Don't Forget to Read a Book!

Hello, Stranger. Let's talk about Orson Scott Card's  Ender's Game. The Short of It Plot:  When the Buggers return, we're going to need the greatest military mind Earth can produce to stop them. Which means we need to start training young. Page Count: 256 Award:  1985 Nebula, 1986 Hugo Worth a read : Absolutely Primary Driver:  ( Plot , World, or  Character ) Bechdel Test : Possible Technical Pass? But Likely Fail. Technobabble:  Moderate. Review:  Look, it's great, okay? Writing is solid, characters are consistent, pacing is deftly executed. Stakes are maintained throughout. Relentless nature of issues brilliantly done - the moment one issue is solved, another appears. It's just a really great book. It's got some flaws, sure. But it's just a joy to read. I'm also extremely biased: this is also the first real science fiction book I can recall reading, when I was nine. The Medium of It Spoiler Free! I read this book under Mr. Hess's desk, duri...

Hello, Stranger. Let's talk about Patrick Süskind's  Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. The Short of It Plot:  If he gathers enough material, he'll be able to craft the perfect smell. He'll finally smell human. Page Count:  263 Award:  1987 World Fantasy Award  Worth a read : Yes Primary Driver:  (Plot, World, or  Character ) + Atmosphere Bechdel Test : Fail. Technobabble:  Barely. Review:  Evil is a challenge. How do you make a monster believable? If it's too ridiculous, there's no justification. If motivations are too believable, well, your monster is not really evil. Süskind nails it. This is evil as a fundamental lack of morality; an indifference to the needs and wants of others. And it's terrifying. Pacing is not always great, plot meanders a bit - but the mood, which is the essential characteristic of a horror story, stays oppressive, and unsettling. At less than 300 pages, this is worth reading for that alone. The Medium of It...

Hello, Stranger. Let's talk about Robert Holdstock's  Mythago Wood. The Short of It Plot:  There's a fine line between myth and reality, one that doesn't exist within the Wood.  Page Count:  274 Award:  1984 World Fantasy Award Worth a read : No Primary Driver:  (Plot,  World , or Character) Bechdel Test : Hard Fail Technobabble:  Fantasy Babble in Spades. Review:  Very clever premise and good writing that ultimately lack payoff. Unavoidable and excessive sexism to astounding levels. Obsession is a good character trait - but it's also the only one that anyone in this book has. Plot events occur for the sake of something happening - without reason, often without impact. They just... happen. Also, obsessively explaining the rules of this world while then having arbitrary new rules sneak up for plot convenience feels silly. The Medium of It Spoiler Free! Before this was a novel, it was an award winning novella. Now as a novel, it's a n...

Hello, Stranger. Let's talk about Barry Hughart's  The Story of the Stone  and Eight Skilled Gentleman. The Short of It Plot:  Number Ten Ox and Master Li have a couple more adventures. Page Count:  The Story of the Stone: 271 Eight Skilled Gentleman: 255 Award: Remaining books in a trilogy; first book (Bridge of Birds) won. Worth a read : Yes.  Primary Driver:  ( Plot, World, or Character ) Bechdel Test : Fail Technobabble:  Minimal. Review:  Enjoyable continuations of Number Ten Ox's story. The character work is consistently excellent, the pacing is quick, the writing is good. Does not, however, really expand or improve upon anything. These are enjoyable - possible even very good - but they lack the magic that makes Bridge of Birds something special. Every small thing contributes to the overall story - but it starts to feel heavy-handed.  The Medium of It Spoiler Free! This is going to be a short one. If you enjoyed the first...

Hello, Stranger. Let's talk about William Gibson's  Neuromancer. The Short of It Plot:  A down and out hacker gets in over his head.  Page Count: 271 Award: 1985 Hugo, 1985 Nebula Worth a read : Yes. Primary Driver:  ( Plot ,  World , or Character) Bechdel Test : Fail Technobabble:  Oh sweet saskatoons. Review:  Look, it's great, alright? Does the story jump wildly? Sure. Does it require more than one reading? Probably. And yeah, it's intentionally confusing. But the plotting is superb - truly breakneck speed. And just what a world. It's spectacular. It's work to get into it, but I enjoyed the heck out of this. The Medium of It Spoiler Free Neuromancer is often mentioned as the first true cyberpunk story. It has everything that one thinks of in cyberpunk: corporate-controlled, neon-fueled, grungy dystopia. Sleek and shiny over a coat of grime. On the other hand, this is often how it is damned: it is the prototype more than it is the archetype. Or,...

Hello, Stranger. Let's talk about Dan Simmons's  Song of Kali. The Short of It Plot: It's a once in a lifetime opportunity to speak with an elusive author. But darkness and danger are everywhere... Page Count:  311 Award:  1986 World Fantasy Award Worth a read : Maybe? But probably not.  Primary Driver:  Rare bonus: Atmosphere. Bechdel Test : Fail Technobabble:  Minimal. Review:  Excellent use of atmosphere, legitimately gripping as horror. Masterful interplay of understated yet unsettling and acutely horrifying. Pacing is slow but usually well executed to ratchet up tension. Like much horror, often hard to get behind the protagonist - he continues to do unreasonable things, and push himself needlessly further into these situations. Also, feels kinda racist. No one is slinging slurs around, but there's definitely some problematic fetishizing goin' down.  The Medium of It Spoiler Free! I am not a voracious consumer of horror; I believe that the tec...