Message-ID: <329@panda.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 27-Feb-85 10:04:12 EST
Article-I.D.: panda.329
Posted: Wed Feb 27 10:04:12 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 3-Mar-85 03:52:30 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: GenRad, Inc., Concord, Mass.
Lines: 36

It would seem that just about all of Jack Chalker's books have been
discussed recently with the exception of The Soul Rider trilogy.
Since I've just completed the last book, I will round out the dialog.

** Slight Spoiler **
These three books concern a strange sort of place divided into two
basic regions:  flux and anchor.  Flux is basically what it sounds
like, a place of constant change, engergy floating around as a foggy
cloud, which can be manipulated by people with certain talents.

Anchor, on the other hand, is stablity.  These are small regions
(islands, almost) where conditions are close to Earth-norm.  Anchor
is home to normal people and technology.  Flux contains wizards,
mutated monsters and magic.

The Soul Rider trilogy is a tale of Science vs. Magic.  Chalker
throws in a liberal dose of represive religions, preaching on the
roles of the sexes in society, and that men would be gods given
2/3rds of a chance.  There are even elements of the Western Novel.

-- Summary and Dispositon --
As with some of Chalker's other work, intresting ideas are raise.  Readers
of this newsgroup will be intriqued by the part computers play the finale.
Some philosophy is expounded and examined.  Finally, the Soul Riders
themselves and their origin are fun ideas.

The ideas are good and the books may be worth reading for that alone.
I found the first volume to be exicting, the second OK, and the last boring.
Characters flip/flop several times, major players do things that just
don't seem plausible.  Overall, the books lack some in continuity.
That this is deliberate on Jack's part doesn't make up for it.  Finally,
if you are feministically inclined, you will be truly offended by some
parts of the story.

     Mark J. Norton
     decvax!genrad!{panda | teddy}!mjn