Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, by Susanna Clark

Well written and most striking for its creativity. A parallel fantasy world playing out alongside early 19^th century England and Europe into which the reader is drawn slowly and mostly effortlessly by the author. Despite its artful craftsmanship, I finished it only because the storyline is captivating. The middle third is long and at times pendulously tiresome. The character development is lacking for an 800+ page novel. Mr. Norrell we know only through his words and actions; there is no glimmer of his internal world; he is a shell, a vehicle of actions, the catalyst for other events around him and, in the end, only a plot-making component of the narrative despite his omnipresence. We never get to know Norrell in any meaningful way. Closer we get to Jonathan Strange who reveals his desires, including his search for the Raven King. But, too, absent is the view into his mind I would expect of such a potentially complex character; he is most akin to Melville’s Captain Ahab. The other supporting characters serve as scenery and counterpoint to the actions of Norrell and Strange. The most highly developed is the bad guy, the man with the thistle-down hair, who is of the world of Faerie. He is not human and Clark goes at great length to demonstrate how singularly twisted he is. Readers and fans of fantasy will like this book. There is enough quality writing to keep your attention and the plot quickens in the final third. However, for some, the ponderous weight, both literally and figuratively, will keep it from being read.

Revelation Space, by Alastair Reynolds

A science fiction novel set in a complicated space and time. The intricate and sometimes convoluted history of the species that populate the universe and how humans interrelate is the backdrop for a fast-paced adventure/mystery novel. There are so many “new” terms to describe things that are purely of the author’s imagination that I had difficulty, at times, envisioning them. The author makes the effort but falls short too often in describing/explaining both physical objects and events that happened prior to the story. These objects and events are important but not critical to appreciating the storyline, which, in the end, is really all that the book has to offer. A synopsis of the plot is impossible due to its complexity. As an example, a deep subterranean cavern is exposed as a result of an archeological dig. It encloses a “miniature” city built by a species hundreds of thousands of years ago. There is a tower adorned with a flying figure that is evidence to the characters that the creatures that built the city and the tower had a “new” god. The line of reasoning is not well developed, nor is the description of the tower/city detailed enough for me to fully envision it during my reading. Perhaps this is my failure. I wrestled with the book and its convoluted narrative at other times as well – especially the end which reminded me of some surreal homage to science fiction movies like 2001: A Space Odyssey and Contact. If you aren’t as picky as I and you like fast-paced wacky science fiction with some legitimately interesting ideas, then it’s probably worth a go.

The Terror, by Dan Simmons

A novel given to me by my good friend Joe Walsh who just said it was a really good read. I learned later that Dan Simmons was a successful and award winning science fiction writer who has won some Hugo Awards. At the time I read this book I had no idea who he was. What a treat. 19^th century British Discovery expedition to find the northwest passage. The background of this novel is based on historic events and the author did his homework, down to the details of the food on board the two ships, the composition of the crew and the names of the men who actually served aboard the ships. The name of the lead ship of this expedition is “The Terror.” Remarkably, the two ships are frozen in the ice for over two years and the men survive, more or less, aboard the ships for much of this time. If you are thinking that this sounds like the Shackleton expedition, you are right. I thought the same thing. Much of the story details how the men survive. Out on the ice, moreover, something is hunting the men. One by one the men die either from the cold, starvation, scurvy, accident or at the hands of the monster on the ice. Like a long, slow tease we come to learn about the indigenous people of the lands above the arctic circle, their myths and their monsters. The power of the story, for me, is not so much the plot, but the narrative rhythm and language. Simmons can write and this was a joy to read.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson

What good, intelligent fun! Never mind the occasional grisliness and violence (not more than, say, The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris - an excellent read and far superior to the movie, which is overrated and certainly not deserving of winning the big three academy awards that year...but I digress). This novel is superb and impossible to put down. I am not a fast reader, but made my way through its nearly 600 pages in about two days. The title character is as interesting a protagonist as I have encountered in some time. A young woman, multiply pierced, tattooed, skinny, rides a motorcycle and has a knack for investigating people and uncovering secrets - no doubt made easier by her ability to hack into computers. She's a bit paranoid, extremely intelligent, a misfit, tough and finds herself wrapped up in a murder mystery teamed (for the first time in her life) with a relatively mainstream investigative journalist. The setting is a backwater in northern Sweden, some drive north of Stockholm with much of it taking place in the winter. It is, at times, a brooding landscape with a pall cast over the story and town, both by the weather and the secrets simmering beneath the surface of the industrialist family around which the story turns. I highly recommend this book and look forward to the second in the three-book series.

Master and Commander, by Patrick O'Brian

Burdened by a lack of sailing knowledge, sea terminology, 19th century naval warfare tactics and geography I launched into this great read armed with a dictionary specifically written to accompany the novel and its 19 other companions. I saw the movie back a few years; the movie is an amalgam of a number of the O'Brian books. But this first in the series follows Captain J. Aubrey on his first command, of the Sophie, in the Royal Navy in their ongoing war with the French and myriad shifting allies among the mediterranean people. I found the read a pleasure on multiple fronts: nautical terms, life aboard a 19th century man o' war, sea battles and tactics all make for a colorful setting for the character development and relationship between JA and Dr. S. Maturin (ship's surgeon, botanist and all around scientist). A true exercise in pleasurable education. I will surely read the next in line.

Winter's Tale, by Mark Helprin

It is not often that I go back to read a book for a second time. The Plague. Heart of Darkness. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and its companion The Honourable Schoolboy. Maybe a few others. Winter's Tale is another such book. It reads like the best meal you have ever eaten, all the way from the soup to the dessert, leaving you both satisfied and wishing for more. The most significant accomplishment of the book is the beautiful manipulation of language and imagery. It is a fantastic tale grounded enough in reality to make you feel at home with his vision of the world - New York City, upper state NY, and a bit of California appear as colored a different hue, a bit larger and somewhat tilted replicas of the world that we know. It is a story that pits a good guy (a late 19th century burglar and master mechanic) who is looking for his lost love (a tuberculoid, piano playing, young woman with special powers of insight) against a bad guy (a charismatic, bumbling, color-obsessed villain). Prominent in the story are also a horse, an elusive bridge builder, a young man with a gold plate looking for a "perfectly just city", and Baymen who live in the marsh along the Hudson. As the NY Times reviewer called it, it is indeed a moral discourse. But it is more than that, really. Unlike most other stories (indeed, unlike any that I can recall), the novel is greater than the sum of its parts. Probably my favorite book and one that I will read again. Enjoy.

The Day the Pig Fell Into the Well, John Cheever

Somehow I made it through 40 years without having read John Cheever. We have an anthology of his short stories which I have been muscling through off and on over the past year. The Day the Pig...reeks of Cheever. Moody, reflective, depressing, funny and, like most of his stories, leaves you feeling a bit misplaced at the end. It takes place in and around a lake in upstate NY during the 1930 - 1950's and involves a family of certain means and some of the local folk. It is not a story about a pig, ostensibly. Rather, it is a circular story of the lives of the family members and how the summer evenings seem always to turn back to their anecdotal stories, often involving that day the pig fell into the well. They each have a bit in telling the story, just like they each have a bit as players in their own lives - only it is the same story over and over again. Just as their lives are the same thing over and over again. The stories are well worth the time. They are crafted with art and nuance. They are emotive and reflective. They enrich.

Children of Dust, Ali Eteraz

I felt at times as if I was trapped inside the unfocused, emotional mind of an adolescent young man. I remembered of course that this memoir cut a swath through the author's early childhood into adulthood and the occasional foray into teen emotional disarray is par for the course, probably a testament to the author's skill. I knew very little about being Muslim prior to reading. But this is a very personal Islam being described and it is as much about the life of a Muslim (raised in Pakistan and the U.S.) as it is about the growth of an individual and the reconciliation of his religion, philosophy, ambitions, emotions and comfort with himself. At times, very eloquently written. Funny. It leaves me with a deeper understanding of Islam and the life of a Muslim. It doesn't haunt me the way Snow (see earlier post) continues to. I highly recommend this work - especially for a better grasp of the life of the many people around us; after all, don't we all know, work with and live near Muslims here in the States? Well done.

World Without End, by Ken Follett

Another great rollercoaster ride of a story. If you are a fan of history, particularly of the middle ages, you could do worse. Not high brow literature, but so well paced and replete with interesting details of life in the 14th century that you can suspend your need for artfully crafted prose. It really has everything life has to offer and packed into 1000 pages. You don't need to read Pillars of the Earth to appreciate this story, but it helps a bit with some of the references. This story takes place a couple hundred years after Pillars, in the same town in England. Descendants of Pillars' protagonists are alive and well and there are a whole new set of political intrigues, power struggles, cathedral building, love and religious conflict (with secularism) all set against a backdrop of the plague. As a reader, I kept waiting for some particularly wicked character to get killed off in a skirmish or accident or at the hands of a jilted lover and when he/she didn't, I figured that the plague would get them - not always the case. Many a plot turn and it all ties nicely together at the end. This is a great book to read before nodding off to sleep - 5-10 pages a night take about 10 minutes and you can get through the book in 3-4 months. To people who say they don't have time to read, this is the perfect book. It is effortless (light), if not a bit gory at times, and will make you feel good at the end. Enjoy! Oh, I highly recommend reading Pillars of the Earth - at least as good, probably better.