Avalanche Soldier | ||||||||
Susan R. Matthews | ||||||||
Avon Eos Books, 276 pages | ||||||||
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A review by Lisa DuMond
Salli Rangarold, avalanche soldier, lives and fights
for the planet Creation -- which may or may not be
Earth... okay, it's probably Earth. Whatever planet it
may be, it is destined to be the only one the
inhabitants of Creation will ever know. This is a
future society where disease and the disastrous
collapse of off-world colonies has driven humanity
back to their home base. In the face of this disaster,
religions have sprung up to fill the void, and the
centre of their faith involves never taking to the air
again. No planes, no helicopters, and certainly no
spacebound craft. The plague was a clear sign that
mankind was to stay put on Earth.
That sounds like a severe overreaction, not just to
the reader, but to some of the other groups on
Creation. Many want to take to the stars again. How
far will they be willing to go to escape the
restrictions? Is there a peaceful solution to the
dispute? Matters appear very delicate at the
moment; anything could upset the balance.
Salli's loyalty and faith in the Orthodox states of
Creation puts her solidly in the majority. Her rank in
the Avalanche Soldiers places a burden of protection
on her shoulders, along with the danger of keeping the
passes clear. When her only remaining family appears
to "defect" to the Heterodox Wayfarers, Salli has
little choice but to follow. That decision will change
her life and her beliefs forever.
A change of heart in this situation seems a small
thing; the belief systems are intricate and, at some
points, appear to differ only slightly. Religion is
the most difficult aspect of Avalanche
Soldier to get a handle on. It's quite
possible to come through the book without ever
achieving a firm understanding of the opposing groups.
At times, the distinctions are so small as to be
trivial. At others, these subtle differences are
enough to kill for. Come to think of it, that is
sometimes the very nature of religion. And politics,
which is what this dispute boils down to.
No, Avalanche Soldier is nothing
like the Kosciusko novels. Is that bad or good? Many
readers were extremely uncomfortable with the
brutality in Matthews' earlier works. Anyone who
was "scared off" by the scenes of torture will find a
more restrained violence in Avalanche
Soldier; this is the ruthlessness of words
and ideas, not drugs and agony of the body.
On the other hand, it was that very torment that made
Kosciusko such a compelling character. Without those
extremes, building a character is all the more
difficult. Love or hate Salli, Meeka, and the rest of
the people in this struggle, but you must do it on
your own. The clues are not there for readers this
time. Now, you're really going to have to
think. It's for your own good.
In between reviews and interviews, Lisa DuMond writes science fiction and humour. DARKERS, her latest novel, will be published in early 2000 by Hard Shell Word Factory. She has also written for BOOKPAGE and PUBLISHERS WEEKLY. Her articles and short stories are all over the map. You can check out Lisa and her work at her website hikeeba!. |
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