Book Review – Inverted World by Christopher Priest

Inverted World
Christopher Priest
NYRB Classics
2008
Trade Paperback
336 pages
ISBN: 1590172698
Literary Awards - British Science Fiction Association Award for Novel (1975)

Once upon a time there was a great City known as Earth that constantly, slowly, and persistently moved ever-forward on rails towards its grinding goal to reach, or , at least, pace “Optimum.” Slowly, at a tenth of a mile a day, the City slouched northward toward the horizon. To fall behind was unthinkable and deadly or so the denizens had been taught. Behind this lumbering behemoth, the Traction Guild strained to remove the ties and rails and quickly transport them to the front of the City. The Navigator Guild would send scouts great distances to determine the best routes forward. Rivers, canyons, lakes, and other natural impediments were spanned by the Bridge Guild. Protecting them all from dissident villagers along the way was the Militia Guild. So begins the quirky story of “Inverted World” by Christopher Priest.

Normally, I would label my evaluation of “Inverted World” as a classic book review since this story was first published in 1974. However, and shame on me, I did not read this marvelous work of fiction until recently and therefore I cannot in good conscience label it a classic. However, had I read it twenty or thirty years ago I think I’d have deemed it an instant classic then. The characters are believable and well-written but trapped within the confines of their Guilds. Some search for answers while others, like the City, plod ever-onward without question or purpose. Strange “distortions” follow the City and those who travel too far behind it suffer physical and temporal changes to themselves and their surroundings. The mystery of how this “world” came to be unravels slowly but expertly in Priest’s hands. The main premise of the book consists of pure hard science and while the laws of physics appear to be strained at first, all is explained in the end. And, in my opinion, the wait is definitely worth it. The mysteries of the planet and the city are skillfully, although slowly, unraveled throughout the narrative and kept me interested until the very last page. If there is a flaw with this story it is that it is much too short and the open ending might have been expanded to full closure (which I won’t spoil here with explanation.)

Written with compact and concise detail this too short novel drew me in from the very first paragraph and the themes of respect, responsibility, parity, warped realism, and discovery were woven together in such a way that kept me totally engrossed and my imagination working in hyper-drive. Overall I became lost in the story and its enormous sense of wonder, buildup of mystery, and ever-present suspense as Priest’s portrayal of this interesting society grew. Ah, to become lost in wonder while reading… isn’t that all we ever ask from any intelligent book?

4 out of 5 stars

The Alternative

Southeast Wisconsin

More information about Inverted World

Steven Wu’s Book Review

Fantasy Magazine’s Review

NPR Review (with excerpt)

Author Website

Book Review - The Reapers Are the Angels by Alden Bell

The Reapers are the Angels
Alden Bell
(Advance Readers Copy)
Holt Paperbacks 2010
Trade Paperback
240 pages

In light of the wealth of post-apocalyptic stories like The Book of Eli, The Road, and The Passage, now filling book shelves and movie theatres all across America “The Reapers Are the Angels” by Alden Bell turned out to be both a pleasant surprise and a real treat to read and in some ways is better than the others I’ve mentioned above. I had never heard of this book or the author before so had no preconceived notions concerning any hype or advertising that might be attached. I delved into it without pause and found that I literally could not put it down. Perhaps its my penchant towards post-apocalyptic fiction (you’ll notice I used the word “wealth” above for good reason) which goes back to my early readings of book like Deus Irae, A Canticle For Liebowitz, and Dahlgren. So, I knew I had to read this as soon as it appeared in the mailbox.

And I did, and was quite pleased to find what I believe might one of the year’s best sub-genre releases. Remarkably, Reapers fits snuggly into the mold set by the Science Fiction classics mentioned earlier. The character development is extraordinary, the antagonist(s) (and yes there are more than one), and the main characters, and even the zombies, known as meatsacks, are believable and well-written. One character, and I won’t spoil the story here, gets into an almost impossible situation. Later in the story he appears again with no explanation given of his escape. One wonders if another book set in the same universe from this particular characters’ POV isn’t in the making. I’d pay to read that one, too.

4 out of 5 stars

The Alternative
Southeast Wisconsin


More on “The Reapers Are the Angels”

AV Club Review

Goodreads Review

Blog Review

Graemes Fantasy Book Review

Author’s Website

Note:
Alden Bell is a pseudonym for Joshua Gaylord, whose first novel, Hummingbirds, was released in Fall '09. He teaches in a New York City prep school and is an adjunct professor at The New School. He lives in New York City with his wife, the Edgar-award-winning mystery writer, Megan Abbott.

Praise for Joshua Gaylord’s HUMMINGBIRDS:
“Hummingbirds is a sly, charming novel about the students at a Manhattan girls' school and the adults who sometimes remember to teach them. Those of us who love Muriel Spark's The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie will now have to make room next to it on our shelves for Joshua Gaylord's inning debut.”
— Brock Clarke, author of An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England

My iPad Home Screen

New Toy... new face... which explains my absence recently. Things will be back to normal soon. I promise.

Book Review - Juliet by Anne Fortier

Juliet

Anne Fortier

Ballantine Books

2010

Hardcover

464 pages

ISBN: 0345516109

I have a passing fascination with William Shakespeare. That is to say I am not a fanatic, nor can I recite long passages from his works. I am not familiar with his cadence or style, know little of his historical references, and am often confused by his phrasing. But I do know what I like and I loved this story. I’m pretty sure the Bard would have approved as well.

The story moves between two points in history in a series of flashbacks prompted by letters, journals, and face-to-face conversations. First to the present day where our modern Juliet learns that a great treasure awaits her in Italy. After the death of her Aunt she is given a letter left by her mother that will make her rich. Her twin sister, it seems, inherited everything but the clue hidden in letter; the name Giulietta Tolomei. Then the author propels us backwards in time to the “real” story of Romeo and Juliet where we learn that the two star-crossed lovers truly did exist and that their love did indeed come to a tragic end. Not quite like Shakespeare wrote it but close enough to make this story worthwhile.

Fortier’s strong suit, in my estimation, is the fleshing out of the historical scenes and the story of the two lovers, the monk who brought them together, and the evil man that came between them and then separated them unto death. The 14^th Century characters, sequences, and tragedies are highly believable and were, without a doubt, heavily researched. This was a fun, quick, and entertaining read and while this type of story is generally outside my favorite genre I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m glad I took the time and you will to. Recommended read!

4 out of 5 stars

The author’s official website:

http://www.annefortier.com/

Random House Author Page:

http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/features/anne_fortier/

(Check out the interactive map of Sienna and the Photo Gallery under the Extras Tab while you’re there.)

The Alternative

Southeast Wisconsin

Book Review – He Walked Among Us by Norman Spinrad

He Walked Among Us

Norman Spinrad

Tor Books – 2010 – Hardcover - 540 pages - ISBN: 0765325845

“The Earth is just too small and fragile a basket for the human race to keep all its eggs in.”
-Robert A. Heinlein

     Imagine for a moment that the future existence of the planet balanced on your ability to travel back in time and explain the costs and concepts of the depletion of the ozone layer to a subsistence farmer in rural Mesopotamia. Could you do it? Enter Ralf, stand-up comic from about as far up the time-line as you can get. And he comes bearing terrifying news. The future planet is in disarray, biodiversity is as extinct as the carrier pigeon, the air is thick and un-breathable, almost unusable without heavy filtration scrubbers and to make matters worse, the last generations of humankind have taken refuge in pressurized shopping mall domes. Humanity clings to the last remnants of life on a scourged planet that could not be saved.

     Now take an aging Science Fiction writer named Dexter D. Lampkins who is a flawed but intelligent individual (and Spinrad’s pseudo- literary double) with designs of writing the next great social Science Fiction Transformation of mankind, mingle with Amanda Robins, a New Age Wunderkinds seeking total Zen spiritualism, and mix in a whole lot of Ralf “the comic from the future.” Blend them all together on the same late-night television show and what do you get? Well, Monkey-Men, let’s just say that you may want to read this one yourself to discover all the gory details.

     Ralf’s message is simple but crude. Start cleaning up the environment right now or the future world is going to suffer. Quit mucking up Mother Habitat so the deprived people of the future can take a break from living in constant fear of complete extinction.

     Whether by accident or design Spinrad does reveal a plethora of Science Fiction Convention lore, anecdotes, behavior, and attitudes. And surprise, the Sci-Fi geeks are no less real than you or I. For some reason the Cons were the most enjoyable scenes in the book for me. Though Spinrad served up many unflattering and sometimes harsh depictions of Science Fiction conventioneers his descriptions lent realism to the story that may have otherwise been lost. Perhaps I felt so close to those scenes because, like Lampkin, I too identify with the weird and geeky, slightly askew, adoring, star-struck fans. I’m one of them!

     Spinrad’s prose and dialogue is superb, humorous, enticing, and real and scans with perfect pace. If there is any real flaw with the story it is with the character known as Loxy Foxy and her strange companion the “machine-rat- from-the-depths-of-the -subway. Not so much the content itself but how long and drawn out it became in the middle of the book. It seemed like we revisited the same scenes over and over again which cluttered up the story line and served no real purpose. I suspect the novel would have stood well on its own in the absence of those characters. [I’m still unsure of what the confrontation between Loxy, the rat, and Ralf meant! Perhaps someone would care to enlighten me?]

     Much like James Cameron’s “Avatar” Spinrad’s “He Walked Among Us” is social commentary with a message concerning the current state of our eroding world and until we can, as Heinlein eschewed, figure out a way to distribute our eggs more evenly someone up the stream of time is going to suffer. We need to learn to sustain what we have and become more pro-environmental. Stories like “He Walked Among Us” and “Avatar” can only make us more socially aware of our actions and surroundings. If civilization collapses due to resource depletion we’ll have only ourselves to blame for it and our children’s children will be made to suffer. Can our collective conscience survive that burden?

3 ½ out of 5 Stars

More about Norman Spinrad

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Spinrad

http://www.sff.net/people/normanspinrad/

http://www.youtube.com/user/normanspinrad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=656hOsSJ9rk&feature=player_embedded

He Walked Among Us

http://www.horrordrive-in.com/serendipity/index.php?/archives/415-Norman-Spinrads-He-Walked-Among-Us.html

http://americareads.blogspot.com/2010/04/pg-69-norman-spinrads-he-walked-among.html

http://books.google.com/books?id=8dSPcD7MeLYC&printsec=frontcover&dq=norman+spinrad+he+walked+among+us&source=bl&ots=Tw58fi0tzA&sig=JOE5NxOoOh1hIdjPYej0a7LJHf8&hl=en&ei=iOT1S-D_E4SglAfWoqH1Cg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CBsQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false

http://www.tor.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=story&id=59347

http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Fantasy-Science-Fiction/MAY-FEATURE-1-He-Walked-Among-Us-by-Norman-Spinrad/m-p/523964

http://warren-ellis.livejournal.com/790296.html

http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780765325846

A downloadable version of the book can be found here:

http://www.scifidimensions.com/Oct05/hewalked.htm

Or if you prefer .lrf, .lit, or .epub versions drop me an e-mail and I’ll forward it on to you. (Note: Click on my profile above for the e-mail address.)

The Alternative

Southeast Wisconsin

Book Review – The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart by Jesse Bullington

The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart

Jesse Bullington

Orbit

2009

Trade Paperback

464 pages

ISBN: 0316049344

     Its 14^th century Medieval Europe and the most despicable human beings to have ever graced the pages of historical fiction are given life and a certain morbid sense of humor by debut author Jesse Bullington. Manfried and Hegel Grossbart are far and away the most evil-incarnate and foul-mouthed creatures to have ever spilled from a pen. Base, sacrilegious, and merciless these men are destined to go down in history as more loathsome than any modern day serial killer, tougher than Vlad the Impaler or a Tarantino character, and in possession of more cons than a flat-broke hustler just before the weekend. And if that alone isn't enough incentive to immediately go out and buy this book then how about this? The story overflows with well-written scenes of abject brutality, acts of unimaginable inhumanity, ill-reasoned religious doggerel, heavy-handed gratuitous violence, demonic possession, blood and guts, gore and grey matter, vengeance, retribution, indifference to the suffering of others, and a smattering of the European countryside which would, under normal circumstances, keep one interested in the exploits of the twin Grossbart's throughout an entire novel. But get this… everything I just mentioned occurs in the first few chapters!!

     The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart is a quick and enjoyable read, full of wonderfully creative exposition, humorous banter, and dialogue loaded with swearing and cursing, both profane and blasphemous. But it also has a feel for the medieval way of life, how people lived and spoke and worshipped and is unlike any other historical fiction I've ever read. The Grossbart's tale will keep you turning pages and will make you miss a lot of sleep. Not only from reading late into the night to find out where the brothers quest next (and who or what they kill) but frightened by the shadows that the story conjures too.

     Plague survivors, pocket philosophers, demon killers, grave robbers, mad monks, demons, witches, and more join the Brothers Grossbart on their quest to “Gyptland” and the fabled graves of kings rumored to be held by their grandfather. But forewarned is forearmed, keep an eye on your purse and a hand on your dagger. Now that I've told you this much here's the kicker... As savage and inhumane as the Grossbart’s are what pursues them is much, much worse. And in the end while we are not told of the Grossbart’s demise we are left with the feeling that they get what’s coming to them. Or so we would like to think.

     Truly inspired The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart is just that, a sad and cautionary story of evil, vengeance, cruelty, and gore and, in my opinion, definitely worth every minute of your time. Mr. Bullington? I’d stand in line for more. (And yes, that’s a hint.)

More about this unique writer can be found at his website:

http://jessebullington.com/

An interview with Manfried and Hegel Grossbart (and Jesse Bullington):

http://www.bscreview.com/2009/11/coffee-and-conversation-with-hegel-and-manfried-grossbart-by-jesse-bullington/

4 1/2 stars out of 5

Also, the cover art, a facsimile of a medieval woodcut by Hungarian artist Orosz István, is brilliant.

István’s website is here:

http://www.gallerydiabolus.com/gallery/artist.php?id=utisz&page=133

The Alternative

Southeast Wisconsin

Classic Book Review (Condensed) – The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester

Vintage (1996), Paperback, 272 pages

There isn’t a lot I can add to the myriad reviews written about this fantastic story and the strangest protagonist ever written. So I won’t. I will say that since I first read it in the mid 70’s it’s been on my top 10 list. So, for now, I’ll let the 100’s of other reviewers speak for me. Here goes…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stars_My_Destination

http://www.sfsite.com/03a/smd99.htm

http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/nonfiction/starsmy.htm

http://tal.forum2.org/stars

http://www.powells.com/biblio?PID=28585&cgi=product&isbn=0-679-76780-0

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/333867.The_Stars_My_Destination

http://www.ansible.co.uk/writing/sfxbc01.html

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0783588/

http://www.bookrags.com/The_Stars_My_Destination

http://everything2.com/title/The+Stars+my+Destination

http://theendoftheuniverse.ca/node/107

http://brothersjudd.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/reviews.detail/book_id/752/Stars%20My%20Des.htm

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheStarsMyDestination

http://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/reviews/books/0-679-76780-0.html

http://www.scifi.darkroastedblend.com/2007/09/alfred-bester-stars-my-destination.html

http://www.enotes.com/stars-destination-qn

http://vodpod.com/watch/3442145-the-stars-my-destination-chapter-1-by-alfred-bester-story-reading

http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2007/01/review-the-stars-my-destination-by-alfred-bester/

http://www.thesustainablevillage.com/awrbooks/html/BooksinHTML/starsMyDestination.html

[Please report broken links]

There are many more reviews available on the internet (Google search provides 21M links, give or take) but this sampling should give you an idea of the esteem in which this book is held. Almost every review here is a 4 or 5 star review. And, it looks like they’re making it into a movie scheduled for release in 2012.

Oh, yeah, 5 out of 5 stars – stellar story.

The Alternative

Southeastern Wisconsin

Book Review – Elysiana by Chris Knopf

Elysiana

Chris Knopf

Permanent Press

2010

Bound Galley

208 pages

ISBN: 1579621988

Jersey Shore, summer, 1969, villains, parties, a conspiracy, and drugs… what’s not to like? Okay, so the counter-culture of the 60’s is in full swing, small town politics has taken a turn for the worse, and the Lifeguards are, well, the life of the party. Elysiana, a small island off the coast of New Jersey and south of Atlantic City, is the setting for this quick paced, off-the-wall drama/comedy.

Gwendalynn Anders, a drifter who wakes up in Elysiana after a drug-induced road trip, serves as the catalyst between the fun-loving Lifeguards and the stiff-necked, scheming politico’s. The story unfolds as Gwen wakes up on the beach to the ministrations of six year old Sweetie who has wandered away from home. Gwen delivers the little girl home and Borough Council President Norm Harlan, Sweeties father, immediately enlists Gwen as a nanny. Later Gwen meets Jack Halcyon, a lifeguard who once lost years in a coma because of a car accident and the two strike-up an unlikely friendship/love affair. With a turf war being fought between the Beach Guards and the Local Police the entire situation comes to a head during one of the worst hurricanes on record.

Elysiana is a fast-paced quick read and there is much to enjoy about this book and, in retrospect, I can’t seem to think of a single flaw. The characters are believable, the sex gratuitous, the drugs abundant, the villains skanky, and the heroes noncommittal, which in my humble estimation makes for one enjoyable read. But then, I’m thoroughly warped, just ask my counselor.

Solid story! Lots of fun!

4 out of 5 stars

The Alternative

Southeast Wisconsin

Book Review – The Lazarus Smile by J. Christoph Amberger

The Lazarus Smile

J. Christoph Amberger

Secret Archives Press

2009

Paperback

380 pages

ISBN: 0984315209

Amberger couldn’t have chosen a more controversial person to base his conspiracy on than Saul of Tarsus, otherwise known as Saint Paul. Paul, the Apostle, was by all accounts a very complicated man. He was a renowned world traveler and was opposed to many of the Christian Laws. He suffered from epilepsy, was a life-long bachelor who harbored a fiery temper, was impulsive and impassioned in the extreme and never truly learned to harness his ever-changing mood swings. Now add the concept that Paul may have been a double-agent for the Roman Emperor and a believable conspiracy takes shape. (Note to fans of Biblical history: Paul himself does not appear as a true character in this novel but only as a catalyst to base the controversy on.)

In “The Lazarus Smile” Amberger gives credence to the saying, “The pen is mightier than the sword.” For three simple words may change the course of world events forever. I’ll leave it to the reader to discover what those words might be (and the how’s and why’s.) Suffice it to say that the idea is sound and makes for a great mystery and a solid conspiracy.

The historical fiction is convincingly written and very believable. You’ll visit Nazi Germany in World War II, the Roman Empire of 69 A.D. (the year that four emperors took the throne), and the volatile world of present-day politics and religious belief. The origins of Christianity, multiple conspiracies, and secret societies are described with an eye for the details that make history so compelling to so many readers. While a number of the characters may have been killed off a bit before their time the main, lasting characters were intriguing and well-written. I especially enjoyed the retired CIA operative that dabbled in Black Ops. (I hope to see him again!) The main character, who uncovers a fifty-year-old family secret, was also quite believable and solidly written.

All in all, “The Lazarus Smile” is a fast paced, page turning historical ride that I enjoyed until the very last page.

4 out of 5 stars

The Alternative

Southeast Wisconsin

Book Review – Hawk by Brian Neary

Brian Neary

Hawk

2009

Trade Paperback

443 Pages

Brian Neary’s “Hawk” is a surprisingly excellent (and very quick) read. I won’t resort to comparing Neary with similar genre writers or his story to theirs but I will say that if you enjoy a suspenseful thriller with fast paced action, believable characters, and political/military scenarios straight out of yesterdays newspapers, then Hawk is for you. But be forewarned, Neary pulls no punches. The very real dark side of terrorism is depicted here as is the squabbling and in-fighting found between various government agencies which I believe gives this novel more bite. To turn a phrase, the fiction is real, the blood-shed and violence is far from pedestrian, and the technology very believable. Which makes the story that much more compelling.

I have to say that the pages flew by and I loved the suspense Neary created as the plot developed. If there’s a flaw in the book it’s that we didn’t see enough of the hero, Quentin Hawk, who might just be a character for the ages. Tough talkin’, ass kickin’, no-shit-takin’ CIA operative with a Mensa-sized I.Q. and the physique of a football player, Hawk (both the character and the book) will keep you entranced and sleepless as you furious turn page after page to find out what comes next. And I guarantee that you will. Here’s looking forward to the next installment.

Oh, and Mr. Neary, as long as you keep writing stories like this you’ve a customer for life.

4 and 1/2 stars out of 5

P.S. Appealing to the vanity in all of us a very cool opportunity for someone has been added to the Brian Neary website at www.bneary.com If you go to the webpage and click on the “Contact” button you’ll be asked to enter your e-mail address. This places you into a drawing that might get you named as a character in Neary’s next book. The blurb I received in the Advance Readers Copy states, “You can be a character in the next Quentin Hawk Novel. ‘Good guy, bad guy, you name it and I’ll write you in.’ Neary also states, ‘Midway through the writing process, we’ll select a winner. I’ll email you and offer you some character choices – like assassin, cop, hero, or snitch. You’ll tell me the part you want to play and I’ll write you into the plot.’

So head on off to the site now and enter your e-mail address. You never know what might happen.

Oh, and to make things even sweeter Neary added a five page teaser for the next Quentin Hawk book, “The Manuscript” at the end of Hawk.

The Alternative

Southeast Wisconsin

Book Review - Drood by Dan Simmons

Drood
Dan Simmons
Trade Paperback: 800 pages
Publisher: Back Bay Books
Reprint edition (February 8, 2010)
ISBN-13: 978-0316007030

Absolutely brilliant!

Dan Simmons weaves a hell of a story with a stunningly written “Drood.” Starring Wilkie Collins, Charles Dickens, and the mysterious Edwin Drood (among other real and fictional Victorian characters) the story explores the labyrinth of the London Underworld, the friendship and collaboration of two well-known and gifted writers, the unfinished last work of Charles Dickens (“The Mystery of Edwin Drood”), and a purely fictional story of murder, mayhem, and misogyny.

Impeccably researched and filled with fast-paced prose I honestly felt like I was transported to Victorian England as I waited for the serialization of the next Dickens’s or Collins’s novel to appear on the newsstands. When Simmons walks us through the dark passages that conceal the underground cemeteries, opium dens, and catacombs of London we follow along. When he reports the train wreck at Staplehurst we experience the loss of life and limb on a personal level and we feel the victim’s pain. When he depicts the lives of the novelists we gain a sense of what life must have been like in their households.

I thoroughly enjoyed this fast-paced, page-turning phenomenon. You should too!

5 out of 5 stars


Related websites:

“The Mystery of Edwin Drood” Wikipedia Entry

Complete (and searchable) text of “The Mystery of Edwin Drood”

Wilkie Collins Wikipedia Entry

Wilkie Collins website

Charles Dickens – Gad’s Hill Place

Charles Dickens Wikipedia Entry

P.S. There are literally thousands of websites about Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins. A Google search will give you more than you could possibly read in a lifetime. Hopefully, my few listed sites are enough to satisfy your literary needs.

Happy reading!!

The Alternative
Southeast Wisconsin

A Few of the Most Important Science Fiction Websites on the Internet

Hugo Awards

Nebula Awards

Top 15 Greatest Science Fiction Writers of All-Time

IMDB Top 50 Science Fiction Films

Sci-Fi Lists

Goodreads Best Science Fiction Books

100 Greatest Science Fiction/Fantasy Novels

Best Science Fiction of the Decade

15 Best Time Travel Books

Baen Free Library

The SyFy Channel (Formerly Sci-Fi)

The Sci-Fi Site

Strange Horizons

Subterranean Press

Afterburn – The Very Best in Speculative Fiction

Infinity Plus

Infinity Plus A - Z

Science Fiction Fanzines on-line

Tor.com


Electric Velocipede Fanzine – Free Fiction

Free Speculative Fiction on-line

Ray Gun Revival

Science Fiction World of Jeffrey A. Carver (Cybersites List)

Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America

Free SF Reader List


Andromeda Spaceways Magazine

Science Fiction Site Directory

Ultimate Science Fiction Web Guide

Sci Fi Source

Center for the Study of Science Fiction

Great Science Fiction and Fantasy

Top 100 Sci-Fi Sites

Science Fiction Studies

Google Science Fiction Sites

Asimov’s Science Fiction (Magazine)

Masters of Science Fiction


Feminist Science Fiction

33 All-Time Best Cyperpunk Books

Cyberpunk Science Fiction

List of Steampunk Works

Steampunk Images

Steampunk.com Images

Steampunk Culture

Fantasy Magazine

Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine


This ought to keep you busy for a while.

Please report broken links.

The Alternative
Southeast Wisconsin

Book Review - Old Man's War by John Scalzi

Old Man's War
John Scalzi
Tor Science Fiction
2007
Mass Market Paperback
320 pages

“Old Man’s War” is often compared to Robert A. Heinlein’s “Starship Troopers” but I enjoyed this much more (and I’m a huge Heinlein fan). And while it does resemble Troopers a bit I think that Joe Haldeman’s “Mind Bridge” and “The Forever War,” Frederik Pohl’s “Gateway,” and Jack Chalker’s Well World books are closer comparisons. What I mean by that is that John Scalzi has an “old Science Fiction soul” and this is the highest compliment I could pay any writer. An instant classic and a fun read!

My recommended series reading order:

Old Man's War Series
1. Old Man's War (2005)
2. The Ghost Brigades (2006)
3. The Sagan Diary (2007)
4. The Last Colony (2007)
5. Zoe’s Tale (2008)

4 ½ out of 5 stars

Scalzi websites:

http://whatever.scalzi.com/

http://www.scalzi.com/

http://www.scalzi.com/books/

You can read it on Google books here:
http://books.google.com/books?id=VxjRqB86hKYC&printsec=frontcover&dq=john+scalzi&source=bl&ots=VZS-1epq41&sig=bEeWj17cOwmJHIqDJfJ57NDNU2o&hl=en&ei=_WaQS7KRDYTklAewuIH8AQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=15&ved=0CDcQ6AEwDg#v=onepage&q=&f=false
Wikipedia site:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Man

SFReviews.net review:
http://www.sfreviews.net/oldmanswar.html

The Alternative

Southeast Wisconsin

Kage Baker, 1952-2010

We are saddened to report the death of Kage Baker, one of the finest SF writers of our time.

At Tor.com David Hartwell writes, "We are saddened by the passing of our esteemed author and loyal friend, Kage Baker (1952-2010), at home in Pismo Beach, California, after a difficult battle with cancer. A fine career has been cut short, and we and all SF and fantasy readers are poorer for it." Read his full piece for, among other things, the list of Kage's cool jobs and a few words on her books. Kage was a wonderful part of the Tor.com blogging team, and she will be missed by many.

More Here:
http://www.tor.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=blog&id=58739&j=22926151&e=dharmapoet@wi.rr.com&l=15162145_HTML&u=261499878&mid=83886&jb=0

And on her author site:
http://www.kagebaker.com/

Book Review - The Outpost by Mike Resnick

The Outpost
Mike Resnick
Tor Books
2002
Trade Paperback
ISBN: 0312875770
384 pages

Out along the edge of the galaxy is a quiet place known simply as “The Outpost.” It is a “Callahan”-type tavern (see the works of Spider Robinson) where heroes come to meet, share adventures, unwind, gamble, drink, perform various acts of sex, and tell tall tales after a long day of heroics. With names like Tomahawk, Catastrophe Baker, Hurricane Smith, and Three-Gun Max the characters are larger than life and live up to their names. There are so many characters and stories, in fact, that it becomes a bit blurred later on as to who did what when and to whom. Surprisingly, the large cast and multitude of stories really don’t matter as much as the fleshing out of the general dynamics of the group as a whole and their accomplishments.

What the frequenters of The Outpost don’t know is that the Commonwealth will soon be attacked by a marauding horde of cut-throat aliens.

The book is broken down into three sections of multiple vignettes (not quite short stories, but not exactly flash fiction either – so vignettes). Part One establishes many of the various characters who tell their stories in a series of tall tales. Part Two focuses on the war with the aliens and the individual battles fought by our heroes. Resnick shifts perspectives from the planets in the system to the tribulations of the various characters against the alien invaders. Part Three brings many of the characters back together at The Outpost after the war is over to tell and re-tell their own tall-tale adventures.

In addition, using literary license, Resnick inserts himself into the story in the guise of Willie the Bard, an unscrupulous Shakespeare-esque character who vows to skew the stories so that they tell a “more interesting” history thereby literally writing history rather than simply recording it.

Readers familiar with Resnick’s novels will get exactly what they expect: a well written and interesting story filled with memorable characters. New readers will be introduced to Resnick's universe through what amounts to a series of vignettes which, while not intertwined, complement each other and build on the same ideas about man’s place in the cosmos and purpose for living which according to Resnick is sex, gambling, fighting, and sex, not necessarily in that order.

The Outpost may be Resnick’s most assessable work for the newcomer. So, if you’ve never read any of his work this is a good place to start.

4 ½ out of 5 stars

Related Websites:

Related websites: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Outpost_(Mike_Resnick_novel)

Publishers page: http://us.macmillan.com/theoutpost

Mike Resnick Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Resnick

Official Resnick page: http://www.fortunecity.com/tattooine/farmer/2/

Mike Resnick podcast interviews: http://www.thefutureandyou.libsyn.com/?search_string=Resnick&Submit=Search&search=1

ISFDB page: http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?Mike_Resnick

The Alternative
Southeast Wisconsin

Book Review - Eternity Road by Jack McDevitt

Eternity Road
Jack McDevitt
Eos
1998
Mass Market Paperback
ISBN: 0061054275
416 pages

Lean in closer, my reading friends…. Closer still…. That’s better!

I have a secret to tell. I am totally hooked on well-written post-apocalyptic fantasies that reflect broken and collapsed civilizations. Throw in a bit of half-working technology, a few cannibals or bandits, and a mythical “Haven” that holds all the answers and its all the better. Make it a road trip through the decimated countryside of an under-populated, over-demolished America and you have “Eternity Road.”

Now, I know that there are quite a few naysayers out there who have taken potshots at this particular work and I have to wonder why. Yes, post-apocalyptic stories are legion and only a few seem to rise to the top (i.e. “A Canticle for Liebowitz,” “Deus Irae,” etc.) but I believe there’s always room for more. In other words “been there – done that” does not necessarily equate to a merit-less contribution. Especially when penned by a gifted writer. And, make no mistake; Jack McDevitt is a very talented writer. Here’s why “Eternity Road” should be on your reading list and why you should not listen to the negative reviews.

Small pockets of civilization remain after the world has been devastated by an unnamed calamity. In Mississippi the community of Illyria is just beginning to reemerge from the destruction. Within the community is the Imperium, a throw-back university whose sole purpose is to unravel the mysteries of the artifacts and the history left behind by the “Roadmakers.” (That would be us, my silent readers.) Over the years, the hint of a rumor remains. “Haven” exists! Haven, the one place the apocalypse has left untouched. Where the world remains as it did in the days of the “Roadmakers.” A place where technology rules, knowledge is readily available, and everyone leads a life of ease.

Enter Karik Endine, the only survivor of a failed mission to locate Haven. After his return to Illyria he becomes despondent, closed off to his friends and acquaintances, and silent about the details of the disastrous quest. Ten years elapse and Endine moves further away from his family and friends. Finally, the mysterious and untold deaths of his companions become too unbearable to deal with and he commits suicide. After his death the discovery of a Roadmaker book in his possession, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, and a journal of unusual sketches causes some Illyrians to believe that Endine may have located the lost Haven. But if he did why would he keep silent all those years? Based on this new information and using the sketches as a roadmap a small band of six companions set off in search of the mysterious city of Haven.

The narrative of “Eternity Road” is, in my estimation, riveting and is in some scenes reminiscent of medieval fantasy (see the works of J. R.R. Tolkien and Raymond E. Feist for example). Especially when McDevitt describes the many ruins of the ancient Roadmakers civilization, or when the band leaves the Crooked Man, a tavern at the edge of civilization, or when they try to cross the Wabash River.

In the semi-literate society of Illyria, books hold a certain fascination. Even those who are illiterate tend to understand their importance for rebuilding society. Other reviewers have called the process of literacy decline unlikely in McDevitt’s scenario but I strongly disagree. When people are forced to live off the land, to farm and scrounge and work long days simply to survive then literacy, schools, and books will take a back seat. That people will revere the written word under these circumstances is most probable. We only have to look back at our own not-to-distant past to see the truth. At the turn of the last century the majority of illiteracy occurred in rural, thinly populated farming communities where people worked long, hard days and had little time for reading. The literate minority were regarded with something equivalent to awe and there was a social stigma attached to those who could not read and write. The Illyrians would not look upon books as curiosities, as some might think, but rather as a means to become a better more advanced and knowledgeable society.

4 ½ out of 5 stars

One other thing I believe, and this is important to me personally, is that with the deaths of many of the golden age writers, Heinlein, Clarke, Vonnegut, to name a few, we as avid SF readers are going to need other talented writers to replace them. I think Jack McDevitt fits that mold. His stories are intelligent, quirky, and contain enough science to make them believable yet he still manages to make them enjoyable to read. With the newfound popularity of Urban Fantasy, Steampunk, and Historical Science Fiction, which I enjoy immensely by the way, we still need throwback writers who can successfully expand our imaginations. Jack McDevitt does just that.

If you’re not sure what I mean pick up any one of McDevitt’s “Priscilla “Hutch” Hutchins” books; The Engines of God (1994), Deepsix (2001), Chindi (2002), Omega (2003), Odyssey (2006), and Cauldron (2007); or his “Alex Benedict” books; A Talent for War (1989), Polaris (2004), Seeker (2005) and The Devil's Eye (2008).

Awards:

By the by, McDevitt has won, or been nominated for, a number of prestigious Science Fiction awards:

* Nebula Best Short Story nominee (1983) : Cryptic
* Philip K. Dick Award (special citation) (1986) : The Hercules Text
* Nebula Best Short Story nominee (1988) : “The Fort Moxie Branch”
* Hugo Best Short Story nominee (1989) : “The Fort Moxie Branch”
* International UPC Science Fiction Award winner (1993) : “Ships in the Night” (first English language winner)
* Nebula Best Novella nominee (1996) : “Time Travelers Never Die”
* Arthur C. Clarke Best Novel nominee (1997) : Engines of God
* Hugo Best Novella nominee (1997) : “Time Travelers Never Die”
* Nebula Best Novel nominee (1997) : Ancient Shores
* Nebula Best Novel nominee (1998) : Moonfall
* Nebula Best Novelette nominee (1999) : “Good Intentions” (co-writer Stanley Schmidt)
* Nebula Best Novel nominee (2000) : Infinity Beach
* John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Novel nominee (2001) : Infinity Beach
* John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Novel nominee (2002) : Deepsix
* Nebula Best Short Story nominee (2002) : “Nothing Ever Happens in Rock City”
* Nebula Best Novel nominee (2003) : Chindi
* Campbell Award winner (2004) : Omega
* Nebula Best Novel nominee (2004) : Omega
* Nebula Best Novel nominee (2005) : Polaris
* Nebula Best Novel winner (2006) : Seeker
* John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Novel nominee (2006) : Seeker
* John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Novel nominee (2007) : Odyssey
* Nebula Best Novel nominee (2007) : Odyssey
* Nebula Best Novel nominee (2008) : Cauldron

Related Website:

Jack McDevitt’s author site

Jack McDevitt Wikipedia site

ISFDB Website

Google Books

Michael Swanwick’s profile of Jack McDevitt

Jack McDevitt’s Facebook fan club

Jack’s own explanation of how “Eternity Road” came to be

The Alternative
Southeast Wisconsin

Book Review - War for the Oaks by Emma Bull

War for the Oaks
Emma Bull
Orb Books
2001
Trade Paperback
ISBN: 0765300346
336 pages

It’s not often that someone invents a sub-genre but Emma Bull did just that when she wrote “War for the Oaks” in 1987. The book is a pioneer of urban fantasy which I’ve labeled as Urban-Magic-Rock and Roll, if you will. Somewhat dated by the description of the clothes and the musical influences and set in Minneapolis (of all places) it is filled with supernatural and mythological characters and occurrences.

“War for the Oaks” is the story of Eddi McCandry, a musician who finds herself unwillingly forced into the world of faerie which is embroiled in a conflict between the embattled factions of light and dark.

Eddi has had a rough night. Not only has she broken up with her boyfriend but she’s quit her band. Little does she know that things are about to get even more tangled than they already are. On her way home, in a brooding, pensive state, she is stalked by a mysterious man and his menacing dog. Later they turn out to be one and the same creature, a phouka. This shape shifting prankster enlists her as the cornerstone in an ongoing battle between the good fairies of the Seelie Court and the dark and dangerous Unseelie Court, ruled by the Queen of Air and Darkness.

Eddi soon finds herself embroiled in a battle for survival between the two warring factions of fairy-world while simultaneously attempting to reconstruct a new band and in the process, a new life. Meanwhile, her emotions for her stalker take a slow three-hundred and sixty degree turn. Her resentment toward the phouka for dragging her into the war develops into gratitude for his efforts to protect her against the dark queen, and subsequently turn into devotion and then love. The story culminates during a battle-of-the-bands between Eddi and the Queen of Air and Darkness, which decides the fate of both faerie courts, as well as the fate of the supernatural creature she loves.

Pop-Culture, Mythological, and Literature references:

* The Queen of Air and Darkness – A novel by T.H. White originally titled “The Witch in the Wood.”
* The Queen of Air and Darkness – A story by Poul Anderson.
* In Celtic mythology and folk-lore, the wisdom of darkness is often expressed by powerful goddess figure known as The Queen of Air and Darkness.
* Phouka - Variants: pooka, puca - No fairy is more feared in Ireland than the phouka. This may be because it is always out after nightfall, creating harm and mischief, and because it can assume a variety of terrifying forms.
* Seelie Court - is a term used in Scottish folklore to indicate a group of light fairies. The Unseelie Court then indicates the opposite.
* Robin Goode - probably a reference to Robin Goodfellow, aka Puck the mythological fairy of mischievous nature.
* Daoine Sidhe - The divine Fairy folk of Old Irish folklore.
* Glaistig - this creature of Scottish Mythology is described as a beautiful woman with dusky or gray skin and long blonde hair. Her lower half was that of a goat, usually disguised by a long, flowing green robe or dress.
* Brownie – is a type of hob or hobgoblin and are said to inhabit houses and aid in tasks around the house; a legendary creature from Scotland and England.
* Redcap - A Red Cap or Redcap, also known as a powrie or dunter, is a type of malevolent murderous dwarf, goblin, elf or fairy; they are frequently seen on battlefields picking through the possessions of the dead and wounded.
* Bands and musicians mentioned: Prince Rogers Nelson aka Prince; Peter Gabriel; The Beatles; Kim Carnes; and Bram Tchaikovsky, among others.
* Rowan berries - In ancient times the rowan was referred to as the Tree of Life and the red berries have ensured that it is held in high esteem by many pagan traditions, for red food has been traditionally seen as food of the Gods.
* St. John’s wort - For thousands of years, people considered it a magical herb with supernatural powers, as implied by its Latin name, Hypericum perforatum, which means “over an apparition.” * Local Minneapolis locations mentioned include: Nicollet Mall; Minnehaha Falls; Como Zoo and Conservatory; the Minneapolis College of Art and Design; and at First Avenue.

A word about my rating of this book: I originally awarded this book 4 and ½ stars for character development, readability, scene description and overall style. But because of the creative and unique qualities it represents and its inventiveness I awarded it an additional ½ star for a total of…

5 out of 5 stars

Related Websites:

Emma Bull Wikipedia Site

Emma’s interesting Wordpress page

Emma’s LiveJournal site

“War for the Oaks” Wikipedia site

Google Books "War For the Oaks"

You Tube: Cat’s Laughing (Emma’s band) performing “Nottamun Town” The trailer

“War of the Oaks” movie Trailer

The Alternative
Southeast Wisconsin

Book Review - Homer & Langley by E. L. Doctorow

Homer & Langley
E. L. Doctorow
Random House
2009
Hardcover
ISBN: 1400064945
Autographed Copy
224 pages

Confessions of a book reviewer:

Confession One: I currently own a number of E. L. Doctorow’s novels but I’ve never actually read any of his works. That is until Homer & Langley. (I never understood what I was missing but now have something to look forward to.)

Confession Two: I had not heard of the Collyer brothers before reading Doctorow’s loosely based account of these very real yet tragic characters. Being a Midwesterner this particular story had never come to my attention.

Back Story:

Homer and Langley Collyer were the sons of a successful doctor and as such grew up in the relative comfort of pre-World War I Manhattan. They lived and died in a brownstone mansion in Harlem, which was in a fashionable and trendy neighborhood when it was originally purchased. Both brothers attended Columbia University. Homer received a degree in admiralty law and Langley earned a degree in engineering. As the neighborhood deteriorated and after the abandonment of their father and the eventual death of both parents the brothers inherited the mansion and became hermits and hoarders in their own home. Electing to remove themselves from society the two men began to hoard an eclectic list of items; tons of bound newspapers, books (law and medicine), mechanical contraptions (including a working Model T), scientific oddities (jars of medical samples), and numerous household appliances and knick-knacks. When burglars, who’d heard they were hoarding cash, gold, and jewelry attempted to break in the men closed off the house and set traps to deter additional would-be thieves and intruders. In the end the massive hoarding (over 134 tons of clutter) and the improvised traps would prove their downfall. Both men were found dead in 1947. Homer succumbed to starvation after the death of his brother and Langley was crushed to death by one of his own traps.

Book review:

I found E. L. Doctorow’s style lyrical, provocative, and spellbinding and “Homer & Langley” is beautifully written and wonderfully illustrative of character, place and time. Told in the first person by Homer Langley the story engrossingly recounts the genesis of the hermetic attitudes adopted by the men and gives us an insight as to how and why their world changed so dramatically over the course of their lives.

Doctorow takes minor liberties with the time line in which the Collyer Brothers lived but it in no way deters from the story itself. He succinctly presents world events through the lives of the brothers as they intersect each other. Beginning just after World War I and culminating in the 1980’s we follow the brothers through their failing health and their troubles with the utility companies, banks, and neighbors. Knowing full well at the beginning of the story that it was going to end in tragedy I was, nonetheless, captivated by the details and Doctorow’s prose. If Homer Langley had lived to recount his memoir this is much what it might have been. Doctorow handles the Collyer’s history as it was surely meant to be. Insightful and tragic yet full of the spirit and nature of men trapped by circumstance he gives voice to a family that could not do so on their own.

As the narrative glides through the decades Homer and Langley are befriended by a gangster, invite friends and neighbors into their home to dance, turn their home into a safe haven for immigrants, take up with a group of counter-culture hippies, and then plunge into the depths of ill-mental and physical health and paranoia.

In the final chapters of the story, after Homer has become completely blind and when he’s lost most of his hearing, a sympathetic character tells him, “You think a word and you can hear its sound. I am telling you what I know – words have music and if you are a musician you will write to hear them.” This is, I believe, Doctorow’s Creative Doctrine and he certainly follows the law to the letter in this story. Lyrical, musical and emotionally evocative “Homer & Langley” is a must read.

4 stars out of 5

Related Websites:

E. L. Doctorow Wikipedia Link

Official E. L. Doctorow Link

Collyer Brothers Wikipedia Link

New York Press Collyer Brothers Article

CBS News Article

More about Disposophobia (or The Collyer Brothers Syndrome)


Related Reading Material:

William Bryk (April 13, 2005). "The Collyer Brothers". New York Sun

"The Collyer Brothers". Psychologist World

"Collyer Brothers Park" New York City Department of Parks and Recreation

Franz Lidz, "Ghosty Men: The Strange but True Story of the Collyer Brothers, New York's Greatest Hoarders: An Urban Historical"

The Alternative
Southeast Wisconsin

Book Review - Wrack & Roll by Bradley Denton

Wrack & Roll
Bradley Denton
Popular Library/Questar
1986
ISBN: 0445203064
Cover art by Richard Corben
eBook edition: 1001 pages

“Wrack and Roll” is one of those hard to define books. Part Urban Fantasy, part Science Fiction, part space-race story, and part counter-culture expose Denton connects them all together into a funny, witty, and frightening mixture of a world that teeters on the brink of self-destruction.

Upon opening the book one of the first things I noticed was the creative language. My first impression was that it was a weak attempt at urban hipness but it soon became apparent to me that it was much more than that. It was the language of an arrogant counter-culture, of die-haired, tattooed, body-pierced anarchists that fit perfectly with this new and oddly almost-alternative universe. With words like “scrod” and “jackbugged” (and I’ll use them both in a sentence momentarily) “Wrack & Roll” gives us a sense of a world that easily might have been.

One of the best things about this novel was Denton’s fleshing out of his alternative universe and its history. Not only does he change the way that world politics evolve but he’s given it his own contingent antagonists and the language to go with them. This is an alternative world of the Straights and the Wrackers, two diametrically opposed cultures. The Straights are the moral majority, the corporate slaves, and the monotonous Joe Q. Public types while the Wrackers are the sub-culture “off-the-grid” rock and roll performers and their fans.

“Wrack & Roll” personifies the “Butterfly Effect,” that part of chaos theory that states that small variations in any event may produce major changes later. In this case, President Franklin Roosevelt dies when he chokes on a chicken bone in 1933 and Patton rolls into Russia after the fall of Germany which changes the world’s political climate. And while the United States still leads the space race the accidental death of a most beloved musician and celebrity astronaut, Bitch Alice, on a visit to the moon in 1967 causes the unexpected destruction of the entire U.S. Space Program. Her last words? “Trash Dallas!” Why Dallas? It’s the home of the fictional National Organization for Space Science (a veiled reference to NASA). In 1979, Bitch Alice’s daughter, the Bastard Child Lieza, goes on tour with her band “Blunt Instrument” to stop the war between the U.S. and the Anglo-Chinese Alliance and prevent total world annihilation. I won’t give away the ending here but it is pure WRACK & ROLL.

And now for that sentence I promised you.

I’ve written some scrod-awful reviews in my time but most of them were because I was jackbugged out of my mind at the time. I hope this isn’t one of them.

Peesh?

4 out of 5 stars



Related Websites:

Brad’s author site: http://www.bradleydenton.net/books.htm

Author Wikipedia site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradley_Denton

Bradley Denton Internet Science Fiction database site: http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?Bradley_Denton

Wrack and Roll Internet Science Fiction database site: http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?2897

Denton Interview: http://www.williamdgagliani.com/int_brde.html

The Alternative
Southeast Wisconsin

Book Review – Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

Oryx and Crake
Margaret Atwood
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
2003
Hardcover
ISBN: 0747562598
384 pages

It only seems fitting that since I’m currently reading Atwood’s “The Year of the Flood” that I review her dystopian masterpiece “Oryx and Crake” as well. Both are set in the same apocalyptic future universe with events that run parallel and simultaneously to each other and contain some of the same characters and places. Perhaps, I thought, it’s a good time to construct a tandem review. (“The Year of the Flood” 2009 to follow.)

Are we doomed to repeat our mistakes?

What if synthetic genetic biology, horizontal gene transfer, and bio-engineering had no restrictions or laws? What would the world become if these scientific pursuits were allowed to evolve and experiment unchecked and without repercussion? What if a scientist with unscrupulous morals and unlimited resources decided to play god, believed that humanity was flawed beyond salvation, and was arrogant enough to think that he could do better? This is the setting, albeit a harrowing alternative one, of the world of “Oryx and Crake.”

Crake is a prominent scientist at HelthWyzer, a biotech corporation, and he decides to create his own version of a utopian society that will live harmoniously with each other and with nature. The genetically engineered results, part-human herbivores that are programmed to have sexual intercourse only during specific breeding seasons are the last remaining “humans” in a society that has engineered itself into extinction. The “Crakers” have been created without cultural conflict, without inhibitions, without anger or hatred. But in the process of creating the perfect society something else has gone horribly wrong.

Civilization has collapsed. An unidentified plague or disease or “waterless flood” has been released. Only a very few survive. The innocent Crakes, the moral compass of the “people,” Snowman, the mad/brilliant scientist, Crake, and his rescued paramour, Oryx are the last remaining members of the human race. Bizarre bioengineered, hybrid creatures roam the barren lands, civilization has disappeared, and the Crakes must learn to live in this brave new world. Can Snowman point them in the right direction or are we doomed to repeat our mistakes?

I’m not entirely sure how it happened but the first few books of Atwood’s that I read were her dystopian works, “The Handmaid’s Tales,” Oryx and Crake,” and most recently, “The Year of the Flood.” Each is an exceptional snap-shot of a world that could easily ‘become.’ Unlike most of the other dystopian fantasies I’ve read Atwood does not spend 300 pages extolling the evils of man, pushing and poking her point until it blurs into a political agenda. Instead, she proposes an alternate scenario of a “what if” world and allows her imagination to roam freely within it. And she does it expertly and with an edge that makes it so believable that we should make it required reading in every corporate setting that touches bio-engineering in any form. It should be read in high schools to deter would-be scientists from becoming too amoral. It should be read by government as a cautionary tale. Quite simply, it should be read!

There is something absolutely compelling about Atwood’s characters, her settings, and her science. The characters are so endearing that they almost become family members, the settings so natural yet surreal that they resemble the universe next door, and the science so believable as to be frightening. An enjoyable read… but with consequences.

5 out of 5 Stars

Main Characters:

* The Crakers – An innocent group of bioengineered children and the inheritors of the Earth.
* Snowman (Thickney) – “Father” figure and protector of the Crakers and an old classmate of Crake.
* Crake – a brilliant geneticist/mad scientist who devises a plan to rid the earth of Homo sapiens and replaces the current “destructive species” with a more peaceful and environmentally friendly human-like creature: the “Crakers.”
* Oryx - a mysterious woman symbolically related to a waif-like girl from an online child-pornography site that begins to haunt Crake as an adolescent and whom he “rescues.”

Xeno-transplanted and genetically engineered creatures:

“wolvogs” (hybrids between wolves and dogs),
“rakunks” (raccoon and skunk)
“pigoons” (pigs and baboons, for organ transplants)

Related Websites:

Margaret Atwood Official site: http://margaretatwood.ca/

Margaret Atwood Wikipedia Entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Atwood

Margaret Atwood Society Page: http://themargaretatwoodsociety.wordpress.com/

Official Oryx and Crake website: http://www.oryxandcrake.co.uk/

Google books: http://books.google.com/books?id=SGlG7hHS4vcC&dq=oryx+and+crake&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=en&ei=EofPSsW0LoHRlAfDnLmpCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CBwQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=&f=false
Wikipedia Entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oryx_and_Crake

Bookrags: http://www.bookrags.com/Oryx_and_Crake

Publisher Site (Year of the Flood): http://knopfdoubleday.com/margaretatwood/

The Alternative
Southeast Wisconsin