Review of OTHERSYDE by J. Michael Straczynski

[B5JMS Poster]

Subject: Review of OTHERSYDE by J. Michael Straczynski
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 No. | DATE        |  FROM
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s  1: Oct  2, 1996: stef at baygate.bayarea.net (Stef Jones)
*  2: Oct  2, 1996: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)

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From: stef at baygate.bayarea.net (Stef Jones)
Lines: 77

Othersyde
by J. Michael Straczynski
1990, Dutton, NY 
ISBN 0-525-248373-0

Reviewed by Stef Jones

[SPOILERS FOLLOW]

J. Michael Straczynski has hinted on the nets that his childhood was not
all it might have been, and in Othersyde we get another glimpse in his
dedication to The Class and Faculty of Chula Vista High School, Class of
'72 and the words "Nothing is ever forgotten."

Othersyde is about alienation. Straczynski captures it in many forms:
the mumbling, obsessed old man pasting up posters on the street; the new
kid in school; the smart ugly one tormented by his peers; the bored,
sadistic, horny delinquents; the abusive husband and father; the pain of
a marriage falling apart after a child has died -- even the strange
consciousness after which the book is named. No one in this book really
has a home -- even a couple that finds love is portrayed only at the
tentative beginning of their relationship. 

As in Straczynski's most famous work, the Hugo-award-winning TV series
Babylon 5, the plot of Othersyde turns on small things -- coincidences,
last names, people running into each other on the street or in the
course of an investigation -- and on choices that people make in the
moment. Also similar to one of the themes of Babylon 5, people are
examined one by one and rejected as unsuitable, until one is found that
is "perfect." "Perfect," in both cases, means corruptible -- worn down,
tortured, vengeful, intelligent enough to know what they think they
want, sufficiently self-ignorant that they don't realize until too late
what they are becoming, how they are being used.

One of Straczynski's strengths is torturing his readers/viewers with
shifts in moral perspective. In Othersyde, having established Roger and
Chris as sympathetic underdogs, he tantalizes by offering a supernatural
force that at first seems to act as their rescuer (while he
simultaneously presents the annoying issue of what it's apparently done
to its previous host). This reader felt a certain amount of righteous
satisfaction when a bully got what was coming to him, but it was
replaced by frustration as Roger began more and more to resemble his
antagonists, while Chris dithered in continual indecision which
simultaneously (and infuriatingly) saves him from destruction and
prevents him from helping his friend when help is most needed.

Othersyde bears some marks of having been written in a hurry. For
example, it leaves a number of plot strings dangling. I would have liked
to know whether and how the man who was stuck in his chair was
discovered, whether anyone noticed the coincidence of the alphabetical
deaths, and more about the nature of Othersyde and its abilities
(although I suspect the dearth of information here is deliberate). 

To my taste (bearing in mind that I am not a big fan of most horror
fiction), Othersyde began extremely well -- engaging, well written, and
within the realm of the thrilling mysterious. Throughout it remained
compelling, and the writing and characterization for the most part
passed muster. But about two thirds of the way through, aspects of the
plot moved into a place where my disbelief refused to follow. Although
shards of believability and humanity remained, some of the characters
and situations began looking more like nightmare archetypes more than
real people, to the point where I could no longer take them especially
seriously. 

In Othersyde, Straczynski's relentless pursuit of the themes of moral
ambiguity and alienation, even beyond the end of the story, left
something of a chitinous taste in my mouth. Much more flavorful is
Babylon 5's combination of despair and ambivalence with a halo of hope.
Nevertheless, Othersyde is a damn good read, and excellent entertainment
for horror fans and Straczynski/Babylon 5 fans alike.

--
Copyright 1996 Stef Jones (stef at bayarea.net). All rights reserved. No
reproduction, including via electronic media, without permission from
the author (with the exception of propagation via Usenet newsgroups).



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From: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)
Lines: 21

I think I pretty much agree with the comments, criticisms inclusive. 
OtherSyde was my second novel, and I was still learning my craft, so it
has some rough edges, though overall I think it works.  

Re: some dangling threads and a hurried sense to the last third...again, I
agree.  The book was about 100 pages over what the publisher decided what
he wanted to put out, and sliced off a lot of threads, and hurried a lot
of the other stuff.  Which is one reason why I haven't let the book be
reprinted since; I'd prefer to go to the longer version...and I'm
embarrassed to say I don't know where the draft is.  (Or the files.)  I
think the longer version worked a lot better.



 jms






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