The Bone Season - Samantha Shannon

It is the year 2059. Several major world cities are under the control of a security force called Scion. Paige Mahoney works in the criminal underworld of Scion London, part of a secret cell known as the Seven Seals. The work she does is unusual: scouting for information by breaking into others’ minds. Paige is a dreamwalker, a rare kind of clairvoyant, and in this world, the voyants commit treason simply by breathing.

But when Paige is captured and arrested, she encounters a power more sinister even than Scion. The voyant prison is a separate city—Oxford, erased from the map two centuries ago and now controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. These creatures, the Rephaim, value the voyants highly—as soldiers in their army.

Paige is assigned to a Rephaite keeper, Warden, who will be in charge of her care and training. He is her master. Her natural enemy. But if she wants to regain her freedom, Paige will have to learn something of his mind and his own mysterious motives.

The Bone Season introduces a compelling heroine—a young woman learning to harness her powers in a world where everything has been taken from her. It also introduces an extraordinary young writer, with huge ambition and a teeming imagination. Samantha Shannon has created a bold new reality in this riveting debut.

Are you ready for the next big series? Because this is going to be it. The first in a new seven book series by a young British author discovered in a creative writing class at Oxford, The Bone Season is very much the new, hot thing. Not to mention the movie rights have already been picked up.

I had no idea what The Bone Season was when I picked up an ARC at BEA but the cover intrigued me and I had kept hearing more and more about how big it was going to be. Intrigued, I started it pretty quickly and found myself drawn in, spending hours on the couch because I simply couldn't put it down.

The best thing about The Bone Season is the sheer power of imagination it took to write it. Even more so than in most of the other dystopian books that have come out in the past five years or so, Shannon has created a completely immersive world, the kind that shows instead of tells and gives you feelings more than words. She also has created an entire new vernacular, based mostly upon Victorian slang, to the point where, for a good while, you're not entirely sure what any of the characters are talking about. There's a glossary in the back for some of it but mostly you pick it up as you read. It's a bit hard to push through at first but once you begin picking it up, it stays with you.

Shannon has created an entire world of psychics which is also beyond brilliant. Although it takes a bit to figure out who's who, it's actually quite interesting to see what each different kind of voyant can do and how that affects them and the world. The idea of auras, of dream walking, of soothsaying is something that everyone is familiar with at a very basic level but this new hierarchy, complete with a rewritten history of Victorian England and onward, shows not only a interesting new world but the talent that Shannon possesses. Not only am I excited for more in this series but I'm excited for more by Shannon in general.

Paige, our heroine, is pretty refreshing mainly because she's tough as nails. One of my favorite things about her is that, even as she warms up to people, she stays true to herself. For example, even when she starts to think that Warden, her "master," might be not all that bad, she still tries to escape whenever an opportunity arises. Because, hey, of course you would. There's none of that hemming and hawing that other heroines go through. Paige puts herself first and that's what she needs to do.

Other characters are also great. Warden is perhaps a bit dry but I do admire how much he puts up with. Paige's gang back home are some very interesting side characters, from her fairly creepy boss to her friend from childhood, each of them memorable in a way that some books with multiple characters can't pull off. 

I just have to mention again how amazing Shannon's new history is. I'm always impressed by people who write alternate histories and this one works particularly well. The major changes from our world start in Victorian England, giving the present (which is our future) an odd Victorian feel to it. I also loved the references to past Irish riots (which are called the Molly Riots causing me to giggle every time) which feel completely in line with the timeline she's established.  

This book is the first in a series and I will admit that I'm not entirely sure how it's going to stretch through seven novels. It seems like a three or four book story at most. But I like Shannon and if she can pull something out in her second novel that shows me how this is going to continue forward, I'm all for it. I have a feeling she's going to do it. Watch out for this book because pretty soon, it's going to be everywhere.

The Bone Season comes out August 20th from Bloomsbury.

The Shining Girls - Lauren Beukes

In Depression-era Chicago, Harper Curtis finds a key to a house that opens onto other times. But it comes at a cost. He has to kill the shining girls: bright young women, burning with potential. He stalks them through their lives across different eras until, in 1989, one of his victims, Kirby Mazrachi, surveys and starts hunting him back.

Working with an ex-homicide reporter who is falling for her, Kirby has to unravel an impossible mystery. 

The Shining Girls is a masterful twist on the classic serial killer tale: a violent quantum leap featuring a memorable and appealing woman in pursuit of a deadly criminal.

I got an arc of The Shining Girls on Wednesday at BEA and immediately knew that it was the next book I was going to read. It was sold to us as "time traveling serial killer" or "Silence of the Lambs  as written by Margaret Atwood." There was no question: this book would be amazing.

Did it live up to my expectations? Well, yeah, pretty much. I couldn't put it down for the next two days. I was drawn in by the characters and the narrative style. Each chapter skips around in point of view and time, letting you piece together what is going on in a way that is not obvious but not confusing, either. 

Our heroine, Kirby Mazrachi, is just the right mix up of spunky and messed up, making mistakes but ultimately taking control of her life. With the time traveling aspect, as well, we get to see Kirby as a child and as an adult, showing how not only the attack but the aftermath and just her mother in general shapes the person that she becomes. This book has been compared to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and I find Kirby waaaaaaay more likable than Lisbeth. 

I also enjoy what we get to see of Harper, our serial killer. Although we mostly see him as he goes about his "work," there are brief glances back that give us hints as to why he is the way he is. There's also the life he lives in 1931, his home era and the way he fights against the house and ultimately succumbs to it. Is he an awful man? Yes, definitely. But he's not a one-dimensional character and that makes him interesting.

The different titular 'shining girls' are also a super interesting part of the narrative. Each is immensely different: different races, time periods, ages, creeds. It's only their potential to be amazing that makes them stand out. While each encounter was invariably sad, I did enjoy getting to know, however briefly, these characters. I especially liked Alice. I could have easily read a book on her alone. That says something about Beukes's ability to create characters: even the ones with two chapters stand out.

The chapters are short which makes this book a rather quick read, helped along by the fact that it's hard to put down. The book races towards the inevitable showdown, answering its own questions along the way. The post-script was a very nice touch, I thought. I'm now interested in reading more from Beukes as I've heard her other books are quite good as well. I'll search those out and you pick this up, okay? 

The Shining Girls comes out June 4th (tomorrow!) from Mulholland Books.

Montaro Caine - Sidney Poitier

An inspirational first novel that blends elements of mystery, science fiction, and metaphysics by the beloved, legendary, and bestselling actor Sidney Poitier.

When a coin is found in a baby's hand, the doctor who finds it sends it up to a lab at MIT, where Montaro Caine, a student, does a work-up on it and discovers it to be made of materials not known on Earth. Caine never learns the owner's identity, but two decades later, as Caine, now CEO of Fitzer Corp in New York City, is facing the possibility of a hostile corporate takeover and experiencing family troubles, a man and woman appear in his office bearing the coin. The find sets off a battle of intrigue and suspense, as scientists, collectors, and financiers all vie to get their hands on it. But the coin, and a second coin that appears, is of more value than mere monetary worth. In this ambitious, page-turning novel, the beloved actor Sidney Poitier takes us from New York to Europe to the Caribbean in an exploration of race, faith, and, beyond all else, the meaning of our lives on earth.

Sidney Poitier wrote a book. That is not the reason I picked this up, though. I had read the snippet on the back of the book and thought it sounded interesting before I even realized who had written it. With that as an added incentive, I picked the book up right away.

There is a lot going on in this book and the first forty or so pages introduce everything in small snippets which seemed very promising. I was waiting for the small snippets to slowly work into each other to create the larger plot but alas, that wasn't to be. Once everything has been introduced, almost 75% of it is put on the back burner as we're stuck following Montaro Caine, our very boring protagonist.

There are tons of characters that are mentioned so briefly that when they reappear, you have no idea who they are. There are plots that seem needless to the plot (why have the side story with his daughter and that Nick guy?) and things that seem important that ultimately are not. There are two characters that you would think would be integral that are hidden away for almost the entire book. There is very little action and a lot of talking. All in all, this book is horribly boring.

I kept pushing through because I thought, at the end, at least there would be a good payoff because I did, ultimately, want to know what the meaning of the coins were. However, even the ending was a let down, becoming preachy and too happy, to the point where it felt like a Disney movie, every character getting a redemption moment.

This book had promise but completely failed to live up to it. It was boring and pointless. Sidney Poitier is a great actor but I don't think I would pick up another book of his.

The Lives of Tao - Wesley Chu

When out-of-shape IT technician Roen woke up and started hearing voices in his head, he naturally assumed he was losing it.

He wasn’t.

He now has a passenger in his brain – an ancient alien life-form called Tao, whose race crash-landed on Earth before the first fish crawled out of the oceans. Now split into two opposing factions – the peace-loving, but under-represented Prophus, and the savage, powerful Genjix – the aliens have been in a state of civil war for centuries. Both sides are searching for a way off-planet, and the Genjix will sacrifice the entire human race, if that’s what it takes.

Meanwhile, Roen is having to train to be the ultimate secret agent. Like that’s going to end up well…

The Live of Tao looked ridiculously intriguing to me and I have faith in Angry Robot books so this was a no-brainer. 

Tao, an ancient life-form that has lived the entirety of human existence unfortunately has to room with Roen, your stereotypical twenty something that is living his humdrum, go nowhere life. Both are originally annoyed with the setup but both grow as people as they begin to work together.

I really liked both of the main voices in this novel. Roen is completely relatable, even if you do want to kick him to get motivated every once in awhile. At the same time, though, you probably know at least a few people like him. Tao is a great character, at once bringing both mystery and answers to the novel and giving the whole thing a purpose.

The universe Chu has created is intriguing. There is now an explanation for almost every event in human history and at times it becomes murky who the good guys and the baddies are. Roen is constantly trying to figure out where he stands and how he feels about it as well meaning (and not so well meaning) new figures pop into his life.

I really enjoyed Sonia, the female agent sent to whip Roen into shape. I thought she was an engaging character, showing another side to the agency Roen will have to work for and a different side to the idea of a secret agent, at that. Jill, the other love interest for Roen in the book, I wish were a little more fleshed out as a person as she seemed more of a goal than an actual character. With the events of the novel, though, I'm sure she will become more of a character in the next book.

Because this is a series, right? It has to be!

I really enjoyed The Lives of Tao and had a hard time putting it down. It's a great addition to the science fiction catalogue and a great read.

The Best of All Possible Worlds - Karen Lord

Before I begin this review, I want to post what the back of the book synopsis had to say.

A proud and reserved alien society finds its homeland destroyed in an unprovoked act of aggression, and the survivors have no choice but to reach out to the indigenous humanoids of their adopted world, to whom they are distantly related. They wish to preserve their cherished way of life but come to discover that in order to preserve their culture, they may have to change it forever.

Now a man and a woman from these two clashing societies must work together to save this vanishing race -- and end up uncovering ancient mysteries with far-reaching ramifications. As their mission hangs in the balance, this unlikely team -- one cool and cerebral, the other fiery and impulsive -- just may find in each other their own destines … and a force that transcends all.

Doesn't that book sound awesome? Just like a good, ole' fashioned science fiction wonder. However, I feel whoever wrote that synopsis must also try their hand at selling cars because, while I can see (mostly) what each sentence is referring to, I would not call that a true representation of the book.

Worlds starts with the completely unpronounceable Dllenakh, who I will now refer to as D, a Sadiri (read Vulcan) on meditation vacation when he finds out that his planet was wiped out and only people who were off planet survived. Fast forward to a few months later and we're in first person for the rest of the book, the narrative force of Grace Delarua pulling us forward as D and some other men of his come to live on her colony. She ends up working with D and go on a scientific mission together (with others, of course) to find more people for them to repopulate with. They fall in love along the way.

I honestly don't even know where to start with this. I feel like it's not even a narrative so much as a group of short stories that have been laced together with a thin veil of a purpose. They don't even discover anything midway that could grow into a real driving reveal or that ancient mystery the synopsis promised me. Granted, I really enjoyed the ideas behind some of the short stories (the one where Grace kept losing days, her trip to see her sister) that I would have loved to be explored more but due to the nature of the narrative, they got wrapped up quickly and moved on from.

To be honest, for the first fifty or so pages, I had no idea Delarua was a woman. Since it's in first person, there aren't really any gender-specific terms involved and it's not until a Sadiri announces she's female that I even realized that. I think this speaks a little bit to what this book clearly kind of is: Abram's Star Trek fiction. Does that make it bad? Not necessarily. It did make it a bit hard to distinguish characteristics, however, since it kind of assumes you will follow along yourself. I felt like I never had a very clear idea of who D was. Grace talked a bit too much and D a bit too little.

The other thing that bugged me a bit was that Lord would cop out a bit with things she clearly didn't want to write. She'd just have Delarua wink and say "but you can read about what happened yourself" or something like that and ignore something that might have been important. I've used that cop out before so I recognize it when I see it. It's always disappointing.

This story is definitely more of a romance than a science fiction story. It focuses more on characters than plot but not in a good way. Lord had a lot of great ideas that she touched on and then lost focus with, from the possibility of domestic abuse through telepathy (interesting idea! explore it!) to a really fun and original creation myth that is just kind of tagged on at the end and moved on from. I want a story in this universe that really explores some of the interesting ideas and plays around with them, giving us the speculative side of this fiction.

The Best of All Possible Worlds is indeed a very interesting world, just unfortunately filled with boring people on boring trips.

The Best of All Possible Worlds is out now from Random House.

The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood

The Handmaid's Tale is one of those books that you always think you should have read but for some reason have never gotten around to. I bought myself a copy months ago so that I would finally read it but only got along to it now that I'm trying to read my entire collection of books so that I can give them away. Once I settle down again, though, I will have to get myself another copy because I absolutely loved it.

The Handmaid's Tale is set in a dystopian America that has recently undergone a major revolution. A fundamentalist theocracy has taken over and civilization has changed so as to be nigh unrecognizable. Taking their rules from a few passages in the Old Testament, the roles of men and women have been completely changed, a strange caste system having formed.

The heroine, known as Offred (for of Fred), is a handmaid for a Commander. Going off of an old Biblical precedent, households that are having problems with conceiving, are given a handmaid (if they're well off enough), a woman proven fertile that basically just serves as the womb of the family. She is not to be looked at, does nothing else but keeps herself comfortable, and once a month has to complete a ceremony with the Commander and the Wife in hopes of conceiving a child.

The novel is told completely through Offred's thoughts and memories. She tends to zone out and jump back in forth through time as she remembers the years before the new regime, her training to become a Handmaid once everything had changed and her present situation. 

It's strange but The Handmaid's Tale is one of those books that doesn't really need a plot. The world building and exploration of social mores is more than enough to fill all the pages. I found, as I was reading, that I had no idea where the plot was headed because I didn't really know what the plot was, other than Offred's life and I was completely fine with that. The world of The Handmaid's Tale just completely sucks you in and you find that hours have passed while you've read and you hadn't even noticed.

Another thing I loved about the book is the framing device. Well, you don't really know there's a framing device until the end of the novel. There is a wonderfully meta epilogue that is told as keynotes from an academic conference years in the future, post-Handmaid, discussing Handmaid as a historical text. As someone who just finished her Masters in English, this was completely up my alley. I loved what this allowed Atwood to do with the story and the insinuations she could make without messing up the extremely personal first person narrative that was the novel. It was absolutely brilliant.

I can't believe this is the first Atwood I've read. I've been meaning to read her forever and if this is any indication of how great an author she is, I'm jumping in feet first. I absolutely adored Handmaid's Tale and could not recommend it highly enough. Please, please read.

The Mad Scientist's Daughter - Cassandra Rose Clarke

You know when you start to read a book and you know it's good but it's also not particularly your cup of tea? That you probably wouldn't have read it if you knew this is what it actually was? Even though the cover warned you that it was heartbreaking? Yeah.

The Mad Scientist's Daughter follows the life of Catarina Novak, the daughter of Daniel Novak, a preeminent engineer in robotics. Of course, we never learn all that much about it because we start following Cat at the age of 8, when she is much too young to understand what her father does. She's a young girl that enjoys running through the forest and catching fireflies. 

One night, when she comes back with a jar full of fireflies, there is a young man standing on the porch with her father. Finn, Cat comes to understand, is an android but the only one of his kind. He becomes Cat's tutor and as she grows older, her friend and something more.

The book follows Cat from the ages of 8 to roughly mid-thirties, I would say. In that time, society changes around her, as robot rights get bandied around and Cat tries to find herself in a world that doesn't appreciate her feelings for Finn (who she doesn't even know if he can reciprocate) while also doesn't want someone who fails at the sciences. And so, much like the forests of her youth, Cat wanders through life a bit aimlessly.

This book is so sad. This is what I mean when I say I probably wouldn't have picked it up. It's not that tragic kind of sad, where there's some sort of heroic sacrifice (His Dark Materials) or a tragic twist (Never Let Me Go) or just the sense of the end of an era (Lord of the Rings). No, this is that kind of numbing sadness that pervades the entire novel, as you watch Cat wander through her life, not finding joy in anything but brief moments. Sometimes it felt like it physically pained me to keep reading. I don't demand my books be happy by any means but it felt like deliberately making myself miserable.

However, this is not to say the book isn't good. The book is rather wonderful. Clarke has managed to create a world that is at once recognizable and foreign. There are robots and vice stands and tales of the old ways before the disaster. However, there's also marital troubles, dating the wrong guy and raising children. It pulls off what I personally think is the most important part of science fiction: creating a world that feels real and solid without having to actually spend time to explain it. It's all there in the tiny details, fleshing out the world Cat and Finn inhabit.

Clarke is also a wonder at drawing up fully recognizable characters. The reader knows Cat by the first fifty pages, completely inside her head and watching as the excitable young girl becomes to melancholy adolescent to the unfulfilled young adult. She grows and changes and feels and never seems unconvincing. All of her characters have a bit of that in them. Finn is also very real, changing in small, nearly unnoticed ways as the book progresses. In a way, Finn is also growing, becoming more human, despite his best efforts.

I really did enjoy this book, even if it made me mildly depressed. It's very well written and creates a compelling story. Just don't read it as a pick me up. 

The Mad Scientist's Daughter is out in February 2013 from Angry Robot.

The Uninvited - Liz Jensen

This is another book I got off Netgalley. The minute I got the email that I had gotten access to it, I ran off to download it. I was very excited about this book and could not wait to get my hands on it.

The Uninvited tells the story of a rash of unexplained child attacks. Normal children, seemingly happy and well adjusted, start attacking family members for no reason. Meanwhile, our hero, Hesketh Lock, is sent on a strange business trip. He works for a company that helps corporations manage scandals. He is sent to Taiwan to investigate a whistleblower who seems to be more ashamed of himself than happy with what he's done.

Hesketh is an interesting main character. A man with Aspergers, he narrates the story with an interesting take as he views the world differently than many a protagonist would. He constantly reflects on a recently broken relationship, thinking back to why it broke up and how much he misses the boy he had become a surrogate father to. At first I thought all of the looking back and the pining was a bit much but it ties into the story about midway in a not unexpected but interesting way. Jensen even went a bit further than I thought she might have and I was impressed.

I honestly could not put this book down and finished it in about two days. There were twists and turns galore. At one point, I was reading the book on the train on my way to a friend's and actually gasped aloud. Definitely an edge of your seat thriller.

I was also impressed with how genuinely creepy Jensen is able to set the mood. Pulling off a "scary" book is one of the hardest things, I believe. When it comes to television and movies, the right atmosphere, lighting and music can set any scene but with literature, it all comes down to the right combination of words. I'm not usually frightened by books but there was a bit, when I put the book down after reading the chapter on the tower in Dubai, where I lay in bed and couldn't help but glance and make sure there wasn't an evil little girl in the room with me.

One thing that is absolutely lovely with this book is that every chapter drives harder and harder towards the end. Each chapter builds upon what it had before and creates a genuine and taut air of tension. I'm honestly surprised I managed to read it in two sittings. The only thing that disappointed me was that I felt the ending didn't quite live up to what came before. Was it a perfectly adequate and understandable ending? Yes. I just felt like there was a bit more coming, a new twist that ultimately was more expected than revelatory. It reminded me of Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke. Which is a good thing because that book is amazing. Still, though, it felt expected, in the way it hadn't in that novel.

Overall, I did absolutely adore this. It was right up my alley, scary, thrilling and full of twists and turns. I would recommend it in a heartbeat. You will not be able to put it down. 

[Duel Review] The Long Earth - Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter

The Long Earth is the much anticipated new novel from Terry Pratchett in partnership with science fiction writer Stephen Baxter. I had heard good things about this book and when Colin suggested it for this month's duel review, I was completely happy to read it. The only Pratchett book I'd read was another collaboration, Good Omens with Neil Gaiman but I'd quite enjoyed that. I'd never read a Baxter. However, I love science fiction and the premise sounded interesting so I bounded down to Waterstones and picked it up.

The premise of The Long Earth is that our Earth is just one in a chain of connected worlds, going off to the east and the west as far as the eye can see. This is discovered when the plans for a "stepper", a (potato-powered) machine that allows the user to "step" between the worlds, either to the east or to the west, are put up online and the world's children decide to build them. After a mass panic, the world slowly adjusts to this new addition to the known universe.

The actual plot of the book takes place about 15 years post-'Step Day', as it's called. Joshua Valiente, a 'natural stepper' or someone who doesn't need the stepper device to step and slightly famous (against his will), is recruited to go on a mission with Lobsang, a sentient computer program or possibly the reincarnation of a Tibetan motorcycle repairman, to try and discover the end of the Long Earth. As they step farther and farther away from the original Earth, known as Datum Earth, they discover many new and different ways of life, as well as something that just might be headed their way.

I think the thing I liked most about this book wasn't the actual plot but the world building. Although Joshua and Lobsang were likable (with some great dialogue), the actual plot felt a bit thin and just a vehicle to write about this amazing new universe the authors had created. In a way, though, I'm fine with that because the Long Earth posits a lot of very interesting new theories and questions that could be properly explored in other books (I do believe this is meant to begin a series) or just contemplated in general.

There are a lot of one off chapters that tell the story of some minor character and how they have interacted with the Long Earth. Using these short anecdotes, ideas are explored and brought to attention without having to preach. For example, one man decides to step five or so earths to the west and pan for the gold found in the original Gold Rush. However, when he gets there and begins, he's stumbled upon by two other people who laugh at him for not realizing that, since this is something available to everyone now, money will soon have no value. 

There's a general feeling of manifest destiny that infects the entire novel and seeing that aspect of America's history in a new context is very interesting. There is an added sense of time displacement from the fact that metal cannot be brought over by stepping, so everything in the new world is truly rustic. While technology has kept up the pace and beyond on Datum Earth, all the other worlds are easily back in the 1800s, at least. 

As the book unfolds, more and more problems are mentioned, if not touched on. How does a country collect taxes if its citizens can just step to another world to avoid them? Does a country remain itself in each of the new worlds? Since people can step to a new world, position themselves and step back, crime and assassinations are a lot easier to perform and police have to step up their game, making underground holding cells and witness protection. Things like this, to me, are what science fiction is all about and there was tons to be explored. I hope this universe and its new moral and societal implications will be explored in future books.

I really enjoyed the world of Long Earth and hope to read more in the future. I do hope the plot picks up a bit to match with the wonderful universe the two authors have created but I have faith that all will be explored in time.

This is my review of The Long Earth. You can find Colin's review here.

Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

When the trailer for the new movie Cloud Atlas was released about a month ago, everyone was horribly confused. Just what was this movie actually about? I didn't watch the trailer myself, still not quite sure why, but was very aware of the confusion surrounding it. That's why, when I was at the library next and saw it sitting on the shelf, I decided to pick it up and give it a go. Surely, if I could read the book, then I would understand the movie and see just what all these people were talking about. And it was shortlisted for the Booker the year it came out so it must be good, right?

I don't even really know how to describe the plot of Cloud Atlas. It's a series of separate narratives, all taking place in very different places and times. The book opens with the diary of a solicitor from San Francisco, on his way home from New Zealand in the late 19th century. His story ends midway through (as, indeed, all the stories will, although this one does end mid sentence), and you find yourself reading a set of letters from one dear friend to another, detailing the exploits of one Robert Frobisher, a young composer living his life quite extravagantly and dangerously in Belguim in-between the world wars.

The story turns from Frobisher to Louisa Rey, an investigative reporter in California in the seventies. Her story reads like a crime thriller, with short chapters and explosive cliffhangers. On one such cliffhanger, the story then switches to the tale of an elderly publisher, who's just lucked out on his latest autobiography becoming a best seller due to a rather elaborate stunt pulled by the author. Just as he's living the high life, however, he has to go on the run due to some thugs trying to hustle themselves into a share of the profits.

Things become a little strange (not that they weren't before but still) with the next story, the futuristic The Orison of Somni-451. This story is about, essentially, a clone worker who slowly begins to realize that she's more than what she's supposed to be. Each of the stories is amazing in its own right but Somni-451 is astounding, in my opinion. It's a real science fiction masterpiece, within an amazing novel of its own.

Lastly, you reach the center of the book with a post-apocalyptic tale of a young goatherd whose family ends up taking in a stranger who wants to learn more about their tribe. This story, quite different from the rest, continues on longer as, in the center of the book, it is not divided in half. The reader follows Zack and while reading this bit, I think this is where the novel really begins to gel. The story is told and slowly, in reverse order, you begin to read the second half of each of the earlier narratives. And that's when it hits you: this book is spectacular.

I stayed up until 3:30 in the morning to finish this novel and then spent the next hour looking up things about it and writing friends to pick it up. I just honestly think it's amazing. It takes six very different characters, six very different writing styles, six very different plots to tell a story about the human spirit and the triumphs and failures of power. There are small connections woven throughout the stories that tie them together but even without those, the general theme shines through without much work. The characters speak for themselves and no amount of author gibberish clogs the main message.

This is one of those books that you finish and then sit in awe for awhile, not even entirely sure what to do with yourself anymore. It hangs over you like a benevolent cloud and all you can think is, when am I going to read another book that good? 

If you're a fan of epistolary novels, diary novels, crime thrillers, science fiction, bumbling old british men, post-apocalyptic fiction, interwoven morals or just books in general, this is the book for you. I really encourage you to give it a try. It's definitely worth it.

[Duel Review!] Generation A - Douglas Coupland

Today marks the inaugural review of a project my friend Colin (thebookpirate) and I have been working on for about a month now. He and I have decided to both read the same book and post our reviews on the fifteenth of each month. Then, after a few days, we will respond to each other's reviews. I'm really excited about it and look forward to hearing what Colin has to think. If you aren't reading Colin's blog already, you should be!

Our first book is Generation A by Douglas Coupland, mainly because Colin was reading it already when we planned to do this. I'd never read a Douglas Coupland book before but the plot sounded intriguing so I was happy to give it a go.

Generation A takes place in the near future where, inexplicably, all the bees have vanished. This has led to fewer plants, less of a harvest and less honey, obviously. Most people are getting on fine, however. What starts the whole book rolling is when, in the middle of a midwestern cornfield, a young man is stung by a bee, the first in a good five years. Four other people all over the world quickly follow in succession but no where near their areas can any hives be found.

The five are all quickly hauled away and brought down for testing in extreme medical facilities. After some odd studies, they are sent back out into a world where they are celebrities. But something seems to be drawing them back together again.

The book has a super interesting premise. I can honestly say that I never thought a book about the disappearance of bees would be something I would be eager to read. I was excited about the premise and really looked forward to reading it. Whether I liked it or not, I'm still not completely sure. 

While the first half of the book was crisp and fresh, about midway through, the book decides it wants to play around with narratives, having the main characters all start telling stories. While the stories were interesting and fun, there were far too many without any narrative action in between. While a few would be good, this many was distracting and took away from the urgency of the actual plot. It was jarring.

Coupland's writing style is definitely unique. He has turns of phrases that you would never think of that make you chuckle and a definite flair for creating character. I do think he's a bit questionable when it comes to his female characters (it's a bit off-putting when a female character uses the word 'tits' and it's not the one with Tourettes) but they definitely all have unique voices. There were a couple of times where I thought Coupland might be leading us down a certain path (I felt sure that one character didn't actually have Tourettes, just said what she was thinking and used it as an excuse) but he just never did. It was slightly strange but I suppose I got used to it. He does have a bit of an abortive writing style, suggesting ideas and then killing them off just as quickly. It tools some of the drama out of the story but I suppose it didn't do too much harm.

I did feel when I finished the book that I wasn't entirely sure what I had read. The beginning and the end are both quite interesting but the middle bit was lagging, drawing attention away from what could have been a very well done ending sequence. Perhaps its because Coupland doesn't like writing action (and I feel him on that because I don't either) but the lack of it was definitely noticeable. I can't say this for sure because this was the only book by Coupland I've ever read but I think perhaps he's the type that comes up with amazing plots but is never quite sure how to execute them. I will have to read another to see.

I did enjoy the book. It was a page turner, especially since every few pages the narrator changes, making it easy to fly through and keeping interest by waiting to see what another character would say about a situation. I felt like a few characters were weaker than others but I suppose that's just life. I can honestly say that I definitely wanted to get through it and learn the truth. The truth may have been a bit dubious (and I wish it had been explored more at the expense of some of those stories) but it was definitely interesting. Would I recommend it? I suppose so. Just be prepared for a bit of a trek.

Read Colin's review here. And look for a new Duel Review on September 15!

A Confusion of Princes - Garth Nix

This book was picked up not so much because of the plot but because it was a new book by Garth Nix. Garth Nix's book Shade's Children was one of my favorite books growing up and I've read it probably fifty times, each time getting something new out of it. It's a very well done science fiction dystopia in a time before they were the popular thing to do. And here he was, with a new science fiction novel out, hopefully just as interesting as his others. I was pumped.

A Confusion of Princes follows a main character named Khemri, a "prince" of the realm, which really just means that he is pretty much a genetically modified human that now has authority over parts of the galaxy. There are thousands of other princes around and each has to fight among themselves to try and become the next Emperor when the current one retires. 

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure how to describe the book. There is just so much going on. Nix has created a very elaborate science fiction universe with rules and regulations and dangers. The mark of a good science fiction universe is that it doesn't have to really be explained; you just absorb it as you read. I can say that there were marks of that in Confusion. This world was so complex, from the princes to the priests that served them, to the strange hierarchy and confused hidden world to the rebels that you didn't even know existed until halfway through the book.

But therein lies the problem: Nix has created a ridiculously in-depth world but he doesn't allow himself time to play in it. There is so much potential in Confusion but he rushes through it to his hasty conclusion. Confusion could have easily been a trilogy. It's even nicely divided up into three main sections as you read. Hell, the back cover informs you that this is the story of Prince Khemri's three deaths. If that isn't the invocation of a trilogy, I don't know what is.

I was constantly impressed by how real this world creation was but the entire time, I knew that this was a one off series and I couldn't understand how we were going to reach a satisfactory conclusion with so much to be explored. I'm not saying that the plot wasn't entertaining; it was actually a really well thought out hero's journey narrative with enough twists and turns to make it a really interesting read. The only problem was that it went too quickly through it. I wanted more of him learning out to be a real prince, more of him learning about the rebels and more interaction with the antagonists. It just read as wasted potential.

I don't want to put you off Garth Nix completely because he's a very interesting writer who uses very original ideas to create elaborate worlds to play around in. Shade's Children, which I'm sure I'll write on at some point, is one of my favorite novels of all time. But this was not one of his greatest works. It had potential but it just didn't live up to it. 

[006] Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

What the Back of the Book Has to Say:

In one of the most acclaimed and original novels of recent years, Kazuo Ishiguro imagines the lives of a group of students growing up in a darkly skewered version of contemporary England. Narrated by Kathy, now thirty-one, Never Let Me Go hauntingly dramatises her attempts to come to terms with her childhood at the seemingly idyllic Hailsham School, and with the fate that has always awaited her and her closest friends in the wider world. A story of love, friendship and memory, Never Let Me Go is charged throughout with a sense of the fragility of life.

Why I Picked It Up:

I'd always been curious about it and now with the movie coming out soon, I felt like there was no time like the present.

What I Think:

One thing that annoys me before I read a book (or, to be honest, see a movie, watch an episode of a television show, etc) is to hear a friend's opinion on the piece of work. I don't mean them saying something like "It's really good!" or "I didn't really like it." Those are vague enough that they don't affect my reading of the novel. However, if they mention something specific ("This character just got on my nerves," "The way they did this scene didn't seem realistic enough," "They kept mentioning this when they didn't need to"), I spend the entire reading focused on their comments. Usually, I know if I normally agree or disagree with said friend's opinions, as well, so I already have an idea of how I am to feel about whatever is in question. Basically, I have been prepared to go into something unknown with preconceived notions and that doesn't feel fair to the book so I try my hardest to avoid this.

When I picked this book up at the library, I ended up talking to my best friend (we'll call her A, for both anonymity and so that she feels like some sort of awesome inside source) over Skype later that night. I was rather excited to read it and told her so. She said that she had read it and while she kind of liked it, she could never get into it. At this point in conversations like this, I normally go, "No! Don't tell me any more! We can talk about it after I finish!" as we have these conversations about pretty much any media in our lives, but, as normal, she goes "Well, I'll just say that the narrator feels awkward because it's a British man trying to write in the voice of a young schoolgirl and it never feels authentic." Which, unfortunately, is exactly the kind of comment I always try not to hear before jumping into a book, especially as A and I have very similar taste and thus, I mentally resigned myself to feeling uncomfortable with the narrator. 

Now, the novel jumps right into the story, with our narrator, Kathy, thinking back to her childhood and the various relationships and events that have formed her life up to this point. There are a lot of unfamiliar terms in her speech and questions that won't be answered for hundreds of pages and that's when I realized something. Maybe I just hadn't heard anything about the novel before I read it or somehow lived under a rock but it took me getting about 100 pages into it to realize that I was reading a science fiction novel. This was a delightful discovery. I adore science fiction and, in particular, the tone science fiction novels adopt by their sheer speculative nature. 

This is a 'what if' novel, as most speculative fiction pieces are. It takes a scenario that actually isn't all that unbelievable and posits it into a picture of modern England. All of our characters are a product of this different reality and by showing them coming to terms with what their very existence means to both them and society as a whole, Ishiguro is able to point out the flaws in this idyllic seeming world, playing with morality and the greater good through the eyes of children. 

I don't want to spoil what is going on in the novel as I accidently got spoiled by a google search about a hundred and fifty pages in and I felt it ruined it a little bit to me. The slow-dawning horror of what is actually going on is very well done, especially as it comes from the eyes of an innocent, a group of children that don't know any better and the strange reactions to events that seem normal to them from the adults around them. It's a well constructed tale, pushing its views without drowning the reader in some sort of preachy tone. 

And that's where my preconceived notions began to distress me. I had it in my head that I should feel sort of put out by the narrator, as A was. We agree on about 99% of these sorts of things. But I have been reading speculative fiction most of my life and one thing that is a common reoccurrence in this sort of novel is an alien feeling from our narrator. Of course they shouldn't feel completely realistic; the whole point on the novel is that they live in a world different from our own and thus, they won't feel things the same way we do. They are written that way for a reaction, so the reader finds some sort of pity or empathy or fear from the way another human being could react to something so foreign to us. Kathy shouldn't feel like a normal schoolgirl because she isn't. She is a product of the reality of the book. 

Never Let Me Go is a wonderful novel addressing a vision of a future that isn't so unbelievable from the point of view of a young girl. It tackles questions of morality in science and the age old question of why are we here. Admittedly, the science fiction fan in me was a little disappointed in the ending but the literature major appreciated the understatement. It is thought-provoking, touching and a little scary, to be honest. A surprisingly quick read and highly recommended.