Tue 15 Dec 2020
Diary Review: ACE DOUBLE G-632: Mack Reynolds [+] A. Bertram Chandler.
Posted by Steve under Diary Reviews , Science Fiction & Fantasy[5] Comments
(1) MACK REYNOLDS – The Rival Rigelians. #3 in his “United Planets” series. Paperback original, 1967. A shorter novella version entitled “Adaptation†appeared in Analog SF, August 1960. Published separately by Wildside Press, trade paperback, July 2020.
A political lecture in fictionalized form. A team of eighteen is sent to Rigel’s two planets having been given fifty years to bring the abandoned colonies here back to civilization and eventual union with the Galactic Commonwealth. They split into two forces to settle their argument over the optimal plan of action, capitalism or communism.
This might be a valid premise for a story, except (page 25) Earth has had world government for some time, implying that some political wisdom must have been gained since the present time. The local leaders even realize this and unite to force their unwanted visitors to depart in favor of proper ambassadors.
“Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely,†and Reynolds pulls every trick in the book to make this obvious. He needn’t have tried so hard. The faults of current political systems are obvious enough, without the lecture.
Rating: 2½ stars
Comment: From the online Science Fiction Encyclopedia: “The United Planets Organization [worked] in the cause of socioeconomic progress in the often-eccentric Ultima Thule colony worlds of a Galactic Empire.”
(2) A. BERTRAM CHANDLER – Nebula Alert. Empress Irene #3. Paperback original, 1967.
Ex-empress Irene and the crew of her ship Wanderer enter the Alternate Universe of the Rim Confederacy after being pursued through the Horsehead Nebula. Their cargo consists of two dozen (somehow later twenty-six) Iralian embassy personnel. But the Iralians are capable of transmitting knowledge by heredity and hence are extremely desirable as slaves.
Thus begins a tale of chase and fast action, but the plot becomes more and more tangled up in itself and fails to be resolved by an ending which comes from nowhere. Possibly OK if read as an adventure story only, but what a waste of undeveloped ideas!
Rating: 2 stars
Comment: Once Irene and her crew pass through the Horsehead Nebula they meet Chandler’s major series character, John Grimes. This is the last Irene story. It was preceded by Empress of Outer Space (1965) and Space Mercenaries (1965).
December 15th, 2020 at 10:19 pm
The Grimes stories and novels were generally more interesting than this — he even meets Poul Anderson’s Dominic Flandry in one.
December 15th, 2020 at 11:52 pm
Grimes had a long illustrious spaceship-faring career. I don’t recall any of the books he was in as outstanding, but the earlier ones at least were quite often fun. As I recall, though, as time went on, either Chandler or I seemed to lose interest (I’m sure it was me) and I neither went further.
As for the Flandry crossover, ’tis true. I found this on Wikipedia to back up what I remember about it, too:
“Chandler made heavy use of the parallel universe plot device throughout his career, with many Grimes stories involving characters briefly crossing over into other realities. In The Dark Dimensions, which is set at a point in space where various realities meet, Grimes (the Rim World Commodore), meets not only another John Grimes who is still in the Federation Survey Service, but also the characters from the Empress Irene books and Poul Anderson’s Dominic Flandry.”
Some of Chandler’s books were, in other words, very strange.
December 16th, 2020 at 11:40 am
I read this ACE Double back in the 1960s. I was a fan of both Mack Reynolds and Chandler in those days. The Science Fiction Book Club (remember them?) reprinted the Grimes stories in omnibus editions. A few years ago, BAEN Books did the same thing: multiple volumes of Grimes stories (with slightly better cover artwork). It would be nice if someone would collect Mack Reynolds’ various series in omnibus editions, too!
December 16th, 2020 at 1:04 pm
You’re right, George. Somebody really ought to do some omnibus collections of Mack Reynolds’ work. Back in the 1960s and 70s, he was one of the most popular authors around. I thought I remembered that Baen had reprinted some of his books, but all I’ve come up with are some posthumous novels finished by Dean Ing. Here are a few of them, mixed up with some others (if the link works) —
https://www.google.com/search?q=mack+reynolds+dean+ing+baen&client=firefox-b-1-d&sxsrf=ALeKk01z1CCFmWf6crfA17B0hfQLN3J9-A:1608141800953&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjw26yGi9PtAhVJGVkFHfqzAu8Q_AUoAnoECAUQBA&biw=1064&bih=550
December 16th, 2020 at 9:25 pm
Some of Reynolds work is available On Line for free download and some of his short work in various 99 cent collections. Many of the digests with his work are in Public Domain and available too, but he does deserve to be collected, if nothing else the ‘Black Man’s Burden” stories.