review of
David Bischoff's Nightworld
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - May 8, 2017

This is Bischoff's 1st published novel, he was born in December, 1951, in Washington, D.C., I was born in September, 1953, in nearby Baltimore, this was published in 1979, Bischoff wd've been 27 at the time. So, yeah, I suppose somewhere in the back of my thoughts I tend to appraise this w/ those factoids in mind. I've only previously read his The Crunch Bunch (1985) wch was a Young Adult novel. I liked it but had already forgotten it a mere 8 mnths later. That's to be expected, I read it as 'light reading', the same reason I read this one.

Usually when I choose to read something 'light' it's b/c I've just finished something 'heavy' (in this case Mark Abley's Spoken Here - Travels Among Threatened Languages: https://www.goodreads.com/story/show/548094-unfortunately-no-longer-spoken-here?... ) &/or b/c I'm in the midst of reading something 'heavy' (in this case Victor Hugo's Notre Dame back-to-back in the same bk w/ his The History of a Crime) & I 'need' a break. The 'inevitable' problem then ensues that the 'light' reading does provide welcome relief but fares poorly in contrast. Such is the case here w/ Nightworld.

So, yeah, Nightworld is 'light' alright, it has a sufficiently engrossing plot but nothing visionary, it's funny(-ish), the writing style's not about to go-down-in-history but it does its job. In the PROLOGUE the stage is already set:

"The vampire turned in the same direction, for at the base of the mountain lay the Gates.

"They gleamed with silver fire as the vampire approached and slipped its identification card into the appropriate slot. With a sharp-nailed finger, it tapped the combination.

"A voice erupted from the speaker grille . . .

""Guardian Nine Oh Sex Aye Four," it said in an emotionless monotone. "You are expected, Vampire Four Nine Bee Oh Oh. The Master awaits. Follow the red arrows to the elevator. The path has been altered since last you entered. To veer from it is to suffer damnation—"" - p 2

Here we have the vampire trope updated for the computer era. I've long since tired of traditional monster stories, having read Dracula in 1965 or thereabouts & having gotten bored w/ the tendency of hacks to beat a(n un)dead blood-sucker to death w/ a sharpened stake. Still, Bischoff has a fresh take on things & that helps save this novel: S-O-N! Save-Our-Novel!

This is one of those reviews where I have almost nothing to say about the bk b/c it's plot-centric & I don't want to be a spoiler. The stage gets set further:

""Centuries ago, this world was a colony of an empire in space. For reasons of its own, that Empire designed this world in a style which belonged to a time centuries past on the Homeworld. But then, the Empire suddenly died, or, at any rate, lost contact with this world.

""Styx's technological facilities, which were quite extensive, were regulated by a machine called a Computer, situated somewhere deep below the surface of the planet, For some reason, the Computer malfunctioned, doing strange things to the environment, manufacturing hideous creatures, and recreating terrible mythological conditions modeled on the many legends of Homeworld's myth-rich past."" - p 17

Right, likely story.. That's a good enuf premise for a bk to sprout out of, esp if it pleases Satan: "This was the most important task ever set before the hoofed little fellow, and above all else it wished to do a good job, to please the Master. Pleasing Satan meant long hours immersed in pleasure-center stimulation. Did Bischoff get to immerse himself in "pleasure-center stimulation" after pleasing his publisher? Or did someone like Penelope come along?:

"But those lines of her face seemed designed, rather than a random collection of parental characteristics. They were that perfect—smooth, symmetrical, aesthetic yet specially accentuated into an idealization of facial structure." - p 93

Yeah.. wassup w/ Penelope?! No doubt, yer average reader figures out pretty early what her story is but.. I won't ruin it for you. &, no, she's not "Miss Jones".

"Fierce pride pulsed through the memories. Strong hatred for the Divine throbbed through them. Better to rule in Hell than to serve in Heaven. Better an independent entity in tortuous solitude than a lackey to some other Consciousness." - p 110

It's odd. That's the 2nd time the "Better to rule in Hell than to serve in Heaven" has been quoted in my presence in the last yr. My retort is: Better to not rule or be ruled. I mean: Why wd I want to rule in Heaven or Hell? Or anywhere else? Or serve anywhere either? Neither Masters nor Slaves. N'at. For that matter, better an independent entity in sociable solidarity than a lackey to some other Consciousness.

The story follows a pretty standard line: bucolic-hero-gets-life-disrupted-&-goes-on-hero's-journey-to-come-back-a-better-man. N'at. What the heck, I like this myth. I prefer it to hero-goes-out-meaning-well-& gets-psychologically-&-partially-physically-destroyed. I think of James P. Blaylock's The Elfin Ship & The Disappearing Dwarf &/or Esther Friesner's Majyk By Accident & Majyk by Hook or Crook & Majyk by Design - not that those are 'classic' examples or anything.

"His had been a placid life before, secure, reliable, steady. He knew who he was, who his parents were, who his God was, and how he related to all. He had a solid, tangible place in his world. His world was an important wheel that fit into the machinery of what he knew. Indeed, he was able to look nostalgically at the events of only two weeks ago, before the advent of Turner in his life. The Oliver Dolan who had those experiences seemed tangibly altered from the youth now suffering from insomnia." - p 116

This having been published in 1979, tape was still cutting edge technology. I know that my space ship will have VHS no matter what.

"The captain let that pass. He walked to an instrument panel between a pilot and copilot who were busily supervising orbital insertion, drew a small cassette from the breast pocket of his uniform, and slotted it.

""This little recording was made specifically for you, to be viewed upon near-arrival on Styx," Worthington said, punching 'play', "Check the video."" - p 130

You can tell this spaceship is less technologically advanced than mine wd be b/c they're using mini-dvs, a storage unit w/ a very limited lifespan. That must be why the captain punched the play button instead of more gently pressing it. The thing is that that type of frustration-venting just tends to make matters worse.

The character that saves & disrupts Oliver Dolan's life is Geoffrey Turner:

"010101111—TURNER, GEOFFREY: PRESENT PSEUDONYM OF HISTORICAL MANDROID PRODUCED 2266 AD. LAST IMPERIAL DUTY: SUPERVISION OF WORLD-SCAPING OF PLANET STYX OF STAR SYSTEM AZ108063. PREVIOUS NOTORIETY: NOVELIST FAMED FOR WORKS OF SCIENCE FICTION—'THE TIME MACHINE' (1895); 'WAR OF THE WORLDS' (1898); 'FIRST MEN ON THE MOON' (1901) FURTHER INFORMATION: 010101110 — WELL, H. (HERBERT) G. (GEORGE)." - p 141

H. G. Wells, homage has been pd to him in many a story. I wondered whether "Geoffrey Turner" was an in-joke name, such as the name of a Wells character, but I haven't reached any satisfactory conclusion.

""Of course, her activities took decades. Bust she was in no hurry—she was effectively immortal. And when the revolution came, not a shot was fired, not a person killed. There was no coup as such. Over the years and under the careful guiding hand of the computer Victoria, society began to emulate British Victorian society. English became the standard language of the world—British English. The sort we speak now." - p 145

But are the characters speaking "British English"? I actually didn't notice any instances of clear Americanisms OR Britishisms. I didn't notice any colour vs color of theater vs theatre.

Anyway, the hero gets his opportunity for pay-off but doesn't even obtain "orbital insertion". Too bad.

""You're safe," she said. About her torso she wore a skin-tight glossy sheath ornamented with strips of dazzling, winking lights and gemstone clusters. This material rose to a point just below her breasts, which were bare beneath the translucence of a silky top. Her legs were wrapped in the gauzy nothing of a full, sweeping skirt speckled with mirror-beads that shone in the light." - p 193 ( )

One of my favorite books of all time. Bought it as a child and have since purchased it several times when my copy falls apart. A simple but great little story. The type of tale that has its own place in your heart through the years...particularly if it is one of the first things you ever read. ( )

Takes all the typical fantasy elements, such as a pseudo-medieval society, mythical creatures, and a damsel in distress; and blends them with typical science fiction elements such as interplanetary empires, robots, and planet controlling computers. It's a fun read with a few surprises that make it memorable. ( )