Electric Forest - NO. 349

by Tanith Lee

Book Overview

Now available in a redesigned edition, Tanith Lee's sci-fi classic of a woman's quest for acceptance through the transfer of her consciousness to an artificial body. In the futuristic world of Indigo,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• ISBN: B001PYQLGM
• Release Date: January 1979
• Publisher: Daw Books
• Weight: 0.22 lbs.

Customer Reviews

shunned outcast of an otherwise ideal society

The world called Indigo turned upside down for Magdala Cled one unexpected morning. From being that world's only genetic misfit, the shunned outcast of an otherwise ideal society, she became the focus of attention for mighty forces. Once they had installed her in the midst of the Electric Forest, with its weird trees and its super-luxurious private home, Magdala awoke to the potentials which were opening up all about her. And to realize also the peril that now seemed poised above Indigo . . . which only she, the hated one, could possible circumvent.

Dark Blue Beauty

On the planet Indigo, a beautiful but heartless world of physical perfection, a deformed, rejected woman is offered the chance to leave her body behind and become beautiful. But what will be the price? I really enjoyed this short novel and its exploration of consciousness transferral. The heroine of this short novel, Magdala, has been in a state of near non-existence until she meets the mysterious Claudio, and with little ability to make decisions, awakens in an artifical body and begins to make it her own. In a world where beauty has become boring, she is excited by it and yet filled with hatred at the cruelty of Claudio who reminds her of what she truly is, and terror at the threat of having her new beauty, and body, taken from her. I wasn't too bothered by the pre and post screenings that weren't really part of the story, and yet explained what it was about. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys scifi, especially virtual reality stories.

Nothing is what it seems.

I imagine that I am going to have quite the addiction on my hands now. My second novel by Ms. Lee, I have already hopelessly fallen in love with her futuristic worlds of holostat illusions, decadent bungalows in the sky and trees of indigo blue. As for her charactors, her writing allows me to feel their pain and anguish as though it were indeed my own. Even the antagonists are far too intriguing to truly hate. But, on with the novel... The life of Magdala Cled is that of a severly deformed misfit in a society of rich snobs who were geneticly created to ensure that they would become physically attractive. Magdala, on the other hand was born to a prostitute Mother and unknown Father who dumped her off into a group home after she was born because she never bothered to have an abortion. Her she lives and goes out into the world, but her life is "lifeless" really because everywhere she goes people are so disgusted and frightened by the sight of her that even going to work is an ordeal. Her only companionship at all is the stuffed toy cat she hides in her apartment. But that all changes when the beautiful, rich Claudio spies her on the street and gives her the opportunity to have a whole new body through a transfer of consciousness. Now Magdala is beautiful--and under the complete and total control of a derranged mad scientist who indeed has his own selfish vendetta in mind--especially when Magdala realizes that she is an exact copy of a real living woman. A woman who Claudio desipises for mysterious reasons and Magdala hates for the reason that she is everything that Magdala could never be because of her physical deformities. It is heart wrenching to watch Magdala's dull life change into one of mystery and grand intrigue. To watch her charactor transform having been given the chance to experience feelings and emotions that she never could before because of having no friends or human contact whatsoever. To watch Claudio torment her with mind games and grand thoughts only to remind her of what she really is, something which she is always grimly aware of herself. And all the while as she contemplates her newfound situation, Magdala realizes her feelings of love/hate for Claudio, the one man who dared to notice her, and questions his motives. To live a life knowing it is not really hers at all, and that it is no longer even in any of her own control. My only gripe about the novel was it's shortness in length. I also agree with one of the other reviewers comments about the pre and post screenings being completely unnessasary and muddling to the plot. But even so, this was such an enjoyable read that I have to give credit where it's due. I'm a Bona Fide Tanith Lee fan now. I can't wait to read more of her novels.

A Deformed Outcast Has A Chance At Normalcy

While spending her entire life on Indigo (a planet in the Earth Conclave) as a repulsive outcast because of her deformed appearance, Magdala Cled is startled, yet intrigued, when a rich, attractive scientist named Claudio Loro approaches her with the promise to transform her into someone beautiful by relocating her consciousness into a new body. Magdala agrees, but at the same time, she can't help but wonder what exactly his intentions are.Although I love Tanith Lee's writing, "Electric Forest" isn't my favorite book by her. Granted, it is short (approximately 150 pages), but the technical jargon in the pre-screening and post-screening chapters baffled me. These two beginning and ending sections weren't really necessary to the story, in my opinion, and only seemed to muddle the plot. Still, I would recommend this book to sci fi fans, for a quick read.

Just a good mystery

Many times Tanith reminds me of Philip K. Dick, not so much in style but in output and lack of recognition. Amidst an array of pretty good works there are flashes of pure brilliance but you wonder why she hasn't become as popular or as famous as lesser lights. This book is one of the pretty good ones. A science fiction thriller set in a planet where everyone is genetically engineered to be "perfect" the one outcast is a daughter of a whore with every deformity available. When the mysterious Claudio shows up to offer her a new body via consciousness transferance she jumps on the chance. Only Claudio isn't telling her everything and he's a sadist to boot. As she tries to comprehend why Claudio gave her the new body and Claudio's overall agenda you move with her through dizzying plot twists.There are about 3 different plot twists at the end and they come pretty fast. For me they make the book enjoyable and intriguing. This was not Tanith Lee's greatest work and there are several places where it feels like we are waiting for something to happen. However, it is a short book and great for an enjoyable afternoon.