Mark Cashman believes strongly in individuality, and that shows in his novel Ringclimber.
Ringclimber begins with a disaster -- expert Sharon Lazlo and her team are attempting to "climb" the perilous rings of Saturn, and equipment failure leads to the death of a climber. From there, the novel follows Sharon and her friends and climbmates-Erin, Anne, and Pat -- through a grieving period, to a martian climb, and back to the rings.
Don't expect your ordinary adventure in SF, though. This novel is really about its characters. Main character Sharon Lazlo, for instance, is far from the expected hero. She's a tough climber -- but she's also a highly regarded plotter. She's full of nuances, from her continued grief over the early Ring accident to her sparse speaking manner. Cashman manages to integrate the details that make his characters so real smoothly, always using them to add to the sense of reality rather than allowing them to become a distraction. Each of the characters -- but especially Sharon -- are understandable, even if they are not always right.
One of the major themes of the novel is friendship. As Cashman says, "There is companionship. The friends made...the friends lost." The friendships between the climbers are never gushy. They are part of the characters, and like any real associations they are not always easy to deal with. Sharon especially is often distant, and one can almost feel the frustration of those close to her.
The plot is as carefully wrought as its people, and often surprised me. But it never has any gratuitiously sharp twists; the movement from one scene to the next seemed completely natural.
Also amazing is the way these intricacies of plot and character are presented. Cashman states in his introduction that he believes in showing rather than telling, and that's just what he does. He rarely says more than is necessary for understanding, and his paragraphs rarely go beyond four sentences. He also effectively uses present tense for narration. Although I expected the tense to get in the way, it never did -- it only added to the immediacy of the story. Another aspect of Ringclimber that intrigued me was its use of women as the heroes. Better still was the fact that Cashman never played up on their "femaleness." Instead, they were simply very complex, strongly motivated people. Too often SF writers make female leads into either weak, brainless creatures or trigger-happy musclegirls.
One final thing to note about this novel is its electronic format, which allows the author to include images without raising the cost. Cashman does that, and the images - some original, some from NASA photos - add a great deal to the story. Unfortunately, a few are very grainy, but the blame lies with the satellites…
Too often, electronic or web-published texts are simply not worth reading. It is pleasnatly surprising to see a worthwhile, thoughtful, and fun novel like Ringclimber available like this. Highly recommended.
Excerpt and artwork from Ringclimber are copyright 1998 by Mark Cashman and are used with permission. They may not be reproduced without his consent. The Outer Rim is copyright 1998 by the Outer Rim; all rights reserved worldwide.