girl in greenwood

Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
by Haruki Murakami

This is, I believe, the second Murakami book I've read. The first was Kafka by the Shore, which was just... weird. This one was also weird, but more satisfyingly so. And it wasn't quite as disturbing, or the distubing bits seemed more normal to me, or something.

The main character is a "calcutec" - someone who does freelance data processing with some kind of brain implant - who gets caught up in an adventure with a crazy neuroscientist and his odd granddaughter. These chapters alternate with a parallel story set in a fantasy land of the Town, where people must separate themselves from their shadows and then their shadows die. Ordinary objects like paperclips take on an unusual significance, as do musical instruments.

It's all very creative but I ultimately found the book a bit unsatisfying. It was like eating a highly seasoned snack that really didn't contain any nutrition. That said, I'll probably pick up more Murakami books just to see what other crazy ideas he's come up with.

Labels: book reports, science fiction

Passage
by Connie Willis

I felt a strong connection to this book, as it dealt with many of the issues I've been pondering over the past couple of years: medicine, end-of-life issues, what happens in near-death experiences, Alzheimer's disease, how survivors deal with loss when someone dies, hospitals...

The main character, Joanna, is a nurse working on a research project interviewing people in the hospital who have had near-death experiences. She believes in her work but is often frustrated and thwarted by a colleague who contaminates the subjects' stories by blathering about angels and spirits and generally convincing everyone to follow his script of a near-death experience. Joanna meets a new researcher, Dr. Wright, and gets involved with his project which involves creating near-death-like experiences using drugs and sensory deprivation. He is trying to discover the biolgoical purpose for near-death experiences. Joanna and Dr. Wright try to find unbiased subjects on whom to experiment, but have a lot of trouble finding volunteers who are not biased by the angels/light/tunnel script or do not have trouble getting into the near-death-like state. So, Joanna volunteers to undergo the experience herself. She has no difficulty reaching the correct mind-state, but perplexingly, always finds herself on the Titanic just before it sinks whenever she undergoes the procedure. Joanna has the feeling that the Titanic is somehow related to something she learned in a high school English class, but when she goes looking for her English teacher, she finds that he is now in the throes of Alzheimer's disease and can't explain to her what she wants to know.

Then something really sad happens.

I was completely entranced by this book. It was clever and smart and touching and sad all at the same time. It probably helped that I read it during a power outage when I was feeling sort of displaced and confused already. And I love the way the book wrapped up, with an answer of sorts arising out of the Really Sad Thing.

Labels: book reports, nursing, science fiction

The Forge of God
by Greg Bear

I haven't yet read "Anvil of Stars," which many people seem to feel is a better story than this prequel. I thought "Forge of God" was quite interesting, if a little too wordy, and a little too loose in the ending.

The book is set in the last several months before the destruction of the earth by a mysterious race of "planet-eaters". Humankind is initially contacted by two constructs made by the planet-eaters' opponents - one construct seems like a sci-fi movie alien, and the other is a group of ovoid floating silver robots. Both constructs self-destruct, leaving humanity mostly in the dark about the fate of the Earth.

As the world wonders what is going to happen after the warnings from the faux aliens, some individuals encounter tiny spider-like robots that "bite" them and integrate them into a network of humans worldwide. Via this network, the chosen humans take on the tasks of rounding up data and genetic samples from all over the world and loading them into containers for evacuation of the planet.

I won't give away the ending but I bet you can guess what happens next...

Labels: book reports, science fiction

Anansi Boys
by Neil Gaiman

I just love Neil Gaiman's writing. I enjoyed American Gods and especially Good Omens, so I was so pleased when I found out he had another novel out. This book was reminiscent of American Gods, only this time the gods in question are from the African tradition. The main character "Fat Charlie" Nancy is a mild-mannered workaholic with a sweet fiancee who won't have sex until after their wedding and an evil boss described as an albino ferret in an expensive suit. Charlie calls home to invite his father to his wedding, only to discover that his father has died. Charlie goes to Florida to attend his father's funeral and things take a weird turn when Charlie disovers that his dad was actually an incarnation of the African trickster god Anansi (A. Nancy, get it?). Not only that, but Charlie has a brother named Spider who has their dad's magical abilities. Spider gleefully attaches himself to Charlie and tries to ruin his life, not out of malevolence, but out of enthusiasm and fun.

Labels: book reports, science fiction

Woken Furies
by Richard K. Morgan

This is the third book in the Takeshi Kovacs series. I apparently haven't reivewed the other two on my blog. The first two are Altered Carbon and Broken Angels.

The setting for this series is far, far in the future, where humanity is scattered across hundreds of plants and everyone has a backup module installed in their brains, allowing their consciousness to be downloaded into new bodies for fun or profit. Our hero Taki wakes up in a new combat-ready body and goes on a voyage to his homeworld. He meets a woman who may or may not be carrying the consciousness of a prophet from the planet's revolutionary past... and Taki becomes entangled with her mission.

All three of these books have been good quality sci-fi. I heard that the movie rights to Altered Carbon have been sold - I think it would make an awesome movie.

Labels: book reports, science fiction

Fledgling
by Octavia Butler

This is the last book published by Octavia Butler before her death, sadly. It's a creative vampire novel, about a young female vampire with dark skin who can tolerate exposure to sunlight. In Butler's concept of the vampire myth, vampires are a separate species from humans that have special abilities. The main character is a hybrid of vampire and human parents who has strengths from both races.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It was similar enough to existing vampire stories that I could enjoy it as a familiar retread, but it also had unique ideas that made it more interesting. As usual with Butler's books, there were characteristics that made me a bit uncomfortable... like the sexual bond between the vampires and their human companions, and the fact that the main character had the appearance of a pre-pubescent girl but still had sexual relationships with her companions.

I would've liked to read more stories in this series. It's so sad that Octavia Butler died in such an untimely fashion.

Labels: book reports, Octavia Butler, science fiction

Impossible Things
and
Inside Job
by Connie Willis

I read Bellwether by Connie Willis some time ago and liked it. So I thought Impossible Things, a collection of some of her short stories might be just the thing for me. And it was! I really enjoyed every single one of the stories in this collection, which is very unusual for a book of short stories. I know I've griped about collections before, that some of the stories are good and some are bad and some are just whatever... but I honestly thought this book was solid all the way through.

I think maybe I should stick to her collections and not try to read her novellas as stand-alone pieces. I checked out Inside Job based on a description of the material - professional debunkers encounter a "spiritual leader" who appears to be channeling a real spirit - but it was so short! I read it in a blink of an eye! Which isn't to say it was bad at all... I just wanted to enjoy it a little longer.

Labels: book reports, science fiction

Imago
by Octavia Butler

With the untimely passing of Octavia Butler, I plan to read more of her work. I both enjoyed and was repulsed by the Xenogenesis series, of which "Imago" is the third and final installment. I wrote about Book 2 here, and Book 1 here.

In this book, another one of Lilith's hybrid children, Jodahs, undergoes metamorphosis to adulthood and discovers that he is growing up to be an ooloi. The ooloi is the third sex of the Oankali race, and controls the reproductive capacity of the species. Jodahs leaves his family and runs into a secret human population. Due a genetic mutation, these people have been able to reproduce sexually, but the inbreeding has resulted in severe genetic disorders. Jodahs attempts to forge a connection with the secret population, in order to become a part of it.

This story is kind of an analogy for the larger story of the Oankali takeover of Earth. While Jodahs' intentions are not evil, the humans are not so sure they want any part of the trade he offers them.

I think I liked this book the best of the three. It was easier to focus on the idea of hybridization and the sacrifices demanded of the human population when it was taking place on an individual-to-individual level. And Jodahs seemed to grapple with the implications in a more personal, accessible way.

Labels: book reports, Octavia Butler, science fiction

On Basilisk Station
by David Weber

I picked up this book after reading that Jo at Head Nurse enjoyed it. And I think Jo is the coolest so I requested it from the library right away.

At first the book moved kind of slowly - we're introduced to the main character, Honor Harrington, and there's a bunch of political plotting stuff that doesn't seem very relevant at first. But then Honor is assigned to a destined-to-fail position by an officer who has a grudge against her... and things actually got interesting! And Honor is a kick-ass starship captain. Best of all, there wasn't any hint of romance between Honor and anyone on her crew. It irritates the crap out of me when a romance is forced into an action novel just because there's a female character.

Apparently there's a whole series of Honor Harrington books - I plan on reading the rest with relish.

Labels: book reports, science fiction

Never Let Me Go
by Kazuo Ishiguro

I picked this book from the list of Booker Prize nominees. I've never read anything by Ishiguro before, but I know he's held up as one of the best writers of our times... although honestly the only book I recognize that he wrote is "The Remains of the Day".

The book opens as a narrative by a youngish woman, Kathy. She is apparently an alumna from a private school called Hailsham, and is currently working in some kind of health care capacity. I'm not going to reveal the secret about the students, but it is clear from the beginning of the book that there is something special about Hailsham students. Kathy's narrative swings back and forth between reminiscing about her school days, and describing the work she does as an adult. She has particularly sharp memories of two childhood friends, Ruth and Tommy - but gradually she reveals that Ruth is now dead and Tommy is in the hospital.

The first two-thirds of the book was exciting, as I tried to figure out the secret of the Hailsham students, and piece together what Kathy was doing as an adult. However, near the end of the book, the story took a vaguely ridiculous turn, where a character from Hailsham is put in the role of explaining everything to Kathy and Tommy, and by extension to the reader. I found this device disappointing, since the excitement of the first part of the book was in trying to see through Kathy's eyes and figure out what she was missing about her own situation.

Ishiguro's writing is crystalline and spare. And the concept of the novel is a creative and topical one. But ultimately the book wasn't that compelling because everything was revealed in one big dump. I'll try other Ishiguro books based on the strength of his writing - does anyone have a favorite to recommend?

Labels: book reports, science fiction

Adulthood Rites
by Octavia Butler

This is book 2 of the Xenogenesis series. I wrote about book 1 here.

In book 2, we follow events in the life of Akin, one of Lilith's alien/human hybrid children. Akin is quite human in outward appearance, but has several Oankali "upgrades", like the ability to sense chemical changes, poisons, and so forth with his sensory tentacles (conveniently located in his tongue). When Akin is still quite small, he is kidnapped by renegade humans who have rejected interbreeding with the Oankali. As a result, they cannot bear human children of their own, and are desparate to build their families by any means possible. Akin meets other hybrid children who have been kidnapped by the renegades on his journey... which is a dark and sad one.

Butler seems to make a pretty grim statement about human motivations. While Lilith and some of her human companions have accepted their symbiosis with their Oankali partners, they are not especially happy about the compromise they have made. And the renegades seem downright vicious in their pursuit of "pure" human existence... which I guess is probably quite realistic. Humans often do turn ugly when faced with something unfamiliar.

Labels: book reports, Octavia Butler, science fiction

The Left Hand of Darkness
by Ursula K. LeGuin

This book is an account by Genly Ai, a representative from the Ekumen, and his mission to the planet Gethen (aka Winter). Ai's goal is to convince the people of Winter to become members of the Ekumen, which is a federation of planets that trades in thoughts and ideas. They have technology that provides faster-than-light communication, but not faster-than-light travel, so material trade is impractical. The major cultural difference between Ai and the people of Winter is their sex - Ai is a human male, while the Gethenians are normally neither male nor female (or they are both?). They undergo a sexual cycle called kemmer, during which they change into either a male or female role for the purpose of procreation.

At the outset, Ai is a guest of the state, but following some court intrigue and some hasty decisions by the (possibly mad) king, he finds himself on the run with a former court official, Lord Estraven. They have to make a long, hard journey across the most rugged terrain on Winter, in theh wrong season. During the journey, they learn a lot more about each other and their respective cultures.

There is something very opaque about Ms. LeGuin's writing. I know I've talked about this before, as I've worked my way through her back catalog. While I fully recognize her mastery of the language, and her undeniable creativity, and her ability to allude to modern human societal issues using the allegory of an alien culture... I have trouble mustering an emotional response to this book. It's all very thinky. That said, I'm glad I read it. The mental experiement of imagining a culture where there is no sexism because everyone's sex is the same is a worthwhile one.

Labels: book reports, science fiction

Dawn
by Octavia Butler

This is the first book in the "Xenogenesis" trilogy. It's extremely creative in concept - Earth has been invaded by an alien race, the Oankali. The aliens have removed humans from the planet and put them into suspended animation on their vast, world-like ship. The first woman who is awoken by the aliens is Lilith. The Oankali hope she will become a leader, a sort of ambassador between the humans and the aliens. To that end, Lilith is integrated into a group of aliens and lives alongside them for a period of time. She eventually agrees to the ambassador role the aliens have suggested, and chooses a group of humans to awaken from suspended animation. It doesn't go especially well, and Lilith is in an unfortunate position between the aliens and the rest of the humans. What the humans don't seem to understand is that the aliens have made them sterile, and without the participation of the Oankali, humanity cannot reproduce any longer.

Honestly, the book is pretty creepy. The Oankali are not the typical scifi aliens who look like pretty much like humans - they are covered with sensory tentacles, lack eyes, ears, and noses, and some of them have four arms. They're described as being unsettling for humans to look at, which makes Lilith's sexual contact with one of them kind of ooky to read about. I have to give credit to Butler for being so original, though - she managed to get under my skin with this imaginary species, and that shows a gift. I'll post about the other two books in the trilogy as well.

Labels: book reports, Octavia Butler, science fiction

The Dispossessed
by Ursula K. LeGuin

I think I requested this book from the library based on Elizabeth's recommendation. I personally think Elizabeth is much smarter than I am, so I wasn't surprised to find that this is kind of a thinky booky. At first I thought it was unbearably slow and wanted something to happen, but once I got into the story a little bit, I was fascinated.

Shevek is a physicist from Urras, a moon colonized by an anarchist movement from the main planet of Anarres. Since the migration, contact between the two groups has been extremely limited. On Urras, everything is shared, including homes, food, and division of labor. On Anarres, capitalism is in full effect, resulting a society with a divide between the rich and the poor, men and women, residents and immigrants, and so forth. Shevek decides to visit Anarres as a scientist to study physics and to learn about this other society.

While not a whole lot actually *happens* in the course of the book, I was still glued to it. I was intrigued by the idea that anarchy - or perhaps socialism? - could possibly work if everyone was brought up from childhood to disbelieve in the concept of ownership. Children on Urras were taught to say "the mother" instead of "my mother" or "the bed I sleep in" instead of "my bed". And while couples could choose to pair-bond and live their lives together, it was not required or expected that everyone would want to. Really interesting stuff.

Labels: book reports, science fiction

(In case you're wondering: I heard about this LiveJournal meme - basically, read 50 books this year and blog about it.)

Kindred
by Octavia Butler

I had never read any of Octavia Butler's work, even though several people have mentioned her to me as a terrific science fiction writer. I ran across her name when I was doing some research on minority writers for my multicultural class, and even though I wasn't going to write a paper on her work, I went ahead and checked out one of her books anyway.

It was really good. The main character is a Black woman named Dana who finds herself travelling in time, back to the time of her slave ancestors and their white master. The master's son apparently has the ability to summon Dana for his own protection - she only appears in the past when his life is in danger. And Dana can only return to the present when her own life is threatened.

It's a powerful book, combining a novel sci-fi idea with an intimate look at slavery and race relations in the wake of it. I'm definitley going to look for more of her work.

Labels: book reports, Octavia Butler, science fiction

The Tombs of Atuan
by Ursula K. LeGuin

Just as Quev predicted, I liked this book very much. Although, it was quite different from what I expected after seeing the SciFi miniseries (I talked about that here.) I knew that Ms. LeGuin had been cut out of the editing process for the miniseries... but I hadn't realized that the content from The Tombs of Atuan had been so thoroughly bastardized.

In the book, Tenar is given to the priesthood at age 5, after being chosen as the reincarnation of the former priestess at the time of her birth. She is "eaten" by the dark spirits she serves, and her name and family are taken from her. She is raised in near-isolation, only associating with other priestess-in-training and their teachers. When she comes of age, Tenar is given the knowledge of the underground labyrinth beneath the tombstones near the temple. She is told that she must never use lights in the maze for fear of angering the gods she serves.

Ged arrives at the temple and Tenar discovers him in the maze. She has him locked up and visits him to try to learn why he risked desecrating the labyrinth. She thinks at first that he is a thief... but she witnesses some of his magic and begins to question her beliefs. Eventually she agrees to help Ged and leads him to the heart of the labyrinth where the gods live and guard their treasure. In the treasure chamber, they find the other half of the rune Ged carries... which made whole, will help protect the kingdoms of Earthsea.

This is a much darker and more powerful story than I was led to believe from watching the miniseries. Now I understand why fans of the books were so put off by the series.

Labels: book reports, science fiction

The Lathe of Heaven
Ursula K. LeGuin

I LOVE this book. It was so, so good. It's set in Portland in a dystopian near-future, where overpopulation and global warming have taken their toll on society. (This book was written in 1971 - but it's quite prescient.)

The main character, George Orr, has dreams that actually change reality. He is the only one who remembers afterward that anything has changed. Terrified by his ability, he turns to abusing drugs in an attempt to forestall dreaming. He's arrested for drug abuse and ordered to see a psychiatist/sleep specialist for treatment. The psychiatrist at first doesn't believe that Orr's dreams can change anything - but once he realizes that the dreams *are* changing reality, he begins using hypnosis to steer Orr's dreams in order to promote his own position.

Not only is the concept a good one, but as always, the writing is impeccable. LeGuin's words convey the freakishness of the situation without becoming overwrought. Has she written other books like this? I'm only familiar with the Earthsea series and a few of her short stories.

Labels: book reports, science fiction

The Farthest Shore
by Ursula K. Le Guin

I made a mistake in checking out this book before The Tombs of Atuan... which isn't to say that I didn't enjoy it. I have recently read A Wizard of Earthsea, but somehow failed to notice that The Farthest Shore wasn't next in the series!

In this book, Ged is now a middle-aged man, the Archmage at Roke. He meets Arren, a prince, when Arren comes to Roke to ask for help. His kingdom is losing its magic, and the witches and wizards who handle everyday tasks like weather-making and crop-charming are no longer able to cast spells. Ged has heard reports of this disappearance of magic from the world from many sources... so he and Arren go on a trip together to find the source of the problem.

They hear about a mysterious man who is promising magicians a way to cheat death and live forever. They determine that they must find this man and break his hold over the magicians, or the light will run out of the world...

It's beautifully written, especially when describing the love and admiration Arren has for Ged. I definitely want to re-read the other Earthsea books.

Labels: book reports, science fiction

Tales of Nevèrÿon
by Samuel R. Delany

I checked this out based on Elizabeth's recommendation. She mentioned it as one of her desert-island books and I'd never heard of it, so I was intrigued.

The book is a collection of interlocking short stories. The same main characters appear several times. The setting is a nation on the edge of civilization, and I mean that in the sense of time (very early history) rather than space. Rather than having a very developed plot, the stories are basically frames for exploration of cultural mores. Some of the issues explored are slavery, sexuality, creation myths, gender roles, and class. While all of this is pretty interesting, I found myself thinking that I would prefer to read anthropological nonfiction rather than this rather didactic fiction. I got excited when I read the postscript about an ancient text discovered in the Middle East that appeared to be the source material for the stories... but then I read in an Amazon review that the postscript was also fictional. Drat.

The writing is quite beautiful. Another review that I read called it "enigmatic," which is a terrific descriptor. Overall, though, I found it kind of a hard slog and was unable to lose myself in the stories.

Labels: book reports, science fiction

The Anubis Gates
Tim Powers

I believe I picked this up after reading the newsletter from my college English department, where I got my undergrad degree. There is a section in the newsletter where some of the professors mention what they've been reading in their personal time, and one professor mentioned this book. It sounded entertaining so I checked it out.

The book revolves around time travel, Egyptian mysticism, and 19th century London. How fun is that? It was not a deep read by any stretch, but it was fun to read. The main character is a scholar who is an expert on the works of an obscure British poet. The scholar is summoned for a mysterious job interview with an eccentric older gentleman, who invites him to give a speech about Coleridge to a group of interested literature buffs. Eventually, it becomes clear that the scholar is not only going to speak about Coleridge, he and the rest of the literary types are going to time-travel to hear Coleridge speak in London. But uh-oh! An Evil Guy hits our scholar over the head, causing him to miss his ride home!

The rest of the book involves the undead, the hierarchy of beggars in old London, magic throughout the ages, and the nature of love. It's pretty good.

Labels: book reports, science fiction

The Visitor
by Sheri S. Tepper

As you already know, I really like Sheri S. Tepper's books. This one was totally cool right up until the end, where it seemed like she didn't know how to finish it, and the book just went blooey.

Here's the premise: In the future, the Earth has undergone some kind of cataclysm. Society has become rigid in its adherance to the "dicta," a quasi-religious set of rules and regulations. Anyone not following the dicta can be reported, punished, and even "bottled". "Bottling" seems to refer to preserving a tissue sample of a person for resurrection at an unspecified future time. There is a jumble of ideas that seem to be accepeted among the population - belief in demons, a belief that magic used to exist but now does not, belief that the "bottled" will be resurrected. I expected the magical stuff to turn out to be simply technology - but it doesn't.

Dismé Latimer is charged with keeping an ancient book written by her ancestor Nell Latimer. Her mother disappeared when she was small and her father disappears when she is an adolescent. She is abused constantly by her stepsister Rahel but tolerates the abuse until she is an adult, at which point she runs away to the city and meets some like-minded people. She also begins to show signs of having magical powers.

The end of the book kind of goes blooey. There are demons and cryosleepers and aliens and gods and a whole lot of rhetoric about doing right and maturing as a species, and honestly, I kind of lost track of what the hell was happening. I'd still read it again, though.

Labels: book reports, science fiction

The Fortress of Solitude
by Jonathan Lethem

I still don't know what to make of this book. I picked it up because I've read some of Lethem's lighter works, like Gun, With Occasional Music and Amnesia Moon. The Fortress of Solitude was quite different, though - for most of the novel, there are no elements of science fiction or the supernatural.

The main character of the book is Dylan Ebdus, the son of white hippies who move into a gentrifying neighborhood in Brooklyn. Virtually all of the other kids in the neighborhood are black or Latino, and Dylan endures a lot of teasing and bullying. When he is still in grade school, his mother abandons Dylan and his father, only reappearing in strange postcards that Dylan receives sporadically for years.

Dylan makes friends with a new kid in the neighborhood, a mixed-race boy named Mingus who is the son of a washed-up soul singer. They initially spend a lot of time together, reading comics, tagging every available surface with graffiti, and so on... but over time they drift apart as Mingus gets into drugs and dealing, and Dylan is accepted to a prestigious high school and then college.

Then, the book takes an abrupt jump into the future, and it is revealed that there is a supernatural element after all, which I had assumed was only in the imagination of the young boys.

Overall, I'm just not sure what to make of the whole book. It is very well written, and very evocative of a certain place and time (Brooklyn in the 70s)... but I had trouble identifying with or even liking any of the characters, which made reading the book feel like a slog. I'm going to try again - I have Motherless Brooklyn on hold at the library.

Labels: book reports, science fiction

Grass
by Sheri S. Tepper

This is the second Sheri S. Tepper book I've read... and I really liked it. Not quite as much as The Gate to Women's Country, but I still found it hard to put down.

The book is set on a planet called Grass which is covered with, well, you know. The people who live on Grass came from Earth many generations ago, and have developed their own culture with its own eccentricities. The populace is divided up into aristocrats who live on large country estates, and commoners who live either in villages on the estates or in the one city on the planet. The aristocrats participate in mysterious hunts, mounted on native creatures. Mysterious events seem to happen in connection with these hunts - injuries, disappearances...

The story is driven by the arrival of an ambassador and his family from Earth. They have been sent to Grass to try to find a cure for a plague that is devastating the human race on all other planets.

I'm beginning to catch on to the subjects that Tepper likes to explore. In this book, gender roles and religion again rise to the forefront, with a nice helping of racial issues and ecology on the side. I don't mean that in a negative way - I think she has an interesting take on things, and is more than capable of writing an imaginary, engaging story along with the capital-I Issues.

Labels: book reports, science fiction

A Wizard of Earthsea
by Ursula K. Le Guin

I was inspired to pick up this book after watching the SciFi miniseries and then reading an article by Ms. Le Guin about her problems with the series. One of the things that I'd totally missed when I read these books as a kid was the aspect of race - the main characters are mostly people of color. Either I didn't notice or didn't care about that when I read the books. In the miniseries, the characters are almost all white. Ms. Le Guin is terribly put off by this major change to her characters, because she had carefully developed the multiethnicity of their world. So, I re-read the first book in the series. And my response is, yeah, okay, the characters are described as being from a variety of ethnic background in terms of their color and language. But I didn't find it to be an integral part of the book. Now I wonder if I am too white or too dense to get Le Guin's message!

I did enjoy the story and I do intend to re-read the rest of the books in the series.

Labels: book reports, science fiction

The Gate to Women's Country
by Sheri S. Tepper

First off, I want to thank Classmate M* for recommending this author, and reader Jodie for recommending this specific book.

I picked it up at the library yesterday, read the first 1/3 on the treadmill at the gym, read the next 1/3 at home on the couch, and finished it this morning on the bus. Soooooo good.

The book is set 300 years after a great "convulsion" (probably nuclear war) that killed most humans. Following the convulsion, part of society reorganized into "Women's Country," a matriarchal society where most of the men live in a military compound outside the village, ostensibly to protect the women. Boy children are taken to the men's compound at age 5 and raised to be warriors. At age 15, they are allowed to make a choice to stay in the garrison, or return through the titular gate to be part of the women's society.

The main character of the novel is a women named Stavia. The story follows her from age 10 to age 37, and slowly reveals the inner workings of Women's Country. I won't give away the secrets, but suffice to say that it is compelling and fascinating, and I don't think I'll be able to get it out of my head for months.

Labels: book reports, science fiction

Distraction
by Bruce Sterling

My friend Scott sent me this book, as part of his Bookcrossing release. I picked it from the list of books he was getting rid of because I've read Sterling's writing in Wired magazine and enjoyed it. And Distraction definitely proved that he is a creative thinker... but the book itself, not so good. It's set in the United States about 50 years in the future. Some of the elements of this future society are interesting, from a "what if?" perspective. For example, the US economy has collapsed due to the Chinese posting American intellectual property free for the pirating on their web servers. And the two main politcal parties have fractured into 12 or 18 or some large number of smaller parties.

I think my main problem with the story, though, was that the main characters were too cartoonish. The protagonist is a political operative named Oscar, who has a "personal background problem", which turns out to be that he is a cloned, vat-grown human. But apart from his personal background problem and his overwhelming ambition to succeed, he's not very interesting.

On the other hand, I did read it all the way through without wanting to give up, so it couldn't be that bad!

Labels: book reports, science fiction

Chromosome 6 by Robin Cook

My dad mentioned this book to me as something I might like reading for fluff, so I checked it out of the library. What my dad may not have noticed when he read it is that the writing and editing is REALLY BAD. The concept is interesting: an offshore corporation is creating genetically modified apes that are customized for a particular human client to use for organ donation. This approach (allegedly) would remove the problem of incompatibility and rejection from organ transplant. But oh no! The genetically modified apes can talk and make fire and use tools! Imagine getting bludgeoned over the head with the Prometheus myth about 15 times, and you'll get an idea of how heavy-handed the lesson is. For extra "fun", there's a subplot having to do with how the Mafia runs New York City and how doctors can become eeeeeevil when they start worrying about money.

Overall, I'd say this is like the Dan Brown phenomenon - an interesting idea, a not-terrible plot, but dreadful writing and editing. Maybe I am a literary snob, but poor writing/editing really interfers with my enjoyment of reading!

Labels: book reports, science fiction

I heard about this LiveJournal meme - basically, read 50 books this year and blog about it. I can do that!

#1: Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

I was really excited to get this from the library because the holds list was so long, I figured it must be good. I enjoyed it at first, but then it started to drag. And drag. And it's a really long book. Fortunately, I thought it picked up again near the end, and by the time the book was finished, I was fully engaged.

One aspect I liked was the idea that magic is part of the land, and that most people are just too dense to notice it happening. I also liked the incorporation of the ancient idea that fairies are right here with us, just on the other side of an invisible barrier of time and space. And, I was charmed by the concept that magic can be learned through diligent study.

On the other hand, I felt like the characters never really came alive, and that I never really could visualize the characters or the settings very clearly. Maybe I read too fast or was too distracted... or maybe the author just didn't evoke those things as well as she could have.

Labels: book reports, science fiction