Subject: Caveat: Shiva in Steel, by Fred Saberhagen

From: [email-masked] (P.D. TILLMAN)
Date: 19 Feb 2000 13:51:38 -0500

Shiva in Steel, by Fred Saberhagen
	Review copyright 2000 Peter D. Tillman

Rating: "D" -- padded, clumsy and slow. Worst Saberhagen I've read.

I made it through Saberhagen's new Berserker novel, but just barely -- the
opening moves like rush-hour traffic in L.A.: S - L - O - W.  Once it gets
moving around p. 160(!) it's not too bad. Inside the padding is a pretty
decent novellette struggling to get out. Maybe. The characters are so
flat, cardboard looks well-rounded. Plot-threads dangle, and logical holes
gape. Saberhagen clearly lost interest at the first draft, and his editor
didn't send it back for a badly-needed rewrite (bad Tor!). Is he in poor
health?

Shiva in Steel somehow got a good review in Locus, which is why I bought
it, besides having liked previous Berserker stories. So I suppose YMMV,
but I doubt it. Trust me -- you don't want to read this one. Reread an old
Berserker book instead. It's bad enough, I feel guilty recycling it to the
used bookstore.

%T Shiva in Steel
%A Fred Saberhagen
%D Nov 99
%I Tor
%O $6 pb
%P 318 pp.
%G ISBN 0812571126

Read more of my reviews:
http://www.silcom.com/~manatee/reviewer.html#tillman