.iflscience.com/brain/free-will-may-be-more-illusion-we-previously-thought-claims-study

-------------QUOTE---------
“Our minds may be rewriting history,” Adam Bear, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Psychology at Yale University and lead author of the study, said in a statement. The implication here is that when it comes to very short time scales, even before we think we’ve made a conscious choice, our mind has already subconsciously decided for us, and free will is more of an illusion than we think.
-----------END QUOTE-------

Yes, and our favorite Alien, Spock, may be the result of deliberate genetic mingling because it was the logical thing to do -- if Logic rules, then obviously Will is not "Free" - right?

Would studies like this reveal "hard science" facts that would have to be accepted by any Alien life anywhere in all the galaxies?

The Higgs Boson is a "fact" of that sort, as is the curvature of space, and the variability of "time" (whatever time might be).

But mere facts do not always impinge meaningfully upon intelligent minds, and 'sentience' is an illusive thing we will not nail down until we've met up with several space-faring species.

So, then, "What Is Life?"

Is the question a mystical one?  Or a scientific one?

Is there an "either/or" structure to that dichotomy?  Is "life" either one thing, OR the other?  Is the Universe "Zero-Sum" -- either this or that -- binary?

Or are there shades of gray?

Consider that your visiting Alien Hunk may look at our political tangle over abortion and find his eyes (one assumes he has some) crossing.  In May, 2016, a judge ruled on the stored embryos (which already emitted their spark)  of a divorced couple, bringing the Law into the personal reproductive decisions of individuals.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-divorced-couple-embryos-20151118-story.html

If you want to craft a theme involving Law and Religion (which publishing wisdom says you must never mix), looking at court cases such as this from an Alien angle could provide dynamite ideas. Make that an interstellar court run by some consortium in which Earth does not hold membership.

Consider that your visiting Alien Hunk may look at our political tangle over abortion and find his eyes (one assumes he has some) crossing.

The Alien Hunk may look at our religious take on the importance of that SPARK at the joining of sperm and egg cells (which also happens with animal conception), and conclude that the entire human species is stark raving nuts.

"Everyone knows," he will tell you, "that the entire universe is infected with life, with living cells, sluicing through space in many spore forms.  The origin of human life is the origin of life itself, trillions of years ago in the farthest galaxy."

If you think about it that way, he might declare, you will see there is nothing special about human life.

Now, will he accept the idea that the distinctive trait of people (human and otherwise) is that they have and exercise Free Will?  That Free Will is a property of Soul?

Or perhaps there are "people" who do not have Souls?

I discussed THE FLICKER MEN by Ted Kosmatka in Septemper 2015 blog entry:

http://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2015/09/reviews-19-by-jacqueline-lichtenberg.html

He postulated alternate universes and humans here on Earth who had Souls -- others that did not.  Wonderful writing, great concepts, good characters, strong Relationships, and a must-read for Science Fiction Romance writers. You can pay homage to this great entry into science fiction by creating a Romance where not all your Aliens have a Soul, and what difference that makes (if any).

http://www.amazon.com/Flicker-Men-Novel-Ted-Kosmatka/dp/0805096191/

Jacqueline Lichtenberg
http://jacquelinelichtenberg.com

Reviews 27 - FOREIGNER SERIES by C. J. Cherryh #16 and #17

Reviews 27
FOREIGNER SERIES
by
 C. J. Cherryh
#16 Tracker
#17 Visitor 

C. J. Cherryh has structured her very-very long series of Foreigner novels into trilogies.  I'm going to discuss #16 and #17 here, and no doubt will return to this series again as we expect one more novel in this 6th trilogy in the Foreigner Series.

It is a study in worldbuilding as well as Relationship driven plotting.

Here is the complete Kindle collection up to #16 on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Foreigner-Series-16-Book/dp/B0159KHS5A/

Here are the books so far, in publication order:

Foreigner, DAW Books, 1994.
Invader, DAW Books, 1995.
Inheritor, DAW Books, 1996.

Precursor, DAW Books, 1999.
Defender, DAW Books, 2001.
Explorer, DAW Books, 2002.

Destroyer, DAW Books, 2005.
Pretender, DAW Books, 2006.
Deliverer, DAW Books, 2007.

Conspirator, DAW Books, 2009.
Deceiver, DAW Books, 2010.
Betrayer, DAW Books, 2011.

Intruder, DAW Books, 2012.
Protector, DAW Books, 2013.
Peacemaker, DAW Books, 2014.

Tracker, DAW Books, 2015.
Visitor, DAW Books, 2016.

If you haven't read #1-15 of this series, you can still read #16 and #17 easily and understand what it is all about because the salient facts of "what went before" are filled in where needed.

C. J. Cherryh would never be considered a "Romance Writer" -- but if you are writing Science Fiction Romance, studying her works will give you all you need for springboards and themes that morph the typical Romance into real Science Fiction.

Of course, you can't just copy what she's built.  But you can see how she's brought her real-world education and background into the process of worldbuilding to create a convincing environment for stories that inspire study of her favorite topics.

To understand how she's used her background to generate her sprawling and complex Universe (the envelope title is "Alliance-Union" Universe), you do need to know something about her, and to read most of her novels.  Cherryh's professional background is in Languages, especially Latin, and her interests encompass all human history, pre-history, and cultural anthropology.

Her Aliens are Alien because she knows what "human" is, where it comes from, and how humanity develops and uses language.  That is the science behind her science fiction that produces such believable Aliens.

Here are some reference pages where you can see the sprawling, complex, background universe she's built for her Characters to explore.

http://www.cherryh.com/www/univer.htm

And here's Wikipedia on the Foreigner Series:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreigner_universe

In the Foreigner Series, we have a human linguist confronted with an Alien language based on Alien physiology that is treacherously close to human biology.  That closeness leads to inevitable errors in understanding because of the human trait of taking assumptions as facts.

Originally, such misunderstandings led to a human-alien war, which was resolved by a bit of more accurate communication.  Two hundred years pass after that war, and the FOREIGNER series starts with a linguist trained in that long tradition now tossed into the Alien culture which is thirsting for human technology, and resisting that technology for religious reasons.

Over the coarse of these novels, Bren, the Linguist, brings his world, humans and aliens alike, into a space age, then takes them out into interstellar space where they meet a new alien species that has space-ship mounted weapons and is not reluctant to shoot first and ask questions later.

Why are they not reluctant?

These two novels, Tracker and Visitor, begin to answer that question in a way that makes the Kyo (the new Alien species with big guns) seem easily comprehensible.  It is so easy to assume the obvious answer is true that one grows suspicious.

Also, over the coarse of these 16 novels, there is a kind of love-story woven into the linguist's life as Bren is isolated among Aliens.  And yes, he starts sleeping with the female whose personality bonds easily with his own.  They have a physical relationship, and a mental one, but emotionally  not exactly satisfying since these Aliens can't "love."

They trust each other. They seem to communicate well.  In Tracker and Visitor, they are at the "taking for granted" stage in a settled Relationship.  But the Alien female does not quite follow human conversations.

Think about the ideal Romance, the Soul Mate Couple meets, fight their attraction, reach an understanding, have their good times, have some bad times, and finally reach an HEA.  By then, every reader understands why these specific two people need each other, and why the world is better off because they are together.

The key to crystallizing a Soul Mate Relationship is communication.  Beyond that comes emotional satisfaction built on Trust.

Marriages can function without much overt communication as long as there is Trust.

The Relationship between Bren and his Alien lover (who is also one of his Security Guards) exemplifies and personifies the essence of Trust.  His life is literally in her hands, daily.  Her strength and reflexes, and her Will to place herself between him and danger, are at the root of this Relationship.

Their trust in one another is mirrored, thematically, in the growing trust between the human community stranded on the Atevi planet and the Atevi themselves.

Part of the appeal of the first 15 novels is the gradual unraveling of the Atevi language, and how it is at odds with (and yet akin to) any language humans use.  Since there are factions of humans, there are several human languages to keep matters churning.

Getting deep into the Alien mindset via language is actually very Romantic.  In any standard Romance, the key to keeping reader interest is how the writer unfolds the intricacies of the other's way of thinking.  Hence the Romance with conflicts rooted in misunderstandings and secrets.

In Tracker and Visitor, Cherryh new secrets that Bren must keep (or not) as he finds out what the Kyo are doing here, why they shoot first and ask questions afterwards, and then (in typical Bren style) acts to change the Situation.

His action, in this instance, is to commission (without the authority to do so) a new Translator, giving that individual the few clues to Kyo language and mindset he's figured out and turning this hapless individual loose to fend for himself among Kyo.

Any reader will see immediately that Bren's action has altered the Balance of Power in the Galaxy in exactly the way his prior actions in this series have altered the Balance of Power on the Atevi home-world.  Is it Luck or Fate that he's still alive after all the crazy things he's done either without permission, or against prohibitions.

In short, C. J. Cherryh's Alliance-Union universe novels, which may (or may not) co-exist in the same universe of the multiverse with each other, all exemplify the various principles we have explored on this blog.  The world is built around a bundle of Themes, and a bigger bundle of related sub-themes.  Various characters live out their personal Stories learning the lessons of those themes by running afoul of the driving force behind them.

The master Theme behind all the Alliance-Union novels may be about the Nature of what it is to be Human.  Communication (usually via language) is a key element.  Commerce (in ideas, goods, technology) is another.  Put Communication and Commerce together and Civilizations get Created and also Crumble.  The shards of dead civilizations become the fertilizer for new ones.

One of C. J. Cherryh's areas of knowledge (and opinion) is real-world Politics.  On Facebook, she often explains current Events in terms of the underlying principles overlooked by most media commentators.

In the Foreigner novels, she has created political situations around centralized governments that work out (sometimes explosively) in very logical, and often relentless ways.  The politics driving various (crazy) decisions that affect planets and interstellar affairs, are composed of Communication, Trust, and Commerce based on that Communication.

These vast, impersonal, ambient forces, historical currents and massive principles, are exactly mirrored in the close, personal Relationships the Characters use to make decisions.

The Aliens are truly Alien because biology and brain configure language to represent the concrete world in ways different from how a human would see that same world.  We know because we see the Aliens through human eyes, and (as a child Alien grows up) we see the humans through Alien eyes.


The Aliens are believable because the vast, impersonal forces shaping the non-concrete world follow the same "laws" that human History and pre-History seem to follow.  A well educated reader who is widely read and well informed will see these congruities immediately.  To others, the Aliens may seem unique -- until the reader makes the acquaintance with human History (and pre-History) and discovers how fiction mirrors reality.

If you are studying writing craft, look at the vast, gigantic, immense tapestry behind the Alliance-Union Novels, and then read just one of the Foreigner novels.  Note how a tiny chip off the edge of the Alliance-Union universe provides a huge, deep, wide canvas upon which to show how personal Relationships work out on a planetary scale.

The writer's ability to focus tightly on just one Character, who knows almost nothing about the universe he lives in, needs to be studied and replicated.  It is the cornerstone of all Romance because that is our own everyday reality.  We don't even know how ignorant we are.

The essence of the Romance Novel is the focus on the significant other.  While reading a good Romance, everything else blurs and vanishes into the mists as the significant other becomes more vivid, three-dimensional, and consequential.  The hot-ness of the Romance is proportionate to the tightness of that focus.

Each Series within the Alliance-Union saga has that kind of focus, and that kind of pair of characters who become "everything" to each other.  Not all hot relationships are sexual or romantic.  C. J. Cherryh rarely deals, square on, with Romance, but her plots are always driven by searingly intense, pin-point focused emotion.

Study how she achieves that effect.

The "science" in her science fiction is linguistics.  The fiction is derived from human history and anthropology. The Conflicts are "ripped from the Headlines."  The experience of "life" especially in what it's like to think in two non-cognate languages, is exactly as I experience it.

I particularly love the Foreigner series because, while Bren's crazy decisions and crazier actions, are driven by emotion, those emotions form as a result of careful study of a massive amount of data.  He knows what he's doing -- he simply doesn't know that he knows.  That is how real humans function in our everyday life.

C. J. Cherryh gets this effect with Space as her canvass, necessarily including Time as a property of Space.

Robert A. Heinlein did it with the multiverse, using Time itself as his canvass, necessarily including Space.

How will you do it?

Jacqueline Lichtenberg
http://jacquelinelichtenberg.com