My Boyfriend's Recommendations

Got a few to go through, here.

Last night, I finished The Rook by Daniel O'Malley. It was yes. It was super silly and fun and imaginitive, exactly my sort of humor. I'm willing to overlook a couple of plot holes (like, why did the Grafters even want to take over Britain or destroy the Checquy in the first place way back when? we need to have the Ultimate Motivation here- power or wealth or whatever) because of the ridiculously entertaining antics that ensue.
I was also a little thrown because the novel seems to changes voices slowly, but I chalk it up to Myfanwy discovering her own personality as the story progresses.
One real problem I had was that in the end, when you find out whodunit, well, you really couldn't have come to that conclusion definitively on your own. There are a number of suspects that have an array of possible motives. While it turns out the one responsible does make the most sense, there wasn't really anything that was like OH DUH WHY DIDN'T I SEE IT  BEFORE, or even OH WOW THE PROTAGONIST IS SO BRILLIANT FOR FIGURING IT OUT, I WOULD NEVER HAVE GOTTEN IT. We end up somewhere in the tepid middle of those.
That said, I overall enjoyed the read!

I read Divergent by Veronica Roth somewhere in the middle of the United States in the span of about two days. I love that they're making it a movie- it's packed with action and potential spectacle, and it's a simple story with simple characters that could appeal to lowest-common-denominator audiences while retaining a greater sense of purpose. Post-apocalyptic stories tend to do that- instill a sense of dread or even fear in us. How did we let it come to this?
It's teenage fiction at its finest, really. Several deep points about human nature are raised under the veneer of high school drama and romance. I can't really get any more specific than that 'cause it's been a while since I read it, but I do remember that wearing black and getting tattoos is symbolic of recklessness and edginess. So don't argue there's no high-school-esque vibes in there with me.

I've also downed The Warrior Heir and  The Wizard Heir by Cinda Williams Chima. I found the first one so-so, but it provided great context for the second, which was overall a better story. It's rumored these books each get more intense as you go through the series.
I just get a little sick of protagonists being important people, and everything being so, so personal. We're all lovers, sons, daughters, brothers and sisters, not just random people brought together from the vast population that actually exists. I know, the important people are the interesting ones that have interesting stories, right, fine, but the ever-present power struggle becomes overdone and trite.
Again, it's a good teen fantasy series with solid themes of loyalty and bravery, but nothing very revolutionary. At least, not in books 1 and 2.

The Eye of the World

I finished the first Wheel of Time book, fucking finally.
Seriously, why is this such a popular series? I don't get it. Like, at all. The pacing sucks ass, the descriptions suck ass, the characters are mostly really irritating, I felt like page and pages and pages were devoted to shit that didn't matter at all, whereas the things that maybe I could have given a rat's ass about were hastily scribbled in vague language. I can respect this if you're going for pure realism in pacing; generally when you read a fantasy epic, you skip over the long boring parts where the travel from place to place. So fine, more 'realistic' pacing here.
My other real pet peeve is treatment of female characters. There are only three in this book that matter, and two of them are bratty and simple-minded peasants while the third is, as someone else put it, the all-knowing ice queen. I feel like Moiraine is supposed to be a complex character but my god is she not, not at all, at least not yet. There are four other bit female characters that come to mind, and they're either determinedly and rebelliously enigmatic, cold angry bitches, or perfectly heart-melting in every way (that would be the princess, of course, of all people).
And then there are the male characters, which are all so very similar even though Jordan writes about how they are different; they all act the same. There is one singular character in the entire book that has any sort of personality and depth, and that is Lan, who is constantly described as stone-faced. Something is wrong when your most interesting charatcer is also the most stoic.
That's seriously about all I have to say about this hot mess. Maybe one day when I'm in a more patient and understanding phase of my life, I'll try again.

Life of Pi and Agyar

I wonder who the heck reads this blog ever. I don't update it, and yet it gets page views. My Blogger stats say so.

I've read Agyar by Stephen Brust, Life of Pi by Yann Martel, and probably a couple other books this past year or so, I can't remember. Currently reading The Incrementalists, a collaboration between Stephen Brust and Skyler White.

So Life of Pi... so much to be said. This was one of those books we had the option of reading for school, though I never did. So obviously you could write whole essays on it. The overall message hit me only when I went through the questions in the back of the book, and went back to re-read chapters 22 and 23 on part one. Then I got it. Click.

I read Agyar because Brust has said it's his favorite book that he's written, and I understand why- it must have been really fun to write. Something I like about his books (that I've read, anyway) is that there's usually a reason why you're reading the story- a logical place the words have come from. In Agyar, the protagonist is typing it all out on a typewriter, because he feels like it. It's not just a story-from-nowhere deal.

And I do so love the way that you have to figure out what in the hell is going on. I dislike when books spell it all out for you- which is why I'm a little surprised at The Incrementalists. There's a lot that's being explained right up front... but I'm less than halfway through with it, so I'd better reserve judgment 'til the end, I suppose!

Lately

As I mentioned previously, I was reading The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein. I fully intend to finish it one day, but couldn't renew it because someone placed a hold on it... and so I had to return it to the library, unfinished. Just as it was getting good!
I had a discussion with my dad about it, since he's the one who recommended the book to me in the first place. The way the story starts is my cup of tea- just jumping right in. Apparently that's how Heinlein rolls, so I'm sure I'll get to Stranger in a Strange Land eventually, too. Like I said before, though, reading about computers in books written in the 60's is weird to me.
But then the characters begin their discussion about the philosophy of revolution. How a subversive movement could or should work. It's amazing, brilliant.
That's what Heinlein does, my dad says. Wraps these crazy ideas up in a story for you, gives them some context. Wait until they talk about how to create a government, he told me.

Current favorite author Steven Brust just wrote a blog post about an important subject for me, on the whole business of making the reader work. Basically... yes. Readers, don't complain when there's not enough information. You should be able to fill the gaps in with your own imagination. That's kind of how I see it, anyway.

Also, apparently Hawk will be coming out within the next year, estimated. Can't wait!

Pern and Other Worlds

Girls and dragons. Why can't we get enough of that combination?

I've read the first two books of the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey and a few books in the Dragon Keeper Chronicles written by Donita K. Paul. They're all about girls. With dragons. The second book in each series is titled DragonQuest, and I read each of them at about the same time, one right after the other.

I actually read a separate trilogy by Paul before now, which takes place on the other side of the planet from Amara; the Chiril Chronicles. They were unchallenging and nearly boring and I almost lost hope after a few pages of the young, girly protagonist basically not doing much. But then other characters evolved around her, two of which shared a few zingy one-liners and very clever witticisms. So I kept on.

But the Dragon Keeper books are, irritatingly, fluffy Christian fantasy filed under the Sci-fi section for some reason. I've read one or two other people's reviews that say 'you don't have to be a Christian to like these books,' but yes, you do. No, it's not about "God" and "Jesus," but it is about "Wulder" and "Paladin." Close enough, right?
There isn't actually a lot of Jesus allusion, but the principles of Wulder basically take everything over. There's also anticlimactic climaxes, barely any in-group tension, and watered-down fight descriptions. And everyone loves Wulder except for the poor sods who don't.

The Pern series so far is a bit darker than I expected. It's weird transitioning from modern-day writing to something published decades ago. I also find myself asking, when reading a fantasy book, about the characters' religions- religion is such a prevalent aspect of so many lives. Paul's books address this issue with all the subtlety of a blunt axe. McCaffrey's approach is much more light-handed.

There's no 'religion' on Pern that I could discern. No one worships or leaves offerings for a deity. No one seems to pray. But they do have an overarching, constant battle with Thread. And this, this is their religion. It's easy for the dragon keepers- they are the ones battling Thread, they see it all the time, they exist to uphold traditions to be ready for the next wave of it. Those that live simple lives in holds forget about Thread when it is not imminent. It's very interesting politically.

So what have I been reading lately that doesn't have to do with girls and their dragons? Oh, a few things. I read Dies the Fire by S. M. Stirling, which took me a while to get sucked into. It's about the end of the world as we know it. Electricity stops working for no known reason and society dissolves into chaos.


Also I read the latest by Seanan McGuire, Ashes of Honor. Remember October Daye? Spoiler alert: she finally bangs Tybalt. There. Now you do't have to read the book.

This whole series aggravates me because it is so rich in detail, so well-researched and beautifully sewn into our own mundane world, and yet what does this entire thing turn into but ridiculous amounts of violence and a forever-long will-they, won't-they between two people who should never, ever have even considered getting together with each other. I'm also tired of the Luidaeg pulling magical solutions to everything out of her ass.

In the first October Daye book, there were taboos. When October gets an idea to call the night-haunts, it was terrifying. You don't call the night-haunts. You just don't. It's absolutely unheard of. But she did anyway. It was crazy.

Now, nothing is taboo. Oh, sure, we can jump between lost worlds, whatever. Here, take this candle/bauble/rose/thing, it'll see you from point A to point B. Take care now, and try to watch out for men, they always seem to want to confess their love to you and you just don't have time for that, all right?
Anyway.


I just finished another book by Patricia A. McKillip, titled Ombria in Shadow.
Now, this was a book.

At first I was put off by the flowery descriptions and confusing writing. But what I do like about McKillip is that she seems to skip excessive exposition and jump right into Where Things Begin. In this book, the prince of Ombria has just died. His mistress, nephew, and son must cope with that all while dealing with one Domina Pearl, a sharply evil yet ambiguously human regent bent on... I'm still not even sure. Subverting the city, I think. Well, she's the bad guy.

Ombria has an interesting split personality of 'reality' and shadow, mixing mundane with magic. Basically, don't go out at night.

I could see myself writing a paper for English class on this. The themes of hidden identities and lost innocence  are displayed in motifs of mirrors, shoes, masks, jewels, and charcoal... I could go on, but I won't. Maybe another time.


And now I'm trying to muscle through The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. I don't know what it is, I have a hard time getting through stories written in the mid twentieth century about computers.

McKillip, Catch 22, Other Things

Yes, I'm still reading. I'm actually just now itching to start picking up new, random books once more. I'm not entirely sure why, but I needed a hiatus. Perhaps I was focusing more on the craptastic story I'm writing myself- for fun, you know, something I might enjoy reading but I wouldn't necessarily expect anyone else to. I wish I could remember the exact quote, but you know, 'books are for writing, not for reading,' said someone once. And I firmly believe in that. Yes.

Anyway, what have I read in the past few months? Actually I was feeling in need of inspiration recently, since I am really officially starting my photography business, and so I grabbed one my my college books from my shelf and read through it a couple times: Why People Photograph by Robert Adams. It's an interesting look into, well, why people take up a camera and point it where they do, and click the shutter when they choose. It's more of a compilation of philosophical essays and musings concerning personal motivation and also what you are communicating.
It helped.

I was also recently handed a small book titled The Changeling Sea by Patricia McKillip, which was really beautifully written, but that didn't prevent my from rolling my eyes at the three grown men tripping over themselves for the 'unattractive' fifteen-year-old protagonist. The person who gave it to me to read said McKillip seems to have a theme in a lot of her books where the protagonist is dealing with death in some way, which I think is interesting, because that can be a fascinating tunnel to explore- the way the death of your father, mother, friend, or maybe even king can affect one's mind.
The protagonist of The Changeling Sea is Peri, whose fisherman father has recently drowned in the sea, and she must come to terms with it. There might be a fairy-tale ending that Peri has done absolutely nothing to deserve, but somehow it's still a sweet story with characters that are simultaneously one-dimensional yet also realistic.

You know what else, I tried to read Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, and have deemed myself intellectually unworthy. I think I'm at a weird point in my life where I can't deviate too far from thinking about myself, which is how I can get through bits of fluff like the story above, or books about photography, but something like Catch-22 makes me go WHOA whoa whoa, guys, where the HELL am I right now??! But that's probably good for me. Maybe I'll try again sometime.

R. A. Salvatore

After all this time I honestly began losing hope that my method of randomly choosing books from library shelves would ever net me my next favorite series, one where I simply crave the next book and devour one after another. Then I found R. A. Salvatore's Drizzt Do'Urden saga.
I had never heard of Forgotten Realms before, had no idea that it was a Dungeons & Dragons universe or whatever, that it was popular high fantasy. The universe was first created by Ed Greenwood. I have read one of his books now, Swords of Eveningstar, which was a big clusterfuck of new characters getting introduced in every other scene and too many settings that I didn't understand. I've decided to really try and locate the first ever book he set in the Forgotten Realms, in hopes that it will make a bit more sense.
By chance, the very first Forgotten Realms book I picked was Homeland, the very first book chronologically that follows the life of the apparently famous dark elf, Drizzt. It was tough going, because some of it takes place even before Drizzt is born, and everyone is just a big evil meaniepants. There was no one I actually wanted to read about, which was frustrating, no characters I actually liked at all. Sure, sometimes reading about the characters you hate is fun, but I didn't actually hate any of the characters either. It was not engaging.
The hook for me was Guenhwyvar. From the first mention of a huge, majestic, magical black panther, I was absolutely enthralled. I think having a black panther familiar would pretty much be the most awesome badass thing ever, and that is basically what happens to Drizzt.
Cats, my one weakness.
And so I continued reading. I have now read 15 Drizzt books, and my next one is The Two Swords, which I would be getting tonight if the damn libraries didn't close for federal holidays. Will have to wait until tomorrow. :(
I've also read the Cleric Quintet, a companion series for the Drizzt books that follow the adventuresome times in the life of Cadderly, a cleric (hence, you know, the Cleric Quintet). The paths of Cadderly and Drizzt cross a few times, apparently, and they become friends.
Overall I really like Salvatore's mostly-realistic conversations between characters. Sure, as in a lot of fantasy, everyone's sort of melodramatic, but past that you could see yourself asking the same questions if you were in the same situation, if you get my drift. The characters develop beautifully.
What I don't like is the unending series of impossible-to-win fights that, of course, the protagonists pretty much always win. I don't mind fight scenes, in fact I enjoy them, but when the odds are literally impossible, and the main characters keep winning, it gets old and I get less and less impressed.
But like I said... I'm pretty much addicted to this series. I have read several of these book in one sitting each. Just give me five hours, a mug of cocoa, a blanket, and a cat on my stomach, and boom, there goes a book. I read three of these books in rapid succession on the plane to Hawaii. I wonder if I should reread them, since I probably skimmed through a lot of details. It's a lot of book to reread..

I think I have also read a few random books in the past couple months, but the only one I can recall is Medalon by Jennifer Fallon. Good story. First of three novels, I think, and I also think I wanted to read the rest of them before I got sidetracked by Salvatore. Can't remember much about it. Magic, destiny, and so forth... I liked the political intrigue, it'd been a while since I'd read anything like it. I'll probably revisit it when I'm done with my current series.


EDIT 11/19: Well, I have read through the Transitions trilogy, which is a conclusion to the Drizzt books in a lot of ways, but is also not... Certainly a whole chapter of Drizzt's life closes, and Cadderly's, but it's a horrible way to leave things, with so much death and turbulence and the remaining characters trying to pick up the pieces. Honestly I think the end of this book really, really bothered me.
Was I supposed to feel good for the characters that ended up in eternal paradise? Because that eternal paradise plane really seemed like a farce to me. A lie, a parody of the actual lives they had led. I think it was supposed to be rewarding, though. And so I am confused and I don't think I can just leave things here, and I'll have to read the Neverwinter series to at least see what comes next in the plane of the living.
The night after I finished this book I woke up from a disturbing dream about someone that had died that was not particularly close to me, but that was apparently close with the people around me. So I watched those people suffer and go through all those various reactions to death depending on their relationship, and I watched things 'cool down' so that it became more of the elephant in the room than anything, and it was weird and annoying and sent me back to my own experiences with people dying (which have been mercifully few but still painful) and the aftermath and watching people try to come back together and cope when being torn apart inside.
I think the paradise bothered me because I didn't like the idea of after-living in a lie. It's almost like they're brainwashed to be happy regardless of the circumstances. In comparison with one's life, anyway, which I realize could very well be that we have all been brainwashed into what we are here, and perhaps all this isn't real and so on and blah blah blah who the hell really knows.
Congratulations, Mr. R.A. Your books got under my skin.