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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fun, fast-moving, not quite convincing, science fantasy,
By
This review is from: Trapped (League of Peoples, Bk. 6) (Mass Market Paperback)
Trapped is James Alan Gardner's sixth novel. All are set in a future (about 500 years from now) dominated by the League of Peoples. Humans have a number of colonies, but only "sentient" humans (non-murderers) can travel to other stars. Earth itself is ruled by the "Spark Lords", humans who have been given considerable tech by aliens in exchange for keeping tabs on the remaining humans on the planet. The aliens have also seeded Earth with nanotech that can be used by some people in ways that closely mimic traditional magic. The upshot of this setup is that Earth is a nice setting for quasi-fantastical adventures. The hero of the book is Phil, a science teacher at a college in Feliss (roughly Ontario). When one of his students dies, he and several of his friends find themselves on a magical quest, to track down the murderer of the student and to save another student who has special powers. They also hope to give their lives some meaning. The story is fun, often funny, often clever, and quite full of action and adventure. On that level it is well worth reading, and I enjoyed it. But it is also burdened by the overly convenient way in which the author seems to arrange for just the right powers to be available at just the right time, and the overly convenient way in which various folks' motivations dovetail with the needs of the story at the right time. That is, it's a pretty fun book, and a nice fast-moving read, but it is not at all convincing. This isn't his best work, but it's not bad. Gardner's novels as a group are well worth seeking out. They are full of decent adventure, cute SFnal ideas, and plenty of humour.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Better writing than previous novles, but with some flaws.,
By Maggie the Lizard Tamer (NY, NY) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Trapped (League of Peoples, Bk. 6) (Mass Market Paperback)
I've read all of the League of People series by James Alan Gardner and I have to admit that this one is certainly the best written, clearest, and most detailed. I was most impressed by the fact that Mr. Gardner finally figured out that to emphasize something, he doesn't have to repeat it three three three times. Instead, the novel is full of excellent descriptions of a post-technology era, where horse-drawn carriages are pulled on 500 year old highways with giant potholes and the main way of communication is mail by land.However, there are flaws in this novel. I think the primary flaw is the desperate need for tying this novel into the League of People plot. It would really make a better book to create a whole new universe explaining the agency to protect earth to be controlled by SOME extraterrestials, but not necessarily the League of People. Sure, the plot twists were great, however, throughout the whole book I felt they were unnecessary. Also, on a personal note, I would've preferred much more (or even some) space travel, but between the aliens and the magic, I can't complain too much. I don't want to spoil too much for the reader, but the basic premise for the story is a quest that the characters take in order to save a highly powerful psychic able to perform tasks from telekinesis to mind-reading. They embark on a journey: a fighter, a cleric, a mage, a thief, and a rich guy. Sounds a bit too much like a Dungeons and Dragons campaign? Maybe. But the result is worth reading. The technology Mr. Gardner puts in the novel mixes very well with the late Middle Ages feel of the everyday life of the characters. The aliens, as always, are very well-developed, with their quirks and features barely or not at all understood by humans. There is suspense and mystery and a great cosmic puzzle to be solved. Fans of Mr. Gardner will be delighted, and those new to his writing, since the novel is very detached from the others, will become addicted.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
School Teachers Save the World...,
By James D. DeWitt "Alaska Fan" (Fairbanks, AK United States) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Trapped (League of Peoples, Bk. 6) (Mass Market Paperback)
James Gardner's stories postulate a universe in which humans are far, far behind the technological levels of the other alien species of the darn near omnipotent League of Peoples. For the first time in his universe, he takes us to Earth where, for unexplained reasons, humanity mostly has reverted to an early-1800's level of technology. Except that nanotechnology has made sorcery and psionics possible, and there are something called Spark Lords who have technology that is very nearly magic.And it turns out there are other aliens who are fighting battles on Earth. And one race of these aliens is Truly Evil; homicidal, ..., shape-shifting and disgusting. And let me caution you that Gardner apparently doesn't like cottage cheese, and you probably won't, either, after your read this book. The plot involves a handful of private school teachers who stumble into this morass when one of their students dies messily at the hand of the bad guy or guys. Naturally, most of them die in the course of the novel; naturally, the survivors save the day. Gardner has been rightly accused of indulging in silly science, and that tendency is full flower in "Trapped." As an enjoyable yarn, this story, like many of Gardner's books, is okay. But if you bring any critical thinking to the plot or the characters, the whole thing falls apart like a soggy tissue. A galaxy-spanning, transcendent hive mind that enjoys ...? Humans, aware of technology, who are stuck in a horse-and-buggy culture? Shape-shifting cellule organisms? There are also massive inconsistencies with the earlier books. Readers of Gardner's earlier novels know the League of Peoples has some pretty strong ideas about homicide; if, as Harriet Klausner has suggested in an earlier review, the Spark Lords are from another world, they sure better not ever try to leave Earth. . . Despite the silly science and the plot holes, this is a pleasant read. But buy the paperback, not the hardback, and keep your expectations - and your incredulity - firmly in check.
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