Rhapsody in Black

Hooded Swan #2

by Brian M. Stableford

In the culture of the galaxy, the Star-Pilots of the starships that link the cosmos together have become the great heroes of the day. Grainger, who has become a legend in his own lifetime, is drafted to fly the prototype (the Hooded Swan) of a new ship that could revolutionize space travel. The members of the ultra-ascetic Church of the Exclusive Reward have colonized a number of marginal worlds to exclude themselves from galactic society. On Rhapsody, church members lead a completely subterranean existence. Even closed societies have their rebels, however, so when a major scientific discovery emerges from the caves of the dark planet, everything there falls apart. If Grainger can secure a share in the coming bonanza, he could buy back his freedom from Titus Charlot. Before he can do that, however, he has to find some way of just staying alive.... Hooded Swan, Book Two.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Space Opera, Adventure, Novels

175 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Brian Michael Stableford was a British science fiction writer who published more than 70 novels. His earlier books were published under the name Brian M. Stableford, but more recent ones have dropped the middle initial and appeared under the name Brian Stableford. He also used the pseudonym Brian Craig for a couple of very early works, and again for a few more recent works. The pseudonym derives from the first names of himself and of a school friend from the 1960s, Craig A. Mackintosh, with whom he jointly published some very early work.

Reviews

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

DAW Collectors #59

over Artist: Kelly Freas

Name: Stableford, Brian Michael, Birthplace: Shipley, Yorkshire, England, UK, 25 July 1948

Alternate Names: Francis Amery, Olympe Chambrionne, Brian Craig.

Stableford jumps into the action at once, Grainger on the run from miners on the planet Rhapsody. We don’t know why he’s in this predicament, but it will be revealed in flashback. Rhapsody is one of ‘God’s Nine Splinters’, isolated worlds with a religious bent, the others being: Ecstacy, Modesty, Felicity, Fidelity, Sanctity, Harmony, Serenity, and Vitality. Life on Rhapsody is lived underground, the denizens only comfortable in darkness or semi-darkness; hence the title. They’re constrained by their leaders who are strict; as one stated, ‘There’s a lot of life in the old dogma yet.

Why is Grainger here? As the indentured pilot to the owner of the Hooded Swan, he goes where he’s told. The owner, Charlot has heard there’s something valuable on the planet, and he wants to negotiate for it. To further his aim, he has co-opted some exiled people from the planet to help. Unfortunately, on arrival the religious indigents imprison them all.

They escape and then the chase goes on through the mine shafts.

The series consists of:

1. The Halcyon Drift (1972)
2. Rhapsody in Black (1973)
3. Promised Land (1974)
4. The Paradise Game (1974)
5. The Fenris Device (1974)
6. Swan Song (1975)
Swan Songs (2002)

[Darnoc Leadburger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, sweet, flavorful, and intelligent were all part of Brian M. Stableford's MO when writing *The Halcyon Drift*. Thankfully, *Rhapsody in Black* seems to be cut form the same swathe of stars as its predecessor. This is the second book in Stableford's Hooded Swan (also known as the Star-Pilot Grainger) series, which I picked up on a Whatnot auction last year, and I have to say - this is one of the best space opera series I've read in a little while. They books are clever and enjoyable, and I can't wait to tell you why after a "quick" summary.

*Rhapsody in Black* opens inside the caverns of a mystery planet with Grainger all alone with the wind, that parasite from his planet of exile. Their conversations are a bit feisty, and the life-threatening feats they much accomplish inside the caves' unique architecture only fan the flames. We soon get some flashbacks spliced into Grainger's entering of an underground city and his capture by disgraced and exiled natives; right after the events of *The Halcyon Drift*, Charlot, the New Alexandrian "owner" of the *Hooded Swan*, takes the crew out to pick up a group of political exiles on a stopgap planet with little industry between facilitating space travel to and from the Splinters, a cluster of planets so isolationist due to religious doctrine that they'll try to not even communicate with each other. Here Charlot picks up exiles from the planet Rhapsody and has Grainger fly them to Rhapsody where, upon arrival, they're promptly arrested by the governing body, foreigners and exiles alike. These exiles aren't like the exiles who kidnap Grainger in the present-day, though; where they were of the priestly caste, these are blue-collar workers whose existence can no longer be acknowledged by followers of the faith-powered government, even their own wives and kids. They're bitter, and when they give Grainger some soup and find out that there are multiple groups of foreigners in search of some rumored treasure buried within Rhapsody (the cell that Grianger escaped from had included the captain of a different spaceship in search of the same thing Charlot picked up the exiles to help find), they - mainly Bayon, their boss - realize that they could trade the rumored treasure for passage offworld...

Bayon's plan is to assault the multiple guards who are guarding a cavern that was actually unearthed a little while ago which seems to be the epicenter of all these rumors and whatnot, but it quickly goes awry when the leader of Rhapsody is inside the cave. He gets caught in the conflict, which some of the initial priest-caste refugees are in the middle of, in addition to Grainger, who no longer wants to be stuck to Bayon but doesn't see a much better alternative. The conflict ends with Bayon and Grainger and co in the cavern, where Grainger and the wind reason out what the treasure is - a species of organism which, in response to light, eats matter (or certain kinds, it's a bit fuzzy in my memory) and can be cultivated as a mass "city-eater," which could translate to "world-eater." Grainger ends up pulled away by Charlot, where they have a nice conversation during which Grainger advocates for destroying all the organisms, but it ends with Bayon trying to kill them and Charlot getting the deal he wanted out of the whole affair. Grainger does pocket a few for himself to try and sell to the other star-pilot, but apparently opening the cavern screwed up the ecosystem's balance and now the little worms are terminally ill and almost useless. Oh well; you can't win 'em all.

One nice thing about this book is the new reams of scientific concepts and pictures painted, from the Splinters to the matter-eating organisms. Where the first book had a web of alien starship drives and whatnot, this book has its own distinct flavor while still reusing some of the conceptual themes like Grainger feeling at ease about the wind's ability to take over parts of his body, which makes this feel like a slick continuation without reusing all the same jargon like some space opera has a tendency too. I might've preferred more exploration into the Splinters' "government" and religion, but at the end of the day, I can't complain too much - what is there is highly thematic and makes this world feel considerably richer.

The themes largely come into play with Grainger, which kind of surprised me; despite his strange mix of selfishness and altruism, I didn't think his character would have much for noticeable growth across these six books. Still, by the end of book two, he's already saying that he accepts that his symbiote's there to stay and seems to start having an easier time with it, due to the parallels between his refusing to accept the wind as part of life and Rhapsody's natives refusing to A) use light to shine their way, but more importantly B) refusing to acknowledge those who've been cast out of society, even if they're, say, pointing a gun at them. It was really blind and it didn't really seem much different than Grainger refusing the symbiote's help with reflexes or the like at the end of the day, even if I hugely sympathize with what Grainger is going through here. It just tied the concepts and the characters into a really nice bow, although by "characters" I really mean "character," singular, because Grainger is the only member of the first book's main cast to receive much page-time here. The others show up in flashbacks and at the end, and Charlot does have a few scenes where he gets to show off how compelling of a leader he can be, but it's not like the whole cast is finding enlightenment; I trust Stableford will explore them more in the later books.

Stableford's writing seemed a little better than the first book, too; the turn of phrase felt sharper, and the flashback-dotted beginning of the book was a clever way to roll things out and got me engaged. His writing is economic and impactful. That being said, while I know it's impactful and I know it's good, I didn't really feel the intimacy of the impact after reading this book. I had to refer to my copy too much for only reading this a couple weeks ago, and I think that's because, despite the good concepts and themes and everything, this book still feels a bit surfacey - like its predecessor, but more so. It just seems to flow by, and I'm sure that's because of its brevity and how much is wrapped into such a small package. Like the last book (even though there's less going on here than in there), I think it could've been longer and it would've been more substantial and easy to remember. I don't know if the DAW line he wrote these for had word limits or if he just liked this clipped style of adventures or what, but.... it could've been beefier.

Still, this is a fun and engaging adventure and an 8/10 in its own right (even if it's a weaker 8/10 than *The Halcyon Drift*) and I'm as excited to read books three-through-six as ever. It's a fun expansion to the format, and while I do hope to get more exposure to the rest of the cast next time around, the auxiliary characters and their screwed up world kept me more than happy with this outing. If you like space opera, I continue to recommend you give this series your best shot; you won't regret it. And if you do, well... it might be time to find a literate strand of wind of your own...

[Alex Sarll]

Grabbed partly because I've been meaning and failing to read Stableford's Empire Of Fear for 30+ years now, but mainly for that cover, which unusually for a science fiction paperback of the seventies, might actually be related to the contents – that does look like a ship that would be called the Hooded Swan, doesn't it? But I'm sure I already knew it from a Terran Trade Authority or similar art compilation, and I also have an odd memory of having a small plastic toy of it, maybe one that slid down a string, which seems a lot more like a dream than a plausible thing to have owned, but who knows? Toys back then could be very odd. Anyway. I wanted a couple of hours' worth of old-school (but not too old-school) SF, and that's exactly what I got. We open with the star-pilot Grainger in an impossible scrape, flash back to find out how he got there, and then follow his attempts to extricate himself and maybe even come out ahead. He's an ornery soul anyway, but his mood isn't helped by his recent backstory, his predicament, or the alien parasite in his head, with which he intermittently bickers in a manner not dissimilar to contemporaries such as Deathlok and MACH 1. Sometimes he calls it the whisper; other times, less happily, it's the wind, which given he's stuck with it, does mean he's arguing with trapped wind. The setting is the inappropriately named Rhapsody, its surface inimical to life and its tunnels inhabited by the determinedly joyless Church of the Exclusive Reward, for whom even decent levels of lighting would be a sinful indulgence. They're an almost absurd parody of religious obscurantism and meanness, which is to say, maybe half as bad as the real thing. But as the book continues, Grainger begins to realise that his own unwillingness to get involved and insistent, inconsistent independence aren't as different from these fanatics as he might like. A book that scratched exactly the itch I wanted it to.

[James Hogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apparently this is Book 2 of the "Hooded Swan" series which I began a few weeks back when I read Halcyon Drift. I loved that book so much, I bought book 2 and now...well, now I suppose I need to obtain the third book! Once again the star pilot Grainger is the protagonist of this awesome classic sci-fi book. Stableford is a master at creating a gritty lived-in universe...this book was set on a tunneled out planetoid almost devoid of light - a most fascinating setting! - and was quite gripping. Grainger almost seems like he was born to be played by Harrison Ford - that character that doesn't really seem to care about anything or anyone, but does what is right when it comes down to it. I don't want to discuss the plot, but just know I much enjoyed this book. Stableford has great descriptive writing skills and creates realistic characters that seem to have their own backstories and motivations...without screaming their intentions and life stories at you like what seems to be the milieu of the day. This was a fantastic atmospheric sci-fi thriller. And quite short, easily read within a few nights! And yes, now I need to order the third book of this series.

[Joel Hacker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first Brian Stableford, and it appears unfortunately in the midst of a series. I did really enjoy it though...I would say more pulp detective/hammet meets scifi than the harder scifi of its day. And despite Stableford being a traind sociologist, it comes across as a lot less preachy and thought-experimenty regarding other human civilizations than, again, a lot of his contemporary science fiction writers.
I'll definitely be looking up the rest of this particular series, and likely some of his lovecraftian stuff as well.

[John JJJJJJJJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Captivating Start, a Boring End

In this second volume, we find Grainger on a planet called Rhapsody. This world lies underground, carved with tunnels, caves, and caverns, and inhabited by mystics who have chosen to live far from light and galactic civilizations.

Volume II starts off strong: the author throws us right into the action. The first two-thirds are much better than the first book. But the final third is dull. The intensity of the beginning fades, and the reading becomes less engaging.

In short: a promising start spoiled by a weak ending.

[Michael D · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid second installment of the 'Hooded Swan' series. I am impressed once again by how Stableford (RIP) writes compelling, satisfying stories with convincing characters and sharp prose in 160 pages or less. I have read Iain M. Banks novels three times the length of this and been left in a dull, zombified state of disinterest. Stableford is a far superior writer to any of the bloated SF big-sellers of the last 30 years, I hugely recommend him to anyone looking for a well-crafted space opera.

[Angus McKeogh · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s tough to follow a 5-star read with a 5-star sequel, and Stableford didn’t quite manage that feat. But I thought this book was above average nonetheless and I love this series which revolves around Grainger and his ship, Hooded Swan. I’ll definitely continue on.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star pilot Grainger (along with the mind-symbiot that uneasily shares his brain) are called back into service by their employer, Titus Charlot. Unlike their adventure in The Halcyon Drift, the piloting is easy... just ferry a group of religious exiles back to their homeworld, Rhapsody, where the people live in underground caverns relying on the absolute minimum of light to get by. Something very valuable's been discovered on Rhapsody, and Charlot wants it for New Alexandria. But because what's found is so potentially valuable, the political situation's become unstable, and soon Grainger finds himself drawn unwillingly into the center of things.

Another of the short novels that make up the Hooded Swan series, the first in which the titular starship is barely involved. This is not a bad thing because the author, having trained as a biologist, gets to explore his element. Although the plot deals with an ultra-religious community that has deliberately withdrawn from society (in a somewhat cynical but still surprisingly tolerant way), at the core there's sort of a biological mystery tale that Grainger must figure out, and Stableford does a good job of bringing you along into understanding it without getting too complicated. And, of course, there's the constant dialogue between Grainger and the wind, as they interact in a slightly more comfortable but still standoffish way. This novel, more than any except the last, focuses on their relationship to the exclusion of most of the rest of the series' recurring characters... for a long time the two are alone, or alone except some religious outcasts who aren't particularly friendly.

As I mentioned in my review of The Halcyon Drift, I may not be able to be entirely objective on the books in this series, I enjoy them too much and have read them too many times to worry so much about the flaws... but still, I give it 4 stars.

[Dan Piponi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like another, it's Angus McKie's cover that attracted my attention. The ship on the Pan cover is known in Stewart Cowley's Terran Trade Authority books as the Interstellar Queen. This particular painting also appears on the cover of TSR's UK magazine Imagine #29. As this ship appears on 5 out of 6 books in the Grainger series I guess we're intended to imagine it's the eponymous Hooded Swan that gives the other name to the entire series, but I'm not convinced it actually fits any description in the text.

Anyway, this is the second book in the Grainger series. As usual we have grumpy Grainger, the pacifist loner forced to cohabit his mind with an unwanted symbiotic incorporeal entity, "the wind". The Hooded Swan plays only a small role in this subterranean adventure about a group of fanatic religious troglodytes who have made an apparently valuable discovery and conflicts quickly ensue.

To me the centrepiece of the entire six part series is the conflict between Grainger and his endosymbiont. But it's not moved forward much in this volume although along with Grainger we do learn a little more about the abilities it confers on its host and Grainger himself does come to a kind of understanding.

It's a little dated in places. The idea that someone has to manually adjust their watch every time they land seems very silly. But I guess Stableford was more comfortable playing with ideas from biology than prognosticating about technology. On the other hand, Titus Charlot as something of a tech bro is remarkably prescient, especially as Stableford wrote this in the early 70s. I can't help imagining New Alexandria to be something like OpenAI although we don't hear much about it in this book beyond it being a source of funding to purchase whatever it is that is buried underground.

Overall a very entertaining yarn, but the ending is a little unsatisfactory. I find myself asking "but couldn't you just do this...?" but sadly Stableford passed away a few years ago and I can't ask him.

[Paulo "paper books only" · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second "Rhapsody in Black" beings with Grainger shuttles Charlot and some passengers to the planet Rhapsody, an isolated religious community constructed entirely below-ground on a world too close to the parent star, because something valuable has been discovered there, and Charlot wants to negotiate for it. There, the crew is imprisoned upon arrival, but he and a few of the others escape.Grainger learns what's so valuable: there's a naturally occurring organism that just happens to be able to eat through the most common building material in the galaxy, and reproduces extremely rapidly given even moderate light. It could be extremely valuable, and it could also be a scourge to civilization, literally eating cities. Grainger later learns that the cave is worthless after all. The closed ecosystem of the cave was so stable that it couldn't handle the appearance of humans. All samples in the cave will be dead in a matter of days, no matter how many times they divide. The Hooded Swan leaves, ferrying the exiles to a new world.

[L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rhapsody in Black is the second in the Hooded Swan (aka Grainger) series by Stableford, and while it is a good read I find the whole thing a little dark and gloomy as compared to others in this series. The main character is a gritty and grumpy exaggeration of the man-in-charge of a space ship. However, despite his negativity and foibles one can't help but become endeared to Grainger.

One thing of note is that Brain Stableford's knowledge of biology really shines through in parts of this book, making a believable scenario of the centrepiece of the plot. Worth the read.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun little story that pulls the reader through. Loses steam and becomes repetitious in the finale, but the first half especially is really well written and a lot of fun. Classic 70s pacifist space opera with some biology thrown in.

[S Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still as good as ever !

I have just re-read this after about twenty years, Very superior science fiction. Stableford’s fiction reads a little flat but the stories always hold, the ideas behind the tales are always fascinating.

[Mark O'Donnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another in the Grainger/Hooded Swan series.

The front cover shows how the Swan is supposed to look in space.

[Peveril · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good simple fun, but not as good as I remembered.

[SciFiOne · Rating 2 out of 5]

1983 grade D+

series book G2