Starshadows by Pamela Sargent (book review)
In his introduction to ‘Starshadows’, editor Terry Carr describes his working with author Pamela Sargent. He rejected her first four stories but wanted to see her sort her problems out. Carr admired Sargent’s ability to create realistic characters but felt she needed to work on her plots and showed her what needed to be sorted. Here, we have ten of her short stories.
I can see what he means with the opening story, ‘Shadows’. Earth has been invaded and lost. The remaining humans live in catacombs, with their captors, the Aada living amongst them when a couple of them are murdered. Oddly, the ending is a reverse of this and the Aada are not quite what they appear.
‘Gather Blue Roses’ is done from the point of view of twins Esther and Simon Greenbaum, whom feel each other’s pain. However, the real aspect of the story is their mother, a Holocaust survivor and her need to solitude every so often. The way Sargent writes it I thought with all the detail she had to be Jewish herself but a check reveals she’s an atheist. Even so, this is still more a character-driven story than relying on plot.
‘Oasis’ had an Arab-based character who has, shall we say, a homicidal bent and was known about it but carefully ensnares his prey by a little deception.
‘IMT’ of the title name is Instantaneous Matter Transmitter. City Manager Lisa Fernandez decides not to implement it, even if the city is falling apart, simply because it would cause more problems than solve. If anything, this feels like the anthesis of Larry Niven’s stepping disks in his ‘Known Space’ stories but explores different consequences than flash crowds. I doubt if either author would see how it would look in the social media society we have today, although flash crowds would still happen.
‘Bond And Free’ starts in a hospital and Alia, again finding she can walk out if she wants, does so again, taking some supplies and water and keeps going. She encounters a barmaid who seems to think she’ll get her drinkers back, a crazy man who promises a route through a mountain when its actually easy. It’s only when she hits a man who offers her a ride in a balloon and takes it herself that you start to re-evaluate Alia herself.
‘If Ever I Should Leave You’ has to be Sargent’s best story here by far. A woman meets the aging Yuri Malenkov and through a Time Station meets here in different times of his life when he was much younger. As she ages, she needs to ensure their relationship will happen. This really is a nicely crafted story and ties up all the loose ends.
‘Cloned Sister’ read with some familiarity and is actually part of Sargent’s ‘Cloned Lives’, which I’ve reviewed here before.
In many respects, especially where Sargent’s short stories are concerned, she is an acquired taste with emphasis on character than plot. Nothing wrong with that, a lot depends on your own orientation. When she hits the right balance, her Science Fiction gives a different set of observations.
GF Willmetts
August 2026
(pub: Ace Books, 1977. 205 page paperback. Price: varies, ISBN: 78918-X)
