On a future Earth, where invading aliens have forced humanity to revert to a feudal society and conducting scientific research is punishable by death, it's good to be the heir to a duchy. Unless your brother has been burnt as punishment for heresy. And unless you intended to do something about it . . .
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Two with a medieval feel,
By
This review is from: Divide and Rule (Lancer Books #72-768) (Hardcover)
Divide and Rule: a weird world of knights and 'hoppers'
Sir Howard Van Slyck is a member of the aristocracy, being the second son of the Duke of Ploughkeepsie. As such he is certainly a cut above the workers, and has spent his time learning the fine art of knighthood, including how to run in armor and knock a man off his horse with a lance. Above the aristocracy are the 'hoppers', kangaroo like creatures that have exclusive rights to technology like cars and planes. Sir Howard enjoys the respect he is give by the workers and does not mind saluting in his turn to the 'hoppers'. That is the order and way of doing things that God has ordained after all. As a last fling before he settles down the young Sir Howard sets of on a journey to nowhere in particular in search of adventure. He soon meets Lyman Haas from Wyoming, an unorthodox fellow skilled in the use of rope lassoing. Together they set out to rescue Sally Mitten, a beautiful young woman who has been detained by a local warlord. Amid all this adventure Sir Howard is sure that the world is as it should be, but is that really so? Events will soon conspire to make him think, and think deeply. The first part of this novella has a distinct feel of fantasy, as if one was reading some weird alternate history. The combination of medieval society with technology is most intriguing. Then about halfway through the tale 'explanations' are given and the story changes into pure science fiction. Thematically the story is about order in society, particularly through political systems, and what is the best method of doing this. Showing some depth of thought De Camp touches on the possibility of a democratic world government for Planet Earth, but ultimately this book is a celebration of the 'twentieth century American way' of doing things. De Camp does not even mention the great Soviet experiment, which was well under way by the time this tale was written. The work consists of only 14 short chapters, which does not leave much room for development, but De Camp does manage to swing a complete revolution of though for Sir Howard. The author, however, is at his very best when describing rollicking adventure, as he does in the first half, rather than when he is being philosophical. This adventure of course contains a dash of De Camp's trademark humor to jolly us through the story. Considering this novella was last revised in 1948 it is interesting that we can read it in the twenty first century without feeling that it is a 'quaint old tale'. It is, indeed, an amusing read perfectly suited to an occasion when you have a day free to read, but don't want to start on a long novel. The Stolen Dormouse: the company is all The year is 2236 and the influence of business companies has greatly increased. The company is all: one lives in the company building, dresses in company uniform, works for the same company all ones life, and is even born into the company. An individual might even fight a duel with a member of another company if they have insulted your corporation strongly enough. In this world Horace Juniper-Hallett has made the mistake of feeling romantically inclined towards Janet Bickam-Coates. Janet works for the Stromberg Company and Horace for Crosley Company. These two businesses are bitter competitors and there has been a feud between them for so long that nobody can remember what the original cause was. In the mayhem that follows Horace is kicked right out of the Crosely Company, but Archwin Taylor-Thing, chairman of Crosley, has a proposition for Horace. Recently a 'dormouse', an engineer in a state of suspended animation, has disappeared from the mausoleum where he is kept and Archwin is convinced that the Strombergs have something to do with it. If he is revived the dormouse might have valuable information that could turn a pretty profit. If Horace could solve this mystery of the stolen dormouse he of course would be reinstated to the company and even marked for future promotion. This novella has a feudal ethos, which makes it an idea companion to <Divide and Rule>. De Camp has taken the idea of the 'clan company' from Japan where it is an actual reality, though it has been embellished a little to make the story more fun. The tale is written with a distinct tongue in cheek atmosphere, though it also contains much action and adventure. The reader is soon caught up in wondering exactly what will happen next and how things will all end for Horace. This novella is not weighed down by philosophy, as <Divide and Rule> is, but has less character development. Its eight short chapters are ideally suited to an afternoons read.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Two with a medieval feel,
By Sir Howard Van Slyck is a member of the aristocracy, being the second son of the Duke of Ploughkeepsie. As such he is certainly a cut above the workers, and has spent his time learning the fine art of knighthood, including how to run in armor and knock a man off his horse with a lance. Above the aristocracy are the 'hoppers', kangaroo like creatures that have exclusive rights to technology like cars and planes. Sir Howard enjoys the respect he is give by the workers and does not mind saluting in his turn to the 'hoppers'. That is the order and way of doing things that God has ordained after all. As a last fling before he settles down the young Sir Howard sets of on a journey to nowhere in particular in search of adventure. He soon meets Lyman Haas from Wyoming, an unorthodox fellow skilled in the use of rope lassoing. Together they set out to rescue Sally Mitten, a beautiful young woman who has been detained by a local warlord. Amid all this adventure Sir Howard is sure that the world is as it should be, but is that really so? Events will soon conspire to make him think, and think deeply. The first part of this novella has a distinct feel of fantasy, as if one was reading some weird alternate history. The combination of medieval society with technology is most intriguing. Then about halfway through the tale 'explanations' are given and the story changes into pure science fiction. Thematically the story is about order in society, particularly through political systems, and what is the best method of doing this. Showing some depth of thought De Camp touches on the possibility of a democratic world government for Planet Earth, but ultimately this book is a celebration of the 'twentieth century American way' of doing things. De Camp does not even mention the great Soviet experiment, which was well under way by the time this tale was written. The work consists of only 14 short chapters, which does not leave much room for development, but De Camp does manage to swing a complete revolution of though for Sir Howard. The author, however, is at his very best when describing rollicking adventure, as he does in the first half, rather than when he is being philosophical. This adventure of course contains a dash of De Camp's trademark humor to jolly us through the story. Considering this novella was last revised in 1948 it is interesting that we can read it in the twenty first century without feeling that it is a 'quaint old tale'. It is, indeed, an amusing read perfectly suited to an occasion when you have a day free to read, but don't want to start on a long novel. The Stolen Dormouse: the company is all The year is 2236 and the influence of business companies has greatly increased. The company is all: one lives in the company building, dresses in company uniform, works for the same company all ones life, and is even born into the company. An individual might even fight a duel with a member of another company if they have insulted your corporation strongly enough. In this world Horace Juniper-Hallett has made the mistake of feeling romantically inclined towards Janet Bickam-Coates. Janet works for the Stromberg Company and Horace for Crosley Company. These two businesses are bitter competitors and there has been a feud between them for so long that nobody can remember what the original cause was. In the mayhem that follows Horace is kicked right out of the Crosely Company, but Archwin Taylor-Thing, chairman of Crosley, has a proposition for Horace. Recently a 'dormouse', an engineer in a state of suspended animation, has disappeared from the mausoleum where he is kept and Archwin is convinced that the Strombergs have something to do with it. If he is revived the dormouse might have valuable information that could turn a pretty profit. If Horace could solve this mystery of the stolen dormouse he of course would be reinstated to the company and even marked for future promotion. This novella has a feudal ethos, which makes it an idea companion to <Divide and Rule>. De Camp has taken the idea of the 'clan company' from Japan where it is an actual reality, though it has been embellished a little to make the story more fun. The tale is written with a distinct tongue in cheek atmosphere, though it also contains much action and adventure. The reader is soon caught up in wondering exactly what will happen next and how things will all end for Horace. This novella is not weighed down by philosophy, as <Divide and Rule> is, but has less character development. Its eight short chapters are ideally suited to an afternoons read.
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