Lois Mcmaster Bujold: the Sharing Knife
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Liberty, Art, & Culture Vol. 27, No. 1 Fall 2008 Lois McMaster Bujold: The Sharing Knife The Sharing Knife: The Beguilement what they leave behind is dead ground—in effect, soil returned The Sharing Knife: Legacy to regolith, only to be restored slowly, from the edges in. The Sharing Knife: Passage A threat requires countermeasures, and in this setting those By Lois McMaster Bujold are provided by the Lakewalkers, a relic of the ancient aris- EOS, 2006/2007/2008 tocracy. Fantasy readers are likely to be reminded of J. R. R. Tolkien’s Dunedain, not just in general concept but in many Reviewed by William H. Stoddard details: long lives, unusual tallness, magical talents, preservation of ancient memories, and isolation from the people they guard Lois McMaster Bujold established her reputation by writ- and protect, who tend to mistrust or even fear them. But Bu- ing science fiction—primarily the Vorkosigan series, though jold has envisioned her “rangers” in much more ethnographic LFS members may be more interested in Falling Free, which is detail. To start with, where Tolkien always left the Dunedain’s only tangentially linked to it. An early fantasy novel, The Spirit economic base vague—where did they get their horses, their Ring, attracted relatively little notice. More recently, she turned weapons, or even their food? Did they have houses somewhere, to fantasy, with the three Chalion novels (not a “trilogy” or or spend all their time roaming the wild?—Bujold shows an a series, but independent stories sharing a setting). Her new economy suited to nomads who have to carry everything they series The Sharing Knife continues that turn to fantasy, with a own on horseback. For her Lakewalkers, land is not private quite different setting. It also carries another shift in Bujold’s property, but common property—in the style of ancient Ro- writing further: Her fiction has always had crossover appeal to man law, where anyone can use or pass over common property, romance readers, and starting with the later Vorkosigan novels but no one can permanently occupy or appropriate it. This (especially Komarr and A Civil Campaign), romantic themes and concept is unsuited to farming societies, and the Lakewalk- relationships became a major focus of her writing, but The ers seem to be very sophisticated hunter/gatherers rather Sharing Knife could be described as a full-blown romance that than farmers. The majority of them support the frontline happens to take place in a fantasy setting—a “paranormal combatants who battle the malices, rather than doing battle romance,” as the publishing industry calls this category. themselves. Their kinship system is matrilineal, with descent The fantastic element in this setting is a psychic sensitivity —Continued on page 4 called “groundsense.” This seems to be imaginatively inspired by the Gaia Hypothesis, which views the Earth as a living en- tity—or, more precisely, on the scientific findings that inspired the Gaia Hypothesis, such as the difference between soil on Inside Prometheus: Earth, which is pervaded with life and organic matter, and Coverage of the 2008 Prometheus Awards regolith on the other terrestrial planets, which has neither (a at Denvention3, the 66th WorldCon difference whose implications Robert A. Heinlein examined Reviews: at length in Farmer in the Sky). Some people have groundsense, enabling them to perceive their own and each other’s bodies, The Sharing Knife trilogy other living things, and the soil itself and to do “magical” things by Lois McMaster Bujold with them. Far in the past there was a high civilization with Little Brother, by Cory Doctorow advanced magical skills based on groundsense; the setting of The Justice Cooperative, by Joe Martino The Sharing Knife is a postapocalyptic one, the world left behind Liberation, by Brian Francis Slattery after that civilization destroyed itself. Its main supernatural threat, called “malices,” are cancerous entities that grow out of The Sunrise Lands & traces of magical pollution (in both the environmentalist sense The Scourge of God, by S. M. Stirling and the older ritual and tabu sense) and consume “ground”; Macrolife, by George Zebrowski Prometheus Volume 27, Number 1, 2008 The Libertarian Futurist Society The newsletter of the Officers and Other Positions Libertarian Futurist Society Editor Board of Directors Officers Anders Monsen Steve Gaalema (2011) Chris Hibbert — Board President Michael Grossberg (2011) William H. Stoddard —Vice President Contributors Chris Hibbert (2009) Wally Conger Fred Curtis Moulton —Treasurer Michael Grossberg Joseph Martino (2009) Michael Grossberg — Secretary Chris Hibbert Charles Morrison (2010) Charles Morrison — Director Max Jahr Fred Curtis Moulton (2011) Steve Burgauer — Assistant Director Fred Curtis Moulton William H. Stoddard (2010) William H. Stoddard Rick Triplett (2010) David Tuchman (2009) Committee Chairs Finance — Fred Curtis Moulton Membership Services — David Tuchman Publicity — Charles Morrison Letters and Submissions: Programming — Fred Curtis Moulton Anders Monsen Best Novel Awards — Michael Grossberg 501 Abiso Ave. San Antonio, TX 78209 Hall of Fame Awards — William H. Stoddard [email protected] Special Awards — Rick Triplett Subscriptions & Advertisements Libertarian Futurist Society 650 Castro St. Suite 120-433 Mountain View, CA 94041 Remember the LFS [email protected] By Michael Grossberg LFS Online: With the end of the year approach- and postmarked before the end of the http://www.lfs.org ing, it’s time to think about holiday giv- year to be tax-deductible for 2008. ing—and remembering organizations 2) Add the LFS as a beneficiary to Webmaster near and dear to your heart. your will, or better yet, as one of the Tod Casasent With the price of gold near historic beneficiaries of your retirement funds Basic Membership: $25/yr ($30 int’l highs, making an extra contribution to the (such as 401K or IRA accounts.) Full Membership: $50/yr LFS can help to sustain the Prometheus People naturally want to leave most of Sponsors: $100/yr Awards, which include a one-ounce gold their estate to loved ones, but including Benefactors: $200/yr coin annually to Best Novel winners and even a small percentage or token amount Subscriptions: $20/yr ($25 int’l) smaller gold coins in other Prometheus to the LFS can make a big difference— All memberships include one-year sub- categories. and help to ensure the organization’s scriptions to Prometheus. One good way to introduce younger survival long after you’re gone. freedom-loving sci-fi fans to libertarian The simplest way to do this is to add Classified ads: 50 cents/word, 10 percent activism is by giving a gift membership a sentence or codicil to your will, the off for multiple insertions. Display ad at the Basic or Full level to a friend or next time it’s updated, leaving $1,000, rates available. All checks payable to the relative for the holidays. Such gifts can be $5,000, $10,000 or more to the Liber- Libertarian Futurist Society. made last-minute, too, by using PayPal tarian Futurist Society. (Make sure you at our website www.lfs.org include the LFS’s mailing address and Prometheus © 2008 the Libertarian Futurist As a nonprofit-tax-exempt 501c3 website, as well as the name, address Society. The LFS retains a non-exclusive organization, the Libertarian Futurist and phone number of an LFS officer in license to republish accepted articles on Society is eligible for tax-deduction do- a separate list of beneficiaries’ contact its Web site; all other rights revert to nations in two ways: information, to make it easier for your the contributor. Letters and reviews are 1) Consider making a 2008 donation executor to locate us.) welcome. Bylined articles are strictly the to the LFS, above and beyond any an- One smart wrinkle I learned recently opinion of the writer and do not neces- nual membership dues (also considered sarily reflect the opinion of the LFS or tax-deductible.). Checks must be dated its members. —Continued on page 9 Page 2 Volume 27, Number 1, 2008 Prometheus Denvention3—2008 Worldcon Report By Fred Curtis Moulton Denvention3, the 66th World Science Fiction Convention, process and a crowd of people. Fortunately SF fandom is re- held August 6-10 in Denver, Colorado, attracted about 3700 sourceful and various fans in the lines started monitoring the fans. Denver is not as large a metropolitan area as the locales lines and improving some handwritten signs which helped. for previous Worldcons. Thus the attendance fell be off a bit The various panels I attended were interesting and for the since there was not as large a pool of people to pull from within most part well moderated. There were a lot of impromptu easy driving range. Denver is known as the Mile High City meetings in hallways and around the various fan and bid tables. and the altitude did take some acclimation. It also rained. In The Fanzine Lounge provided a centrally located place to rest, fact on Friday it rained very hard in the evening and quite a relax and peruse fanzines new and old. The Art show, dealers few unsuspecting fen got soaked. The main facility was the room, history of prior Denver Worldcons, and Fanac were all Colorado Convention Center and surrounding hotels were grouped together in an upper floor of the Convention Cen- used for other events. The con suite, late night programs, ter. The Art Show had many fine pieces. The Dealer’s room gaming, filk and parties were in the Sheraton several blocks had a mix of book, comic, jewelry and clothing vendors. L. from the Convention Center. The Convention Center complex Neil Smith and Scott Bieser ran the Big Head Press booth in is large. Worldcon activities were primarily in the rear half the Dealers Room selling copies of The Probability Broach and of the building so there was about a two block walk inside Roswell, Texas, as well as other graphic novels.