Book blogging (mostly)
Archive for August, 2010
Of Other Worlds: Essays and Stories
21 year ago
I’ve never felt the need to defend the enjoyment I get out of reading science fiction or fantasy novels. As a result, though, I’ve never really considered what it is about these types of books that interests me so much. Fortunately, C.S. Lewis has, and in this collection of essays, he perfectly articulates why such stories are worth reading, writing, and discussing.
It’s not worth summarizing each of the essays here (they are so efficiently executed that it’s hard to trim anything out in summary), but there are a few points that Lewis makes that I want to highlight.
First, he repeatedly points out that, regardless of audience or subject matter, a good book is simply a good book. If it’s not good enough for adult’s to read, then why should our children? He also enjoys emphasizing the idea that one should not arbitrarily choose a genre, but should let the story dictate the best means of delivery. These are just two of the many points he raises, and I’m hardly doing them justice. Lewis brings so much warmth and humor to each essay that you should really just read them.
In addition to a collection of fascinating essays (see the number of times I had to mark a sentence or idea that I wanted to return to), Of Other Worlds also has several short stories and the beginning of an unfinished novel. While these stories were good, it was definitely the essays that make this collection worth reading.
This book has reminded me how much I love reading Lewis’ writing and, as a result, you’re probably going to be seeing a lot more posts about his works. Most of it will be nonfiction, not because it’s any better than his fiction, but just because I haven’t read most of it.
I recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading about literature, even if they hate science fiction or fantasy. I say this not because I think Lewis will convince you to suddenly start liking them, but because his humility and insight may increase your respect for these genres. It won’t make you want to read them, but it may help you understand where those of us who enjoy them so much are coming from.
“I am almost inclined to set up as canon that a children’s story which is enjoyed only by children is a bad children’s story” (24).
“When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up” (25).
Canvas or: the One That I Wrote
11
Last November I participated in National Novel Writing Month (or NaNoWriMo for short). I’ve always wanted to write a novel, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. The core concept of NaNoWriMo is that, while there is a time for careful writing and editing, there is also a time for boundless creativity. NaNoWriMo is all about output; quantity is emphasized over quality, and it has to be if you are going to finish a 50,000 word novel in just 30 days.
It was crazy, but fun, and at the end of 30 days, I had a novel that I could be proud of. It was coherent and complete, and that’s about all I was asking of myself. In the mean time I’ve done some editing, but the text itself has remained pretty much what is was as of November 30, 2009. Now, thanks to some cool technology, and some risk-free publishing services, I can actually share my novel with others.
Before I continue, let me be honest for a moment. This is not a professionally published novel. If I were reviewing it on the blog I would probably say something like: “While there are some interesting ideas in Canvas, the writing is really uneven, and mostly mediocre. The few moments of quality aren’t enough to make me recommend this book.” At the same time, though, I’m pretty excited about having written a book, and I want as many people as possible to read it. If reading a flawed novel written by someone you know interests you, I’ve listed possible acquisition methods below:
- You can purchase a paperback copy from Amazon.com, to put on your bookshelf next to Johnny Tremain, for $8.00 (not including shipping. It does qualify for Super Saver shipping if you have anything else to buy). Also, if you live near Houston/know me in person and you want a paperback copy, let me know because I can order them through CreateSpace (the company that actually prints the book) for a little cheaper.
- You can purchase the Kindle edition from Amazon.com for $0.99. If you are considering this option, I highly recommend you look below.
- You can download the ePub version directly from me (*temporarily disabled). This will work on most eReader devices that I’m familiar with. If it won’t work on yours, you can use Adobe Digital Editions to read it on your PC.
For the sake of full disclosure, I should note that I do, technically, make money if you buy a copy of this book, but I promise that’s not why I’m posting this (see: free version (*temporarily disabled)). I literally make less than $0.10 from each paperback sale, and something like $0.34 from the Kindle version. I made the for sale versions as cheap as possible because I’m far more interested in people being able to read it than I am in this becoming a source of income.
So there you have it. If you have decided to read it, I hope you enjoy it. If you read it and don’t enjoy it, rest assured that I agree with your criticisms without even knowing what they are. Finally, I hope that everyone joins me for NaNoWriMo 2010!
The Handmaid’s Tale
21 year ago
Wow, it’s been so long since I last posted that you’re probably thinking I decided to read The Tale of Genji all over again. I did not, though, so I promise that’s the last reference to the length of Genji that I’ll make (in this post). No, the real reason I haven’t been posting is due to a combination of being on vacation with no internet, and laziness. I was still reading, however, so let’s get to that.
The Handmaid’s Tale, sexual pun intended, is set in a futuristic dystopian society and tells the story of a Handmaid – a religiously and politically sanctioned concubine. The Handmaid who serves as our narrator is not a huge fan of her new role in society.
Though Atwood does an excellent job of creating a cohesive, well-realized, and clearly defined society, I would not go so far as to say the events she portrays are believable. I don’t think our own society is just one step away from heading down this particular path. That isn’t a criticism, however, because I don’t think you have to consider this a real possibility to appreciate what Atwood is trying to tell us.
As a matter of fact, one of my favorite aspects of this book is how it captures both the bad qualities of the society before the new “Handmaid” regime is put in place, as well as the “Handmaid” regime itself. It would probably have been easier just to cast the latter regime in an evil light, but I appreciate that Atwood was willing to criticize the extremes of the pre-dystopian society as well.
I definitely recommend The Handmaid’s Tale, especially to anyone interested in dystopian literature. However, considering how well-crafted the book is, I don’t think you have to be a fan of similar books to enjoy this book.
“Truly amazing, what people can get used to, as long as there are a few compensations” (270).
Full database entry on The Handmaid’s Tale. Beware spoilers.