Books I Read During Winter Vacation

For a more involved discussion of Frank Herbert and why he is one of my favorite science fiction writers, see Frank Herbert in Review.

"The Lazarus Effect" by Frank Herbert and Bill Ransom

The second (or by some accounts third) book in Herbert's "Destination: Void" series.  This book finds Pandora's population divided between the Islanders, who live on organic floating islands, and the Mermen, a race of underwater dwellers who view themselves as racially superior to the Islanders.  Following several generations after the events described in "The Jesus Incident," much of the action in this novel centers around one of the Mermen's political ambitions.

It's a good book, though not as good as "The Jesus Incident."  Without the Ship character, this series struggles (literally) to find its center of gravity. 

"The Ascension Factor" by Frank Herbert and Bill Ransom

The third (or by some accounts fourth) book in Herbert's "Destination: Void" series.  This novel was completed after Herbert's death, and suffers from his absence.  After his resuscitation from the hyb tanks that were orbiting Pandora,  one of Ship's clones oppresses the masses.  This book tries to be more political than previous books in the series, but fails in the attempt.  It also has some serious plot holes.

"The Three Musketeers" by Alexandre Dumas

Athos, Porthos, and Aramis meet D'Artagnan for the first time, and the four adventurers/ladies' men become involved in intrigues between the French king, an English duke, and Cardinal Richelieu.  This is an excellent book, and it's also quite funny.  Far better than the morose "Man in the Iron Mask," although that was also a good read.  I plan on reading "The Count of Monte Cristo" very soon. 

"Man of Two Worlds" by Frank Herbert and Brian Herbert

The only book in which Frank Herbert and Brian Herbert collaborated.  I would attempt to explain the plot, but it doesn't make a lot of sense anyway.  A terrible book, and I am sorry I wasted so much time reading it.

Best of Summer/Fall 2013

I've been reading A LOT of books.

But after "Collapse," the last book reviewed here, I am now without any books to read.  This will probably be the case until at least Chinese New Year, when I'm sure I'll be in Taipei, Kaohsiung, or some other place where I can buy books.  Until then, consider this the end of my book reviews.

You can click on the titles for a longer review of each book.

10 Best Books

1. "Childhood's End" by Arthur C. Clarke

This is the book that made Clarke famous, and this is also a book that proves his fame is well-deserved.  Not only is it well thought out and meticulously plotted, but the prose is far superior to what you find in most science fiction novels.  Truly a great work by a great writer.

2. "A Century of Science Fiction 1950-1959" edited by Robert Silverberg

There are a few stories in this one that are probably best forgotten, but for each forgettable story there are two excellent works of short fiction.  My favorites in this one were the stories by Philip Jose Farmer and Jack Vance.

3. "The Gates of Creation" by Philip Jose Farmer

Kind of like Conan the Barbarian meets Dune.  This is the second book in Farmer's "World of Tiers" series, and I would love to read the other two books.  Farmer might have written a lot of crap, but this novel is excellent.

4. "Soul Catcher" by Frank Herbert

Perhaps the only "serious" (non-genre) fiction penned by Herbert.  This one takes place in the Pacific Northwest, where an Indian guide kidnaps a young boy.  The ending is a bit disappointing, but this book gets deep.

5. "A Canticle for Leibowitz" by Walter M. Miller Jr.

Possibly one of the most profound science fiction novels ever written.   Miller Jr.'s novel of post-apocalyptic survival does not make for easy reading, but it is the kind of book that makes an impression.

6. "Venus Plus X" by Theodore Sturgeon

This book is trippy, and I like that.  One of Theodore Sturgeon's two most famous books, this one explores the battle of the sexes from the perspective of an alien race.  Even if you don't agree with the author's historical premise, it's still a great story.

7. "All the Pretty Horses" by Cormac McCarthy

The first book in McCarthy's "Border Trilogy."  This one follows two friends as they explore Mexico on horseback.  The part in the Mexican prison is one of the most harrowing things I've ever read.

8. "Jazz" by Toni Morrison

Even if some of this book does invite unflattering comparisons to Faulkner, Morrison's "Jazz" is very much its own novel, with its own kind of story to tell.  Definitely worth reading.

9. "Peace on Earth" by Stanislaw Lem

Lem at his most slapstick, and Lem at his most paranoid.  An astronaut visits robots on the moon, and returns with a brain severed into two halves.  Certainly one of the strangest and best science fiction novels I've ever read.

10. "Radio Free Albemuth" by Philip K. Dick

A nice companion to Dick's VALIS.  In this book, which can be considered a forerunner of that more famous book, Dick explores the relationship between a record executive, the extraterrestrial intelligence offering him "enlightenment," and a tyrant bent on (inter)national domination. 

Honorable Mention: Frank Herbert's "The Eyes of Heisenberg"

5 Books That Just Weren't Very Good

1. "Lord of Light" by Roger Zelazny

Buddha without the Buddhism.  Science fiction without the science.  Gods war against one another with gizmos, and none of it makes a great deal of sense.

2. "The Heaven Makers" by Frank Herbert

Wow this book was boring.  One of the worst books Herbert ever wrote, and certainly one of the reasons people can't take him seriously outside of "Dune."  The sexual parts were almost interesting, but they couldn't save the book.

3. "Gather, Darkness!" by Fritz Leiber

An order of monks brainwash the populace with a technology they themselves don't understand.  This one might make even less sense than "Lord of Light."

4. "The White Plague" by Frank Herbert

Wow this book is even more boring than "The Heaven Makers" - and also a lot longer.  A plague decimates the women of the world, and leaves the men searching for answers.  It tries to be deep, but fails miserably.

5. "Microworlds" by Stanislaw Lem

Lem comes across as a cranky old man in the non-fiction "Microworlds."  I am sorry that he ever wrote this book, for the simple reason that it will dissuade people from reading his novels - some of which are fantastic.  In this book Lem attempts to put science fiction under a microscope, but the order of magnification is so high that he fails to see anything of substance.

Dishonorable Mention: Marion Zimmer Bradley's "The Planet Savers/Sword of Aldones."

Frank Herbert in Review

"Frank Herbert's speculative fictions have taken the grand themes and questions of politics, ecology, overpopulation, and much more and applied them to the human drama.  His most popular works are the well-known Dune books: Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, and the latest, the extraordinary best seller, God Emperor of Dune.  Mr. Herbert has written more than twenty other works of fiction and nonfiction, including a recent book on home computers.  With his wife, Beverly, he maintains two homes, one in Hawaii and the other in the Pacific Northwest."

- from "The White Plague" dust jacket (1982)

At the time of writing, I have read all of Herbert's Dune novels, all of his other novels published during his lifetime, the three books he co-wrote with Bill Ransom, and the novel he wrote with his son, Brian Herbert.  I have also read two of his four short story collections, "The Book of Frank Herbert" and "Eye." 

I have yet to read the novels published by WordFire Press after his death (High-Opp, Angels' Fall, A Game of Authors, and A Thorn in the Bush), and his other two short story collections.  But these WordFire novels were written very early in his career, and with the exception of "High-Opp" all lie outside the realm of science fiction.  Given the overlap between short story collections, there are only a few of his short stories that I haven't read.

If I had to (somewhat arbitrarily) divide Herbert's books into the categories "Excellent," "Good," "Bad," and "Simply S**T," I would divide them like this:

Excellent	Good	Bad	Simply S**T
Dune Messiah	Dune	Children of Dune	The Dosadi Experiment *
God Emperor of Dune	Direct Descent	Chapterhouse Dune	The White Plague
Heretics of Dune	The Green Brain	Destination: Void
The Eyes of Heisenberg	The Santaroga Barrier	Whipping Star
Soul Catcher		The Heaven Makers
The Godmakers		Under Pressure (a.k.a. Dragon in the Sea)
Hellstrom’s Hive

Herbert's short stories exhibit the same kind of distribution.  About equal parts Excellent and Bad, with a few Good and a couple S**T ones.  On the whole, I wouldn't say that his short story collections are worth seeking out on their own merits.  Any ideas that Herbert introduced in short story form were better explored in one or more of his novels, and those looking for a good sci fi anthology would be better advised to start with one of the many treasuries featuring the likes of Asimov, Clarke, Sturgeon, Vance, and many others.

The three novels he wrote with Bill Ransom, all set in his "Destination: Void" universe, are of varying quality.  The first of these novels, "The Jesus Incident," is excellent and compares favorably to Herbert's best books.  The second novel, "The Lazarus Effect," is pretty good and has enough interesting ideas in it to be worth the effort.  The third novel, "The Ascension Factor," was largely written after Herbert's death, and is a complete mess. 

The novel he wrote with his son, Brian Herbert, may be the worst of his novels.  It is a confusing jumble of stereotypical characters and situations, all building up to an unsatisfying conclusion.  I've read some BAD science fiction novels in my day, and this one is near the top of the pile.

All in all, Frank Herbert had moments of brilliance as a writer, and it is these moments of brilliance that keep me invested in his books.  He certainly wrote his share of crap, but he was still light years (if you can excuse the slight pun) away from Stephen King.  Whatever he did was ambitious, even if it failed.

One of the other things I like about Frank Herbert is that he was from the Pacific Northwest.  This is also a locale that features in many of his stories.  Frank Herbert grew up in Washington and Oregon, and in many of his books you will find references to Seattle, Tacoma, or even more obscure places like Grand Coulee or Florence.  Speaking as someone who also grew up in Washington and Oregon, I appreciate his efforts to put these places in his stories.

For those who haven't read Herbert yet, I would recommend starting with "Dune Messiah."  It is a good point of entry into his catalog.  For those who've read all the Dune books but not the others, I would recommend starting with the books in the "Excellent" category and working your way right if you find yourself wanting more.  For those who think Frank Herbert SUCKS, I would recommend giving another of his books a try.  You might have read the wrong one.

While I can't say that he had a command of scientific concepts to match Asimov or Clarke (both of whom were SMART), he was definitely a writer of considerable talent, and one of the more original voices in American fiction.  While in some ways overlooked during his lifetime (his entries for the Hugo and Nebula awards were usually passed over in favor of inferior books), his Dune series enjoys an enduring popularity, and he has exercised a subtle if not generally acknowledged influence over American culture.  If you don't believe me, go see "Avatar" again.  Then read the synopsis of "The Jesus Incident" on Wikipedia.  Sound familiar?

"The White Plague" by Frank Herbert (1982)

"The White Plague" is a story of revenge.  The protagonist, John O'Neill, is struck by tragedy while in Ireland, and decides to take revenge on terrorists everywhere by unleashing a plague.  The plague targets only women, and has a catastrophic effect on populations worldwide.

It is one of the last books that Herbert wrote before his death in 1986, and it was published between "God Emperor of Dune" and "Heretics of Dune."  It is also among the easiest of Herbert's non-Dune novels to locate.  You're not likely to find "The Eyes of Heisenberg" in your local bookstore, but they probably have at least one copy of "The White Plague."

Which is a pity.  Herbert wrote books much better than this one, and it saddens me that many people will judge him by this effort.  As an attempt at "serious fiction" it is an abject failure, and even taken as a piece of genre writing it has some serious flaws.  For the sake of brevity I will divide these flaws into three categories: causality, characterization, and length.

1. Causality

This is probably the biggest issue I have with this book.  I could dismiss the characterization and length issues because, well, it's a Frank Herbert novel, but the causality issue cuts right to the core of why this book doesn't work. 

Firstly, would the loss of your loved ones - however horrible it might be - prompt you to unleash a plague upon three different countries?  Even if you had the wherewithal and had suffered a breakdown?  

Secondly, would such a plague invite the wholesale destruction of entire countries through nuclear bombardment?  Regardless of the obstacles involved in irradiating large sections of the globe?  Wouldn't the radiation problem be just as worrisome as the plague? 

Thirdly, would the provisional government of Ireland (many of whom are former members of the IRA) act upon their suspicions concerning the protagonist's true identity in so subtle a manner?  Why not just torture him for the information they required?  Don't they have a background in terrorism?

These three points are merely the most obvious in the book.  There are also many others, each mediating against a suspension of disbelief.  Obtuse discussions of genetics aside, Herbert really could have invested more thought into the basic structure of this book.

2. Characterization

This a problem inherent in many of Herbert's novels: a lack of credible characterization.  He can be quite brilliant when it comes to high-flown concepts and the scientific underpinnings of some ideas, yet when it comes to creating believable, consistent characters he often falls flat on his face.  

In short, the guy just wasn't very good with emotions.  He wasn't very good and portraying the inner worlds of his characters in a consistent manner.  The characters in this book are all types, and most of them could be used interchangeably.

More fundamentally, the main character's psychology is less than credible.  His schizophrenia is entirely too self-contained, and his reasons for doing things are baffling.  For much of the book he struggles against this "other" inside him, but aside from frequent mention of this "other" he seems completely sane.  Herbert also wastes the first chapters of the book by failing to give us a convincing portrait of his breakdown, and to explain the nature of this breakdown in terms that would have made "The White Plague" more compelling.

3. Length

Exacerbating the above two issues is the question of length.  I feel that Herbert was at his best when writing a book of around 200 pages, and anything longer than that - for him - was really pushing it.  Many of the questions regarding both characterization and causality may be due to the fact that he was padding this book to make it either longer or more like "literature."  Had this novel been edited down to 200 pages, it might have worked a lot better.  Of course some of the problems with causality and characterization would have remained, but they would have been easier to excuse.

With all of the above stated, I can only conclude by saying that "The White Plague" is simply a boring, laboriously written book, and makes even Herbert's "Children of Dune" seem concise by comparison.  Those, like me, working their way through Herbert's bibliography will read it anyway, but I would suggest that those less interested in his works avoid it.

"Eye" by Frank Herbert (1985)

"Eye" appeared in 1985, though most of the stories in this collection are much older.  Many of them form the basis for later novels, and three of them were previously included in "The Book of Frank Herbert," another collection dating back to 1972.

As much as I like some of Herbert's longer fiction, I have to say that he wrote some very silly short stories.  While most of the stories in this collection are not bad, there are couple that really make no sense, and a couple others that are outright terrible.  Synopses are below.

"Introduction"

Herbert talks about the filming of the movie "Dune," difficulties in translating from novel to film, and critical responses to the movie.  An interesting read, though his guarded claim that "Dune" was the inspiration behind the Star Wars films fails to convince me.

"Rat Race"

Also in "Book of Frank Herbert."  Aliens are afoot in a small town, and a deputy with nearly superhuman deductive powers is out to thwart them.  This is one of those stories that just doesn't make a lot of sense.  Rats in a cage?  And this is supposed to mean what?  To whom?  Couldn't they have just sent a letter?

"The Dragon in the Sea"

This story was the basis for the novel "Under Pressure," which is also - confusingly enough - titled "The Dragon in the Sea."  Submarines go to war over the world's remaining oil deposits.  A plausible enough concept, though the pseudo-psychological elements grow a bit tiresome.

"Cease Fire"

This has to be one of the stupidest short stories I've ever read - and I've read a lot of stupid short stories.  Some guy in the arctic discovers a way to explode all of the explosives in the world, bringing an end to modern warfare.  Uh, yeah, right...

"A Matter of Traces"

Is this a story?  I'm not sure.  An interplanetary pioneer is interviewed about the domestication of a local life form.  At least it's not as bad as "Cease Fire."

"Try to Remember"

A race of aliens task humanity with a new method of communication.  This story brought Theodore Sturgeon to mind.  It sort of makes sense, but the ending is unintentionally hilarious.

Ornithopter illustration from "The Road to Dune"

"The Tactful Saboteur"

This story is the cornerstone of Herbert's ConSentiency universe, which led to the novels "Whipping Star" and the unspeakably bad "Dosadi Experiment."  Anyone who's read those two novels need not bother with this story.  There were a lot of details in this story that could have been more fully realized, and the subsequent two novels did little to illuminate them.

"The Road to Dune"

Unique to this collection.  Herbert poses as a tour guide, showing us the wonders of the planet Arrakis.  Minimal text, accompanying illustrations.

"By the Book"

A technician attempts to fix a malfunctioning matter transmitter.  One of the better stories here, though I fail to understand how he could communicate - in real time - with someone several light years away.  Wouldn't this undermine the story's central concept?

"Seed Stock"

Also in "Book of Frank Herbert."  Mankind adapts to life on a new world, and some find that what works on the old world doesn't necessarily work on the new.

"Murder Will In"

An alien parasite struggles for survival in the midst of a new human society.  This is easily the best story in the book.  Strange and interesting.

"Passage for Piano"

Also in "Book of Frank Herbert."  A family, about to relocate to Planet C, tries to appease their blind, piano-playing son.  One of the most human stories Herbert ever wrote.

"Death of a City"

Herbert brings his ecological interests to bear on this story of social/urban engineering.  A nice piece of short fiction.

"Frogs and Scientists"

Frogs watch a woman bathing.  Frogs make comments about human mating patterns.  That's pretty much the entire story right there.

"The Eyes of Heisenberg" by Frank Herbert (1966)

"The Eyes of Heisenberg" is one of Frank Herbert's better novels, though I'm sure it went over most people's heads at the time.  The first few chapters go into such detail with regard to enzymes, gene splicing, and fetal development that most people who tried to read it back in 1966 probably gave up after the first few pages.  This is too bad, because "The Eyes of Heisenberg" is actually a fast-paced, well-written piece of science fiction.

At some point in the future, a group of "Optimen" perpetuate their existence for thousands of years through genetic engineering and enzymatic manipulation.  These Optimen rule over a large population of sterile citizens, and also a few select citizens who are allowed to breed.  In the background looms a secret society of cyborgs, which attempts to overthrow the Optimen by sabotaging their breeding program.

It's a great book, though a bit harder to find than some of Frank Herbert's other novels.  A lot of the genetic thinking that went into the Dune novels originated here, and there are a lot of other parallels to be drawn between this novel, "Dune", "Dune Messiah", and especially "God Emperor of Dune."  

I also love the fact that it's set in the futuristic city of Seatac, and even mentions places such as Grand Coulee and La Push.  Washingtonians - Frank Herbert had your back!

"Soul Catcher" by Frank Herbert

"'You are the Innocent,' Katsuk said, 'But I am Katsuk.  I am the middle of everything.  I live everywhere.  I see you hoquat all around.   You live like dogs.  You are great liars.  You see the moon and call it a moon.  You think that makes it a moon.  But I have seen it all with my good eye and recognize without words when a thing exists.

"'I want to go back now.'

"Katsuk shook his head.  'We all want to go back, Innocent Hoquat.  We want the place where we can deal with our revelation and weep and punish our senses uselessly.  You talk and your world sours me.  You have only words that tell me of the world you would have if I permitted you to have it.  But I have brought you here, I will give you back your own knowledge of what the universe knows.  I will make you know and feel.  You really will understand.  You will be surprised.  What you learn will be what you thought you already knew.'"

"Soul Catcher" was first published in 1972, a very good year for Frank Herbert.  "Hellstrom's Hive" and "The Godmakers," two other great novels, saw publication the same year.  He was turning out some of the best work of his career, and starting to enjoy the fruits of his labors.  His next novel, and the third in his Dune series, "Children of Dune," wouldn't appear until 1976.

In "Soul Catcher," a Native American abducts a young boy, taking him into the Olympic National Forest and teaching him the ways of his tribe.  In doing so, the protagonist is both exacting revenge for the rape of his sister, and enacting an ancient ritual designed to bring self-awareness back to his people.  It is a dark story of survival, and is the only "straight" (non-genre) novel that Herbert ever wrote.

As Frank Herbert novels go, this one ranks right up there with "Dune Messiah," "Hellstrom's Hive," and "The Godmakers."  Despite subject matter that would have quickly grown dull in other, less experienced hands, this book held my interest from beginning to end.  Herbert obviously had a wealth of knowledge with regard to woodcraft and cosmology to work with here, and he uses nearly every idea explored in earlier novels to full advantage.  "Soul Catcher" is a great book, even if it's not science fiction.

I wish we could have seen more of this kind of book from Frank Herbert.  As it was, the remainder of his career as a writer was largely spent writing the last four books in the Dune series, only one of which was as good as "Soul Catcher".  

This can be a difficult book to track down, but you won't be sorry that you did.

"The Heaven Makers" by Frank Herbert

"The Heaven Makers" first appeared in novel form in 1968, though it was serialized a year before that.  This would put it several years after "Dune", for which Frank Herbert won the Nebula award.

The plot concerns an alien race which manipulates human history for the sake of entertainment.  This alien race, the Chem, are immortal and virtually indestructible.  About halfway through the novel, a human woman is abducted by the Chem for their sexual amusement, and her lover, a psychologist, becomes aware of how the Chem have manipulated events within their small town.

And I'll agree that it sounds like the basis for a good novel, but most of the book is taken up with courtroom drama, and the way in which the "hero" overcomes the alien at the end is both contrived and ridiculous.  Even aside from these points, "The Heaven Makers" is simply boring.  The characters are uninteresting, and their actions don't make a lot of sense.

"The Green Brain" by Frank Herbert

 "Joao saw the pod's nose lift, slam down, saw white water and spume boil past where the canopy had been.  He saw a sprayrifle jerk out that opening into the river, and he wedged himself more tightly between the seats and the dash.  His fingers ached where he clutched the wheel.  A wrenching motion of the pod turned his head and he saw Chen-Lhu's arms wrapped around the seat back directly above him."

"The Green Brain" first appeared as "Greenslaves," a story serialized in Amazing Stories as far back as 1965.  It is one of Herbert's earliest stories, and shows him exploring avenues of inquiry which were later sacrificed to the more human, less ecological elements that comprised his landmark Dune novels.

It also forms an interesting pair of novels with "Hellstrom's Hive," another Herbert novel about the interactions between humankind and the insect world.  While I think "Hellstrom's Hive" is a far better novel, "The Green Brain" adds a nice bit of counterpoint to that other story of hivelike humans.

"The Green Brain" is set in Brazil, where the International Ecological Organization is attempting to eradicate all manner of pests from the Brazilian rainforest.  The local IEO representative, Chen-Lhu, seeks to further the IEO's plans for Brazil by using the lovely Rhin Kelly to seduce a local exterminator, Joao Martinho.  These three characters quickly fall into the clutches of the Green Brain, a newly evolved insect intelligence.

Most of this novel is a survival story, wherein Chen-Lhu, Rhin, and Joao spend several chapters trapped together in the above-mentioned pod, attempting to float to safety.  In this respect, "The Green Brain" resembles other Herbert books such as "Destination: Void" and "Whipping Star."  These books also feature characters trapped together in some kind of craft, forced to come to terms with an alien life form.  

Unfortunately, "The Green Brain" also shares the weaknesses of these novels, in that the insect intelligence's motives are unclear, and the book seems to go on longer than it should.  Herbert's characters engage in so much doublespeak, and in so many kinds of meta-analytic acrobatics that the story becomes muddled, leaving the reader to wonder why anyone is doing anything, and to what higher purpose.  The chapters with the Green Brain are interesting, but the rest of the novel seems a bit thin.

I would only recommend this book if you are a die-hard Herbert fan.  Otherwise, there are better books out there.  It isn't the worst of his books (that dishonor might go to "The Dosadi Experiment"), but it pales in comparison to his more famous novels.

"The Dosadi Experiment" by Frank Herbert

The Dosadi Experiment was first published in 1978.  It is the second book (and the third story) in Herbert's ConSentiency series.  It is also the sequel to the book Whipping Star, also reviewed here.

The Dosadi Experiment is a terrible book, and is one of the worst things that Frank Herbert ever wrote.  The plot is a mess, the characters are wooden and uninteresting (even for Herbert), and none of the ideas in this book are carried through to their logical conclusions.  It is a book full of annoying aphorisms that might make sense if you were really, really stoned, and dramatic tension is almost entirely absent from this novel.

Apparently a frog-like race, the Gowachin, have created a large-scale social experiment on the planet Dosadi, involving both humans and Gowachins transplanted to the surface of that planet.  Following his discovery of this "Dosadi Experiment" an agent of the Bureau of Sabotage (or BuSab, for short) journeys to Dosadi, where he makes a universe-shattering discovery.

The only trouble with all of this is that BuSab's functions are never clear, the "threat" embodied in Dosadi is likewise unclear, and the "court scene" which concludes this book makes about as much sense as the court scene which concluded Whipping Star.

There's much better sci-fi out there, and there are much better books by Frank Herbert.