Over the Mountain, Across the Sea (The City in the Sea;5-07-1959)

[galacticjourney]

Every so often, I find a piece of fiction so compelling that I hate to give away too much about it for fear of spoiling the experience. Going through my stack of Galaxy novels, the ones I picked up cheaply not too long ago, I came upon The City in the Sea, by Wilson Tucker, published eight years ago in 1951. I had not heard of him before, but a quick polling of my friends determined that not only is he a BNF ("Big Name Fan"), but he is also quite an accomplished science fiction author. Interestingly, he coined the term "space opera."

Sometimes one can judge a book by its cover. In fact, the scene depicted is right from the novel. In short, several thousands of years from now, after an atomic holocaust destroys civilization, and global warming floods the continents, a resurgent matriarchy in England (having reached a Roman level of technology) establishes a colony on the American eastern seaboard. Finding only lackluster specimens of native humanity there, they are surprised when a clearly superior fellow (male, no less) strides purposefully into the colony from beyond the Appalachians. He is mute but compelling, and the colony's Captain accompanies him back across the mountains, along with a company of woman soldiers, in search of the man's settlement.

The ensuing story is told entirely from a female viewpoint (one of three: the efficient Captain Zee, her wry and charming doctor, Barra, and, briefly, the Captain's adjutant, Donnie). It is suffused with a sense of wonder, the kind you get in a good Pellucidar story, and it is satisfying from beginning to end. City also has that good, timeless quality that will keep it a classic in decades to come.

So read it already! I'm sure you can find a copy somewhere. If you like it, drop me a line. Fair readers, be advised that vital plot elements may be discussed in the correspondence below.

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Comments

[glymr]

Entirely female viewpoint, you say? You have certainly piqued my interest, good sir. This one sounds like a must-read!

[rheasilvia]

It sounds interesting indeed! I must say, though: Considering that these soldiers hail from England, I am very surprised that they are unfamiliar with the concept of clothing that covers the torso. If they were from, say, Egypt I'd consider it believable, but England...?

Also, I object to those shoes for a soldier. I suppose we should be grateful they aren't wearing high heels.

Please excuse the grumbling; I have merely been exposed to so many illogical costumes like this that I react very grumpily.

[galacticjourney]

The Greeks wore sandals, too...

As for the paucity of clothing, that's straight out of the book. They wear full uniform in the wet, cold colony, but when they get to the warm, healthy environment of Trans-Appalachia, they shed their clothes. It's actually a grumbling point for their Captain as a sign of lack of discipline.

It's also a very progressive sort of thing to write about--it's not a matter of nudity for book covers; it's depicted as female nudity being akin to male nudity--no big deal.

Trust me, I read the story waiting for an offensive shoe to drop, and one never did. :)

[rheasilvia]

Roman soldiers did wear sandals, as well - I merely didn't think these were the marching kind of sandals, since they looked more like a delicate low-heeled pumps to me. But I am willing to concede it is difficult to see from the perspective chosen for the cover. ;-)

And I am glad to hear that actual thought went into the clothing, and they do not actually wear this in England! The Captain sounds practical and competent for allowing her soldiers to adapt to the weather despite the fact she dislikes the deviation from proper military attire.

This story sounds more and more interesting. :-)

[galacticjourney]

It really is! Do give it a read. It's quick going and not very long--only 160 pages.

[glymr]

Having now read the story (Spoilers ahoy!) I thought I'd share a couple of thoughts with you.

I was impressed by the fairly progressive view of sexuality. The lesbian couple in the beginning, one of whom was a bisexual, was startling, but the polyamorous relationship at the end was even more of a surprise.

A part of me wants to knee-jerk criticize that last relationship (handsome male and two females) as authorial wish fulfillment, but considering that the viewpoint characters are all women, it would be a tough position to defend. The fact that the two women were well-differentiated individuals also argues against it. And the fact that the man was an 'idiot' of his race was a good twist, and also weighs against any idea of wish fulfillment on the part of the author.

Overall a really interesting book. Excellent pacing and actually a pretty light touch. I hope you'll let us know if you come across anything else by this author!

[galacticjourney]

I shall! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I hope others will give it a shot.