Archaeologists discover lost time travellers. Them Bones by Howard Waldrop.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 พ.ย. 2024
- Them Bones is the first solo novel by science fiction writer Howard Waldrop, noted for his short fiction. It was nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award in 1984, but lost out to William Gibson's Neuromancer; both novels were part of the third Ace Science Fiction Specials series edited by Terry Carr.
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I'm glad you liked 'Them Bones'. People tend to absolutely adore Howard Waldrop or they absolutely hate him. After the New York Times Review of Books panned this novel, Chad Oliver wrote them a letter suggesting that they use reviewers who are familiar with the subject and know what they are talking about. The Times printed it. I am obviously one of those who adores Howard.
My real introduction to him was at ArmadilloCon 2, where Howard brought in and read a story called 'The Ugly Chickens', which he had finished two nights before. Once you have read it, I'll tell you about the woman, sitting next to me, who grabbed my arm, dug in her fingernails, and screamed 'NO!' at the story's denouement. Both it and 'Night of the Cooters' are available on-line, if you don't want to wait for delivery of his collections.
I'm not the only one who adores him. Connie Willis includes a mention of 'Night of the Cooters' in a footnote to a footnote in her story about Emily Dickinson and the Martians. George R.R. Martin has produced short film adaptations to 'Night of the Cooters' and 'Mary Margaret Road-Grader'. I saw 'Mary Margaret Road-Grader' a couple of months ago. It diverged from the story a bit but I thought it captured the essence of it. He has another one in the works but hasn't announce which story he is doing, yet.
Howard Waldrop is like R.A. Lafferty in that he really shines in his short stories. If you loved this novel, I'm anxious to see what you think of his short works. They have their ups and their downs, but some of them are classics.
Oh, and the braids of the plot do tie together. Every one of them follows a person you care about as part of a culture that is doomed to die. Even the in the one about the archeologists, the flood waters are going to destroy all the evidence of the horse in the wrong time. My wife loved the book but cannot bring herself to read it again.
Thanks for the additional info
I'll be on the lookout for a copy of this one! Also like the idea of Slim Pickens dealing with a Martian invasion lol.
Sounds interesting! Great review!
Interesting that the plots don't come together. But it sounds like an SF gem despite that. I'll try and run down a copy and thanks for covering this one Richard!
I'm stealing the term 'braided plot'. Interesting video and great to get some context on the author here.
Public domain. "A braided plot is a narrative technique that weaves together multiple distinct stories or threads to create a single cohesive whole."
8,5/10 is a good rating, I like this book too. I have not read his short stories.
Great review!
I would like to recommend Phillip Mann, from New Zealand. Maybe he is not so popular, but he wrote good novels.
@@UlrichBlode-vu7vt Looked up Mr. Mann on Wikipedia. Will watch for his works.
I enjoyed this book back in the 80s when it first came out. . I remember the cover with the skulls catching my eye . A very entertaining read as you say . I read Them bones and Damnation alley by roger zelazny around the same time though very different books both stuck in my mind .
I remember 'Damnation Alley'. Need to find a copy to see if it holds up to my memory.
Not a book I've ever heard of but sounds intriguing. The plot reminds a little me of a short story I read in an anthology years ago but I can't remember who it was by or the date of it. Will check this out though 👍
It’s weird-I had a similar idea only very recently.
@@niriop Anachronistic archaeology is a fascinating trope in SF.