Ivory

Lee Clarke Zumpe praises Mike Resnick’s Ivory: A Legend of Past and Futurein the Tampa Bay Newspapers Online Edition. Lee begins by proclaiming that “The name Mike Resnick may not be as familiar as, say, Arthur C. Clarke, Robert Silverberg, Ursula K. Le Guin or Harlan Ellison, but it should be,” and then goes on to justify this claim.

Lee goes on to talk about the stories-within-the-story, and then nails what I personally love about the book by saying, “ While the individual accounts of the warlord, the thief, the curator and the others who play a role in the history of the tusks display the appealing escapism of classic science fiction, the novel has an overriding melancholy about it that underscores the tragedy of post-colonialism and vanishing heritage. Resnick’s subtle theme of conservationism encompasses not only the flora and fauna of this planet, but the distinctive cultures of its varied ethnic groups – particularly those of Africa.”

John DeNardo posts his SFSignal Review of Mike Resnick’s Ivory: A Legend of Past and Future.He gives it a full five stars and says, “These are the kinds of well-told stories that make reading such a pleasure… Masterful storytelling; realistic characters; wonderful dialogue.” He calls Mike “a storytelling machine” and Ivory “a thoroughly engaging read.” John compares it to Mike’s Kirinyaga,a book which is among my Top Ten favorite SF Novels of All Time, and I think that’s a good comparison. I felt when I first read Ivory that it made a good companion read with that work, and they certainly look good together on my shelf.

The Library Journal has just given Mike Resnick’s Ivory: A Legend of Past and Futurea starred review. They say the novel, about a search across time and space for the tusks of the legendary Kilimanjaro elephant, “plays to his greatest strengths–as a raconteur without peer, capable of weaving together a series of linked stories into a seamless whole, and as a compassionate and thoughtful observer of the human condition. Peopled with gamblers, warlords, artists, and politicians and overseen by the shadow of the enormous creature who once ruled the grasslands of Africa… highly recommended for all sf collections.”