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Hello.
I have my review of William Latham’s [i]Resurrection[/i] posted at my website, based on what I originally wrote at another forum (OA); but rather than just post a link, I thought I’d draw out bits of the review, some directly, most paraphrased and summarized here, and maybe mention some impressions which have lingered since then, then point out the link to the more detailed review. Hopefully this is agreeable.
This was the first [i]Space: 1999[/i] novel or novelization I had read new since probably the mid-1990’s. The last I had read were novelizations originally written in the 1970’s, that I had not found until around 1994. So it was more than a decade since I’d read an official novel when I first read this 2002 novel in early 2008. I already had an inkling [i]Resurrection[/i] was based on (i.e. a sequel of sorts) to events in one of the episodes of the series (which I reserve for the spoiler part of this post here, as it is a mild one in its own right!), but was otherwise unaware of any details. I read it in the course of a single day, in a sitting or two.
I have to say the subject matter was rather dark and intense, and being more towards the horror side of science fiction, was not my typical matter of interest. That pre-disposition does perhaps color this review somewhat, as I do offer my [i]opinions[/i], but I try to look at it objectively at the same time.
However, the story was written in a strong, very thematic manner, delving deeply into its topic matters, which included: leadership; some seeming parallels to religion; order vs. chaos, and their relations to civilization; corruptability; and others (I’ll add at least one more in the spoiler-hidden portion of this post).
Its character focus was primarily on four characters, and especially on two. As such, it became more a double character study, in my opinion. Effective in its own way, focusing on depth rather than breadth, I think. Whether this is a pro or con is perhaps in the eyes of the reader; I found it worked both ways here, in my own eyes.
The plot was sometimes secondary to the characters study, but nonetheless provides a fair number of mysteries and twists, and did carry the novel at a pretty good pace, as did the character study, though the character study portions did get very dense and lengthy as the characters dove deep into thematic material.
The S19 series itself has sometimes been faulted for slowing plot with long discussions. Frankly, that’s an overplayed opinion for the most part, but if you found yourself agreeing with it in regard to the series, you may in parts of this novel, I suspect. If you found yourself disagreeing with it in regard to the series, you’ll probably like these parts of [i]Resurrection[/i], if you like the thematic material.
This is a dark story, sometimes very much so, and it can feel very relentless at this, but it does take on some rather deep material. Whether that is rewarding or just difficult to get through, depends on the reader, I would think. I found it worked both ways with me.
Some relatively mild/general spoilers follow (if you aren’t sure that they may be light enough for you, then avoid them).
[spoiler]
This is based on the “End of Eternity” (EOE) episode, and as there, this novel deals (in even more depth) with immortality, the character Balor, his murderous tendencies, his takes on life and death or lack thereof, and how that affects civilization, leadership, etc. EOE was written by Johnny Byrne, and [i]Resurrection[/i] by William Latham. They both did very well writing the main antagonist, and the main protagonist, in their respective stories. The imagery is strong.Both avoid the frankly unwelcome (to this viewer/reader) idea of “how messily high can we make the body count” that most dark stories take — though this is not without some taste of this nonetheless, which is not unlike EOE. Latham builds on Byrne’s story, even further, however, especially in terms of delving further Balor’s patterns of thinking, and taking Koenig through a slowly building, and disturbing transformation in his thought patterns. It is both a contrast and sometimes a reminder of human patterns. That humanity comes out somewhat better than expected by contrast (at least the way I read it) is rather interesting and subtly done.
“A force of pure evil. / A perversion of nature.” (from the back cover) is very appropriate. It studies this matter deeply, and is very dark and disturbing. This and EOE are generally not my kind of story overall, but I have to say both writers understood the heart of the horror wasn’t in the volume of blood but how little heart some have, or how they can lose it all. They thought through this carefully, IMO.
It is still a novel that gave, and still gives me in retrospect, mixed feelings. Generally strong writing, strong characterization for two characters (John, Balor), good characterization for one more (Victor), leaving me with a neutral opinion on another characterization (Helena), and little more than cameos for most, a plot with some mysteries and surprises, themes deep but mostly relentlessly dark, and some rather nasty imagery at times. It was clear, however, that much thought was put into the themes, and they are wrought in fine detail.
I suppose if I were more of a horror fan I would have liked both EOE and R more than I do, but I still have appreciation for how both write their respective stories with much more respect to story and philosophy than “mere” gore and spatter. This is more akin to the better Frankenstein stories in being a serious look at subject matter, an admixture of horror that is still closer to science fiction than just some mere bloodfest meant to scare you while leaving your mind little to think about than bloody images. So as EOE does as well… (point continues after the end of the spoiler part…)
[/spoiler][i]Resurrection[/i] does stand as one of the few such more horror-tinged tales that I find some value in, and I gave this novel 2.7/4.0 for that. Of course, this is all just my 1.999 cents, and your mileage may vary, to mix metaphors.
Also, if you have this novel be sure [i]not[/i] to skip the foreward by the now-late Johnny Byrne. It is very appropriate that he wrote the foreward for this story; but he talks about much more. In a few pages, he made numerous fine points in his reminiscing about the series and where it stands nowadays, and pointed out a key thematic point about the series that I have very much seen since I first rediscovered the series back in the early 1990’s.
The full review, including all the in-depth but very spoiler-heavy analysis I omitted in this post, is at [url=http://www.space1999.net/~metaforms/resurr.htm]this link[/url]. The full review there starts with non-spoilers, then some mild spoilers, then deeper analysis with lots of major spoilers. Each is clearly divided from the next on that page.
Thoughts, anyone? (Please, though, just be sure to spoiler-guard properly where needed. :))
–DW
P.S. A few days ago, I received the four new Powys novels I had ordered less than a week before that. Arrived within the expected timeframe. Very nice-looking books. I especially like the [i]Shepherd Moon[/i] cover with its Moon in the foreground and entire galaxy in the background. Rather symbolic of the former’s travels among at least two instances of the latter type of object!).
David –
Your reviews are always so wonderfully crafted and enjoyable to read. I suppose I shall have to read [u]Resurrection [/u][i]yet again [/i]to make any reply worthy. There is always a tidbit or two to pick up upon re-reading.
Just wondering – did you read [u]Resurrection [/u]as a stand-alone, or as part of [u]Eternity Unbound[/u]?
Good to see you on this forum!
-Pat.
OK – you got me there! :laugh: It’s just that, with CDs, one cannot “rewind”, as one would reread a passage, but I suppose with WMP, I can. (I’m one of those who also likes a bookstore to smell like books, not coffee – a related affliction…Blibliophilia, I guess you could call it.)
I am actually looking forward to hearing if Mr. Morse voices the characters the same way as I as have while reading. Nuance is so important – and the reason people can get into so much trouble with emails or forum postings. You can’t hear sarcasm or mirth or a gentle tone when reading; an innocent, well-meaning comment can come off as a nasty swipe. Thank goodness for emoticons. Telepathy, however, would come in handy.
I suppose it is also why every reader comes away with a different perspective on events or conversations in a story. And THAT is why discussions such as here are enlightening. But, I digress.
-P.
Barry Morse made the book his own. He DID NOT try to imitate Peter Bowles or even Martin Landau. He interpreted the book in his own way, and ACTED out dialogue, male and female characters alike. To us that was really REALLY awesome. He could have given us a straight reading–which is what we expected–but instead he gave something much more impressive than we could have even hoped for.
I guess his professionalism and his actor’s instincts and his GENEROSITY made him give any project he worked on his ALL. And for that I am eternally grateful!
William Latham has been the recipient of much Alphan good tidings. His first 1999 book had a foreword from Johnny Byrne and was made into an audiobook read by Barry Morse. His third and fourth 1999 books had a foreword and afterword from Christopher Penfold. And Powys (and Space: 1999) has been enriched by four plus novels from this really talented author.
Mateo
[b]mateo wrote:[/b]
[quote]Barry Morse made the book his own. He DID NOT try to imitate Peter Bowles or even Martin Landau. He interpreted the book in his own way, and ACTED out dialogue, male and female characters alike.Mateo[/quote]
Oh, dear, I did not mean to imply otherwise. I did mean I am interested to hear if he acted the lines and read the prose with the tone that I “hear” as I read, or if I missed or misinterpreted something by bringing my own preconceptions to the story. It is exactly those things which make great actors great (especially voice actors) – they are able to convey with voice what they feel or mean, as opposed to having to be knocked over the head with explanations. I have no doubt that hearing Mr. Morse’s reading will only make the story richer. Besides, he’s got a great, silken voice. Easy to listen to.
-P.
Don’t worry, I knew what you meant about the way you hear it in your head when you read. But I know that others may be surprised that he didn’t use the same voicing as Peter Bowles. Barry Morse made the voice deeper, more gravelly, more menacing. Peter Bowles played the character as an intellectual monster, all very proper, all very deadly.
I am a fan of both performances. Voice artists have to convey so much information but have only their voices to do so. It is an underappreciated art.
Mateo
[b]PatS wrote:[/b]
[quote]Your reviews are always so wonderfully crafted and enjoyable to read. I suppose I shall have to read [u]Resurrection[/u] [i]yet again[/i] to make any reply worthy. There is always a tidbit or two to pick up upon re-reading.Just wondering – did you read [u]Resurrection[/u] as a stand-alone, or as part of [u]Eternity Unbound[/u]?
Good to see you on this forum!
[/quote]
Pat, it is good to see you on this forum as well!Thank you for the compliment on my reviews. I appreciate it. I do tend to get detailed at times, but I’m glad to know some others do enjoy these reviews.
I read [i]Resurrection[/i] from the stand-alone novel. I do have [i]Eternity Unbound[/i], but have yet to read it. (When I do, I am likely to review it as well, at some point. :)) Given the interesting conversation which followed my post, between you and Mateo, I was struck with the thought that when I do get to reading and reviewing EU, that what I may do is read the new material from the book, but when reaching the [i]Resurrection[/i] portion of EU, may instead switch to the audiobook (which I see has been announced for pre-orders).
Mateo, would I be correct in assuming that the [i]Resurrection[/i] portion of [i]Eternity Unbound[/i] is the same as the former is stand-alone? Or are there some differences in these written versions?
Thanks,
–DW
The version of Resurrection in Eternity Unbound is a revised version. When Resurrection was released it was a secret and a mystery as to who the antagonist was. With Eterntiy Unbound, we added bits to place the novel within the sequence of episodes and things were altered slightly to accomodate Eternity Unleashed (the prequel novel).
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