A classic SF from 1954.

Obviously it must be read as a product of its time and I think it's pretty good for all that, but while I DO enjoy the whole conflict of Passive vs Active Martians living among us, trying to decide whether they are just observers or want to actively destroy us, it's very much a Hawk Vs Dove kind of story.

It's not bad but I did get a bit annoyed with the endless exposition-in-dialogue that was rather common for the day.

It IS, however, still a step up from the endless hokey perceived-pulp SF that was common for the time. Put it vaguely on par with early-early Philip K Dick without the paranoia. :)

I wouldn't seriously recommend this for modern readers unless you like to read things in context. America was on an expansionist footing, having fully realized their power after the end of WWII. The commentary is pretty spot-on. ( )

Pangborn, Edgar. A Mirror for Observers. 1954. Afterword by Peter S. Beagle. Bluejay, 1983.
Years before Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman collaborated on Good Omens, Edgar Pangborn, an almost forgotten master of fantasy and science fiction, gave the idea a more serious treatment. In A Mirror for Observers, two Martians meddle in human affairs, one intending benevolence and one hoping to hasten the collapse of civilization. In a small New England town, they observe a young boy who they suspect will have special qualities. The story is character-driven in the extreme, to the extent that some reviewers argue that the science fictional elements of the novel are unnecessary. Perhaps, but the ethical message at the heart of the novel goes down easier if it is enunciated by a caring Martian than it would be by a human character or an angel. Is the novel a creature of its time? Sure. Is it slow at times? Yup. Is it still worth a read? Definitely. ( )

Heartbreakingly beautiful story of a Martian "Observer" trying to nurture and protect the lives of a gifted boy and girl (later a young man and woman), in conflict with another Martian who desires to corrupt and destroy them. The Martian framework is a platform for a lot of ruminating about the nature of humanity, and good vs. evil. The characters are beautifully drawn and developed, and the dialogue is pitch perfect. The lead character, The Observer, becomes a person so real (actually, persons so real), and his caring about the boy and girl so genuine and powerful, that it reflects back onto him, and makes him unforgettable. This attention to detail is characteristic of Pangborn, as is the abiding love of humankind that pervades all of his best work. It took me a chapter or two before the Martian framework fell away, and I became the Observer of these characters. The ending, which is both tragic and uplifting, moved me to tears. This is just a stunning piece of SF, as good as anything I've ever read in the genre. It's the first thing of his I've read--aside from a handful of short stories--that isn't part of his post-apocalyptic Tales of a Darkening World books--these include the novels "Davy," "In the Company of Glory," "The Judgement of Eve," and the story collection "Still I Persist In Wondering." I recommend all of them most highly. For me, he's become one of those writers you wonder how you ever did without. ( )

This is set in the near future of its own time (that is, in the the presidency of the successor of Eisenhower, who was actuall president when it ws written) but it assumes that thousands of years ago the people of Mars had abandoned their dying planet and moved to Earth, where most of then have been patiently watching (they are the "Observers") to see when the humans will develop a sufficienly stable peacefil society to merge with. (These Martians are humanoid, though with 4 fingers and toes, orange blood and a scent that disturbs horses. They have adapted human facial features and artificial fifth fingers.) A minority of them, the "Abdicators" have renounced observer status and are hoping to manipulate the humans into destroying enugh of themselves that the rest can be dominated. An abdicator visits an observer official and mentions an interest in a clever young boy named Angelo, and an observer is dispatched to keep an eye on him. The rest of the book is that observer's report. ( )

Oh my.

Multi-faceted. Not sure what that usually means. But what I mean by that here is that a reader is shown many different views of this story and its elements, depending on how s/he reads it. Some facets are almost blindingly brilliant - for example, the simplicity of the premise, the reason why this is set up as SF rather than a simpler 'coming-of-age by boy genius in a scary world' story. Some facets sparkle, that is to say, wittily - there's even a bit of gentle humor here. Some glow with opalescence - insights into the human condition that give this jaded, cynical reader hope for the future of the race. And some glare, piercingly.

Not for everyone. The reader has to have read widely, lived fully, and thought deeply. It's not enough, for example, to Google to learn what is a bo tree -- one has to have seen the reference other places, thought about its relevance in different situations, and then actually notice the brief allusion here. And that's just one, almost trivial, example.

A few years ago I would not have appreciated it. I don't fully now, I'm sure, as I'm not nearly sophisticated enough to catch all the allusions & connections. I definitely need to think more about the significance of the title and the object referenced - the mirror doesn't seem to have a large part in the story, but of course it does; it's just that I don't understand it.

Meanwhile, I loved what I did understand. I loved the premise of the very long-lived Martians and their unique perspective on our short & busy lives. Yes it's been done, but never ime quite so sensitively.

I loved how it was decided to offer schooling to a prodigy, despite the likelihood that she'd not be able to make a career of her passion: The worst cruelty would be to protect her from the pain of struggling."

Great lines all over the place. "[T]he comic hurry of a second hand...."

The theme of good and evil is set out very clearly in a couple of places. Didactic? Sure. But still, beautifully written and thoughtful, very easy to read w/out feeling preached at:

"Men trick themselves with the illusion that good and evil are neat opposites: one of the mental short-cuts that turn out to be dead-end traps. Good is a far wider and more inclusive aspect of life.... Yet good is the drink, evil only a poison that is sometimes in the dregs.... Recognizing many partial ambivalences between birth and death, we overlook their partial quality and are fooled into supposing that ambivalence is exact and omnipresent...."

Pangborn thinks so clearly about everything. He doesn't build on tropes - any in here are actually fully re-invented motifs, rather than cliches. For example, the scary apocalypse isn't really so, of course. "The flu of 1918 killed more than the First World War, but statistically it hardly made a dent in the human race... I really do believe there's time for coffee before the end of the world."

I also really liked the bits about music. I need to sit down with his words and listen to the classical pieces he talked about, to see if I can hear something of what he does. Of course, he's a trained musician and I know almost nothing, but gosh, I do love learning, when the lesson is so lovingly presented.

And now that I've been up almost half the night finishing this book, and another half hour writing this review while I had my feelings & thoughts about it making so much noise in my head, I'm off to lie down again and try to sleep.
" ( )