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Cargando... Paradise: A Chronicle of a Distant World (edición 1991)por Mike Resnick (Autor)
Información de la obraParadise por Mike Resnick
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Inscríbete en LibraryThing para averiguar si este libro te gustará. Actualmente no hay Conversaciones sobre este libro. I have never picked up a Mike Resnick book that I didn’t like, and this one is (by far) the best one yet. By setting this parable of the colonization of Africa on another planet, the author was able to delve into socio-political waters that would otherwise have him pilloried – and he managed to do it without sounding preachy, a rare accomplishment. Full of sweeping landscapes, action, raw emotions, moral dilemmas… . Highly recommend it. Resnick's [Birthright: The Book of Man] is an old favorite of mine, painting a picture of how today's politics might play out over the span of a Galactic Empire. Paradise is nominally set in the same universe and has a similar tale to tell. Humans colonize an alien world and the tribal natives never adapt to the institutes of man that they are forced to fit themselves in to, like laws and currency. The planet quickly degrades into chaos and disorder as the ecosystems and economies fail. The nice thing about the story is the way it is written, from the perspective of a writer collecting information for a series of books over his lifetime. It is a fine story in the end, but depressing, like Birthright. Every resident that the author, or should I say narrator, interviews pines for the Paradise of the previous generation, back when things were better than what the person lived through. The connectedness with the Birthright universe is very minimal, almost to the point of name-dropping and nothing more. One of those books that doesn't really offer a solution to the crises presented through the story other than Man screws up every system that he interferes with. Resnick, according to the book jacket, owns the largest dog grooming kennel in the US. I think this illustrates the point that he has more hope for dogs as a species than people, which might have some merits. sin reseñas | añadir una reseña
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August Hardwycke's tales of an unspoiled paradise fire the imagination of Matthew Breen and inspire an obsessive quest. It is a search that will take him across galaxies and consume half his lifetime before he discovers the truth about this elusive Eden. The author also wrote Ivory. No se han encontrado descripciones de biblioteca. |
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Google Books — Cargando... GénerosSistema Decimal Melvil (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999Clasificación de la Biblioteca del CongresoValoraciónPromedio:
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Their first translation into French was published in 1995, via Denoël. The books were republished in 1998. In 2016, Éditions ActuSF picked up this triptych again and published it as an omnibus: see here. Two years ago (in 2018), a pocket version became available. Both hardcover and pocket versions are still available.
An omnibus (hardcover or pocket) of /- 680 to /- 750 pages can be a bit heavy to carry around - despite the convenience of having all books in one... book -, so ActuSF decided to republish the triptych's separate parts, starting with 'Paradis' (link). 2020 is also the year in which Mike Resnick left the world of mortals to go the other side. The republishing of this trilogy (books 2 and 3 will probably follow in 2021) is then also a way to commemorate the man.
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Mike Resnick had a high regard for Africa, or the African continent, as is shown in several of his works: the 'Galactic Comedy' trilogy, 'Ivory', 'Kirinyaga', and others. I have to admit, though, that until my meeting with him in 2016 at the French festival Les Imaginales (an excellent occasion to also purchase the omnibus of 'L'Infernale Comédie' and have it signed/dedicated), I had never heard of the man, who was a very prolific author and one of the important people behind WorldCon. I did have an interesting conversation with him, about WorldCon, SF, ... I still remember him saying, at Les Imaginales, something like this: "You can always re-use a short story (or have it republished), even if it doesn't get published at first. Keep on trying and one day, you will succeed." Ah, so that's why short-stories of certain French authors I keep track of, resurface in one or another anthology or publication. ;-)
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Anyway, anecdotes aside, let's focus on 'Paradis' (Paradise), my first proper encounter with Mike Resnick's writings (even if it's a translation). The story is divided into four parts:
Aube (Dawn), Midi (Noon), Après-midi (Afternoon), Crépuscule (Dusk). These are preceded by a little foreword, a sort of fable about a scorpion and a crocodile. The scorpion wants to cross the river, but needs the crocodile to transport him to the other side. The crocodile distrusts the scorpion, fears it will sting him. "Why would I do that? Then we'll both not make it.", says the scorpion. Afterwards, the crocodile does get stung. Because Africa. Mike Resnick wrote that this little fable has nothing to do with 'Paradise', a story about an imaginary planet (Peponi) and not about a real country (Kenya).
Throughout the book, we'll follow Matthew Breen, first as a student, then as a journalist. In the first part, Aube (Dawn), Matthew Breen is still a student and wants to write a thesis about Peponi. To do so correctly or have a proper base to start from, he interviews August Hardwycke, one of the first colonists who managed to flee when the situation escalated and got out of hand. Mr Hardwycke would give account of how he arrived on the planet, how he found a job (as hunter and safari guide), and how life was there overall, especially from the point-of-view of the colonists. One aspect: language. Peponi, which in the local language means 'paradise' (hence the book's title), was blessed with beautiful and extraordinary fauna and flora. Forests, various animal species (one of which was hunted for its jewel-like eyes), ... and various tribes: Bogoda, Kia, Siboni, Sorotoba, ... The way of living there was also completely opposite to that of Earth, Deluros VIII, Spica VI, and other planets.
The local population, considered savages, aliens, by the colonisers, were called the "ouïes-bleues" or "régis", both insulting terms. As the were considered unintelligent, these locals were easy to enslave and had to call their owners "Boss". What did these local people look like? Not human, maybe human-apes, but even this comparison was far-fetched, according to Hardwycke. Hence the euphemistic terms.
In the second part, Midi (Noon), Matthew Breen has graduated, obtained his diploma and is now a journalist. He's set out to write the biography of August Hardwycke. But the man's account is only one element of the story. What kind of man was he? Is what he told about his experiences true or romanticised? To find out, Matthew Breen would interview Amanda Pickett, who wrote a book about Peponi, and other former colonists, who fled the world as the war for independence broke loose, after years of human domination. Especially the rally of the Kalakala would kickstart it all. Colonisers would be brutally murdered, their houses set on fire, anything to scare them away.
President Bukon Pepon, chosen after the war, wanted the local population to regain ownership of certain premises as much as possible (or rather, the state/government should reclaim what was originally theirs). As the various tribes were distrustful of each other, daily life wasn't ever safe. However, Buko Pepon was the first president who managed to bring these tribes together and install a sort of peace/truce. (
As mankind had also imported animals ("vacherins", I don't know which word Mike Resnick originally used) foreign to a planet like Peponi, this too had a devastating impact on the various grounds. Fertile soil was rare, which was one of the reasons why the tribes lived such a primitive life.
In part three (Après-midi / Afternoon), Matthew Breen was sent for by the president (Buko Pepon) to write his biography, because the man liked how Breen portrayed Hardwycke. Breen would have everything/everyone at his disposal to make his book a neutral, but successful product, especially as the main reason for his project was to attract extra-planetary investors. Peponi needs foreign (human) investment, as the planet and the population themselves have had to shift into sixth gear since colonisation. What was once untamed land was turning/turned rapidly into cultivated land, with unforeseen and dire consequences.
Breen would have his personal assistants: Ian Masterton, since many years responsible for the national security, and Nathan Kibi Tonka. The first, a human through and through, but loving his stay on Peponi; the latter, a local from a small tribe. He wears his tribal attire for reasons of equality: each wears his own tribe's attire, as humans wear their own kind of clothing.
Through his travels, Breen witnessed how life on Peponi was, how it had changed over the decades. Another colonist (Wesley), who occupied a chalet with a fantastic view, explained Breen his view on the changing world and how he too feared for what was to come.
In the last, final part (Crépuscule / Dusk), Breen travels one more time to Peponi, out of personal interest, and to write a follow-up to Pepon's biography: Peponi after Pepon. While his coming was not announced (he hadn't contacted the new president), his arrival did not occur unnoticed. (
Breen would find a second calling as a writer: write historical fiction about Peponi.
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While my first half-encounter with Mike Resnick's writing was not a succes ('Son dernier coup d'échecs', co-written with Jean-Claude Dunyach in the 2016 anthology [b:Fées et Automates - Anthologie des Imaginales 2016|29848394|Fées et Automates - Anthologie des Imaginales 2016|Jean-Claude Vantroyen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1460013912l/29848394._SY75_.jpg|50209665]; see my review here), I was really thrilled and moved by 'Paradis'. Mike Resnick approached Kenya's history with care and respect. As someone else wrote: You don't have to be in the know about Kenya('s history) - other readers have added factual events in their reviews, for those interested (here) -, for you can enjoy the story as it is. However, it does make one think about the state of the world and still untouched civilisations/tribes (like in Brazil).
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I was sent this book by Éditions ActuSF for review. Many thanks to them for the trust. ( )