Book blogging (mostly)
Science Fiction
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
03 weeks ago
I read Robert Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land last year and I didn’t enjoy it, despite its strong start. In addition to my disappointment over the book, I was also surprised by the fact that I didn’t like it. Here we had what is considered one of the greatest science fiction books of all time, and all I can do is criticize it for being heavy-handed and dull. Shouldn’t this be exactly the kind of thing I love to read?
Since my experience with Stranger last year, I really had no intention of reading anything else by Heinlein. Still, he is considered a master in the genre and there were definitely some promising aspects to Stranger. And if C.S. Lewis is right when he says you can’t criticize a book the first time to read it (shh…don’t tell him I do that every time), I certainly don’t have the right to ignore everything else by Heinlein just because of one reading of one book.
And a good thing I didn’t give up on him, because everything Stranger gets wrong, The Moon is A Harsh Mistress gets right. Mistress tells the story of Mannie, a computer technician who becomes involved in a rebellion whose goal is to free the residents of the Moon from the tyrannical control of the Authority. Heinlein does a great job of introducing the conflict to us, and sets up a scenario in which there is tension about the ultimate success of the rebellion. While this aspect of the book is good, it’s certainly not what really makes it shine.
What does make The Moon is a Harsh Mistress a great book to read is the depth to which Heinlein goes to create a world in which people don’t just visit the moon, but actually live on the moon. Through the process of exposing how Mannie and his friends coordinate their rebellion, Heinlein subtly and thoroughly shows us what it’s like to work, play, marry, love, hate, eat, drink, and make war on the moon. What makes this all great, though, is how his strategy to reveal all this differs from Stranger. Instead of telling us what it’s like to live on the moon, Heinlein shows us, in the small moments between the larger scale of rebellion against earth. It’s subtle, but wonderfully executed, and makes the book a real pleasure to read.
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to live on the moon, with a 3:1 male to female population, while attempting to rebel against a heartless Terran government (and really, who hasn’t?) then The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is definitely for you. If, somehow, you haven’t wondered that, I still recommend the book if you enjoy an author who uses great characters and an interesting plot to help us earthworms consider the nuances of something as foreign as Lunar life.
Full database entry on The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. Beware spoilers
Pitching Max Werner
23 weeks ago
Max Werner, 15, can see in the dark – a secret not even his best friend Tom knows. More sly than brave, Max has used his special gift for years to roam the streets of his neighborhood committing petty crimes and various acts of harmless delinquency. He prefers hiding from danger, safe in the shadows that only his sight can penetrate, rather than confronting anything head on.
His misdeeds bring him more than a few stolen goods, however, when he runs across a band of inhuman thieves that don’t take kindly to Max invading their territory. These strange bandits kidnap Max’s little sister as punishment for his indiscretion, forcing him to put what little courage he does have to the test.
Afraid to make the rescue attempt alone, Max must first convince Tom to join the adventure. Even with his perfect night vision, the giant spiders, bottomless pits, and blood-thirsty criminals that stand between Max and his sister may mean that none of them make it out alive.
A Selective History of Max Werner is a young adult adventure for all those who have ever wondered what secrets lay in the deepest shadows, the blackest cave, or the darkest night.
Or so goes the pitch I’m submitting to the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award later this month. It surprised me how difficult writing a pitch like this was. In 300 words or less I need to convince someone who knows absolutely nothing about my book that it’s worth reading more of.
How do I distill everything about the book into so few words? Well, unfortunately, I leave a lot out. No mention of the tension between Jenny (the sister), Max, and Tom, or the pet bird that Max rescues, or the footnotes that litter the book with ironic faux-history, or the evil Boss that leads the band of thieves and is the real villain of the book, or numerous other things that might spoil the story. All of it, gone.
Hopefully that will be enough to get me through to the second round, where the judges read the first 5,000 words of the book and can get a better taste of everything it has to offer. Hopefully! (If you have any suggestions for how I can improve the pitch, feel free to offer them below.)
In the meantime if you are interested in reading A Selective History of Max Werner you can find it on amazon. The Kindle version will be free as often as I can make it, so keep an eye on my twitter for when those deals go live. If you don’t have a Kindle eReader (or don’t want to wait until the next free offer) and want to check the book out, just leave a comment below or message me on twitter.
Special thanks to Jocelyn Mathewes for the amazing cover art.
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).
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.
Perelandra
41 year ago
Instead of listening to audio books during my daily commute, I have recently been enjoying lectures from The Great Courses. These cover all types of subjects, from classical mythology, to Einstein’s theory of relativity. The one I just finished, however, was a 12 lecture series on the life and writings of C.S. Lewis. I complimented this listening experience by reading Perelandra, the second book in Lewis’s classic Space Trilogy.
I’ve read Perelandra before, as well as a number of Lewis’s other works, but by listening to lectures discussing major themes of his work in general, while simultaneously reading a single work in depth, I was able to enjoy it at a much deeper level. I encourage anyone with the time or opportunity to do something similar.
As for the book itself, Perelandra follows Ransom (a professor of philology) on another interstellar adventure – this time to Venus (or Perelandra). While there, he becomes involved in Perelandra’s own Edenic struggle to resist temptation.
I loved reading Perelandra. Lewis’s ability to make the temptation believable, and compelling, is extremely impressive. In fact, the dialogue of this book is far more exciting than the “action” moments. Full of fascinating ideas, Perelandra is easy for me to recommend – to a certain audience. I can see how many, however, might not enjoy it nearly as much as I have.
First of all, science fiction fans who aren’t interested in Lewis’s Christian theology would find this book endlessly frustrating. Lewis makes no attempt to hide the Christian elements of this work, and I can see how someone who is not predisposed to believe the same things as Lewis would criticize this as being preachy or even condescending.
On the other hand, those who may hold the same beliefs as Lewis may not be as interested in a book that is so very science fiction. In fact, the sci-fi qualities are even more obvious than the Christian elements to the story, making a predisposition for enjoying this kind of work even more necessary. However if, like me, you are interested in rigorous theology in your hardcore science fiction, then this is definitely the book for you. That has to be one of the nerdiest things I’ve ever said.
“There seems to be no plan because it is all plan: there seems no centre because it is all centre” (218).
The Ringworld Engineers
01 year ago
It was probably 5 years ago that I read Ringworld – the tale of a group of 3 adventurers who are tempted to travel to beyond the known universe to explore a giant Ringworld in search of treasure and fame. Unfortunately, that’s about all I remembered about the first book, and so when I was looking to read the sequel last week, I decided to check Wikipedia for the details I could not recall. To my great disappointment, Wikipedia had only an extended, spoiler free summary. Yet another reason I wish I had started my book database years earlier!
Despite my failed memory and lack of information online, I went ahead and read The Ringworld Engineers. In this sequel, Louis Wu and Chmee return, against their will, to the Ringworld in search of a mysterious object. Louis and Chmee, however, spend most of their time looking for freedom from their paranoid Puppeteer captor.
Ultimately, not remembering the details of the first book was a minor point. I wish I had, but only because I think it would have added depth to the development of Chmee and Louis Wu as characters. As it was, I could only watch them grow within the context of the book. And while this was an enjoyable experience, I can’t help but think it would have been more meaningful if I could have seen them evolve from their original incarnations. Of course, the possibility also exists that they behaved in foolish and unbelievable ways in comparison to the first book, but I like to remain hopeful.
While I recommend this book, I do so with the caveat that this is hardcore science fiction. In fact, in the introduction, Niven admits that the whole reason this sequel was written was so he could deal with all the scientific and mathematical questions and concerns that readers raised after the first book. Now, if you’re like me, you just thought “Yes! Can’t wait to read it!” but if you are a normal person, feel free to pass on this series for something a little more down to earth.
“You only learn to ask more questions” (215).
Full Database entry on The Ringworld Engineers. Beware spoilers.
Unwind
21 year ago
I learned about Unwind from a coworker whose son was reading it for school. Apparently there was some controversy among the parents. Having just finished Don Quixote I figured this would be great light reading to bridge the gap before vacation. While easy to read, this definitely wasn’t exactly the light reading I had expected.
Unwind is set in a dystopian future in which America has fought its second civil war. Only this time, the fighting was over abortion. The war eventually ended with the signing of the Bill of Life. According to this document all life was protected from conception to the age of 13. From 13 to 18 a parent could choose to retroactively unwind their children. Unwind follows the story of 3 children who are set to be Unwound.
Unwind is full of interesting ideas and deals with the difficult subject of abortion with subtlety. However, the writing itself is just mediocre. It is worth reading if you want to start a discussion on abortion with a teen, but probably not otherwise.
In fact, the most interesting thing for me in regards to Unwind was finding the parallels between it and Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal (an essay in which Swift satirically encourages the Irish to eat their children in order to alleviate poverty). I would say more here, but I don’t want to spoil anything if you are interested in reading Unwind. Feel free to check out the last 2 paragraphs of my database entry for the details, though.
What suprised me the most, however, was that this would be picked for school reading. What do you think – is this appropriate high school reading?
Full database entry on Unwind. Beware spoilers.
P.S. I wrote this on my iPhone so please forgive any typos or weird formatting.
Stranger in a Strange Land
21 year ago
I’ve had Stranger in a Strange Land on my bookshelf for nearly 5 years now. I have always wanted to read it, partly because I borrowed it from a friend and knew I should eventually give it back, and partly because it looked interesting. So what has kept me from actually starting it? Probably the fact that everyone I’ve asked about it says the same thing: “It starts of great, but then it gets really weird.”
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy weird. Weird books are often some of the most fun. Still, it was enough of a deterrent to keep it from ever moving it to the top of my never empty backlog of books.
So now that I have read it, what’s the verdict? They were exactly right. Stranger in a Strange Land starts off excellent. Unfortunately, this great start makes the second half that much harder to read. There’s a reason this book took me so long to read (nearly 3 weeks): the last half is just a pain to slog through.
The story of Stranger centers around Valentine Michael Smith – a human born on mars and raised by Martians who gets brought back to Earth where he struggles to deal with his own foreignness in what should be his home. Cool idea, right? And it is, and when there’s actually a plot happening (during the first half of the book) it’s superbly entertaining. Unfortunately, by the end it devolves into nothing more than a soapbox for Heinlein’s ideas on sexual liberation.
I hate to say it, but I would not recommend this book. There is one caveat, however. If you can read just the first two parts, and not bother with the rest, there are a lot of interesting ideas, strong writing, and fascinating characters. If you are like me, however, and hate to quit reading a book you start (especially one that starts so good) then don’t bother picking this one up.
“I don’t pay attention to politics.”
“You should. It’s barely less important than your own heart beat.”
“I don’t pay attention to that either” (33).
Full database entry on Stranger in a Strange Land. Beware Spoilers.
And Another Thing…
02 years ago
Eoin Colfer is an excellent author. I don’t know how to pronounce his name, but that hasn’t stopped me from reading 9 of his books now. My first introduction to Colfer was the Artemis Fowl series, which as of book 6, is still immensely entertaining. I was afraid to pick up anything else by him, assuming it couldn’t live up to the high expectations I had from the Artemis books. Eventually I gave in and listened to Airman. It was, quite possibly, even better than any and all of the Artemis books.
Even with Airman surpassing my wildest expectations I was shocked with how much I enjoyed Half Moon Investigations (more on this later – I just finished listening to this on cd). With all that said, when I learned that Colfer was writing the sixth book in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy trilogy, I was probably more excited than most Hitchhiker’s fans. I was confident that Colfer could pull it off. He is, without a doubt, a talented, funny author.
I didn’t like And Another Thing, and that makes me sad. As I read through it, I wanted to like it. I really did. And it definitely made me laugh, numerous times and not infrequently or out of pity. It really had its moments. But in spite of that, it just wasn’t very good. It was middling, and not nearly of the quality of his other books. There are many possible reasons for this, and I explore them in more detail in the database entry, but I simply can’t recommend this to anyone. Colfer has much better books out there, and the original Hitchhiker’s books are plentiful if you need a fix.
(On a side note, I think there is a good chance that I wouldn’t even enjoy the original series at this point, for whatever reason, and that Colfer in fact did a fantastic job of upholding the tradition established by Adams. Maybe it’s not just for me anymore.)
Beyond the Blue Event Horizon (Heechee Saga)
22 years ago
Beyond the Blue Event Horizon is a sequel to Gateway which I read (warning – spoilers) at the beginning of the year. Beyond follows the characters from the first but, if you haven’t read the first, that probably doesn’t help that much so I’ll give a brief outline of the universe in which these books are set.
Humans made their way into space, where they discovered the remnants of an ancient, super intelligent civilization. Gateway is an asteroid from which people can launch into space in hopes of finding even more technology and thus becoming extremely rich. Unfortunately, many people simply don’t return from these flights. In the first novel, Robinette Broadhead heads to Gateway to try his luck, and the sequel continues his story.
As I was adding this book to my “currently reading” section on Goodreads, I noticed a link to the author’s (Frederik Pohl) blog. I love the idea of authors blogging, especially if they have lead as interesting a life as Pohl has. Definitely check it out of you are a sci-fi fan.
Speaking of being a sci-fi fan, you really need to be one to even consider reading this series. While there are certainly elements that anyone could enjoy, such as the clever exposition in the first, it requires far more willingness to get into the geeky sci-fi realm than a book like Dune. Plus, it is the ideas of the book that make it worth reading, and if you aren’t into concepts such as faster than light space travel, black holes, and crazy theories about the creation of our universe, you simply won’t have a good time reading it. That isn’t to say the writing is bad, it’s quite good in fact, it just isn’t so earth shatteringly amazing that everyone who has the ability to read should pick up this book right now.
People who should pick up this book (or at least the first) are those who enjoy asking the question “what if there were aliens? what would that mean? How does our humanity change or become more evident when faced with creatures and ideas that are difficult to even imagine?” These are cool questions, and Pohl handles them with skill.
“All myths and deities are tolerable enough to believe in; but what if they become real?”(76)
Full database entry on Beyond the Blue Event Horizon. Beware spoilers.