REVIEW: Uncharted Territory by Connie Willis
Findriddy and Carson are two explorers sent to Boohte to survey the ridges and scrub-covered hills of the planet. Back home, their adventures are followed by countless breathless fans, but the reality is far less romantic as they deal with dust, nitpicking regulations, and uncooperative aliens. Teamed with a young intern whose specialty is mating customs, and a native guide of indeterminate gender, the group sets out for a previously unexplored sector of the planet. As they survey canyons and cataracts, battle dangers, and discover alien treasures, they will soon find themselves in alien territory of another kind: exploring the paths and precipices of sex. And love.
Dear Ms. Willis,
I wasn’t quite sure what I was getting into with this long novella and even after finishing it, I’m still pondering everything that gets subtly and not so subtly turned on its head here. We have two government employees who work exploring and charting uncharted territory on a planet inhabited by sentient beings. On this journey, a novice goes with them along with an indige guide who accompanies them.
Fin and Carson are legends at this job. Ev arrives, practically starstruck at getting to work up close and personal with his idols. There’s even a (heavily glamorized) 3-D popup show about their adventures and exploits (48 or so episodes so far). Fin and Carson are gleefully fined by Bult – their guide – for a dizzying array of infractions. You see, the government (aka Big Brother and other “colorful” names that Carson uses) is contrite about past colonialism and has laid down a rigid set of rules and regs which the indiges – who are no fools – exploit to the nth degree. “Destruction of indigenous flora” for stepping on a flower or “destruction of land surface” for leaving a footprint.” As Fin and Carson gripe, they’ll have to keep working for at least twenty more years just to pay off all the fines.
But there’s something going on here. Something that Fin and Carson have worked out ways to finesse and to hide. Ostensibly they are there to chart what they find and name “f and f “as well as landmarks which don’t already have indige names. Of course the naming regs are as nitpicky as any others though by the end, readers might have caught on to how Carson’s strategy works.
Because there are also other things going on here besides a combo/flip of Old West and SciFi exploration. I agree that Ev is smarter than he looks but between explaining mating rituals to Fin – which leads him to notice something strange going on with a native bird – and trying to jump a ‘happy to be jumped’ coworker who flies the heli, Ev might not notice everything right under his nose.
This is an older story and in sending up bureaucracy or exploring genders, it might not have aged quite as well. Or it might exactly hit the spot, depending on your viewpoint. We get dropped straight into the action with little to no explanation so be prepared to just float along, gathering information and data as you go before things become a bit … less murky. I would have liked to see either a bit more or maybe a bit less as I think the story would have worked better either bulked up or slimmed down. But I still enjoyed myself. B-
~Jayne
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Great to see a review of this book! My all-time favorite book is by Connie Willis: To Say Nothing of the Dog, which is a time travel romp through Victorian England.
@JenC: I need to get to these Willis books.