The Bone Clocks is the next World Fantasy Award nominee I've read, and to say it's my favorite is at this point too faint praise. David Mitchell is more famous at this point for Cloud Atlas, so at some point I'd like to read that too--but for now, savoring this one is just fine.
Like Cloud Atlas, The Bone Clocks is an interconnected set of stories that spans many years. This seems to be Mitchell's main claim to fame--that he can pull so many threads together. I find it ambitious but not that unusual. And the speculative element of the book--dueling secret societies of immortals, with the afterlife explained--is somewhat conventional.
What's special about the book is how strong each section of the story is. They all develop interesting and complex characters. Both heroes and villains are (mostly) three-dimensional characters with multiple motivations. They are not easy on themselves. The spacing in time gives the story-made-of-stories a natural depth.
I don't want to summarize the plot here because it's fairly simple and a summary would give too much away. So I'll just highly recommend the book for the way the characters bring out the best in the plot. Four stars from me.
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Monday, September 7, 2015
City of Stairs, by Robert Jackson Bennett
Looks like the World Fantasy Award is going to have the really interesting books this year. City of Stairs was my next read on this list, and it's a very good one.
City of Stairs' surface plot is a murder mystery, set in a world where the gods are very present. They are pretty much high-powered versions of humans (the truth of this slowly unfolds throughout the book). For a thousand years they played favorites with the Continent, leaving the rest of the world in their shadow. Then the Saypuris, slaves to the Continent, received one last humiliation they could not tolerate. Their Kaj found a way to kill the gods, and the ragtag Saypuris turned the tables on the Continentals.
Seventy-five years later the Saypuris are trying to maintain control of this firekeg. The gods are gone, but their miracles and the damage from the struggles as they passed are still all over the Continent and its most prominent city, Bulikov. The protagonist, Shara Komayd, comes in to investigate the mystery of the murder of a prominent Saypuri scholar.
Bennett has a lot of interesting things to say about the relationship between the human and the Divine. They are not new things, at least not to me, but they are true and powerful nonetheless, and this is a pretty good introduction. They aren't highbrow things, either--this is a novel of action, not a theology exposition. Shara and her powerful secretary, Sigrud, make a good superhero team. Much gets torn up and blown up along the way to the explanations.
This is the first of a series, The Divine Cities, and I am finding it reminds me of N. K. Jemisin's Inheritance Trilogy (Example here) in that the gods are very present and accessible to at least some of the people, and have apparent limitations. Maybe what we have here is an interest in how highly powerful beings discharge their responsibilities? Sounds reasonable to me. Kings, gods, the fabulously wealthy, the once humble but suddenly empowered--in some way it's a central narrative, that burden, potentially terrifying, of being able to actually do something to save everything,
Highly entertaining, I give this one four stars.
City of Stairs' surface plot is a murder mystery, set in a world where the gods are very present. They are pretty much high-powered versions of humans (the truth of this slowly unfolds throughout the book). For a thousand years they played favorites with the Continent, leaving the rest of the world in their shadow. Then the Saypuris, slaves to the Continent, received one last humiliation they could not tolerate. Their Kaj found a way to kill the gods, and the ragtag Saypuris turned the tables on the Continentals.
Seventy-five years later the Saypuris are trying to maintain control of this firekeg. The gods are gone, but their miracles and the damage from the struggles as they passed are still all over the Continent and its most prominent city, Bulikov. The protagonist, Shara Komayd, comes in to investigate the mystery of the murder of a prominent Saypuri scholar.
Bennett has a lot of interesting things to say about the relationship between the human and the Divine. They are not new things, at least not to me, but they are true and powerful nonetheless, and this is a pretty good introduction. They aren't highbrow things, either--this is a novel of action, not a theology exposition. Shara and her powerful secretary, Sigrud, make a good superhero team. Much gets torn up and blown up along the way to the explanations.
This is the first of a series, The Divine Cities, and I am finding it reminds me of N. K. Jemisin's Inheritance Trilogy (Example here) in that the gods are very present and accessible to at least some of the people, and have apparent limitations. Maybe what we have here is an interest in how highly powerful beings discharge their responsibilities? Sounds reasonable to me. Kings, gods, the fabulously wealthy, the once humble but suddenly empowered--in some way it's a central narrative, that burden, potentially terrifying, of being able to actually do something to save everything,
Highly entertaining, I give this one four stars.
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Acceptance, by Jeff Vandermeer
Acceptance concludes Jeff Vandermeer's Southern Reach trilogy, and does a good job of it. Though I wouldn't say "concludes", rather "rides off into the sunset". This volume rotates between four points of view--Control (current Southern Reach directory), Gloria the previous director (who, it turns out, lived in Area X as a child), Saul Evans the lighthouse keeper, and Ghost Bird, who is and is not the biologist from the last expedition. At the end of the previous volume Area X had expanded catastrophically, and desperation is in the air. Control and Ghost Bird have gone into Area X and are exploring.
The book brings out the story of each character while moving things forward. At the heart, there is no comprehending Area X--might be magic, might be an alien life form beyond our understanding (a favored theory), but none of the speculations seem to bring any sort of enlightenment. So the story proceeds with a sort of melancholy horror, a simple sadness. There are signs of resistance within Area X, and Control and Ghost Bird find familiar faces. But resistance appears to be futile.
This is a sort of existential horror/supernatural story, so if you like Camus or maybe semiotics (Vandermeer credits it for inspiration) then you'll fully enjoy this book. Otherwise it's mostly about the writing. Vandermeer is a master of describing the points of energy within a rotting system (rotting, as opposed to breaking or otherwise failing). If the second two books in the series had not been nominated for the World Fantasy Award I might not have picked them up, but in the end am not sorry I did. 3 stars from me.
The book brings out the story of each character while moving things forward. At the heart, there is no comprehending Area X--might be magic, might be an alien life form beyond our understanding (a favored theory), but none of the speculations seem to bring any sort of enlightenment. So the story proceeds with a sort of melancholy horror, a simple sadness. There are signs of resistance within Area X, and Control and Ghost Bird find familiar faces. But resistance appears to be futile.
This is a sort of existential horror/supernatural story, so if you like Camus or maybe semiotics (Vandermeer credits it for inspiration) then you'll fully enjoy this book. Otherwise it's mostly about the writing. Vandermeer is a master of describing the points of energy within a rotting system (rotting, as opposed to breaking or otherwise failing). If the second two books in the series had not been nominated for the World Fantasy Award I might not have picked them up, but in the end am not sorry I did. 3 stars from me.
Saturday, August 15, 2015
Authority, by Jeff Vandermeer
Authority is the second book in the Southern Reach trilogy, and I'm reading it as part of the World Fantasy Awards for this year. Usually second books are kind of the weak point in a trilogy, but I would say this is not the case here. I liked this one better.
The first book, Annihilation, seemed pretty simply a horror story, told from one character's perspective and a dry character at that. The second book introduces John Rodriguez, aka Control (apparently a childhood nickname) as the successor to the previous director of the Southern Reach. This is something of a rehab assignment--Control has screwed up some previous ones, sometimes badly. He is a secret agent in a line of secret agents, and has been saved for this by his mother. Now he is thrown into the insane mess that is the Southern Reach's study of Area X. Even a high talent would be hard pressed to succeed, but he gives it a try.
And of course things get weirder and weirder, but I'll leave you to read about that part. My own opinion here is that Control struggles for control, as it were, because he is a bit too human to be a good agent. He recognizes his limitations. He loves his cat, which is a soft spot for me. He tries to be detached, as good agents seem to need to be, but it doesn't help him enough. He is utterly in over his head as he tries to get information out of the biologist from the last expedition.
I give this one a solid 3 stars and look forward to the last one. It's not the greatest thing I've ever read, but he has the weird factor going well.
The first book, Annihilation, seemed pretty simply a horror story, told from one character's perspective and a dry character at that. The second book introduces John Rodriguez, aka Control (apparently a childhood nickname) as the successor to the previous director of the Southern Reach. This is something of a rehab assignment--Control has screwed up some previous ones, sometimes badly. He is a secret agent in a line of secret agents, and has been saved for this by his mother. Now he is thrown into the insane mess that is the Southern Reach's study of Area X. Even a high talent would be hard pressed to succeed, but he gives it a try.
And of course things get weirder and weirder, but I'll leave you to read about that part. My own opinion here is that Control struggles for control, as it were, because he is a bit too human to be a good agent. He recognizes his limitations. He loves his cat, which is a soft spot for me. He tries to be detached, as good agents seem to need to be, but it doesn't help him enough. He is utterly in over his head as he tries to get information out of the biologist from the last expedition.
I give this one a solid 3 stars and look forward to the last one. It's not the greatest thing I've ever read, but he has the weird factor going well.
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Where the Trains Turn, by Pasi Ilmari Jaaskelainen
Where the Trains Turn is my first and last novella read strictly for the World Fantasy Award. And it's a pretty good one--the story was originally written in Finnish and has that very different sensibility one gets from authors from places that don't normally get attention. The trope, however, is standard enough--trains going off the rails to do their own thing--that I am thinking I've seen it before.
Our protagonist is the mother of a very imaginative boy, imaginative enough that it seems it might harm him. The mother tries various tactics to save him from the fate of this overactive inner life, and seems to succeed. But there are cracks--the boy spends significant time with his father (he and the mother are divorced) and picks up a somewhat supernatural love of trains from him.
The story unfolds somewhat predictably, up until the ending which is a very good twist so I won't spoil it for you. For that ending I make it a strong contender for the award, though I also like The Devil In America. Go for it as an entertaining read for a couple of hours. 3 stars.
Our protagonist is the mother of a very imaginative boy, imaginative enough that it seems it might harm him. The mother tries various tactics to save him from the fate of this overactive inner life, and seems to succeed. But there are cracks--the boy spends significant time with his father (he and the mother are divorced) and picks up a somewhat supernatural love of trains from him.
The story unfolds somewhat predictably, up until the ending which is a very good twist so I won't spoil it for you. For that ending I make it a strong contender for the award, though I also like The Devil In America. Go for it as an entertaining read for a couple of hours. 3 stars.
Friday, July 31, 2015
I Can See Right Through You, by Kelly Link
I've reviewed many Kelly Link stories since I started reading the award winners--she's a real stalwart here, it would be an unusual year for her not to have one. This year her entry for the World Fantasy Award is I Can See Right Through You, appearing in McSweeney's Internet Tendency.
Link specializes in slice-of-life stories. This is the story of the demon lover, who is described in semi-fantastic ways but is really a typecast vampire movie actor (really could be one of the Twilight cast, several years down the road). He's made a mint, had many marriages and flings, and behaved badly in various ways. He's even had an internet shaming involving a sex tape. But he's really only had one true love, his early costar Meggie.
The story is light and fun to read, all the way through. It's an accomplished piece by an accomplished writer. I give it 3 stars.
And that covers the short stories for the World Fantasy Award. I can only get at 3 of the 5 stories--Jackalope Wives, The Fisher Queen, and this one. Of the three, I would say this one is the most deserving of the award. We shall see.
Link specializes in slice-of-life stories. This is the story of the demon lover, who is described in semi-fantastic ways but is really a typecast vampire movie actor (really could be one of the Twilight cast, several years down the road). He's made a mint, had many marriages and flings, and behaved badly in various ways. He's even had an internet shaming involving a sex tape. But he's really only had one true love, his early costar Meggie.
The story is light and fun to read, all the way through. It's an accomplished piece by an accomplished writer. I give it 3 stars.
And that covers the short stories for the World Fantasy Award. I can only get at 3 of the 5 stories--Jackalope Wives, The Fisher Queen, and this one. Of the three, I would say this one is the most deserving of the award. We shall see.
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Annihilation, by Jeff Vandermeer
Annihilation is the last of the Nebula nominated novels I am reading this year, and the first of the World Fantasy Award nominees. Vandermeer also wrote Finch, which was nominated for an award for 2009.
What they have in common is a fascination with fungus. Finch features fungal aliens wielding fungus tech, something I had not seen before. Annihilation is more straightforward horror--fungus is always a good supporting cast member in a horror story. I would also say that Annihilation is a more accessible book than his earlier work.
Annihilation is the first book in the Southern Reach trilogy. The stage is set here for a fungal alien invasion--the Southern Reach is a governmental organization trying to cope with the issue of Area X, a place where civilization has been pushed out and some highly strange things are going on. A series of expeditions has been sent in to try to understand the place, with mixed success. The first expedition reported a preserved, beautiful wilderness. Subsequent ones ended with the deaths of all the members. The last expedition returned one by one without explanation. Now an expedition of women has been sent in.
The story is told from the perspective of the expedition's biologist. The specifics of the story are not so relevant here--this volume is mostly about setting up the rest of the series.
Only this volume was nominated for a Nebula, and if not for the World Fantasy Award I probably would not pursue it further. But all three books in the series were released in 2014, and the World Fantasy Award nominated the whole set. So I'll pursue the rest of the series. This one gets a weak three stars--I can't critique it too specifically, it just didn't really grab me. However, the descriptions of the next books are promising. We shall see.
Which novel do I like for the Nebula this year? In general, I don't think it was a great year for Nebula novels--the novellas were much better. I would say Ann Leckie's Ancillary Sword is worthy of the nod. It's a fine piece of writing. I'm thinking the next volume will get award nods too.
What they have in common is a fascination with fungus. Finch features fungal aliens wielding fungus tech, something I had not seen before. Annihilation is more straightforward horror--fungus is always a good supporting cast member in a horror story. I would also say that Annihilation is a more accessible book than his earlier work.
Annihilation is the first book in the Southern Reach trilogy. The stage is set here for a fungal alien invasion--the Southern Reach is a governmental organization trying to cope with the issue of Area X, a place where civilization has been pushed out and some highly strange things are going on. A series of expeditions has been sent in to try to understand the place, with mixed success. The first expedition reported a preserved, beautiful wilderness. Subsequent ones ended with the deaths of all the members. The last expedition returned one by one without explanation. Now an expedition of women has been sent in.
The story is told from the perspective of the expedition's biologist. The specifics of the story are not so relevant here--this volume is mostly about setting up the rest of the series.
Only this volume was nominated for a Nebula, and if not for the World Fantasy Award I probably would not pursue it further. But all three books in the series were released in 2014, and the World Fantasy Award nominated the whole set. So I'll pursue the rest of the series. This one gets a weak three stars--I can't critique it too specifically, it just didn't really grab me. However, the descriptions of the next books are promising. We shall see.
Which novel do I like for the Nebula this year? In general, I don't think it was a great year for Nebula novels--the novellas were much better. I would say Ann Leckie's Ancillary Sword is worthy of the nod. It's a fine piece of writing. I'm thinking the next volume will get award nods too.
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