_Cassandra_'s Full Review: Tanith Lee - The Silver Metal Lover
The earth shook with the beat of the rhythm, and the race of the guitar following it. Sheer runs of notes. It was very clever but not facile. It didn't sound like a robot, though it was too brilliant for a human musician. No man could play as quickly and clearly. Yet it had the depth, the color-tones - as if he felt, expressed, what he played. There had been a brief interlude, without voice, but then he sang again. I could hear all the words. They didn't make sense, but I wanted to keep them, and only a phrase was left here and there, snagged on the edges of me as the song flung past - fire-snow, scarlet horses, a winged merry-go-round, windshields splattered with city lights, a car in flight and worlds flying like birds -
I opened my eyes and bit my tongue so I couldn't scream.
- Tanith Lee, The Silver Metal Lover.
I consider a book to be truly timeless if I can pick it up and read it from cover to cover every other year. Tanith Lee's The Silver Metal Lover is one such book. I've read a wide variety of Lee's work over the years, and this is one of my very favourite novels. It fits firmly into the science fiction genre, of which Tanith Lee wrote only a few novels before planting herself more firmly in both the horror or fantasy genres. In my opinion, her very best work is her early science fiction novel Drinking Sapphire Wine, but The Silver Metal Lover comes a very close second or perhaps even equal first - they both explore important and enriching areas but have a different focus.
The story in this book revolves around a sixteen year old girl by the name of Jane. Living in a glorious tower under the shadow of a successful and distant mother, she is surrounded by all the trappings and conveniences of futuristic life. Being a child of wealth and privilege, she has suitably well-heeled friends who, through the tedium of riches, have become either painfully self-centered (the dramatic Egyptia), or vicious and small-minded (the crafty twins Jason and Medea). The only half normal one of the lot seems to be Clovis, who is gay - or "mirror-biased" as Lee terms the sexual preference in this alternate world. I find this openness and acceptance wonderfully refreshing, and Lee has in several of her older books written about sexuality as being fluid and nothing to be surprised about or ashamed of.
Jane however is innocent and completely inexperienced in sexual matters - much to the chagrin of her mother, who is the stereotypical "modern parent". Jane is supposed to have developed her own opinions and personality as her mother has instructed - but Jane has come to rely so much on her mother's instructions she finds herself unable to act. She thinks of herself as dull and uninteresting - an opinion which merely reflects what she has been told. This all changes, however, when Jane meets Silver, a sophisticated format robot which has just been released by Electronic Metals Ltd. She falls in love instantly with the robot, who is perfect in every way and possesses a simulated personality which is both creative and warmly human. Jane is horrified by this unwelcome and overwhelming emotional response and tries to deny her feelings - but the seed is sown in her heart, and soon, with Clovis' help, Jane has sold everything she owns and defied her mother by buying Silver and heading into the slums of the city to live an independent life nourished by love.
Several themes are dealt with in the course of the story. The central and most important is the story of Jane finding herself - the journey of self discovery and realizing that she does actually have a personality which is unique and special. The futuristic setting highlights some of the issues we deal with in everyday modern life - peer group pressure to conform, the use of technology to enhance our physical appearance, science alienating us from ourselves and others. The dilemma of artificial intelligence is explored - for if we are able to create an artificial being who can produce creative work and care for others, has humanity become redundant? The plot thickens as Electronic Metals recalls the sophisticated format robots due to violent protest, and Silver is running for his simulated life. As we come to know Silver through Lee's wonderful storytelling, we being to feel for him as if he were a human, as he aids Jane (Now Jain) in finding meaning and fulfillment in her life.
Tanith Lee writes in a wonderfully descriptive style and the book is written from the first person of Jane. Like many science fiction writers she deals with alternative views of human society, couching her vision in an alternate reality such as many socially marginalized individuals wish to escape to. Written in a conversational style, it is very accessible to readers of all levels. The characters are well defined and highlight human traits and foibles which are easy and natural to relate to. Above all, The Silver Metal Lover is a story about love at its' purest - about co-operation, caring and discovery. And the ending is so beautifully wrought I can never get through it without crying.
Find this book, most likely in your local second-hand book store. If you like authors such as Tom Robbins, Anne McCaffrey, Kurt Vonnegut or Philip K. Dick, you would likely enjoy this book.
Jane is a 16-year-old misfit living in an asteroid-altered Earth of the future. Like most girls her age, true love and real happiness seem forever bey...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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