Well, remember my inaugural entry and that book review I was putting off? Well, I finally got around to it, and it's now online: http://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/2008/07/03/royal-escape-a-review-of-a-georgette-heyer-historical-novel/
Don't pout if you find it better written than the meanderings on this page.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Zigzagging Down a Wild Trail
It had been a while since I'd read a Bobbie Ann Mason short story -- and, yes, that short story was "Shiloh." Zigzagging confirms Mason as a master craftsman. Her characters, generally rural Southerners, are believable; their world is authentic (and at times familiar). Most importantly, Mason is always revealing new considerations and new sides to her characters-- even familiar "types" come off without being stereotypical. (Take, for example, the recently-released-from-prison boyfriend in "Tunica.") It's nice to see Mason's compassionate take on politics on the homefront ("Thunder Snow"). "The Funeral Side" and "Charger" are highlights of this volume. In the former, one feels the difficulty of the main character's decisions, torn between her childhood home and elderly father, her unsettling childhood memories, her commitment issues, and the life she's left behind in Alaska. The reader understands the difficulty of the decision facing her (but this one's hoping she takes an Alaska plane!). In "Charger," Mason not only presents a convincing nineteen-year-old male as her point-of-view character but also captures the frustrations of many (in all walks of life) who feel (accurately) that no one else quite understands the problems they face. "With Jazz" is perhaps the strongest piece in the collection, with its humorous and affectionate depiction of a middle-aged mother (and recent grandmother) and its bittersweet ending.
Jim Butcher Love Fest?
I'll be honest, my first reaction to the Dresden Files was one of disappointment -- there was something a little slapdash, a little fluffy about Storm Front (and its successors). After the Alera Codex books, these were a bit of a letdown. (The Dresen Files predate the high fantasy series, and Butcher's letter to the reader introducing Dresden fans to Alera is absolutely adorable.) Neither mysteries or first-person narratives make my best-loved elements of fiction list, so I suppose the series was fighting an uphill battle. Even so, for a first person narrative, Harry Dresden struck me as a little too... normal. I was about three quarters through Storm Front when I realized, despite its flaws, I couldn't put the book down. I rolled through all ten books in about as many days. Formulaic? Sometimes. Gratuitous use of violence and femme fatales? Sometimes. Entertaining? Always. The Dresden Files are better than watching summer TV, that's for sure. (Alas, I've no SciFi, and although the TV adaptation seems a bit hokey, I do think I'll be Netflixing it soon.)
Butcher rolls these out like nobody's business, and (especially in the first few) the editing occassionally suffers. However, as the series progresses, both Dresden and sidekicks develop as characters. It's nice to learn more about Dresden's parentage and follow the unfolding of the Black Denarians/Knights of the Cross conflict. Susan is absolutely more interesting as not-quite-a-vampire than she was as the cardboard cutter reporter. A bit more on the individual titles to follow. Bottom line, Butcher is a master of the action sequence, and the Dresden Files are fun from start to finish.
Storm Front -- a typical detective novel, well, except for that wizard thing.
Fool Moon -- ok, the Canim from the Alera codex are much scarier. But the many varieties of werewolf in Dresden't Chicago keep things interesting in this sequel.
Grave Peril -- things are stepped up a notch in number 3 -- Michael, who carries a sword bearing a nail from the Cruxifiction, is a compelling character, and in general, the Knights of the Cross tend to crop up in Dresden's most interestign cases. Butcher doesn't hesitate to steal from any movie, fantasy, fiction, TV, or even musical number; on the other hand, this eclecticism, where Celtic mythology meets fairytale meets horror story meets Christian worship meets paganism, is part of what makes the Dresden files so enjoyable. The opening scene, at Cook County Hospital, is memorable, and stakes are high at the climactic vampires' ball.
Summer Knight -- The final battle here, with the ensemble cast including teen wolves and Toot Toot, is exciting. Who doesn't like a pitched battle between Faerie armies? Butcher's women seldom entirely convince me, and Elaine's no exception. It doesn't seem like she's going to turn out evil after all, which disappoints. Like some of the magic in general in this series, Faerie seems to be a place where the rules are made up as you go along, which tends to lessen the suprise when (suprise?) Harry scrapes by again.
Death Masks -- Dark (yet exciting). The Black Denarians make their first appearance here (as does Shiro). The Undertown scene may trump even the airport/train chase finale.
Blood Rites -- who doesn't want a puppy dog? or a vampire as little bro? (or a job on a porn set?) The most interesting thing here are the revelations about the Raith family.
Dead Beat -- Apocalypse is on the horizon for the second (third?) time here, but Sue the T-Rex is here to save the day! This is a strong effort, and the introduction of Luccio is interesting.
Proven Guilty -- the rebellious teenager and murder at the horror film convention don't make this the most compelling of the Dresden books (but what an interesting reveal about Charity!). The implications of Molly as an apprentice are interesting in light of Dresden's character & history, however.
White Night -- This one is a little more of a whodunnit than some, keeping one guessing. Those ghouls are nasty critters -- but the Thomas of this volume makes me curious about the forthcoming Backup.
Small Favor -- well, I've been waiting for Mab to show up again. The premise here a little weak, but Denarians make for an active closing.
Butcher rolls these out like nobody's business, and (especially in the first few) the editing occassionally suffers. However, as the series progresses, both Dresden and sidekicks develop as characters. It's nice to learn more about Dresden's parentage and follow the unfolding of the Black Denarians/Knights of the Cross conflict. Susan is absolutely more interesting as not-quite-a-vampire than she was as the cardboard cutter reporter. A bit more on the individual titles to follow. Bottom line, Butcher is a master of the action sequence, and the Dresden Files are fun from start to finish.
Storm Front -- a typical detective novel, well, except for that wizard thing.
Fool Moon -- ok, the Canim from the Alera codex are much scarier. But the many varieties of werewolf in Dresden't Chicago keep things interesting in this sequel.
Grave Peril -- things are stepped up a notch in number 3 -- Michael, who carries a sword bearing a nail from the Cruxifiction, is a compelling character, and in general, the Knights of the Cross tend to crop up in Dresden's most interestign cases. Butcher doesn't hesitate to steal from any movie, fantasy, fiction, TV, or even musical number; on the other hand, this eclecticism, where Celtic mythology meets fairytale meets horror story meets Christian worship meets paganism, is part of what makes the Dresden files so enjoyable. The opening scene, at Cook County Hospital, is memorable, and stakes are high at the climactic vampires' ball.
Summer Knight -- The final battle here, with the ensemble cast including teen wolves and Toot Toot, is exciting. Who doesn't like a pitched battle between Faerie armies? Butcher's women seldom entirely convince me, and Elaine's no exception. It doesn't seem like she's going to turn out evil after all, which disappoints. Like some of the magic in general in this series, Faerie seems to be a place where the rules are made up as you go along, which tends to lessen the suprise when (suprise?) Harry scrapes by again.
Death Masks -- Dark (yet exciting). The Black Denarians make their first appearance here (as does Shiro). The Undertown scene may trump even the airport/train chase finale.
Blood Rites -- who doesn't want a puppy dog? or a vampire as little bro? (or a job on a porn set?) The most interesting thing here are the revelations about the Raith family.
Dead Beat -- Apocalypse is on the horizon for the second (third?) time here, but Sue the T-Rex is here to save the day! This is a strong effort, and the introduction of Luccio is interesting.
Proven Guilty -- the rebellious teenager and murder at the horror film convention don't make this the most compelling of the Dresden books (but what an interesting reveal about Charity!). The implications of Molly as an apprentice are interesting in light of Dresden's character & history, however.
White Night -- This one is a little more of a whodunnit than some, keeping one guessing. Those ghouls are nasty critters -- but the Thomas of this volume makes me curious about the forthcoming Backup.
Small Favor -- well, I've been waiting for Mab to show up again. The premise here a little weak, but Denarians make for an active closing.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Furies of Calderon
Well, I needed a breather, and it was time I gave in to Amazon's Recommendations page and tried something by Jim Butcher. Furies of Calderon quickly drew me in; on the whole, it delivered. The history of the Roman Empire, while clearly underpinning this fantasy (sci-fi?) world, didn't seem to be handled as complexly as I hoped. Perhaps this is because the fantasy element -- the powers of the elemental furies -- is so complex. While I appreciate the interplay, I worry that the furies have too much power. Is this a series populated entirely by superheroes? Is there anything these guys can't do?
There are some nice touches in the cast of characters (large enough to provide interest and small enough to allow Butcher to flesh out individuals, even sometimes in expected ways) and in the plot strands. The gender questions are handled well, even if Butcher's women tend to read like women written by a man. I enjoyed seeing Fidelius' point of view, was intrigued by the Marat, and was pleased that fury-less protagonist Tavi didn't suddenly discover his fury at the climax-- though I suspect that's coming in the sequel, Academ's Fury. (I'll let you know soon!)
There are some nice touches in the cast of characters (large enough to provide interest and small enough to allow Butcher to flesh out individuals, even sometimes in expected ways) and in the plot strands. The gender questions are handled well, even if Butcher's women tend to read like women written by a man. I enjoyed seeing Fidelius' point of view, was intrigued by the Marat, and was pleased that fury-less protagonist Tavi didn't suddenly discover his fury at the climax-- though I suspect that's coming in the sequel, Academ's Fury. (I'll let you know soon!)
The Road
Can one say serendipitous in a review of a Cormac McCarthy novel? Reading this book directly after Blood Meridian seemed serendipitous: The Road is in many ways a postapocalyptic rewrite of the earlier Western.
There's a little more "human" in The Road, though, again, I'm perturbed by the unnamed characters and torn between awe of the occasional verbally brilliant, contemplative passages and a suspicion that, profound or not, they're ultimately diversions.
I was surprised at the ending -- even with Oprah's endorsement, I couldn't bring myself to expect quite so much hope. I'm not sure I entirely believe it. In the end, The Road is a more fulfilling, mature novel Blood Meridian.
There's a little more "human" in The Road, though, again, I'm perturbed by the unnamed characters and torn between awe of the occasional verbally brilliant, contemplative passages and a suspicion that, profound or not, they're ultimately diversions.
I was surprised at the ending -- even with Oprah's endorsement, I couldn't bring myself to expect quite so much hope. I'm not sure I entirely believe it. In the end, The Road is a more fulfilling, mature novel Blood Meridian.
Blood Meridian or The Evening Redness in the West
Reading The Border Trilogy made me a Cormac McCarthy fan. (I'll admit it: All the Pretty Horses is my fav.) Recently, I read No Country for Old Men, a unique reading experience because I broke my vow to never watch the movie first, but a novel different but on par with the trilogy. I was excited to go back to the Western and an earlier McCarthy in Blood Meridian.
Blood Meridian is relentless, yet with McCarthy, you trust that even gratuity can be meaningful. That said, I like my parables shorter. Probably very few people could say they "liked" reading this book, but all too often I found myself asking, "who cares?" I have no patience with unnamed protagonists; there's a reason that Judge Holden, the character who holds the novel together, has a name. No Country for Old Men, which similarly has few sympathetic characters, nevertheless has characters in a way that Blood Meridian doesn't.
Difficult as it is, Blood Meridian has some incredible passages. The last chapter is particularly stunning (yeah, I knew better than to hope for the fairytale).
McCarthy does strike me as Faulknerian at times, and Blood Meridian is interesting as a piece in his oevre. Ultimately, however, it seems like a warm-up for the later works.
Blood Meridian is relentless, yet with McCarthy, you trust that even gratuity can be meaningful. That said, I like my parables shorter. Probably very few people could say they "liked" reading this book, but all too often I found myself asking, "who cares?" I have no patience with unnamed protagonists; there's a reason that Judge Holden, the character who holds the novel together, has a name. No Country for Old Men, which similarly has few sympathetic characters, nevertheless has characters in a way that Blood Meridian doesn't.
Difficult as it is, Blood Meridian has some incredible passages. The last chapter is particularly stunning (yeah, I knew better than to hope for the fairytale).
McCarthy does strike me as Faulknerian at times, and Blood Meridian is interesting as a piece in his oevre. Ultimately, however, it seems like a warm-up for the later works.
Monkey
I picked up Monkey for two reasons: 1) a friend of mine has been working her way through the multi-volume Chinese classic novels, and 2) I've felt like I've been missing out ever since I read Kim Stanley Robinson's The Years of Rice and Salt. Although part of me thinks it's not fair to critique anything that's been abridged, I just wasn't up to reading 2000 pages of The Journey to the West.
First, let me say that Arthur Waley's translation doesn't read as if it's 50 years old. (Do translations date themselves more readily than original works? I think in some cases they do; Waley's remains very readable.) I was sucked in; I actually read this 300-page abdridgment in a day.
That said, I don't know if I was fully satisfied with the work. I enjoyed the adventure, but the structure is so episodic that I felt no suspense (except at occasional chapter's-end teasers) and didn't generally have a sense that one episode built upon the next or escalated the stakes. In terms of character, only Monkey himself was sympathetic (ok, Pigsy sometimes); Tripitaka certainly wasn't.
In his Preface, Waley says, "it might be supposed that the satire was directed against religion rather than against bureaucracy. But the idea that the hierarchy in Heaven is a replica of government on earth is an accepted one in China." This is perceptive, and it reflects on part of the problem for me: I don't feel well-versed enough in Eastern traditions to feel I can make an informed decision on the many questions of tone that Monkey presents: honest or satiric satire? both at the same time (is it possible)? sometime one and sometimes the other? Ultimately, I'm puzzled.
Well, Monkey was fun, and maybe someday I'll give the unabridged version a shot. Hu Shih, who writes the introduction, makes me curious about his favorite omitted episodes ("The Monkey Playing the Medico at the Vermillion-Purple Kingdom"?). And I'll be adding some of those Chinese classics to my to-read list: Three Kingdoms, you're up next.
First, let me say that Arthur Waley's translation doesn't read as if it's 50 years old. (Do translations date themselves more readily than original works? I think in some cases they do; Waley's remains very readable.) I was sucked in; I actually read this 300-page abdridgment in a day.
That said, I don't know if I was fully satisfied with the work. I enjoyed the adventure, but the structure is so episodic that I felt no suspense (except at occasional chapter's-end teasers) and didn't generally have a sense that one episode built upon the next or escalated the stakes. In terms of character, only Monkey himself was sympathetic (ok, Pigsy sometimes); Tripitaka certainly wasn't.
In his Preface, Waley says, "it might be supposed that the satire was directed against religion rather than against bureaucracy. But the idea that the hierarchy in Heaven is a replica of government on earth is an accepted one in China." This is perceptive, and it reflects on part of the problem for me: I don't feel well-versed enough in Eastern traditions to feel I can make an informed decision on the many questions of tone that Monkey presents: honest or satiric satire? both at the same time (is it possible)? sometime one and sometimes the other? Ultimately, I'm puzzled.
Well, Monkey was fun, and maybe someday I'll give the unabridged version a shot. Hu Shih, who writes the introduction, makes me curious about his favorite omitted episodes ("The Monkey Playing the Medico at the Vermillion-Purple Kingdom"?). And I'll be adding some of those Chinese classics to my to-read list: Three Kingdoms, you're up next.
The Book List
Ok, so I've been keeping this list of all the books I read, just to keep track. Originally, the idea was to write a short review of each book. The reality? I've started competing with myself on how quickly I can fill up a note-book page with book titles and authors. (Poetry rocks -- those books are short, and anything with a translator usually takes up two ruled lines; it's like reading twice as much.)
So a friend of mine at work is a blogger (in fact, I'm putting off writing a review for her now), and she's talked it up. I suddenly thought: would I be more likely to actually write a review if it was posted online, for other people to read? Despite the fact that I don't expect anyone to read this? That generally my book reviews bore even myself?
Maybe.
So, if that doesn't make you want to read on, don't.
So a friend of mine at work is a blogger (in fact, I'm putting off writing a review for her now), and she's talked it up. I suddenly thought: would I be more likely to actually write a review if it was posted online, for other people to read? Despite the fact that I don't expect anyone to read this? That generally my book reviews bore even myself?
Maybe.
So, if that doesn't make you want to read on, don't.
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