Aleksandra Brig Brig থেকে Baori, Rajasthan 302012، الهند
Fritz Leiber is known for Fantasy, both Swords and Sorcery and Urban Fantasy (a genre he practically invented), but The Wanderer is a mixture of disaster/apocalypse and first contact novel. It is in fact surprisingly 'hard' as far as the science fiction elements are concerned. A new planet, the Wanderer, appears suddenly next to the moon, its gravity causing earthquakes and huge tides which cause considerable destruction on Earth. Leiber follows several groups of people through the story including two who have direct contact with the inhabitants of the Wanderer. It is an interesting novel but it is something of a mixed bag. The disaster scenes are well done, although I think Leiber should have focused on fewer groups stories. There are some characters introduced early in the novel, that seldom get mentioned afterwards, he maybe should have cut those plot threads out altogether. The concept of the aliens was interesting but the inter-species romance was cringe inducing and easily the weakest part of the book. A good but not great book, but interesting nonetheless just for Leiber's take on science fiction.
It's not the most amazing book I've ever read, but I liked how unusual it was for YA fiction. I wish I could have read it as a kid. It's a little risque, though, which I think bothered Jeff's aunt when I gave his 12-year-old cousin a copy. But c'mon, at age 12 a girl needs risque literature. And most books with sexual themes that a girl gets her hands on are total crap.