February-March 1990 95p Issue 154 The Critical Journal of the British Science Fiction Association Theme Issue Myths & Legends: Colin Greenland Off with their Heads! Garry Kilworth A Stone from Oberon's Castle Gwyneth Jones The Mind of the Maker Joanne Raine The Quest for a Whiter Wash Vectorlssua 154 e Feb/Mar 1990 ISSN0S0S-1448 Contents 3 Editorial 4 Letters 7 The Quest for a Whiter Wash J oanne Raine looks at tM use of myth in conltmporary SF and FMtasy 9 Off With Their Heads! Colin Greenland amainu the roots of his own jicrion 1o The Mind of the Maker Gwyneth J ones compares thit crttllion of "ordinary" ftclion and my1h 13 A Stone From Oberon's Castle Carry Kilwortle looks at the roolSof his Ml'tl Hunter's Aloan 15 Book Reviews 15 The Archivist -Gill Al<krman A Romance of the Equator - Brian W Aldiss Robot Adept - Piers Anrhony Total Recall - Piers AnJ.hony The State of the Art - l ain M Banh A Dozen Tough Jobs - Howard Waldrop Them Bones - Howard Waldrop 16 Tides of Light -Gregory Benford Unicorn Mountain - M ichot!l Bishop The Abyss - Orson Scott Card 18 Walk to the End of the World and Motherllnes - Suzy M cKee Charnru Other Edens Ill - Christopher Evans and Roberl Holdstock (eds) The Bureau of Lost Souls - Christopher Fowler 20 Father to the Man -John Gribbin Act ol Love - ,~ R Lansdale Dark Visions - Sttpht11 Kil'l g, Dan Simmons&. Gtorgt RR Martin Songs ol a Dead Dreamer - Thomas ligotti Wolf's Brother- Megan Lindholm 21 History of the Future - 'Ptttr Lorie&. Sidd Murray-Clark A Talent for War - Jack. McDtviu Alllgator Alley - Mink Molt&: Dr Adtkr 22 The Night Mayor - Kim Newman Dragon Prince - Mtlanit Rawn Ragnarok -Annt Thauray 23 Wlnlerwood and Other Hauntings - Ktirh Roberts The Chlld Garden - Geoff Ryman 24 LIN Off - J Hall Sttphens Cover art by Ian Brooks The Treason of lsengard - JRR Tolkien Drachenfels - Jae! Yeovil Interior a rt by Peggy Ranson Co-Edllo,s Boyd Parulson 11 Marlh Street, Bam>w...,._Fumess, Cumbria, LA14' 2AE Telephone 0229-32807 Kev McVaigh 37 Fn Road, Milnlhorpe, Cumbria, l.A7 70F Telephone 05395-62883 Reviews Edl10, Paul Kincaid Production A11lsi.nts Chris Amias, Paul Macaulay, Calia Cary, Brian Magorrian, Alison Sinclair, Camila Pomeroy, John Foster Production Con.ulUinl Bany Parilinson Typeset by PCG, 61 Schoo1Stme1, Banow-fl-Fumeu, Cumbrial.A14' 1EW. Tel:0229--36957 PJrlted by PDC Copyprinl, 11 Jeffrin Pass.age, Guidfon:I, &.ney. GUI -4AP Vee to, is pubkhad bimonthly by lhe BSFA. copyright 1989. Al opiniom expressed in Veck>f ant lhose ol lhe J"ldMclual contributors and mus I not be taken to iepresenl !hose ol lhe Ecli10n or lhe BSFA exoept where explicitly stali8d. Conlributors Good artides an, elways wanted. Al MSS must be ryped double-spaced en one side of hi paper. Maximum prelerTed length ii 3500 words; exc:eptions can andwil be made. A preliminary letter is useful but not euenlial. UnlOiicited MSS ca\l'IOl be mumed wi1hout 811 SAE. Please no• f\at there is no payment to,, publicalion. Members who wish 10 ,eview books must first wme 10 1he Edins. Art Cover a'f. il.Jstrations hi filers are always weloome. Votunt•r• TypislS pania.Jlarty (Atari ST Of IBM PC) wanM Contact Boyd Par'ltwlson .•.. Advertising Al adllerlising fSJfJ'I must be submitted as IYw camera-ready a,twori1; with al n8085Saty half1ones. All enqi...-iE,s on rates, sizes, elC. to the Pubidry Manager: Dave Wood, 1 Friary Close, Mame Hil,CIS'vedon, Avon BS21 70A n.•iiiaS..-...l'lc.--....i..1c......,u..,,,,1,yo.-10...-,~t2UCD1L1....,..a..,_.,......,.,._11,~-..-.x-cna1a has. is myth lha1 it has provided so W much ma.trarial for lhc IJcst and the v.-on:t writaa of our time? The Penguin Dlctlooary or Utenry Terms Aatesdefinitivcly: -Myth i1 alWl)'I conoaned wilh autioD..., EDITORIAL This much we can Wldc:nWld, because we The Use and Misuse of Myth lcnow that people always need m explan­ ation or !heir workl. We loot back 10 our and Religion in SF and Fantasy primitive ances10rs and appreciate how mys- 1erious lheir world mUSl have seemed to them. In the last decade of the 20th century, however, we have advanced to a position By Kev McVeigh where we believe that we understand and can aucmpt to control all but a fraction of our surroundings and we arc now seeking information &om futhcr afield (both inwar­ ds and outwardJ). So, what role do myths have now? The fast part of the answc, lies in the idea that myths do go much furthc- than a-cation taJcs, to say something about our cvcyd1y existence. Of oounc the surface of the myth is a workt far re1110Yed from our own. and almost ccnainly always was, even back 10 ilS original time. Undc:ncath however, 11c an:herypcs which arc pmnmcnt. if JOme­ timcs malkable. lt is lhcse that I skilled •uth>r ctn use to coru;ider aspec:u: of contemponty life. The other part of the answer lies wilh ~gmd, those r.alc:s which may be truth. apocrypha or embellishment about real or arnalgamaud htstorical figllfU. and which have less to do with the make-up of the univa'se but still give us a mems of studying people. In many cases, most notably Anh\D', lhc$c figurea have become merged with archel)'pel, and lhe legends and myths are entwined a:nd indistinguishable. Within the genre mylhs a:nd legends are common material, rnos1 obYiously in the Fantasy mode, but also in SF, such u Dclany's NOYa , Gibson's Count Zero, and novels by Tim Powen, CJ Chc:rryh, Ian McDonald. Roger Zelazny •nd others. In Fantasy, despile numerous eJ1citing, lhoughlful •nd moving retellings, there is a repulation for umriginality and insipidncss Conned !hat an inleresting American new­ lhan Sir Thomas Malory was, but one of th.at would seem 10 be justified. Every cuJ. eomer, Eliz.abcth Hand, hu worked with llEm used all their availlble writing skills IO ture hu iu own vari11KmS on these myths 81bylonian myth lO grea1 effect. Why, then, tell the stoT)' in a mcmo.-lble f.shion. What I and legends, 50ffle runilar. othen unique, are these so unusual? Is the simple fact that would like 1a see is • few more wriiers Conternporflrj Fantasy, since Tollien, 5Ceffll the 1111hon have taken the trouble 10 research taking a Joa more lhought before embarking 10 be rrtpped within a narrow area of British olltu culD.lres enough IO apt.in the quality on well-worn paths. Ptthaps there is a belle( and Cehic myths. Arthurian legend is w;de,­ of these boob? No - and one mighl ciie path jusl off the tncli: a little? Perhaps the spread on lhe shelves. with some excellent Susan Sdtw1rtt as 111 enmpk or b.t Fan· journey will be mon: profitable if made in a eJ1amplei 10 dl005C from. but many more tuy outside the moR normal myth sequen­ compleiely diff=t direction? which lake half-rc:searchcd idcu and use ces - but tlw care is vtsy rdev111t. Many or lhem in pa.le imi1.1tion or succeuful WCfks. the cmunon myths •e so Clfflili• 1a U$e., Evm authors who are ixmnally teli.able have lhal aUlhcrial research may occasionally A p11de.aloftheblamelieswi.ththe rallm inlo this trap: KW Jeter begins become cornpl1CCnt perhap,7 It would be publishers. of coi.me. for mying lOO close lO Morb::11: Night skillfully. but the "lltrival" imdcntmdable - .ria all, six monlhs re­ the proven path. I know through discussing of Arthur 1US a rapid drift inro banality, lCll'Ch can be costly if it delays the final this with authors and cdi1ors, that editon do A select few writers hive ende•voured to book - but is it excusable? edit, uld can tum a compe~ novel into a use other myth cycles - Neil Gaiman makes I'm not denying the popularity or these work or higher quality. When it comes to passing use of lhe Aboriginal. Dreamtime in books, (lhough I remain lmCOnvinced thlt some or the more contrived and formulaic Sandman; Robert Silverberg and Geoff that is relev1111) orthequality0C those. like boob it has been my misforrune 10 buy ove­ Ryman have both examined the epic of G ilg• F1y Sampson. who hive considered new the past few yevs, I have IO wonder if they amesh; Stonn Constantine toolc elementl of aspecu or Anhur whils t maintaining an acc:­ have been edited at all, because ir they have, Cabalism for her Wraeththu boob; Lewi1 unte reflection of the original myths. It then how much worse were they before? Shiner made Mayan myth • central part of shook! also be pointed out that Marim Zim­ Publishing Kerns 10 be full or srrange Dtser1td C ities of the Heart... And I am in- mtt Bndley is no less ICCUfate about Arthur prac:tic:c.s. • VECTOR 152 e 3 LETTERS Write to: Vector 11 Marsh Street Barrow-in-Furness Cumbria LA14 2AE Right of Reply no greater consideration. However, lhc word provide COYCflgC Of that overlap. Of )'OU length I sci my reviewers in the Ya.st majority were to go into• specialist SF bookshop you Last i.sslU! David Wingrcm- ailU:i.ud of cases is 400 words, or occasionally .50(). 'WOukl be astounded if !he only boob on its Pffl'l KU!Co.id. for tit#! wo.y lie is nuining In effect, mos1 or lhc reviews come in 11 shelves were SF. 1bcy s10ek Fantuy, Hor­ rite R~W'Ns ~dion.