Alchemy and academe Book

I found this anthology languishing on the bookshelf, brought to light by an organizational effort to group myriad collections by author at the least. Since McCaffrey was the editor and instigator of this slapdash collection of "related theme" publications, it was on the McCaffrey shelf next to the highly acclaimed "Pern" novels. I asked the family, and had mixed reviews, one from someone who had read it multiple times.

I was not as pleased with it. There are some good stories in this book, but some are forgettable and others regrettable. Even though the contributors were tasked with creating works related to the theme of alchemy (chemistry) and/or academy (learning) with a touch of humor, most were dull and nearly unreadable, and some derivative and verging on plagiarism. As another reviewer, Mike, who in 2014 called the writings "dull, muddled and pretentious, self-consciously transgressive… and without much in the way of structure or direction", the stories seem to lack direction and meaning.

In order then, here are the individual reviews of the writings within the anthology.

John Updike - "The Dance of the Solids". This poem is a rather pretentious bit which reads as a chemist's attempt to explain the fascination with the unseen elements that compose the visible and usable matter around us. Bluntly, it was hard to read and easy to understand if one persevered.

Sonya Dorman - "A Mess of Porridge". This somewhat amusing story dealt with the sudden appearance of a child of about 6, self-proclaimed as the child of an Empress, in a remote outpost that is styled as a university. The residents there are old men, the students, mostly in a type of forced sleep, are young men. It shows the interruption of rather irrelevant and amusing day to day activities among the men, and the most amusing was the cookbook being created by one of the dotty derelict oldsters.

Carol Emshwiller - "The Institute". Points to the thoughts that could possibly concern women forced into an educational environment which seems to be a type of madhouse for old ladies. It does seem to point to the relationship between old and young, with the young perhaps not necessarily following just so on the path of the old. Totally forgettable.

R.A. Lafferty - "Condillac's Statue" is a statement on political themes, in particular Marxism and the social being. It takes a clear mind and introduces it to issues which result in havoc and mayhem, being that they were brought in without cultural references or compensatory reflections. Somewhat thought provoking, especially in these somewhat revolutionary times.

L. Sprague De Camp - "The Sorcerors" is another attempt at poetry which reminded me of medieval attempts at enlightment. Easy to read, easy to forget.

Norman Spinrad - "The Weed of Time" seems to be an attempt to explain or justify the use of mind altering substances which were prominent in the news of the era. In this instance, there is a weed which, once eaten, produces hallucinations and a skewed perception of time. Unfortunately this causes a wrinkle in time (nod to L'Engle) which shifts the mindset of the user so they know future events. It's interesting but has far too many instances where the narrator simply repeats previous information with the recurrent theme of death.

Samuel R. Delaney - "Night and the Loves of Joe Diconstanzo" seems to be another step into the world of the mentally unbalanced, dealing with two men who both think of themselves as creators of their little mansion and of each other. Interesting but no realization of what the story meant.

Daphne Castell - "Come Up and See Me". This was rather interesting, in that it dealt with an incomer being the instigator of change. In this instance, that was not a positive effect, as people died or disappeared, and I couldn't see where it really fit in this anthology.

Joe Hensley - "Shut the Last Door". A disabled young man of 15 has learned to hate, and has learned that his hate has consequences. Unfortunately for all, his hate has vivid effects on the people around him. Although he hates his neighborhood, his hate doesn't seem to affect the flora or the brick and mortar, just the people, and his hate moves in waves that rebound. A sad story which would have been great with a little more attention to detail.

Avram Davidson - "Big Sam". This dealt with a sort of Bigfoot / Sasquatch sighting in a rural setting where people are usually only concentrated in the summer. In a way, it's a romance, and has potential to move either way if it only had a more robust buildup to the revelation of Sam's secret.

James Blish - "More Light". This was one of the derivative stories, building on H.P. Lovecraft works, and discussions between Lovecraft and other writers. It references "The Yellow King", which is itself from a compilation published in in 1895. It's rather boring but at the same time I felt compelled to finish it. As a side note, this story refers to Cassilda, Hali, and the Hasturs (among others), all of which were heavily featured some years later in Marion Zimmer Bradleys' "Darkover" universe. The most interesting part of the story is the effect reading it seems to have on all those who encounter it, per the narrator, and referencing the title of "More Light".

Joanna Russ - "The Man Who Could Not See Devils". True to the title, the teen in this story cannot see ghosts or other scary things, from demons to angels, and as such is pariah in his hometown. His attempts to leave are thwarted multiple times, until his final escape turns a liability into an asset. I liked this story but felt the personal reflection at the end was out of place and out of character.

Betsy Curtis - "The Key to Out". This story deals with a theme which appears in multiple fiction in future stories, where a person can be in two places at once. It has a good start but doesn't really appear to go anywhere in what appears to be the preferred method in this collection of (mostly) extremely short writings. I didn't feel it felt the collection theme.

Robert Silverberg - "Ringing the Changes". In this story, people pay to change bodies as a sort of vacation. It almost felt like a cultural reference to population overcrowding - there are so many people the only way to get away is to switch bodies. In this instance, an accident at the switching center means there are multiple bodies with the wrong mind attached, and the staff use a hit or miss process to determine who belongs to which body. Because it is neither academic or scientific in nature, the story was another that didn't fit the theme. It does have redeeming factors in that the main character is willing to die on behalf of another (although we never learn how that other felt about it).

David Telfair - "In a Quart of Water". The story revolves around a university town with mysterious events plaguing a couple of students. Their shower randomly turns on in the house they luckily were able to move into when the previous tenants disappeared. At the end, they sort of win, as the strange events culminate for them in a sudden exchange of base metals for the king metal, gold (Aurum). I liked it but felt that the characters were not very developed, depending totally on the good will of others to achieve success. None were very likable, and none were what appeared to be of the intelligent or inquiring sort. Interesting but not truly enjoyable story.

Gene Wolfe - "Morning-Glory". This story explores the possible ramifications when those in a position of power experiment with mind altering substances. The professor is experimenting with plant life, possibly due to the high interest of the time in nurturing plants through conversing with them as to a friend. Apparently, the professor was not aware that morning glory seeds are both poisonous and mind altering, and takes them to see what happens on ingesting. It seemed that this experiment changed the Professor so that he became more aware of the plants, particularly the morning glory. Using that he passes on his fascination to a graduate student, who is of course male. Decent story.

Virginia Kidd - "Ascension: A Workday Arabesque". In this short poem, derivative of Middle Eastern ornamental designs, as is the ballet pose it references, we see references to God and the Crucifixion of Christ cross referenced with the modern linemen who climb telephone poles to correct and redirect electrical energy. Interesting from that viewpoint but does not fit the theme.

Keith Laumer - "The Devil You Don't". This also deals with Heaven and Hell, so it's juxtaposition next to the Kidd poem may be deliberate. We meet the real Lucifer, who apparently was just misunderstood, and has been tortured for years for his actions. Now, he seeks help from a modern couple who seem to have information he could build on. The story never tells us why he seeks out this couple, nor does it truly explain why it was necessary for the female character to be bare chested. However, Lucifer has a problem with invaders who have the talent of causing mass confusion and multiple mix-ups which could be calamitous. Using some kind of science, the problem is solved, the dim witted beauty gets a new pet, and Lucifer leaves to a less than booming fanfare. Overall an excellent read, probably the best in the collection.

Josephine Saxton - "The Triumphant Head". This seems to be another mental health story. I didn't really understand it.

Peter Tate - "Mainchance". This is another slam at the Marxist ideal of from-to give and take of earnings and rewards. We see a computer who was programmed by what appears to be Islamic believers - this based on the shaming of the Christian theology as derivative and therefore wrong. This computer controls most things but does not appear to have viewer technology, which was good as it allowed for the people to talk about change. In this futuristic/reversal world where people are herded to their work and made to believe it proper, those who speak of human rights and change and needs outside what they are assigned are criminals. I wonder if some of the Star Trek episode writers might have been influenced by this, as there is a scene where the computer hits a logic snap and cannot proceed. Very good, but maybe only second or third place for best in the anthology.

Overall, this entire collection was a misfit bundle, but it does have the benefit of opening up speculative fiction as possible rather than disposable. It allowed the reader of the time to think more about the human condition, not limiting people to what is, but allowing them to dream of what could be. However, as a whole it felt more like a collection of ideas which could really go somewhere if rewritten or assigned to a competent writer. I didn't hate it, but it definitely will not be in my reread pile.