Chad
Oliver's anthropological science fiction established the groundwork for
such authors as Ursula K. Le Guin and Michael Bishop. And for a good
reason: Chad Oliver was actually a university professor of anthropology
and brought first-hand experience to his writing of science fiction.
Chad's years of fieldwork in Africa shine through in The Shores of Another Sea,
a short novel (less than 150 pages) set in Kenya where anthropologist
Royce Crawford runs a Baboonery with forty baboons. Detailed
descriptions abound of the African countryside and the abundant African
animal life, so vivid, we as readers sense we're right there with Royce
as he attempts to deal with a series of challenges and remarkable
happenings.
Oh, those remarkable happenings. Of course, as
readers we know this is science fiction featuring a tale of first
contact with aliens. Thus, we are in a position to know what's happening
when Royce has an eerie intuition that he's being watched as he makes
the rounds at his Baboonery. Likewise, when Royce detects a disturbing
humming noise that simply is out of place, a sound not belonging to
anything in Africa.
What adds a element of complexity to Royce's
situation in the bush is the fact that he has his family with him, wife
Kathy and two little girls, Susan and Barbara. Added to his family
responsibility, Royce knows his Baboonery, generously funded by
interested parties back in the United States, serves as employer for
dozens of Africans who are, in turn, supporting their families. Since he
has assumed the role of leader, simply running away at the first signs
of danger is not in Royce's nature, even when a sign includes examining
one of his baboons and finding something strange indeed.
"Royce
crouched down and fingered the body. There were no puncture wounds that
he could see. The skull was intact; there was no fracture. The animal
looked as if something had grabbed it and literally pulled it apart. And
something - or someone - had forced the cage open."
I hope my
brief write-up has whetted your appetite. Grab a copy of Chad Oliver's first-rate thriller and join Royce and
the others as they press deeper into this unfathomable mystery.
"Royce
felt a stab of fear. For a moment, he could not move. He had seen
plenty of baboons in his time, but this one was . . . different. There
was a cold intelligence looking out through those animal eyes. The beast
was studying him."
Chad Oliver (1928-1993), a well-beloved anthropology professor at the University of Texas and author of science fiction
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