Tillabooks: Will's Book Blog

Dragon Harper by Anne and Todd McCaffrey

2009-07-14T06:53:00.000-07:00

Dragon Harper by Anne McCaffrey and Todd Mccaffrey. New York: Del Rey, 2007. ISBN: 978-0-345-48031-6

This is the newest (but one) of the new Dragons of Pern novels, written in collaboration between the progenitor of the series, renowned science fiction and fantasy author Anne McCaffrey, and her son, Todd. Diehard fans of the series will definitely want to read it.

Counting myself among their number, I have done so. While I have no regrets about that, I do have to say that Todd doesn’t have quite the deft touch of his mother when it comes to characterization, plot development, and the like.

His story lines are compelling enough. This one being an example: a flu pandemic sweeps throughPern and kills one in three or so of the general population, hitting the young and active the hardest. The dragon riders are only able to provide limited assistance, due to the imminent arrival of threadfall (well, only a decade or so out), so that they cannot afford to lost a third or so of their numbers, which would leave Pern unprotected.

So there is plenty of drama and angst in the story line. But when reading one of Anne’s books, every aspect of the story as it develops seems almost fore-ordained, completely logical, as though it couldn’t possibly happen any other way. You don’t get that feeling in Todd’s writing. At times things that are happening seem a bit confused, and even arbitrary.

Likewise with character development. With Anne’s characters, you invariably relate to them, and identify with them almost immediately. With Todd, it takes longer. You do eventually get there, but it takes time.

There is also one major plot flaw (in my view). Why is our hero, young Kindan, immune to the flu? Why is he the only major character who never catches it? There is no rationale provided for this so far as I could tell, other than pure chance. That hardly seems fair, when almost everyone else we care about succumbs.

Even so, I probably shouldn’t complain. If I didn’t have the master storyteller, Anne McCaffrey, to compare with, I’d probably be perfectly happy with Todd’s writing. Fans of Pern will definitely find this worth the reading.

The Last Theorem by Arthur C. Clarke and Frederik Pohl

2009-06-25T19:41:00.000-07:00

The Last Theorem by Arthur C. Clarke and Frederik Pohl. New York: Ballantine Books/DelRey, 2008. ISBN: 978-0-345-47021-8

This is one of the most congenial SciFi novels I've read in a long time. Meaning it's just a pleasant read (for the most part, anyway, with only a couple of minor exceptions, such as the period where poor Ranjit, our hero, is mistakenly locked up and “interrogated” as a suspected terrorist), entertaining, and intriguing all at once. Not to mention that it's the first, last, and only collaboration between these two science fiction greats, grandmasters both. This alone makes it essential reading for all serious science fiction buffs, such as myself.

Much, even most of the story takes place on the island of Sri Lanka, Arthur C. Clarke's chosen home for many decades. Unfortunately, he had passed on by the time this book made it into print.

Our primary protagonist is a brilliant young mathematician, who lives an eventful, but satisfying life. Among his accomplishments is finally solving Fermat's Last Theorem, one of the perennially classic mathematical challenges. In fact, he actually comes up with with the proof while in prison, suffering from those currently infamous “enhanced” interrogation techniques.

That wouldn't be enough on its own for a good SciFi story, though. What makes the novel more interesting is the fact that we (the human race, that is) have inadvertently and unknowingly come to the attention of the galactic civilization, such as it is, and they have decided that we are likely to be dangerous, and should be quickly snuffed out. There are interesting scientific developments going on here on earth, as well, such as the construction of the first “space elevator,” an actual cable stretching into earth orbit territory, which makes it possible to lift large masses of material into space much less expensively than with rockets.

How these various elements come together into a satisfyingly happy ending keeps you guessing all along the way. Definitely recommended essential reading for SciFi aficionados.

Fortune and Fate by Sharon Shinn

2009-06-08T22:33:00.000-07:00

Fortune and Fate by Sharon Shinn. New York: Ace Books, 2008. ISBN: 978-0-441-01636-5

The last book I blogged was the fourth in Mercedes Lackey's “500 Kingdoms” fantasy series. This is the fifth book in Sharon Shinn's “Thirteen Houses” series. And both series have quickly become favorites. Not only that, but I think this is the best book yet in this series. Initially, I probably wouldn't have thought so, since the main character is not one of the primary characters from the other volumes (although they get significant space also), but rather, the one King's Rider who chose NOT to become a Queen's Rider.

Wen is her name, and she no longer feels worthy to be a Rider, one of the elite corps of royal guards that are more than a cut above the regular soldier, and are willing to give their lives to protect their monarch. That's the problem, you see. Wen was standing next to the king when he was killed. The Riders were literally overwhelmed by hundreds of off-island assassins, who came over the walls of the royal palace totally without warning.

Wen feels that for the king to be dead, and she to still be alive, represents a complete failure on her part, and she is no longer worthy to be a Rider. Even though the Riders were vastly outnumbered, and the assassin who killed the king came through the dead rider on the other side of the king, not through Wen. Nevertheless, she left the royal court, and began aimlessly wandering throughout the kingdom of Gillengaria, utterly and completely depressed, caring not whether she lives or dies.

Unexpectedly she rescues the daughter, now heir, of the very man, head of a noble house, who was one of the prime instigators of the uprising against the king. Against her will, and with extreme reluctance, only because she sees a need, she agrees to become the captain of the sixteen-year-old girl's guard, and, mind you, only temporarily, until a suitable replacement can be found.

The tale of how she gradually becomes involved with this family, formerly enemies of her sovereign, is truly heartwarming, in only the way that this classic “romance” plot element can be when used at its finest. By that I mean the person who initially dislikes someone or something, but gradually, over time, has a change of heart.

Only here, the romantic element (woman meets man, woman gets man) is peripheral to the plot; the romance that we get caught up in, is Wen's gradual acceptance of herself as a person worthy to be alive, and with an important role to fill, a role that she comes to value, as she comes to value herself.

Highly recommended, and probably OK to read, even if you haven't read the rest of the series, but the story will make more sense if you have read the others. They are Mystic and Rider (2005), The Thirteenth House and Dark Moon Defender (both 2006), and Reader and Raelynx (2007). Since there are thirteen houses, do you suppose there will be thirteen novels in the series? I don't know, but I certainly hope so!

The Snow Queen by Mercedes Lackey

2009-06-03T21:46:00.000-07:00

The Snow Queen by Mercedes Lackey. New York: Luna, 2008. ISBN: 978-0-373-80265-4

The latest in the “500 Kingdoms” series by Mercedes Lackey, the undisputed master (or would it be sexist to say “mistress”?) of the fantasy novel for adolescent girls (and boys, and men, and women). Previous novels in this charming and delightful (overworked, but still apt adjectives) series include The Fairy Godmother (2004), One Good Knight (2006), and Fortune's Fool (2007).

So what's the scoop on this latest entry? The Ice Queen is actually a good witch, a benevolent spirit, but further up into the fastness of the north, someone is wickedly impersonating her, and luring handsome young men to their doom. And so the Queen teams up with the latest victim's betrothed and a village witch, plus a couple of blacksmith type wizards to set things aright.

Lots of romantic adventures ensue, to the eventual delight of all.

Only now have I belatedly realized that Luna is a trademark of Harlequin Books! Who knew? Frankly, who cares? Light but vastly entertaining is my enthusiastic verdict. Highly recommended, as were all of the previous instances of this series.

Vivaldi's Virgins by Barbara Quick

2009-05-28T21:09:00.000-07:00

Vivaldi's Virgins by Barbara Quick. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2007. ISBN: 978-0-06-089052-0

This book may be more for women and girls than for men and boys, but I enjoyed it, nonetheless. It's also for music lovers, set as it is, in the girl's school in eighteenth-century Venice where Antonio Vivaldi, the so-called “Red Priest,” served as Maestro extraordinaire.

The story centers around one of the orphan foundlings, growing up as a gifted violinist, but constantly hungering for knowledge of her family, and her missing mother. Who might they be? Why was she abandoned on the steps of the school? Will she find love? Will she find her family? Will she be allowed to take her musical gifts out into the wider world?

It's a passionate story set in the lush, gilded Venice of the time. Not great literature perhaps, but definitely worth a read.

The Last Secret of the Temple by Paul Sussman

2009-05-13T22:16:00.000-07:00

The Last Secret of the Temple by Paul Sussman. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 2005, ISBN: 978-0-87113-972-6

If thrillers with a religious background are your thing, à la The Da Vinci Code, then this book is definitely for you. Much of the action takes place in Israel or Egypt, and the current conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians is a major theme.

The crux of the story, however, revolves around an ancient Jewish artifact, supposedly the very Menorah, the golden candlestick that graced Solomon's temple, somehow preserved through all the centuries, and now the object of desire for both the enemies and defenders of Israel.

Of course, the very notion that the original Menorah had survived into the second temple era (where the prologue to our story takes place) is preposterous, and without any historical foundation that I'm aware of. The furnishings of Solomon's temple were carried off to Babylon, and I've never read or heard anything to suggest that any of them were ever returned.

Not to mention that the true object of Jewish devotion, the center of their faith, and the holiest object of the first temple was NOT the Menorah, but rather the Ark of the Covenant, a fact which this book conveniently ignores, giving to the Menorah, this golden candlestick, the pride of place, the sacred significance, even the supernatural power (the Menorah's light never goes out, you see, and its oil never needs replenishing, for all those centuries from then until now) that rightfully belonged to the Ark.

Then one of the crusaders supposedly finds a great secret, and transports it back to France. Was it the Menorah? Apparently Hitler's archaeologists thought so, and they hunted down this treasure and hid it in one of the mountain mines in the last days of the Third Reich.

Oh well, all of the symbolic inaccuracy aside, the book is a real thriller, a true page turner. There is plenty of action, and lots of twists and turns to the plot, with enough surprise endings to keep anyone entertained. Definitely not fiction of the top caliber, but you won't be bored.

Identity Theft by Robert J. Sawyer

2009-04-23T22:58:00.000-07:00

Identity Theft and Other Stories by Robert J. Sawyer. Calgary, Alberta, Canada: Red Deer Press, 2008. ISBN: 978-0-88995-411-3

Here we have another collection of short stories, in this case by Canada's preeminent Science Fiction author, Mr. Robert J. Sawyer. These are good stories, by and large, well written and entertaining. In addition to working as SciFi, some are also mysteries, some lean a bit in the horror direction, and some (at least one) are just plain jokes.

Several of the mysteries take place on Mars, a barren, desolate Mars where everyone mostly lives in one big domed city, but people go out on the regular surface hunting rare Martian fossils, from a brief period of life eons before. The other twist on these Martian stories involves transferring one's complete memory matrix into android bodies, and the complications that ensue for the private eye who has to untangle them.

In another story, the man left behind after such a transfer has a change of heart, and wants his life back. Unfortunately, he is no longer a legal entity, with no rights or standing whatsoever, beyond the right to live out his life in seclusion, in luxurious surroundings as a nonentity. He resorts to drastic action to attempt to persuade the powers that be, including his android replacement to reverse course.

Another story involves the first Catholic priest on Mars, who resorts to a miracle to enhance his status. And yet another is a sequel to H.G. Wells's The Time Machine. And yet another, “Immortality,” is from an anthology of tales by different authors based on Janis Ian songs. One brief humorous bit is a setup for classic awful pun based on the name of a very famous and prolific golden era SciFi author.

And that's just a taste of what's in store for the reader of this fine little collection. While I wouldn't probably call any of the stories here masterpieces, they are more than worth the time it takes to peruse them. Definitely recommended for all SciFi aficionados.

Unholy Business by Nina Burleigh

2009-04-22T21:52:00.000-07:00

Unholy Business: A True Tale of Faith, Greed, & Forgery in the Holy Land by Nina Burleigh. New York: Smithsonian Books/Collins, 2008. ISBN: 978-0-06-145845-3

In 2002, a very old ossuary, presumably found in or near Jerusalem, basically a box for bones, containing an inscription, came to light, and was widely publicized in the mainstream media. The box was in the possession of a collector, who had purchased it from a third party, and it was presumed to have come from an illegal excavation, something which happens all too frequently in the “Holy Land.”

The box would not have been of much import, except for the text of the inscription, which was translated to read as “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus.” Of course, all three of those names were fairly common in the time period in question, but even the possibility that this inscription might be the first physical evidence of the actual existence of Jesus, was enough to create a sensation.

The larger story involves other ancient artifacts that also purport to establish the historical authenticity of some part of the Bible. Most of these artifacts being brought to light from collections, not proper excavations carried out by reputable archaeologists. This poses a significant problem, for without the evidence of the object's original location, it is very difficult to judge the authenticity of the items. Were they real? Were they forgeries?

The ossuary was eventually deemed to be a forgery by most of the experts involved, although what made it particularly tricky was the fact that almost certainly, at least SOME of the inscription WAS original to the piece, and the very clever forger probably altered the original inscription to make the reference to Jesus.

This book, entertainingly written by a seasoned journalist, provides a fascinating look into the world of so-called Biblical archaeology, collectors, scholars, and other assorted characters who surround the antiquities market in Israel and Palestine. Biblical archeology comes with lots of baggage, obviously, since so many believers have a vested interest in the results, wanting to see the Bible proved to be historical. Which is not, of course, the interest of a true scientist, who simply interprets the evidence, without presupposition or preconceived ideas or beliefs.

Definitely recommended for anyone with an interest in the topic.

Deluge by McCaffrey and Scarborough

2009-04-21T21:48:00.000-07:00

Deluge by Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough. Book Three of The Twins of Petaybee. New York: Ballantine Books, 2008. ISBN: 978-0-345-47006-5

OK, so now we have two completed trilogies in this series. The first trilogy consisted of Powers That Be, Power Lines, and Power Play. This second trilogy includes Changelings, Maelstrom, and now, Deluge. The basic plot line, you may recall, involves a sentient planet that works to protect its now indigenous human population, which it recognizes as its useful ally in preserving the natural nature (how's that for a repetitious redundancy?) of the world, while working against any humans that come with the intent of despoiling or exploiting the natural resources found there.

One of the leading humans on the planet, named, Petaybee (which name comes from pronouncing aloud the initials of the words “Powers That Be,” i.e. PTB), Sean Shongili, just happens to be a silkie, a human being who turns into a seal, once he enters the water. And the second trilogy, The Twins of Peytabee, focuses on the adventures of his children, who inherit the silkie shape changing ability. Their mother, Yanaba Maddock-Shongili, was formerly a colonel in the enemy Company Corps, was won over to the side of Petaybee in the very first novel in the series.

In this tome, the twins are off to another planet, traveling with the alien water city that gradually came to light in previous volumes. Off they go, trying to drum up support for Petaybee off world, since the Company and its private army, keep on trying to interdict and conquer the native population. They end up on a Company prison world, which, a little too coincidentally, just happens to turn out to be the original home world of the aliens. Many adventures are had along the way, but a happy ending is had just in time.

If there is any complaint about these stories, it is that everything is a little too pat, too trite, and too nice. The bad things that happen along the way are too obviously temporary, and we are never in any real state of alarm or worry about how it will all turn out. Still, entertainingly written, this latest book is definitely recommended for anyone who has been following the series from its inception. And it seems very likely that more volumes will follow, which I will probably also read, should it prove convenient to do so. Which is to say, I might not go out of my way to read more of them, but if I see them at the library, I probably won't try to resist.

The Lost Art of Walking by Geoff Nicholson

2009-04-20T21:55:00.000-07:00

The Lost Art of Walking: The History, Science, Philosophy, and Literature of Pedestrianism by Geoff Nicholson. New York: Riverhead Books, 2008. ISBN: 978-1-59448-998-3.

That subtitle is a little ambitious for a book of only 275 pages, and the book fulfills that expectation only lightly, and casually, certainly not in any encyclopedic or even systematic fashion. Rather, it is a series of loosely linked essays and perambulations through its topic, organized somewhat informally around the three major cities where the author has done much of his walking, namely Los Angeles, London, and New York.

In between we do get a nice historical summary of some of the more famous walkers of the past and the present, people who became celebrity walkers, and some who even made their living by walking. Another chapter discusses the obvious sound track for walking, famous songs about walking, with numerous anecdotal bits about musicians, composers, musical genres, and any relevant connections to walking. Another chapter takes on the topic of walking in nature, and particularly, in the desert, while yet another focuses on the propensity of folks to walk and take photographs.

All in all, a nice compendium, informally and entertainingly written, devoted to nothing more profound than walking. And walking is both profound and prosaic, all at once. As someone who does a fair amount of walking in my current life, it was a welcome chance to reflect on not only the deeper meanings within this most human of activities, but also to revel in the lore and trivia of other walkers, including the author himself.

If you love to walk, and you love to read, how could you not enjoy this book?

Drood by Dan Simmons

2009-04-19T19:36:00.000-07:00

Drood by Dan Simmons. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2009. ISBN: 978-0-316-00702-3

I realize it's been over a month since I posted any book reviews here, but that doesn't mean I haven't been reading in all that time. Quite the contrary. The problem has been finding the time to write any reviews. I've got a whole stack of books piled up waiting for their reviews to be written. Now I'm getting desperate, because the library wants some of them back, and has actually charged my account until I return them!

OK, so let's get on it with it. I'm a big fan of Dan Simmons as a science fiction author, and you'll find reviews of two of his SciFi novels, Ilium and Olympos, on the blog. But Drood is definitely NOT science fiction.

So what is it? It falls into a category of fiction that I am calling “derivative fiction,” although I didn't coin the term myself. One of these days I'll put together an index of the examples found on this blog, and there are quite a few. By derivative fiction, I refer to books that are either sequels to, or somehow based on the work of a famous author from the past, whose works are now generally available in the public domain.

In this case, of course, the author is Charles Dickens, but also Wilkie Collins, a contemporary and “friend” of Dickens, largely unknown today. The title of this book, Drood, refers, of course, to the final novel Dickens wrote, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, which remained unfinished at the author's death.

But in this story, Drood is the name for a sinister, underworld (quite literally) character of Egyptian origin, who may or may not exist, or who may or may not be a figment of the narrator's opium and laudanum induced fantasy. Or perhaps, he is the result of a post-hypnotic suggestion administered by Dickens, himself, on his “friend” Wilkie Collins.

Because Collins is the narrator of the novel; it is told entirely through his rather jaundiced perspective. Wilkie Collins is not a very nice person, especially in the way he treats women and servants, and he becomes increasingly jealous of Dickens as the story progresses.

Which takes a LONG time, I must say. Only because I'm such a fan of Simmons's previous work, and because of the literary and “derivative” nature of this work, did I give it the benefit of the doubt and continue reading it to the end. It is a massive tome, nearly 800 pages long, and it takes over 400 pages before the book begins to take on some of its more fantastical elements. It is in Chapter 25, page 426, that the book takes a sudden turn into horror. Which, previously unbeknownst to me, is a genre that Simmons has also explored.

So, what is my recommendation regarding Drood? If you're a confirmed Dan Simmons fan, you'll probably want to read it. And if you're intrigued by the idea of a novel at least loosely based on the last few years of the real life of Charles Dickens, then you'll probably want to read it. But you've got to have patience, and perseverance. This is not a journey to be taken lightly.

Bent, Bound & Stitched by Giuseppina “Josie” Cirincione

2009-03-18T06:57:00.000-07:00

Bent, Bound & Stitched: Collage, Cards and Jewelry with a Twist by Giuseppina “Josie” Cirincione. Cincinnati, Ohio: North Light Books, 2008. ISBN: 978-1-60061-060-8

I'm a sucker for collage books. Thankfully I'm generally able to satisfy my desires through my local library, as with this book, which I had seen advertised, or reviewed somewhere, so I checked my local library catalog, found it, put a hold on it, and waited patiently until it showed up at my local branch for pickup.

Don't get me wrong: the book has a lot of great ideas and creativity sparking suggestions in it, replete with lots of intriguing pictures and images. But most of the projects are too complicated for me personally. Just the supply list alone was enough to tell me that, especially when it contains items like wire, sheet metal, brads, eyelets, and screws! I prefer to stick to paper, thank you very much. I'm not interested in bending and twisting wire, and the projects that involved those kinds of techniques looked way too complicated to me, and besides they just didn't pique my interest.

There was only one project in the book that really grabbed me, to the point that I had to try it out, and that was “Signed and Sealed,” in which the author shows how to make envelopes from pages taken from vintage magazines. For larger cards, she says, “try using atlases; the oversized pages easily accommodate odd-sized cards.” Since I just happen to have several old atlases lying around as part of my accumulated stash of collage supplies, this worked perfectly for me.

The only problem: instead of the card stock she recommends, I used pieces of cardboard rescued from emptied cereal boxes. I think these were too stiff and clunky. Consequently the envelopes I made seemed bulky and awkward. I will really have to give it another try actually using card stock as the author recommends, and see if they turn out any better.

So, the success of the envelope project? As yet undetermined. But hopeful. As for the rest of the book? Lots of pretty pictures, and clever projects, too clever by far for me. But for anyone into paper arts and crafts, you'll enjoy looking at the pictures, and who knows? You might even get sufficiently inspired to try making one of them!

Steampunk edited by Ann & Jeff VanderMeer

2009-03-02T22:18:00.000-08:00

Steampunk edited by Ann & Jeff VanderMeer. San Francisco: Tachyon Publications, 2008. ISBN: 978-1-892391-75-9

This sub-genre-driven collection contains a brief preface by the editors, a more detailed introduction by Jess Nevins, in which he traces the roots of the genre in areas that are probably relatively unfamiliar even to most modern practitioners, and concludes with two bibliographical essays, the first of which lists instances of steampunk in modern culture, including online on the Internet, in gaming, especially role playing games of the D&D variety, on TV and in film, and the second of which surveys “the genre within the comic book medium.”

In between are 13 steampunk stories, the first and last of which are excerpts from larger works. Their copyright dates range from 1971 to 2007. So what is steampunk, exactly? Basically, it's science fiction set in the Victorian age, with marvelous machines, often (but not nearly always) steam driven, and frequently alternate universes or worlds in which such advanced technologies existed in an earlier era than in ours.

The Jess Nevins introduction describes The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling as “still the finest expression of the genre yet written,” an assessment with which I must sincerely agree. The Difference Engine is a must read for anyone interested in science fiction at all, and is canonical within the sub-genre. It's quite simply a wonderful book, not to be missed.

As to the rest of the examples provided here, well, I could live without many of them. They offer sometimes intriguing, sometimes less than intriguing views of various steampunk universes. There were many entertaining moments along the way as I read my way through this collection, but no epiphanies, no discoveries of writers or stories so amazing or wonderful that I felt compelled to seek out more of the same.

If, on the other hand, steampunk is your thing, you'll find much to admire here. I think my favorite stories were Michael Chabon's “The Martian Agent, a Planetary Romance” and Stepan Chapman's “Minutes of the Last Meeting,” although the both had (in my view) unsatisfactory endings. The first just sort of trickles off (one charitably assumes it's just the first part of a much larger saga), and the second ends altogether too dramatically, in a denouement that makes the entire story up to that point an exercise in futility.

Still, this collection is recommended for anyone interested in exploring this fascinating, albeit (in my view) ultimately dead-end sub-genre within the larger science fiction universe.

Spook Country by William Gibson

2009-02-01T22:58:00.000-08:00

Spook Country by William Gibson. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2007. ISBN: 978-0-399-15430-0

The only subject heading that (presumably) the Library of Congress bothered to assign to this, William Gibson's new novel, is Intelligence Officers—Fiction. And that's hardly what the book is about. It involves one or two (intelligence officers, that is), or perhaps wannabees or has beens, but they are only peripherally what the book is about. So what is it about?

It's about a new form of conceptual, virtual geo-referenced art. Art that is only visible if you're wearing some form of virtual reality gear. Virtual art that only exists (virtually) in a particular place and perhaps, time.

It's about a shipping container, one of those big rectangular, railroad car sized containers that travel around the world on container ships. This particular container is being tracked by various individuals for reasons that don't become clear until almost the end of the story.

It's about people playing espionage games in New York, then suddenly, near the denouement, moving abruptly to Vancouver, British Columbia. Which is where the various plot streams, and disparate characters all finally come together in a dramatic, and action-paced finale.

This latest Gibson tome is honestly more of a suspense novel, than it is science fiction, since most of it could be happening right now, in today's world. At least, for me it's hard to tell where the current reality ends, and any science fiction elements begin. But that's OK.

The book works. At the beginning, as is often the case with Gibson, it's hard to tell what's happening, where it's going, what the point is. The disparate characters are each leading their disparate and often bewildering lives, and you're not at all sure what the point of it all is. But knowing Gibson, you know that there IS a point, and that all will eventually become—if not entirely clear—at least clear-ER. Definitely recommended, especially for fans of previous Gibson novels. Must reading for all science fiction aficionados.

Unnatural Death by Dorothy Sayers

2009-01-25T22:13:00.000-08:00

Unnatural Death: The Dawson Pedigree by Dorothy Sayers. New York: Avon, 1964 (originally copyright 1927). ISBN: 0-380-00794-0

Dorothy Sayers is one of my all time favorite mystery writers. Some people like Agatha Christie, but I prefer Sayers. I got started quite a few years ago when I was first learning to play handbells, and to direct handbell choirs. Someone mentioned The Nine Tailors, a Sayers mystery which features English change ringing, which is practiced using handbells, I found and read the book, and was hooked.

After that I eventually read all of the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries, and some of Sayers other work as well, although it's the Lord Peter books that I enjoy the most, and which I reread from time to time. My wife and I also enjoyed watching all of the PBS Mystery series that featured Lord Peter, and I have plans to see them again sometime—it's been years since they were on.

My favorite Lord Peter story remains The Nine Tailors, which I've read several times, and plan to read several times more during my life, given the opportunity, and also the last few books which detail Lord Peter's courtship and marriage. But this is a different book entirely. Here, Peter works with his pal, policeman Charles Parker to solve a murder that was never reported as such, and was only suspicious to the murdered old lady's doctor. But later, a young woman is also found dead, and only Lord Peter and his friend put the two together. The local authorities are looking for much simpler and more straightforward explanations.

We also get a good dose of Wimsey's occasional assistant, Miss Climpson, who helps with the investigation by temporarily moving to the town in question, and fitting in among the church ladies and local gossips, to learn whatever she can about events, reporting back to Lord Peter, of course. Miss Climpson, a middle-aged spinster, has a way of talking (and writing, although one has to wonder about that, because surely she can't hand write—or type—italics!) in which key words are emphasized. Here's a sample of her speech:

“Well, now, so am I, Mrs. Peasgood,” rejoined Miss Climpson promptly, “and that is what I said to Mrs. Budge at the time. I said, 'Do I understand that there was anything odd about the old lady's death?—because she had spoken of the peculiar circumstances of the case, and you now, I should not at all like to live in a house which could be called in any way notorious. I should really feel quite uncomfortable about it.”

One of the things I like most about the Dorothy Sayers Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries is that you are at once enveloped in a world far different from our own, the world of Britain between the wars, a world of tea cozies, and trains to London, and church ladies at Evensong, and country lanes, and . . . well, you sort of get the picture.

And you get charming Lord Peter, too, with his manservant, Bunter; Murbles, the solicitor; Miss Climpson, policeman Parker, who eventually marries Peter's sister, Mary; Peter's mother, the Dowager Duchess of Denver, and more delightful characters. Not necessarily all in the same book, or story, of course, but over time you get to know most of them well.

At this point, for me, at least, rereading a Dorothy Sayers Lord Peter mystery is like visiting an old, dear friend. Definitely recommended.

Juggler of Worlds by Niven and Lerner

2009-01-18T19:02:00.000-08:00

Juggler of Worlds by Larry Niven and Edward M. Lerner. New York: Tor, 2008. ISBN: 978-0-7653-1826-8

Must reading for any fan of Niven's “Known Space” universe, a collection of short stories and novels, set in a future history of Niven's devising. Although Niven has allowed many other writers to contribute through the Man-Kzin Wars anthologies which he edited.

However, most of the plot/story line in Juggler of Worlds will be old hat, known territory, to Niven fans. That's because they are essentially the Beowulf Shaeffer stories retold from the perspective of Sigmund Ausfaller, paranoid ARM agent, and less often from the perspective of various Puppeteers, the aliens whose influence Ausfaller is constantly fighting.

Only the final few chapters (don't ask me how many exactly) provide any new plot developments, new to me, at least. I can't guarantee that even they are truly new, but I don't recall having encountered them before. Still, it's still a must read for Known Space fans; I won't change that opinion.

So what is the ARM? It stands for Amalgamated Regional Militia, and it is the action “arm” (pun obviously intended) of the United Nations, the primary earth-based government body once human-kind has made it out into the stars. Why is Ausfaller paranoid? Because that's part of his occupational toolkit. He happens to have been born that way. ARM agents that aren't dope themselves into a paranoid condition when they're on the job. Natural paranoids like Ausfaller are chemically corrected when they're NOT on the job.

This is not the place to try and fill you in on Known Space background, history, and timeline. For that, visit the Wikipedia article on the topic, or The Incompleat Known Space Concordance, or perhaps, Niven's own Known Space web site. Or better yet, just go read the books. You won't find (in my view), any better science fiction, anywhere.

Dependent as I too often am on what happens to show up on the new book shelf at my local public library, or what I encounter in various periodicals and other sources, I wasn't aware (or was at best only casually aware) that Niven had already co-written a previous new Known Space novel with Lerner, titled Fleet of Worlds, and released in 2007. The name rings a vague bell, so I guess I must have seen it somewhere, but haven't gotten around to reading it, obviously. This is an oversight I must try and remedy soon! Meanwhile, Juggler of Worlds is highly recommended.

Sherlock Holmes Was Wrong by Pierre Bayard

2009-01-11T22:17:00.000-08:00

Sherlock Holmes Was Wrong: Reopening the Case of The Hound of the Baskervilles by Pierre Bayard, Translated from the French by Charlotte Mandell. New York: Bloomsbury, 2008. ISBN: 978-1-59691-605-0

This book is passing strange. Interesting, yes, but definitely strange. The author makes a pretty good case for his contention that Holmes got it wrong in The Hound of the Baskervilles, and I'm not unconvinced that his solution is more likely, more elegant, even, than that of the famous detective, as chronicled by the equally fictitious Dr. Watson, all through the real pen of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

And right there you have in a nutshell, part of the problem I have with this book. Some of the time our author, Bayard, acts as though Holmes and Watson are real people, capable of their own actions, volitions, and intentions. He states, in fact, as a general rule, that since the author invariably depicts for us only part of any character's life, that

"This uncertainty is closely linked to an essential point that will be discussed later on regarding the special mode of existence of literary characters. These characters, I believe, enjoy a much greater autonomy than we usually think, and are able to take initiatives unknown both to the writer and the reader.”

Patent nonsense! I say, though not entirely impossible or implausible. I can believe this kind of nonsense, only if I suspend my sense of disbelief even more than normally required for enjoying any work of fiction.

At other times, Bayard steps back, and analyzes the real author, Conan Doyle. The level on which his analyses work is never constant, but jumps back and forth. He makes a great deal out of the fact that by the time Conan Doyle wrote this book, he not only resented his character, Sherlock Holmes, but actively hated him. And consequently, subconsciously, at least, was perfectly capable of allowing him to come to entirely incorrect conclusions about the case.

He justifies much of this through a lot of claptrap about how fictional characters can become more real than real people, and inhabit our world as much as we inhabit theirs. Here's how he sums it up (p. 114):

My tolerance toward fictional creations can be explained by two chief notions. The first is the certainty of a great permeability between fiction and reality. There is no point in trying to patrol the borders between these worlds, for passages between them occur constantly, in both directions. Not only, as we will see, can we inhabit one fictional world or another, but the inhabitants of that world also at times come to live in ours.

The second notion . . . is my profound conviction that literary characters enjoy a certain autonomy, both within the world in which they live and in the travels they make between that world and our own. We do not completely control their actions and movements. Neither the author nor the reader can do so.

So long as he is talking about the realm of the subconscious, and the realm of the imagination, I suppose I can give some credence to this notion, although I find it a bit of a stretch.

Anyway, if you are a Sherlock Holmes fanatic, you may want to read this book. On the other hand, depending on the nature of that fanaticism, you may find the very notion of this book heretical. I'm certainly not going to tell you who Bayard thinks is the real murderer, completely contrary to the solution that Sherlock Holmes comes up with. It is, frankly, the only real suspense that will keep you reading through this often times tedious book. Marginally recommended for those who can't bear not to read it.

The Grand Complication by Allen Kurzweil

2009-01-04T22:13:00.000-08:00

The Grand Complication by Allen Kurzweil. New York: Hyperion, 2001. ISBN: 0-7868-6603-9

Calling all bibliophiles, librarians, and lovers of bookish books. Here's a really fun book, especially for librarians, but also those who love books, puzzles, antiquities, and the like. The main character is a typically obsessive librarian, who apparently works in some sort of rare books library. He has a lovely French live-in artist lover, but by the time our story opens, they are increasingly at odds with one another, increasingly over our librarian's fixation on helping, then working for, an eccentric bibliophile who is hunting for a very valuable, stolen watch, which at one time, seems to have hung in a case of curiosities he owns, and naturally wishes to complete.

If this all sounds wonderfully (or pedantically, take your choice) complicated, well, I need only to refer you back to the title of the book. Things are not as they seem, however, and just about everything our heroic librarian thinks he knows about this venture eventually turns out to be wrong. But not before we go with him on numerous investigatory adventures, both literary and real.

A delightfully entertaining romp of a story, even if it does put our heroic librarian in a less than ideally situated light, especially from a psychological point of view. But then, what do we expect? Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys this sort of convoluted bibliophiliac kind of tale. Try it, I bet you'll like it!

The Valley-Westside War by Harry Turtledove

2008-12-28T22:13:00.000-08:00

The Valley-Westside War by Harry Turtledove. New York: Tor, 2008. ISBN: 978-0-7653-1487-1

"A Novel of Crosstime Traffic," proclaims the cover. I've read and reviewed all but one of the previous books in this series, Gunpowder Empire, Curious Notions, The Disunited State of America, and The Gladiator. The only one I've missed is In High Places, which comes between Curious Notions and The Disunited.

To remind you of the series premise, in our future, scientists have learned how to cross between alternate realities, and set up incognito trading franchises in many of them, which invariably involve families, including one or more teenage kids. Making these books great YA (Young Adult) novels, likely to be enjoyed by young and not so young (like me) readers alike. In this volume, we visit an alternate timeline in which the U.S. and Soviet Union didn't manage to keep the cold war cold, but destroyed one another's civilizations in a nuclear war, which seems to have knocked the entire world back into a pre-industrial civilization.

Our young heroine, Liz by name, gets involved, somewhat against her will, with a young man named Dan, who is a foot soldier in an all-too-real war between local warlords. Dan likes Liz, but Liz doesn't particularly reciprocate the attraction. Liz spends her spare time in the UCLA library, what's left of it, reading old news magazines, trying to help her dad figure out why in this timeline, the cold war turned hot. Her dad has a grant from the UCLA history department back in the home timeline.

There's just one giant hole in the plot, in my view. Our timeline traveling family has a secret room in their house, equipped with modern amenities like a refrigerator, electric lights, and the like. The room is very carefully hidden, and only opens by password. Liz (and presumably her family) use the famous Mellon "speak friend and enter" password from Tolkien's Ring trilogy as their password, because she knows those movies were made after the break in the two timelines.

What she doesn't know is that the books predate the break, and her "friend" Dan has read the books. But the hole in the plot? The idea that they would use a mere password to control entry to their hideaway. Surely they would have used voice recognition! It makes no sense to use something as simplistic as a mere password for somthing this important. Nor would it work as well. It's a lot harder (I would imagine) for a machine to recognize anyone saying a particular word, then it would be for the machine to identify the precise voice prints of those programmed into its memory.

Nevertheless, it's a good yarn, told as well as Turtledove usually manages, although there is a fair amount of excess verbiage that doesn't really contribute to forwarding the action. A quick and easy read, recommended for anyone who's been enjoying the earlier books in the series.

The Brethren by John Grisham

2008-12-21T23:15:00.000-08:00

The Brethren by John Grisham. New York: Doubleday, 2000. ISBN: 0-385-49746-6

Another entertaining yarn from the legal beagle of storytellers, one that apparently I missed when it first came out. The plot is pretty implausible, but amusing. Three bad judges, locked up in jail, are running a scam. They put personal ads in gay publications, pretending to be a young man looking for an older sponsor. When they hook someone in, they blackmail him.

But oops, unbeknownst to them, one of the fish they've landed is a U.S. senator, being secretly groomed for the presidency by the head of the CIA, who plans to manufacture some serious crisis or other to help push him to power while running on a strong defense platform. And the spooks don't take kindly to the possibility of their guy being outed as a closet gay.

That's the part that doesn't really ring true, to me at least. Sure, other people have written similar stories in the past, imagining some kind of coup taking over the U.S. government, but in Grisham's case, we know it's all just for fun, just part of the entertainment package, designed to keep us turning the pages. And it works, but we know it's not real.

The most disappointing aspect of the book is the ending. The young alcoholic lawyer on the outside, who acts as mailman for the judges on the inside, gets bumped off by the CIA for no apparent reason, except that he knows a bit too much, while the judges get away scot free, and live out their days in Rome, where bored, they apparently start running their scam again. It's all just a little too pat, and the story just kind of peters out with a bit of a thud.

Recommended for Grisham fans, but not in his top class, in my view. Certainly not in the same league as such previous efforts as The Client, or The Firm.

Woman of a Thousand Secrets by Barbara Wood

2008-12-17T22:15:00.000-08:00

Woman of a Thousand Secrets by Barbara Wood. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2008. ISBN: 978-0-312-36369-7

First and foremost, be it known that this book is a romance novel. I could tell that from the cover painting, and subsequent reading certainly bore it out. The woman and her putative lover are kept separate for as long as possible (a standard element in many a romance genre plot). First they dislike, even hate each other, then they come to appreciate, and eventually love each other madly, but numerous twists and turns of the storyline are devised to keep them apart. It is not until page 446 (!) that they finally consummate their relationship with the sexual act.

But this book is a lot more than that, and not merely a romance novel, or I wouldn't have bothered to read it. It's a historical novel of sorts, set primarily as it is in pre-Columbian Mexico. It takes for the culmination of the book, the traditional tale of the founding of the Mexica civilization, also known as the Aztec empire, which is believed to have occurred in the 12th century AD.

Although there is plenty of scholarly debate over how that civilization began, since much of the written record was deliberately destroyed by the Spanish after the conquest by Cortés. The version portrayed here is no doubt fancifully embroidered with lots of artistic license by the novelist, but I'm no expert to judge the authenticity of any of the details as depicted here.

As I've written before in this blog, give me a story set far enough in the past, especially in a very different or unfamiliar culture, and it's almost like reading science fiction. The novelty of the setting provides a great deal of the interest. Add to which the author is a darn good story teller. While I wouldn't class this at the level of the best page turners I've read, it comes close enough. There are always interesting things happening that pull you along and keep you wanting to find out what's going to happen next. Even when you realize you're being manipulated, and that there's no real logic to the events as they unfold.

So, ultimately recommended for anyone who enjoys a big, thick, romantic yarn, entertainingly set in an exotic locale, replete with good folks and bad folks, and bad folks turned good, and so forth and so on, ad infinitum.

Ascendancies by Bruce Sterling

2008-12-14T17:50:00.000-08:00

Ascendancies: The Best of Bruce Sterling by Bruce Sterling. Burton, Michigan: Subterranean Press, 2007. ISBN: 978-1-59606-113-2

The stories in this collection range in original publication dates from 1982 to the present. Some of them fit into series that Sterling has written, including five “Shaper/Mechanist” stories, three “Leggy Starlitz” tales, and three “Chattanooga Stories,” one of which I had read before in some other collection somewhere (I enjoyed it almost as much the second time around; it's a good story). Then there are even larger segments of the book simply lumped together under the headings “Early Science Fiction and Fantasy,” and “Later Science Fiction and Fantasy.”

Amazingly, there is nothing else by Sterling in my blog, which means, apparently, that I've not read any of his work (except in anthologies) since 2003. I know I read some of his cyberpunk stuff back in the 80's and 90's, but apparently nothing recently. It's the old “too many books, too little time” dilemma.

Because Sterling is definitely worth reading, and there are a lot of good stories in this collection, along with the requisite, albeit in this case, quite restrained, author commentary. While many authors feel compelled to unburden themselves given the excuse of a collection like this, Sterling's comments are confined to a paltry five pages at the beginning of the book. After that, he just lets the stories speak for themselves. And speak, they do! Definitely recommended.

Vintage Collage-Works by Maryjo and Sunny Koch

2008-12-10T22:42:00.000-08:00

Vintage Collage-Works: Artful Ideas with Antique Ephemera by Maryjo & Sunny Koch. Produced and Designed by Jennifer Barry. Photographs by Wendy Candelaria. Text by Carolyn Miller. Beverly, Massachusetts: Quarry Books, 2007. ISBN: 1-59253-390-6

This is an idea book for collage artists, or those who would-be such. As such, it has lots of good ideas, and provides inspiration for any number of collage projects, designs, and techniques. These include painting on a collage, using various types of antique papers, such as old letters, envelopes, postage stamps, music (my favorite). Other techniques, such as painting, image transfer, and the use of clip art, are also described.

Of the painting techniques described, scumbling seems the most useful to me. I'm not good at drawing, so I'm afraid the painting of birds and butterflies by hand is not something I'd be good at, or particularly interested in. I see how adding them to a collage can add interest, but I'd be more inclined to find a preexisting picture, and just paste it onto the collage.

While many of the specific projects depicted and described in the book are too cutesy, or too florid and fancy for my taste, they provide lots of inspiration, and ideas for similar collages. My style would hopefully be a little more restrained. Also, the very specific step-by-step instructions on how to create more or less exact replicas of the pieces shown in the book, are not all that helpful.

What I want from a book like this is ideas that spark my own imagination, and techniques explained well enough that I can apply them to my own ideas. And both of those things, this book provides in plentiful supply. Definitely recommended for anyone interested in collage as an art form.

Reader and Raelynx by Sharon Shinn

2008-12-07T22:19:00.000-08:00

Reader and Raelynx by Sharon Shinn. New York: Ace Books, 2007. ISBN: 978-0-441-01469-9

This is the fourth book in Sharon Shinn's series, "The Novels of the Twelve Houses." In this volume, the civil war that has been brewing throughout the series finally comes to a head. If there is any weakness in the book, it's in the depiction of the battle scenes, which in my view sometimes lacked somewhat in detail or verisimilitude.

To further complicate the story line, Cammon, the likable young mystic, falls hopelessly in love with the princess and heir to the throne. We know it's happening before he does. Lots of other complications ensue, as well. If you've been following the series, by now you've come to know and love the primary group of characters, and are eagerly looking forward to the next chapter in their lives.

Overall, the book does not disappoint. Highly recommended for anyone into the series, of course. But if you haven't read the earlier books, definitely start at the beginning and work your way through them. According to the author's web site, Fortune and Fate, the next book in the series, is already in print.

All Tomorrow's Parties by William Gibson

2008-12-03T21:56:00.000-08:00

All Tomorrow's Parties by William Gibson. New York: Berkley Books, 1999. ISBN: 0-425-19044-7

I had read this book before. In fact, I've read everything by William Gibson, I believe, except for his latest (2007) novel, Spook Country. But it had been long enough since I read it the first time, that I didn't remember too much of the story, or what was going to happen next. Reading it again was like a continuous episode of deja vu. I remember this! Yes, and this, too! Ah yes, that's what I remember! But not in advance. So it was basically just as good as reading it the first time.

And Gibson's novels are definitely good, and definitely worth reading, everyone. He was one of the inventors, and best exemplars of the so-called “cyber-punk” movement in science fiction. A seminal thinker, and a great story teller, his visions of how it might be, or almost could be, or might soon be, are compelling and visceral. If you call yourself a SciFi fan, but haven't read Gibson, you're fooling yourself.

So, what's it about? Good question. Maybe it's about the possibility of artificial intelligence becoming human. Maybe it's about a has-been cop, a private eye, in San Fransisco. Maybe it's about some cyber-savvy hacker living in a cardboard box in a Tokyo slum, who senses that some major paradigmatic change is about to happen, and works to influence events. Maybe it's about all of that, but somehow, much much more. Essential reading for SciFi readers.