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Book Reports.
Jan. 3rd, 2005 03:50 pm12/31/05-1/2/05
_Natural History_, Justina Robson
This book came so close in so many ways, and just... didn't quite get me there. It started strongly-- how can you NOT love a book in which the song "The Day the Music Died" plays a prominent and recurring theme? Especially a book in which genetically engineered humans (the Forged) engage in a class struggle, and the world is so filled with rich detail (beetle-like courier-messenger Forged known as Phaery, Forged humans cast in the shapes of eagles and jellyfish to observe species in their own ecological niches, and so forth)? Especially a book about 7-D and 11-D mathematics and sentient silicated Stuff?
But in the end, the characters remain too enigmatic for me to identify with, and the book's ending is unsatisfactory and does not neatly tie up the political intrigue, nor does it address the central questions in the book.
_Light_, J. Harrison
This was another book that just came so close, and just fell short at the end. Unlike _Natural History_, the book comes to a conclusive finish. The problem is, I have trouble believing the message given by the powerful and enigmatic alien Shrander, which haunts both 20th century physicists-turned-serial-killer and far-future individuals. The book braids together in a nonlinear fashion with flashbacks within flashbacks and oblique references to characters and events that occur further on within the book. Unfortunately, the disparate story lines do not weave together well for me before the first third of the book is over-- that in and of itself almost lost me. Still, technically, this book is a gorgeous piece of work, and I had to resist the temptation to read certain passages out loud, over and over again.
_Expiration Date_, Tim Powers
Ghosts shit bottle caps. Who knew? Like the other two Powers books I've read, _Expiration Date_ was an amazing read, realistic and enjoyable. When I turned the last page, I could almost believe in a world where ghosts are snorted like cocaine by junkies looking to prolong their own life, where 'bar-time' (or reacting a few seconds before an event) means that someone is very psychically interested in you, where palindromes can be used to entrap even the strongest ghosts-- and where Thomas Alva Edison, although dead, is very much active and kicking.
_Banewreaker_, J. Carey
Um. Okay, I admit it. I actually enjoyed Carey's previous series-- at least books one and three. So I picked this up from the library hoping that it would be ...better than her prior work, which wasn't *badBAD*. Unfortunately, I couldn't get past the first six pages despite repeated attempts. In this case, I think Carey's vision overreached her skill, creating a first chapter that read like the appendices at the back of Return of the King-- interesting if you already know the characters, not so much so if you don't. I won't be going back to this one.
_Days of Infamy_, H. Turtledove
And I admit to a love of alternate history. Okay? Especially WWII alternate history. And this was set in HAWAII, a place that I have a particular love for. I'd never read Turtledove before, and I was hoping-- as he is touted as a master of alternate history, that this would be a quick and enjoyable read. But I find Turtledove's use of descriptors to be dry as dust, and after one attempt (I stopped at page 12), I have put this down. It's from the library; I'll likely try again before I return it. But oigh.
What recommendations do y'all, gentle readers all, have for me???
_Natural History_, Justina Robson
This book came so close in so many ways, and just... didn't quite get me there. It started strongly-- how can you NOT love a book in which the song "The Day the Music Died" plays a prominent and recurring theme? Especially a book in which genetically engineered humans (the Forged) engage in a class struggle, and the world is so filled with rich detail (beetle-like courier-messenger Forged known as Phaery, Forged humans cast in the shapes of eagles and jellyfish to observe species in their own ecological niches, and so forth)? Especially a book about 7-D and 11-D mathematics and sentient silicated Stuff?
But in the end, the characters remain too enigmatic for me to identify with, and the book's ending is unsatisfactory and does not neatly tie up the political intrigue, nor does it address the central questions in the book.
_Light_, J. Harrison
This was another book that just came so close, and just fell short at the end. Unlike _Natural History_, the book comes to a conclusive finish. The problem is, I have trouble believing the message given by the powerful and enigmatic alien Shrander, which haunts both 20th century physicists-turned-serial-killer and far-future individuals. The book braids together in a nonlinear fashion with flashbacks within flashbacks and oblique references to characters and events that occur further on within the book. Unfortunately, the disparate story lines do not weave together well for me before the first third of the book is over-- that in and of itself almost lost me. Still, technically, this book is a gorgeous piece of work, and I had to resist the temptation to read certain passages out loud, over and over again.
_Expiration Date_, Tim Powers
Ghosts shit bottle caps. Who knew? Like the other two Powers books I've read, _Expiration Date_ was an amazing read, realistic and enjoyable. When I turned the last page, I could almost believe in a world where ghosts are snorted like cocaine by junkies looking to prolong their own life, where 'bar-time' (or reacting a few seconds before an event) means that someone is very psychically interested in you, where palindromes can be used to entrap even the strongest ghosts-- and where Thomas Alva Edison, although dead, is very much active and kicking.
_Banewreaker_, J. Carey
Um. Okay, I admit it. I actually enjoyed Carey's previous series-- at least books one and three. So I picked this up from the library hoping that it would be ...better than her prior work, which wasn't *badBAD*. Unfortunately, I couldn't get past the first six pages despite repeated attempts. In this case, I think Carey's vision overreached her skill, creating a first chapter that read like the appendices at the back of Return of the King-- interesting if you already know the characters, not so much so if you don't. I won't be going back to this one.
_Days of Infamy_, H. Turtledove
And I admit to a love of alternate history. Okay? Especially WWII alternate history. And this was set in HAWAII, a place that I have a particular love for. I'd never read Turtledove before, and I was hoping-- as he is touted as a master of alternate history, that this would be a quick and enjoyable read. But I find Turtledove's use of descriptors to be dry as dust, and after one attempt (I stopped at page 12), I have put this down. It's from the library; I'll likely try again before I return it. But oigh.
What recommendations do y'all, gentle readers all, have for me???
