Futureland, Walter Mosley

I don’t really know what to make of this. I thought that Mosley’s writing was strong and engaging, but somehow the stories — all set in the same world, with stronger or weaker links between them depending on the story — didn’t quite work for me. There are so many fantastic ideas explored, but I found some of the endings of the stories a bit too predictable, and one or two of the stories left little impression on me because of that. Some of the stories worked beautifully, but others felt like they lacked something — paciness, mostly, or a real understanding for the reader of the tensions under the surface. One blurb says that “Futureland is an all-American nightmare just waiting to happen”, and I think that might be partly why it didn’t work for me, not being American and not having those exact worries and that history and context.

Nonetheless, it’s definitely an interesting collection, and I should totally check out more of Mosley’s work.

Rating: 3/5

Summerlong, Peter S. Beagle

I fell right in love with this book straight away, for the unconventional romance between Abe and Joanna. I loved that they didn’t seem to be possessive, that they didn’t live together 100% of the time, that they had differing interests. I loved the way Abe knew Joanna. I really wanted the story to be about the strength of their bond, unshaken because deep-rooted. I really did.

Spoiler: it’s not. It’s about the two of them being changed, deeply and irrevocably, by a man and a woman who might just be Hades and Persephone. (It’s not much of a mystery, really, given how quickly the clues are given. I mean, as the reader you work it out quickly because you know Beagle’s a fantasy writer; it wouldn’t be obvious to the characters, by any means.) And that change includes their separation, seemingly also irrevocable. And I hated it. I’ve read that story with the young pretty girl who turns an old guy’s head time and time again, and I didn’t want to read it again. I wanted to read about two people who wouldn’t let life shake them apart — even when life or even a goddess tries to come between them.

So it’s not really the book; it’s definitely a matter of preference. And the strength of my reaction to the bond between Abe and Joanna shows how beautifully Beagle can write and observe his characters. It’s all wonderfully written, I just wanted a different story.

Rating: 3/5

The Silver Wind, Nina Allan

I didn’t enjoy The Silver Wind as much as the other novella by Allan that I’ve read, Spin, but then I kind of expected that — Spin is a take on the story of Arachne, after all, and I really enjoy well-done retellings. The Silver Wind is a bit more of a mystery; sort of a time travel/alternate realities story, I guess. It’s perhaps best experienced for yourself, to see what you make of the plot; it’s well-written, though, and despite the similarities between the stories that make up the narrative, each brings something different as well.

I didn’t love it, and I don’t think it was as finely done as Spin, but it was enjoyable and I’m definitely still curious to read more of Allan’s work.

Rating: 3/5

The Other Log of Phileas Fogg, Philip Jose Farmer

Another book I got from Bastian’s Book Reviews! Yep, there really was a whole suitcase full.

So I think this is the first time I’ve actually read Philip Jose Farmer’s work, despite being generally aware of it, particularly the Riverworld books. This is perhaps not the best introduction, because it’s Farmer playing with someone else’s toys, and he’s somewhat reliant on the source material: in this case, Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days. It takes that story and then ‘reveals’ an underlying story, in which Fogg is part of a long-running struggle between two alien races who are hiding among humans.

It’s a fun idea, and perhaps more fun when you’ve read Verne’s work and can see all the little tweaks and the uses Farmer makes of the source material. I have read Verne, but not that recently; I’m not sure if reading it more recently might’ve helped in appreciating some of the fun Farmer got up to.

At any rate, I found by the end that it’s mostly fun as an idea, and the actual execution is better the further Farmer strays from the frame narrative of Verne’s book. I enjoyed this version of the detective, Fix, for example — his internal thoughts and his ultimately divided loyalties. But parts which just reprise Verne are not exactly gripping.

Rating: 3/5

Spin, Nina Allan

I just got Spin as part of a suitcase full of books kindly given me by my friend from Bastian’s Book Reviews. I picked it up right away, because 1) it’s short and 2) I’ve always loved the story of Arachne, which it retells. It took me a little while to find my feet with it — one minute it seems mythical, and the next someone had an iPad, but there were also clairvoyants and some kind of law against them… This isn’t a complaint, because I love when a book makes me pick up on clues to piece things together for myself, rather than narrating, “Ten years ago the law against [x] had come into force, and since that day [y] had feared”…

Of course, other aspects aren’t subtle at all — there are actual spiders in the story, and a mysterious old woman who once briefly maybe looks a little like an actress who once played Athena… But in such a short space, it does a remarkably good job of bringing the scents and sounds and colours of the setting to life, the sticky heat of the Greek summer, the absorption of Layla with her work. It comes together beautifully, and I’m convinced that I should look for more of Nina Allan’s work. Fortunately, one of the other books in the suitcase was also by Nina Allan, so I anticipate a good time when I pick that up.

Rating: 4/5