Subject: review of _The Avatar_, by Poul Anderson

From: [email-masked] (P Douglas Reeder)
Date: Fri, 25 Aug 1995 15:17:41 GMT

A review of _The Avatar_, by Poul Anderson
review copyright 1995 by P. Douglas Reeder

%T The Avatar
%A Poul Anderson
%I Berkley Publishing Corp.
%C New York
%D copyright 1978
%N SBN: 399-12228-1
%O hardback 380pp
%X SF

Humanity has started star travel by means of 'T-machines', loosely based on
concepts by the physicist F.J. Tipler and others.  The T-machines were built
by a mysterious race known only as 'the Others', who left the (crucially
important) directions to only one other star system.  An alien race, the
Betans, have been encountered and a ship, _Emissary_, has been sent to open
contact.  Upon its return, elements of the world government that oppose
exploration and expansion imprison the crew.  Dan Broderson, businessman and
starship captain, learns of this by craft and gathers a crew to bring the
word to Earth.
	
The expected action then ensues, but halfway through, the storyline takes an
unexpected turn.  By the end, however, Anderson brings the story to a
fufilling conclusion.

The characters are well drawn, and more three-dimensional and realistic than
is usual for Anderson.  The Betans are plausible and interesting, though
mostly off-stage, except for one, Fidelo, who returns on the Emissary.

Much of the book is about how people in a group of a half-dozen, isolated
from all others, interact with each other. Most of this is fairly well done,
though at times, problems appear without prequel.

One of Anderson's chief themes is love and sex, and how strict monogamy is
unnececcsary.  I find it plausible that some people can have polygamous
relations without anyone's feelings getting hurt, but not that all of the
polygamous relations that go in in this book could happen without more
upset, or that they would all work out happily.

Expansion versus inwardness of humanity is also a major theme, and, no
surprise, the people in favor of expansion are the good guys.

All in all, this is a thoughtful book that is not too artsy, nor too much
concentrated on action; it stands in the classic tradition of SF.  IMHO,
this is Anderson's second best book, next to _The Saga of Hrolf Kraki_.  I
enjoyed reading it and reccomend it.

-- 
P. Douglas Reeder
Graduate Student
Electrical Engineering Dept.,Ohio State University
[email-masked]