If you have a good memory and taste for classic movies, then you've got to remember that a while ago there was a Film (Oh, I won't name its sacred name!) which main idea was incorporated in two short words: NO FATE. It was really wonderful movie but what do we know about fate in reality? Can we REALLY be sure that there's nothing like it? Far far in a distant future there lives a detective named Duncan Rojas, specialising on rare animals and hunter trophys. One day he is contacted by the last Maasai and is hired to find the biggest hunter trophy ever - ivory of legendary Kilimanjaro Elephant. This man is a real professional and he is obsessed by his work and he does his best to find what he is asked to find and to know why does his strange client needs this particular trophy so bad. By the course of his investigation he slowly reveales strange history of this ancient relic, filled with treachery and death. At this point I'd like to step one step aside and tell you a little about Mike Resnick. You see, Mike is a world famous SF short story writer. He writes novels, novellas and novellets, but its short story he is best in. And I must notice, he definitely knows his strong points - that's why 'Ivory' is actually a collection of short stories. And all this stories are united by one one thing - ivory of Kilimanjaro Elephant. Thought centuries this strange relic passed though hands of many people, and not all of them were even humans. Gamblers, scientists, thiefs, and warriors posessed ivory for some time, all of them sooner or later became victums of its strange but definite curse. Nevertheless, for some reason, at least one man still desperately wants to posess it. Why? Read the book, and you will know the answer. Now, before I finish, few words about book in common. First of all, I must notice that 'Ivory' is a classic SF detective, one of the best I've read in this sub-gentre. We have Holmes, we have Watson, we have mere facts and deductive method - all in interstellar envoronment. I'm not a very big fan of detective novels, but I really like this one. Secondly, I must notice that 'Ivory' has another big advantage for me - its very Hemingwayish in many ways. The very style, and love for Kenya and its wild nature unite many of The Great One's and Resnick's creations. 'Ivory' is no diferent'. This sincerety helpes this book to become not just 'very good' but 'just great', and that's why I can give this book a rating of 5, and that's why I can only tell you one more time: don't miss this book, its more than worth reading!
Title: Ivory |
11/18/05
