The Fall of the Families

Pawl Paxwax, the Gardener #2

by Phillip Mann

Part two of the story of the gardener. Pawl Paxwax was now master of the fifth family, ready to take his place amongst the galaxy's human rulers - and free to marry his loved one. His happiness was to be short lived. The many oppressed alien species who paid dearly for humanity's triumph were about to rise up in bloody retribution - with Pawl as their unwitting instrument.

Genres: Science Fiction

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Phillip Mann was born in 1942 and studied English and Drama at Manchester University and later in California. He worked in the New China News Agency in Beijing for two years but has lived in New Zealand since 1969, working as a theatre critic, drama teacher and university Reader in Drama.

Series:
* Pawl Paxwax, the Gardener
* A Land Fit for Heroes

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wouldn't usually start a review with an in memorium, but only a month prior to writing this, on the 1st of September 2022, Phillip Mann passed away.

His passing marks the loss of a genuine talent in New Zealand and Antipodean SF, his varied career having encompassed many great books, including the Arthur C. Clarke nominated The Disestablishment of Paradise.

First published in 1987, The Fall of the Families is the second book in the Pawl Paxwax duology, begun in Master of Paxwax, and it continues the thoughtful, sad story begun in the first book.

Pawl Paxwax is the ruler of the Paxwax house, one of numerous great human houses who rule a large part of our galaxy, having ruthlessly crushed and enslaved all the other sentient races they share they galaxy with. In Mann's first book, Pawl rose to power.

Since consolidating his rule against the predations of the other great houses he has found love and happiness, building a new family to replace the toxic one he grew up with. Behind the scenes the remnants of the alien races schemed to bring Pawl to the power he now enjoys, knowing that he is the key to the about the downfall of the human realms.

It's no spoiler (it's in the title) to say that this is the book where that downfall occurs, and it's a doozy. Humanity aren't headed for what I would call a fun time.

As always, Mann tells a story filled with pathos and flawed humanity, something he did to great effect in his classic Wulfsyarn, which was my introduction to his work. Pawl's happiness turned bitterness (and eventual mental dissolution), along with the self-destroying betrayal of his gentle alien friend Odin, bring a real sadness to the story that I found quite affecting.

Mann's gift for the alien is evident here too, with the many species inhabiting his narrative coming alive in his telling as they did in the first part of this story.

The actual downfall occurs over a fairly short section of the book, with the greater part of the story showing the lead-up and the strange and beautiful worlds of Mann's imagination. As I'm a sucker for intricate worldbuilding this was fine with me, and I loved the journey Mann takes his readers on.

If you're a fan of Mann's work, or intricate SF worlds in general, you'll want to read this one. It isn't quite on the same level as The Disestablishment of Paradise, which IMHO is a modern classic, but it's a fine book nonetheless.

So vale, Phillip Mann. Thank you for all the great books, and for so kindly responding to this reader's letter when I wrote you in 2021. You will be missed.


Four sad alien empaths (forced to go against their kind and gentle nature) out of five.

[Lemurkat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Phillip Mann has a truly inspired imagination. His alien races are just that - alien - completely and utterly in almost everyway. From the monstrous Hammer, to the terrifying Spiderlings (I think these are the weta-inspired aliens), to creatures that seem as insubstantial as a whisper. They are all here, described in enough detail to allow the reader to paint a picture in their mind.

Pawl's tale, his spiral into madness following tragedy, is not an inspiring one - but it still makes for an intriguing read. I know he is the protagonist, but I never felt much affection for Pawl Paxwax, whose stubborn disregard of tradition more-or-less lead him to destroy the lives of those he loved. Not only that, but his relationship with Laurel never seemed particularly convincing. I never managed to fully sympathise with him. Likewise, I did not experience strong reactions to the demise of the families, or the utter devastation that was wrought upon them. It was intriguing, at times horrifying, the descriptions rich, but I just didn't care. I didn't root for the "bad guys", nor side with the "good guys" (actually, who is who on either side is entirely debatable).

Overall, a decent read, with an interesting plot and lyrical prose. What it lacks is strong characterisation. Pawl lacks charisma. His relationship lacks passion. Whilst I enjoyed it well enough to finish it, I'm not sure I can be encouraged to read any more of Mann's works.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whereas I found book 1 very reminiscent of Dune, The Fall of the Families reminded me of a Shakespearean tragedy. The stage is set and the events are in motion at the end of Book 1, and the characters move towards their inevitable ends. However, this does not detract from just how brilliant this was to read. The pacing and the characters was perfect, and I loved getting into the minds of the various aliens. The ending was particularly poignant for me, as I finished reading the book not long after the announcement of Phillip Mann's death.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the second book in the series to be shatteringly disappointing.
The long awaited climatic fall of the Families is covered in about 30 pages.
What is the big plan to free the aliens from thousands of years of slavery? Well they achieve their goal by actually using their varied and deadly innate alien abilities.
It begs the question of how they were ever enslaved in the first place.
The rest of the book is a mass of ramblings about consciousness and how the universe is wheels with in wheels, etc. etc. yawn, yawn.

[Leif · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fitting conclusion to the Pawl Paxwax story in which tragedy merges (sometimes a touch ungainfully) with epic science fiction. This is definitely not the kind of sanitized, movie-ready science fiction so common today but, instead, the kind of thinking, breathing, jagged-edged imagination that delivers on its narrative tenets: the strange, the alien, the beautiful, the hubris, the fall. It's well worth reading and - if you've cut your teeth on the Dunes of the world, and want to continue to explore the philosophically-driven side of the genre, I really urge you to find a copy of Master of Paxwax and dive in.

[Iain Parkes]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14787750