Category: Fiction Page 322 of 346

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

On October 1, 2013

It’s been months since I read this, and I haven’t written the review yet, because I wanted it to be the best thing on this blog because this book deserves it. But that’s just not going to happen, so I’ll just ramble a bit and get this posted. If Rothfuss can’t write a review, I shouldn’t worry if I can’t.

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The Ocean at the End of the Lane

by Neil Gaiman
Hardcover, 181 pg.
William Morrow Books, 2013

I like myths. They weren’t adult stories and they weren’t children’s stories. They were better than that. They just were.

Adult stories never made sense, and they were so slow to start. They made me feel like there were secrets. Masonic, mythic secrets to adulthood. Why didn’t adults want to read about Narnia, about secret islands and smugglers and dangerous fairies?

While not properly a myth, there is a mythic quality to The Ocean at the End of the Lane. This slim volume is magic. Just magic. It struck me in a very personal place. Between lines like:

I was not happy as a child, although from time to time I was content. I lived in books more than I lived anywhere else.

Books were safer than other people anyway.

and

I went away in my head, into a book. That was where I went whenever real life was too hard or too inflexible.

I can’t remember a narrator I identified with as much as I have this one, that’s where my head was as a child — I don’t think I could’ve come close to putting it into those words then . . . but now? I tell you, those words resonated with me.

Other than a little time with the narrator as an adult bookending the novel, this is primarily a story about a boy — but this isn’t a children’s book. Yeah, Coraline and The Graveyard Book aren’t your typical children’s books in subject or tone, but there’s something different about this. Yeah, there’s a sex scene, but that’s not what makes it adult fiction (not that it’d be appropriate elsewhere, obviously) but this is 1. a look at childhood from an adult perspective, it’s about looking back — kids wouldn’t be able to appreciate that and 2. honestly, I found it too frightening for kids. Since it’s told as a flashback, I knew the narrator would survive — but that didn’t keep me from being worried about what was going to happen to him in some pretty nasty situations.
The narrator tells us

I was a normal child. Which is to say, I was selfish and I was not entirely convinced of the existence of things that were not me and I was certain, stock-solid unshakably certain, that I was the most important thing in creation. There was nothing that was more important to me than I was.

and while remaining honest about children, as is typical with Gaiman, there’s an (over-?)romanticizing of childhood throughout The Ocean, this time coupled with a de-romanticizing of adulthood — or at least of grown-ups. We’re told,

grown-ups don’t look like grown-ups on the inside either. Outside, they’re big and thoughtless and they always know what they’re doing. Inside, they look just like they always have. Like they did when they were your age. The truth is, there aren’t any grown-ups. Not one, in the whole wide world.

Hard to argue with that.

Childhood friendship is also a theme in this book, but one I really don’t have a nice quote for — it’s something that Gaiman shows us throughout rather than telling us about. The Ocean is about the power of reading, and one good friend — which is all a lonely boy needs. And as we see here, the effect of that friendship and the memory of will last decades.

A quick, engrossing and moving read — with the added bonus that a quotation from “The Nightmare Song” got Mandy Patinkin’s voice stuck in my head for a while. A book I will return to soon.

Still don’t have a good answer to why “adults want to read about Narnia, about secret islands and smugglers and dangerous fairies?”

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5 Stars

Dusted Off: In Zanesville by Jo Ann Beard

By HCNewton

On September 30, 2013

In Fiction, General Fiction/Literature, YA/MG/Children's Books

In Zanesville by Jo Ann Beard

The 1970’s weren’t the easiest time for a couple of 14 year old girls to grow up–just ask In Zanesville’s unnamed narrator and her best friend. In this coming of age novel, we see the two of them deal with odd babysitting gigs, clothes, strange teachers, annoying/horrible family situations, self-awareness, friends, brushes with popularity, and (of course) boys at that awkward and vital time of life. Jo Ann Beard depicts their struggles, failures (and even a success or two) in a well-written (sometimes wonderfully so), moving way.

My problem with this book is that the narrative doesn’t go anywhere, the narrator’s story doesn’t end, there’s no conclusion, it just stops. I’m not sure the narrator comes of age, she rather comes right up to the border of it and looks across. That’s more than dissatisfying, it ends up cheapening the whole experience.

Even so, Beard’s writing makes In Zanesville worth the time.

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3 Stars

Dusted Off: How to Talk to a Widower by Jonathan Tropper

By HCNewton

On September 30, 2013

In Authors, Fiction, General Fiction/Literature, Jonathan Tropper, P-U

How to Talk to a Widower by Jonathan Tropper

this isn’t the review the book deserves, but it’s all I can come up with at the moment…

Twentysomething Doug Parker, after two years of marriage to a woman with a teenage son, becomes a widower who can’t let go of his grief (and doesn’t want to anyway). He withdraws from life, from work, from family, and from the angry stepson who lost as much as he did.

Events–and overly-amorous neighbors–conspire to drag him, kicking, screaming and swearing, back to the land of the living (with all its attendant glories and problems).

I’m fairly certain this isn’t Tropper’s best novel, but it’s probably his most effective–he can bring you from the verge of tears (or over the verge) to laughing out loud and back again in less than 5 pages. That’s true even on a re-read like this was for me. I love this book.

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5 Stars

Review: Fun and Games

By HCNewton

On September 28, 2013

In Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Fun and Games

by Duane Swierczynski
Trade Paperback, 286 pg.
Mulholland Books, 2011

I know it’s clichéd to say, but this is an adrenaline-fueled ride. The plot moves like someone who’s had too much coffee, dragging the reader along from one remarkable event to the next. This is a hyper-reality along the lines of Butch Coolidge accidentally coming across Marsellus Wallace at just the wrong time, saving him from Zed and then stumbling onto Vincent Vega (in a very strategically ineffective position) not long afterwards. Or the kind that allows John McClane to be in the right place at just the right time in the Nakatomi Plaza so he can take care of Hans Gruber’s crew.*

Charlie Hardie, who used to work with the Philadelphia police, is in the middle of a new career as a professional house sitter for the well-to-do. He flies into Los Angeles, gets to his next house and finds it fully equipped with the necessary modern conveniences: a sunbathing neighbor who isn’t all that concerned with clothing, a recording studio, and a banged-up (and high) rom-com and action movie actress. She claims that people are out to kill her, which is why she’s hiding in this empty house.

It doesn’t take long for things to get really out of control from there. Instead of a month of old movies and heavy drinking, Charlie has to try to save the actress — and his own skin, and thwart the mysterious and very persistent group that has decided these two have overstayed their welcome on this planet.

Swierczynski’s voice and style keep this entertaining — it’d be very easy for this story to get too dark, too grim. There are moments when you start to enjoy yourself here — and then someone gets stabbed with something, or something blows up. He keeps you right there with Charlie and ready to see what happens to the poor guy next.

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* I am capable of making cinematic allusions not involving Bruce Willis, really, I am.

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3 Stars

Helen and Troy’s Epic Road Quest by A. Lee Martinez

By HCNewton

On September 27, 2013

In A. Lee Martinez, Authors, Fiction, K-O, Science Fiction

Helen and Troy’s Epic Road Quest by A. Lee Martinez

Helen, a teenage minotaur and Troy, an impossibly above average guy are toiling away at a fast food restaurant until a god decrees they must go on a quest for him — retrieving several magic items, vanquishing various monsters, and generally staying alive.

Nigel, an accountant with a wife he’s scared of, turns to a motorcycle gang filled with other white-collar types looking to fill their humdrum lives with danger and excitement (oh, and all but one of them are oddly unassertive and non-homicidal orcs). Their god assigns them to put an end to Helen and Troy’s quest — by killing them.

Before the climactic battle between the questers and the orcs, Helen and Troy are deputized by a seemingly useless yet ubiquitous government agency that oversees quests. Then they meet an oracle working out of a food truck, some fates, pick up a three-legged dog, visit a nature preserve that’s a dragon sanctuary, and meet all sorts of interesting people and monsters — all while taking a fun road-trip in a classic car.

This is the whackiest, goofiest Martinez novel I’ve read — until the last 40 pages or so, where it gets deadly serious while retaining a sense of the absurd. But while doing so, it has some interesting things to say about things like destiny and fate and body image and stopping outside one’s comfort zone. There’s a touch of romance, a sense of wonder, and a whole lot of fun to be had.

Like every Martinez character, whether a rebellious daughter, a curious child, a would-be orc, a cyclops, or a meddlesome minotaur mother there’s a core of humanity, of decency, to be found. In a day when even Superman is turned into a grim figure, it’s very refreshing to see that.

Yes, it’s an adult book — but it’s one I’d have no problem handing off to my 11 year-old daughter to enjoy (probably her younger brother, too, I just don’t think he’d stick with it). Come to think of it, I will.

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4 Stars

Chosen by Benedict Jacka

By HCNewton

On September 26, 2013

In Alex Verus, Authors, Benedict Jacka, F-J, Fiction, Urban Fantasy

Chosen by Benedict Jacka
Series: Alex Verus, #4

Before I say anything about this really good book, let me point you to The Big Idea that Jacka wrote about it over on John Scalzi’s blog, if that doesn’t convince you to try this, nothing I say will. If you read this and are intrigued, go grab the first three books before you read this one. They’re more than worth it.
First off, I want to talk about the non-plot related stuff in the first chapter, but it’s better if you read it yourself — it warmed the geeky cockles of my heart in a way few other books have this year.

The fun is short-lived, of course. Verus is still training Luna, trying to find a place for the former Dark Apprentices, Anne and Variam, that he took in following the events of Taken. While he’s busy, he’s realizing that for the first time in long time, he isn’t alone, he has friends, companions — there’s the three just mentioned, plus the mage Sonder and, of course, Arachne. You start to get the idea that Verus is on the verge on contentment, starting to think about a future in this community he’s building (and not the way he’s known for).

Which is a tried and true signal that things are about to go pear shaped. Which it does, pretty decisively. It’s been clear from the start that Verus’ past is dark, but we’ve never been given many details. Well, that’s over — we get a real clear look at what life was like for Verus while he was apprenticed to Richard Drakh, and what it was like for him as he started to break away. While we’re learning this, Verus himself gets a much clearer view of what was going on back then.

What sets this off is the relative of someone that Verus and his fellow apprentices had wronged (details avoided), years ago has come to town. He’s an untrained adept, and so are his friends — they start off as a vigilante gang attacking Dark Mages. It doesn’t take long before they find their way to their target, Alex Verus.

It takes all Verus’ cunning, guts, and determination to survive this. Everything’s on the line here — his friends learn almost as much as the reader does about his past (and their reactions are complex and ring true emotionally), he barely escapes his first encounter with the gang with his life, and he has to open himself to part of his life he’d rather be done with. And the tactics he has to employ to save his life — and others’ — are morally murky at best.

There was really nothing about this book I didn’t like — Jacka keeps getting better and better (and he started very strong). To say that I’m eager for book #5 is an understatement, it’s going to be great.

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5 Stars

Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch

By HCNewton

On September 25, 2013

In Fiction

Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch

When you stop and think of the effort Lynch has had to put into creating the world these Gentleman Bastards, you’ve got to tip your hat to him. It’s truly mind-boggling. Even if you aren’t charmed by Locke Lamora, if you don’t cheer for Jean Tannen, if you don’t want to see them triumph over all their marks, if you don’t find their games — long and short — amusing, ingenious, daring, clever, and occasionally nail-biting, you still have to acknowledge the sheer brilliance of this man’s work — it’s so intricate, so well-developed, so detailed, it’s breathtaking. Oh, and you’re wrong to not fall in love with this series. Utterly wrong.

Red Seas picks up a couple of years after the events of The Lies of Locke Lamora, with Jean and Locke still dealing with the fallout — with some flashbacks to the days immediately following it, where the psychological and physical damage is a lot more evident. There’s a lot for these guys to recover from, and the best way they know to do that is to get back on the horse and try to pull off a job, and not just any job — where’s the fun in doing anything less than the impossible?

Because, like The Lies of Locke Lamora, this book’s plot involves several con jobs, a lot of back-stabbing, double-dealing, and other forms of lying and duplicity, it’s very difficult to write much about the plot without spoiling something. So let me just say, in the midst of the multiple layers of twists and turns here, you get a casino, assassins, enough aliases to really confuse a guy, a corrupt military mastermind, a twisted variation on gladiatorial games, poisons, blackmail, counterfeit antique furniture, love, extortion, and pirates!

I’m simply in awe of the way Lynch does all that he does with these books. Do yourself a favor, and start reading.

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5 Stars

Worth Dying For by Lee Child

By HCNewton

On September 24, 2013

In Fiction, Jack Reacher, Lee Child, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Worth Dying For by Lee Child
Series: Jack Reacher, #15

At the end of a harrying week, there’s not much better than settling down to read about Jack Reacher kicking whatever, taking names, and meting out justice.

The last couple of novels have been a little more on the cerebral side for Reacher (not that they haven’t had plenty of violence), which is fine — Reacher’s more than just brawn, he’s got a brain. But by page 43 of this book when the first fight (well, the first real) starts you can tell this us going to be a lot different than the last couple of books, there’s going to be a good deal of violence, and the reader’s blood is going to be pumping a lot. And wow, is there a lot of fighting going on — I haven’t kept notes or anything, but I don’t remember as much hand-to-hand fighting in a Reacher book in ages — if ever. Well-exectued by both Child and Reacher, I should add.

There is a misunderstanding involving one representative of the for parties that Reacher is up against here. The kind of misunderstanding that would make classic sit-com fodder, but here serves to ratchet up the paranoia and mutual suspicions between the parties. I had a lot of fun watching how one chance encounter and a million to one happening unravels something that really could’ve taken Reacher down, particularly in his weakened condition.

That weakened condition is one of the best things about this book — there’s a strong link between Worth Dying For and 61 Hours, the strongest since Tripwire and Running Blind — 11 books back — and, from what I’ve learned from a couple of TV interviews, this link continues in his latest, Never Go Back (further incentive, not that I need it, to catch up with this series). His body is still recovering from the trauma endured, and his mind is set on the officer who’s taken his old position. I really appreciated that, it’s good to see that these aren’t just random adventures, but there’s some continuity at work here, even if the novels are completely stand-alone in nature.

The villains at the center of this mess are probably the vilest that Child has yet cooked up — and that’s saying something. Once everything about their criminal activities is revealed, you’re more than ready for Reacher to do his thing. Which he — naturally — does with aplomb and efficiency.

Take your blood pressure meds, get in your comfy chair and kick back for a heck of a read.

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4 Stars

Dusted Off: A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

By HCNewton

On September 23, 2013

In Fiction

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

Oo-de-lally, what is there to say about this that hasn’t been said 3 million times already? Epic, sweeping, yet deeply focused on the individual. Rich characters–with a depth that Tolkein wouldn’t bother with (not a slight on Tolkein, btw).

The fantasy series for those who aren’t into fantasy–this book has a lot of villains, but no real heroes. There’s a lot of black, a little white, and a whole lotta gray to the events, morals and characters here.

A great, great read…easy to see why this series has so many devoted fans, and will for years to come.

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4 Stars

Dusted Off: Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie

By HCNewton

On September 23, 2013

In Fiction

Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Volume two of a fantasy trilogy is the volume where everything goes bad. The First Law trilogy is no exception. Of course, what most fantasy authors consider disastrous, Joe Abercrombie considers minor plot complications. Things get really, really, really bad in Before They are Hanged. But given Abercrombie’s skill and the voices employed in narrating various characters, it’s still very, very fun to read about all the various dooms that are impending on this world.

If you’ve read The Blade Itself, what are you waiting for? Get to reading! If you haven’t–this isn’t the place to start, but it’s a great place to carry on.