THE OTHERS

by Margaret Wander Bonanno ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 23, 1990

Although Bonanno is the author of two Star Trek paperbacks, her concerns here come more from her mainstream feminist writings (Risks, 1989, etc.). The narrator is Lingri the Inept, chronicler of a pacifistic, scientifically advanced race known as the ""Others"" who share a world with the ""People,"" ignorant, brutish, and violent. Lingri's journal alternates between the long past memories of secret sojourns among the People, when the Others were still undiscovered, and details of the present--a time when the People are perpetuating a genocidal holocaust against the Others, eliminating any that are among them in the People's lands, then surrounding and destroying the Others' cities on their home archipelago. The horror of the People behavior, as contrasted with Lingri's lifelong fascination with them, is the backdrop on which the story pits passion against reason, murder against respect for life, fear of the strange against tolerance and acceptance. Bonanno walks a fine line here between moralizing and storytelling--but while the nonlinear narrative is initially daunting, the tale is ultimately rewarding.

Pub Date: Oct. 23, 1990

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: St. Martin's

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1990

Categories: FICTION