The Man--Kzin Wars, by Larry Niven, Poul Anderson and Dean Ing.

(I know there could be some mistakes in this review. I’m trying to improve my English, thanks)

So finally I have read my first Man-Kzin Wars book. In this case, an introduction and a short story written by Larry Niven himself, The Warriors. A novelette, Iron by the master Poul Anderson and the novella Cathouse by an unknown writer (at least for me), Dean Ing. 

Enjoyable science fiction, pre-information age style (the book was published in 1988); well planned and correctly written; space opera stories with a lot of details: they have a notable hard component, specially Poul Anderson’s.

Actually I consider that Dean Ing’s story is the best. Cathouse deals with the psychology of its characters: Carroll Locklear, a survivor of a space battle that has left to his fate among the Kzin, first as a captive and then as a companion on an unknown planet. To highlight the character of a female kzin, which Locklear calls Miss Kitty.

It was not the first alien-cat-like story that I have read. I am thinking about Satan's World (Polesotechnic League series) also by Poul Anderson and of course Chanur, by C. J. Cherryh (Chanur Saga), both they are good works. In our case, as I said I am also delighted by the very interesting and well depicted Kzin characters.

In summary, I enjoyed it and I want to read more of this series. By the way, the Man-Kzin Wars XV will be available in February. 

Undersea Quest, by Frederik Pohl & Jack Williamson

(I know there could be some mistakes in this review. I’m trying to improve my English, thanks)

(También puedes leer esta reseña en castellano aquí)

As I explained in the first post, I intend to read three submarine science fiction books. Maybe I must have read this one first, because it is an anterior work than Creatures of the Abyss (1961) but it does not matter: the two novels deal with different topics.

I admit that I expected more from the masters Frederik Pohl and Jack Williamson, but it is my fault because Undersea Quest (1954) is juvenile literature. Juvenile literature is that we call today young adult? I think this is not exactly the same: about the former, one can say that is more naive and intentionally more... juvenile; while about the latter, as far as the few books that I have read, the A weighs more than the Y, but maybe the kind readers of this blog could think different…

So, from the firsts pages I know this is a novel for youngsters. The orphan Jim Eden receives a visit from his uncle, who is a great scientist and lives in a submarine city-state called Marinia. Uncle Eden announces to Jim that on his sixteenth birthday he will join the Sub-Sea Academy... and then the adventure starts. As a submarine cadet, Jim will visit astounding undersea cities; he will make friends (and some enemies) and he will face incredible dangers, including some monsters from the unexplored depths (well, this in not true, they are only mentioned, but I hope to see them in the sequels).

The undersea world that Jim and his friends will know is full of technological marvels, with incredible city-states and submarines faster than the surface vessels, but also this future has its own troubles, such as corruption and crime in Marinia; and also, one terrible threat for the entire world: a shortage of uranium! I said in the previous post how the oceans were considered the promise of future for humanity, and there is another trope: in the fifties the nuclear fission was expected as the future energy source. How I love retrofuturism! (No irony here, I am being honest).

The novel is correctly written, it is narrated from the protagonist point of view and maintains the youthful tone at all times. For example, when the story gives clues about what will occur next, such as when Jim Eden says, Soon (in the next chapter) I would discover how wrong I was. This is a curious way to anticipate the plot because... juvenile literature. However, in the third part of the book the pace is faster and the story gains interest.

Summarizing, an entertaining submarine adventure, nostalgic from better times, by the SFWA Grand Masters Frederik Pohl (1919-2013) and Jack williamson (1908-2006), whose prolific and prolonged careers have given us great science fiction stories for almost six decades.

My next and last under the sea science fiction reading will be Starfish by the mad genius Peter Watts. Naivety is over!

Undersea Quest, de Frederik Pohl y Jack Williamson

                         (You can also read this review in English)

Como expliqué en una publicación anterior, me propongo leer tres libros de ciencia ficción submarina. Tal vez debería haber leído este primero, porque es una obra anterior a Creatures of the Abyss, pero no importa: las dos novelas tratan temas muy diferentes.

Confieso que esperaba más de los maestros Frederik Pohl y Jack Williamson, pero es culpa mía porque Undersea Quest (1954) es literatura juvenil. Como literatura juvenil, ¿podemos entender lo que hoy en día se llama young adult? En mi opinión no es exactamente lo mismo, para mí la primera es un tipo de literatura más ingenua e intencionalmente más... juvenil; mientras que en la segunda, por los pocos libros que he leído, la palabra Adult pesa más que la de Young. Es solo una reflexión rápida, claro, tal vez los amables lectores y lectoras del blog podrán corregirme.

Desde las primeras páginas lo anterior se hace evidente. El huérfano Jim Eden recibe la visita de su tío, un gran científico que vive en una ciudad-estado submarina llamada Marinia. El tío Eden le comunica a Jim que a los dieciséis años ingresará en la Academia Militar Submarina ... y así es como empieza la aventura. Como cadete submarinista, Jim visitará asombrosas ciudades sumergidas en las profundidades; Hará algunos amigos (y también enemigos) y se enfrentará a muchos peligros submarinos, incluyendo algunos monstruos de las profundidades inexploradas (bueno, esto no es cierto, en esta novela solo se mencionan, pero espero verlos en las secuelas).

El mundo submarino que Jim y sus amigos conocerán está lleno de maravillas tecnológicas, con increíbles ciudades-estado y submarinos más rápidos que los buques de superficie; pero este futuro aparentemente idílico tiene sus propios problemas, como la corrupción y el crimen en Marinia; y además una amenaza terrible para todo el planeta: ¡escasez de uranio! En la entrada anterior comenté que los océanos se consideraban como la promesa de futuro de la humanidad, y aquí tenemos otro tópico de la ciencia ficción optimista de los cincuenta: la fisión nuclear vista como la fuente de energía ideal para el futuro. Ante esto solo puedo decir: ¡Amo el retrofuturismo! (y lo digo sin ironía).

La novela está escrita correctamente y está narrada en boca del protagonista, manteniendo un tono juvenil en todo momento. Por ejemplo, la forma inusual de proporcionar pistas sobre lo que ocurrirá después, como cuando Jim Eden explica que las cosas se van a torcer: Pronto (en el próximo capítulo) descubriría lo equivocado que estaba. Una forma curiosa de anticipar la trama porque ... es literatura juvenil. Sin embargo, la tercera parte del libro mejora, el ritmo es más rápido y la historia gana interés.

Resumiendo, una entretenida aventura submarina, nostálgica de tiempos más optimistas que los nuestros, por los premiados como Grand Master por la Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Jack williamson (1908-2006) y Frederik Pohl(1919-2013), cuyas prolíficas y prolongadas carreras nos han dado grandes historias de ciencia ficción durante casi seis décadas.

Mi siguiente y última lectura de ciencia ficción bajo el mar será Starfish, del genio perverso de Peter Watts. ¡Se acabó la ingenuidad!