I've found that my experience with Dan Simmons is very similar to
that of most of the readers I know with similar tastes.  We all appreciate
Brust, argue over Donaldson, respect Tolkien, revere Le Guin, enjoy Kurtz,
marvel at Eco, and secretly read Eddings.  I first noticed Dan Simmons
while browsing through the local bookstore.  _Hyperion_'s magnificent cover
caught my eye, I started reading, and I was hooked on Simmons.  I don't
think I could do proper justice to the _Hyperion_ pair of books in a review,
but after reading them, I was curious about Simmons other works.  This
led me naturally to the discovery of _Phases_of_Gravity_.  Sound familiar?

	_Phases_ is the story of a retired astronaut, Richard Baedecker,
who is trying to find meaning in his life.  Baedecker's pilgrimage begins
in India, where he attempts to contact his estranged son, who has joined
a religious cult.  While there, he meets his son's ex-lover, Maggie Brown,
who becomes very interested in Baedecker and embarks with him on a search
for "places of power."  This search goes on for the rest of the novel as
Baedecker, with Brown's help, seeks out such places both in the external
world and within himself.

	Simmons, as usual, writes on many levels.  On the exterior, this
novel is a story about Baedecker's exploration of his past as he travels
about and sees the people and places which have made up his life.  On a
deeper level, though, it's a story about uncertainty and doubt and how
Baedecker tries to find his way through them.  Those who enjoyed Simmons'
philosophical passages in his other books should grab this one.  This novel
is filled with powerful and emotional scenes, but if you're looking for
another _Hyperion_, this isn't it.

	In fact, in his afterword, Simmons emphasizes that this novel is
essentially about the human heart, not about science fiction in any way.
Now that I think about it, I feel it was a mistake on the part of the book
store to shelve this book next to Simmons' other SF and Horror works, but
I still feel that a discussion of the novel is appropriate for r.a.sf-r
for reasons I gave in the beginning.  

	Anyway, if you've read Dan Simmons and want more, I highly recommend
this book, but don't get into it with the preconception that it will be
another SF marvel.  This is a philosophical book, one that should be savored.
In case you're wondering, _Song_of_Kali_ is much the same, though it falls
a little more closely into the horror genre which _Phases_ never approaches.

%A Simmons, Dan
%T Phases of Gravity
%I Bantam Spectra
%C New York
%D May 1989
%G ISBN 0-553-27764-2
%P 278 pp.
%O paperback, special signature series, US$4.95
%O order from Bantam Books, SF47, 414 East Golf Road, Des Plaines IL 60016 USA

Doug Ingram // d.ingram@tcu.edu // "Carpe Datum"
	http://personal.tcu.edu/~dingram/books.html (for more reviews)