Tag: books

Review – The Death of Grass

Posted June 26, 2015 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments

Cover of The Death of Grass by John ChristopherThe Death of Grass, John Christopher
Review from 25th January, 2012

There’s a sense in which all post-apocalyptic novels feel the same. In all of them, we see society collapsing, torn apart by the pressure of finding a way to survive. The Death of Grass is no different, but it’s very well written and well structured. There’s a Chekhov’s gun or two, a good structure which takes us from calm gentility to the feudal need to survive terrifyingly believably, terribly fast. It’s horrible, but you can understand the characters, understand their decisions.

And if you can read it and say with assurance that you’d never even think of doing those things, I think you’re probably lying to yourself. Personally, I doubt I’m capable of such ruthlessness, but I can’t swear I wouldn’t allow someone else — say, my father — to do it for me. It’s easy to wring your hands and call your protector a tyrant, but not so easy to walk away from that protection.

So, yeah, well-written and definitely worth a read if post-apocalypse worlds or human nature are your interest.

Rating: 4/5

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Review – Thor: The Goddess of Thunder

Posted June 25, 2015 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Cover of Thor: Goddess of Thunder by Jason AaronThor: The Goddess of Thunder, Jason Aaron, Russell Dauterman, Jorge Molina

This version of Thor is really fun. I’m not really Thor’s biggest fan, either in the MCU or in the comics; give me half a chance and I can give you a whole list of examples why Steve Rogers should wield the hammer instead of Thor, or at least be able to. (I would also be happy with Sif or Freyja, two possibilities that Thor considers in this volume.) But this version got my attention because of the decision to give another character the powers of Thor. Now, I’ve read the spoilers, so the hints here at the reveal aren’t for me to judge, but there are some hints.

I think if there was a female author at the helm of this comic, the angry reactions would have been even more prevalent. It explicitly takes on “damn feminists are ruining everything” and makes a joke of it; it challenges the assumption that Asgard needs the All-Father by having Freyja stand up to him, declaring herself the All-Mother; Thor absolutely wallows in self-pity; Hel, Mjolnir takes on whole new life in the Goddess of Thunder’s hands. How much must male rights activists hate this?

I think it’s pretty well done, though. The art is gorgeous, and it captures a lightness of heart and goofiness that always improves Thor’s reception with me. I love that the new Thor revels in her powers, that she enjoys learning to wield them. For all that it’s taking a bunch of traditionally masculine things and putting them in the hands of women, and it hangs a lampshade on that every so often, the fun is certainly not lost.

Rating: 4/5

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Review – The Hawley Book of the Dead

Posted June 24, 2015 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Cover of The Hawley Book of the DeadThe Hawley Book of the Dead, Chrysler Szarlan
Received to review via Netgalley

This sounded great when I originally requested it; I’d forgotten most of that by the time I picked it up, but I was still interested. The set-up is great: the creepy/historic house and village, the magic in the family, the magic tricks on the stage, the mysterious Fetch coming after the family. The setting is great; I could easily picture both the theatre for the performance at the beginning of the story, and the little abandoned town in New England.

But. The family. There were details that seemed meant to be vivid — the black/white clothes of the twins, the red hair, the string Caleigh uses… it felt flat to me, and so did the described emotion. If the numbness after a loss was what I was meant to feel vicariously, then that would have worked, but there was also fear, a desire for vengeance, anger, and those didn’t come across to me.

Perhaps worst of all, this reminded me too much of Joanne Harris’ Chocolat (the woman fleeing bad magic with her children, the magic running in the family), The Night Circus (the magic, but here without the enchantment), and something else I can’t quite put my finger on. It didn’t feel “rich”, as the blurb on Goodreads had it. I can’t say it was terrible, but it was just so… flat.

Rating: 2/5

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Review – Homo Britannicus

Posted June 23, 2015 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Cover of Homo Britannicus by Chris StringerHomo Britannicus, Chris Stringer

I only had the chance to skim through this, because the library was tired of renewing it for me (not really, they’re excellent to me), but it’s an amazing resource. Limited, of course, in that it examines the development of humans in Britain, which doesn’t allow for taking into account other parts of the story. And indeed, it was written in 2008, so I’m not sure if some of the vital parts of the human story were available then — when were the Denisovan caves discovered and published about? It’s also pretty obviously for the layman (which would normally include me! but I’ve done so much reading on the subject, going over the basics again doesn’t work for me).

It’s a well-presented book, with plenty of photography, illustrations, etc. It links in the story of humans in Britain with the issue of climate change, which is on the one hand understandable — occupation of Britain fluctuated over and over again as Ice Ages came and went, and once hippos lived in the wild in Britain! — and a little disingenuous. Obviously, I’m not looking for a lecture on climate change when I want to read about humans.

(Not to mention: the choir? You’re preaching to it. I’m well aware of the cycles of climate change on Earth, and their potential effects on all species and countries. And to me, it doesn’t matter whether we’re driving climate change or not. We’re using an unsustainable fuel supply to do so, and in many other ways it measurably damages our world. Let’s fix that and then wrangle about whether or not it’s fixed the climate too.)

Rating: 3/5

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Review – Roadside Picnic

Posted June 22, 2015 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments

Cover of Roadside Picnic by Boris & Arkady StrugatskyRoadside Picnic, Boris & Arkady Strugatsky

I suggested this book for the Cardiff SF/F bookclub.

Reading this again after finishing Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach trilogy (Annihilation, Authority, Acceptance), the debt is obvious. If VanderMeer hasn’t read Roadside Picnic, there’s a whole bunch of similarities: the central idea, that maybe humans and aliens won’t/can’t understand each other, the mysterious and unknowable purpose behind the alien presence, the transformations of people in and around the Zone, even the revenant people who come back (in the Southern Reach trilogy, as doubles which mysteriously and quickly die; here, as actual corpses).The introduction by Ursula Le Guin mentions other stories which tackle similar themes re: human/alien interaction, which I’m going to have to check out.

As a bit of classic SF, this stands up pretty well, although of course it has its problems too. The only women with speaking lines are Guta and Dina, and both are objects of desire, motivators for the men. Monkey, Red’s daughter, barely even gets chance to speak, and she isn’t really treated as human. But I still find the set-up compelling, and even though none of the characters are really awesome people or fleshed out, they’re human, with the usual mix of good and bad aspects. Enough that they feel more or less real, though there’s a definite Russian flavour to it — one I can’t quite put my finger on, a sort of absurdity through precise descriptions of movements, actions, dialogue.

The ending… is inconclusive. It’s like they got to the culmination of the idea and character, and didn’t want to show the aftermath — maybe didn’t even know what it would be. That’s for us to wonder.

Rating: 4/5

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Review – Joan of Arc

Posted June 21, 2015 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Cover of Joan of Arc, by Helen CastorJoan of Arc, Helen Castor

I originally requested this as an ARC from Netgalley, because I enjoyed Helen Castor’s She-Wolves, but I never got round to it in time and ended up buying the book recently. This is a bit too dry to be a story, but Castor certainly “pick[ed her] way through the evidence, choosing what to weave into a seamless story”. It doesn’t spend much time in the narrative on talking about conflicting testimony, apocryphal stories, etc — I’m left not quite sure how sure Castor is about some of the events she describes. The notes are pretty extensive though, with plenty of references for anyone with the patience to follow up on it.

As with She-Wolves, this is a pretty readable book, and Castor manages to bring across Joan’s indomitable spirit, her conviction, and, yeah, her sassiness. From the records we have, it seems that we have a pretty consistent picture of Joan as a pious girl who believed wholly in what she was doing, and that she was heaven-sent to fulfil her mission.

One thing I wondered, though — would we treat her any better today? People talk about how badly she was treated, particularly when in Anglo-French custody but also in the endless requests to prove herself and her virginity. But we’d treat her as mad today, not venerate her. Mind you don’t take Joan the hero and act ‘holier than thou’ about the medieval people who condemned her. You likely would too, though for different reasons, however pretty and sassy and self-confident she was.

Rating: 4/5

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Review – Crown of Midnight

Posted June 20, 2015 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Cover of Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. MaasCrown of Midnight, Sarah J. Maas

Aaah! This book ups the stakes a lot in terms of emotional involvement and the political backstory. Celaena may have become the King’s Champion, but her troubles aren’t nearly over yet. I drew parallels to Graceling when I did my first review (or in my review of Graceling), and they remain: the reluctant/ethical assassin, trying to find ways to take power back from the corrupt king who commands her.

The whole Chaol or Dorian stuff… I’m not really into that. The will-she-won’t-she doesn’t do much for me, and the whole anger and jealousy thing in this book… eh. I don’t want to see Chaol and Dorian’s friendship broken over this, so I’m really not enthralled with the opposition and discomfort between the two.

The end of the book is a game-changer, telling us who Celaena really is and what she is. The hints have been there all along, of course, little bits and pieces that we could piece together to figure it out ahead of time. So, not so much a surprise to me. There’s more background into other stuff, too: witches, the source of the magic loss in the world, Elena’s presence.

The writing is maturing here. I read that Throne of Glass was written when Maas was sixteen, and it still shows. Crown of Midnight is steadier, more mature, and more emotional too. I’m excited for the third book now, rather than just curious. Hope the library gets it in soon, or my sister takes pity and lends me her copy.

Rating: 4/5

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Stacking the Shelves

Posted June 20, 2015 by Nicky in General / 16 Comments

This week, I got some major goals done — the book I was ghostwriting was finished (well, one of them), I got a lot of transcription work done, and I got an assignment done. So I was allowed some books, and much deserved they were. Also, one of them was bought with a voucher my mother gave me a few weeks(!) ago. Aaand then was Support Tor Day (warning: link to Vox Day’s blog; no, he isn’t supporting Tor, he’s calling for a boycott, which to me is tantamount to asking all reasonable people to support them).

Plus, Susanna Kearsley sent me an Amazon voucher to make up for me getting smacked with a customs charge for a book she sent me. I don’t have that book in my hands yet, but I do have a couple of her others. I had some of these from the library, but…

Cover of Uprooted by Naomi Novik Cover of Across the Wall by Garth Nix 23213811

Cover of Mariana by Susanna Kearsley Cover of The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas Cover of Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

Cover of Hammered by Elizabeth Bear Cover of The Seventh Bride by T. Kingfisher Cover of The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury

Cover of The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley Cover of Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang Cover of A Companion to Wolves by Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette

Excite!

Comics

Ms Marvel

I’m not sure how I feel about this event, but still. Ms Marvel. Yay.

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Review – A Taste of the Nightlife

Posted June 19, 2015 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Cover of A Taste of the NightlifeA Taste of the Nightlife, Sarah Zettel
Review from April 1st, 2012

I liked Sarah Zettel’s Camelot quartet a lot on first reading, but it didn’t stand up very well to me writing an essay on it. This… I felt the whole way through how she was manipulating the readers’ thoughts and feelings. I could feel it, and it annoyed the heck out of me… but I still couldn’t put it down. So I’m wavering between two and three stars here. I don’t know if I can explain how ambivalent I feel about it. (I’ve changed the star rating three times so far in typing this paragraph.)

I wasn’t in love with the characters. I was reminded constantly of other books — Robin McKinley’s Sunshine, for one, with the first person female narrator who loves to cook, isn’t conventionally brave, and gets messed up with vampires, and has two men with whom she has sexual attraction, one of whom is a vampire and the other of whom is a warlock… (I don’t remember exactly the details of Mel in Sunshine, but I seem to recall some details which pointed in that direction.) And of other urban fantasy books. The tone really didn’t come across as anything new, and sorry, but I don’t think Zettel is that skilled at writing mysteries. She doesn’t give you the tools to solve it yourself, which makes it confusing and that bit boring.

And yet. I wanted to know which guy she picked. I wanted to know her brother’d be okay and she’d reopen her restaurant. There was enough there to keep me turning the pages. I even think I’ll probably read the sequel, though I’m in no hurry. I’m just… disappointed.

Rating: 2/5

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Review – Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda

Posted June 18, 2015 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Cover of Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky AlbertalliSimon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda, Becky Albertalli

This is really cute, and made me do this embarrassing grin and clap thing that I probably last did over David Levithan’s Boy Meets Boy or Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl or Attachments. The email exchange and the way they finally meet, the way they talk to each other and fall for each other via email. The friend stuff, too; that rings true to being seventeen and everything’s a holy freaking huge deal, and everyone’s pairing up and figuring things out and misunderstanding each other.

Mostly, though, I saw myself in Simon in the earlier parts of the book. The threat of being outed at school, the people making little sly comments about it. I mean, I even had that stupid standing-on-stage moment where people started shouting homophobic stupid shit at me. I had the awesome teacher, too, though not so much the friends backing me up. And straight people thinking that being gay isn’t a big deal anymore because they’re okay with it and they’ve never seen anything happen, and being so stupidly surprised when it turns out that hey, actually, people still really freaking suck when it comes to this sort of thing.

So for all that this was silly and cute and full of pop-culture references, it hit a slightly more serious note for me. Even though the silliness and general good will came out on top. Because I’ve been there, ‘do this for me or I’ll tell people you’re gay’. I used to have people saying they’d tell my parents, teachers, sister, anyone they thought they could hit home with. This really did get hold of some of those awkward feelings, the way being outed takes something away from you, the way people can hold it over you. I don’t know if I like that, combined with the happy-silly-fun ending, but I appreciated that it was there. I’m not sure I’ve read anything before that did get what that aspect of it was like.

And in a way, I’m glad it does have that happy-silly-fun ending with the supportive family and friends and a cool boyfriend. Because real life is just too awful, sometimes.

Rating: 3/5

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