Category: Reviews
Summer Knight
Summer Knight: A Novel of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, 3/5
I much preferred this plot’s faerie angle to the last book’s vampire theme and, as an added bonus: no love interest. I might have dropped a couple IQ points while reading it, but probably no more than would have evaporated after a couple hours of watching TV sitcoms.
[Why I read it: Partly because the fans promise the series gradually improves, partly because I’m not in the mood for serious literature right now and partly because I’ve come to view the Dresden Files as an old pair of stained sweatpants–not something I’d show off in public, but pretty all right for days of lounging around and eating junk food.]
Twilight Watch
Twilight Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko,translated by Andrew Bromfield, 4/5
I’m glad I didn’t let the unlikeable second book in the Watch series put me off; this third book is very enjoyable and well written, back to the perspective of the original hero, Anton Gorodetsky.
[Why I read it: I’ve been reading this series off and on over the last couple months, starting with Night Watch.]
A History of Wales
A History of Wales by John Davies, 3/5
There is a good reason why this massive book of almost 700 pages is not a very enjoyable read–it was originally written in Welsh for Welsh people and this English translation is merely a concession to popular demand. Davies is very thorough and efficient, providing one or two solid facts in every single sentence, but he doesn’t really make the topic interesting. I felt completely lost just a few hundred years in and failed to get a good overall grasp of Wales’ basic history. And, since I am not knowledgeable about Britain’s political parties, the last couple chapters were almost completely incomprehensible to me. Overall, the book is impressive in scope and makes a good reference, but contains too many details to foster a basic understanding of the topic and does not make the history come alive.
Davies’ portrayal of Welsh history is rather grim–full of poverty, oppression, strikes, and unemployment. While he is not critical of Socialism (which has historically been very popular in Wales), its application did not paint an appealing picture. Perhaps it is just the American in me, but I think I would rather be oppressed by a wealthy coterie of selfish capitalists than earn a government-mandated wage, working in a government-run industry and living in government housing.
Near the end of the book, I became curious about the relative size of Wales, both in area and population. I guessed it would have about as many people as California and cover as much land as Washington State. Shockingly, it turns out that Wales is about 1/9 the size of Washington and has less than 1/12 the population of California (that’s less than half the population of Washington)!
[Why I read it: it was a birthday gift in anticipation of a trip to Wales.]
Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency
Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams, 4/5
The plot was kind of all over the place and the characters were not well-developed, but nobody’s funnier than Douglas Adams.
[Why I read it: I’m a fan of Stephen Mangan, who played the title character in a funny TV version of the book series which put the books on my radar.]
Lud-in-the-Mist
Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees, 5/5
This exquisite fantasy has a bittersweet and beautiful tune; I was entranced from the very beginning. More down-to-earth than George Macdonald’s Phantastes (one of the only books I can think of to which it is comparable), it expresses rather than evokes the mystery of human experience that C.S. Lewis describes as the “desire for our own faroff country” and the “inconsolable secret in each one of you” (The Weight of Glory).
Sadly, this atrocious edition is peppered with typos–even the front cover does not escape: in the book, residents of Lud-in-the-Mist are referred to as “Ludites,” not “Luddites.” Never did a typo bring along so many unfortunate and completely unrelated connotations.
[Why I read it: It appeared in very good company in the article “10 Forgotten Fantastical Novels You Should Read Immediately.”]
Daywatch
Day Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko, translated by Andrew Bromfield, 3/5
I really like the world Lukyanenko has created for this series, but a really graphic sex scene and lack of empathetic characters made this book less enjoyable than the first book in the series and one that I couldn’t really recommend.
[Why I read it: the first book in the series, Night Watch, was extremely well-written.]
Frank Skinner
Frank Skinner by Frank Skinner, 4/5
This autobiography is very funny and very dirty but not often, to my taste, both at the same time. Despite the “knob jokes,” I quite enjoyed the casually-disorganised, friendly tone of the book and the inside view of a man who, contrary to his on-stage persona, seems more artist than arsehole. Skinner’s self-deprecating but jubilant views on success and fame were entertaining without being alienating and his self-conscious defensiveness about his Roman Catholic faith was refreshing.
[Why I read it: I have always enjoyed Skinner’s panel show appearances on the likes of Have I Got News for You, QI, and Would I Lie to You,but didn’t know he’d written a book until Scottish comedian Kevin Bridges cited it as his inspiration to become a stand up comedian. I found a free sample online of the first few pages and lost it at this part:
When I still lived in Birmingham, I dated a stunningly attractive woman. I had been seeing her for about three weeks when I finally asked her where she lived. It turns out she dwelt in what was, at the time, a very rough block of flats called Bath Court. I said, in what I felt was a slightly Wildean tone, ‘The trouble with Bath Court is that the residents spend a good deal more time in the latter than they do in the former.’
‘Where’s “The Latter”?’ she asked. I knew then that our love could never flourish. (6)
My library wouldn’t buy it for me (some bollocks about it not being available in the U.S.), but there was a copy in the first Waterstones book store I wandered in to in London.]
Frankenstein
Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley, 4/5
Oooohhhhh, that “Shelley“! was my first and strongest reaction to this book. Frankenstein is well-written and maintains suspense throughout, but hinges, I thought, on a couple unconvincing plot devices: Frankenstein’s unwillingness to have a proper conversation with his monster and the monster’s quick descent into violence, neither of which made much sense to me.
[Why I read it: Another classic, like Dracula, that I should have read ages ago and finally picked up at the thrift store.]
Lady of the Mansion
Lady of the Mansion (originally published as The Portent) by George MacDonald, 4/5
This short novel is beautifully written and imaginative. Without the happy ending tacked on as a concession to popular taste, it almost felt like a story-within-a-story from Macdonald’s Phantastes.
[Why I read it: I’m not usually a fan of Macdonald’s novels, but I saw this in the thrift store and was enticed by the laudatory reviews on the back cover.]
Night Watch
Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko, translated by Andrew Bromfield, 4/5
The three stories in this book are set in a fantasy version of Moscow that is home to both humans and the supernatural “Other” (magicians, vampires, healers and shape-shifters). Each Other chooses to be affiliated with either Light or Dark, living a life of benevolence or selfishness. The main character, Anton Gorodetsky, is a member of the Night Watch, a police-like entity composed of Light Others that monitors the behaviour of Dark Others, while the Dark Others in the Day Watch keep an eye on the Light.
Rather than pit the Light and Dark against each other in a cliched portrayal of the battle between Good and Evil, author Lukyanenko portrays the two Watches as functioning cooperatively, each side making concessions to the other in order to avoid an apocalyptic battle that would wipe out humankind (which is not in the interests of either side). Neither the benevolent actions of the Light Others or the malevolent actions of the Dark Others are unregulated–if one is allowed a kind action, the other is allowed a cruel one; balance is the key. Ultimately, the prevalence of one side or the other is determined by Humanity’s preference (an aspect of the story that seems weak–I hope it is elaborated on later in the series).
Lukyanenko explores the moral issues that arise in this counter-intuitive scenario, skillfully exploiting its dramatic potential. I appreciate how the author lets his characters’ interactions with the environment reveal how the fantasy world operates, rather than explaining everything in painful detail or using forced dialogue. The downside of this approach, and the fact that some nuances might be lost in the translation, is that a few parts of the stories are difficult to understand. Thankfully, the novel’s Wikipedia article provides very helpful summaries, which I referred to periodically in order to clarify some plot details.
I have to mention Gregg Kulick’s cover design for this HarperCollins edition–one of the most beautiful modern covers I’ve ever come across. If it were available as a poster, I’d be tempted.
[Why I read it: the confusing Russian films loosely based on this series did not inspire me to pursue it further, and it wasn’t until I recognised it in the i09.com list “10 Book Series So Addictive, You Never Want Them to End,” that I thought I’d give it a try. Part of the attraction was the claim that the series had a good ending, though I guess that point is moot now that a new book will be released in May.]
OmniRambles 