The Other [Paperback]

Matthew Hughes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2011

Meet Luff Imbry, an insidiously clever confidence man . . . He likes good wine, good food, and good stolen goods, and he always maintains the upper hand. When a business rival gets the drop on him, he finds himself abandoned on Fulda—a far-off, isolated world with a history of its own. Unable to blend in and furious for revenge, Imbry has to rely on his infamous criminal wit to survive Fulda’s crusade to extinguish The Other.

Hailed as the heir apparent to Jack Vance, Matthew Hughes brings us this speculative, richly imagined exploration of society on the far edges of extreme. A central character in Black Brillion, Luff Imbry is at last front and center in Hughes’s latest rollercoaster adventure through a far-future universe.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A tremendous amount of fun.”
—George R. R. Martin

"Superlative. A droll narrative voice, dry humor, and an alternative universe that's accessible without excessive exposition."
— Publishers Weekly

“An intriguing blend of far-future science fiction, fantasy, and mystery . . .”
—Booklist

"A bit Arthur Conan Doyle, a bit Jack Vance . . . [with] the lasting appeal of one of PG Wodehouse's Bertie Wooster books."
—Seattle Times

“Hughes serves up equal measures of wit, intrigue, and seat-of-the-pants action and even dabbles a little in Jungian psychology.”
—Booklist

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Underland Press (November 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 098266396X
• ISBN-13: 978-0982663967
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.7 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,081,021 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Consistently wry, cleverly written, and entirely original October 28, 2011

By David Studhalter

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Matthew Hughes is often referred to as "Vancean" or the "heir of Jack Vance," which is true enough, but this book, as with his other recent work, is totally original, while retaining the unique wry humor and wordcraft that we associate with the elder master.

Luff Imbry is great fun, and the world Fulda is as baroque and brilliantly conceived as any of Vance's, while not exactly resembling any of them. Unfortunately, like Vance, the mass audience seems to elude Hughes, which is a real shame, because there's no one out there who does this kind of far future science fantasy nearly as well... especially now that Vance has completely retired (at 95).

Don't THINK about it. BUY this book, right now!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Yet another good novel of the Archonate universe November 7, 2011

By CostumeDesigner

Format:Paperback

Matthew Hughes' readers are likely already familiar with his character Luff Imbry, master thief and art forger. The Other begins with Imbry being kidnapped and deposited on a remote, backward desert planet called Fulda. Imbry then continuously devotes his formidable analytical powers to several problems. First, survival. Second, the Fuldans' peculiar history, customs, religion, and political conflicts, because understanding these turns out to be essential for survival. Third, the identity and purpose of his kidnapper, so that Imbry can avenge himself. And fourth, how Imbry can return to Old Earth from a planet that has no spaceports.

Fulda is inhabited solely by a cult devoted to physical conformity, which has been almost completely achieved after centuries of inbreeding. Formerly "irregulars" were killed. But since a subcult has developed where irregulars facilitate mystic revelations, they are permitted to live, though subjected to segregation and prejudice. Because Imbry is both an offworlder and obese, he is deemed an irregular. He finds himself forced to play a role in the cult's mythology.

Plotwise, The Other alternates between fast action and Imbry's discoveries, which then facilitate another part of the action. Imbry indulges in long meditations, which, although neatly fitted into breaks such as incarceration and slow traveling, sometimes become tedious. Imbry repeatedly gives the same history and analysis of the cult, narrows down the same list of potential kidnappers, and reiterates the same escape plans.

Imbry is also a rather wooden character, displaying almost no emotion and with no eccentricities other than an oft-mentioned love of gourmet cuisine. Matthew Hughes is marketed as a successor to Jack Vance, and Fulda is as colorful as any of Vance's societies. However, Hughes' works move increasingly away from Vance-style baroque language and ironic wit. True, the plot does, at the end, turn out to be ironic--but not witty. Hughes may (or may not) intend certain concepts to be funny--for example, the Fuldan requirement that everyone go nude except for a hat, sandals, and a pouch for carrying small items. If he does, the concept is not inherently funny (many primitive societies on Earth haven't worn much), and the book is not written in a way that makes it funny.

The direction Imbry chooses at the end of The Other doesn't quite make sense. But it does leave the door wide open for a sequel. I look forward to it.

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Story with a Few Pitfalls June 28, 2012

By R. D. Webber

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I am very much a fan of Matthew Hughes's work, and "The Other" is another engaging story told in Hughes's distinctive voice. I greatly enjoyed reading it and would recommend it to almost any of my friends who are fans of this kind of science fiction.

Unfortunately, there are some minor problems of narrative continuity which reduced my enjoyment somewhat by making me drop out of the story. Were the cloth coverings pulled from the driver's bench by the performer or by the official? Were the victims crushed by pressing, dropped, or asphyxiated? Was there a hand-held communicator, or was the communicator in the vehicle needed? Wasn't a twin both extraneous to the story and a significant deviation from statistical normality? What was found at the third oasis?

I do not find fault with the author on account of such slips, and I am sure that the majority of the people who read this entertaining adventure story won't notice them. It's a pity that that majority included the copy editor who should have been able to see the glitches along with the clitch and be sure they were corrected before the book went to press.

Mr Hughes, if you are reading this I hope that you will not take the above as a criticism of your work. I would regret it forever if my comments held you back from producing even one more page of your marvelous fiction. Just please see if you can have your work copy-edited by someone as skilled at that part of publishing a story as you are at imagining it and writing it down.