From /tmp/sf.17355 Fri Jun 4 00:01:15 1993 Path: lysator.liu.se!isy!liuida!sunic!uunet!haven.umd.edu!darwin.sura.net!howland.reston.ans.net!wupost!udel!news.intercon.com!psinntp!dg-rtp!sheol!dont-reply-to-paths From: reeder@reed.edu (P. Douglas Reeder) Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.reviews Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.written Subject: Review of "Ground-Ties" by Jane S. Fancher Approved: sfr%sheol@concert.net (rec.arts.sf.reviews moderator) Organization: Div, Grad & Curl Message-ID: <8276@sheol.UUCP> Date: 15 May 93 14:17:06 GMT Lines: 66 A Review of "Ground-Ties" by Jane S. Fancher review copyright 1993 by P. Douglas Reeder The setting of _Ground-Ties_ combines the traditional FTL-spaceship-and-faster-FTL-communication element with a newer one: the world-wide computer network. The combination is surprising at first, but logical, given FTL communication and computers. (I dislike assumtion of FTL technology; it's so unimaginative; FTL star-faring civilations look too much like our own.) This civilization has cut its ties with Earth, and lives in space habitats, except for various Reconstructionist movments (despised by the majority) who seek to reconstruct various cultures from Earth, usually colonizing planets to do so. The government (The Alliance) is aparantly dominated by a small oligarchy who practice nepotism and prejudice against "Recons" (Reconstructionists). One the major themes is the tensinons between the Recons and the rest of society; unfortunately we see almost nothing of ordinary society; all the significant non-Recon characters are in government Security. HuteNamid is the Recon planet where most of the action takes place, and the Recons there derive there cultural ideas from Native Americans. The characters are realistic; the conflict arises because the characters have differing goals. The oligarchy remains offstage. Admiral Loren Cantrell and her people of the security force is working to blunt the influence of the oligarchy. Stephen Ridenow's Recon heritage was hidden when he entered the academy at ten and now, ten very rough years later, is being graduated early for this mission. Dr. Wesley Smith and Dr. Paul Corlaney are non-Recon researchers on HuteNamid, each with his project to forward. Governor Sagiimagen Tyeewapi, his daughter Anevai, and Nayati Hatawa are three Recons of HuteNamid with different perspectives on how best to preserve independance of action for their planet. The plot involves missing data and a paper by Smith that could seriously affect the Net as the characters know it, and only Ridenow recognized its importance. As Cantrell, her team, and Ridenow investigate, more strange things turn up and everything gets complicated. It is difficult to follow all the information in the opening scenes, but persevere, it becomes clear before long. The setting seems unlikely at first, but makes sense once you get used to it. The book ends before all the loose ends are tied up; either there is a sequel in the works or Fancher has had to cut down a larger story, presumably for the editor, this being her first novel. This didn't bother me overmuch, as I wasn't working too hard at following all the plot lines. All in all, it's quite good for a first novel and is well worth reading if you like mature, realistic characters and plots. I will be on the lookout for more of her works. %A Jane S. Fancher %T Ground-Ties %I Warner Books, Inc. %C New York, NY %D copyright 1991 %P 376 pages %K network, FTL, Indian, mature characters %O paperback $4.50 -- Doug Reeder Internet: reeder@reed.edu Div, Grad & Curl USENET: ...!tektronix!reed!reeder From /tmp/sf.17355 Fri Jun 4 00:06:01 1993 Path: lysator.liu.se!isy!liuida!sunic!uunet!haven.umd.edu!darwin.sura.net!udel!rochester!news.crd.ge.com!sunblossom!knight.vf.ge.com!news.ge.com!psinntp!psinntp!dg-rtp!sheol!dont-reply-to-paths From: CCC_REX@waikato.ac.nz (Rex Croft) Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.reviews Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.written Subject: "Harmonies of the 'Net" by Jane S Fancher Approved: sfr%sheol@concert.net (rec.arts.sf.reviews moderator) Organization: University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand Message-ID: <1993May17.095036.16397@waikato.ac.nz> Date: 21 May 93 02:10:00 GMT Lines: 39 "Harmonies of the 'Net" by Jane S Fancher - reviewed by Rex Croft ccc_rex@waikato.ac.nz This book is the last in the trilogy begun in "Groundties" and "Uplink". See the excellent review of "Ground-Ties" just posted by Douglas Reeder. From the back cover: "The star-spanning 'Net is crashing -- collapsing under its own unwieldy weight, its vital database losing bits and connections at an alarming rate. The politicians and technocrats that depend on it are desperate." Desperate enough to come looking for the boy they dispatched on a mission larger than they knew, and for the prankster whose exploits are notorious among programmers on the 'Net. Stephen Ridenour -- tormented boy genius and survivor of HuteNamid's secrets -- has found a refuge from the civilization whose bigotry almost destroyed him. Wesley Smith -- genius, seducer, joker, and certifiable loose cannon -- has captured the ultimate prey and isn't about to set it loose. And no one realizes what _can_ be done is already a dead issue..." A different and intriguing plot. The star-spanning culture is assumed. It is held together by a data network to which odd things are happening. The book is mostly about personalities and their interaction, but it is engaging all the same. Recommended. %A Jane S Fancher %T Harmonies of the 'Net %I Questar (Warner Books) %C New York %D November 1992 %O paperback, US$4.99 %P 378 pp. %G 0-446-36243-3 %S The 'Net (no series name supplied) %V 3 %O Cover design by Don Puckey, cover illustration by Barclay Shaw From /tmp/sf.4258 Tue Feb 1 03:35:43 1994 Path: liuida!sunic!pipex!uunet!news.sprintlink.net!dg-rtp!sheol!dont-reply-to-paths From: wade@samish.stanford.edu (Elizabeth Wade) Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.reviews Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.written Subject: Jane Fancher's GROUNDTIES, UPLINK & HARMONIES OF THE 'NET Approved: sfr%sheol@concert.net (rec.arts.sf.reviews moderator) Message-ID: <9310162226.AA07108@samish.stanford.edu> Date: 17 Oct 93 00:33:36 GMT Lines: 79 Review of Jane S. Fancher's GROUNDTIES, UPLINK, and HARMONIES OF THE 'NET Reviewed by Elizabeth Wade Jane Fancher's _Groundties_, _Uplink_ and _Harmonies of the 'Net_, while nowhere explicitly labeled as such, are three parts of a single novel. Be forewarned: the first two books do not even attempt to wrap up loose ends. And because it is a work on such a large scale, I found it a bit slow going at first. The entirety, however, more than made up for the slow start. Although this is her first novel, Fancher has a sure, deft voice--or rather, voices, since the story is told in the shifting third-person limited from at least 10 different character's points of view. Fancher is a C. J. Cherryh protege' and writes in a somewhat similar caught-in-the-moment style that stays very close to the viewpoint character's perceptions. The characters are complex, varied, interesting and integral to the plot. The story opens when Admiral Loren Cantrell and her ship _Cetacean_ are dispatched on a mission to discover the source of some missing data on the interstellar Communications Net. For help with 'Net theory, she brings along Stephen Ridenour, a young academy graduate with a slew of his own problems. When they reach HuteNamid, the source of the anomaly, they discover more than they bargained for: the natives get hostile when questioned, Cantrell makes mistakes, and Stephen becomes dangerously embroiled in the conflict that (as becomes apparent) involves far more than just a network "hiccup." Among those involved in the conflict/conspiracy/misunderstanding are the slippery-but-wise planetary governor, an incognito prize-winning biologist who is Cantrell's ex-lover, an infamous practical joker who has published what may be a vital treatise on the 'Net, and a young native leader who is acting remarkably secretive. The plot tends toward the intricate and there are numerous subplots, most of which are integral to the overall story. It tends to move slowly (in the sense that it can take 200 pages to get through the events of a single day) because the multiple strands are interwoven, but there is no lack of dramatic tension. Emotions tend to run high, and sometimes threaten to go over the top, but to my tastes, the novel never crosses the line into sentimentality. There is humor to balance the pain, and all emotion is firmly grounded in character. This novel has a political agenda, but it is a quiet one; although it deals with bigotry, social institutions, and sexuality, there are no lectures and no finger-pointing. Its political bent is probably best described as humanist rather than feminist or PC. If you are interested in a complex story, where strong, interesting characters interact with politics, economics, technology and the unknown, I highly recommend this three-book novel. %A Jane S. Fancher %T Groundties %I Questar (Warner Books) %C New York, NY %D copyright 1991 %P 376 pages %O ISBN 0-446-36243-3 %O US$4.50 %T Uplink %I Questar (Warner Books) %C New York, NY %D copyright 1992 %P 378 pages %O ISBN 0-446-36148-8 %O US$4.99 %T Harmonies of the 'Net %I Questar (Warner Books) %C New York, NY %D copyright 1992 %P 378 pages %O ISBN 0-446-36255-7 %O US$4.99