Customer Reviews

Forge of the Elders

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

L. Neil Smith was the author who first got me introduced to libertarianism, and it started a friendship with the ideas and ideals of that philosophy that never wore off. This book was a delight, not only because it finally completes the cycle "Questar" never finished, but because, about halfway through the book, I had one of those wonderful "Aha!" moments. I'll describe it at the end of the review, but that moment made my year!

The story is very well told. Smith *can* be a tad preachy, but it doesn't interrupt the flow of the story, while making sure you understand not only WHAT happens, but WHY. Smith has taken the concept of alternate realities farther than anyone else, and made it a truly living thing. In these days, when our government waves automatic weapons at terrified children, it's a comfort to think that *somewhere* in the multiverse there are people, (and sea-scorpions, and nautiloids, and ...) who HAVEN'T screwed up. This is a book I plan to re-read, and, with the limits on my time these days, I don't do that often.

As to the "Aha!" moment. One of the main characters is "Eichra Oren", a "Moral Debt Assessor" who is a combination of detective, arbitrator, judge, jury, and, if need be, executioner. It hit me about halfway through the book that *ALL* debts are MORAL debts. Money, or any other form of restitution, is simply a tangible expression of that morality. Mr. Smith, if you read this, thank you. A book which hits me like this is a rare and valuable gem.

_Forge of the Elders_ has a lot going for it, but I can't say that it's really the best I've seen from Smith. He expands on a concept earlier explored in _Probability Broach_ and he pokes unsubtle fun at various statist ideas and people but he leaves the book on an unsatisfying note and misses a couple of interesting opportunities.

First, I should say that I am a recent fan of LNS and, politically, I enjoy the preaching as much as any member of the choir. In addition, while this may come across as a negative review, I generally enjoyed _Forge_. That said, I was a little disappointed in a few ways.

With regard to the political message of the book, I think Smith takes the easy way out by contriving such an obviously corrupt and stagnant socialist regime. Even the names were over the top: no state is ever going to be dumb enough to call itself "CountryX Soviet Socialist Republic". Even Ayn Rand, who wasn't exactly known for her subtlety, wasn't that heavy-handed. Where's the challenge in showing that a (literally named) KGB agent and his thuggish enforcers represent a corrupt system?

In my view, the real challenge in libertarian fiction lays in taking a state that's similar to what the average person sees every day, maybe advance things to a somewhat uglier but still recognizable level of statism, and then tear it apart on the basis of what it claims to do well. For example, show that liberty and its requisite free market economy are actually better and more compassionate for people, *particularly* the poor or variously disadvantaged. Perhaps, take a character who is socialist because she worries that innocent children will fall through the cracks in a truly free society and convince her that Libertaria is a better world.

In another area, there was plenty of evolutionary postulation in this book, both political and biological and I enjoyed it. However, Smith spends a lot of time exploring the notion that the older a species is (in terms of how long ago it achieved intelligence), the more it will tend toward a society of libertarian freedom. While there may be something to that idea, it would also interesting to explore how the increased *lifespan* of a species affects its libertarian tendency. This is something very applicable to the relatively near future on (our) Earth. I don't mean this a criticism of _Forge_ so much as just something I'd like to see in a future book and I was reminded of it since several of the species in _Forge_ were very long-lived.

Finally, I agree with a few others that the final section had a certain tacked-on feel to it. Without going into spoiling detail, I'll just say that it read as though Smith decided to rehash the concept in the middle section, but more so.

Overall, I liked _Forge_ and I recommend it. But those new to Smith will probably enjoy _Probability Broach_ and _Pallas_ more.

Some readers will think _Forge of the Elders_ is L. Neil Smith's best book so far. He began revolutionizing the alternate world subgenre many years ago with _Probability Broach_. It was comparatively a mild departure from the real world in that the historical difference was the success of the Whiskey Rebellion during Washington's Presidency. A lovely book that I've read at least a dozen times. But _Forge of the Elders_ takes alternate worlds further than ever before. Not to give too much away here, but there is an _infinity_ of parallel worlds, including at least one where homo sapiens never existed, and the Earth is dominated by sapient squid. And these squid know how to travel between the universes. The story, as always with Smith, stands on its own as an adventure. Readers who dig deeper will find lots of scrumptious stuff, including thought-provoking political philosophy, as well as deeply-buried puns and jokes that will reward those who decipher them. Hint: Nero Wolfe fans will find secret messages here. As an adventure novel, _Forge_ is in a league with Tom Clancy's best. As science fiction, it is best compared with _Gulliver's Travels_ and _Mother Night_. As a work of philosophy, it reminds me of _Atlas Shrugged_ and _Moon is a Harsh Mistress_. And somehow, there is a bit of H. P. Lovecraft there, too. Smith is always full of surprises.

Finally! After years of waiting, we get to learn how this story turns out. Originally to be published as a trilogy, the fianl book was cancelled by the publisher for being too radical! L. Neil Smith does his usual fine job of blending outlandish aliens, humor and political philosophy to produce a cracking good read. A fun adventure story which takes a few well-aimed shots at some of the sacred cows of today. This one is pure pleasure!

Welcome to the whacky subgenre ... of hard-core laissez-faire sci-fi!

There's a good anthology of short stories _Free Space_, edited by Brad Linaweaver, but FORGE OF THE ELDERS is apparently the prime example of "hard-core laissez-faire sci-fi."

"Capitalist monsters from outer space!" says it all.

Smith's novel is simplistic and didactic like any other humorous political fictional tract, say _Gulliver's Travels_.

It's naive to see the novel any other way.

In the actual world around you (circa 2001) laissez faireism is rarely seen or heard, and the slightest, vaguest laissez faireist ideas are highly negativized by the mass media.

For that reason, it's really refreshing, rejuvenating!, empowering!, to read _Forge of the Elders_ for a few days...

As a laissez faireist it's good to be immersed in an "extremist" (as our socialist friends would put it) civilized environment for awhile.

Truly, the world inside Mr. Smith's head is a wondrous (laissez faire) place, and you'll pick up lots of interesting L.F.-related thoughts and ideas you may not have considered before.

(For instance, there's the nifty observation that all sapient beings, ie laissez faireist individuals, probably evolved from predator species...make a lot of sense.)

Needless to say, all environmentalists, socialists, vegetarians and the like will loathe and despise this book.

Mr. Smith, and all laissez-faireists, wouldn't have it any other way.

Since the "hard-core laissez-faire sci-fi" subgenre is so small (only a handful of books), it is probably well worth buying a copy of _Forge of the Elders_...everyone should have a copy on their bookshelf.

Again, a very "empowering" read, since, as a laissez-faireist, you are just SO bombarded with pathetic child-mind statist ideas 24 hours a day, 7 days a week...Forge of the Elders has that good clean smell of capitalism, you'll leave feeling lighter

I've been an LNS fan ever since I accidentally picked up _THE VENUS BELT_, and I can't get enough. Finally someone had the guts to print the Forge of the Elders series (it's actually three books, Contact and Commune, Converse and Conflict, and another the original publisher canceled because it made too many people squirm.)

Well, FORGE is full of squirmy moments: the three space shuttles from the American Soviet Socialist Republic (ASSR) are named after Orrin Hatch, Bob Dole, and John McCain. (in the original two volumes they were named after comparably prominent Democrats). Don't go into this book without promising yourself to hold on to the surprise ending. It's a page-turner in the third volume.

The book does have certain minor inconsistencies in the third volume, but only nitpickers would find them. Expect well-portrayed aliens who really are alien, along with one of the most original aliens yet. Expect subtlety in characterization and at least one character who transcends indoctrination (the last one you'd suspect). Expect a truly villianous villian, with a certain sick charm but definitely someone in need of killing. Expect hidden meanings and subtle (as well as not-so-subtle) puns. Expect great imagery and writing that, if not entirely consistent in quality, improves as the plot advances. Above all, expect to finish the book thoroughly disgusted by the status quo in this country. Neil's ASSR could happen here, but needn't if enough of us read this book.

You won't waste your money if you buy Forge--but you may come away changed. I did.

The story is an interesting concept, and the libertarian themes are well-presented. I can't argue with the philosophy that Smith is putting forward. However, I found myself having to re-read sentences and paragraphs because either my mind would wander or else I didn't quite catch the meaning the first time round.

The very first sentence of the of the book is a perfect example: "A fountain sparkled in the broad, tiled courtyard of the hillside villa, cooling the afternoon breeze and sprinkling the sandaled feet of a lean-muscled young man seated before it."

I mean, does every noun have to have a modifier? By the time I get to the word "it" I've already forgotten what it refers to. Unfortunately there's page after page of twisted and tortured sentences following this one. I found myself scanning ahead at times trying to find their periods.

To be fair, it does settle down after a while, when there is more dialog between characters. Still, I was never quite able to just "flow" with the words, until I forgot I was reading, like I am able to do with, for example, Jules Verne, or Frank Herbert.

In a sense _Forge_ is a fuller and robust re-telling of the basic story underneath _The Probability Broach_. _Broach's_ Win Bear becomes _Forge's_ Soviet American Expedition, as the hapless functionary(ies) from a corrupt and decaying government who stuble onto an incredibly advanced and absolutely individualist civilization.

Much of _Forge_ involves the various American characters learning about how this civilization functions, and this is the vehicle by which Smith delivers one of the best argments yet for a completely stateless society. I particularly enjoyed the way he resolves the tiresome "flagpole emergency" objection to the non-agression principle.

As before, Smith ably conveys the confusion and wonderment of both the visitors and the hosts as they discover one new aspect after another of their very different cultures. And each such discovery conveys an important idea about the nature of love, trade, justice, freedom, and slavery.

And of course there's a real story here with a three-part main plot, several sub-plots, and more than a dozen really strong characters along with "a cast of thousands." All sprinkled liberally with humor, pathos, and just the right amount of sex.

Marxism was considered as dead as its originator, a failed economic system that also took away basic freedoms. However, when the global economy collapses into the worst depression ever, inalienable rights become unimportant, as food on the table seems more critical. Capitalism becomes dust as a desperate world returns Marxism to an even more glorious control than it had in its twentieth century hey day. Even Americans join the collective bandwagon, as earth is now the real "red planet".

However, changing economic systems fails to change the downward spiral. New hope finally glimmers when the People's Astronomers discover an asteroid with valuable minerals that might revitalize the failing planet. A desperate NASA sends ancient shuttles manned by lunatics and throw-aways to explore the seemingly rich find. However, humanity is not the first to land on the asteroid as the Elders, a "nautiloid" race of capitalist squids from a parallel Earth beats Homo sapiens there. Now the competition begins

Weird and insane - yes. Perhaps that is why science fiction fans will take great pleasure from the wild FORGE OF THE ELDERS. The plot satirizes our current society leaving it carved up as only L. Neil Smith can entertainingly do so. The story line is amusing yet provides a serious political undertone inside a strong space race novel. Characters are developed just enough to either skewer western morality or to propel the delightful story line forward at warp speed. Besides SF fans, anyone bushed from the DC gore of chained politics will find this jocular tale takes no prisoners.

Harriet Klausner

The political and moral message of this book overcomes its less-than-excellent writing style and oversimplification of some characters. As a Libertarian, I saw this as much more than a science fiction adventure. Somewhat annoying was that LNS tells you what to think of his characters, instead of presenting them and their behavior, and letting YOU decide what to think of them.

Still, a fine read for those interested in liberty, statism, the role of government, and evolution as it applies to behavior. Others have said it better (like Ayn Rand) but not with as much fun and whimsy!