Subject: Metareview: Evolution's Darling by Scott Westerfeld

From: [email-masked] (P.D. TILLMAN)
Date: 31 Jul 2000 12:10:54 -0400

Evolution's Darling by Scott Westerfeld
	Review Copyright 2000 Peter D. Tillman

Rating: "A" -- a sexy SF thriller with integrity. Highly recommended.

This is a very impressive book. It combines exceptional writing, a brisk
tale of a galaxy-spanning civilization, interesting thoughts on the nature
of sentience, and rough sex. With a droid named Darling.

In short, a "sexy SF thriller with integrity" (Gary K. Wolfe, Locus 5-00)
He liked it, Amy Halprin liked it, I liked it, and I bet you will too.

Here's Amy Halprin's review, the best of several I saw online:
http://secure.cyberus.ca/sfsite/05a/ed80.htm

Westerfeld mentions influences from Delaney, but his closest comparable
(IMO) is Iain Banks -- in particular for madcap, manipulative, sentient
starships with funny names-- and I'd have to say I enjoyed Darling more
than Banks' Feersum, or even Excession.  It's clear that Westerfeld has
read both the classics and the competition, but his voice is distinctive
and remarkably assured. He writes in a "literary" style, but don't let
that put you off -- this is rich, buttery prose of the very best quality.
Really, he's as good as Banks, and more cheerful, too. Westerfeld is now
high on my "new writers to watch" list. And I'll have to check out his two
previous books.

Links:

http://www.janmag.com/SFF/evodarling.html -- This curious example of
review-as-polemic is noteworthy, if wrongheaded: reviewer Claude Lalumiere
berates Westerfeld at length for making his AIs (and humans) exclusively
heterosexual, as opposed to gender-bent.  First, this is simply wrong: the
sentient starships (etc.) are explicitly neuter. Second, so what? A major
strength of the novel is its exploration of artificial sex. To explore all
posible sexual permutations would require more characters, and more space,
obviating another of Darling's strengths, its brevity and tight focus.

Author (needs an update!):  http://members.aol.com/sdwestnyc

Amazon readers' comments on Darling:  
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1568581491/

Reviews of Westerfeld's earlier books:
Fine Prey:   http://secure.cyberus.ca/sfsite/08b/fine39.htm
Polymorph:   http://secure.cyberus.ca/sfsite/01a/poly24.htm

%T Evolution's Darling
%A Scott Westerfeld
%D May 2000
%I Four Walls Eight Windows
%O $16/#10 tp,
%P 290 pp.
%G ISBN 1568581491

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