Book Review: The Terror by Simmons

The Terror by Dan Simmons

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read The Terror as part of a group read at the Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Club at GoodReads during the month of February. I participated in the discussion, as did many others. To review those threads, please follow this link.

I started reading this the evening of February 13th, with snowfall predicted to commence after midnight. I sat shivering at the kitchen table while I read the first few chapters, even though the furnace kept my house a toasty 78 degrees Fahrenheit. I even dug out a blanket to put on the bed before I went to sleep (still shivering). Brrrr..... Great writing by Dan Simmons, atmospherically speaking.

 And I restrained my insatiable desire to research the quest for the Northwest Passage and specifically the final voyage of the HMS Terror until after I finished reading the novel. Simmons kept me riveted until the last few chapters, when he decided to take an extreme detour into arctic supernatural spirituality that left me, well, cold.

Still, a great read by an outstanding author. I recommend lots of warm tea or cocoa and abstinence from long pork.

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Book Review: Archangel by Shinn

Archangel by Sharon Shinn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Beyond Reality February 2012 Science Fiction Selection

The protagonist, Rachel, grabbed me immediately. Not only was she a superb vocalist, she reminded me in so many ways of my own daughter, also named Rachelle, and who is also a superb vocalist (mezzo soprano, though, instead of Rachel's coloratura soprano). As soon as I finished the book, I sent a recommendation off to my Rachelle, hoping she'd read it and enjoy it as much as I did.

The religious references intrigued me (and sometimes made me laugh - did anyone else think that the name of Semorrah was a mashed-up condensation of Sodom and Gemorrah?) and the musical elements fascinated me. I play piano, attempt to sing (not as well trained as my daughter, so I gave it up as a lost cause at this point in my life) and I know basic music theory. My husband has years of training (jazz trumpet and guitar), composes music and has perfect relative pitch; all of which he passed on to our daughter.

On the question of whether this novel is science fiction or fantasy, I leaned towards the former early on. Once introduced to the oracle Josiah in Archangel, I began to believe I was reading a science fiction story (perhaps along the lines of Pern?). But the rest of the novel revealed little beyond that scene with the Oracle. Another clue could also be derived from the 'smallness' of their 'planet' in area and scope.

I interpreted the singing as magical. The story is mostly a romance, which I normally avoid like the plague, but in this case it worked well.

I have not decided yet if I will continue this series. I'll have to research my friends' reviews of it and see if it gets better or if this installment is as good as it gets.

 All in all, I really enjoyed Archangel, even if it seemed to be a romance masquerading as a fantasy with hints of science fiction sprinkled throughout.

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Winter 2012 Adult Reading Program - Destination: Anywhere

The Kansas City Public Library launched the "Destination: Anywhere" 2012 Adult Winter Reading Program on Monday, January 9, 2012. I plan to participate, although I may not read many (or any) of the suggested books. For the first time since I started following their adult reading programs, I saw non-fiction titles listed in their suggestions. I often need extra motivation to read non-fiction books, as I much prefer to escape to a place that you can't find on any real map. I am most at home on other worlds, in other dimension or in completely imaginary places.

Of the fiction titles suggested, I now have motivation to read Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (something I probably should have read decades ago). I am also intrigued by The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingslover, which also has a book discussion scheduled for Saturday, February 18th 2:00 p.m. at the Trails West Branch.

Of the non-fiction titles suggested, I might try Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang. Then I could try either Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer or The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (the latter has a book discussion scheduled for Saturday, January 28th 11:00 a.m. at the Central Library which I could easily attend).

Whether or not I attend any of the events or read any of the books, I look forward to adding to my collection of adult reading program coffee mugs. If you don't live in the Kansas City metropolitan area, an alternative way to participate would be through the library's GoodReads group.

Book Review: Ready Player One by Cline

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I must say Ready Player One easily and quickly became one of my funnest and most memorable reads of 2011. Wade Watts lives in the not too distant dystopian future (mostly in America, but implied world wide aftermath of the post-fossil fuel era). He (and the majority of what's left of humanity) escapes the ravages of poverty and orphanhood through the virtual OASIS reality. When the founder and creator of OASIS dies, he leaves his vast fortune (multi-billions) to whoever can find the egg he hid somewhere in the infinitely vast OASIS universe. Since Halliday obsessed on 80s culture, music, movies and early video games, he expected everyone else to join him. He succeeded posthumously by enshrining the clues to the egg in obscure 80s lore.

Ah, the early geeky memories that flashed before my eyes.

I played Zork and Adventure both. Neither of the two computers I grew up with were listed in the book: a home built Digital Group computer running a very early version of DOS and a Xerox 820 running C/PM. My favorite game (also not mentioned in the book), even more so than Adventure, was one called Nemesis by Supersoft. It's Rogue-like (which I prefer to an all-text based interactive story-type game like Adventure). I yearned to play it again, especially while reading the Second Gate section of Ready Player One, so I found a copy via a Google search. Now to find a C/PM emulator that will run on Windows (or Linus) so I can really revisit the 'good ole days.'

Wargames and Ladyhawke are both two of my favorite movies from the 80s era and the play a significant role in the egg hunt. On the music font, Rush (one of my favorite bands, after Styx and Kansas) provided key elements to the final third of the quest. I almost dug around in my basement for my old dusty Rush albums, but left them to rest in peace. Besides, my husband's band covers older Rush songs so I get a Rush-fix at least once a week.

I am very glad Cline didn't spend much time on the fashions of the day and I ignored most of the other music references (as I was a metal head and refused to listen to pop music). I played nearly all the arcade games mentioned EXCEPT for Tempest.

I wanted more real world information, to learn about the fall of civilization and the consequences of ignoring the ever worsening and appalling conditions rising to destroy what's left of humanity. Some readers have likened Wade Watts to a 'Mary Sue' type character, which is hard to refute since the tale is told in first-person from his point of view. Characterization, aside from Wade, could have been fleshed out more. If a sequel is in the works, I look forward to a deeper look into this world and these characters.

I highly recommend this novel to anyone with a smidgen of geekiness who also happens to be born in the mid-60s or very early 70s (i.e. were you a teenager during the 80s?).

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Book Review: My Luck Life In and Out of Show Business by Dick Van Dyke

My Lucky Life in and Out of Show Business by Dick Van Dyke

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I barely read any non-fiction (outside of the technical writing found in information technology reference guides) in any given year. When I do branch out away from fiction, I prefer to read a biography, autobiography or memoir, or a history book, usually on a particular brief period.

I breezed through Dick Van Dyke's autobiography quickly, probably because it felt like he sat in my living regaling me with tales from his past in his engaging and witty manner. His charm and good will bubbled out of the pages. Even the troubles and tragedies he confessed only evoked my compassion or caring in my assessment of him.

A couple of excerpts that really struck a chord for me:

I was all about living a kind, righteous, moral, forgiving, and loving life seven-days a week, not just the one day when you went to church. ... And if there's not a higher power, no one's going to be worse for the wear for his or her effort. Was there one way? No, not as far as I could tell -- other than to feel loved, to love back, ... as simple as making sure you spend time helping make life a little better for other people.

(from the Family Values chapter)

A few years ago, I told Esquire magazine that the Buddhists boiled it down to the essentials. They said you need three things in life: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for. The message does not get any clearer. I heard walt Disney, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Carl Reiner all say the same thing in their own way. Hope is life's essential nutrient, and love is what gives life meaning. I think you need somebody to love and take care of, and someone who loves you back. In that sense, I think the New Testament got it right. So did the Beatles. Without love, nothing has any meaning.

(from the Curtain Calls chapter)

When I finished the book, I wanted to give him a big hug, but of course, I'm too far away to do that. So I'll send him a little love for all the laughs and love he's shared unconditionally with me, with all of us really, for some many decades. As long as I've been alive, there's always been a Dick Van Dyke to make me smile.

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Book Review: Maphead by Jennings

For my twenty-first installment in my 'Thirty Days of Thankfulness' I am grateful for my sense of direction, my spatial awareness and love of maps and geography. This post will do double duty as it also masquerades as a book review of Ken Jennings' recently released Maphead.

Maphead: Charting the Wide, Weird World of Geography Wonks
by Ken Jennings

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
(actually more like 3.5 stars, but GoodReads doesn't allow half star ratings)

A quick read, similar in format and informality to Ken's inaugural Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs book. All twelve chapter titles included a cartographic definition together with a quote. For example, the first chapter entitled 'Eccentricity' with the definition 'the deformation of an elliptical map projection' and the Pat Conroy quote 'My wound is geography.'

My favorite chapter falls in the center, halfway from nowhere to somewhere, Chapter 6 'Legend' with a definition of 'an explanatory list of the symbols on a map' and the C.S. Lewis quote 'Most of us, I suppose, have a secret country, but for most of us it is only an imaginary country.' I did a double-take when I read on p. 113 that Brandon Sanderson and Ken Jennings were college roommates. I heartily agree with Brandon's assertion that 'The hallmark of epic fantasy is immersion' and that's why he always includes maps in his books. Brandon goes on to relate to Ken that he 'started to look and make sure a book had a map. That was one of the measures of whether it was going to be a good book or not." When Brandon first read The Lord of the Rings he thought, 'Oho, he [Tolkien] knows what he's doing. A map and an appendix!' Ken states a few paragraphs later that 'Fantasy readers like that abrupt drop into the deep end and the learning curve it takes to keep up' further affirmed by Brandon's confirmation that 'By the end of a big epic fantasy novel, you'll have to become an expert in this world that doesn't exist. It's challenging.'

Pauline Baynes' map poster of Middle-earth
published in 1970 by George Allen
& Unwin and Ballantine Books.

I felt affirmed and validated for years of pouring over maps of fictional non-existent realms. I once thought to recreate the map of Middle Earth as a tapestry to hang proudly in my living room or library. One of the first prints I purchased from a newly favorite epic fantasy author, Janny Wurts, was a large format (40x30 inches) map of Athera, solely because I wanted to be able to trace (without squinting or resorting to a magnifying glass and the loss of the center of the map to the no man's land in the binding of the books) the routes of Arithon, Elaira, Dakar, Lysaer and other characters intrinsic to her Wars of Light and Shadow epic fantasy series. The first thing I did upon receiving the next Wheel of Time novel was to skim through for any new maps interspersed in the chapters and sections. Back in the mid80s, I purchased both the Atlas of the Land and the The Atlas of Pern by Karen Wynn Fonstad so I could pour over even more imaginary maps while waiting for the next Pern or Thomas Covenant novel to be published. But I digress, tangentially, from the book at hand.

In Chapter 9 'Transit' (definition: 'a piece of surveying equipment used by mapmakers: a theodolite with a reversible telescope'), Ken sparked my interest in road rallies (something I always wanted to do when my husband was a member of the local SCCA). I always excelled at those trick-question instruction test in school, so I might just try Jim Sinclair's annual St. Valentine's Day Massacre (a contest by mail where you travel a circuitous course across American from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Statue of Liberty entirely by maps) next year. That is if I can find a way to sign up; an Internet search came up oddly sparse.

Ken introduced me to 'geocaching' in Chapter 10 'Overedge' (definition: 'the portion of the map that lies outside the neatline border'), which so intrigue me that I grabbed my Nook Color and signed up at Geocaching.com, even though I don't even own a GPS unit (outside of the one in my dumbphone which doesn't have any 'free' software associated with it to assist in finding or placing geocaches).

Overall, I enjoyed the few hours I spent geeking over cartography and geography with Ken Jennings as my tour guide. I learned a few things and I laughed out loud a couple of times. I can't think of a better way to spend a weekend, especially if cold November rain greets you on the other side of the door.
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Reader of the Vast Tomes

For the third day of my 'Thirty Days of Thankfulness' I wish to express my appreciation of reading books. I can't remember of a time when I didn't know how to read, going clear back to when I was three or four years old. By the time I finished second grade, I believe I had finished all the Laura Ingalls Wilder Prairie books and started working through my mom's old collection of Nancy Drew novels (printed in the 30s or before), as well as a few Hardy Boys and Trixie Beldon mysteries. I also remember reading Black Beauty and Little Women several times. Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass come to mind as well as some Jules Verne. I loved (and still re-read) C.S. Lewis Chronicles of Narnia and own a large hardcover omnibus edition, which I place prominently on my Shelf of Honor.

As I approached middle school age, I became exposed to other genres, including science fiction and horror. During my early teen years, I couldn't read enough Stephen King. I still consider The Stand to be one of his best novels and a great example of post-apocalyptic fiction. But there came a point when the thrills paled and the terror became predictable. I did an about-face, a complete one-eighty and dived into epic fantasy. I have rarely, if ever, looked back.

Epic Fantasy Tomes

Why did epic fantasy appeal to me? The size of the books. Yes, I prefer tomes. The longer the book (or series), the happier I am. I read fast (not as fast as I did during my young adult hood, but still no slouch). Of the three novels shown in the photo above, the Janny Wurts novel on my Nook Color is the longest, weighing in at 749 pages. The classic, by Twain, and Vinge's Rainbow's End are actually approximately the same size in length: between 350 and 400 pages. If I put my mind to it, had few distractions, and really enjoyed the novel, I could finish either of the paperbacks in a day. Janny's writing, however, is dense, rich and full of revelations and layers that require concentration. I will enjoy her prose for a minimum of ten days, and again in the future, because there's always something new to find in her work when you re-visit it.

While Janny's latest publication, the very recently released Initiate's Trial, seems long to the casual reader at nearly twice the size of a normal paperback, to me it is a good sized epic fantasy novel. The longest books I've read in the last three years include:

1. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (read in 2009) ~ 1,024 pages
2. The Way of Kings (read in 2010) ~ 1,007 pages
3. The Wise Man's Fear (read in 2011) ~ 994 pages

For more of my book stats, visit my stats page at GoodReads.

 

Book Clubs

I spent most of the 90s and the first half of the 00s raising children and helping my chronically ill husband all while working full-time. So basically, for a decade or a decade and a half, I stopped reading. Not completely, of course, because I read technical manuals and references guides for work and I occasionally picked up a novel off the new release shelf at the library. But I had blinders on and wasn't taking advantage of the wealth of information available via the Internet. About three years ago, a friend on Facebook invited me to join GoodReads, a social network site for bibliophiles. I felt like I'd found the keys to the gates of heaven. I quickly found online book clubs that aligned with my readings interests, signing up immediately with the Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Club. That quickly followed with Beyond Reality (which seems to be my favorite place to hang out for the moment). Eventually, I joined (and now help moderate) the Fantasy Book Club and the sister group Fantasy Book Club Series.

My awareness of reading and reviewing skyrocketed and pushed me to branch out in the 'real world.' Conveniently located in the building I spend every weekday in is a branch of the Kansas City Public Library. I participated in reading challenges and seasonal book clubs, some of which I've written blog posts about here (including: 'A Taste of Victorian Literature'; 'Altered States'; and, 'The Big Read' featuring Twain's Adventures of Tom Sawyer).

Accessible Authors

As if reading, reviewing and discussing novels wasn't wonderful enough, the real icing on the cake comes from the authors themselves. Unlike in the 80s when I had to write a letter on a manual typewriter and snail mail it to one of my favorite authors with a question (I did this with Barbara Hambly, Piers Anthony and Stephen R. Donaldson - all of whom replied courtesy the self-addressed stamped enveloped I provided them), today's authors write blogs, tweet via Twitter and participate eagerly at GoodReads either as discussion leaders or via dedicated Q&A topics posted for the chosen Book of the Month they wrote. Without their talent, imagination, perseverance and passion, I would have less to read, both in quantity and quality.

I highly recommend the following author blogs:

• Whatever by John Scalzi (since 1998)
• L.E. Modessitt, Jr. blog
• Brandon Sanderson's blog
• Patrick Rothfuss's blog

Back to the Future

I still love the heft of a heavy hardcover edition of a treasured classic epic fantasy ... for about five minutes. I may have turned the final page of my last new hardcover. Any future purchases will be made solely to support a favorite author, with the hope of meeting the author and asking for their autograph on the title page. For the lion's share of my reading, and to preserve both my weakening eyesight and the strain on my hands and arms, I will peruse the hundreds of novels and thousands of pages on my Nook Color ereader tablet, which is smart enough to turn off the light and mark my page when I doze off to sleep each night. Thanks again to my husband, for gifting me with this amazing product.