A wee bit late. I've been kinda busy. The sad thing is that I've been reading pretty well for the last two months, but I'm only four books farther along on my Read All My Books quest. Well, six if you count the two I didn't finish. At least they're off the shelf. But I should probably focus more on the shelf, and less on re-reads and Vine books. And then there's those pesky student essays.
10. The Pirate Primer by George Choundas (49) 9/12
Pick:
I wasn't going to read this entire book, just glance through it a bit every now and again. But Talk Like a Pirate Day was coming up, and I wanted something that wasn't too mentally involved, since it's back to school time, as well. So I figured what the heck.
Story:
There's not really a story here, of course, since the Primer is a dictionary. I originally started reading it by scanning the piratey phrases and their definitions -- though most of the definitions re pretty self-explanatory; how do you mistake what's meant by "I come from Hell, and I'll take ye back with me presently." But then I realized that the most interesting part of each entry wasn't the phrase, nor its definition: it was the source. Every entry in here is documented, given in its original context, usually with some background. Most of them came from the Treasure Island movies and a few similar cinematic masterworks -- Blackbeard the Pirate, Captain Blood and so on -- or from a few pirate novels. The largest contributors, by far, were the pirate works of one Jeffery Farnol, which I now intend to find and read, with great gusto.
The Primer is interesting and informative, and, if you can get into the spirit, a lot of fun to read. Made me laugh several times. Of course, you have to really like pirates.
Thoughts:
Luckily, I really like pirates. And words. This was great -- I'll still have to keep referring to it now and again for refreshers, but for now: Let me drown and perish in blood, ye blasted limpet! All hands to rigging -- full canvas, and straight for the Pirate Round!
11. The Sandman: Season of Mists by Neil Gaiman (50) 9/13
Pick:
I was jonesing for a story, but I didn't want to read anything long and involved. So this seemed perfect.
Story:
This installment of The Sandman series focuses on Hell. It starts out with the Endless -- Dream (the Sandman) and his siblings Death, Destiny, Desire, Despair, and Delirium -- all having a family meeting. At the meeting, the Endless accuse Dream of being unfair to his human lover, Nada, whom he had banished to Hell 10,000 years before, because she had spurned his love, choosing to kill herself rather than become his immortal queen in the Dreaming. They point out that this was a terrible and unjust thing to do to her, and he should fix it. Dream finally agrees, and decides to travel to Hell. Unfortunately, he was in Hell not long ago -- in the first book, Preludes and Nocturnes -- to retrieve his Dream-helm from the demon that held it, and while there, Lucifer had taken insult and told Dream not to come back to the Abyss. So it seems we're leading up to a confrontation, and one that won't work out well for Dream, since Lucifer is the second-most-powerful being in the multiverse, and far stronger than some undying embodiment of human dreams.
But then Lucifer decides to quit. He empties Hell, throws out all the demons and the damned, and locks the gates. He then gives the key to -- Dream. To do with as he will. The rest of the book is dedicated to Dream's attempt to decide who, of the many godlings and powers who come to claim it, will receive the key to Hell. Will it be Odin of the Aesir? Anubis, of the gods of Egypt? The embodiment of Chaos? Of Order? (Those last two are hilarious: the Chaos representative is named Shivering Jemmy of the Shallow Brigade; she appears as a small child holding a balloon and in dress-up costume. She tries to threaten Dream, to intimidate him into giving her the key by swelling up into a horrible demon with promises of dire consequences, but when Dream is unimpressed, she goes right back to little girl and gives him her balloon. The Order representative takes the form of the perfect avatar of order: an empty cardboard box. Seems pretty clear where Gaiman's loyalties lie on this continuum.) Or will he give it back to the former Hellions, represented by Azazel -- who dangles the soul of Nada in front of Dream as a carrot, and a stick?
You'll have to read it yourself to find out.
Thoughts:
It's a good story, with the right ending -- if not the most amusing one -- and it all works out well for the Sandman. Though now I really want to know who Dream's missing sibling is, since there are supposed to be seven of the Endless, and this book talks about the one brother that has decided to cut all ties to his family. It isn't Death or Destiny; is it Doom? Darkness? Deep thoughts? I dunno.
12. A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf (51) 9/15
Pick:
I wanted something more weighty after reading a comic book -- which still doesn't feel completely like reading a book to me, despite my definite stance on the literary merits of The Watchmen, and Maus, and, yes, Neil Gaiman's Sandman -- but I still wasn't up for anything too long or involved. So I picked something literary, but short: only 114 pages.
Story:
This was a little tough for me to follow, but it was still brilliant. Woolf lost me early on when she moved into her imagined persona of Mary Seton -- or was it Beton? -- and began describing life as an author. I thought it was a brief episode in the beginning, given to show the difference between men's colleges and women's, and it was -- but then near the end, she steps back out of the persona into herself, which I thought she had done long before. So I'm not sure how exactly it worked. I also got distracted by life a time or two, since I don't have a room of my own and 500 a year (Not that I'm complaining about what I do have, which is more than most would-be artists), and you really can't read Woolf with anything less than full and complete attention.
But in essence, the idea is this: artists cannot create their art when they have to spend their time working for money, playing office politics, serving the needs and wants of other people. Because those other influences and demands on an artist's time and energy come through in the work. She cited a passage from Emily Bronte, in Jane Eyre, when the character thinks about how awful it is to be trapped, never given the freedom to explore the world, relying only on a single female companion for all of one's friendly interactions; it is pretty clear from this that the author is speaking here, not the character. This is how Emily Bronte felt, and it made her bitter and angry, too bitter and angry to stick to what she should have been saying with her character, what would have best served her story's purpose, and so she lost the thread of the narrative and jarred the reader. And so the art suffers because the artist is not free to pursue it completely.
This, it seems to me, is absolutely true.
Her second point is that women need to take advantage of their newly found freedom (The piece was written in 1928, just after women's enfranchisement in both Britain and America) to write, because there is not a literary tradition of female writers for new women authors to build on. She talks about how the predominant examples of writing in England are (almost) all male writers, all of whom write very male sentences; there is no one for a woman to emulate in creating a feminine fiction. And though I can't relate to it, it makes sense to me; I believe that fantasy and science fiction authors still face this problem today. There are great authors in sci-fi, but not a lot; the preponderance of fantasy lit is still pulp. It makes it harder to tell a good story in a fantastic world. Of course, I may be a pulp author and a fan of the pulp myself, as I can never persist all the way through a literary fantasy novel. The only question is: is that because I am a fantasy Philistine? Or because the authors who want to write great literary fantasy kinda . . . suck?
Since I've read Tolkien, and Gaiman, and Zelazny, and Bradbury, I'm going with the latter.
Thoughts:
I did like it quite a lot; I plan to read it again in the future, see if even more of it makes sense to me. Though I'll probably wait until I am a writer and reader, but no longer a teacher.
**Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay (52) 9/18
Pick:
Bought this at Fred Meyer (Buy two get one sale) because we love the show so much, and I wanted to know if the books would stack up. Just bought it a week or so ago, so it isn't part of the Great Mission. But it is the 52nd book this year -- and only in September! Woo hoo!
Story:
Okay: so the first thing people probably want to know is this: this book is just as good as the show, and in some ways better. As brilliant as Michael C. Hall is in the title role -- and he is brilliant, the single largest reason the show is as good as it is -- you get even more of Dexter's mindset, an even deeper look into the abyss that is Dexter, in Jeff Lindsay's books, and that is both disturbing and fascinating, like everything else about this series.
The second thing people probably want to know is: this book is not the same as the series. It follows the same basic storyline as the first season of Dexter, focusing on Dexter's attempt to track down the Ice Truck Killer while helping his foster sister Deborah move from vice to homicide, dealing with his own demons, and finding new and unusual emotions in his relationship with Rita. But the supporting cast are not quite the same, and the ending of this book is very, very different from the ending of the first season of Dexter. If I have any complaint about this book, it is in the ending, which confused me -- but part of that confusion comes from my knowledge of the TV show; I went into this book with certain expectations, and so wasn't starting from Square One in trying to follow the book's twists and turns.
The book was, if anything, a little too short, but there the show actually helped, because much of the character and plot development was already done for me. It did, as I said, make the ending more confusing, but that only means I very much want to read the second book, which I hope will make everything clear -- and I desperately want to know if the storyline continues to parallel that of the show, and if so, how.
Thoughts:
If you like the show (And how could you not?), you'll like the book. I did. I hope the rest of the books have the same effect on me, and judging just from the writing of this one, they will.
13. Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson (53) 9/23
Pick:
I wanted to read a book about pirates, because of Talk Like a Pirate Day. I would have gone for Treasure Island, but we don't have a copy, so I picked up this one instead, because Toni said it had pirates.
Story:
David Balfour sets off to seek his fortune, but he makes a mistake: he goes to see an uncle, who he didn't even know he had. This uncle, it turns out, is such the misanthropic miser that he sees his nephew as a threat to his property -- so he pays to have his nephew kidnapped and transported to the Colonies for a life of indentured servitude. But the ship encounters a boat full of men -- actually, the ship runs it down -- and only one man survives: Alan Breck, Highlander and Jacobite (This takes place in 1750, just after Bonnie Prince Charlie's attempt at the throne of England.). Breck and Balfour unite against their common foes, the captain and crew, and there is a fantastic scene when the two barricade themselves in the ship's cabin and fight off the entire ship's crew.
The ship wrecks, and David is swept to a small island on the coast of Scotland (Another wonderful scene, with a great twist), and then makes it to the mainland. There he is quickly caught up in the tensions between the clans and the oppressive English rulers, and is accused of complicity in the murder of a prominent British official. He is saved by Alan Breck, who also survived the shipwreck, and the two of them begin a long and arduous flight to the lowlands of Scotland, trying to avoid British soldiers and enemy Highlanders along the way.
This is a great adventure story, realistic and genuine and informative as well as entertaining. The original illustrations, by the great N.C. Wyeth, made it all the more real, all the more entertaining. A wonderful book.
Thoughts:
Well, it only had a little piratin' in it, but that was enough. This is a pretty interesting book, though much of the interest relies on the idea that the main character should be a landowner, but he's trapped in the Highlands of Scotland. I didn't really feel like the desire to get back to his estate was enough motivation for me to care about -- I actually would have liked it more if he was trying to get home, to people who loved him. But man, it was cool -- seems like people don't write action scenes like that any more. I wonder why.
**Chronic City by Jonathan Lethem (Unfinished)
Pick:
Mistake. I should have read more of the synopsis. But it was first on the targeted Vine letter, and this is one of those names that I leap at, thinking, "Ooh, Jonathan Lethem! Gun, with Occasional Music was great! I bet this one would be good, too!" But I couldn't finish Motherless Brooklyn, and now I couldn't finish this one. Well, I could have, but it's taking too long, and I have to spend too much effort, and it makes me not want to read, which is no good. Hopefully this will not happen too often with the Vine books -- I'll choose a little more carefully now.
Review:
There's nothing wrong with this book, but it was a mistake for me. I got it because I am an admirer of Jonathan Lethem -- and I still am -- but while I loved "Gun, With Occasional Music" and "The Wall of the Sky, the Wall of the Eye," his literary novels are just too post-modern for me to enjoy. I love the way he writes, and there are some wonderful flourishes in this book -- I particularly liked Laird Noteless, the "sculptor" whose works are nothing more than enormous holes in the ground in awkward places, and the moment when the main character, Chase Insteadman, has one of those classic hypochondriacal synaesthetic attacks, when he is overwhelmed by sensation and alienation -- and it turns out he has the flu.
But for the most part, the book felt wrong to me. I need more of a narrative and less self-aware humor. I have also known people like Perkus Tooth, and I don't like them, so sympathy for this guy was hard to drum up. For those who enjoy postmodernist literature, I think this book would probably be a wonderful experience, but I couldn't finish it. Which, of course, makes me feel like a semi-literate buffoon, but there are too many books out there to read, and enjoy reading, for me to spend more time slogging through something that I can't get a handle on.
Thoughts:
I think I'm done with Jonathan Lethem now, unless he writes another short science fiction novel. Maybe I could go for short stories again.
**Crossroads of Twilight: Book 10 of the Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan 10/13 (54)
Pick:
The Gathering Storm is coming! October 27 is the release date, and then as soon as Amazon ships it to me, I have to be ready to read. I had been planning on going back one more, to Winter's Heart -- which is where I left off the series last year -- but I had loaned it to Tia, who hadn't been able to return it to me until this past week. So I skipped it for now, going straight to this one.
Story:
This isn't the most eventful of the books: nothing, really, gets resolved, and Rand doesn't even make an appearance, other than one short bit when he sends Bashere and Logain to make a peace treaty with the Seanchan. But there's quite a bit on Elayne, and Egwene, and Perrin, and Mat, which I think was meant to balance out the fact that Rand was predominant in Winter's Heart, when he and Nynaeve cleanse saidin. This one moves the story along, setting up a number of things to happen in the next few books -- not the least of which is Rand's decision to deal with the worst threat other than the Dark One, the Hailene.
Yeah, I know none of this makes sense to anyone who hasn't read the books. Too bad.
Thoughts:
Not the best, but I liked it better than the two before it -- though I need to re-read Winter's Heart to get a clearer grasp on it. But that's going to have to wait, probably until Book 13 comes out. For now, I must move on, read a Vine book, and then Knife of Dreams -- because the Gathering Storm is coming! Woot!
**Peter and Max: A Fables Novel by Bill Willingham 10/18 (55)
Pick:
It sounded interesting. I picked it back before I started reading WoT again, and before I spent nearly two weeks trying to slog through Chronic City, so I'm glad that it was a short and easy read.
Amazon Review:
The operative question here is, does this book stand alone, or is it necessary for one to have read the Fables comics in order to understand and enjoy this book?
My answer is: yes.
The book is good all by itself; the concept is extremely clever, and the characters are mostly well-done; the villain, Max, is a the best of the lot, as we get to watch him descend into madness. If anything, the descent was a little too quick; I would have enjoyed more of the backstory there, a better glimpse of the timeline. As it was, Max seemed to fall off the precipice a bit too quickly, though his fall from there, from the moment when he just crosses the line into badness to the end game, when he is a monster, was wonderfully entertaining and disturbing. I wanted a bit more buildup before Max' first truly villainous act.
The flashback sequences were excellent, giving a nice view of a story in a medieval setting, though there was, once again, a difficult transition: the move from that part of the story to the next, when the Fables come over to this world from theirs, seemed a little too quick. It made sense, it just wasn't explored as much as the early parts of the back story were. So in essence, Max's story was too quick and then very well done, and Peter's story was very well done -- and then too quick.
On the other hand, there were so many tantalizing hints about the larger world of the Fables that it made me very much want to explore the comic series that led to this book. Which, after all, might have been the point. But I'd recommend the book for people that don't mind being lured in by the tempting tune of the author's piping, which leads into -- a dark and forbidding place? A great adventure? Certainly a whole new series of books to read. And I say: there's nothing wrong with that.
Thoughts:
Not excellent, but a nice, fun story. Really does make me want to at least check out the Fables, which I will do when we head to Powell's.
**Knife of Dreams: Book Eleven of the Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan 10/24 (56)
Pick:
Last one before Gathering Storm gets here. Tomorrow is Release Day! Woot!
Story:
This one is better than I remembered; it was nice that I had forgotten so many of the specifics from the last time I read it, what, three years ago when it was released? I remembered Rand's injury but not how it happened, and I remembered the climax between Mat and Tuon but not everything that led up to it -- or how much she annoyed me in the process. That's funny, actually, because the only reason she annoys me (well, no, there are two) is because she sees herself as the heir of the Seanchan empire, and therefore acts superior to everyone, and also plots against the characters I like. She's a bad guy, so I don't like her; otherwise the character is written just fine, very interesting.
But I definitely don't like the Seanchan, though I recognize the temptation of the people to accept their rule, and even long for it: they're fascists. Absolute law and order, which is nice and peaceful -- as long as you're not one of the unforgivables, which in the case of the Seanchan are people who can use the power, and anyone who doesn't live to serve the Empress. I have no doubt that, if they took over the nations on this side of the ocean, they would find another group to persecute -- most likely the Tinkers and the Sea Folk.
I did remember the end of Perrin's story, and I'm ever so glad that all the bad guys got their comeuppance in that one.
Now I can't wait. What happens to Perrin and Faile? Where does Mat take the Band -- do they defeat the Seanchan, or does Rand's truce hold? What will happen with the Black Tower? Is Egwene finally going to defeat Elaida, and bring her down? Because it's about time. I also realized in this reading that Egwene is probably my favorite character to read. She rocks.
Thoughts:
Tomorrow is release day! Tomorrow!
**Break by Hannah Moskowitz 10/26 (57)
Pick:
Vine Voice; I took this one because I love the concept.
Review:
It's a great concept: Jonah McNab wants to get stronger, so he decides to do something drastic. He starts breaking his bones, knowing that a broken bone grows back stronger than it was before. He breaks his wrist and two ribs "falling" of of his skateboard; he breaks the hand on the end of the wrist; he breaks several more bones with another intentional fall. His count gets above 30 bones broken; not a bad start on the way to his goal of all 206.
But there are other factors. There is his brother, Jesse, who is deathly allergic to most foods, who cannot eat, nor touch, nor even be in the same room as eggs or peanuts or milk -- the last one being the most dangerous for Jesse right now, as Jonah and Jesse have a baby brother, Will, and therefore the house is full of milk. Will brings his own set of problems into Jonah's life, as he is eight months old and has yet to stop crying. Their parents argue all the time, which only adds to the stress in the lives of all three sons -- which only increases the burdens they already carry, in dealing with each other.
It is a great concept, especially once the thought process behind Jonah's breaking is revealed, near the end of the book. The writing doesn't quite come up to the same level, but Moskowitz certainly pulls it off, especially considering her age. There are some moments when the reader raises an eyebrow, wondering at this metaphor or that phrasing; in the beginning the characters' banter seems a bit too witty to me, though perhaps the author is around wittier teenagers than I. Some of the book struck me as overly dramatic, but the climactic scene turned that around: it was very well done, and gave the book a good ending without wrapping everything up in a neat little package -- a possibility that was lost long before the ending. Overall, it's a well-done book, impressive for a debut, and would get my recommendation, especially for teenagers who like drama in their novels.
Thoughts:
I'll have to go through and find some of those metaphors, but mostly, the biggest flaw was that she uses the heavy proclamation style of writing too much: one sentence paragraphs, short chapters that end with heavy thoughts, in order to give things more weight. Not to sound overly snotty, but -- beginner writing stuff. Since she wrote this while in high school -- and it's LEAGUES beyond frickin' Eragon -- I figure she'll turn into a hell of a writer over time.
**Grave Peril: The Dresden Files, Book 3 by Jim Butcher (58) 10/29
Pick:
The book didn't arrive on the day it was released -- something about needing to ship it from the publisher to me. Whatever. They're just trying to hold me back from my Jordan, man. So I read something I wanted to read -- or re-read, rather.
Thoughts:
This one isn't the best Dresden. I love Michael, and this is when he is introduced along with Harry's Faerie godmother Lea, who's a cool villain and a nice mystery, and Thomas Raith, a great idea for a vampire and an excellent character-to-be. But the spirit of the Nightmare is, well, lame, and the final struggle at Bianca's is unsatisfying to me, because I hate what happens to Susan, and to Harry because of his reaction. Fourth book is way better.
14. The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling (59) 10/31
Pick:
The Book still hasn't arrived, and I've been reading as quickly as I can so I can be ready to jump into it when it does get here -- because even for WoT, I won't stop a good book in the middle. Not if I can help it. So I had to pick another book, and I've had this one on the shelf for years. I never read it, I always should have, and it should be quick and easy.
Story:
I had no idea (never having looked into Rudyard Kipling's work other than "Gunga Din," which Dad read to us when I was a kid) that this book was more than one storyline; I always thought it was nothing but Mowgli. And I had heard the story of Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, but also had no idea where it came from -- now I know! These are all sweet stories, and would have completely fascinated me when I was young; I particularly liked the idea of the elephants' dance, though I was less pleased that it was so centered on the elephant riders, who seem to me secondary characters. Same with the military animals discussing their roles; I liked that they all had a different idea of how to fight a battle and why the other animals have jobs they each would never want -- but I didn't care as much for how subservient they were to their masters. Maybe it's just my dog, but as much as he loves his master and mistress, I feel like he has his own life, sniffing doggie mail, chasing squirrels, barking at passersby. But I liked the book.
Thoughts:
I'm glad I've read this now. One of the better classics I've gone through -- probably because it's a children's book.
15. The Company of Dogs : 21 Short Stories collected by Michael J. Rosen (Unfinished)
I tried reading this once over the summer, as well, but the introduction is so long and drawn out and over-the-top snotty that I couldn't get through it -- but then, do I really need to know how Michael J. Rosen sees the oeuvre of dogs in literature? Not so much. I tried it again while waiting for The Book (I honestly can't remember where in the sequence -- maybe after the first Dresden and before Jungle Book? After Break? I dunno) because I figured hey, short stories -- that I can stop reading when The Book gets here. But after the first two stories nearly put me to sleep, I thought, you know, maybe the stories that Mr. Rosen thinks are worthwhile, maybe those aren't the ones I want to read. So forget it.
Off the shelf.
16. Faithful by Stewart O'Nan and Stephen King (Unfinished)
Once again, I tried to read this right after I found it at the Scappoose Library book sale, and was disappointed to find out that what I thought would be the STORY of two authors following their beloved Red Sox through the 2004 championship season was actually just a collection of random thoughts and memories and e-mails between them. Mainly by the less interesting author. Now I tried to read it again, partly because I could start and stop this one, too (I actually planned to make it a bathroom reader), and partly because I feel a little sad that I couldn't be in the middle of the excitement when the Sox Reversed the Curse. I used to follow the BoSox; I went to games (Two? Or three?); I'm a fan. I wanted to catch a little of the experience, even if it was five years too late. But once I started reading the stories of the games and the players, I realized: I don't want to be a fan any more. I want nothing to do with organized sports, not even accompanied by enjoyable nostalgia. They're boring, and destructive to our culture and the things I actually care about. So, onto the Discard pile this one goes, too, even if it is Stephen King.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Sunday, September 6, 2009
August -- No Rush
**The Child Thief by Brom 8/7 (41)
Pick:
Vine Voice book, chosen because it's by Brom and I never got to read The Plucker.
Amazon Review:
I was in a small town theater's production of Peter Pan when I was young, playing Michael, Wendy's youngest brother, so I know the story pretty well. At least, I thought I did.
Then I opened The Child Thief, by Brom, and I found out that I didn't know Peter Pan's story at all.
That's not entirely true. I knew some of this story. In my Peter Pan, I knew that Peter was a trickster, that he brought children from our world into a magical land, where they joined his band of merry pranksters in fighting off the depredations of Captain Hook and his pirates. I knew that Peter hung out with fairies and never grew up. Those things are mostly true in this book. But I didn't know that the magical place was not Nevernever Land, but the magical Isle of Avalon, or that the captain and his pirates were trapped Puritans who got lost while seeking Jamestown in the 1600's, or that Peter's life was dedicated to protecting the Lady of Avalon, also known as the Lady of the Lake from the Arthurian legends. But that is how it goes in Brom's story.
I also didn't know that it was going to be this bloody, this dark, and this horrifying. Peter and his band of eternal youths are not fun-loving tricksters; they are fierce warriors involved in a fight to the death against an implacable and brutal foe. The reason Peter has to continually seek out new youths is because the ones he brings just keep dying, in horrible and brutal ways. And the children he brings to Avalon are happy to follow him, and happy to fight by his side no matter how nasty, brutish, and short their lives may be, because he rescues them from their lives in our world, which are even worse. These Lost Boys (though that's not the name they use) are victims of abuse and neglect and every other horrible circumstance one can imagine children growing up in. As was Peter himself, in the human life he left behind so long ago.
I did know this book was going to be dark, and I knew it was going to have beautiful illustrations, because I know something about the author, Brom, one of the premier illustrators in the world of fantasy and horror. Now I know that he can write, too, and nearly as well as he can draw and paint. There are some flaws in this book, some weak points -- but for the most part, it is a wonderfully fascinating and gloomy and disturbing and magical story, and I would recommend it highly for those who are not faint of heart -- and for those who don't mind a little savagery in their magic.
But don't look for that kid in the pajamas with a teddy bear. He's not in this one. Good thing, too -- because I don't want to know what would happen to that bear.
Thoughts:
It was good, maybe a little long, but quite well-written. Though it's really not as good as the art. Definitely a good read, though -- honestly disturbing in places, and I'm pretty tough to disturb. It also made me want to go back and read J.M. Barrie's original, which Brom's author's note makes out to be only slightly less bloody and disturbing than this novel was. Sounds interesting.
5. The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt 8/11 (42)
Pick:
Something non-fiction and maybe more sedate after that super-cool imaginative romp through a slaughterhouse. I liked Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil; I also realized, when trying to make this pick, that I have three different books focused on Italy, in different eras, so I thought I should get at least one out of the way. I also admit to wanting to knock hardcovers off of my shelf. Of course, my beloved library book sale is tomorrow, which means I get to buy a whole new stack of cheap hardcovers to put back on my shelf -- because the library book sale is the exception to the non-book-buying rule.
Story:
As with his first book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, this book doesn't have much of a specific story to tell. That one focused on a murder, as I recall; this one centers around a possible case of arson: the destruction by fire of the Fenice Opera House in Venice in 1996. But the fire is little more than a backdrop, a thread to tie the different stories together; the book is really about the city, the history, the culture, the people of Venice.
That is, it's about the people and the history and the culture and the city that John Berendt finds interesting, which basically means: rich white people. Preferably English speaking, since that would make it easier to interview them. Now, Berendt does excellent research, and is apparently a dogged and fearless interviewer, and some of the insights and admissions and candid details he gets are very interesting. In addition, the book is not exclusively about the elite: he does a long chapter on a poor and lonely poet, and another on a family of glassblowers, all of whom are native Venetians. He does a very nice piece on the public prosecutor who tried to investigate the fire at the Fenice, and his attempts to convict those he believes were responsible for the fire -- first for criminal negligence, and then for arson. And there are a lot of details about Venice itself, all of which were fascinating, honestly; makes me very much want to go visit, though I wouldn't really want to be a tourist: I'd like to be a part of the city's actual life, behind the tourist scene, if only for a little while.
The problem is that I don't believe Berendt actually made it into the backstage Venice, the Venice of the Venetians. He gets in at times, with certain people, but they're usually the fringe element, or again, the American and Anglo people who have relocated to Venice and been accepted themselves to some extent. But never all the way. This book never gets all the way in. It is interesting for as far as it goes, full of neat stories and beautiful descriptions and some very interesting characters -- I particularly liked the Rat Man of Treviso, who ran the most successful rat poison company in the Western world, because he alters the formula of his rat poison to match the predominant flavors of the area where he sells it. So the rat poison in Italy has olive oil, pasta, almonds, and several other flavors in it; in America, it's vanilla, granola, popcorn, and a little margarine, because Americans eat very little butter -- butter's in the French poison. He was great, as was the larger-than-life artist who kept trying to get arrested making his political and artistic statements. But I don't care enough about the fifth-generation American millionaires who were selling their family palazzo because two of the three siblings had moved away (though the one brother was completely nuts, and that was hilarious), nor do I care enough about the scummy American couple who took advantage of the senile 93-year-old former mistress of Ezra Pound. But both of those were very long chapters in the book. The only one longer was the chapter dedicated to the infighting between Larry Lovett and Bob Guthrie over who should be allowed to run the New York-based charity Save Venice, and who should get the credit for its success. Yeah. That's real Venetian.
It is a fascinating and wonderful place, and I hope to go there. I would like to see it for myself, and look at the things that John Berendt skipped over. But I won't have to wangle my way into English-speaking high society parties in Venice, because I've already heard all I need to know about those.
Thoughts:
Not bad, but not the parts of Venice I would have really liked to hear about, not for the most part. Some of it was great, and the writing was lovely. Much more fun to read than I thought it would be after the first chapter or two. Biggest problem was he didn't really make me care about the Fenice, but it is such a large part of the actual Venetian parts of the book, because it is a vital piece of the landscape to the Venetians. He really should have done a better job with that.
6. Blaze by Richard Bachman 8/14 (43)
Pick:
After the long slow non-fiction comes the fast fiction. I'm planning on reading White Witch, Black Curse, which is the one I've been working up to for months now, but I thought I would squeeze in one more shorty before that.
Story:
Well, this one is credited to Richard Bachman, which I always thought was kind of a running joke for Stephen King at this point -- because who doesn't know? But honestly, that was the right way to credit this novel. It doesn't really feel like a Stephen King novel, but it did remind me a lot of Thinner and Rage and The Running Man. The Bachman books tend to be faster, more brutal in some ways, because they have less description and far less soul-searching and character exploration. They have some, of course, because even if Bachman is a different side of King, he's still attached to the same brain, and description and character exploration are what King really does; the violence and horror are just ways to focus on the characters, to examine what people are really like in the harsh spotlight of a crisis, when they are fully out of their comfort zones.
Ironically, though, this would have been a better book if Stephen King had written it. It wasn't bad: I liked Blaze, the title character -- a 6'7" hulk with a very slow mind, thanks to the time his father threw him down the stairs. Three times. I liked the flashbacks to Blaze's youth, the stories of his life in the foster care system; I liked that Blaze was basically a good guy even if he did become a criminal. I liked that Blaze's life, other than the horrible story of his abuse at his father's hands, was basically happy and successful.
But I didn't like the way it ended, not for the last fifty pages. Still well-written, but I didn't like it. I think the imagination of Stephen King would have been able to pull out a better finish for a good character like Clayton Blaisdell, Jr.
Thoughts:
Pretty good, but probably not worth reading twice. On the other hand, I loved the short story that was in there right after it, and so now I want to read Duma Key -- the novel that came from that short story.
*Physics for Future Presidents: The Science Behind the Headlines by Richard A. Muller 8/17 (44)
Pick:
This one doesn't count, because it came in the mail. That's right, my dad sent me a book, which I had to add to my TBR pile, a pile that I have barely made a dent in because I've been writing and working on the house and playing lots of video games. I already have new books coming in from Amazon twice a month -- now I have to read books from my dad?? About physics?!? Sheesh!
Story:
The book is a collection of explanatory articles about topics related to recent headlines and hot topics in the United States. The author, a physicist and professor at UC Berkeley, tries to explain everything in simple yet precise scientific terms, with the intention that any reader be able to understand the real facts behind these topics, rather than be forced to wade through the misinformation and exaggerations that abound.
Pardon me: his intention is actually to educate the future president, whom he addresses quite specifically as often as possible. Not that he gives a name of who will be our next president, being a scientist rather than a pundit or prognosticator, but it is clear that he considers this work to be nothing short of indispensable to any future leader of the United States. Each segment is concluded with a one- to two-page summary for the President; the sort of easy reference guide that all politicians should carry in their pockets to glance at whenever possible.
Pardon me again: his actual intention seems to be to prove to all readers that his erudition and insight make him the logical choice for the post of indispensable advisor to any future president. Not merely an authority on scientific matters, a claim that I would hardly dispute: he seems to see himself as the source of all logic, as the font of common sense, the one-eyed man in the kingdom of the scientifically blind. Despite claims that he has no particular ability to make political choices, and claims that he would never want to appear partisan on any political issue, still he does both of those things again and again. He makes it clear right in the introduction when he compliments the reader on finding the solution to the problem of figuring out the truth behind such diverse topics as global warming, nuclear power, and the next potential terrorist threat: the reader has picked up his book. The book is apparently based on his renowned course for non-physics students -- the wording comes from the book jacket, not from me -- that he has taught for years.
The science in the book is interesting. The pedantic posturing and weak attempts at humor, followed by even weaker attempts at intellectual camaraderie -- which invariably come off as mere elitism -- are less interesting, verging on annoying. I would have really enjoyed this book if someone else had written it.
Thoughts:
Thanks, Pop. At least it didn't take me too long to read. And I can stop worrying about dirty bombs. But the fact that this guy considers Yucca Mountain a solution to the problem of nuclear waste, based on his mathematical analysis of the acceptable risk of leakage, shows me that he is not, in fact, qualified to make political decisions, and he shouldn't have tried. The book should focus on current issues related to science, but the gimmick of advising the president was a mistake, made seemingly just to feed the dude's ego. NEXT!
7. White Witch, Black Curse by Kim Harrison 8/24 (45)
Pick:
I've been waiting to read this since I first tried, back in, Jeez, freakin' March when we got the book from Amazon. I think I've waited long enough.
Story:
Rachel Morgan is a witch, living with a vampire (who, fortunately, hasn't died yet) and a family of pixies (who, unfortunately, are about to die quite soon, of old age -- at least the parents will, though not the four dozen children), beholden and apprenticed to a demon, with an uneasy alliance to the last few elves alive in the world; she has dated a dishonest human thief who endangered her and stole from her, a noble living vampire who died protecting her, and, it turns out in this novel, an embodied ghost who died almost two hundred years before, who has now come back to -- well, maybe he has good intentions. And in this novel, Rachel decides the time has come to take on a whole new species: the banshee, the apex predator of this world of the Hollows and the Turn, the nastiest, deadliest, most powerful race in the world -- rivaled only by undead vampires and demons, but matched by neither.
Because the largest issue any of these races seems to have is -- issue. The elves are willing to do almost anything to repair the damage done to their genetic code by their ancient enemies, the demons; the demons are willing to do almost anything to seduce their one surviving female, and protect their one potential new female, a certain genetically altered (or perhaps re-altered) witch. The vampires have allowed Rachel to stay alive and unharmed, despite her vulnerability to vampire powers, because their master, Rynn Cormel, believes that the witch may have the ability to save the soul of all future vampires, starting with her roommate and best friend, Ivy Tamwood. If Rachel succeeds in saving Ivy's soul, then the vampires will be able to last into their undeath in greater numbers -- which will help to balance the growing power of the vampires' top supernatural rivals, the Weres, now that the Weres have the ability to make new Weres with bites, rather than the simple reproduction that has been the only source of new Weres for centuries. So naturally, the banshees have a very difficult time reproducing: the banshee subsists on the emotions, the auras, of other living creatures, which it can drain with a thought. Newborn banshees have the power, but not the control to turn it off -- which means that they are fatal to any living thing that touches them, other than their mothers. Not a good baby to have in Italy.
The banshee of Cincinnati -- there is only one, who has lived in the same area for 300 years and allowed no rivals to stay -- has found a way to have a child with the man she loves, and still keep that man alive despite her daughter's fatal touch. She has not found a way to spare innocent bystanders from being eaten by her adorable little bundle of evil, because she does not care to try. When the family puts one of Rachel's friends in the hospital, Rachel goes after them. This, in combination with Rachel's ongoing dealings with demons -- which have brought up a whole new storm of consequences -- and her and Ivy's continuing attempt to discover the identity of the vampire who murdered Rachel's lover Kisten, make up the bulk of the plot. But because these books are complex and genuine in their attempts to depict all of Rachel's life, there is also the issue of Rachel's mother and brother and their comings and goings; the debate between continued friendship with Marshall, the attractive but comfortable companion she has spent the last two months having platonic fun with, and the possibility of romance with a man who could, for the first time, be good for Rachel; the sad prospect of losing their pixy friend Matalina, and the slightly more distant prospect of losing Jenks, the best character in these books; and at least a little time spent with Trent and Rachel's past health issues. Oh yeah: and then there's the ghost that has been in love with Rachel for ten years. Or maybe it's that she's in love with him. Maybe both. Or neither. When it comes to Rachel's love life, none of us really know -- least of all Rachel.
The book is a little slow at first, even a little confusing, simply because there are so many plotlines to keep juggling. But some of these are resolved in this book, and perhaps resolved permanently; the banshee issue certainly is, along with the murderous vampire's identity. And once the book is settled into its groove, it chugs right along, as readable and entertaining and engrossing as all the rest in the series. Great twists, a better pace than some of the other books have had -- and an excellent ending. This one's a good'un.
Thoughts:
It was worth the wait, and mostly worth the re-read. I don't think these books are my favorite supernatural series, and I don't know if I'll be re-reading them all again -- but on first read, all of these have been a lot of fun, and this was no exception.
** Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran 8/27 (46)
Pick:
Amazon Vine book. I like historical fiction, especially ancient Rome and Egypt, and it sounded intriguing.
Vine Review:
Cleopatra's Daughter is many things: an adult historical novel, and a young adult novel split between coming of age and romance (as much as those two things can be separated in the teenage years). It's hard to tell in the end which aspect of this novel is the best; but all of them are good, and none of them are overwhelmed or watered down by the others. This balancing act earns the author high praise, and the book a recommendation for several different audiences.
The adult historical novel gives a nice view of the rise of the Roman empire; the book begins with Octavian Caesar, the heir and successor of Julius Caesar, defeating his last serious rival for power: Mark Antony and his wife, Kleopatra of Egypt (It was interesting to read of how Kleopatra's daughter was annoyed when an unfriendly Roman misspelled Kleopatra's name, using a C instead of a K, considering the book's title. But what are you going to do?). Octavian forces the couple to take their own lives, and then he takes their three children prisoner, bringing them to Rome for his Triumph. The book covers the next four years, culminating with Octavian's promotion to Emperor, and adoption of the name Augustus; Moran gives the reader an interesting perspective of Rome at the time, since the narrator is an observant young woman who moves in the highest circles of society, but who is nonetheless an outsider, a virtual prisoner who lives by the continued sufferance of a man renowned for his mercilessness and even cruelty. So we see some of the politics of the time, but more of the daily life; all of it is presented genuinely, with no lengthy discussions of Rome's cultural or historical significance and no textbookese; it was both fun and informative to read.
The young adult novel that runs through the historical setting is also well done, though the coming-of-age aspect was better than the romance. Selene is a good character: an educated, talented young woman in a time when women were little more than property; a beautiful and personable girl forced to live among strangers, conquerors, perhaps even enemies. Her life is turbulent, as should be expected, and though there are many tragedies, it does end quite well -- with perhaps just a taste of Hollywood happiness in terms of her love life. Though to be honest, that ending comes from history, and not from the author's imagination -- so perhaps it should be inspiring, rather than dubious.
All in all, Cleopatra's Daughter is well-written and quite outstanding in its mix of genres, and thus its appeal. A very good book.
Thoughts:
It was a touch hard to get into, a little difficult to read in terms of the effort spent, but it was definitely worth it -- a good payoff, and it made me want to read up on my history, which I think is always a good sign.
8. Clan Daughter by Morgan Howell (Queen of the Orcs, Book II) 8/28 (47)
Pick:
I was feeling like fantasy. Seems like it's been a while since I read something with swords and sorcery, omens and orcs, and I thought it was time to get back into it. I also want to finish this trilogy up before I start forgetting everything that happened in the first book and I have to re-read it. Like all the others. I have enough to read, thank you.
Story:
It turns out -- and I doubt this is a big secret -- that these books were written by a man, using an androgynous pseudonym presumably because the main character, and thus part of the audience, is female. Well, I'm assuming the William Hubbell who owns the copyright is the author. At any rate, the first book in the series, King's Property, is a good book and Dar is a good character (albeit with a bad name -- kept making me think of frustrated pirates), so the author's gender really hasn't made any difference to me. But I think it made a difference in this book.
This book picks up exactly where the first book left off: Dar and the five remaining orcs of the troop she served in King Kregant's army have left the battlefield that claimed the lives of all of their companions, and they are heading back to the orcs' homeland, the mountains far to the north. The orcs have accepted Dar as their leader, as their society is strongly matriarchal, and Dar has managed to impress them with her wisdom; they see her more as a woman and less as a human, and are therefore willing to accept her guidance. All but one: Zna-yat still hates and distrusts her for her humanity, and plots her death once again -- a goal he tried and failed to accomplish in the first book.
Unfortunately, Dar has no idea where she is going, apart from "thataway," and so the first third of the book describes the orcs' very difficult journey through human lands, trying to reach their home. Over the course of the trip, Dar uses a combination of wit and wisdom, luck and magic to guide them the right way, and they do win through to the orc lands. But that's when the trouble begins. On the trip, a new complication has arisen: Dar has fallen in love with one of her orcish companions, a love that is returned, but one that is also doomed, because no orc male would marry when his mother forbids the relationship -- and no orc mother would allow her son to marry a human, no matter how dearly the two love one another.
This is the only place where the author's gender, I think, has an impact on the story: this romance seems depicted as a man would think about it, not as a woman would. Once Dar has some physical contact with her lover (Have no fear, there are no nasty bits), it is all she can think about; her longing for him is described as a physical need like hunger and thirst, and whenever the two are together, all she thinks about is getting snuggly. The romance isn't bad, it just seemed a little off for a young woman's first love.
The plot takes a whole new turn once the group reaches the orc lands; some of the plotlines from the first book return, and are wrapped up, and the story also heads off in a whole new direction. The ending felt a wee bit rushed, though I'm sure the third book -- already out and waiting on my shelf to be read -- will expand and explain everything that comes in a rush at the end of this book. Overall, this was a fun, easy read; the best parts remain the depiction of the orc culture as different from, and superior to, the human culture; you definitely come out of this book wishing you were an orc, instead of some stinking washavoki.
Thoughts:
Good book. Romance should have been done differently, and the ending should have been expanded. I didn't like how the human suitor is given so much leeway to pursue Dar even though she loves Kovok-mah; if you want to do love triangle stuff, then you need to establish the other guy better, and he wasn't. Dar and Kovok-mah have been through far too much for Sevren to get any time with her, and while she doesn't flirt with him or lead him on, neither does she shut him down, and she should have. He could still respect her and be her friend and ally without loving her and thinking she might love him. But I'm hopeful the third book will make it all better. Those orcs better not turn out to be evil, or I'm going to be pissed.
9. The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu (Edited by Edward Seidensticker) (Unfinished) 8/31
Pick:
Another book I picked up at a library book sale because I had heard of this and was curious. The Tale of Genji is supposed to be the first novel ever written; it's a very long (many volumes in the original, apparently) romance about a nobleman in feudal Japan, written sometime around 1000 AD.
Thoughts:
I almost fell asleep three times in the first chapter. I was also disappointed to find out that this edition is abridged -- because if I were to read the thing, I'd want to read the whole thing. I'm in it for curiosity's sake, not for a rollicking good read -- sheesh! But I had to give up after that. This is just another book that I feel like I should read, somehow, but really don't want to -- and I have too many books to waste my time with that.
Another one off the shelf.
** Come Back, Como by Steven Winn 9/4/09 (48)
Pick:
Vine Voice book. Cute dog on the cover, story about winning the love of a reluctant pup, what could go wrong?
Vine Review:
Well-written and engaging, with a sweet ending, but this book has the wrong sub-title. It isn't about winning the heart of a reluctant dog, it is about winning the heart of a reluctant owner. This book was tough for me to read because of that, since I am the farthest thing from a reluctant dog owner: I am one of those people who always wanted a dog, a dog that I now count among my family members and love completely and irrationally. I am also one of those people who read books of dog advice and watch the dog whisperer, and so I knew right from the start what was wrong with the story of the Winns and Como: it was Steven Winn himself.
I don't have much criticism for the book itself; Winn is a good writer, excellent descriptions and some very nice insights towards the end of the story. But Mr. Winn and his wife never wanted a dog; they only get Como because their daughter Phoebe is desperate for a canine friend. I couldn't relate to that, and so I found myself disliking Winn for the tone of the narration, for his reluctance and anxiety about the dog. Both of these things are understandable, of course, and Como does turn out to be a challenging animal -- but I kept muttering under my breath, "You're doing it wrong, that's never going to work." I felt more sorry for the dog than the owner, and that wasn't the aim of the book. There are some parts that made me chuckle or smile, even laugh, but there were also some frowns and maybe even a little name-calling.
I would say that people who were unsure about their pets at first, or who are ambivalent in some way about their furry friends -- you love 'em, but they just keep eating your fershlugginer slippers! -- would enjoy this story. But if you, like me, consider your dog to be as wonderful as any human child -- maybe even a little better -- then this probably isn't the right book for you.
Thoughts:
The guy kept his daughter from having a dog until she was almost thirteen. I mean, my parents wouldn't let me have a dog either, but there were some differences: both my mother and my brother are allergic, and I myself was never completely obsessed with dogs, as the daughter is in this story. She wants nothing more than a dog -- and they have no good reason not to get her one. It pissed me off that they were so unwilling to do a good thing -- please their daughter, bring more life and love into their home, save a rescued animal's life. Why wouldn't you do that right away? This was only exacerbated as they got several lesser pets -- fish, a bird, that kind of thing -- for their daughter, who turns out to be responsible and reliable in caring for the pet, thus eliminating that argument about who will end up caring for the dog. When they get Como, the whole family has to care for him, of course, but he is fed, walked, and watched regularly and consistently by their daughter. Just makes me think they should have gotten her a dog sooner.
Then they get the dog, and the only thing the guy thinks about is how long they have left until they can return him to the shelter for a full refund. He jumps all over it when the shelter folks bring it up, and he keeps throwing meaningful glances at his wife when the dog misbehaves; his wife then whispers, "Twenty-eight." Which is how many days they have left until they can't return him. First of all: if you're still thinking about returning the dog, you shouldn't have gotten one in the first place; secondly, it's a shelter dog that cost you all of a hundred bucks. Do you really need the refund? And then he wonders why the dog doesn't love him as much as it loves his wife and daughter. Yeah: that would be because you're plotting to get rid of him, dude.
I held the owner responsible for pretty much all of Como's problems, so I liked the dog a lot more than the man on the other end of the leash (and behind the typewriter). I suppose that isn't a big surprise.
Pick:
Vine Voice book, chosen because it's by Brom and I never got to read The Plucker.
Amazon Review:
I was in a small town theater's production of Peter Pan when I was young, playing Michael, Wendy's youngest brother, so I know the story pretty well. At least, I thought I did.
Then I opened The Child Thief, by Brom, and I found out that I didn't know Peter Pan's story at all.
That's not entirely true. I knew some of this story. In my Peter Pan, I knew that Peter was a trickster, that he brought children from our world into a magical land, where they joined his band of merry pranksters in fighting off the depredations of Captain Hook and his pirates. I knew that Peter hung out with fairies and never grew up. Those things are mostly true in this book. But I didn't know that the magical place was not Nevernever Land, but the magical Isle of Avalon, or that the captain and his pirates were trapped Puritans who got lost while seeking Jamestown in the 1600's, or that Peter's life was dedicated to protecting the Lady of Avalon, also known as the Lady of the Lake from the Arthurian legends. But that is how it goes in Brom's story.
I also didn't know that it was going to be this bloody, this dark, and this horrifying. Peter and his band of eternal youths are not fun-loving tricksters; they are fierce warriors involved in a fight to the death against an implacable and brutal foe. The reason Peter has to continually seek out new youths is because the ones he brings just keep dying, in horrible and brutal ways. And the children he brings to Avalon are happy to follow him, and happy to fight by his side no matter how nasty, brutish, and short their lives may be, because he rescues them from their lives in our world, which are even worse. These Lost Boys (though that's not the name they use) are victims of abuse and neglect and every other horrible circumstance one can imagine children growing up in. As was Peter himself, in the human life he left behind so long ago.
I did know this book was going to be dark, and I knew it was going to have beautiful illustrations, because I know something about the author, Brom, one of the premier illustrators in the world of fantasy and horror. Now I know that he can write, too, and nearly as well as he can draw and paint. There are some flaws in this book, some weak points -- but for the most part, it is a wonderfully fascinating and gloomy and disturbing and magical story, and I would recommend it highly for those who are not faint of heart -- and for those who don't mind a little savagery in their magic.
But don't look for that kid in the pajamas with a teddy bear. He's not in this one. Good thing, too -- because I don't want to know what would happen to that bear.
Thoughts:
It was good, maybe a little long, but quite well-written. Though it's really not as good as the art. Definitely a good read, though -- honestly disturbing in places, and I'm pretty tough to disturb. It also made me want to go back and read J.M. Barrie's original, which Brom's author's note makes out to be only slightly less bloody and disturbing than this novel was. Sounds interesting.
5. The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt 8/11 (42)
Pick:
Something non-fiction and maybe more sedate after that super-cool imaginative romp through a slaughterhouse. I liked Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil; I also realized, when trying to make this pick, that I have three different books focused on Italy, in different eras, so I thought I should get at least one out of the way. I also admit to wanting to knock hardcovers off of my shelf. Of course, my beloved library book sale is tomorrow, which means I get to buy a whole new stack of cheap hardcovers to put back on my shelf -- because the library book sale is the exception to the non-book-buying rule.
Story:
As with his first book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, this book doesn't have much of a specific story to tell. That one focused on a murder, as I recall; this one centers around a possible case of arson: the destruction by fire of the Fenice Opera House in Venice in 1996. But the fire is little more than a backdrop, a thread to tie the different stories together; the book is really about the city, the history, the culture, the people of Venice.
That is, it's about the people and the history and the culture and the city that John Berendt finds interesting, which basically means: rich white people. Preferably English speaking, since that would make it easier to interview them. Now, Berendt does excellent research, and is apparently a dogged and fearless interviewer, and some of the insights and admissions and candid details he gets are very interesting. In addition, the book is not exclusively about the elite: he does a long chapter on a poor and lonely poet, and another on a family of glassblowers, all of whom are native Venetians. He does a very nice piece on the public prosecutor who tried to investigate the fire at the Fenice, and his attempts to convict those he believes were responsible for the fire -- first for criminal negligence, and then for arson. And there are a lot of details about Venice itself, all of which were fascinating, honestly; makes me very much want to go visit, though I wouldn't really want to be a tourist: I'd like to be a part of the city's actual life, behind the tourist scene, if only for a little while.
The problem is that I don't believe Berendt actually made it into the backstage Venice, the Venice of the Venetians. He gets in at times, with certain people, but they're usually the fringe element, or again, the American and Anglo people who have relocated to Venice and been accepted themselves to some extent. But never all the way. This book never gets all the way in. It is interesting for as far as it goes, full of neat stories and beautiful descriptions and some very interesting characters -- I particularly liked the Rat Man of Treviso, who ran the most successful rat poison company in the Western world, because he alters the formula of his rat poison to match the predominant flavors of the area where he sells it. So the rat poison in Italy has olive oil, pasta, almonds, and several other flavors in it; in America, it's vanilla, granola, popcorn, and a little margarine, because Americans eat very little butter -- butter's in the French poison. He was great, as was the larger-than-life artist who kept trying to get arrested making his political and artistic statements. But I don't care enough about the fifth-generation American millionaires who were selling their family palazzo because two of the three siblings had moved away (though the one brother was completely nuts, and that was hilarious), nor do I care enough about the scummy American couple who took advantage of the senile 93-year-old former mistress of Ezra Pound. But both of those were very long chapters in the book. The only one longer was the chapter dedicated to the infighting between Larry Lovett and Bob Guthrie over who should be allowed to run the New York-based charity Save Venice, and who should get the credit for its success. Yeah. That's real Venetian.
It is a fascinating and wonderful place, and I hope to go there. I would like to see it for myself, and look at the things that John Berendt skipped over. But I won't have to wangle my way into English-speaking high society parties in Venice, because I've already heard all I need to know about those.
Thoughts:
Not bad, but not the parts of Venice I would have really liked to hear about, not for the most part. Some of it was great, and the writing was lovely. Much more fun to read than I thought it would be after the first chapter or two. Biggest problem was he didn't really make me care about the Fenice, but it is such a large part of the actual Venetian parts of the book, because it is a vital piece of the landscape to the Venetians. He really should have done a better job with that.
6. Blaze by Richard Bachman 8/14 (43)
Pick:
After the long slow non-fiction comes the fast fiction. I'm planning on reading White Witch, Black Curse, which is the one I've been working up to for months now, but I thought I would squeeze in one more shorty before that.
Story:
Well, this one is credited to Richard Bachman, which I always thought was kind of a running joke for Stephen King at this point -- because who doesn't know? But honestly, that was the right way to credit this novel. It doesn't really feel like a Stephen King novel, but it did remind me a lot of Thinner and Rage and The Running Man. The Bachman books tend to be faster, more brutal in some ways, because they have less description and far less soul-searching and character exploration. They have some, of course, because even if Bachman is a different side of King, he's still attached to the same brain, and description and character exploration are what King really does; the violence and horror are just ways to focus on the characters, to examine what people are really like in the harsh spotlight of a crisis, when they are fully out of their comfort zones.
Ironically, though, this would have been a better book if Stephen King had written it. It wasn't bad: I liked Blaze, the title character -- a 6'7" hulk with a very slow mind, thanks to the time his father threw him down the stairs. Three times. I liked the flashbacks to Blaze's youth, the stories of his life in the foster care system; I liked that Blaze was basically a good guy even if he did become a criminal. I liked that Blaze's life, other than the horrible story of his abuse at his father's hands, was basically happy and successful.
But I didn't like the way it ended, not for the last fifty pages. Still well-written, but I didn't like it. I think the imagination of Stephen King would have been able to pull out a better finish for a good character like Clayton Blaisdell, Jr.
Thoughts:
Pretty good, but probably not worth reading twice. On the other hand, I loved the short story that was in there right after it, and so now I want to read Duma Key -- the novel that came from that short story.
*Physics for Future Presidents: The Science Behind the Headlines by Richard A. Muller 8/17 (44)
Pick:
This one doesn't count, because it came in the mail. That's right, my dad sent me a book, which I had to add to my TBR pile, a pile that I have barely made a dent in because I've been writing and working on the house and playing lots of video games. I already have new books coming in from Amazon twice a month -- now I have to read books from my dad?? About physics?!? Sheesh!
Story:
The book is a collection of explanatory articles about topics related to recent headlines and hot topics in the United States. The author, a physicist and professor at UC Berkeley, tries to explain everything in simple yet precise scientific terms, with the intention that any reader be able to understand the real facts behind these topics, rather than be forced to wade through the misinformation and exaggerations that abound.
Pardon me: his intention is actually to educate the future president, whom he addresses quite specifically as often as possible. Not that he gives a name of who will be our next president, being a scientist rather than a pundit or prognosticator, but it is clear that he considers this work to be nothing short of indispensable to any future leader of the United States. Each segment is concluded with a one- to two-page summary for the President; the sort of easy reference guide that all politicians should carry in their pockets to glance at whenever possible.
Pardon me again: his actual intention seems to be to prove to all readers that his erudition and insight make him the logical choice for the post of indispensable advisor to any future president. Not merely an authority on scientific matters, a claim that I would hardly dispute: he seems to see himself as the source of all logic, as the font of common sense, the one-eyed man in the kingdom of the scientifically blind. Despite claims that he has no particular ability to make political choices, and claims that he would never want to appear partisan on any political issue, still he does both of those things again and again. He makes it clear right in the introduction when he compliments the reader on finding the solution to the problem of figuring out the truth behind such diverse topics as global warming, nuclear power, and the next potential terrorist threat: the reader has picked up his book. The book is apparently based on his renowned course for non-physics students -- the wording comes from the book jacket, not from me -- that he has taught for years.
The science in the book is interesting. The pedantic posturing and weak attempts at humor, followed by even weaker attempts at intellectual camaraderie -- which invariably come off as mere elitism -- are less interesting, verging on annoying. I would have really enjoyed this book if someone else had written it.
Thoughts:
Thanks, Pop. At least it didn't take me too long to read. And I can stop worrying about dirty bombs. But the fact that this guy considers Yucca Mountain a solution to the problem of nuclear waste, based on his mathematical analysis of the acceptable risk of leakage, shows me that he is not, in fact, qualified to make political decisions, and he shouldn't have tried. The book should focus on current issues related to science, but the gimmick of advising the president was a mistake, made seemingly just to feed the dude's ego. NEXT!
7. White Witch, Black Curse by Kim Harrison 8/24 (45)
Pick:
I've been waiting to read this since I first tried, back in, Jeez, freakin' March when we got the book from Amazon. I think I've waited long enough.
Story:
Rachel Morgan is a witch, living with a vampire (who, fortunately, hasn't died yet) and a family of pixies (who, unfortunately, are about to die quite soon, of old age -- at least the parents will, though not the four dozen children), beholden and apprenticed to a demon, with an uneasy alliance to the last few elves alive in the world; she has dated a dishonest human thief who endangered her and stole from her, a noble living vampire who died protecting her, and, it turns out in this novel, an embodied ghost who died almost two hundred years before, who has now come back to -- well, maybe he has good intentions. And in this novel, Rachel decides the time has come to take on a whole new species: the banshee, the apex predator of this world of the Hollows and the Turn, the nastiest, deadliest, most powerful race in the world -- rivaled only by undead vampires and demons, but matched by neither.
Because the largest issue any of these races seems to have is -- issue. The elves are willing to do almost anything to repair the damage done to their genetic code by their ancient enemies, the demons; the demons are willing to do almost anything to seduce their one surviving female, and protect their one potential new female, a certain genetically altered (or perhaps re-altered) witch. The vampires have allowed Rachel to stay alive and unharmed, despite her vulnerability to vampire powers, because their master, Rynn Cormel, believes that the witch may have the ability to save the soul of all future vampires, starting with her roommate and best friend, Ivy Tamwood. If Rachel succeeds in saving Ivy's soul, then the vampires will be able to last into their undeath in greater numbers -- which will help to balance the growing power of the vampires' top supernatural rivals, the Weres, now that the Weres have the ability to make new Weres with bites, rather than the simple reproduction that has been the only source of new Weres for centuries. So naturally, the banshees have a very difficult time reproducing: the banshee subsists on the emotions, the auras, of other living creatures, which it can drain with a thought. Newborn banshees have the power, but not the control to turn it off -- which means that they are fatal to any living thing that touches them, other than their mothers. Not a good baby to have in Italy.
The banshee of Cincinnati -- there is only one, who has lived in the same area for 300 years and allowed no rivals to stay -- has found a way to have a child with the man she loves, and still keep that man alive despite her daughter's fatal touch. She has not found a way to spare innocent bystanders from being eaten by her adorable little bundle of evil, because she does not care to try. When the family puts one of Rachel's friends in the hospital, Rachel goes after them. This, in combination with Rachel's ongoing dealings with demons -- which have brought up a whole new storm of consequences -- and her and Ivy's continuing attempt to discover the identity of the vampire who murdered Rachel's lover Kisten, make up the bulk of the plot. But because these books are complex and genuine in their attempts to depict all of Rachel's life, there is also the issue of Rachel's mother and brother and their comings and goings; the debate between continued friendship with Marshall, the attractive but comfortable companion she has spent the last two months having platonic fun with, and the possibility of romance with a man who could, for the first time, be good for Rachel; the sad prospect of losing their pixy friend Matalina, and the slightly more distant prospect of losing Jenks, the best character in these books; and at least a little time spent with Trent and Rachel's past health issues. Oh yeah: and then there's the ghost that has been in love with Rachel for ten years. Or maybe it's that she's in love with him. Maybe both. Or neither. When it comes to Rachel's love life, none of us really know -- least of all Rachel.
The book is a little slow at first, even a little confusing, simply because there are so many plotlines to keep juggling. But some of these are resolved in this book, and perhaps resolved permanently; the banshee issue certainly is, along with the murderous vampire's identity. And once the book is settled into its groove, it chugs right along, as readable and entertaining and engrossing as all the rest in the series. Great twists, a better pace than some of the other books have had -- and an excellent ending. This one's a good'un.
Thoughts:
It was worth the wait, and mostly worth the re-read. I don't think these books are my favorite supernatural series, and I don't know if I'll be re-reading them all again -- but on first read, all of these have been a lot of fun, and this was no exception.
** Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran 8/27 (46)
Pick:
Amazon Vine book. I like historical fiction, especially ancient Rome and Egypt, and it sounded intriguing.
Vine Review:
Cleopatra's Daughter is many things: an adult historical novel, and a young adult novel split between coming of age and romance (as much as those two things can be separated in the teenage years). It's hard to tell in the end which aspect of this novel is the best; but all of them are good, and none of them are overwhelmed or watered down by the others. This balancing act earns the author high praise, and the book a recommendation for several different audiences.
The adult historical novel gives a nice view of the rise of the Roman empire; the book begins with Octavian Caesar, the heir and successor of Julius Caesar, defeating his last serious rival for power: Mark Antony and his wife, Kleopatra of Egypt (It was interesting to read of how Kleopatra's daughter was annoyed when an unfriendly Roman misspelled Kleopatra's name, using a C instead of a K, considering the book's title. But what are you going to do?). Octavian forces the couple to take their own lives, and then he takes their three children prisoner, bringing them to Rome for his Triumph. The book covers the next four years, culminating with Octavian's promotion to Emperor, and adoption of the name Augustus; Moran gives the reader an interesting perspective of Rome at the time, since the narrator is an observant young woman who moves in the highest circles of society, but who is nonetheless an outsider, a virtual prisoner who lives by the continued sufferance of a man renowned for his mercilessness and even cruelty. So we see some of the politics of the time, but more of the daily life; all of it is presented genuinely, with no lengthy discussions of Rome's cultural or historical significance and no textbookese; it was both fun and informative to read.
The young adult novel that runs through the historical setting is also well done, though the coming-of-age aspect was better than the romance. Selene is a good character: an educated, talented young woman in a time when women were little more than property; a beautiful and personable girl forced to live among strangers, conquerors, perhaps even enemies. Her life is turbulent, as should be expected, and though there are many tragedies, it does end quite well -- with perhaps just a taste of Hollywood happiness in terms of her love life. Though to be honest, that ending comes from history, and not from the author's imagination -- so perhaps it should be inspiring, rather than dubious.
All in all, Cleopatra's Daughter is well-written and quite outstanding in its mix of genres, and thus its appeal. A very good book.
Thoughts:
It was a touch hard to get into, a little difficult to read in terms of the effort spent, but it was definitely worth it -- a good payoff, and it made me want to read up on my history, which I think is always a good sign.
8. Clan Daughter by Morgan Howell (Queen of the Orcs, Book II) 8/28 (47)
Pick:
I was feeling like fantasy. Seems like it's been a while since I read something with swords and sorcery, omens and orcs, and I thought it was time to get back into it. I also want to finish this trilogy up before I start forgetting everything that happened in the first book and I have to re-read it. Like all the others. I have enough to read, thank you.
Story:
It turns out -- and I doubt this is a big secret -- that these books were written by a man, using an androgynous pseudonym presumably because the main character, and thus part of the audience, is female. Well, I'm assuming the William Hubbell who owns the copyright is the author. At any rate, the first book in the series, King's Property, is a good book and Dar is a good character (albeit with a bad name -- kept making me think of frustrated pirates), so the author's gender really hasn't made any difference to me. But I think it made a difference in this book.
This book picks up exactly where the first book left off: Dar and the five remaining orcs of the troop she served in King Kregant's army have left the battlefield that claimed the lives of all of their companions, and they are heading back to the orcs' homeland, the mountains far to the north. The orcs have accepted Dar as their leader, as their society is strongly matriarchal, and Dar has managed to impress them with her wisdom; they see her more as a woman and less as a human, and are therefore willing to accept her guidance. All but one: Zna-yat still hates and distrusts her for her humanity, and plots her death once again -- a goal he tried and failed to accomplish in the first book.
Unfortunately, Dar has no idea where she is going, apart from "thataway," and so the first third of the book describes the orcs' very difficult journey through human lands, trying to reach their home. Over the course of the trip, Dar uses a combination of wit and wisdom, luck and magic to guide them the right way, and they do win through to the orc lands. But that's when the trouble begins. On the trip, a new complication has arisen: Dar has fallen in love with one of her orcish companions, a love that is returned, but one that is also doomed, because no orc male would marry when his mother forbids the relationship -- and no orc mother would allow her son to marry a human, no matter how dearly the two love one another.
This is the only place where the author's gender, I think, has an impact on the story: this romance seems depicted as a man would think about it, not as a woman would. Once Dar has some physical contact with her lover (Have no fear, there are no nasty bits), it is all she can think about; her longing for him is described as a physical need like hunger and thirst, and whenever the two are together, all she thinks about is getting snuggly. The romance isn't bad, it just seemed a little off for a young woman's first love.
The plot takes a whole new turn once the group reaches the orc lands; some of the plotlines from the first book return, and are wrapped up, and the story also heads off in a whole new direction. The ending felt a wee bit rushed, though I'm sure the third book -- already out and waiting on my shelf to be read -- will expand and explain everything that comes in a rush at the end of this book. Overall, this was a fun, easy read; the best parts remain the depiction of the orc culture as different from, and superior to, the human culture; you definitely come out of this book wishing you were an orc, instead of some stinking washavoki.
Thoughts:
Good book. Romance should have been done differently, and the ending should have been expanded. I didn't like how the human suitor is given so much leeway to pursue Dar even though she loves Kovok-mah; if you want to do love triangle stuff, then you need to establish the other guy better, and he wasn't. Dar and Kovok-mah have been through far too much for Sevren to get any time with her, and while she doesn't flirt with him or lead him on, neither does she shut him down, and she should have. He could still respect her and be her friend and ally without loving her and thinking she might love him. But I'm hopeful the third book will make it all better. Those orcs better not turn out to be evil, or I'm going to be pissed.
9. The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu (Edited by Edward Seidensticker) (Unfinished) 8/31
Pick:
Another book I picked up at a library book sale because I had heard of this and was curious. The Tale of Genji is supposed to be the first novel ever written; it's a very long (many volumes in the original, apparently) romance about a nobleman in feudal Japan, written sometime around 1000 AD.
Thoughts:
I almost fell asleep three times in the first chapter. I was also disappointed to find out that this edition is abridged -- because if I were to read the thing, I'd want to read the whole thing. I'm in it for curiosity's sake, not for a rollicking good read -- sheesh! But I had to give up after that. This is just another book that I feel like I should read, somehow, but really don't want to -- and I have too many books to waste my time with that.
Another one off the shelf.
** Come Back, Como by Steven Winn 9/4/09 (48)
Pick:
Vine Voice book. Cute dog on the cover, story about winning the love of a reluctant pup, what could go wrong?
Vine Review:
Well-written and engaging, with a sweet ending, but this book has the wrong sub-title. It isn't about winning the heart of a reluctant dog, it is about winning the heart of a reluctant owner. This book was tough for me to read because of that, since I am the farthest thing from a reluctant dog owner: I am one of those people who always wanted a dog, a dog that I now count among my family members and love completely and irrationally. I am also one of those people who read books of dog advice and watch the dog whisperer, and so I knew right from the start what was wrong with the story of the Winns and Como: it was Steven Winn himself.
I don't have much criticism for the book itself; Winn is a good writer, excellent descriptions and some very nice insights towards the end of the story. But Mr. Winn and his wife never wanted a dog; they only get Como because their daughter Phoebe is desperate for a canine friend. I couldn't relate to that, and so I found myself disliking Winn for the tone of the narration, for his reluctance and anxiety about the dog. Both of these things are understandable, of course, and Como does turn out to be a challenging animal -- but I kept muttering under my breath, "You're doing it wrong, that's never going to work." I felt more sorry for the dog than the owner, and that wasn't the aim of the book. There are some parts that made me chuckle or smile, even laugh, but there were also some frowns and maybe even a little name-calling.
I would say that people who were unsure about their pets at first, or who are ambivalent in some way about their furry friends -- you love 'em, but they just keep eating your fershlugginer slippers! -- would enjoy this story. But if you, like me, consider your dog to be as wonderful as any human child -- maybe even a little better -- then this probably isn't the right book for you.
Thoughts:
The guy kept his daughter from having a dog until she was almost thirteen. I mean, my parents wouldn't let me have a dog either, but there were some differences: both my mother and my brother are allergic, and I myself was never completely obsessed with dogs, as the daughter is in this story. She wants nothing more than a dog -- and they have no good reason not to get her one. It pissed me off that they were so unwilling to do a good thing -- please their daughter, bring more life and love into their home, save a rescued animal's life. Why wouldn't you do that right away? This was only exacerbated as they got several lesser pets -- fish, a bird, that kind of thing -- for their daughter, who turns out to be responsible and reliable in caring for the pet, thus eliminating that argument about who will end up caring for the dog. When they get Como, the whole family has to care for him, of course, but he is fed, walked, and watched regularly and consistently by their daughter. Just makes me think they should have gotten her a dog sooner.
Then they get the dog, and the only thing the guy thinks about is how long they have left until they can return him to the shelter for a full refund. He jumps all over it when the shelter folks bring it up, and he keeps throwing meaningful glances at his wife when the dog misbehaves; his wife then whispers, "Twenty-eight." Which is how many days they have left until they can't return him. First of all: if you're still thinking about returning the dog, you shouldn't have gotten one in the first place; secondly, it's a shelter dog that cost you all of a hundred bucks. Do you really need the refund? And then he wonders why the dog doesn't love him as much as it loves his wife and daughter. Yeah: that would be because you're plotting to get rid of him, dude.
I held the owner responsible for pretty much all of Como's problems, so I liked the dog a lot more than the man on the other end of the leash (and behind the typewriter). I suppose that isn't a big surprise.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Reading for July -- and the Switch
July
33. Jim Butcher: Fool Moon
34. Christopher Moore: Fool
35. Daniel Wallace: Friends Like These
36. Kim Harrison: For a Few Demons More
Started A Friend of the Earth by T.C. Boyle; stopped because of the Sign.
Fool Moon
Pick:
I wanted to grab up my next Vine choice, since it sounds really interesting, but the last one was a wee bit of a slog, so I wanted something more fun, more casual, that I wouldn't have to worry terribly about reviewing -- because that last review was a real bitch to get right. So I went for the Simon R. Green Nightside book I just picked up -- I have three to read now, books 5-7 in the series -- but I wanted to check the ending of the previous book, which I read last year, because I remembered being pissed at the last line of book #4. I read it again, and then realized I didn't remember the background leading up to that line, so I looked back through the book a little. And realized I remembered almost nothing about the plot, even though it revealed quite a few things about the main character. And I said, "I'm going to have to read this again." At which point the wind wailed past the house, and the trees groaned like tortured souls; the sky turned black and I heard scrabbling in the wall like rats or locusts or the fingernails of the damned. And Toni turned to me with shocked eyes and said, "No! You can't! Dusty, don't do it -- you'll doom us all! NOOOOOOOO!!!!? and then ran from the room.
And I said, "Okay, fine, I won't read these then. Geez." And all the noises and portents stopped.
Then Toni, calm and serene once again, said, "Why don't you read a Harry Dresden book instead?"
So that's what I did.
True story.
Story:
Fool Moon might be the only Dresden book that isn't better than the one before it -- though that judgment will have to wait until I finish the series to become codified and definitive. It's a good book, but it's too damned busy.
There's that great scene near the beginning, when Harry and Murphy realize they are dealing with werewolves, and Harry asks Bob about them. It's great because Bob gives a wonderful answer, one that shows Butcher's imagination: there are several different kinds of werewolves. There are werewolves, who learn to transform themselves into wolves with magic; there are Hexenwulfs (Nice German usage, there), which are people who gain a magical talisman of some kind that allows them to transform into wolves; there are lycanthropes, which are people with the souls of beasts, who don't transform at all, but who can commit acts that might seem wolfish and who have some of the attributes of classic werewolves -- rapid healing, pack mentality, lose control around the full moon -- but are actually more like Viking berserkers; then there is the loup-garou, the most dangerous kind of werewolf, which is someone who has been cursed to turn into a wolf-like monster every full moon.
That's a great answer, which makes the old werewolf trope seem far more interesting and realistic than having werewolves adhere to the stereotypes. Butcher does the same thing with vampires, giving them three different breeds that each take on some, but not all, of the standard vampire attributes. The problem with the book is, every single kind of werewolf makes an appearance, along with one other kind that Bob doesn't mention: a wolf who has the mystical ability to transform into a human. Which is also damned clever.
But the sheer variety of werewolves is too much. It's like Butcher had a checklist and he made sure to hit every one: werewolves, Hexenwulfs, lycanthropes, loup-garou. Check, check, and double-check. It made it so there were too many bad guys -- especially since Gentleman Johnny Marcone is also involved -- too much danger, and it muddied up the waters and made it hard to enjoy. It also meant that things that would have made a great villain/enemy -- specifically the lycanthrope street gang -- get shorted, because there's not enough room in the story to really deal with them. The same goes for the werewolves, the Alphas, though at least they come back in subsequent books. The novel would have been better if he could have found a way to stick with the Hexenwulfs and the loup-garou.
Thoughts:
On the plus side, it's still a fun book and a good read. It was a nice break from Vine books, and I think I'll read the next one soon.
Fool
Pick:
Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday from Toni here's the newest book by your favorite author, Happy Birthday to Me!
And many moooooooooooooore!
Was it serendipity that I finished the Jim Butcher book on the morning of my birthday, when Toni gave me the newest book by Christopher Moore -- a story based on one of my all-time favorite literary characters, the Fool from King Lear? Or was it destiny? The will of the gods? Nah.
"As flies to wanton boys, are we to the gods. They kill us for their sport."
Story:
The book is brilliant, of course. The writing is hilarious -- right up there with Lamb and Dirty Job, much better than You Suck; this is one of Moore's best -- and the story is the right kind of multi-layered satire he does so well when he finds something he can sink his teeth into.
He said in his Author's note that he wanted to write about a jester because he loves writing rascals; when he asked his agent if he should do any random Fool or the Fool from Lear, she said, "Definitely Lear." I'm sure any fool would have worked fine, but I love that this one was based on the Shakespeare play. I won't say that Moore is anywhere near as good a writer as the Bard, but he has many of the same strengths: he can write a funny scene that has a touching undercurrent; he can switch from personal to universal from sentence to sentence and make them both work; he truly knows how to make a story his own. This is King Lear, but it's also not -- because it's Christopher Moore's King Lear, not William Shakespeare's.
Pocket is a wonderful character. I loved that we heard his entire life story, in flashback and out of order, because it all connects: his childhood and upbringing do much to explain the way he is and the way the other characters treat him; in addition, the way that Pocket's life has been intertwined with Lear's since before his birth gives a great view of the two sides of Lear: he is a cruel tyrant who deserves what he gets, and he is also a foolish old man who makes what would be an innocent mistake in anyone younger, but is either insanity or stupidity in him. I always felt that way about Shakespeare's Lear, and the character of Pocket gives a new lens to see Lear through, without changing the basic character of the king.
The other characters have been largely replaced with Moore's own: the women are classic Moore, smarter, wiser, more mature and much sexier than the men, except for the villainesses, who are still smarter than most of the men, but are cold and self-serving as well. The men are generally bumbling children, except for Pocket, and Kent, the one loyal man in the kingdom. Drool is a hilarious character, an excellent sidekick for Pocket, and Edmund makes a decent villain, though he could use some more fleshing out. The real villain, though, is Lear, and he is perfectly done -- and interestingly enough, he's not played humorously, even in this comic novel. Lear remains the same tragic, flawed fool he is in Shakespeare's play; this is much of what creates the multiple layers in the book, with the humor coming from the general cast, the serious notes from Lear and Cordelia, and Pocket working as the bridge between the two.
Exactly what a Fool should be.
Thoughts:
Great book. I loved it, I loved that it was the story of Lear with the right hero and the right ending. I do want to read Lear again, I think -- and I know I'll want to read this a second time, and a third, and probably more after that.
Friends Like These
Pick:
The last Vine Voice book I've got right now -- one apparently got lost in the mail. But I picked this one because I liked the idea, and because I looked up the author on Amazon UK and found that he has five bestselling books in Britain, including Yes Man (which the movie is based on). I love the concept, and I love that this guy started his own cult -- I'm going to have to look for that book now, too.
Amazon Review:
I'm sure that after reading this book, most people will want to imitate the author, and try to reconnect with old friends. I don't. I want to be Danny Wallace's friend, and have him come find me. Hopefully wearing a giant bunny head and a t-shirt with my face on it. And we'll say, "Potaaaatooooo!"
Wallace makes an excellent case for reconnecting with childhood friends. He has twelve that he seeks out, and though he does not have a joyous reunion with each and every one of them, he does have just such a reunion with most -- and the ones that don't work out quite so well are still a source of valuable insight. If I may simply list adjectives: the whole story is funny, poignant, and sweet, and heart-warming and thought-provoking as well. In fact, it is hard to say what is the most inspiring and fascinating part of this book: it could be the boundless optimism that informs both Wallace's actions and his writing; it could be the humor, which is simply wonderful -- there are many moments that made me smile, chortle, and even laugh out loud (a rarity when I read), but I think my favorite is Wallace's impression of a ten-year-old British boy's image of America. Apparently we all have guns, say things like "Hold the rye!" and use "a$$" in every sentence; the example given is the insult, "A$$ off!" Which I'm now going to start saying, of course. But the most fascinating part of the book could also be the insight into growing up and being a man. It is never preachy or artificial; it feels very much like a peek into someone else's mind as he goes through the watershed moment when he decides that he is ready to be a grownup, that he will not abandon his childish ways, but is ready to stop clinging to them. It's very sweet, and thoughtful, and, yes, inspiring.
The book is also a fantastic reminiscence about the 1980's and early 1990's, although the difference between a British boy's experience of youth and pop culture and my own American memories made it a little less than perfect, for me. But still: I remember the first time I heard Michael Jackson's music (It was "Billie Jean," in my case -- and I thought that light-up sidewalk was totally cool), and I remember being obsessed with "Ghostbusters," and I remember the Atari 2600 era and the rise of Nintendo, so there was a lot for me in this book. Even more than popular culture, though, the book is simply a tour through childhood and friendship, and those memories are universal. Anyone who has been a child, who had those short-lived but perfect friendships, with people who then disappeared from your life, should read this book. Anyone who worries about growing up, either too quickly or not quickly enough, should read this book. And really, anyone who likes a sweet, funny trip through the life of a bright, sensitive, quirky person -- you should read it, too.
Thoughts:
It didn't really make me want to track down my old friends. Partly because I have already looked up some of my old friends (Shoutout to Hotpants!), partly because I was never as social or as friend-oriented as this man seems to be. But it did make me want to reminisce with my old friends, to try to rebuild the memories of myself and of them at that age, and it gave me a clue (or maybe even an answer) to the question I've always had about memories: I don't recall very many specifics about my own childhood, and so many other people seem to remember more about their own lives than I know about my own. Maybe the details, the real specifics, need to be remembered through collaborators.
I also wondered, after reading this, why I didn't have the same crisis of confidence that Danny Wallace has just before his 30th birthday. Almost every person in the book has the same sort of issue with growing up and looking back at that same age, but I didn't. But then I remembered: I turned 30 in 2004. Which was the year I got married, after watching my wife go through more than a year of agonizing pain culminating in major abdominal surgery, and also the year we moved from California to Oregon, after our house in Escondido flooded when the pipes burst. My 29th year, when Wallace goes through his quest, was also when the 2003 San Diego wildfires happened, with fifty-foot-high flames within half a mile of my house. So maybe I was a little distracted.
For a Few Demons More
Pick:
Wanted to get back into my beloved fantasy books after reading a memoir, and I want to get through this series and finish reading the new one. Only one more book left to re-read.
Story:
This one has a strong story. Rachel has an incredibly powerful and turbulent artifact, and everybody comes after it, and her. Newt is the first to appear, and she shows Rachel (and the readers) that demons are much more than we might have thought, that many of the things we think they can't do, are simply things they don't do -- and Newt does them. After Rachel manages to get out of that pickle, with the help of Minias -- an interesting character, but I don't like that they played up Rachel's attraction to him. I know, she's attracted to dangerous men, but this is not a man, this is a demon: the association with Al and Newt should be enough to cool her ardor before the thought even crosses her mind. Is anybody really that much ruled by their gonads?
Oh, wait. Rachel wants to find a blood balance with Ivy, and even though she has not an inkling of homosexuality, she decides in this one that maybe a gay relationship, y'know, wouldn't be all bad. So apparently Rachel is completely ruled by her id, by her desire for complete and total pleasure. She's totally a Sim with the pleasure aspiration -- which would explain why she can be exasperating, just like Sims with the pleasure aspiration.
Anyway, there's the storyline with Trent's wedding, which is a hoot, especially the way it wraps up with Rachel coming to the wedding on a city bus, and not for the expected reasons; I'm extremely happy with how the Piscary storyline wraps up, but not for the events with Kisten. It annoys me that Kisten is so absent from this book, even with the explanation for it. I sort of think Harrison didn't know what to do with the relationship between Rachel and Kisten, because Rachel is not supposed to be seriously involved -- pleasure, not commitment -- but Kisten is too perfect for her in too many ways, just because of the way the character was written. So I wonder if she went this way with it to get out of the corner she wrote herself into. The mystery will be solved in the new book, when I get to that one -- so we'll just wait for that.
Thoughts:
This one was better than the last, except I don't like Rachel's confusion from kissing Ivy -- I think her sexuality should be pretty straightforward, since she is old enough and experienced enough, and adventurous enough, to know if she has interest in women, and I don't think any kiss no matter how good can overcome one's natural inclinations -- and I'm not happy with the Kisten story yet. Though reading this when I know the ending showed me that Harrison did an excellent job of writing Rachel's mental block concerning what happened.
When it's time to change, then it's time to change!
Going to a new system here. My goal now is to read all of the unread books I currently own, before I go out and buy any more. Exceptions will include the Wheel of Time, new installments on favorite series, maybe a graphic novel or two. I will also continue the re-reads I started on Butcher and Harrison, leading up to the new books.
But from here, I won't be numbering from the beginning of the year. I will be numbering from the Sign, the day my bookshelf collapsed under the weight of the books that I kept accumulating faster than I could read them -- a habit I always criticized my mother for, when she did the same with newspapers that she would save to look through, which ended up in six-foot piles of moldering yellow fire hazard. Well, I'm not going to do the same with my books. I'm going to read what I've got before I get more, and I'm going to get rid of all of the ones I don't finish. I am going to include the unfinished ones in the count, because now I'm trying to count just how many unread books I bought before I did this. But for the sake of my sanity and in order to not overcomplicate this, I'm going to keep the total for the year count in parentheses with the ones I finish.
So:
1. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke (Unfinished)
Pick:
The story sounded interesting when I picked this one up, and it was very popular when it was new, so I've always wanted to read it. I've had it for probably two years without touching it until now because it is a massive tome: 800 pages in hardback, small print. I picked it first because it was the heaviest book on the shelf.
Story:
Too heavy. Too slow. 200 pages in four or five days, and I hadn't gotten to the main story line yet. I looked at the dust jacket again, and the story still sounded interesting, but the description of the book called it "exquisitely detailed" and "magisterial." Yeah. Sounds riveting, doesn't it? Enough already.
Thoughts:
The author was too self- indulgent. I think of long backstories for my characters, too -- but they stay in my notes, where they belong. The stuff that gets into the book is the stuff that is necessary for the story I'm telling, not a cycle of stories like a complete mythology of a time and a place. She picked scenes to include as if she was creating an entire world, but the story line is just a story line. Or maybe the problem is that the place she is creating is just too fucking boring all by itself -- high society 19th century England not being the hotbed of action-packed excitement. A whole lot of visiting and etiquette, fashion and frippery. This thing made the Silmarillion seem like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.
2. Heck: Where the Bad Kids Go by Dale E. Basye 7/21 (37)
Pick:
I stopped reading Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell because it was too dense and slow and boring, so I wanted to go for something easy and fun and light. Hey, how about a book about where bad kids go when they die?
Story:
Milton and Marlo Fauster. Milton because John Milton wrote Paradise Lost about Lucifer's fall from Heaven, Marlo because Christopher Marlowe wrote a famous version of Johann Goethe's Faust, about a man who sells his soul to the devil; Faustus because of same. These are cheesy names. They are not good names. They are not good because a large number of people wouldn't get the references, and cheesy because the people who do get the references don't think these names are clever. Anyone who does think these names are clever had it ruined when the author included a small ferret named Lucky as the pet of Milton, and who had Lucky wear a collar that had a small set of dice hanging from it, and who had Lucky lose that collar solely so that he could have Milton post a sign that said, "Milton's Pair of Dice: Lost."
That is a bad pun. It isn't clever, it's totally labored, and it isn't funny. It also repeats the same joke made by choosing this kid's name. And that's the best example I can give of this book.
The concept is wonderful. The adventure story isn't too bad, really, though there's some things that make no sense whatsoever, and there's far too much time spent on poop. But the writing is not good, and the humor is terrible: dull, cliche, lame, reliant on gross-outs that aren't too terribly gross and puns and references as irritating as the names of the two main characters and Lucky's collar.
Another example: the idea here is that these two kids die, and because they are bad kids, they get darned to Heck, a piece of Limbo a step short of Purgatory, where bad kids go to pay for their sins. Actually, only Marlo is a bad kid; Milton gets dragged down with her because she made him her unknowing, unwilling accomplice. Beggar the fact that even the Old Testament God wouldn't have damned the kid for that, it happens. And we could live with that -- except Marlo thinks it's funny, and Milton is vaguely annoyed with her for a page before he forgets about it. No, I don;'t think so. If my sibling got me killed (Also Marlo's fault, largely) and sent to an afterlife of torture, I wouldn't think it was funny, and I wouldn't just let it go. Which makes these characters unrealistic, and since we are already suspending our disbelief for the sake of accepting the existence of Heck, there's very little left in this book that we can believe in, now that we've lost both the setting and the characters. Oh, and the plot doesn't work either, but I don't want to give that away. Anyway, the pun I was going to describe is the name of the demon in charge of Heck, which is ostensibly a school (though that makes no sense and isn't well handled in the book, either), and thus she is the principal. Her name is Bea "Elsa" Bubb. Get it? Beelzebub, Lord of Flies, one of the chief lieutenants of Hell or another name for Satan himself, depending on your source? Well, if you didn't get it, don't worry -- the full name, Bea "Elsa" Bubb, is repeated throughout the novel. I must have been forced to read that awkward phrase fifty times. Rarely Principal Bubb, never Elsa; over and over again, Bea "Elsa" Bubb. A joke that wasn't that good the first time and was annoying every time after that, repeated fifty times in a two-hundred page book. I felt like I was in Heck. And I wanted out.
Thoughts:
As Toni said, so I repeat: this is a great idea, I just wish someone else had written it, because this guy sucks. We'll try reading the second installment and see if he has taken any writing classes in the meantime.
3. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon 7/23 (38)
Pick:
After a pair of clunkers, I had to read something good. So I went for a book that I was sure would be well-written; luckily for me, this time I was right.
Story:
Christopher John Francis Boone hates metaphors, because they are a kind of lie. He doesn't like lies or people who tell them. So for his sake, I will try to refrain from reporting anything about this book but the facts.
Christopher is special. It is never spelled out in the novel, but I believe he is autistic. His symptoms and behaviors match that diagnosis, to the best of my knowledge. I do not know if he has Asperger's Syndrome or one of the other autism spectrum disorders that have been recently described, because I do not know very much about autism. I do not believe that autism has increased in frequency lately; I think the diagnosis is more common now than it used to be, but the syndrome does not occur in a greater percentage of the population than it ever has. That is my opinion. It is also a tangent, because it is not the main purpose of this writing.
Christopher's neighbor had a dog named Wellington. Wellington was murdered, stabbed with a garden fork. Christopher discovered the body. Because Christopher admires policemen and Sherlock Holmes, and because he likes dogs more than people in most cases, Christopher decides to investigate the dog's killing. In the course of his investigation, he discovers many things other than who killed Wellington (He also discovers who killed Wellington.). Some of the things he discovers are very surprising, because they are not expected. Some of them are very sad, because the things that happen make Christopher very upset, and that made me upset when I read this book, because I liked Christopher. It made me feel sad for him. Some of the things that Christopher discovers are not so sad, and some turn out to be very happy. I should say that things that happen make me happy, because the events themselves are not happy or sad, they are simply a series of occurrences.
It is a very fun book to read, and a very good look at an unusual mind. I enjoyed it very much.
Thoughts:
It's not easy to write like that and make it come out right, and I'm sure I screwed it up. But Mark Haddon didn't, so I really did like this book. I even liked the maths. Though I hated both of Christopher's parents, the big idiots. I liked Siobhan, though -- but what really matters is, I really liked Christopher.
** The Outlaw Demon Wails by Kim Harrison (re-read) (39)
Pick:
Last one before I read the new book, which I'm excited about -- and I have to get off the TBR shelf. I also want to finish this series and get it out of the way, and move on to other books I want to read. Oh yeah: and I do like Rachel and Jenks and Al and Ceri and Quen -- but not Trent, the big dipstick -- and I wanted to read about all of them again.
Story:
I wrote this up just last year, so I don't have a lot to add. It was easier to follow having the rest of the series fresh in my mind; I remember finding the Kisten subplot a little annoying in this one because I didn't like how everything that Rachel and Ivy did revolved around Kisten's death. I know how much it affects your life when somebody close to you dies (especially today) but the problem with this one is that they don't make any progress. They don't decide to deal with it, they don't come to terms with it, and while Rachel recovers one vague memory -- and finds out that she probably doesn't want to try the spell that will bring back other memories (Pandora Charm -- good name) -- and Ivy tries to investigate throughout the book, it doesn't go anywhere. At the end of the book we're as much in the dark as to what happened to Kisten, and what they will do about it, as we were at the beginning. It does make sense to me this way, because this book deals with all the other loose ends: the elves get what they want, Rachel has (presumably) come to a final settlement with Al, and we find out what seems to be the final solution to the puzzle of witches and demons and Rachel's blood disease. Now that all that's handled, I know from Toni that the next book deals with Kisten's death, which is completely resolved by the end. But in the process of dealing with this stuff, the Kisten stuff kept coming up over and over and over again, and it made me irritated with their grief. Not a good feeling.
Thoughts:
I did like this one more than the two before it; I hate the one with the almighty Piscary doing anything he wants, with absolutely no repercussions. I thought Rynn Cormel's appearance here was interesting; it was good to find out the limitation on undead vampires -- glad to know they actually have a limitation -- and I do like their need for love and inability to create it. That makes sense. But otherwise, the vampires are still way overpowered here. Ah, well. These things seem to get dealt with, after all. I wonder: after she's whacked Piscary, dealt with Kisten's killer and come to terms with Al, who's going to be the major villain?
Newt, anyone?
** School of Fear by Gitty Daneshvari 7/31 (39)
Pick:
Vine choice; I liked the cover and the concept. Short and simple after a long read.
Amazon review:
I picked this book out because I liked the cover art (That's right -- I judge books by their covers. What's it to ya?) and I decided to read it because I very much liked the concept: I thought a lot could be done with the idea of getting a group of children to get over their fears. I was hoping to see some basic psychoanalysis, some exploration of where phobias come from, and some depictions of various ways to get over them. I was hoping that, since this is a children's/YA book, the exploration of phobias and their treatments would be basic enough for me to understand, and also fictionalized and imaginative enough to keep me interested.
Unfortunately, what the author seemed to want to do was show, over and over and over again, how strange and quirky someone can be when he or she has a severe phobia and lives in an imagined world. Two-thirds of this book was descriptions of the characters' quirks, their strange behavior and appearance and obsessions based on their pathologies; unfortunately, each character is fairly flat and simplified, and so the descriptions of their eccentricities become very repetitive, very fast. The worst part is that when the phobias were insufficient to make the characters wacky enough, they were simply given wacky and eccentric traits, just because.
There are eight main characters if you count the dog (and I do). Four of them are the kids with their phobias: Madeleine is afraid of bugs, Lulu is claustrophobic, Garrison is afraid of drowning, and Theo is afraid of death. Then there are the three adults in charge of the School of Fear: Mrs. Wellington, the headmistress; Schmidty, her handyman and major domo; and Munchauser, her lawyer. Mrs. Wellington's beloved bulldog, Macaroni, is the most likable of all of these, mainly because he's just a dog who eats too much. With the rest of them, it got extremely tiresome to read about Madeleine's constant overuse of bug spray, and Garrison's copious sweating (inserted presumably because he could not freak out about large bodies of water at all times), and Lulu's annoying sarcasm and eye-rolling (Again, her claustrophobia is not general enough for her to be dealing with that all the time, so instead she says "Whatever" in almost every conversation. and yes, that is like many teenagers, but these are not realistic characters, and if you want to include one example of verisimilitude -- why that one? Whatever.). The worst, though, were Theo and Mrs. Wellington: Theo because he is made obnoxious in every way, whiny and weak and also precocious and very, very precious. He's a 17th century fop reduced in height and given a morbid fascination with death, and he is the most vocal and therefore the central linchpin of the phobic students. And all he does is whine, whine, whine.
The reason Mrs. Wellington was equally obnoxious as a character is that she stood in my mind for everything wrong with the School of Fear itself. Because she was obsessed with beauty pageants. Not fear, not dealing with fear, not teaching children, not even the money she is paid for her services: beauty pageants. And Casu Fragizu -- maggot cheese -- which she loves so much that she insists that every piece of food she eats be flavored with maggot cheese. Yeah, it didn't make sense to me, either, but there's that wackiness for the sake of wackiness. She calls the kids "contestants," and makes every piece of advice connect to being a beauty queen. She wears prodigious amounts of makeup, yet she allows Schmidty to put it on her for no good reason other than a vague joke about the old man's poor eyesight, and because it makes Mrs. Wellington quirkier. You'd think a woman obsessed with her own beauty, and a lifetime of beauty pageant experience, would wear makeup well, but apparently she's too quirky. Munchauser suffers the same fate: he is shown in the beginning of the book as the scariest, most ruthless lawyer imaginable -- it is he who keeps the School of Fear secret, by threatening legal action against anyone who whispers a word of it in public. But when he appears, he is a destitute compulsive gambler who talks about nothing but betting and trying to wheedle his way into Mrs. Wellington's fortune.
Oh, and then there's Abernathy. Mrs. Wellington's sole failure, the one child she could not make better (Apparently psychoanalysis with a beauty pageant theme couldn't reach this one child. All the others, though -- works perfectly.). That's all I can say about him, because even though he appears twice in the book and is talked about several times in very ominous tones, there is nothing else that happens concerning him. He's her failure. That's it.
So much time is spent on the characters that the plot suffers; there's a weak twist at the end, but the resolution of the phobias is a thorough letdown. Really the most interesting part of the book was that every chapter starts with the official name of a phobia, and after reading this book, I'm glad to know that I have hydrophobia and mottephobia. And that's all I'm glad about.
After all of that, I must add that some people will probably think the characters are funny, and in that case, they will probably like the book, because the characters are almost the only thing in it. So if you like reading about wacky characters in wacky situations, maybe you'll enjoy this one more than I did.
Thoughts:
Yeah, it was crap. First Vine book I didn't like. Had to happen, I guess.
4. Bigfoot: I Not Dead by Graham Roumieu 7/31 (40)
Pick:
I wanted something simple and mindless to read, because yesterday was a very hard day.
Story:
This book is a sort of comic strip: every two-page spread is a single stand-alone bit, combining art and writing to show a vignette about Bigfoot. Bigfoot is a savage man-animal, who has become a celebrity; the humor of the book is in the combination of animal traits and Hollywood sellout values. Bigfoot advises other forest beasts not to give their work away for free, because he regrets now the video of him "shaking his junk" on the internet from his youth; he also gives us the inside scoop on the other animals of the forest, because Bigfoot knows all the dirt -- apparently Danny, the Eastern Gray Squirrel, is a fuckwit. There's not an actual plot, just a collection of Bigfoot's musings and advice and memories. But of all the celebrity memoirs that get published every year, this is probably the only one I'll ever read -- and I have not doubt that it's the cream of the crop.
Thoughts:
It's pretty damn funny, though there are some poop jokes that are pretty dumb and some very uncomfortable off-color images -- I have no idea why the songbird Bigfoot interviews for his Action News segment has a large human penis, but it does. Hey, it probably seemed funny at the time. My favorite part? The off-Broadway musical based on Bigfoot's life. The wolverine neighbor was funny, too. And really, Bigfoot gives some good advice. My favorite piece of advice is this:
"Well, if want truth, Bigfoot have bad days too. Not always feel like rainbow and sparkle inside. When feeling blue always find good belly laugh and beat something to death brighten day. Just pick weakest in pack, stalk mercilessly, catch and bash all me blues into they face. Think, not so much helpless victim; rather, Moist Towelette For The Soul.
(Note: no eat thing after therapy kill, it now be full of evil spirit. Evil spirit taste like artificial watermelon. Nobody likes this.)"
33. Jim Butcher: Fool Moon
34. Christopher Moore: Fool
35. Daniel Wallace: Friends Like These
36. Kim Harrison: For a Few Demons More
Started A Friend of the Earth by T.C. Boyle; stopped because of the Sign.
Fool Moon
Pick:
I wanted to grab up my next Vine choice, since it sounds really interesting, but the last one was a wee bit of a slog, so I wanted something more fun, more casual, that I wouldn't have to worry terribly about reviewing -- because that last review was a real bitch to get right. So I went for the Simon R. Green Nightside book I just picked up -- I have three to read now, books 5-7 in the series -- but I wanted to check the ending of the previous book, which I read last year, because I remembered being pissed at the last line of book #4. I read it again, and then realized I didn't remember the background leading up to that line, so I looked back through the book a little. And realized I remembered almost nothing about the plot, even though it revealed quite a few things about the main character. And I said, "I'm going to have to read this again." At which point the wind wailed past the house, and the trees groaned like tortured souls; the sky turned black and I heard scrabbling in the wall like rats or locusts or the fingernails of the damned. And Toni turned to me with shocked eyes and said, "No! You can't! Dusty, don't do it -- you'll doom us all! NOOOOOOOO!!!!? and then ran from the room.
And I said, "Okay, fine, I won't read these then. Geez." And all the noises and portents stopped.
Then Toni, calm and serene once again, said, "Why don't you read a Harry Dresden book instead?"
So that's what I did.
True story.
Story:
Fool Moon might be the only Dresden book that isn't better than the one before it -- though that judgment will have to wait until I finish the series to become codified and definitive. It's a good book, but it's too damned busy.
There's that great scene near the beginning, when Harry and Murphy realize they are dealing with werewolves, and Harry asks Bob about them. It's great because Bob gives a wonderful answer, one that shows Butcher's imagination: there are several different kinds of werewolves. There are werewolves, who learn to transform themselves into wolves with magic; there are Hexenwulfs (Nice German usage, there), which are people who gain a magical talisman of some kind that allows them to transform into wolves; there are lycanthropes, which are people with the souls of beasts, who don't transform at all, but who can commit acts that might seem wolfish and who have some of the attributes of classic werewolves -- rapid healing, pack mentality, lose control around the full moon -- but are actually more like Viking berserkers; then there is the loup-garou, the most dangerous kind of werewolf, which is someone who has been cursed to turn into a wolf-like monster every full moon.
That's a great answer, which makes the old werewolf trope seem far more interesting and realistic than having werewolves adhere to the stereotypes. Butcher does the same thing with vampires, giving them three different breeds that each take on some, but not all, of the standard vampire attributes. The problem with the book is, every single kind of werewolf makes an appearance, along with one other kind that Bob doesn't mention: a wolf who has the mystical ability to transform into a human. Which is also damned clever.
But the sheer variety of werewolves is too much. It's like Butcher had a checklist and he made sure to hit every one: werewolves, Hexenwulfs, lycanthropes, loup-garou. Check, check, and double-check. It made it so there were too many bad guys -- especially since Gentleman Johnny Marcone is also involved -- too much danger, and it muddied up the waters and made it hard to enjoy. It also meant that things that would have made a great villain/enemy -- specifically the lycanthrope street gang -- get shorted, because there's not enough room in the story to really deal with them. The same goes for the werewolves, the Alphas, though at least they come back in subsequent books. The novel would have been better if he could have found a way to stick with the Hexenwulfs and the loup-garou.
Thoughts:
On the plus side, it's still a fun book and a good read. It was a nice break from Vine books, and I think I'll read the next one soon.
Fool
Pick:
Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday from Toni here's the newest book by your favorite author, Happy Birthday to Me!
And many moooooooooooooore!
Was it serendipity that I finished the Jim Butcher book on the morning of my birthday, when Toni gave me the newest book by Christopher Moore -- a story based on one of my all-time favorite literary characters, the Fool from King Lear? Or was it destiny? The will of the gods? Nah.
"As flies to wanton boys, are we to the gods. They kill us for their sport."
Story:
The book is brilliant, of course. The writing is hilarious -- right up there with Lamb and Dirty Job, much better than You Suck; this is one of Moore's best -- and the story is the right kind of multi-layered satire he does so well when he finds something he can sink his teeth into.
He said in his Author's note that he wanted to write about a jester because he loves writing rascals; when he asked his agent if he should do any random Fool or the Fool from Lear, she said, "Definitely Lear." I'm sure any fool would have worked fine, but I love that this one was based on the Shakespeare play. I won't say that Moore is anywhere near as good a writer as the Bard, but he has many of the same strengths: he can write a funny scene that has a touching undercurrent; he can switch from personal to universal from sentence to sentence and make them both work; he truly knows how to make a story his own. This is King Lear, but it's also not -- because it's Christopher Moore's King Lear, not William Shakespeare's.
Pocket is a wonderful character. I loved that we heard his entire life story, in flashback and out of order, because it all connects: his childhood and upbringing do much to explain the way he is and the way the other characters treat him; in addition, the way that Pocket's life has been intertwined with Lear's since before his birth gives a great view of the two sides of Lear: he is a cruel tyrant who deserves what he gets, and he is also a foolish old man who makes what would be an innocent mistake in anyone younger, but is either insanity or stupidity in him. I always felt that way about Shakespeare's Lear, and the character of Pocket gives a new lens to see Lear through, without changing the basic character of the king.
The other characters have been largely replaced with Moore's own: the women are classic Moore, smarter, wiser, more mature and much sexier than the men, except for the villainesses, who are still smarter than most of the men, but are cold and self-serving as well. The men are generally bumbling children, except for Pocket, and Kent, the one loyal man in the kingdom. Drool is a hilarious character, an excellent sidekick for Pocket, and Edmund makes a decent villain, though he could use some more fleshing out. The real villain, though, is Lear, and he is perfectly done -- and interestingly enough, he's not played humorously, even in this comic novel. Lear remains the same tragic, flawed fool he is in Shakespeare's play; this is much of what creates the multiple layers in the book, with the humor coming from the general cast, the serious notes from Lear and Cordelia, and Pocket working as the bridge between the two.
Exactly what a Fool should be.
Thoughts:
Great book. I loved it, I loved that it was the story of Lear with the right hero and the right ending. I do want to read Lear again, I think -- and I know I'll want to read this a second time, and a third, and probably more after that.
Friends Like These
Pick:
The last Vine Voice book I've got right now -- one apparently got lost in the mail. But I picked this one because I liked the idea, and because I looked up the author on Amazon UK and found that he has five bestselling books in Britain, including Yes Man (which the movie is based on). I love the concept, and I love that this guy started his own cult -- I'm going to have to look for that book now, too.
Amazon Review:
I'm sure that after reading this book, most people will want to imitate the author, and try to reconnect with old friends. I don't. I want to be Danny Wallace's friend, and have him come find me. Hopefully wearing a giant bunny head and a t-shirt with my face on it. And we'll say, "Potaaaatooooo!"
Wallace makes an excellent case for reconnecting with childhood friends. He has twelve that he seeks out, and though he does not have a joyous reunion with each and every one of them, he does have just such a reunion with most -- and the ones that don't work out quite so well are still a source of valuable insight. If I may simply list adjectives: the whole story is funny, poignant, and sweet, and heart-warming and thought-provoking as well. In fact, it is hard to say what is the most inspiring and fascinating part of this book: it could be the boundless optimism that informs both Wallace's actions and his writing; it could be the humor, which is simply wonderful -- there are many moments that made me smile, chortle, and even laugh out loud (a rarity when I read), but I think my favorite is Wallace's impression of a ten-year-old British boy's image of America. Apparently we all have guns, say things like "Hold the rye!" and use "a$$" in every sentence; the example given is the insult, "A$$ off!" Which I'm now going to start saying, of course. But the most fascinating part of the book could also be the insight into growing up and being a man. It is never preachy or artificial; it feels very much like a peek into someone else's mind as he goes through the watershed moment when he decides that he is ready to be a grownup, that he will not abandon his childish ways, but is ready to stop clinging to them. It's very sweet, and thoughtful, and, yes, inspiring.
The book is also a fantastic reminiscence about the 1980's and early 1990's, although the difference between a British boy's experience of youth and pop culture and my own American memories made it a little less than perfect, for me. But still: I remember the first time I heard Michael Jackson's music (It was "Billie Jean," in my case -- and I thought that light-up sidewalk was totally cool), and I remember being obsessed with "Ghostbusters," and I remember the Atari 2600 era and the rise of Nintendo, so there was a lot for me in this book. Even more than popular culture, though, the book is simply a tour through childhood and friendship, and those memories are universal. Anyone who has been a child, who had those short-lived but perfect friendships, with people who then disappeared from your life, should read this book. Anyone who worries about growing up, either too quickly or not quickly enough, should read this book. And really, anyone who likes a sweet, funny trip through the life of a bright, sensitive, quirky person -- you should read it, too.
Thoughts:
It didn't really make me want to track down my old friends. Partly because I have already looked up some of my old friends (Shoutout to Hotpants!), partly because I was never as social or as friend-oriented as this man seems to be. But it did make me want to reminisce with my old friends, to try to rebuild the memories of myself and of them at that age, and it gave me a clue (or maybe even an answer) to the question I've always had about memories: I don't recall very many specifics about my own childhood, and so many other people seem to remember more about their own lives than I know about my own. Maybe the details, the real specifics, need to be remembered through collaborators.
I also wondered, after reading this, why I didn't have the same crisis of confidence that Danny Wallace has just before his 30th birthday. Almost every person in the book has the same sort of issue with growing up and looking back at that same age, but I didn't. But then I remembered: I turned 30 in 2004. Which was the year I got married, after watching my wife go through more than a year of agonizing pain culminating in major abdominal surgery, and also the year we moved from California to Oregon, after our house in Escondido flooded when the pipes burst. My 29th year, when Wallace goes through his quest, was also when the 2003 San Diego wildfires happened, with fifty-foot-high flames within half a mile of my house. So maybe I was a little distracted.
For a Few Demons More
Pick:
Wanted to get back into my beloved fantasy books after reading a memoir, and I want to get through this series and finish reading the new one. Only one more book left to re-read.
Story:
This one has a strong story. Rachel has an incredibly powerful and turbulent artifact, and everybody comes after it, and her. Newt is the first to appear, and she shows Rachel (and the readers) that demons are much more than we might have thought, that many of the things we think they can't do, are simply things they don't do -- and Newt does them. After Rachel manages to get out of that pickle, with the help of Minias -- an interesting character, but I don't like that they played up Rachel's attraction to him. I know, she's attracted to dangerous men, but this is not a man, this is a demon: the association with Al and Newt should be enough to cool her ardor before the thought even crosses her mind. Is anybody really that much ruled by their gonads?
Oh, wait. Rachel wants to find a blood balance with Ivy, and even though she has not an inkling of homosexuality, she decides in this one that maybe a gay relationship, y'know, wouldn't be all bad. So apparently Rachel is completely ruled by her id, by her desire for complete and total pleasure. She's totally a Sim with the pleasure aspiration -- which would explain why she can be exasperating, just like Sims with the pleasure aspiration.
Anyway, there's the storyline with Trent's wedding, which is a hoot, especially the way it wraps up with Rachel coming to the wedding on a city bus, and not for the expected reasons; I'm extremely happy with how the Piscary storyline wraps up, but not for the events with Kisten. It annoys me that Kisten is so absent from this book, even with the explanation for it. I sort of think Harrison didn't know what to do with the relationship between Rachel and Kisten, because Rachel is not supposed to be seriously involved -- pleasure, not commitment -- but Kisten is too perfect for her in too many ways, just because of the way the character was written. So I wonder if she went this way with it to get out of the corner she wrote herself into. The mystery will be solved in the new book, when I get to that one -- so we'll just wait for that.
Thoughts:
This one was better than the last, except I don't like Rachel's confusion from kissing Ivy -- I think her sexuality should be pretty straightforward, since she is old enough and experienced enough, and adventurous enough, to know if she has interest in women, and I don't think any kiss no matter how good can overcome one's natural inclinations -- and I'm not happy with the Kisten story yet. Though reading this when I know the ending showed me that Harrison did an excellent job of writing Rachel's mental block concerning what happened.
When it's time to change, then it's time to change!
Going to a new system here. My goal now is to read all of the unread books I currently own, before I go out and buy any more. Exceptions will include the Wheel of Time, new installments on favorite series, maybe a graphic novel or two. I will also continue the re-reads I started on Butcher and Harrison, leading up to the new books.
But from here, I won't be numbering from the beginning of the year. I will be numbering from the Sign, the day my bookshelf collapsed under the weight of the books that I kept accumulating faster than I could read them -- a habit I always criticized my mother for, when she did the same with newspapers that she would save to look through, which ended up in six-foot piles of moldering yellow fire hazard. Well, I'm not going to do the same with my books. I'm going to read what I've got before I get more, and I'm going to get rid of all of the ones I don't finish. I am going to include the unfinished ones in the count, because now I'm trying to count just how many unread books I bought before I did this. But for the sake of my sanity and in order to not overcomplicate this, I'm going to keep the total for the year count in parentheses with the ones I finish.
So:
1. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke (Unfinished)
Pick:
The story sounded interesting when I picked this one up, and it was very popular when it was new, so I've always wanted to read it. I've had it for probably two years without touching it until now because it is a massive tome: 800 pages in hardback, small print. I picked it first because it was the heaviest book on the shelf.
Story:
Too heavy. Too slow. 200 pages in four or five days, and I hadn't gotten to the main story line yet. I looked at the dust jacket again, and the story still sounded interesting, but the description of the book called it "exquisitely detailed" and "magisterial." Yeah. Sounds riveting, doesn't it? Enough already.
Thoughts:
The author was too self- indulgent. I think of long backstories for my characters, too -- but they stay in my notes, where they belong. The stuff that gets into the book is the stuff that is necessary for the story I'm telling, not a cycle of stories like a complete mythology of a time and a place. She picked scenes to include as if she was creating an entire world, but the story line is just a story line. Or maybe the problem is that the place she is creating is just too fucking boring all by itself -- high society 19th century England not being the hotbed of action-packed excitement. A whole lot of visiting and etiquette, fashion and frippery. This thing made the Silmarillion seem like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.
2. Heck: Where the Bad Kids Go by Dale E. Basye 7/21 (37)
Pick:
I stopped reading Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell because it was too dense and slow and boring, so I wanted to go for something easy and fun and light. Hey, how about a book about where bad kids go when they die?
Story:
Milton and Marlo Fauster. Milton because John Milton wrote Paradise Lost about Lucifer's fall from Heaven, Marlo because Christopher Marlowe wrote a famous version of Johann Goethe's Faust, about a man who sells his soul to the devil; Faustus because of same. These are cheesy names. They are not good names. They are not good because a large number of people wouldn't get the references, and cheesy because the people who do get the references don't think these names are clever. Anyone who does think these names are clever had it ruined when the author included a small ferret named Lucky as the pet of Milton, and who had Lucky wear a collar that had a small set of dice hanging from it, and who had Lucky lose that collar solely so that he could have Milton post a sign that said, "Milton's Pair of Dice: Lost."
That is a bad pun. It isn't clever, it's totally labored, and it isn't funny. It also repeats the same joke made by choosing this kid's name. And that's the best example I can give of this book.
The concept is wonderful. The adventure story isn't too bad, really, though there's some things that make no sense whatsoever, and there's far too much time spent on poop. But the writing is not good, and the humor is terrible: dull, cliche, lame, reliant on gross-outs that aren't too terribly gross and puns and references as irritating as the names of the two main characters and Lucky's collar.
Another example: the idea here is that these two kids die, and because they are bad kids, they get darned to Heck, a piece of Limbo a step short of Purgatory, where bad kids go to pay for their sins. Actually, only Marlo is a bad kid; Milton gets dragged down with her because she made him her unknowing, unwilling accomplice. Beggar the fact that even the Old Testament God wouldn't have damned the kid for that, it happens. And we could live with that -- except Marlo thinks it's funny, and Milton is vaguely annoyed with her for a page before he forgets about it. No, I don;'t think so. If my sibling got me killed (Also Marlo's fault, largely) and sent to an afterlife of torture, I wouldn't think it was funny, and I wouldn't just let it go. Which makes these characters unrealistic, and since we are already suspending our disbelief for the sake of accepting the existence of Heck, there's very little left in this book that we can believe in, now that we've lost both the setting and the characters. Oh, and the plot doesn't work either, but I don't want to give that away. Anyway, the pun I was going to describe is the name of the demon in charge of Heck, which is ostensibly a school (though that makes no sense and isn't well handled in the book, either), and thus she is the principal. Her name is Bea "Elsa" Bubb. Get it? Beelzebub, Lord of Flies, one of the chief lieutenants of Hell or another name for Satan himself, depending on your source? Well, if you didn't get it, don't worry -- the full name, Bea "Elsa" Bubb, is repeated throughout the novel. I must have been forced to read that awkward phrase fifty times. Rarely Principal Bubb, never Elsa; over and over again, Bea "Elsa" Bubb. A joke that wasn't that good the first time and was annoying every time after that, repeated fifty times in a two-hundred page book. I felt like I was in Heck. And I wanted out.
Thoughts:
As Toni said, so I repeat: this is a great idea, I just wish someone else had written it, because this guy sucks. We'll try reading the second installment and see if he has taken any writing classes in the meantime.
3. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon 7/23 (38)
Pick:
After a pair of clunkers, I had to read something good. So I went for a book that I was sure would be well-written; luckily for me, this time I was right.
Story:
Christopher John Francis Boone hates metaphors, because they are a kind of lie. He doesn't like lies or people who tell them. So for his sake, I will try to refrain from reporting anything about this book but the facts.
Christopher is special. It is never spelled out in the novel, but I believe he is autistic. His symptoms and behaviors match that diagnosis, to the best of my knowledge. I do not know if he has Asperger's Syndrome or one of the other autism spectrum disorders that have been recently described, because I do not know very much about autism. I do not believe that autism has increased in frequency lately; I think the diagnosis is more common now than it used to be, but the syndrome does not occur in a greater percentage of the population than it ever has. That is my opinion. It is also a tangent, because it is not the main purpose of this writing.
Christopher's neighbor had a dog named Wellington. Wellington was murdered, stabbed with a garden fork. Christopher discovered the body. Because Christopher admires policemen and Sherlock Holmes, and because he likes dogs more than people in most cases, Christopher decides to investigate the dog's killing. In the course of his investigation, he discovers many things other than who killed Wellington (He also discovers who killed Wellington.). Some of the things he discovers are very surprising, because they are not expected. Some of them are very sad, because the things that happen make Christopher very upset, and that made me upset when I read this book, because I liked Christopher. It made me feel sad for him. Some of the things that Christopher discovers are not so sad, and some turn out to be very happy. I should say that things that happen make me happy, because the events themselves are not happy or sad, they are simply a series of occurrences.
It is a very fun book to read, and a very good look at an unusual mind. I enjoyed it very much.
Thoughts:
It's not easy to write like that and make it come out right, and I'm sure I screwed it up. But Mark Haddon didn't, so I really did like this book. I even liked the maths. Though I hated both of Christopher's parents, the big idiots. I liked Siobhan, though -- but what really matters is, I really liked Christopher.
** The Outlaw Demon Wails by Kim Harrison (re-read) (39)
Pick:
Last one before I read the new book, which I'm excited about -- and I have to get off the TBR shelf. I also want to finish this series and get it out of the way, and move on to other books I want to read. Oh yeah: and I do like Rachel and Jenks and Al and Ceri and Quen -- but not Trent, the big dipstick -- and I wanted to read about all of them again.
Story:
I wrote this up just last year, so I don't have a lot to add. It was easier to follow having the rest of the series fresh in my mind; I remember finding the Kisten subplot a little annoying in this one because I didn't like how everything that Rachel and Ivy did revolved around Kisten's death. I know how much it affects your life when somebody close to you dies (especially today) but the problem with this one is that they don't make any progress. They don't decide to deal with it, they don't come to terms with it, and while Rachel recovers one vague memory -- and finds out that she probably doesn't want to try the spell that will bring back other memories (Pandora Charm -- good name) -- and Ivy tries to investigate throughout the book, it doesn't go anywhere. At the end of the book we're as much in the dark as to what happened to Kisten, and what they will do about it, as we were at the beginning. It does make sense to me this way, because this book deals with all the other loose ends: the elves get what they want, Rachel has (presumably) come to a final settlement with Al, and we find out what seems to be the final solution to the puzzle of witches and demons and Rachel's blood disease. Now that all that's handled, I know from Toni that the next book deals with Kisten's death, which is completely resolved by the end. But in the process of dealing with this stuff, the Kisten stuff kept coming up over and over and over again, and it made me irritated with their grief. Not a good feeling.
Thoughts:
I did like this one more than the two before it; I hate the one with the almighty Piscary doing anything he wants, with absolutely no repercussions. I thought Rynn Cormel's appearance here was interesting; it was good to find out the limitation on undead vampires -- glad to know they actually have a limitation -- and I do like their need for love and inability to create it. That makes sense. But otherwise, the vampires are still way overpowered here. Ah, well. These things seem to get dealt with, after all. I wonder: after she's whacked Piscary, dealt with Kisten's killer and come to terms with Al, who's going to be the major villain?
Newt, anyone?
** School of Fear by Gitty Daneshvari 7/31 (39)
Pick:
Vine choice; I liked the cover and the concept. Short and simple after a long read.
Amazon review:
I picked this book out because I liked the cover art (That's right -- I judge books by their covers. What's it to ya?) and I decided to read it because I very much liked the concept: I thought a lot could be done with the idea of getting a group of children to get over their fears. I was hoping to see some basic psychoanalysis, some exploration of where phobias come from, and some depictions of various ways to get over them. I was hoping that, since this is a children's/YA book, the exploration of phobias and their treatments would be basic enough for me to understand, and also fictionalized and imaginative enough to keep me interested.
Unfortunately, what the author seemed to want to do was show, over and over and over again, how strange and quirky someone can be when he or she has a severe phobia and lives in an imagined world. Two-thirds of this book was descriptions of the characters' quirks, their strange behavior and appearance and obsessions based on their pathologies; unfortunately, each character is fairly flat and simplified, and so the descriptions of their eccentricities become very repetitive, very fast. The worst part is that when the phobias were insufficient to make the characters wacky enough, they were simply given wacky and eccentric traits, just because.
There are eight main characters if you count the dog (and I do). Four of them are the kids with their phobias: Madeleine is afraid of bugs, Lulu is claustrophobic, Garrison is afraid of drowning, and Theo is afraid of death. Then there are the three adults in charge of the School of Fear: Mrs. Wellington, the headmistress; Schmidty, her handyman and major domo; and Munchauser, her lawyer. Mrs. Wellington's beloved bulldog, Macaroni, is the most likable of all of these, mainly because he's just a dog who eats too much. With the rest of them, it got extremely tiresome to read about Madeleine's constant overuse of bug spray, and Garrison's copious sweating (inserted presumably because he could not freak out about large bodies of water at all times), and Lulu's annoying sarcasm and eye-rolling (Again, her claustrophobia is not general enough for her to be dealing with that all the time, so instead she says "Whatever" in almost every conversation. and yes, that is like many teenagers, but these are not realistic characters, and if you want to include one example of verisimilitude -- why that one? Whatever.). The worst, though, were Theo and Mrs. Wellington: Theo because he is made obnoxious in every way, whiny and weak and also precocious and very, very precious. He's a 17th century fop reduced in height and given a morbid fascination with death, and he is the most vocal and therefore the central linchpin of the phobic students. And all he does is whine, whine, whine.
The reason Mrs. Wellington was equally obnoxious as a character is that she stood in my mind for everything wrong with the School of Fear itself. Because she was obsessed with beauty pageants. Not fear, not dealing with fear, not teaching children, not even the money she is paid for her services: beauty pageants. And Casu Fragizu -- maggot cheese -- which she loves so much that she insists that every piece of food she eats be flavored with maggot cheese. Yeah, it didn't make sense to me, either, but there's that wackiness for the sake of wackiness. She calls the kids "contestants," and makes every piece of advice connect to being a beauty queen. She wears prodigious amounts of makeup, yet she allows Schmidty to put it on her for no good reason other than a vague joke about the old man's poor eyesight, and because it makes Mrs. Wellington quirkier. You'd think a woman obsessed with her own beauty, and a lifetime of beauty pageant experience, would wear makeup well, but apparently she's too quirky. Munchauser suffers the same fate: he is shown in the beginning of the book as the scariest, most ruthless lawyer imaginable -- it is he who keeps the School of Fear secret, by threatening legal action against anyone who whispers a word of it in public. But when he appears, he is a destitute compulsive gambler who talks about nothing but betting and trying to wheedle his way into Mrs. Wellington's fortune.
Oh, and then there's Abernathy. Mrs. Wellington's sole failure, the one child she could not make better (Apparently psychoanalysis with a beauty pageant theme couldn't reach this one child. All the others, though -- works perfectly.). That's all I can say about him, because even though he appears twice in the book and is talked about several times in very ominous tones, there is nothing else that happens concerning him. He's her failure. That's it.
So much time is spent on the characters that the plot suffers; there's a weak twist at the end, but the resolution of the phobias is a thorough letdown. Really the most interesting part of the book was that every chapter starts with the official name of a phobia, and after reading this book, I'm glad to know that I have hydrophobia and mottephobia. And that's all I'm glad about.
After all of that, I must add that some people will probably think the characters are funny, and in that case, they will probably like the book, because the characters are almost the only thing in it. So if you like reading about wacky characters in wacky situations, maybe you'll enjoy this one more than I did.
Thoughts:
Yeah, it was crap. First Vine book I didn't like. Had to happen, I guess.
4. Bigfoot: I Not Dead by Graham Roumieu 7/31 (40)
Pick:
I wanted something simple and mindless to read, because yesterday was a very hard day.
Story:
This book is a sort of comic strip: every two-page spread is a single stand-alone bit, combining art and writing to show a vignette about Bigfoot. Bigfoot is a savage man-animal, who has become a celebrity; the humor of the book is in the combination of animal traits and Hollywood sellout values. Bigfoot advises other forest beasts not to give their work away for free, because he regrets now the video of him "shaking his junk" on the internet from his youth; he also gives us the inside scoop on the other animals of the forest, because Bigfoot knows all the dirt -- apparently Danny, the Eastern Gray Squirrel, is a fuckwit. There's not an actual plot, just a collection of Bigfoot's musings and advice and memories. But of all the celebrity memoirs that get published every year, this is probably the only one I'll ever read -- and I have not doubt that it's the cream of the crop.
Thoughts:
It's pretty damn funny, though there are some poop jokes that are pretty dumb and some very uncomfortable off-color images -- I have no idea why the songbird Bigfoot interviews for his Action News segment has a large human penis, but it does. Hey, it probably seemed funny at the time. My favorite part? The off-Broadway musical based on Bigfoot's life. The wolverine neighbor was funny, too. And really, Bigfoot gives some good advice. My favorite piece of advice is this:
"Well, if want truth, Bigfoot have bad days too. Not always feel like rainbow and sparkle inside. When feeling blue always find good belly laugh and beat something to death brighten day. Just pick weakest in pack, stalk mercilessly, catch and bash all me blues into they face. Think, not so much helpless victim; rather, Moist Towelette For The Soul.
(Note: no eat thing after therapy kill, it now be full of evil spirit. Evil spirit taste like artificial watermelon. Nobody likes this.)"
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
The Rest of June (And a few hours of July)
I dunno why I started the count over; I think I remembered all of the books I've read that I missed a proper write-up for, so I've gone back to what should be the correct total number. The Magicians is #32 for the year. Here's the last four for June, including the one I finished today, the first of July. Hey, I read most of it in June.
A Fistful of Charms
by Kim Harrison
Pick:
Wanted to knock another book off my TBR list, wanted to read something a little sweeter than all the horrible mangled bloody death of Anita Blake. Maybe not the best choice. Heh
Story:
Toni says this is her least favorite book in the series, and I can see why. Rachel gets pretty damned annoying, pretty damned fast. The opening scene, when she gets jumped by the Weres because she is David's Alpha, starts off the annoyance, though the Weres are the annoying part of that one. What the hell is their problem? Why can't David do what he wants? Why do they have to take it out on Rachel? Smug bastards. From there we go to Rachel and Kisten, and Rachel is immediately annoying because she teases Kisten by mixing their scents; more of that whole need-danger-for-sexy-feeling thing of Rachel's, combined with her unconditional demand that everyone around her have all of the willpower she apparently doesn't have, so they can take up the slack and keep her safe from her own stupidity. Then it's Jenks being pissy over the whole Trent-elf-secret thing. Then it's Rachel freaking out about the smut on her soul from twisting the curses for herself and Jenks.
Then the book is good for a while. I like the part when Jenks is learning how to be big, when they rescue Jax and find his new kitty cat, and when they go after the Weres on the island and Rachel wins the fight against their Alpha.
But then Ivy shows up. Which is fine at first, until she and Rachel fool around with Rachel's blood. That scene, and the aftermath, are just totally obnoxious. But not as obnoxious as DeLavine (Whose name I hate, because it reminds me too much of Laverne and Shirley, and that just isn't intimidating and vampire-y) with his arrogant attempt to claim Rachel simply because he's more powerful than Ivy. You know, I understand that the undead vampires are utterly inhuman because they are dead, and they are also very powerful. But nobody can get away with being that in-your-face obnoxious, not and expect to live a thousand years. Not when you're unconscious and trapped inside during the day. None of these fuckers would be alive, because all of their underlings would have turned on them. Like Piscary -- who also has a terrible and non-intimidating name -- and how much he fucks with Ivy. Tell me somebody wouldn't have staked his undead ass. So on one level, it's good, because clearly the characters that are supposed to bother me do so quite successfully. On another level, I hate those goddamn vampires and I want them all dead. Which doesn't fit well with Ivy and Kisten being sympathetic characters. Anyway, then Rachel starts whining about killing Peter (and this is after a good amount of whining about taking Brimstone even though it's more medicine than drug and she needs it if she's going to share blood), the living vampire who has agreed to take Nick's place in the fake accident, even though it was his choice to do this and it isn't freaking up to her, and screw all that "You have so much to live for!" jazz. This coming from a young, healthy, independent woman in a loving relationship with very dear friends. Yeah, YOU'VE got plenty to live for. Doesn't mean Peter does, ya twit.
But then I like the death hoax and I like when Jenks comes back to the firm. So it ended okay.
Thoughts:
I may skip this one next time I read through all of these. Probably why I wrote so much.
Sandman Slim
by Richard Kadrey
Pick:
Vine Voice choice, picked because it sounded badass.
Amazon Review:
Sandman Slim is metal. By that I mean: he is equal parts destructive rage, self-loathing melancholy, stubborn stick-it-to-the-man rebellion -- always willing to fight despite the futility of it, just to spit out a tooth and see blood on his knuckles -- and ironic amused nihilism. It wasn't always the most pleasant book to read, but Judas Priest, it was METTULL.
First impression: the writing is brilliant. The ideas are fantastic, original and intriguing and yet close enough to known mythology/religion/fantasy concepts to be tangible. Slim is a former magician named Stark who was sent to Hell where he becomes an arena fighter for the amusement of the damned. He survives, which nobody expected, and so graduates from gladiator to goon: he goes to work for Azazel, one of Lucifer's generals, killing Azazel's enemies for him. Azazel gives him the best tool an assassin could have: the key to the Room of Thirteen Doors, which can open to anywhere in the universe that Stark needs to go. Stark eventually turns on his master, moving from hellhound to loose cannon, and he escapes from what he calls Downtown, going to an even worse place -- Los Angeles. There he begins work on his own pet project: the murder of the people who sent him to Hell, and killed his lost love. And all of that is background.
Second impression: the characters are generally excellent, particularly the bit players. Stark has one friend still around, an alchemist named Vidocq, and he meets a few more, including Carlos, his new favorite bartender, and Allegra, his employee and supernatural intern. The villains are not so interesting, though Stark's unique perspective makes enemies out of those who should be allies and vice-versa; but the main bad guys, the true enemies that Stark spends the book hunting, are a bit of a letdown. They're either too bad or not bad enough. But the reason for that is:
Third impression: the story is stuck in a bit of limbo. On one level, it seemed the author was trying to trying to begin a series, and so some things happen to lay down a foundation for an ongoing story; on another level, the author tried to make this book a full-speed head-on train wreck of an action scene. So at times the book moved slowly, establishing Stark's character and motives, giving him time to ponder things and explore the world around him and his place in it -- and at times he was going from fight to fight, each time against bigger and badder monsters, until the final fight scene takes place (figuratively) on the field called Armageddon. The problem with this is that the two levels didn't mesh: the enemies and the specific problem are too big, and the characters' lives are too small. Either level would have worked just fine, because both are done well, but it was hard to reconcile Stark driving around smoking and eating donuts, getting crushes on every punk rock girl he sees (Hey, he's been in Hell for eleven years), with the end of the world. The resolution, which does leave room for a sequel, can't help but be an anti-climax.
Final impression: Great idea, good characters, great writing -- okay story. If this becomes a series and Sandman Slim finds his niche, watch out.
Thoughts:
Like I said: stuck between two different kinds of book, occasionally annoying to read, but generally pretty good. It wraps up really well apart from the anti-climax with Stark's main enemy. The fight scenes are excellent, especially the last one. The author really should have kept it small -- I keep thinking of the first Harry Dresden book, which introduces all of these large elements and enemies, the White Council, Johnny Marcone, and so forth -- but only resolves the conflict with this one little guy, the Shadowman, and solves one problem of Dresden's, the Doom of Damocles. To build a good setup for a series, you have to keep it small in the first book. Sandman Slim doesn't.
Dead and Gone
by Charlaine Harris
Pick:
I needed Sookie. I love these books, and it's the new one and we've had it for like a month and I hadn't read it yet. Of course, I still haven't read the new Rachel Morgan or the new Harry Dresden, and I have a hundred other books to read, not counting all my new Vine Voice books with their fast turnaround time. Don't care. Wanted Sookie.
Story:
Wow, this one got pretty damned bleak. I mean, you have Arlene finally leaving the bar because of her racism; you've got a crucifixion; you've got three important characters dying and one at death's door, and you've got the main character being horribly, brutally tortured -- and now, methinks, brought right to the edge of being a vampire. That comment at the end makes me think that if Sookie dies, she won't stay dead for long.
I like that the Weres are out; I look forward to seeing how it works from here. I like that Sookie has to deal with her growing renown, though I fear for her ability to keep her small happy life. I like that her little cousin is starting to need her -- I love that he told his father's girlfriend that he knew she didn't really like him, and she should stop picturing his daddy without any clothes on -- and I'm really looking forward to that storyline picking up in the next book. I like the revelation we got about Sookie's past, and I like how the Faerie stuff gets resolved in this book. I wonder how much of this book's action was the author's reaction to the criticism from the last book about the Were war fizzling out with a minimum of violence. Because this book had all the violence you could need. Though I'm sure that people will now complain about that. And even though he pisses me off -- stupid high-handed vampire with his little knife ceremony! -- I'm actually very glad that Sookie is moving forward with Eric. Quinn needs to get over it and move on. Yeah, I understand that Sookie's the best -- but she doesn't want you, dude. Find somebody else. Pouting and begging? Not going to win fair maiden's heart.
Thoughts:
Yay Sookie!
The Magicians
by Lev Grossman
Pick:
Amazon Vine book, picked at the same time as Sandman Slim. I read this one second because it was more daunting, but I read it now because I want to knock off my Vine choices -- I need to have 75% of them reviewed before I can order more, so the more I review, the more new things I can pick off of the newsletters, and after I picked these two books it turns out that you can also pick incredibly cool electronics and such, stuff like digital cameras and MP3 players, but I couldn't because I already had two books waiting to review and only two done. So now I will have reviewed four Vine books, and I've got two more to go -- and then I'll be able to pick three items, because even if I have two waiting, I'll have reviewed six out of eight, and when the new newsletter comes, I'll be able to pick. So I want to get through these. Plus this one still sounds very interesting.
Amazon Review:
Stop thinking this is a fantasy book. I know, I know, it's called The Magicians, the plot synopsis references all three of the most famous fantasy series and describes a handful of familiar fantasy tropes, including the school of magic and the fairy tale land come to actual life. But forget all of that. I have read more fantasy books than I can remember -- I'm named for a character in perhaps the most famous fantasy series of all time -- and I'm telling you: The Magicians is not a fantasy.
It has fantastic elements, yes. There is magic; there is a school for magic, where the characters learn to cast spells, using hand gestures and arcane language and strange mystical components -- Ziploc bag full of mutton fat, anyone? -- and there is a voyage from this world to another, a land of naiads and fauns and magical speaking animals, gods and demons, kings and queens, quests and wishes. But this book is something very different from the usual fantasy novel: in The Magicians, Lev Grossman has done something unusual, and remarkable, perhaps even unique: this is a grown-up fantasy. This book is to fantasy what The Grapes of Wrath is to travel books, what The Metamorphosis is to self-help: so much more depressing and visceral and funny and horrifying, and genuine, and fascinating, and hard to read and therefore valuable, that it doesn't belong in the same category despite sharing some central traits. The setting is imagined, and there are supernatural things that happen, but make no mistake: this is a serious novel.
Where most fantasy books provide an escape from our reality, this book does not: the characters are too close to plain old humanity, flawed, contradictory, foolish and foolhardy, to stand in as idealized versions of ourselves. In point of fact, the moral of this book is that escape is not only impossible, but dangerous and harmful to attempt. The hero, Quentin Coldwater, attempts to escape every serious situation he faces, and every time, he ends up worse off than he would have been if he had just been able to deal with it, honestly and sincerely. But his response to his worsened circumstances is to try to escape again -- with predictable results. Every step Quentin takes is the wrong one, and every step sinks him deeper and deeper into a quagmire. The book gets hard to read: not because the writing is anything less than excellent, as it is top notch from first page to last, but because the urge to reach into the page and slap, shake, and eventually throttle the main character becomes overwhelming. But that desire, that feeling, should be familiar to every adult who has thought back on his or her life, and shook his or her head, thinking, "Why did I do that? How could I be that stupid?" That desire to smack Quentin is no different from the desire to smack our younger selves.
The real triumph of this book, however, is that it is not only a serious novel, despite what I have been saying. Grossman is able to describe a world of wonder and imagination, and populate it with characters who are utterly unworthy of the magic all around them, who appreciate nothing, who completely flub their great chance -- just like I would have done if I lived through this experience, just as most of us do with our great chances in our real, mundane, unfantastic lives, which are also as full of wonder as any dreamed by a teller of tales. And because the characters are so real, so easy to relate to, it makes the fantasy seem just as real -- which makes the real world just as fantastic. Brakebills reminded me of my own college experience, and yet it is a magical place. Fillory is indeed a fairy tale land come to life in this book, and I found myself wishing that I could believe I would have handled Fillory better than Quentin does -- but knowing that I would have done almost precisely the same things, made the same choices and the same mistakes.
I won't say that this is a great book, on par with Of Mice and Men and Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird, but I will say that it is closer to those than it is to The Hobbit or the Xanth books. If you are a fan of literature, of thinking about your reading, then you must get this book, especially if you enjoy fantasy. If you are just looking for an escape, look elsewhere -- because this is not a fantasy. Or at least, it isn't only a fantasy. It's a wonder.
Thoughts:
I actually started to despise Quentin, and the reason is quite clear: I made many of the same choices in my own life, for many of the same reasons, and with many of the same results. Up until the point when there was a situation that Quentin got wrong, that I got right: because I knew it when I met the woman of my dreams, and I made sure I never screwed it up. I wanted that to be one of a hundred things that Quentin gets wrong that I got right, or that I would have gotten right if I were in the same situation, but it was maybe the only thing. Stupid kid. Stupid book, making me think about stuff, think about myself and my life and my shortcomings. Stupid brilliant author. Oh, one funny note: I'm reading this, and I'm thinking it's a fabulous idea and the writing is really wonderful (this was before it got annoying, of course), and at first I was thinking, Dammit, why can't I write like that? Then I looked on the back of the book: Lev Grossman is a senior editor and the chief book critic for Time magazine, and the man holds degrees in comparative literature from Yale AND Harvard.
Then I thought, Oh. That's why I can't write like that.
A Fistful of Charms
by Kim Harrison
Pick:
Wanted to knock another book off my TBR list, wanted to read something a little sweeter than all the horrible mangled bloody death of Anita Blake. Maybe not the best choice. Heh
Story:
Toni says this is her least favorite book in the series, and I can see why. Rachel gets pretty damned annoying, pretty damned fast. The opening scene, when she gets jumped by the Weres because she is David's Alpha, starts off the annoyance, though the Weres are the annoying part of that one. What the hell is their problem? Why can't David do what he wants? Why do they have to take it out on Rachel? Smug bastards. From there we go to Rachel and Kisten, and Rachel is immediately annoying because she teases Kisten by mixing their scents; more of that whole need-danger-for-sexy-feeling thing of Rachel's, combined with her unconditional demand that everyone around her have all of the willpower she apparently doesn't have, so they can take up the slack and keep her safe from her own stupidity. Then it's Jenks being pissy over the whole Trent-elf-secret thing. Then it's Rachel freaking out about the smut on her soul from twisting the curses for herself and Jenks.
Then the book is good for a while. I like the part when Jenks is learning how to be big, when they rescue Jax and find his new kitty cat, and when they go after the Weres on the island and Rachel wins the fight against their Alpha.
But then Ivy shows up. Which is fine at first, until she and Rachel fool around with Rachel's blood. That scene, and the aftermath, are just totally obnoxious. But not as obnoxious as DeLavine (Whose name I hate, because it reminds me too much of Laverne and Shirley, and that just isn't intimidating and vampire-y) with his arrogant attempt to claim Rachel simply because he's more powerful than Ivy. You know, I understand that the undead vampires are utterly inhuman because they are dead, and they are also very powerful. But nobody can get away with being that in-your-face obnoxious, not and expect to live a thousand years. Not when you're unconscious and trapped inside during the day. None of these fuckers would be alive, because all of their underlings would have turned on them. Like Piscary -- who also has a terrible and non-intimidating name -- and how much he fucks with Ivy. Tell me somebody wouldn't have staked his undead ass. So on one level, it's good, because clearly the characters that are supposed to bother me do so quite successfully. On another level, I hate those goddamn vampires and I want them all dead. Which doesn't fit well with Ivy and Kisten being sympathetic characters. Anyway, then Rachel starts whining about killing Peter (and this is after a good amount of whining about taking Brimstone even though it's more medicine than drug and she needs it if she's going to share blood), the living vampire who has agreed to take Nick's place in the fake accident, even though it was his choice to do this and it isn't freaking up to her, and screw all that "You have so much to live for!" jazz. This coming from a young, healthy, independent woman in a loving relationship with very dear friends. Yeah, YOU'VE got plenty to live for. Doesn't mean Peter does, ya twit.
But then I like the death hoax and I like when Jenks comes back to the firm. So it ended okay.
Thoughts:
I may skip this one next time I read through all of these. Probably why I wrote so much.
Sandman Slim
by Richard Kadrey
Pick:
Vine Voice choice, picked because it sounded badass.
Amazon Review:
Sandman Slim is metal. By that I mean: he is equal parts destructive rage, self-loathing melancholy, stubborn stick-it-to-the-man rebellion -- always willing to fight despite the futility of it, just to spit out a tooth and see blood on his knuckles -- and ironic amused nihilism. It wasn't always the most pleasant book to read, but Judas Priest, it was METTULL.
First impression: the writing is brilliant. The ideas are fantastic, original and intriguing and yet close enough to known mythology/religion/fantasy concepts to be tangible. Slim is a former magician named Stark who was sent to Hell where he becomes an arena fighter for the amusement of the damned. He survives, which nobody expected, and so graduates from gladiator to goon: he goes to work for Azazel, one of Lucifer's generals, killing Azazel's enemies for him. Azazel gives him the best tool an assassin could have: the key to the Room of Thirteen Doors, which can open to anywhere in the universe that Stark needs to go. Stark eventually turns on his master, moving from hellhound to loose cannon, and he escapes from what he calls Downtown, going to an even worse place -- Los Angeles. There he begins work on his own pet project: the murder of the people who sent him to Hell, and killed his lost love. And all of that is background.
Second impression: the characters are generally excellent, particularly the bit players. Stark has one friend still around, an alchemist named Vidocq, and he meets a few more, including Carlos, his new favorite bartender, and Allegra, his employee and supernatural intern. The villains are not so interesting, though Stark's unique perspective makes enemies out of those who should be allies and vice-versa; but the main bad guys, the true enemies that Stark spends the book hunting, are a bit of a letdown. They're either too bad or not bad enough. But the reason for that is:
Third impression: the story is stuck in a bit of limbo. On one level, it seemed the author was trying to trying to begin a series, and so some things happen to lay down a foundation for an ongoing story; on another level, the author tried to make this book a full-speed head-on train wreck of an action scene. So at times the book moved slowly, establishing Stark's character and motives, giving him time to ponder things and explore the world around him and his place in it -- and at times he was going from fight to fight, each time against bigger and badder monsters, until the final fight scene takes place (figuratively) on the field called Armageddon. The problem with this is that the two levels didn't mesh: the enemies and the specific problem are too big, and the characters' lives are too small. Either level would have worked just fine, because both are done well, but it was hard to reconcile Stark driving around smoking and eating donuts, getting crushes on every punk rock girl he sees (Hey, he's been in Hell for eleven years), with the end of the world. The resolution, which does leave room for a sequel, can't help but be an anti-climax.
Final impression: Great idea, good characters, great writing -- okay story. If this becomes a series and Sandman Slim finds his niche, watch out.
Thoughts:
Like I said: stuck between two different kinds of book, occasionally annoying to read, but generally pretty good. It wraps up really well apart from the anti-climax with Stark's main enemy. The fight scenes are excellent, especially the last one. The author really should have kept it small -- I keep thinking of the first Harry Dresden book, which introduces all of these large elements and enemies, the White Council, Johnny Marcone, and so forth -- but only resolves the conflict with this one little guy, the Shadowman, and solves one problem of Dresden's, the Doom of Damocles. To build a good setup for a series, you have to keep it small in the first book. Sandman Slim doesn't.
Dead and Gone
by Charlaine Harris
Pick:
I needed Sookie. I love these books, and it's the new one and we've had it for like a month and I hadn't read it yet. Of course, I still haven't read the new Rachel Morgan or the new Harry Dresden, and I have a hundred other books to read, not counting all my new Vine Voice books with their fast turnaround time. Don't care. Wanted Sookie.
Story:
Wow, this one got pretty damned bleak. I mean, you have Arlene finally leaving the bar because of her racism; you've got a crucifixion; you've got three important characters dying and one at death's door, and you've got the main character being horribly, brutally tortured -- and now, methinks, brought right to the edge of being a vampire. That comment at the end makes me think that if Sookie dies, she won't stay dead for long.
I like that the Weres are out; I look forward to seeing how it works from here. I like that Sookie has to deal with her growing renown, though I fear for her ability to keep her small happy life. I like that her little cousin is starting to need her -- I love that he told his father's girlfriend that he knew she didn't really like him, and she should stop picturing his daddy without any clothes on -- and I'm really looking forward to that storyline picking up in the next book. I like the revelation we got about Sookie's past, and I like how the Faerie stuff gets resolved in this book. I wonder how much of this book's action was the author's reaction to the criticism from the last book about the Were war fizzling out with a minimum of violence. Because this book had all the violence you could need. Though I'm sure that people will now complain about that. And even though he pisses me off -- stupid high-handed vampire with his little knife ceremony! -- I'm actually very glad that Sookie is moving forward with Eric. Quinn needs to get over it and move on. Yeah, I understand that Sookie's the best -- but she doesn't want you, dude. Find somebody else. Pouting and begging? Not going to win fair maiden's heart.
Thoughts:
Yay Sookie!
The Magicians
by Lev Grossman
Pick:
Amazon Vine book, picked at the same time as Sandman Slim. I read this one second because it was more daunting, but I read it now because I want to knock off my Vine choices -- I need to have 75% of them reviewed before I can order more, so the more I review, the more new things I can pick off of the newsletters, and after I picked these two books it turns out that you can also pick incredibly cool electronics and such, stuff like digital cameras and MP3 players, but I couldn't because I already had two books waiting to review and only two done. So now I will have reviewed four Vine books, and I've got two more to go -- and then I'll be able to pick three items, because even if I have two waiting, I'll have reviewed six out of eight, and when the new newsletter comes, I'll be able to pick. So I want to get through these. Plus this one still sounds very interesting.
Amazon Review:
Stop thinking this is a fantasy book. I know, I know, it's called The Magicians, the plot synopsis references all three of the most famous fantasy series and describes a handful of familiar fantasy tropes, including the school of magic and the fairy tale land come to actual life. But forget all of that. I have read more fantasy books than I can remember -- I'm named for a character in perhaps the most famous fantasy series of all time -- and I'm telling you: The Magicians is not a fantasy.
It has fantastic elements, yes. There is magic; there is a school for magic, where the characters learn to cast spells, using hand gestures and arcane language and strange mystical components -- Ziploc bag full of mutton fat, anyone? -- and there is a voyage from this world to another, a land of naiads and fauns and magical speaking animals, gods and demons, kings and queens, quests and wishes. But this book is something very different from the usual fantasy novel: in The Magicians, Lev Grossman has done something unusual, and remarkable, perhaps even unique: this is a grown-up fantasy. This book is to fantasy what The Grapes of Wrath is to travel books, what The Metamorphosis is to self-help: so much more depressing and visceral and funny and horrifying, and genuine, and fascinating, and hard to read and therefore valuable, that it doesn't belong in the same category despite sharing some central traits. The setting is imagined, and there are supernatural things that happen, but make no mistake: this is a serious novel.
Where most fantasy books provide an escape from our reality, this book does not: the characters are too close to plain old humanity, flawed, contradictory, foolish and foolhardy, to stand in as idealized versions of ourselves. In point of fact, the moral of this book is that escape is not only impossible, but dangerous and harmful to attempt. The hero, Quentin Coldwater, attempts to escape every serious situation he faces, and every time, he ends up worse off than he would have been if he had just been able to deal with it, honestly and sincerely. But his response to his worsened circumstances is to try to escape again -- with predictable results. Every step Quentin takes is the wrong one, and every step sinks him deeper and deeper into a quagmire. The book gets hard to read: not because the writing is anything less than excellent, as it is top notch from first page to last, but because the urge to reach into the page and slap, shake, and eventually throttle the main character becomes overwhelming. But that desire, that feeling, should be familiar to every adult who has thought back on his or her life, and shook his or her head, thinking, "Why did I do that? How could I be that stupid?" That desire to smack Quentin is no different from the desire to smack our younger selves.
The real triumph of this book, however, is that it is not only a serious novel, despite what I have been saying. Grossman is able to describe a world of wonder and imagination, and populate it with characters who are utterly unworthy of the magic all around them, who appreciate nothing, who completely flub their great chance -- just like I would have done if I lived through this experience, just as most of us do with our great chances in our real, mundane, unfantastic lives, which are also as full of wonder as any dreamed by a teller of tales. And because the characters are so real, so easy to relate to, it makes the fantasy seem just as real -- which makes the real world just as fantastic. Brakebills reminded me of my own college experience, and yet it is a magical place. Fillory is indeed a fairy tale land come to life in this book, and I found myself wishing that I could believe I would have handled Fillory better than Quentin does -- but knowing that I would have done almost precisely the same things, made the same choices and the same mistakes.
I won't say that this is a great book, on par with Of Mice and Men and Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird, but I will say that it is closer to those than it is to The Hobbit or the Xanth books. If you are a fan of literature, of thinking about your reading, then you must get this book, especially if you enjoy fantasy. If you are just looking for an escape, look elsewhere -- because this is not a fantasy. Or at least, it isn't only a fantasy. It's a wonder.
Thoughts:
I actually started to despise Quentin, and the reason is quite clear: I made many of the same choices in my own life, for many of the same reasons, and with many of the same results. Up until the point when there was a situation that Quentin got wrong, that I got right: because I knew it when I met the woman of my dreams, and I made sure I never screwed it up. I wanted that to be one of a hundred things that Quentin gets wrong that I got right, or that I would have gotten right if I were in the same situation, but it was maybe the only thing. Stupid kid. Stupid book, making me think about stuff, think about myself and my life and my shortcomings. Stupid brilliant author. Oh, one funny note: I'm reading this, and I'm thinking it's a fabulous idea and the writing is really wonderful (this was before it got annoying, of course), and at first I was thinking, Dammit, why can't I write like that? Then I looked on the back of the book: Lev Grossman is a senior editor and the chief book critic for Time magazine, and the man holds degrees in comparative literature from Yale AND Harvard.
Then I thought, Oh. That's why I can't write like that.
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