Review: The Water Thief by Nicholas Lamar Soutter

Review by John for The Water Thief by Nicholas Lamar Soutter

John’s quick take:   A dystopian tale about what happens when corporations and capitalism replace government and democracy.

John’s description:   Charles Thatcher belongs to Ackerman Brothers Securities Corporation, one of the biggest corporations in a near-future world where all governments have disappeared, to be replaced by businesses whose only concerns are making money and beating the competition. Generosity and free access to anything are believed to breed weakness and lead to laziness, so everything is for sale. Even air and rainwater have to be paid for. Image is also everything so perception is deemed to be far more important than the truth.

Charles is a Delta – not the lowest of the low but a mid-grade class. Along with many others he works in perception management, tasked with finding any information or news that might harm his employer, and spinning stories and messages that help to put his company, Ackerman Brothers in the best possible light. He is constantly striving to be promoted to executive, something which very few achieve.

Then he stumbles across some information about a woman charged with stealing rainwater and decides to embellish the story - accusing the thief of being a seditionist and revolutionary who believes in government. What he doesn’t realize is that his story might be close to the truth. Disgruntled by his life, his investigation leads him to become enamored by the woman’s cause and the possibility of life beyond the corporations. But such beliefs are deadly and dangerous as the corporations will stop at nothing to squash revolutionary thoughts and to keep the masses in line.

John’s thoughts:   This is an interesting theme for a book. Already we live in a world where corporations hold far too much political power and influence, and Soutter extrapolates this into a dystopian future where corporations have become all powerful. What might a world look like where governments no longer exist? He paints a grim picture.

Everything has a price tag and there is no such thing as social rights. Individuals are only worth what they can contribute to company profits, and if they cannot contribute anything then they are worthless –  considered a drag on efficiency and company morale. It is wrong to save money as it is only through spending that people contribute to the economy. Indeed, people are encouraged to trade their own “futures”, thereby maximizing their spending (and forever indebting themselves to the corporation which already owns them).

The problem for me was that the picture was too extreme. It’s a bit like when you read a politically oriented article or news story that has been written by someone with hardline extreme views – personally I tend to go glassy eyed rather quickly due to a lack of balance and reasonableness. For a futuristic novel to achieve maximum impact it has to be believable, even if it stretches credulity a bit; and to my mind this novel goes a little too far.

Still, it was an interesting and thought-provoking read. The story is well written and it built nicely to the climax. I have to say that the ending, though perfectly in line with the theme and the story, did leave me a bit dissatisfied. Overall I’d rate this three stars and recommend it to anyone who is a fan of futuristic, dystopian novels.

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Paperback | 248 pages | CreateSpace | April 23, 2012

For more information on The Water Thief check our our Incoming Books post for October 12, 2013.

Review: This Perfect Day ~ by Ira Levin

This Perfect Day ~ by Ira Levin; Pegasus Books (2010). 

Originally published in 1970, this is a classic adult dystopian novel that portrays a frightening future in which a pseudo-government medicates its citizens and regulates all behavior, creating a hive like community. Everyone is equal and its adherents chant: "Christ, Marx, Wood and Wei led us to this perfect day".

About:   “Chip” (Li is his real name and one of four names for every man given by the society) is a member of a “perfect” society where the members are semi-sexless, have no discernable race and exist through genetic modification. They live a day-to-day drone like existence where men do not have to shave, women have no breasts, they all wear identical coveralls, eat cakes and drink coke for every meal, and everyone gets along.

When Chip decides what he really wishes to do with his life and expresses it out loud as a youngster, his desires are superficially quelled as unacceptable and is told he is to have the career chosen for him by the government for the good of the whole. Then one day his internally conflicted self meets up with a group of members who have figured out how to avoid taking their weekly scheduled meds. When Chip joins them temporarily, he finds he has never felt more alive and decides he wants to live this way everyday.

This is just a glimpse of what happens to Chip, because things become decidedly more involved as the story continues. 

Thoughts:  I enjoyed this classic novel – even though it did not completely absorb my interest for the entire novel since I did a fair amount of skimming; a key sign that the novel was not going to be a big favorite. It felt like the first part of story, detailing Chip’s life in this medically created  “utopian” society, went on a bit longer than needed for me. It did pick up in the second part of the novel and I do think that the story line is an intriguing one, and supports the fact that the book is often considered a corner-stone classic for the genre and included with the likes of 1984 and Clockwork Orange.

It also stimulated several questions – because as in all dystopian, this society is not as idyllic as it appears. I found I started asking myself: Who or what is leading and monitoring this society? What is their reason behind creating this pseudo-utopia? And are these leaders as altruistic as it first appears?

Recommended to anyone who enjoys social science fiction where a society has gone askew or indeed to anyone who plans to write one. So if you’re interested in a read that may be a bit chewy, or you would like the answer to the above questions, this will be a great story for you. For those not interested in reading the book, but who have a curiosity about the plot there is a complete summary (with spoilers) at its Wikipedia page. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Perfect_Day.

So I give This Perfect Day a 3 stars. I would have considered it torture as a teenager forced to read it in a high school literature class, like when I read 1984, but as an adult it was quite a decent read with a complex and surprising plot.

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This Perfect Day was written in 1970 and won the Prometheus Award soon after it was published. Ira Levin, its author, passed away in 2007 and also wrote other books now considered classics - The Boys from Brazil, Rosemary’s Baby, and The Stepford Wives. The novel has been consistently re-published over the years with a variety of interesting covers. This latest publication makes the book available in e-book format.

I will be including this book in The Basics Challenge where I explore speculative fiction and Fill in the Gaps.

Thanks for reading.

Completed: 42 Challenge 2011 ~ anything Sci Fi

42 Challenge 2011 

It’s our very late post to mark the end of this 2011 challenge, where we attempted to read, watch, attend  “42 anythings” which are science fiction related.

The challenge’s title is based upon The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe’s answer to the “Ultimate Question” and its answer “42 “ which is the universal theory and reason for everything. 

Amazingly we almost finished this crazy challenge and as you can see below we watched and read a lot of sci-fi”ish” things in 2011 and we had a blast. (In case your interested the badge above links to our host’s blog for the challenge, which sadly she isn't doing again this year.)

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We Viewed | Read:

• 10 movies
• 9 short stories and poems
• 22 books

Collectively we almost completed the challenge at 41. Wow!

Movies with Mini Reviews:

Survivors  (TV Series 1975–1977)

This is a BBC production and a series about a post apocalyptic UK which is is based upon a virus that kills 95% of the world’s population.

A bit outdated and low tech, it still allows the watcher to experience what it would be like if almost everyone on the planet dies. It’s a 3 star in our opinion; we watched only the first in the series.

Paul (2011)  

Two geeky comic-book readers travel across the U.S. and encounter an alien named Paul outside the notorious Area 51, with hilarious results.

John watched this funny movie on a trans-Atlantic flight and laughed the whole time and designated it a 4 star rating.

 

Fahrenheit 451  (1966)  

This classic book by Ray Bradbury, turned into a movie, is set in a future where books are illegal. They are burned at the temperature which burns paper – 451 degrees.

This old 60’s dystopian movie has some great fashions which are slightly in style right now and was very entertaining. The movie too feels a bit dated, but is still great to watch. At 4 stars, it is a must see for all science fiction/dystopian aficionados.

 

Videodrome (1983) 

A horror sci-fi flick, where a cable-TV programmer begins to see his life disintegrate in a surreal fashion when he watches a video that causes horrific and creepy consequences.

This is a violent and disturbing movie with some interesting special effects considering the age of the film. A must view for any horror/sci-fi lover at 3.5 stars.

 

Pandorum  (2009)  

The crew from a spectacularly created spaceship wakes up with no knowledge of their mission or their identities, to find that they are not the only hungry beings on the ship.

A very scary sci-fi/horror flick; there are several ridiculous scenes but the special effects, makeup and scene setting are fabulous – this flick contains a spectacular monster in our opinion. We enjoyed it at 3.5 stars.

9 (2009)   

When a cute rag doll which has been granted a soul awakens in a post-apocalyptic future, he sets out on a quest to rid his world of evil.

This is a sweet story, contains amazing graphics and special effects with a sweet yet spiritual theme. 4 stars for this cute family oriented film. 

 

Brazil (1985)  

A bureaucrat in a dystopian future world tries to correct an administrative error and becomes a wanted man.

This is an incredible film – for its plot, visuals and creativity. Wonderful to watch, it really is a must see for any sci-fi aficionado; and anyone for that matter. Highly recommended at 4.5 stars!  

 

The Andromeda Strain (1971)  

In this classic book turned movie, scientists must stop a deadly alien virus before it can spread.

Low tech and very intriguing, this is an extremely well done movie considering when it was made, and is another must see. 3.5 stars is our rating for this classic movie.  

 

The Man Who Fell to Earth  (1976)  

A heart-breaking movie about an alien who travels to Earth to send back water for his dying planet.

With a surreal feel and well done makeup, David Bowie stars in this great movie. It is one of the movies which Shellie holds responsible for her love of science fiction. An excellent, low tech classic, it is a must view for everyone at 4.5 stars.

The Children (2008)

Set in the UK, a vacation turns into a terrifying fight for survival as the children begin to turn against their parents.

Although more horror than science fiction – there is an element which puts this into the genre, since it appears that this is a disease that is spread from body fluids. John liked this film, Shellie thought it was okay so we will designate it a balance between the two ratings at 3.5 stars.

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Books with Linked Reviews:

Shellie:

1. Nebula Awards Showcase 2011 ~ edited by Kevin J. Anderson (This book contained 9 sci fi shorts and poems.) 
2. Electric Ant ~ by Philip K. Dick (adapted by David Mack; illustrated by Pascal Aline) (GN, SF, C)
3. Trouble and Her Friends ~ by Melissa Scott (SF)
4. Wither (Chemical Garden Trilogy # 1) ~ by Lauren DeStefano (YA,SF)
5. Delirium ~ by Lauren Oliver (SF,YA)
6. In Other Worlds (audio) ~ by Margaret Attwood
7. Feed (audio) ~ by M. T. Anderson
8. “Lament for Lost Atlanta” ~ by Arlan Andrews

(16 books, novelettes, novellas, short stories, and poems.)

John:

1. The Revisionists ~ by Thomas Mullen
2. The Immortality Virus ~ by Christine Amsden
3. Fleet of Worlds ~ by Larry Niven and Edward M. Lerner
4. The Windup Girl ~ by Paolo Bacigalupi
5. Matter (book #8 in the Culture series) ~ by Iain M. Banks
6. The Time Machine ~ by H. G. Wells
7. Robopocalypse ~ by Daniel H. Wilson
8. WWW:Wonder (#3) ~ by Robert J. Sawyer
9. All the Lives He Led ~ by Frederik Pohl
10. WWW:Watch (#2) ~ by Robert J. Sawyer
11. Variable Star ~ by Robert A. Heinlein and Spider Robinson
12. The Healers (The Aesculapians, Book One) ~ by Thomas Heric
13. Home Fires ~ by Gene Wolfe
14. WWW:Wake (#1) ~ by Robert J. Sawyer
15. The Metalmark Contract ~ by David Batchelor (not reviewed)

(15 books)

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Here’s to another year and a bunch more intriguing and thought-provoking reads, movie views, and more all within one of our favorite genres – Science Fiction!

Thanks for reading.

Review: In Other Worlds (Audio) ~ by Margaret Atwood

Review by Shellie for: In Other Worlds: SF and the Human Imagination (Audio) ~ by Margaret Atwood (read by the author and Susan Denaker)

An intriguing literary critique and more, by Margaret Atwood, based around science fiction. It’s for book lovers as well as fans of the author and the genre.

About:  This audio version of In Other Worlds is a catalog of Margaret Atwood’s relationship with science fiction and contains a number of her unpublished lectures including those titled “Flying Rabbits”, “Dire Cartographies”, and “Burning Bushes”. In the lectures she gives examples of the books which are important to her and her perspective around science fiction and more – how each book she describes affected her development, its place in history, and how it helped to create the genre as we see it today. Also included are her personal, respectable, and well thought out definitions for the sub and overlapping genres within the broad scope of speculative literature and science fiction. At the end of the book are two short stories written by the author and read by Susan Deneaker.

Thoughts:  I devoured this short read/listen, since I adore anything sci-fi and books about books. It was a complete pleasure for me. Atwood has some intriguing ideas about what the genre of science fiction is all about, especially for me considering my obsession with defining genres. That Atwood goes into depth was helpful since I learned many things from this book, which for me is what it’s all about. I now have other ways of referencing and categorizing a book.

I am certain that this is not a book for everyone, however, I would recommend it as a must read for any serious science fiction geek. It’s also good for the reference shelf since it contains loads of information on classics, and of course those interesting “speculative” genre definitions that she has provided. In my opinion it’s a great listen. I will be purchasing a paper copy for my personal library. I give this terrific nonfiction book - a big 4 stars.

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In Other Worlds - SF and the Human Imagination; Edition: Unabridged; read by Margaret Atwood and Susan Denaker; 8 hours, 28 minutes; Oct  2011; Signal.

Bio: Born in Ottawa in 1939, she grew up in northern Ontario, Quebec, and Toronto. She got an undergraduate degree from University of Toronto and her master's degree from Radcliffe College. Atwood writes poetry, children’s literature, fiction, and non-fiction. Some of her novels include The Edible Woman (1970), The Handmaid's Tale (1983), The Robber Bride (1994), Alias Grace (1996), The Blind Assassin (Booker Prize 2000), Oryx and Crake (2003), and  The Year of the Flood (2009). For more info go to her website - http://www.margaretatwood.ca/ and/or follow her on twitter where she has over 100,000 readers https://twitter.com/#!/MargaretAtwood

This is my last catch up book review for those books completed in 2011. Yee ha! It will be included in a number of challenges for that year.

Have a great Saturday.

Review: Feed ~ by M. T. Anderson

Review by Shellie: Feed (audio) ~ by M. T. Anderson (read by David Aaron Baker)

A young adult dystopian that sounds so realistic in the audio version that it’s frightening. Funny and heartbreaking, it will help readers think about what our world could become if capitalistic advertising is allowed to run wild in combination with technology.

About:   It appears that Titus is a regular teenager, the only difference is that in his world everyone has a “feed” implanted in their brain. It transmits constant personalized ads into their vision and auditory senses, including a way to keep in constant contact with anyone at anytime. It’s responsible for the fact that actual reading has become a thing of the past, since all communications are voice and thought activated via the “feed”. Sadly, also in this world the oceans are toxic, sterile, and no fish exist all in response to their rampant consumerism.

It's all too normal for Titus and his friends. As they party, take trips to the moon, and ingest the occasional mind altering substance, they lead their “normal lives” with a “party on attitude”. However, this world view is about to change when Titus meets a girl named Violet who is very different from anyone he knows. He begins to realize that, along with all the teen fun and games, there is an underlying angst and horror which they are all trying desperately to ignore and marginalize.

Thoughts:  I enjoyed listening to this book in audio, with its well done and interesting sound effects. Told in first person by Titus, it’s coupled with their future version of “teen speak”. I dare you not to go around calling friends and family members “Unit” instead of “Dude” or other current young adult colloquialism. There was a romantic element to the story which is told from the guy’s perspective which I enjoyed. With a realistic ending that is not your “drive into the sunset” cliché. There are a good number of interesting science based elements in addition to the implant – including cloning and hover cars, however the best bit is how the actual feed sounds in this audio version that I think is particularly brilliant.

I enjoyed this novel in audio and would recommend it for any teen (adult too) who enjoys a good dystopian. I could even imagine using the written version within the classroom as a modern day trade out for 1984 and Fahrenheit 451, or perhaps in tandem with required high school readings; giving a fresher perspective to the classics. I give this audio version a 4 stars, since in addition to the author’s creative technological ideas which are a key to the book, the reader and audio producer have also contributed to create a darkly funny and all to realistic “listen”.

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Publication Data: Audio Edition: Unabridged; Listening Library - May 27, 2006 5 hours, 1 minute; Awards for the audio version: Best Audiobooks – Audiophile.

The print version was first published in 2002 and won various awards. For example it was the finalist for the 2002 National Book Award, Young People's Literature, Honor book for the 2003 Boston Globe/Horn Book Award (in the fiction category).

This audio book was read in 2011 and its original review was lost in the “Gremlin Attack”- where I lost my hard drive. It’s also included in several 2011 challenges. The Basic Challenge, Dystopian Challenge, The 42 – Science Fiction Challenge.

I have enjoyed a number of young-adult dystopian novel last year in 2011, and am thinking to move on into the adult section. Got any recommendations for favorite adult dystopias anyone?

Cheers!

Review: A Long Long Sleep ~ by Anna Sheehan

Review by Shellie for: A Long Long Sleep (ARC and Audio) ~ by Anna Sheehan

A young adult science fiction novel that examines some of the moral issues around the ability to put humans to sleep for extended periods of time.

About:  Rosalinda (Rose) has been in “stas” (chemically induced sleep inside a tube) for 62 years. She was “forgotten” in a basement and awakes to a world very different from the one she left. Of course she doesn’t quite fit in. Understandably Rosalinda is weak, thin, and has difficulties relating to other teens because her mannerisms and language are old-fashioned.

Even more complicated is that there appears to be an unknown force that is stalking her and wants her dead. Rosalinda does not quite understand why and also doubts her perceptions that it could actually be happening. As she discovers who she really is and attempts to capture the heart of her “not so available prince charming” (there is a thin thread linking it to the fairy-tale sleeping beauty), the reasons become clear as to why she has remained asleep for so many years. Worse yet, perhaps it was not a mistake.

Thoughts:  First I want to mention that I particularly liked this little snippet from the book. It is where the main character Rose is conversing via a tablet of sorts to a friend, which allows a form of texting. She is asking this genetically altered male Otto (who has blue skin) about his girl friend Nabiki:

Is Nabiki interesting?

Very. She has many layers of thought. Which is why she can feel hostility and sympathy for you at the same time. ~ page 105

It was really fun to read a novel that has the blog name in it!

Interestingly, I read the first half of this book from Net Galley in its ARC ebook format. I finished it in audio which is the cover you see above. I also took a look at a paper copy and read several chapters that way too. I liked seeing the differences in the versions and will have to say that I enjoyed the first half of the novel in the ARC format the most. The published version had been changed a bit from the ARC and the audio version had a reader which presented Rosalinda as depressed, and whiney. I understand why this characteristic was used to depict her, however, it is one that I did not like listening to in audio.

All in all this book is one of the meatier young adult dystopian books that I read during the 2011 year. I liked that it had real science as a basis for the world’s technological advancements and that the author addresses some interesting issues, moral and legal, around the ability to be able to put someone to “sleep” for long periods of time. Most importantly and unusually she addresses what may happen when the sleeping beauty does not get the so called prince.

I give this young adult book 3.5 stars. I liked it a lot and wonder how it would have felt if I had completed the ARC version in the time allotted with the expire-able version. Conversely, reading these several versions made me curious about the differences between them and why publishers and editors make the changes they do.

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Bio:  Anna Sheehan’s A Long Long Sleep is her first novel. She lives in rural Oregon. For more information link to her website.  http://annasheehan.com/

Audio Edition Stats: Unabridged; read by Angela Dawe; Publisher: Brilliance Audio; 9 hours, 8 minutes; Release date: Aug 2011

This book was read mostly in 2011 and completed in 2012. It will be included in the Basics Challenge where I explore speculative fiction, and where I really need to update with a post for both blogs… sheesh!

Happy Wednesday.

Reviews: “Lament for Lost Atlanta” and “Journal of a Civil War Nurse”

Two short story reviews by Shellie. First up: “Lament for Lost Atlanta” ~ by Arlan Andrews

Told from the perspective of a young man who resides in what is left of an almost unrecognizable “dystopian US”, where the south is very different than it is today.

In an alternative future (a post Civil War America of sorts) this short story examines a South where the Union did not embrace the Confederates after the war.  As is often the custom by the winners of a war, there is a changed “mythology” around the war’s history - where the heroes from the loosing side are portrayed as villains by the usurpers. In this sad story all are designated as “terrorists”, including the beloved Robert E. Lee.

What is terrific about this readable short are its realistic consequences; looking at what is considered a terrorist, then thinking about how this kind of “mentality” is created in a person or group. Better yet (for me at least) is that this story occurs on Western soil, so I have a relatable and recognizable face for the quintessential “bad guy”.

Highly recommended, this story is a 4.5 star in my opinion. One of my favorite type of reads: a story with social relevance, a glimpse inside the complexity of human nature revealing how character can be created or destroyed, and answering a question that I personally have been struggling with.

About the author:  Arlan Andrews has been writing for more than 30 years, with his work published in various magazines and intellectual journals. He is a member of the SFWA and resides in Texas. For an interesting 2007 article from USA Today where Andrews and 4 other science fiction authors of “deviant thinking” are consulted on warding off terrorist attacks: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2007-05-29-deviant-thinkers-security_N.htm

Alt Hist is a relatively new and promising magazine featuring historical fiction and alternative history stories. This first issue contains 5 more shorts on various subjects and is where this great story was found. For more info: http://althistfiction.com/

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Second up: “Journal of a Civil War Nurse” ~ by Georgiann Baldino

A too short, short story about the conditions that existed during the US Civil War from the perspective of a nurse.

Based upon actual letters by Cornelia Hancock, a US Civil War nurse, this is a well written historical fiction that I recommend if you are interested in the day-to-day horrors of war as opposed to the battles. Which is what intrigues me the most, reading about the actual human losses which puts a realistic face on the tragedy of war. Too bad it was just not long enough. Regardless I give it a 3.5 stars.

Available as an ebook (free) at Barnes & Noble.

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Although a bit behind with this post - these two short stories were read for several 2011 challenges: The War Through the Generations – US Civil War 2011; Dystopian Challenge; and the Basics Challenge where I explore speculative fiction. Link to our - 2011 Challenge List.

Personal update: We are a bit behind with our posts since we still have a house full of relatives. But it sure is fun catching up with family.  Thanks for reading.

Review: The Windup Girl ~ by Paolo Bacigalupi

Review by John for:  The Windup Girl ~ by Paolo Bacigalupi; 2009 Night Shade Books.

Wonderful and highly imaginative, it’s a dystopian novel set in a world-gone-wrong that is both crazy and disturbingly believable. All wrapped up into a complex and many-layered story, this book was a delight to read.

About:   It is the 23rd century, the world has been ravaged by global warming and most traditional carbon fuels have been used up. With oil and electricity now almost non-existent, biotechnology is the dominant force in the world – and not in a good way. A few biotech firms (known as calorie companies) essentially rule the world. While competing fiercely with each other, they tightly control food production, use bioterrorism to destroy competitors’ foodstuffs and natural plants, and strive to replace all natural seed stocks with genetically modified seeds engineered to be sterile. As the calorie companies use their huge private armies to help achieve dominance, much of the world’s population is close to starving and is ravaged by plagues and diseases, mostly caused by genetically modified crops or by mutant pests.

Thailand has striven to isolate itself from the rest of the world and from the calorie companies, by putting up strong barriers, fiercely guarding its natural seed stocks, using its own gene hackers to create new food supplies, and using the Ministry of the Environment to enforce harsh laws protecting Thais from disease and from outside interference. But selfishness and natural greed are now putting Thailand at risk as powerful politicians start to push back against the Ministry.

Jaidee Rojjanasukchai, known as the Tiger of Bangkok, is a captain of the White Shirts – the pseudo-military wing of the Ministry. Courageous, fearless and unwilling to take bribes, he is an icon among the White Shirts and fights to keep Thailand free of foreign influence. But he is making powerful political enemies and is being betrayed by someone within the Ministry.

Meanwhile Anderson Lake, a secret agent for one of the most powerful calorie companies, has set up a local factory in Thailand to act as a cover to hide his real goal. But life for Lake becomes a lot more complicated when he becomes involved with Emiko, a beautiful windup girl – a Japanese-designed, genetically engineered, humanoid slave. Emiko has been abandoned by her Japanese master and now lives as an illegal alien, being forced to work at a seedy night club in exchange for having the club owner pay police bribes.

With the future of independent Thailand at stake, things come to a boil as corruption, greed, politics, revenge and self-preservation push the characters towards a thrilling climax.

John’s thoughts:   While set in the future and classified as science fiction, essentially it’s a people story about the things that shape and motivate people. And in this story there are no heroes. When I was about two thirds of the way through the book I wondered how it was going to end and asked myself how I wanted it to end – and I couldn’t answer the question. It was like everything and everyone was corrupted somehow and a good ending to the story just wasn’t possible. There wasn’t anybody that I really wanted to “win”. I guess that is part of Bacigalupi’s message; when it comes to global politics, corporate economics and profit-driven technology development, we are in a world of hurt. There isn’t going to be a knight on a white charger to lead the way for us, so we’re dealing with shades of grey and trying to figure out what is the least worst outcome that we can aim for.

Jaidee comes close to being a hero, but the White Shirts enforce a brutal regime and his naivety dooms him to personal failure. In many senses Anderson Lake is the central character, but as the story progresses and you find out more about what he’s trying to achieve and who’s he’s trying to achieve it for, I went from a supporter to thinking “how could he?”. None of the characters surrounding Jaidee and Lake are very appealing, and many are repulsive. It turns out that the most moral and genuine person is the windup girl who is, essentially, manufactured.

Does that make it sound like a depressing read? It certainly isn’t. It’s an entertaining read with some fascinating ideas. Bacigalupi has imagined a world where the oil has run out and global warming has run amok, and he’s done a tremendous job of envisaging what weird technologies will crop up and how civilization might develop. While not complimentary – he’s pretty damning about “the west“ and man’s ability to direct technology in a positive way – it’s wonderfully imaginative and makes for a thought-provoking read. It’s also a damned good story with lots of twists and turns and an ending that will keep you guessing right up to the final pages.

This is Bacigalupi’s first full-length novel, which is truly impressive. It is an excellent book and I’d rate it 4.5 stars. It is highly recommended for all lovers of science fiction, anyone who likes to think where our crazy world might end up and, indeed, anyone who likes a good, well-written story.

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A multiple award winning book, this novel won the 2010 Nebula Award for best novel published in 2009. The Nebula Award is the best in Science Fiction and Fantasy - chosen by peers from the SFWA –Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America. The cover for the Nebula Awards Showcase 2011 links to a review for the nominated short stories, novelettes, winning novella and more.

This book will be included in a variety of challenges – The 2011 Global Reading Challenge – Asia, Dystopia Challenge 2011, 42 Challenge, Mind Voyages, and LGBT Book Challenge (minor character).

As always John will be addressing any comments on his review so don’t forget to check the follow up box.

Thanks for reading.

Review and Guest Post: Low Town ~ by Daniel Polansky

Review by John for: Low Town ~ by Daniel Polansky

A dystopian fantasy novel rolled up with a hard boiled, crime thriller; with a huge dollop of noir thrown in for good measure. Set in an alternate world that is a cross between medieval times and a drug-infested 21st century slum, the story features drug dealers, hustlers, corrupt cops, dirty politics, a plague…..and sorcery.

About:   Low Town is a beaten up, downtrodden, brutal, squalid slum, peopled by the unfortunate and those who exploit them. Rife with drugs, gangs and corrupt officials, Low Town is also the home of the Warden – our “hero” – who is a disgraced detective-cum-intelligence agent, an ex-war hero, and a current independent drug dealer who likes sampling his own products.

Neither wholly good nor wholly bad, the Warden definitely comes in several shades of gray. But when he happens upon a young girl who has been brutally murdered, he is thrust on a quest to find the perpetrators and to rid Low Town of some unspeakable evil. The trouble is, he doesn’t know who he can trust and he seems to make more enemies at every turn.

When he realizes that the murder (which is just the first of several) somehow revolves around some bad magic and demons, he turns to the Blue Crane, his old mentor who is an ancient sorcerer charged with trying to keep the city plague-free.

John’s thoughts: I’m not usually big on fantasy as a genre, but the unusual (unique?) mixture of fantasy and noir thriller looked interesting so I decided to give this one a go. Come to think of it, I’m not usually a big fan of noir either, so there was definitely something appealing about the content and the book blurb.

And I’m glad that I did give it a go - this is an entertaining and clever story. Well-written, imaginative, darkly humorous and with lots of plot twists, the book pulls you along at a brisk pace. There are also lots of interesting characters, the main one being the Warden himself. Very much an anti-hero, he is a million miles removed from being squeaky clean, but you root for him nonetheless and somehow his dark side is kind of acceptable and almost forgivable. At the end of the story everything is wrapped up neatly, but the things which were neither black nor white remain as various shades of gray. (By the way – do you ever wonder why the genre is known as “noir”? I suppose I can see why, but I often think that gray is a more relevant color!)

It is also notable that this is Polansky’s first full-length novel. It’s darned good. And I do like his sense of humor. I saw an interview with him in which he was asked where the idea for Low Town came from. He responded “Honestly I sat down to write something a little more in line with the typical fantasy norms, but as it turns out I hate elves so I realized I needed to do something different. I guess I liked the idea of introducing a faster pace to a genre that tends to bloat a little, and Low Town seemed like one way to do it”.

Overall, I’d rate this 3.5 stars and I’d recommend it to readers with lots of different tastes. If you like any or all of fantasy, noir, crime thriller or earthy urban tales, you should try this book. I’ll be looking out for more from Mr. Polansky.

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Guest Post ~ Slums of the Shire

Occasionally you'll be with a group of people and they'll get to talking about their favorite historical epochs, nostalgic for lives they never led. One person will talk up their childhood love of the Wild West, another reveal a penchant for Victorian England. This last one just has a thing for corsets, but it's better not to call them on it.

When my turn rolls round I take a sip of whatever we're drinking and look at my shoes. “The mid 90's were pretty good,” I say lamely. “Slower internet and everything, but at least we had penicillin.”

Perhaps it's my being a history buff, but the past sucked. For about a millennium and a half after the fall of the Roman Empire, Europe just seems like a real shit place to reside. Lots of rooting in filth until you die at thirty a half mile from where you born. Nominally the nobles had it better, but still, your fever would have been treated with the application of leaches and your pretty young bride had like a one in two chance of surviving child birth.

This probably is why I don't understand fantasy—that is to say that collection of high medieval tropes collected by Tolkien and gleefully reproduced by two generations of descendants.

Take elves for instance—though perfectly capable of imagining a world where higher intelligence evolved in a species separate from humanity, my powers of make believe fail when positing that the relation between said species would be anything beyond unceasing warfare. Even a cursory glance at human history reveals our collective willingness to commit genocide on fellow homo sapiens—how much quicker would we have been to eradicate a separate species competing for identical resources? If elves existed, our ancestors would have hunted them down to extinction and erected a monument to the accomplishment.

But I digress.

Even when nestled comfortably in a quest to kill a dragon or overthrow a dark lord or what have you, strange thoughts plague me. What does the shady side of Gondor look like? How many platinum coins would a dime bag set me back? What is the point of hobbits? They're just short, fat people. People are plenty fat as it is.

Low Town is sort of my attempt to answer some of those questions (not the last one). It's the story of the Warden, a former intelligence agent and current drug dealer, whose gradual slide into self-destruction is briefly checked by the discovery of a dead body in the neighborhood he runs. An ill-timed bout of conscience rattles the easy cage of venality he's built for himself, and leads him on a collision course with the life he'd left behind. The Warden is a guy trying to survive the next few days, and not particularly squeamish as to what that requires—the sort of person more likely to populate a classic crime novel than to be found stocking the fantasy section of your local Borders (RIP).

More broadly, Low Town is an attempt to meld the best aspects of noir with a low fantasy setting—a meeting of tastes which I think complement each other nicely. The spare language and fast pace of good noir offers a pleasant counterpoint to the sprawling—one might even say bloated—length of much modern fantasy. On a somewhat broader level, the tendency of fantasy to focus on world shaking events often renders it irrelevant to the average reader, whose life relatively rarely devolves into single combat against vaguely satanic analogs. By contrast, noir is concerned with the individual, with greed and lust, sins all of us can comprehend to some degree. Low Town centers on the conceit that a world with magic wouldn't be altogether different from a world without it. People are still (on the whole) selfish, stupid creatures, focused almost exclusively on the immediate satisfaction of their basic desires, only now some of them can shoot fire out of their hands.

That's the idea at least. The English edition is now in stores throughout the world, and translations are coming soon in twelve other languages. I hope you check it out and see if I've succeeded, or if I'm just a pretentious clown. Or both. www.DanielPolansky.com

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As always John will be addressing comments for his review – so please remember to check the follow up box to get his reply.

One more day! What fun stuff do you have planned for Halloween?

Review: Trouble and Her Friends ~ by Melissa Scott

 

Review by Shellie: Trouble and Her Friends ~ by Melissa Scott

A futuristic science fiction novel with underground “noir-ish” themes, which takes the reader on a journey via internal biological internet connections into an intriguing online world.

Trouble is well known online as one of the best and most notorious “crackers”. She is a future version of a hacker, where cracking is breaking through IC(E) –  the acronym for the complex security systems which simulate actual ice.  Intriguingly, web users have connections to the web via “dollie ports” and “brain worms” giving a “virtual reality” experience to being online, where one smells color.

A story set in a dystopian US where things have gone environmentally sour, the beaches are so polluted that visiting them is toxic. Political factions have set in place laws which make “cracking” illegal and dangerous. As the stakes become higher, Trouble disappears in an effort to protect herself.

What brings her out of hiding is that someone is using her name. Not happy (neither are some significant powers that be), she emerges to set things right. As Trouble lives up to her name - she and her friends have an interesting and not entirely safe romp into an online and real-world futuristic adventure.

Trouble and Her Friends is cyberpunk. It is a subgenre which is characterized by a high tech dystopian environment with characters that are of marginal class standing. It is also said to have a “noir-ish” feel. Which are perfect descriptions for this science fiction novel.

Melissa Scott uses many intriguing science fiction concepts - for example the “dollie ports” and “brain worms” which actually hook the user up to the net through implants into the body. Beyond the nerdy bits she also has included romance (lgbt), virtual sex (nicely done), and the experience of traveling the net via internally hard wired brain connection with some excellent results.

I could not imagine a writer being able to tell you about a virtual web experience as it occurs in Trouble’s world. But she does – and very well at that. Scott uses a technique that toggles between real world and internet experiences, using italicized letters for the virtual world travels and normal text for the real world experience.

Despite the description, the book is very accessible and is actually a mystery thriller set in a darker future time. There are strong female characters (another favorite element) and it has some realistic science (another one too). I will be looking at this author and this subgenre more. This is an impressive novel with a redemptive ending. I give it 4 stars.

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Amazon links US|UK|Canada; 384 pages; Orb Books; First Edition edition (February 1, 2011)

The version of the novel that I read is a reprint by Tor/Orb which was originally published in 1994 winning a well deserved Lambda award in the same year. For more information on the book check out our release post for the book – Trouble and Her Friends.

Tor has a number of posts around LGBT science fiction and fantasy for anyone who is interested in this element check out their feature - Queering of Science Fiction and Fantasy. They currently have a variety of books out which has LGBT themes included in their pages. One which is on my nightstand that I have not had the chance to read is Black Blade Blues ~ by J. A. Pitts.

For additional information on the cyberpunk genre this text links to Wikipedia's definition, as well as a list of books which are included in this subgenre.

This novel will be included in The Basics Challenge; The LGBT Challenge; The Science Fiction Challenge, and goodness knows where else it will fit!

Thanks for reading.

Review: Wither (Chemical Garden Trilogy # 1) ~ by Lauren DeStefano

 

It’s release day for Wither (Chemical Garden Trilogy # 1) ~ by Lauren DeStefano  (reviewed by Shellie)

With a gorgeous and perfectly fitting cover, Wither is a dark young adult dystopian novel for older teens.

About:  Set in a horrific future where young people die in their early 20s due to some unknown genetic disease, our heroine Rhine is 16 years old and has 4 years to go. She is strong, smart, and of course pretty, but what marks her as special is an unusual characteristic. It is a visible genetic anomaly which makes her even more attractive.

Rhine is left with her twin brother in a crazed urban environment in a vaguely recognizable United States. As they struggle to get by, Rhine answers an illegitimate ad for a job, which takes her on a terrible trip inside a different type of social structure. She finds herself in an arena where she is matched for procreation purposes with a young man, in an attempt to find a solution for the deaths. But the question is how far will those in power go in their attempt to find a cure? 

Thoughts:   As with all dystopian novels the society has become twisted, so Wither has a number of scary themes such as a creepy father in law (rather than the so prevalent “evil stepmother”), polygamy, childbirth, abuse and death.  We also have just enough politics and science to lead young women to think about things like genetics and what could happen if our social structure where to suddenly be irrevocably changed.

It is Lauren DeStefano’s debut novel, is the first of a trilogy, and has all the elements older teens are going to love - romance, terror, amazing clothes, hair and makeup. We also have an incredible strong character - my favorite kind – one who thinks and plans, and is not of a victim mentality; an excellent role model in my opinion.

Although it has no bad language, it has some very adult themes and sexual references. The Simon and Schuster website recommends it for 14 and up and I would agree. I am looking forward to reading the next in the series, and hope to answer the questions I still have about this genetically based science fiction story. I am so hoping to get some realistic science in this series. I enjoyed this novel at 3.5 stars

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Hard Cover and ebook; Young Adult; 368 pages; Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; (March 22, 2011) US|UK|Canada.   For more information on Wither link to Layers of Thought’s preview for the book.

Author Bio: Lauren DeStefano earned her BA in English with a Concentration in Creative Writing from Albertus Magnus College in Connecticut in 2007. Wither is her first novel.

This book will be included in a variety of challenges we are involved in – Dystopian, Sci Fi and others to be determined.

Thanks for reading.

Incoming Books ~ (a mash up blend of genres)!

 

Just when I think I have learned the way to live, life changes. ~ Hugh Prather

I am making some simplifications – or at least attempting them for sanity and clarities' sake. Our book Previews will now be called the very original and thought provoking - Incoming Books. *kidding*  I have been putting off this needed change for far too long.

Incoming Books post will have book covers, purchasing links, a short descriptive snippet, and publisher stats for those we have in line for review. I hope this is a better format for everyone, and easier for me.

Here they are, a mix up of genres for your general bookish enjoyment and perusal. I just love lists of books with covers - so much fun!

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The American Girl ~ by Monika Fagerholm (translated by Katarina E.Tucker)

In 1969, a young girl makes a trip from Coney Island to the swampy coastland on the rural outskirts of Helsinki, Finland. There her death will immediately become part of local mythology, furnishing boys and girls with fodder for endless romantic imaginings.

Paperback: 528 pages; Other Press; (February 16, 2010) US|UK|Canada.

The Glitter Scene ~ by Monika Fagerhom (translated by Katarina E.Tucker) 

Set in Finland, Johanna hears the local lore about the American girl and the tragedy that took place more than thirty years ago, and begins to question how her parents fit into the story. A mystery that explores the roles of truth and myth, reality and fiction, and the repercussions of family secrets.  (This story is a stand alone sequel to the above, both are translated from Swedish).

Paperback: 500 pages; Other Press (August 9, 2011) US|UK|Canada. – (pre-purchase)

Mr. Chartwell ~ by Rebecca Hunt (magical realism)

In this original, funny, and exuberant novel, Rebecca Hunt explores the key character - Mr. Chartwell. He is Winston Churchill’s ‘black dog’, with motives far darker and deeper than they at first seem.

Hardcover: 256 pages;  The Dial Press (February 8, 2011)  US|UK|Canada.  UK and Canada covers are different (and so much nicer).

 

The Book of Tomorrow ~ by Cecelia Ahern (magical realism)

Nestled next to Kilsaney Castle, the gatehouse is a world away from Tamara's childhood.  In her new home Tamara is lonely and bored and longs to return to Dublin. When a travelling library passes through Kilsaney Demesne, Tamara finds a mysterious large leather bound tome locked with a gold clasp and padlock. What she discovers within the pages takes her breath away and shakes her world to its core.

Hardcover: 320 pages: Harper (January 25, 2011) US|UK|Canada.

Wither ~ Lauren Destafano  (young adult sci fi)

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

Young Adult (ages 14 and older) Hardcover: 368 pages:  Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; (March 22, 2011) US|UK|Canada. –  pre-purchase

Moondogs ~ by Alexander Yates (fantasy)

An effervescent novel pivoting around the disappearance of an American businessman in the Philippines and the long-suffering son, jilted lover, slick police commissioner, misguided villain, and supernatural saviors, who all want a piece of him.

Hardcover: 352 pages: Doubleday (March 15, 2011) US|UK|Canada.  – pre-purchase 

 

The Promises She Keeps ~  by Erin Nealy (magical realism)

Promise, a talented young vocalist with a terminal illness, is counting on fame to keep her memory alive after she dies. Porta is an aging witch and art collector in search of the goddess who will grant her immortality. 

Paperback: 352 pages; Thomas Nelson; Original edition (February 8, 2011) US|UK|Canada.

The Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine  ~ Alina Bronsky  (translator Tim Mohr)  (dark humor- general fiction)

This is the story of three generations of women - the highly opinionated Rosa, the slightly stupid Sulfia, and Aminat, a child supposedly conceived by Sulfia in a dream.  This is a quirky novel with an unreliable narrator told in the author’s distinctive and translated from German prose.

Paperback: 304 pages; Europa Editions (April 26, 2011)  US|UK|Canada.  - pre-purchase.  For praise from Publisher’s Weekly.

Radio Shangri-La ~ by Lisa Napoli  (non-fiction memoir)

A burned out journalist from Los Angeles, Napoli had a friend of a friend with connections to the Himalayan country of Bhutan who launched a new youth radio station. She accepts and tells her experience in part travelogue and memoir where the reader gets insight into this tiny country, its culture and why it is considered the happiest kingdom on earth.

Hardcover: 304 pages; Crown (February 8, 2011) US|UK|Canada.

The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady ~  by Elizabeth Stuckey-French  (dark humor- general fiction)

Seventy-seven-year-old Marylou Ahearn is going to kill Dr. Wilson Spriggs come hell or high water. In 1953, he gave her a radioactive cocktail without her consent as part of a secret government study that had horrible consequences.

Hardcover: 352 pages; Doubleday (February 8, 2011) US|UK|Canada.

Hawkmoon: The Runestaff  ~ by Michael Moorcock (fantasy)

The latest re-release in the Moorcock Hawkmoon series. For more information on the other books recently re-released by Tor in this series link to our preview for the series.

Paperback: 208 pages; Tor Books; First Edition edition (December 7, 2010) US|UK|Canada.

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Our first group of Incoming Books for the year, and they are colorful – perfect for a late winter pick me up. Most have a touch of the speculative. 

Which would you read first? Thanks for reading!