Gold onlay

[threemonkeys]

Absence disturbs the mental processes - you get that dislocated feeling so aptly called lost. A lost tooth creates a gap which your tongue is always poking at and taking your mind from other things. It is Sunday and there is no new Dr Who to watch. It doesn't matter that the season finale was a pile of garbage*, I still really want another episode to watch today. It just isn't the same without it.

So to Axis by Robert Charles Wilson. You probably know by now that I'm a big fan of Wilson's work. He writes hard SF novels in settings of physical dislocation and populates those settings with an interesting bunch of characters. That was certainly a description of Spin, the book to which Axis is a sequel. The first book was excellent and quite deservedly won a Hugo. This followup is not bad, but it seems to be lacking something compared to the previous work and other earlier novels.

There are two reasons for this I think. One is a problem common to sequels of books where the strangeness of the setting is fundamental to the setting. That strangeness just isn't as strange the second time around. The second reason why this book lags behind others by this author is that one of his signature characteristics is missing - the aforementioned physical dislocation. Usually, in Wilson's books, people are cut off by some cosmically mysterious barrier or dislocation. This time it is just the more mundane story of people travelling to an isolated settlement and travelling in an underpopulated area. Sure, he is a good author and it is a pretty decent science fictional read, but it just isn't the same.

*Clearly opinions differ on this, but for me, the wit and sparkle of DW was lost in the finale in favour of a huge overdose of emotional manipulation of the sugary warm fuzzy variety in a story that made no sense. Harrumph.

Comments

[gillpolack.livejournal.com]

If you cross the Tasman, you can drop in at my place and I'll feed you and you can travel back in time and watch episode two of the current season (which is what I assume you just finished). If you leave now, you'll be just in time.

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

Now thats an idea that appeals - I'd sure love to escape from here right now.

On the other hand, episode 1 of that same season is just about to show on local TV here so time travel can be accomplished without physical travel.

[gillpolack.livejournal.com]

You'll miss dinner, though.

Where exactly is NZ up to, then? Just one episode behind Oz? ie you've seen Kylie but not the actual season? Do you also get Dr Who on Sundays? (all this is important - it means I won't put spoilers in my blog and I'll let other people know, too)

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

Yes - Kylie was on last week and DW is on Sundays.

Torchwood on the other hand has only just started season 1 (different network) and the Sarah Jane Adventures has not even been sighted.

[gillpolack.livejournal.com]

Pretty much the same here (except for the odd time difference). Canberra is defined as regional, and won't be getting Torchwood at all.

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

Yet without Torchwood (and SJ Adventures to a lesser extent) there are bits of DW this season that won't make much sense.

[gillpolack.livejournal.com]

You know that and I know that but the great world of local programming hasn't worked it out yet.

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

Sigh - all too true.

Although my sister, who lives in England, reported that when Buffy and Angel were running in parallel in the states that rival channels got the rights to the two shows in Britain and managed to cooperate enough to show both programmes in the correct coordinated sequence.

It wouldn't happen here.