Customer Reviews

The Mount

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Rather than write another synopsis of the novel, I would instead comment on the number of different themes which present themselves in this incredibly imaginative tale. I see themes of Whites and Black slavery, the relationships between parents and children, the universal process of coming to adulthood, the idea of dominance and submission in relationships, and our treatment of the other creatures on this earth which we call "animals." If we were not the "dominant" species on this planet, would we be treated like the mounts in this story? I believe that we would. And I wonder about something else: If horses could speak, what would they tell us? This is a disturbing story which does what all great literature does. It changes us forever.

Woah. Read this whole book on a six-hour flight. Very different from what I expected. It's really good. Carol Emshwiller (the author) really gets inside the heads of her characters. The tale is told mostly from the point of view of Charley, a teenage boy who lives in a world where humans serve as steeds for a ruling class of weak-legged aliens that like to ride around on our shoulders. It's more about the bond between young Charley and an infant alien, the next in line to the alien throne, as they learn together about what it means to live under this current symbiotic(?) system.

Ms. Emshwiller's grasp of psychology is amazing. I especially loved it when she would step outside of Charley's head and spend a chapter from an alien's point of view, or from a different human. The way that she managed to explain the entire society in the first chapter without ever really seeming to lay it on with the exposition. She's a master. I'm definitely going to have to hunt down more of her work.

This is a science fiction/young adult novel told from the point of view of 11 year old Charlie.

The story is set in a society where Earth has been colonized by Hoots, who breed, ride and race tame humans. Charlie, a well-conformed Seattle, the strongest and best looking of the human breeds, is chosen as the mount for Little Master, The-Future-Ruler-Of-Us-All.

The story -- a good coming-of-age story on its own fictional merits -- also explores the nature of slavery without pomposity, without simplistic proclamation as Charlie sheds slavery as he also sheds childhood -- both with some regret. The coming-of-age elements (coming to terms with his father, searching for a missing mother, finding a young-adolescent place for himself in terms of family and in terms of a role in society) are beautifully plotted. The fantasy element is imaginative.

A recommendation. Especially if you have a smart 12 year old to read it with.

In the wake of a small-scale revolt, a human Mount and his Hoot Host, the Future-Ruler-Of-Us-All, learn together what it is to be free. The focus of the story rests on the transformation of young Smiley - a well-conformed Mount who thinks only of pleasing his Host - into something more human. Told from Smiley's juvenile perspective, Emshwiller shows us his evolving thought patterns, starting with his unsympathetic opinion of his own kind, and a stubborn unwillingness to even imagine a life outside of slavery. The relationship between Hoot and Mount, though queer at first, quickly becomes familiar; it is easy to see ourselves on both sides of the equation. Written for a younger audience, it was a short and easy read, but none the less significant for it. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to younger fans of sci-fi and fantasy.

I read this book after reading a brief review of it on Salon.Com. I don't often read science fiction, but the synopsis got me intereted and from the moment I started reading, Emshwiller's writing and characterization held me. Emshwiller doesn't go into excessive detail in painting a picture of the future world she's portraying, which is to her credit as it allows the reader to supply his/her own images of the people, places and things in the story. Perhaps that's why Emshwiller's writing has an almost cinematic feel, giving the reader a kind of panoramic view. At first, it felt like I was reading "young adult fiction" until I remembered that the protagonist is about 12 and the story is told mostly in his voice. Despite the presence of aliens and alien technology, the story and characters are essentially human. Hoots, after all, might be replaced with almost any ruling class for comparisons to human history to become immediately clear. "The Mount," entertains, informs, and provokes thought all in one package. It's a tall order for a book to fill, but Emshwiller does it well here.

The Mount, unlike any Carol Emshwiller's previous novels, is fairly straightforward science fiction. In simplest terms, it tells of a revolution against alien invaders. These invaders, called "Hoots", are physically weak and small, but over generations they have bred humans to serve them as "Mounts". The humans, then, become essentially pets to the aliens, treated a great deal like horses are treated by present-day humans. Thus the novel explores, quite thoughtfully, human/pet relationships, master/slave relationships, and the question of freedom versus comfort.

There are a few different viewpoint characters, but the story is mainly told through the eye of Charley, an especially prized young Mount who is the property of the son of a very high-ranking Hoot. Charley is extremely proud, to the point of vanity, of his abilities as a Mount. And his relationship with his Hoot, who he calls "Little Master", is complex but largely loving. Loving, though, in an almost creepy Master-Slave fashion. Charley, it turns out, is the son of a rebellious human, who has gone off to live in the wilderness, and who plots to free all humans, but particularly his son. The novel's main action turns on the initial success of this scheme, and then on the ambiguous results. Charley is by no means sure that freedom is all it's cracked up to be, and moreover he misses his "Little Master". He's also jealous of his father's relationship with a woman not his mother -- his mother, of course, being basically a brood mare chosen by the Hoots.

The plot twists a couple of times from there, coming to a moving, thoughtful, and balanced resolution, if not exactly a terribly original one. The storytelling is clear and interesting. The age of the protagonist, the theme, and the relatively simple storytelling make this novel, I would think, appealing to younger readers, but it certainly will satisfy adults as well.

This is the first Carol Emshwiller book I've read. I think the idea and the research behind this story is interesting. The characters are interesting and well-written. However, I kept asking "how did things get this way?" and that was never answered in the book. Such a radical change in the human condition really needed a good explanation otherwise I just had to accept it and the questions of origins just wouldn't leave my mind. I was also disappointed that I didn't know what these Hoots are -- what exactly are they? How exactly does prey overcome predator? Are human beings so easily classified as predators? But if you don't have these sorts of questions then you should just enjoy the book.

The Mount is easily one of the best novels I've read this year. Charley, the novel's narrator, is a fascinating and wonderfully realized character who continues to deepen and grow more complex as his understanding of the world changes. The heart of the novel is in Charley's changing relationships: with his father, with his host, Little Master, with Lily, his first love, and finally, with his own sense of self. This is a heartfelt, warm, and very funny book, and I found it leaving an unexpected impression long after I had finished it. Like Charley, we all face a world with competing allegiances--one in which we all struggle to understand the ways in which we're bound, and the ways in which we're free.

This book was fun, easy, and engaging to read. The premise of the book is simple. Humanity has been enslaved by an alien race that has crash landed on the planet. Throughout the book, the plot remains focused on the submissive role that the various human characters have adopted and the consequences that follow. We follow the main character, Charley, as he matures from a young boy and enters into manhood. Accustomed to his submissive role, he struggles to maintain the relationship between him and his master, an alien, even as circumstances dictate that he take on a more dominant role. The book really flushes out the dominant-submissive relationships that we humans so often chain ourselves to.

I am giving this book 4 stars, even though it might be a five star book. This is because the ending of the book felt too happy. I was expecting a depressing ending that would force me to examine my life even more than I had. Instead I was treated to a fairy-tale happy ending. I also grew weary of the author's use of incomplete sentences, which drove me nuts. Despite all this, I still highly recommend the book, especially for science-fiction aficionados.

Stunning, insightful, touching.... this is a great read. You get "trapped" by the dialogue - which is - to paraphrase "genius". Allegory, yes - I don't get the "slavery element" others find in it - far too superficial -- it seems to me more about relationships - and living. Buy it!