The Meat Tree

Former National Poet of Wales Lewis takes stylistic risks when writing the fourth branch of the Mabinogion series, the retelling of medieval Welsh tales in modern or futuristic contexts. Lewis has taken the myth of Blodeuwedd, a tale of metamorphosis and deceit, and placed it in the science-fiction mystery zone. Campion, the inspector of wrecks, and his apprentice Nona are "approaching the Mars Outer Satellite Orbit" to inspect an abandoned vessel and determine the fate of its missing crew. The answer lies in a Virtual Reality couch, where Nona and Campion must play the retelling of Blodeuwedd to discover the empty vessel's sinister secret. The story, which reads like a script, is told through a telepathic diary and a "Joint Thought Channel" both used by the characters . Such narrative devices limit the story's potential; some readers may feel cheated by the absence of stream of consciousness. The prose grows stales when characters must describe a scene for the reader's sake; however, the lack of a physical world beyond the characters' description is strangely appropriate for the secret contained in the empty vessel. The reinterpretation of the tale is compelling even if its form falters. (July)