The Rose [Import] [Paperback]

Charles L. Harness (Author), Michael McInnerney (Illustrator)

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Medallion Books; First Thus edition (1969)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 058602879X
• ISBN-13: 978-0586028797
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,415,881 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Science versus Art, with a Universe as the prize, May 19, 2010

By 

William Timothy Lukeman - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Nearly 60 years old now, this electrifying novella remains a jewel of science-fiction. In its brief 85 pages, it displays & examines countless mad ideas & intricate, glittering webs of human relationship, all in a simple but literate, elegant prose. It moves as swiftly as any space opera, but there's much more than spaceships & stellar explosions & jut-jawed heroes to be found here. Charles Harness not only anticipates the work of writers such as Samuel Delany & Roger Zelazny, he easily equals their best work.

Anna van Tuyl, composer, ballerina, psychiatrist, is struggling to complete the score & dance movements to a piece called "The Rose," She's become aware of strange mutations in her body, which she fears will disfigure her ... but they also seem to draw her toward the completion of her work.

Assigned to analyze Ruy Jacques, a noted painter, she discovers that he has the same mutations, only more advanced than hers. Already his thoughts are moving in different planes of perception, and he seems to know her innermost needs & desires instinctively.

But his insanely jealous & powerful wife, Martha Jacques, is working on a new & deadly weapon that could not only determine the fate of the Universe, but conquer Art in the name of Science. For that eternal philosophical struggle is embodied in their complex, dysfunctional marriage.

Preceeding the fabled New Wave of science-fiction by a decade, this novella was finally reprinted in 1969, accompanied by a concise, appreciative forward by Michael Moorcock, one of the New Wave's luminaries. More than 40 years after that reprinting, Moorcock's words remain as perceptive & true as ever. This is a beautiful, witty, above all thought-provoking story of enormous energy & startling images -- and, sadly, out of print once more. But if you value quality work, seek out a used copy -- most highly recommended!

Note: This edition includes 2 short stories, the droll "The Chessplayers," and the humorous but philosophical "The New Reality," which artfully plays with one of the oldest clichés of science-fiction. Both are quite enjoyable, but it's "The Rose" that you'll want, and it's "The Rose" that will stay with you a long time afterwards.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No Thorns On This Rose, February 17, 2008

By 

Dave_42 "Dave_42" (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rose (Paperback)

"The Rose" is a collection of short fiction by Charles L. Harness, which was originally published in 1966, though the works themselves are all from the early 50s. Containing just three works of short fiction, a novella, a short story, and a novelette, it is still very much worth seeking out.

The first story is a novella titled "The Rose", which first appeared in the March 1953 edition of "Authentic Science Fiction Monthly, #31. It is an interesting work in which Harness pits science against art in the future. The main character is Anna van Tuyl, who is a composer and a psychiatrist, and thus is part of both the science and artistic worlds. Ruy Jacques is firmly in the art camp, and takes great delight in showing up his wife Martha who is the chief proponent of science. This lover's triangle works on two levels, both the human lover level as well as the dynamic between art and science and in both cases it is Anna who is caught in the middle.

Science is the villain in this story, as represented by Martha who acts in a cold and vindictive way. Initially, one thinks of art as the positive force in the story, but in fact Ruy has some significant, if more human, problems as well. It is a well written story, and the dialogues between Ruy and Martha are very entertaining, as is the premise that art has preceded scientific learning throughout man's history. It is not difficult to see why this novella was nominated for the Retro Hugo in 2004 for works written in the year 1953.

The second story is a short story called "The Chessplayers", which was originally published in "The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction" in October 1953. This is a nice short humorous story about a chess playing rat, and a chess club which is out to beat the Russians at something. It is the weakest story in the collection, but that is rather easy to do and it is still a very enjoyable read.

The last story is "The New Reality", a novelette which was first published in "Thrilling Wonder Stories", in December of 1950. This is an intriguing story which has a great premise and then took it in a direction which I didn't expect. A. P. Rogers is a field director for the Censor and investigates scientists who may be close to creating new sensorial which may change the fundamental nature of the universe. This is a very cleverly written piece which uses changes in scientific "facts" to create a unique and interesting story.