Synopsis: Â This graphic novel is about the real life experience of George Takei growing up in an internment camp in the US during WWII. It follows a young George as his family gets the news that they are to be relocated across the country, from California to Arkansas. The days and years that follow shape him into the adult he would become both as an actor and an activist. And lead him to shine a light on a part of US history that is too often dismissed.
My Quibs: My reading of Takei's story is too timely. Usually when I read things referencing history, there's a pleasant lens of distance tinted with a hue of progress. "Yes, this is where we came from and never forget, but also look how far we've come." Depressingly, I felt distorted, like looking down the wrong end of the telescope. All the events Takei relates feel scarily present-day relevant. And not to be more depressing, it looks rosier back then. Granted, this is through his view as a child which tends to be less jaded. But when his parents get the news that they need to leave their home, the image of them packing their bags and leaving peacefully seems in stark contrast to current events of ICE dragging people from their homes unannounced. With the depiction of his time in the camps, my brain couldn't help but also conjure Alligator Alcatraz. How is this our history but also our present? How can we be regressing so quickly? It was a painful read but also so engrossing. Takei takes a difficult moment in his life and he tells it with patience and understanding and hope. There are people he calls out who had a hand in this repression but there are also people he calls out who fought against it. Those who spoke out or those who provided aid. And I did see that reflected in our present too. Videos of neighbors shielding neighbors, a city rallying around their community. They Called Us Enemy is such an important book for reminding us of what once was but it's even more necessary today to remind us of what's happening now and what was/can be done about it.
Should you read it? A full and resounding yes. I don't care who you are (American, non-American, Asian, non-Asian, historical buff or escapist, young reader or seasoned reader). Everyone everywhere needs to read this.
Similar reads? I haven't started it yet, but I was recommended We Are Not Strangers by Josh Tuininga. It's also a graphic novel set in the same moment in history - through the eyes of a Sephardic Jewish immigrant living in Seattle.
(Spoiler Alert!) Can I actually spoil something that represents history? Although looking at our education system, apparently I can since there is such a significant part of our population that isn't aware. I'm even ashamed to say that I was unfamiliar with the details of the internment camps. I have more knowledge of the Holocaust than I do of my own country's history. But I do put that heavily on the American education system. We clearly have a culture where we cannot acknowledge our own failings. But at the same time, we have creators and storytellers who will do for the public what the system won't. And I learned more from They Called Us Enemy than I did from my high school text book.
Wow this was more of a soapbox rant than commentary about the graphic novel, but it make sense. You know it's a good book if it gets you thinking and talking.
Synopsis: Â This is a series of novellas about a robotic security unit that calls itself Murderbot. It managed to hack its governor module that allows it to bypass automatic human control and now it can watch all the daytime television it wants. While still keeping its clients safe during their scientific expedition, of course. But when pieces of the survey map are missing crucial information and an expedition team on the far side of the planet falls mysteriously silent, Murderbot reluctantly must pause the latest episode of The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon to manage these physically weak and quite emotional human beings before someone hurts themselves.
My Quibs: This series came highly recommended and has been high on my to read list. When Apple greenlit the series, it got majorly bumped up to the top. All this to say, the only thing I knew going in was what I'd seen from the trailer, and even then, I did in no way expect any of it. Firstly, I wasn't able to form my own image of Murderbot. He was precast in my mind as a chiseled and emotionless Skarsgård. (100% enjoyed watching him be a SecUnit, 100% there are many way better actors who do a deadpan voiceover.) I know he's supposed to be a robot but right off the bat, I wondered if the scifi genre was just a mask for having an autistic protagonist. He immediately reminded me of Christopher Boone in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. And having a protagonist who is detached from their emotions means that as a reader, I couldn't attach quickly to them. Not that that was an issue, because Murderbot is slowly learning about emotions and attachment with the help of a large supporting cast. And I do give props to the other characters. There's friction between the expedition team members but there's not really conflict. They are a team and they act like a team and they support each other despite their disagreements and differences. And that was a small breath of fresh air actually. And their initial reaction to learning their robot had independent thought was very heartwarming. (Even Gurathin's cautious hesitation and suspicion.) In the end though, there is a real enemy which turns out to be an evil corporation who kills thoughtlessly. Meh, that's fine and all - just a little trite. On the surface, the plot plays out exciting enough like one of the scifi-drama soaps that Murderbot watches. But underneath each scene, is a small fortune cookie lesson it picks up about compassion and autonomy and community and more or less what it means to be human. It's a novella so the length was perfect for a ten-episode arc. And I applaud them for sticking pretty well with the source material. It was a good pairing: reading and then watching. Even the changes they made really took me by surprise and had me laugh out loud, so props to the screenwriters.
Should you read it? I still need to finish the series but I'd say a pretty solid yes. Or if you don't think it's up your alley, you can try and watch the pilot episode to make sure. At the very least, you can watch Alexander Skarsgård punch robots and carry people around.
Similar reads? All Systems Red is to scifi as The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is to murder mystery. Similar protagonists in the general lens of their respective genres.
(Spoiler Alert!) For the most part, the novella was decent but it was that last closing statement that really clinched it for me. People say, the audience really only remembers how it starts and how it ends. And that end left me feeling warm and hopeful which is mostly what I remember. In fact, I was waiting for that in the series, thinking if that final episode doesn't replicate that "into the sunset" feeling for me, I'm not going to like the series. But it did, so👌all good. What I like best wasn't that "oh, now he's learned to love" or "oh, now he's found his family and happily ever after". It was in Spite of that. Through the whole novella, it recognized there was something it didn't understand about life, about itself, and there was just a gentle acknowledgement of that. That and its desire to pursue this question further.
"I don't know what I want...But it isn't that, it's that I don't want anyone to tell me what I want, or to make decisions for me."
And the self-pursuit isn't in any way connected to (lack of) loyalty or love, as evidenced when it says "That's why I left you, Dr. Mensah, my favorite human." And double props to the screenwriters again when they recreated this moment and had Gurathin catch Murderbot as it's leaving. When he fails to convince MB to stay and they both acknowledge it by letting it go "check on the perimeter", ugh that really hit me in my feels.
Synopsis: Â This novel is about the owner of a pawn shop hidden inside a Tokyo ramen restaurant, a shop which will buy your biggest life regret. Hana Ishikawa is supposed to start her first day as the owner, taking over for her father. Instead, she wakes to find the shop in disarray and a regret missing in the vault. But something is strange about the mess; it seems pre-set up in a way. Before she can begin to unravel that mystery, another one walks into her shop. Keishin seems like just another wayward customer except that instead of Hana helping him, he offers to help Hana. Together they jump feet first into the garden pond in search of her father and perhaps find out what happened to the mother she never knew as well.
My Quibs: The premise is very kawaii and poetic. My interest was immediately peaked because 1) Japanese aesthetic and 2) rabbit hole journeys. Two of some of my favorite things. I mean, a pawn shop that buys regrets? Intriguing. A journey to find your missing father? Fun. And it starts off great with these semi-mystical, magical facets that mirror our world yet is very other-worldly. And I could make a list of snapshots that I really like; the details are fascinating, like how she describes key moments of time as paper cranes or bottles of sand. All the pieces are there, but Yambao's construction of them into a whole was not what I was expecting or hoping for. The tone is very somber like a child who has ripped a cherished toy. You can feel the gravitas of the emotion, but when you try to go deeper into it it's actually ...kinda shallow. Kids can be precocious and understand things more than their age, but they're also limited by the lack of real-world experience that would allow for a fuller conversation. Yambao also flits from scene to scene to scene very quickly. One moment we're in the market but quick, wake up and now we're back in the shop but we have a new clue so let's go to the island next. And next and next and next. There's a level of urgency that instead of heightening suspense, it created a feeling of agitation. And each scene is so creative and interesting that I wish we were allowed to have more time there, to sit and contemplate what's happening in the moment. But Yambao, much like Hana, is single-minded in her pursuit and dismissive of the lessons being gently murmured to her. I might liken it to an essay of haikus (is that the plural of haiku?), wherein each haiku is beautiful and brief, but without spacing or formatting, it leads immediately into another haiku. And I'll concede a bit, I've never had a brain for poetry. (I'm more of a Shel Silverstein fan myself.) But words can be poetic without being poetry. I went into it hoping for something more like Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll or The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. But Paper Moon doesn't have any of the whimsy or playfulness. It's very concise and precise in its storytelling but much like a poem, I just don't get it.
Should you read it? I would not dissuade anyone from reading it just because it's not my cup of tea. If you like methodical Japanese perfection in a story about life's purpose and regrets, then give it a try.
Similar reads? It has the same structure of a protagonist with a naive world view (Alice/Milo/Hana) who goes on a journey looking for one thing but ends up discovering themselves in the end.
(Spoiler Alert!) Oy. The romance seemed kinda politely shoved in there like what those Japanese train assistants do to commuters during rush hour traffic. And granted, I'm not the audience for love at first sight destiny star-crossed lovers but I Did Not buy into it. I believed more his scientific curiosity to jump into a garden pond to see if it could really be a mode of transportation than him sacrificing his life to help her get her father back. It makes the characters seem more like archetypes than people. And when the journey is symbolic it gets a bit too layered. A symbol within a metaphor within a philosophy. It's like trying to fold a paper too many times, it becomes impossible and at some point, incomprehensible.
Synopsis: Â This novel is about case worker Linus Baker's special assignment to inspect the well-being of the magical children and their interesting keeper in a mysterious house off the coast. Linus has been doing the same job very diligently for the last thirteen years and he likes his life just as it is. When he gets called up to Extremely Upper Management to be given a highly-classified and super secret assignment, every facet of his life is uprooted. With a single suitcase and his cat Calliope, Linus leaves behind the gray rainy city life to travel out to something he'd only ever gazed at longingly on his mouse pad - the brilliant blue sea. When he arrives, it's not only the hidden nature of the children that he must evaluate but also the strange and curiously charming caretaker. As he gets to know them day by day, Linus starts to wonder who needs more protection, the world or the endearingly-odd family living in the house in the cerulean sea.
My Quibs: It was a very cute, quaint story. I think I had the wrong impression when I started although I knew nothing so I'm not even sure where I drew whatever impression I had. But ultimately it's like a PBS kids special - very family-forward, family-friendly, positive message, happily ever after. Our hero is a lovable 40+ year-old wall flower and is pushed reluctantly onto a journey of self-discovery. He's essentially a child in an adult's body. His life is a security blanket and he starts the story with a naivety about how the world works. And despite being the hero of the story, it's really the odd ball family in the house by the sea that rescues him from himself. They are the ones that give him the clarity and resolution to do the "right" thing. Now this is where I was hoping to see some adversity. The discovery of learning who someone is beyond some redacted documents or even first few impressions is adorable and endearing. Especially when its getting to know a whole crew of precocious children. But when Linus is faced with the prejudice of the town, with the reality of the kids' reality, I wanted to see the struggle. Strength comes from adversity and not just a light bulb realization with a little finger wagging. It's a bit easier to step forward and stand tall when you believe you have love and community behind you, when you have an unwavering belief in yourself that was there all along and only needed the kindness of a familiar stranger to bring out. Blrgmfpeblavhr. Cute, I guess. Maybe way back in the day, all we needed was to speak out, but nowadays? We need messages that are tougher. What if he hadn't fallen in love with these kids on the island? Would Linus still do what's right and stand up for them? What if Linus wasn't internally already so sassy? Where would he draw the strength to face the townspeople? What if the Mayor of the town wasn't already standing beside him? Would he face down an entire town himself? It's a cute story but when you see dominoes lined up so nicely and fall down so neatly, it doesn't help me escape my reality. It creates an obvious stark contrast to how the world actually doesn't work.
Should you read it? I don't want to discourage anyone from reading it, but make sure you have a real sweet tooth. As another reviewer put it, there's a lot of "saccharine feelings".
Similar reads? This book doesn't really fall in my wheelhouse or section of fiction that I usually draw from so can't answer this question sadly.
(Spoiler Alert!) I mean, the novel is pretty predictable. That's what makes it so comforting, or in my opinion, dragging. There's no unexpected twists or pitfalls that can't be fixed or overcome by the next chapter. The kids warm up to him pretty quickly and he to them. He and Arthur have a slow-burning romance that never really hits a bump except for the classic romance airport scene when one decides to leave but then realizes their big mistake and rushes back to open arms. All of these I could get past but the "conflict" with the town was an even smaller speed bump. Incredibly. When they go on a field trip out there, I was hoping to see how the kids handled prejudice and how the adults would navigate defense and growth. But nope, not only were several interactions cordial, but they make a strong ally right off the bat. The major of the town not only 1) is immediately polite to them, 2) admits and corrects her misjudgment by accepting an offer to visit the island, and then 3) defends them against her own townspeople. Sure, all it takes is the first step, changing one mind at a time, but damn it is nice when that first mind is the one in freaking government power. And the people who acted on their prejudice all receive swift punishment. If only the real world looked like this. Instead of making me feel warm and fuzzy, The House in the Cerulean Sea just made me a little bit more cynical. Oops.
What did you think of The House in the Cerulean Sea?
Synopsis: Â This novel is about a young woman who unexpectedly leaves the safety of home to cross a dangerous sea. Tress was quite comfortable living in her small village on The Rock. But when she discovers that the King has sacrificed her true love, Charlie, to be captured by the Sorceress, she has to follow her heart even if it means leaving her home behind. Even as she faces the deadly spores of the Emerald Sea, smugglers and pirates, and the fear of failing to rescue Charlie, Tress ultimately confronts something even larger than the seven seas.
My Quibs: Fantastic gateway book into Brandon Sanderson. He has always been on my to-read list and has been praised endlessly by many so I didn't necessarily doubt that I would enjoy his work, but this novel was so sweet like candy. Almost right away, it has this Princess Bride tone - and then I read his acknowledgement at the end and the whole concept of Tress and the Emerald Sea came about because he was watching The Princess Bride with his family, from the question - what if Buttercup didn't accept the death of Wesley and instead sailed away to find him? Such a good premise. Although I didn't pick up on it there. Sanderson implements a fourth wall breaking narrator voice. It's so endearing and familiar. And I suspect the narrator is a well-known character in the larger Sanderson universe, which just makes me want to read other works all the more. And maybe this book is targeted for a younger reader (or not) but it harkens more to my inner child than it patronizes me. It's like a fairy tale while still teaching core lessons about self-discovery. There's romance but she doesn't revolve around it. There's struggle with humility but also support. Maybe it's the environment I read this book in, but right now the world could use some reminding about how to behave in a tumultuous world.
Should you read it? Yes. It's not high brow or high fantasy. It's after bedtime, under the covers with a flashlight. And I think we could all use a book like that every once in a while.
Similar reads? It's basically if you read The Princess Bride and want more of the same.
(Spoiler Alert!) I was a smidge late to realize who Huck really was. Although once I heavily suspected it, it didn't alter the plot for me much. Sanderson uses foreshadowing and lightly hints at things that can guide the reader but in a subtle way that isn't necessary for a reader to follow if they don't want to. I probably missed a lot of those hints because I assumed it was more Easter egg details that were flying over my head from not having read his previous work. Which I'm sure there were. I will 1000% be reading the rest of his Cosmere universe series (starting with Mistborn) and re-reading Tress to see what I missed out on.
Synopsis: Â This novel is about the many roles of "Generic Asian Man" and the dream of one day playing "Kung Fu Guy". Willis Wu is an extra even in his own life, from "Disappointing Son" in the SRO to another waiter at the Golden Palace restaurant. But when he starts deviating from the script. When he finally gets a line of dialogue on the constantly running show Black and White. Can he actually leave Chinatown or is this just another part to keep him in character?
My Quibs: It is a bit of a wild read. The beginning takes off at 100mph with a ton of assumptions that come with being a minority and a child of immigrants. And as both, I was able to get in sync with the wavelength he picked quickly enough to not lose patience with the book. It initially seemed like a very meaningful message, but filtered through a very thick lens of jaded angst. My take on it (and I strictly mean the first third-ish of the novel) is that the story is showcasing the real world as Hollywood. Societal rules dictate who gets to speak and how we're portrayed just as definitively as any script. Almost at birth, we've been pre-assigned our role "generic Asian" both on screen and in life. But the message I thought he was trying to convey was what could happen if we tried to play a different role in a world with such a strictly controlled script. The Hulu series kinda splits this concept to show the duality of worlds: public versus private, performance versus real. Willis Wu is a real person trying to enter a new role in the Hollywood version of reality. Lana Lee is a TV character trying to be more dimensional like a real human in the real world. Both of them are on the same journey but from either end of the spectrum. (Again, this is my perspective from the first half of the show.)
Then both book and TV series veer wildly and I very quickly lost the thread of what Yu is trying to say. The book especially takes a hard turn into a really loosely held metaphor about representation and expectations? Like, Willis is now fantasizing at 10x speed a relationship with Lana and we're suddenly in a kids show where he's lamenting about being a bad father?? Where are we? Did something happen to you while you were writing this, Charles? Are you okay? And then we're immediately thrown into a court room scene and Big Brother is suddenly back in the picture. He goes on a tirade for the last x pages about what I though Yu was trying to poeticize earlier. The paintbrush becomes a hammer and no one likes being whacked over the head with anything. He also doesn't have much of a point except that he's really angry. At everyone, including himself.
The TV series takes an equally hard turn in the opposite direction. Suddenly we're being catered to a murder mystery that doesn't make any sense. Big Brother is on the run but maybe also dead but also guilty of a crime but also the crime never happened. And as I mentioned earlier, Willis finally gets a major character role in the show and Lana is now a regular waitstaff at the restaurant. But to what end? You had a second shot to refine your point, Charles, but I still don't get what you're trying to say!
Should you read it? Maybe try the Hulu series first. If you can get through it, maybe you'll find the novel interesting.
Similar reads? Lol. Um. Yeah, I got nothing.
(Spoiler Alert!) This can't be spoiled because that would require me to know how it ended and I'm still lost. I feel like I was stranded mid-story because someone tore out the last several chapters. Possibly even replaced the last half with an entirely different book. Who even are those characters in that last chapter? Are they related to the characters we met in the first chapter?
What did you think of Interior Chinatown?
Couple soapbox nitpicks: For someone who doesn't like objectification for how he looks, there was an extensive scene of him judging someone for being Ethnically Ambiguous Woman Number One. And there was definitely a lot of racial tension between being black and being Asian. For instance, "Turner sees that you're back on script, gets back into character himself." Turner, the deliberately defined black role, which also had a lot of objectification 👀, seems complicit in both keeping Willis in his Asian role and himself in his black role. Yikes. Although I think this was mitigated in the TV series when Turned joins Lana and turns against the script. Even gets an extra layer of self-reflection. Although Green also was given this dimension which ugh, felt like All Lives Matter pandering. What are you trying to SAY?? What is the POINT here??
Oh! And also! Fatty's spicy sauce was such a transparent play on the David Chang and the chili crunch debacle. But like, what's the opposite of a hot take?
Synopsis: This novel is about those fateful days after Molly discovers the dead body of mogul Charles Black in his hotel room. It was a regular Monday when Molly came to work, picked up her cleaning cart, and began her job as a cleaning maid at the fancy Regency Grand Hotel. What was irregular was finding a guest still in their room when she came into clean. Suddenly, she's a target suspect in a murder investigation despite her immaculately clean record and reputation. Although strange circumstances do start to put her in a bad light. And now Molly must determine who her real friends are and catch the murderer before they get away.
My Quibs: It was a fun and breezy whodunit mystery with a quirky but charming protagonist. Molly the Maid although not defined explicitly is clearly neuro-'spicy' and her winding stream of consciousness is endearing (to a limit). In this I enjoyed her dynamics with all these supporting characters - the kind doorman Mr. Preston, the anxious but sparkly "second" Mrs. Black, etc. Character-wise, I enjoyed watching this particular cast of characters run about on stage. But plot-wise, I found it to be very formulaic for a murder mystery. I'm not even sure I would consider it too much a mystery because we don't even get a proper lineup. Most of the people we're introduced to are sympathetic to our protagonist and then we find out, they are genuinely sympathetic. Or the reverse, the characters who aren't kind - turns out, they're not kind people. Even Rodney who Molly is enamored with is not painted well by the author from the beginning. So it isn't so much about the ending or reveal as it is about the journey. I guess is this more like a thriller? But we know that everything will turn out alright in end so I'm not like at the edge of my seat. It's more popcorn-excitement. How will she explain the drug particulates and the gun to the cops? How will she get the confession out of the murderer? How will our ragtag team of maid + doorman + dishwasher + lawyer catch the actual criminal?
Should you read it? It’s a murder-themed beach read so if you want something easy with a splash of mystery.
Similar reads? The premise is similar to The Curious Incident of the Dog by Mark Haddon but I feel they both have very different tones and approaches.
(Spoiler Alert!) I don't think there's much to spoil. Like I said before, we know it will all end well for our protagonist and we more or less can tell who the mustache-twirling villain is. I think the only catch was I overthought it and suspected Giselle might have been in on the plot, but she was also a victim of those dastardly evil men. And who wins her island chateau in the end. A little eyebrow raising for me really. What was it that made her jealous, possessive, controlling, money-hungry husband suddenly put her name on the deed conveniently moments before his ultimate demise? Meh, but that's not the point. All the good people (and good despite their mistakes and flaws) triumph over evil in the end. And in this day and age where it feels like evil is constantly triumphing over good, I don't mind daydreaming where money-hungry mavericks get their comeuppance and the hard-working maids find the warmth of a found family.
Synopsis: Â This novel is about RobertJohansson and the future he didn't expect to have. Bob was thrilled to be part of the cryogenic program that would freeze his brain upon death for reanimation in a more technologically-advanced future; he just didn't expect to wake up suddenly a century later as a digitized version of himself. But with the emotional settings turned off, he's able to take all of it in stride. Especially when he's suddenly jettisoned from the planet on a mission that will hopefully save humanity from itself.
My Quibs: This is my kind of book - heavily nerdy without being overbearing about it, lightly philosophical without being too biased, cheeky, and a bit self-deprecating. Granted, don't take this book very seriously. It's more like a stupid sit-com you turn on for some entertainment. Firstly with the characters: there really is only one character replicated a hundred times over, who is also our tour guide and narrator. The author is a self-proclaimed software engineer (much like Andy Weir who wrote The Martian) and so the character development is pretty standard: Bob is a self-assured but self-aware human who thinks his dad jokes are funny. I think he's fun to ride with but another reviewer described him as obnoxious. I could see that to be true if you think giggling at nerd references is obnoxious. It's true, Taylor nor Bob are witty, but we can both be five-year-olds pointing and laughing at a stupid fish face. That's who you're stuck with for 500 pages. [Edit: Having started the second book in the series, i must say that I fully agree with how tedious his humor is now. As an adult, it's fun to play on the same with a five-year-old but after a couple hours, I really want to have an adult conversation with an adult again.] Secondly with the world-building, or should I say universe-building: he paints an interesting scenario and then proceeds to play his own version of make-believe. Again, another reviewer commented that Bob gets lucky a lot but I didn't focus so much on how Bob solved the problem. I was more interested in the problems that Taylor created. How would you react if you woke up the next day and you were a bunch of data in the cloud? That everyone and everything you knew had been long gone for a century? 🤔 Bob realizes his "endocrine simulation routine" is disabled and basically represses his emotions for the first several chapters and when he does choose to turn it on, we don't see his reactions/process. Which is fine by me. I'm more curious how I would write that story if my character was given this situation. How would you feel if the only way to fulfill a functional necessity and social desire was to make a version of yourself? 😬 Bob's lucky that he got along with most versions of himself and that those he didn't get alone with could leave for other parts of the universe. I suppose this concept ended up being more like a parent-child relationship than a self-reflection idea, but if I were to write it... Anyways, I thoroughly enjoyed the thought exercise that was We Are Legion and I'm looking forward to other hypothetical situations that Bob gets himself into. [Edit: I made it about a fifth of the way into For We Are Many and Taylor doesn't really open up any new themes or scenarios. It's starting to read more like rambling except because he has so many more new Bobs to cram in, each Bob chapter is only four or five pages long. I feel like I'm just reading reports from coworkers. This will be a DNF unfortunately.]
Should you read it? It’s like a beach read for nerds. (But just the first one...)
Similar reads? As another reader mentioned, this is clearly in the genre of Smart Guy Talks Nerd Directly To You ala The Martian by Andy Weir and Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.
(Spoiler Alert!) I went into the story 100% blind and so I didn't want to list more thought questions before the spoiler warning in case others wanted some plot points to still be a surprise. For instance, after Bob reaches his initial destination, the book really branches out into several stories. Normally I would struggle with tracking multiple unrelated story lines, but luckily the writing is simple enough that it wasn't as difficult as I expected. 1. Bob goes back to Earth to see if humanity is okay. 2. Bob goes further and discovers a planet with sentient life on it. 3. Bob goes further and finds viable uninhabited planets. 4. Bob goes further and encounters a hostile probe that was launched from a different country. #3 and #4 didn't really interest me so much. But #1 and #2, while really exposing the god-complex of nerds and scientists, still posed an interesting question. How would you handle dictating the remaining world population as it's least-biased savior? Would you know how to mediate a group of desperate world leaders? And this is my bias here, but I like seeing science-driven civilians being forced into a military-esque command position. (It also happens in Stargate: Atlantis.) And finally the other question: Could you be an in-actionable observer to nature? Should you be? If you were motivated to take action, how far would you be willing to intervene? This reminds me of a BTS clip of Planet Earth where the film crew in Antarctica, who normally promise not to intervene in any natural situation, ultimately did help a young penguin out of a hole in the ice. I guess it had fallen in and would've been left behind to starve but the crew, after weighing the pros and cons, decided to quickly pop the penguin out of the hole. There are other examples in Planet Earth where a small mistake like that will ultimately kill an animal (I think an elephant wandered off and got lost and was presumed to ultimately die) and it's portrayed as a consequence of life. But this time, they intervened. Bob's study of the Deltans reminded me of that again. Although Taylor exaggerates everything ten times over for the sake of literary drama but the question still exists.
Synopsis: Â This novel is about generations of mothers and daughters and the things they inherit and the things they let go. Dorothy Moy is struggling in so many aspects of her life: her marriage, her unresolved trauma with her mother, the chaos of her work. When she is introduced to a new experimental treatment that focuses on epigenetics, the study of heritable traits that happen without changing DNA, Dorothy signs up immediately. During her treatments she connects with the past generations: Faye, a nurse in China; Zoe, a student in England; Lai King, a girl quarantined during the plague in San Francisco; Greta, a tech executive with a unique dating app; and Afong Moy, the first Chinese woman to set foot in America. She works through the struggles built on generations, hoping that she can save her daughter from having to continue the burden.
My Quibs: I was really intrigued by the concept of epigenetics, especially through the lens of generations of mothers and daughters. The main aspect being fear and trauma, which was described by (I think) a real study of mice, where they trained a "generation" of mice to recognize a smell before being lightly electrocuted. And then the grand-children of these mice, whom had never experienced electrocution, reacted in fear to the same smell. The concept of inheriting an innate memory is fascinating to me. And Ford sets up his story very neatly, placing each generation in unique trauma situations (a war, a plague, a foreign land, staged fascism 👀etc). And look, I don't ever want to dissuade anyone from writing about anything but.... as a man, I'm curious how much he understands about the relationships between mothers and daughters. The idea is there but he doesn't really move beyond that. I was hoping to see a unique perspective on the connections between them and how/why these things get passed from generation to generation. If anything, only Dorothy experiences the strings that bind everyone together. All the other characters are very much wrapped up and boxed in their own individual stories. If not for their name, I wouldn't even be sure they were related. It's a story about different characters but I'm not even sure what the story was even about.
Should you read it? It’s an interesting idea though I can't recommend it solely on his delivery of it. But it's an interesting idea.
Similar reads? I can't say because the big selling point I fixated on - epigenetics - is not one I've seen too often elsewhere (at least as the focal point of the narrative).
(Spoiler Alert!) I was really disappointed in the ending. All the characters and their stories seemed so disparate and haphazard. I was hoping that the end would bring all the ends together in a way the would make it retroactively coherent. But instead, it felt too pretty. For one, I don't believe trauma can be healed by going through the motions of "correcting" the past. If anything, we need to embrace the past as it is, learn from it, and move forward. Dorothy, in a LOTR epic montage ending fashion, runs through every past generation and changes a pivotal moment in the story to make everyone's ending, if not happier, at least more conclusive. But Lai King doesn't get to mourn the death of her friend and fantasizing that she gets to comfort him at his moment of death doesn't actually address the trauma. Helping Greta get revenge on a misogynistic investor doesn't change the fact that the bad PR cost her her company (although in the fantasy it does 🤨). Also, what does that even mean for Dorothy? By giving all the past women resolution, that fixes her? I think that's just too simple and pretty and it was a bit disappointing to read.
What did you think of The Many Daughters of Afong Moy?
Synopsis: Â This novel is a memoir about the life of Trevor Noah growing up in a post-apartheid South Africa. He was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother during a time when it was forbidden for these two people to so much as interact with each other. But even with the end of apartheid, Trevor Noah still had to learn how to live in a fractured world, navigating the differences between being white, being black, being colored, being many of these things, and being none of them.
My Quibs: I already adore Trevor Noah, as a comedian and a storyteller. Seriously, even a short clip of an episode of his run as host of the Daily Show or his podcast What Now, it's so clear how well spoken he is. So obviously, a whole book of it? Sign me up! But I would also recommend listening to it (even maybe reading along as you listen) because 1) the presentation of his words makes the story so much more impactful but 2) I couldn't even imagine how to pronounce the various African languages and names he uses. I think I've learned how to pronounce Xhosa by now though🤞. So just to preface, I came into this memoir with a hint of what to expect and an undying love for the author.
I really believe everyone should read this book. There are so many points that initially is about apartheid and South African history/culture, but actually has a larger message about race relations and how we connect to each other as humans. He tells a story about how his school playground was divided in groups by white/black/colored/other. And how even among the black kids, because Africa of course has its own diversity, there was division by spoken language. And it's not an uncommon experience, considering how America can do that as well. I mean, just as a stupid example, the Mean Girls cafeteria scene when the "cliques" are explained to her. In reality we also divide social lines by what we see and what we hear. It's a universal experience. But his message was how to cross those lines. Trevor Noah is good with languages and uses communication as a means to connect across these divides. He quotes Nelson Mandela saying "If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart."
But because Trevor Noah is also a comedian, he balances out the seriousness with outrageous stories of the hijinks he got up to. From having to covertly poop in front of his blind grandmother to his "Long, Awkward, Occasionally Tragic, and Frequently Humiliating Education in Affairs of the Heart" (in three parts). Everything he writes is so endearing and feels so relatable despite it being an entirely different life experience than I know. And I've heard many people say now that it's a gateway to wanting to learn more about that part of the world. Americans, at least, have so little education about international history and Trevor Noah provides a great sample of a world that we should be more aware of.
Should you read it? Yes. No conditionals. Just yes. Can't read? Listen to it. Actually, if you can read, listen to it too.
Similar reads? I don't read many memoirs so it's hard to compare. Any one that I have read is distinct in their voice and personality. But if you already like watching him on the Daily Show or on his podcast What Now, I guarantee you'll like this book.
(Spoiler Alert!) He's alluded to his mother being shot in the head when he talks to the audience or his guest on the Daily Show, off air. So I was aware this was not only an event in his life, but obviously a very significant one. So the entire time I was waiting for the full story. To those who didn't know what was coming, apparently it was such an intense ending. (Someone literally had to pause it while they were driving because they wanted to devote their whole attention to this last chapter.) For me whom it was a long time coming, it was still pretty gripping. And dammit, it made me want to keep reading. I need a sequel, Trevor!! Please! Or can his mother write a book about what it was like raising Trevor? I'll take that too, thank you!
Synopsis: Â This webcomic is a retelling of the meet cute between Persephone, the goddess of spring, and Hades, the king of the underworld. Demeter has finally let Persephone move to Olympia and Persephone intends to use this opportunity to discover her independence. Unfortunately at her first party, she ends up on Aphrodite's bad side and gets tricked into passing out in the back seat of Hades' car. From that moment starts the story of Hades and Persephone, along with a whole cast of Greek characters.
My Quibs: Just first off and unrelated to anything, but I love stories that have unique origins. Lore Olympus started as a webcomic on Webtoon, which has a concentrated fan base. And it rose so high in popularity (the most viewed webcomic on the platform in 2019), it broke into physical publication.
So I really hate to whip out this old complaint of mine, but I really need to stop reading things with such young protagonists. Her naivety which allows practically everyone around her to dictate her life as they deem fit infuriates the hell out of me. And I mean everyone, not just the jealous ex Minthe or Apollo but also her mother Demeter and her roommate Athena and her boss/crush Hades. I understand part of the point is she's journeying to independence but even by Book Four she hasn't taken any steps towards that (except she's learned to get angry). But still half the time she's looking at her friends with big Bambi eyes and they swoop in and coddle her. I want to see conflict and resolution, struggle and growth. I don't want to see a pretty girl trip and stumble into the arms of others. And Smythe does reach for the dark parts; she even has a disclaimer about it. But those parts are satellites to the cutesy love story. Even Persephone coming out to Eros about what happened, she didn't fully do; he intuited it using his godly powers. And maybe I haven't found the right wavelength to fully enjoy the story. I want to see some messy struggle but that might be too human-like behavior when the characters are gods that rip out the eyes of paparazzi because they were embarrassed.
Should you read it? It’s beautifully drawn and an interesting twist on a classic tale that if you don't already know, you should. I wouldn't dissuade anyone from reading it even if I personally didn't enjoy it. There's clearly an audience for her work.
Similar reads? I don't read enough webcomics nor enough Greek mythology inspired content; thus, I have no similar reads to compare this to. Though (shoutout to @encephalopoda) if you liked Punderworld, also a Greek mythology inspired webcomic, or the Percy Jackson YA series by Rick Riordan, this might be up your alley.
(Spoiler Alert!) My tipping point is when she rushes to his office after class because her classmates don't like her anymore. Granted, to confront him about something wrong he did, but she's still throwing a tantrum. I would've closed the book then and there if she had been able to cut the line, but thankfully no. Though probably that scene was just to make room so she could be bullied some more in Hades' face so then he could swoop in and save her from Ares' warring aura. Le sigh. I wonder if romance just isn't my genre 😬.
Synopsis: Â This novel is about a coming-of-age murder mystery about a woman accused of the death of the local golden boy and the childhood she had in the marshes that defined her. Kya was born in the marshlands of North Carolina and even as her family disappears one by one from her life, she makes the marsh her home and becomes known by the locals from the town over as Marsh Girl. Twenty years later, the body of Chase Andrews is found beneath an abandoned fire tower on the outskirts of town and the local authorities begin to suspect Kya. Now Kya must face an even greater challenge from her environment and overcome the prejudices of the local townspeople.
My Quibs: I have to say that it was an engaging read and a combination of "coming-of-age" story and "murder mystery" is very interesting. Owens sets up this very quaint snow globe world that's filled with beautiful detail. Almost otherworld-ly from describing a massive flock of birds descending into the marsh like a hurricane of feathers to detailing the nuances of the tail feather of a rare species. Though much like the characters, there is a separation. I never really felt placed within the world and instead very much on the outside peering in, which is ironic considering the message of the novel. I have to agree with PCHH's review that there's not as much depth in the characters as there is in the environment. That the stakes don't feel so high if you consider (despite being a poor and abandoned outsider) all the privileges she has. To simplify one of their points, she's supposed to be ostracized, this young and attractive woman in beautiful floral dresses - "Was there an Anthropologie in the marsh?". And when challenges appear, for instance she risks losing ownership of her property, it seems that solutions appear too, for instance not only are the taxes luckily not insurmountably high but she also has a preexisting means to acquire the money. PCHH also brings up the point that Owens is a conservationist and that the book is clearly from the point of an observer, which I wholeheartedly agree with. And I don't really get the point of studying human stories from behind a glass window.
Should you read it? If you liked the movie. The book was better than the movie.
Similar reads? Just on the point about a woman forced into a situation by society and then put on trial for a crime she may or may not have committed, it made me think again of Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood. Which is a fantastic novel and wholly unrelated to Where the Crawdads Sing 😅.
(Spoiler Alert!) I was disappointed by the ending. In regards to the murder mystery part of the novel, it was a decent hook to follow the sheriff as he pieced together different leads. And Owens portrays him as fair-minded so that as the reader I wasn't overtly swayed as the story progressed. And in the end that isn't the point, as Kya is found innocent more through her lawyer than the investigation of the sheriff, winning the trial if not the minds of the townsfolk, which eh I found kinda saccharine. I was hoping Owens would leave it at that to whether or not we believe it was the right decision but instead we get a fast forward to more or less a posthumous confession. So now that I *know* Kya is a premeditated murderer who gets away with it, I feel like the whole story has a sour after taste now. Plus, with the leak about Owen's own history that parallels this, I feel like it really shines a different light on the whole story.
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Synopsis: Â This novel is about two friends who bonded over a game of Super Mario Bros and the thirty year friendship that grew from it. Sam Masur was constantly in and out of the hospital and hasn't spoken to anyone since the accident. Sadie Green is in and out of the hospital too, but as a visitor for her older sister's condition and not a patient. After an argument drove Sadie from her sister's room, the nurse suggested she play games in the waiting room instead. There, she meets Sam and a shared game of Super Mario Bros lead to a situationship intertwined with dreams of games and a connection that navigates life's darkest grief and most dazzling triumphs.
My Quibs: I enjoyed it... The sub-premise appealed to the gamer in me though and T&T&T indulged every facet of it (although I read in another review that if you are deep in the gaming world, it's less enjoyable). Zevin starts off easy with an adolescent bonding memory over a classic video game even the less pop-culturally educated would recognize. But from there, it becomes the foundation that holds up her two main protagonists. She references gaming history and gaming culture from the more recognizable to the niche. So let's just say that the novel already had an advantage over me (maybe I should read a book about gaming pop culture 🤔). If we remove the thick outer crust of gaming and break it down into fundamentals, it's supposedly a love story that spans decades. I question the term "love story" because people have preconceived ideas on what that is and it's not anywhere near a traditional love story. For one, the concept of romance between Sam and Sadie flit in and out; like kids on a playground, some intangible emotion which causes one or the other to act out (a pigtail tug or push) but then is brushed aside. If you broaden love to encapsulate platonic love or shared passion of the mind, then yes it is a love story. And Zevin addresses it too when Sam confuses the sadness of losing a level of intimacy with his best friend to romantic jealousy. And every kind of relationship has its own trials, which is I suppose what kept me interested. Sam and Sadie had nearly every relationship but romantic. Childhood friendship, adult friendship, business partners, roommates, etc. And to see them navigate that was more of a drive for me than the characters themselves. I couldn't really connect to them because they, very similarly, were the type of people to bury their heads in the sand when faced with challenges. We follow these people from adolescence to adulthood and that never changes. What Zevin does instead is bring in a third character, Marx, who carries the load of everything else you want to see in a character. He's their parent, their confidante, their manager, their therapist. It really should be marketed as a love story about three people.
Should you read it? It was a very enjoyable read if you like video games, played video games in the 90s, or video game pop culture.
Similar reads? The decade spanning "love story" reminded me of One Day, although that's more of a definitive love story. And the three way relationship reminded me of Talking It Over by Julian Barnes. But the other side of the spectrum of contemporary literature.
(Spoiler Alert!) Marx might almost be too perfect of a character, even his flaws are perfect. His nickname Tamer of Horses is ironically apt because he's an NPC, but... a side character with main character energy. Literally a hero and a martyr, but whose death is just there to support Sam and Sadie's story. Poor Marx. He couldn't even be a part of the climax/resolution. He dies in Act II. And Act III is almost in itself a separate story. I get Zebin is paralleling Hamlet's father's ghost except Marx is more a Hamlet than the father. When emotionally-suppressive characters in their mid-30 are addressing behavior from their 20s, it's comes off like a "*shrug* that was so long ago" response. It didn't feel conclusive and really without Marx there anymore, I was kinda with Sadie - who cares.
What did you think of Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow?
Synopsis: Â This novel is about the relationships that develop between a failed bank robber and an unlikely group of hostages from a nearby open house. Eight strangers didn't realize how attending an open house that day would change them. Although, really, who has an open house on New Year's Eve?? Zara, a wealthy bank director, is there just to secretly observe how ordinary people live. Roger and Anna-Lena, an older married couple, are there as house flippers, a hobby that sustains their fragile relationship. Julia and Ro, soon-to-be parents, are there to find their first family home if they could ever agree on something. They all think they're there for an apartment, but under the pressures of a hostage situation with such an impossible group of people, they realize something even greater.
My Quibs: I was not prepared for the style of a Fredrik Backman book. A thick helping of wacky characters that conceal a small but very serious acknowledgement about humanity. He has a frenetic style, going from one POV to another very quickly. With so many characters to juggle, my brain was racing to keep up with whose story I was reading. And not only does Backman keep a light-hearted and zippy tone, but his characters do too. You have the rambling real estate agent, the snippy bank director, the squabbling young couple. It comes off initially as a comedy. ...except then there's also suicide. One especially important one that connects a lot of the characters. And between these two levels, I got severe whiplash. That's not to say I don't love a dark comedy, but I dunno, the Swedish sense of humor (or is it just Backman?) is really steep. A high high and a really low low - I just don't have the emotional wingspan to stretch between both these points. In the end, I had to pick one over the other. And since it's also a locked door mystery, there was a lot more space to enjoy it as a comedy. A story about a bunch of bumbling misfit strangers who help each other out in the middle of a strange and unfortunate situation.
And just as a minor footnote comment. I need a glossary of interpreted Swedish terms. I had so many questions like "What and why is a cashless bank?" and "What does 'Hows tricks' mean and why is it funny?" and "What's with all the jokes about Stockholmers?". I think a decent chunk of the book was lost in translation.
Should you read it? If you've read other Backman novels and enjoyed them.
Similar reads? I'm not entirely sure I know any. If anything, this has made me think that I need to broaden my repertoire of modern European novels - besides British, I mean.
(Spoiler Alert!) There's really only one secret in the whole of the novel and that's the identity of the bank robber. And chasing that thread really diminishes the theme of Backman's story about humans and our connections to each other. This might be repetitive of what I said earlier but when part of my brain is trying to decipher who the bank robber is and how they managed to escape the apartment, I'm distracted from connecting to the cast of characters. Whom are *also* focused on the identity of the bank robber, both in obscuring it and revealing it. And when we finally do get the reveal that the robber is a her and not a him, I did a real double take and had to flip back in the book to check that I hadn't mistaken things earlier. But no, Backman does a full deceit, using all kinds of male terms and then just slaps us with a "AHA! But she's actually female!". Which is not subtle and not cool. I give a tiiiny benefit of the doubt that this could be a loss in translation. Maybe Swedish is more lose with their pronouns and there wasn't a better way to communicate genderlessness in English? Dunno...
I do give a little credit as to the reveal of her escape. Backman dropped really random and dismiss-able bread crumbs, like "Oh, you know those neighbors were always squabbling and just couldn't stand to live together anymore". Then no more mention of the neighbor. That Estelle once received a key from a man in the elevator, but nothing else really about this man. It was a bit rushed, but it wasn't faster than the pacing of the rest of the book.
Synopsis: Â This novel is about the relationship between a giant Pacific octopus and a seventy year old aquarium cleaner. Tova Sullivan is coping with the loss of her family, from the thirty-year old disappearance of her son to the recent passing of her estranged brother. Marcellus having lived most of his adult life in captivity is the only one whom she can open up to. When Tova makes the decision to move to a retirement home, a newcomer to their small town is recommended as her temporary replacement. Cameron Cassmore is adrift again, having recently lost both his latest job and girlfriend. He arrives in Sowell Bay hoping to find out about his past but mostly to procure a financial means for his future. After all, it's the least a father could do for a long-lost son he never knew. But in the end, all three of them discover unlikely connections they didn't expect to find in a small town Pacific Northwest aquarium.
My Quibs: I'll start with that I found it an enjoyable read, for a debut novel. Van Pelt has a good foundation: interesting characters, a structured plot, etc. It just needed a bit more editing and tending to get it book club worthy. Her characters are endearing (at least, most of them) and grounded in a way that I think most readers could connect to. I mean, who doesn't love a giant Pacific octopus. And I found out in the audiobook, Marcellus has a British accent! Not how I read it in my head, but I'm seriously considering going back and listening to it now. My one major flaw with her characters is the pacing of their arc or growth. Especially Cameron... Van Pelt is able to craft a very nice story but it feels like when someone realizes how late the hour is so they rush to gather all their things and exits fairly abruptly. We were having a pleasant conversation and then she's like, "oops let's wrap it up, the end". There were also a lot of nuances and small details that seemed like several scattered ideas that she never followed through on. Details that I and my fellow book club readers snagged onto with interest so clearly we felt there was potential. We were invested in the outcomes of all three characters; we wanted more. What about his mother? What actually happened on the boat? The details there are vague enough that it initially comes off as teasing and then negligence. So, despite my reservations about how she ended it, it was enjoyable and it only frustrates me that I know it could've been even better.
Should you read it? I don't want to dissuade anyone from reading it, just want to give a caveat that it is very much a debut novel.
Similar reads? Ah, I dunno. It strikes me as a book you'd find on that first table as you walk into a Barnes and Noble. Take that how you will.
(Spoiler Alert!) OK. Here's where imma rant a bit about my boy Cameron. He really rubs on my last nerve. And I know Van Pelt did this deliberately, creating an angsty chip-on-his-shoulder "genius"-with-issues man child. And I would've written him off early except 1) I had a whole novel to travel with him so I had to stick with it and 2) I read a comment that re-framed his behavior as grief(?) which gave me more patience to see his growth through. But speaking of growth, Cameron throughout the novel takes the smallest tiniest baby steps in working through his issues until literally in a single-page chapter, Van Pelt literally and literary-ly turns the character around. He goes from running away from everyone, without any note or explanation, to changing his mind halfway to California. What magic is this? That cures selfish broken people so quickly? And after this revelation, we essentially get a "where are they now" ending where everyone has a promising life ever after. Ugh, disappointing. Not that they can't have happy endings but it just doesn't seem realistic when it happens like a flip of a switch. It doesn't feel earned. And also speaking of grief (it was from a "what kind of book club questions" web search), I was really interested in the perspective that what binds all three characters together was coping with grief. Marcellus lost his freedom and consequently a normal life. Tova lost family, piece by piece. And Cameron lost his parents and a childhood. We see the effects of it embodied in their character. Because the actual trauma happened so long ago, I didn't expect to see them learning how to cope with it, but more how they live with it day to day. I get a bit of that with Marcellus and Tova, although I still can't believe that thirty years of wondering about what happened to her son that she's content with a vague story told offhandedly. Like, no follow up questions, really? Agh, the abruptness of the ending still really frustrates me. And poor Marcellus should have been the star of the show, but to quote my fellow book clubber, he "was just a plot device". And to quote another book clubber, "she never really explains how he learned to read English".
What did you think of Remarkably Bright Creatures?
Synopsis: Â This horror fantasy graphic novel series is about a group of friends who are drawn back into a world they thought they had finally escaped as teenagers. Ash, Angela, Isabelle, Matt, and Chuck thought they had left the world of Die behind when they reappeared back in the real world years after mysteriously disappearing into a role-playing game on Ash's 16th birthday, a game designed by Solomon. But 'Sol', whom they had left behind in Die twenty five years ago, seems unable to let them leave.
My Quibs: I'm not really a hit-the-ground-running kind of reader (probably because I'm very easily disoriented). But Gillen definitely throws you in head first: no instructions, no sympathy. And the story will take off without you. Do you know anything about TTRPG? No? Too bad. (Although also, why are you even here in the first place. This is your own fault.) But the premise aside, Gillen will throw all these references around with no subtext to help. It's almost like reading in another language. Have you read Charlotte Bronte? HG Wells? Have you seen LOTR? Game of Thrones? Do you know about Cleopatra's reign? Thankfully, I am just nerdy enough to keep up, and what was actually difficult for me was to keep up with were the five(six?) main protagonists. I've always had trouble juggling a big handful of story lines. Especially when they don't share much thread except for their origins. But at least each character has specific motivations and history that, if I distill down to its core, is enough for us to relate to: Matt has grief, Angela has regret, Ash has shame, etc. And we get to see them process it whether by force or by choice as teenagers and adults. It's an interesting dichotomy of human behavior but drenched in depressing horror, real and existential. I mean, the characters even ask of themselves "Do we treat this like it's real or fantasy?". As a reader, do we embrace all their twisted demons into ourselves or keep it at the distance of a page. Gillen takes on so much and personally I think four books is not enough to take on and resolve six heavy topics adequately. It slammed me into the ground, dragged me through the worst of ourselves, and flung me back out into the real world. I might need twenty years myself before I go back in.
Should you read it? If you like ultra nerdy content and tabletop role-playing games.
Similar reads? A graphic novel about TTRPG? Is there another one out there?
(Spoiler Alert!) Gillen's take that we are all part of Die seemed a little too The Most Final Epic-est of Destiny Reveals and as much as I love ouroboros-y stories, in this case based on the story that Gillen had been telling, the fact that "it is what it is and will always be" seemed doubling down on the depressive aspect and a cop out. I mean, the fact that we, each, have so many stories in which we live and die, succeed and fail, shows there is will, in a way sort of, and we are not chained to any specific story line. *I just had a realization. I recently finished Bioshock Infinite (I know, waaay late to the game) and is Gillen trying to say something like Levine? Elizabeth also tells Booker something similar. "Constants and variables. Sometimes something's different, yet the same." Does Sol always gift himself the dice every time? Is there no way to end the cycle? Eh, if I were to choose then, Bioshock tells a much better story.
Also, has it actually ended? The sacrifice of Chuck, giving Sol his place in the world, either read like the smallest hook into a spinoff/sequel or just a tongue-in-cheek farewell to his character.
Synopsis: Â This novel is about a professional investigative detective slash wizard. Harry Dresden is struggling to make business ends meet when he gets a call from a woman named Monica Sells asking to hire him to find her missing husband. It's just the job he needs to cover next month's rent when he gets another call from Lieutenant Karrin Murphy, director of the Special Investigations Unit of the Chicago Police Department. This one is a grisly double murder but that isn't the most disturbing part. Someone out there is practicing black magic. And they seem to be more powerful than even Dresden.
My Quibs: I've been meaning to read Jim Butcher and I'm a big fan of noir so I was hoping this was going to be right in my wheelhouse. Although I just learned this novel was Butcher's writing debut so I might cut him a little slack. But I don't think I really need to since I generally enjoyed it. The main protagonist is more or less entertaining if not a tad cliche. I appreciate his attempt to balance being self-degrading and egotistical (about being the only one capable of epic levels of magic). Now that I think about it, it gives me El from Scholomance vibes, but luckily he isn't an angsty teenage girl. He's just a self-aware douchebag, which I guess is the foundation of a noir inspired PI. It wasn't the characterization of our hero that I had an issue with. It was Butcher's use of the femme fatale. So first we have Monical Sells. Like Dresden, she's pretty much a copy of the classic character: doe-eyed, vulnerable, sexy, etc. Fine. Then we get Lieutenant Murphy. She's confident and firm, but because she looks like a cheerleader? Being blonde and petit and cute gives her a complex and an attitude. Ooookay, fine I guess. Then we get Susan Rodriguez, a reporter who knows she's attractive and how to leverage it. 🙄 *le sigh* And then there's Madame Bianca St. Claire, Linda Randall, I could go on. Butcher just barely toes the line between objectification and appreciation. Dresden even says "She would have punched me in the mouth for being a chauvinist pig." And I may have been able to tolerate it if it was more equal, but besides our protagonist all the male characters are distinctly unattractive. From paunchy idiot cops to a thief who is "short, harried-looking [with] hair [a] listless shade of brown". We get it, Harry, you're super straight. Girls are pretty and boys are not.
Should you read it? If you like classic noir and gritty supernatural elements, sure you should give Dresden a try. I'm wavering on if I should continue the series though because it takes Butcher a couple more books before he finds his footing.
Similar reads? At least for his debut, Storm Front doesn't deviate from the dictionary definition of either urban fantasy novels or classic noir stories. It's not distinctive enough for me to find an equal.
(Spoiler Alert!) Haha. Spoil this novel? Impossible. Even though it's a mystery, Butcher follows the blueprint for detective mystery. It's like watching a procedural television series. You more or less know what's going to happen and should just follow along for the ride. Come for the banter, not the "captivating" plot.
