Subject: Review: "Lookaway" by George Alec Effinger

From: [email-masked] (p-m agapow)
Date: 07 Oct 1997 14:55:04 -0400

"Look Away" by George Alec Effinger
		A Postview, copyright 1997 p-m agapow

The American Civil War has ground to a halt, the two sides seperated by
the Green Line, a zone patrolled by an international peace-keeping force.
Two young Confederate soldiers seperate from their unit and move along the
line, looking for a way to be useful.

The War Between the States is a potentially rich field for alternate
histories and indeed has been used much in that way.  Unfortunately, and
by Sturgeon's Law, the treatments tend to the dull: e.g.  "The South won!"
In a strange way, you might think something similar about George Alec
Effinger.  Althought there is an underlying cleverness and knowledge to
his writing, this has yet to fully realise in a truly great novel.
Effinger can certainly be funny ("The Red Tape Wars", "The Bird of Time")
and even draw an interesting world ("When Gravity Fails").  But at times
his work is more a tour of interesting ideas than an exploration,
something the "Marid Audran" series is only beginning to correct.

"Look Away" delivers on both these fronts. It attempts something daring
and inventive with the American Civil War and Effinger gets to think out
loud about the South, Reconstruction and realpolitik.  These are
complicated and, to some, emotional issues but he doesn't go all Heinlein
and start lecturing the reader.  He also displays a keen skill for voice
and dialogue, making each character sound right.  This is fairly rare
skill, particularly in SF. Think of the number of times you've heard
ancient Romans sound like Californians.  The rhythms of Southern speech
are well rendered without descending into faux-Magaret Mitchell.  "Look
Away" is an entertaining and thoughtful read.

The price of small press books is always high, but if you can borrow this,
find it on sale or are a fan of Effinger it is well worth it.  The rest of
us should hope that a long overdue collection of Effinger's short fiction
will include this.  Provisonally recommended.  [***/interesting] and grits
on the Sid and Nancy scale.

%A George Alec Effinger
%T Look Away
%I Axolotl Press
%C Eugene, Oregon
%D 1990
%P 90pp
%O paperback, Aus$16.95

paul-michael agapow ([email-masked]), La Trobe Uni, Infocalypse
"There is no adventure, there is no romance, there is only trouble and desire."
[archived at http://www.cs.latrobe.edu.au/~agapow/Postviews/]