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More peekaboo! — Harriet Sammis
Shades of Darkness, Shades of Grace: 08/31/08
Take The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, remove Hercule Poirot and transplant the story to Minnesota and you get Shades of Darkness, Shades of Grace by Catherine Johnson. Kay recounts matter-of-factly the way her brother's new bride Pamela single handedly sets out to destroy her new family. She is a fowl mouthed, cocaine addicted alcoholic and gold digger. The only good she brings to the family is a daughter born early on in the marriage. Kay's dispassionate narrative of the four years from the marriage to the end of the book never wavers. It reads a bit like Truman Capote's true crime book In Cold Blood. It was her own cold blooded approach to the role as protagonist and narrator that first made me see the connection to The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. Kay reminded me of Dr. Sheppard. I Know a Woman: 08/31/08
"I Know a Woman" is really nothing more than a series of inter-related conversations. It's sort of like the Lake Wobegon monologues that come near the end of an episode of A Prairie Home Companion. Here the narrator is a thirty-something ex-wife of a born again Christian who left her husband after he discovered one of his employees was moonlighting as a striper. She starts her monologue with the tale of Judy the striper and moves on to her relationship to her and she tries to use Judy's story as an explanation for why she chose to leave her husband. Her story though never gives an adequate explanation of why she left or what she's doing with her life now that she's single. Her monologue gets sidetracked with her crashing of a millionaires only investment club and the resulting conversation with a one handed man named Neil. Although the separate pieces of the monologue are interesting, there's no satisfying cohesion to them. The story just ends after yet another tangent. With tighter editing it could have been better. The stories in the book are: (Click on a title to read reviews).
Pump Six: 08/30/08
The first story in the September issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction, "Pump Six" was published earlier this year in Pump Six and Other Stories. Having so enjoyed the title story, I would love to read the rest of the book. "Pump Six" is a near future tale of a water treatment engineer just trying to live his life and keep the sewage pumps running in a city that is slowly but steadily falling apart. The city happens to be New York but it's a New York in a time when the stock exchange is no longer running, skyscrapers are crumbling from a lack of maintenance, the last taxi was spotted years ago and blackouts are common. The engineer protagonist knows something is amiss with the world and when pump six finally fails beyond his ability to repair it, he begins to wonder why and more importantly if the rest of the cities ills are interconnected. The story takes place in the 22nd century based on the age of pumps. The technology that keeps the sewage from backing up is about one hundred years old and it has outlived the company that built it. It's a frank but chilling reminder of the legacy technology that modern day cities function with. Take for instance the New York subway system; it first opened for business in 1904. Or for a much older city, consider the many layers of history and legacy structures in London as described in Underground London and London: The Biography. If you enjoy urban dystopian tales, I also recommend:
Howl's Moving Castle: 08/29/08
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynn Jones (1986) is a delightful fantasy story full of spells, political intrigue and interesting characters. It was adapted into a wonderful film directed by Hayao Miyazaki in 2004. Sophie Hatter one day finds herself bewitched into an old woman by the Witch of the Waste. Having no one else to turn to, she decides to seek out the Wizard Howl who was "known to amuse himself by collecting young girls and sucking the souls from them." (page 4) As with many of Diana Wynne Jones's books, Sophie is left in the dark about much of the political situation that her apparently reluctant hosts, Howl and his apprentice Michael, are part of. Nonetheless, by her own proximity to them, she is pulled deeper and deeper into the fight for Ingary being launched by the Witch of the Waste. She must also sort through the complicated relationship of Howl and the demon who moves the castle, Calcifer. Through a combination of stubborn determination, hard work and dumb luck, Sophie succeeds in often times unexpected ways. I came to this book both as a fan of Diana Wynne Jones and of the Miazaki film, I was pleased to recognize the film in the book. Yes, there are differences but the spirit of the book was translated into the film. The novel and the film feel like coherent entity expressed in different media. There is a sequel to the novel called Castle in the Air (which is hinted at in closing credits of the film). Comments (2) The Two-Month Itch: 08/28/08
"The Two-Month Itch" reminds me most of "The Lady or the Tiger" except that the choices are Gavin or Bobby. Written in the second person, you must decide to either given in to your impulse to kiss Bobby on the plane trip to Arizona or stay true to your boyfriend of almost two-months, Gavin. The story of the trip to visit the parents plays out in parallel narrative streams: one where you did kiss Bobby and one where you didn't. In one you're wracked with guilt and in the other you regret that missed kiss. The story's conversational tone is humorous and bordering on slap-stick. I didn't warm to it until the parallel narratives began, labeled as Option A and Option B with ever sillier subtitles like "The One Where You Cheated, You Whorebag" (page 235). "The Two-Month Itch" would have fit perfectly in the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and is very similar in tone to "Enfant Terrible" by Scott Dalrymple. The stories in the book are: (Click on a title to read reviews).
A Grave Mistake: 08/27/08
A Grave Mistake came highly recommended to me by a friend. She and I usually agree on books so I was surprised when I couldn't make it past chapter 5. The back of the book sounds like the type of book I'd normally enjoy with the homicide of an unidentified man, a loan shark who's treatening one of the main characters and finally a confrontation of an unknown foe. Unfortunately seventy pages in, nothing had happened except for long passages about Jilly Gable's insecurities and some sex scenes. The sex wasn't interesting enough to keep my attention. So I stopped reading not really sure what the book was about except that it takes place in Toussaint, Louisiana. "But Wait! There's More!": 08/27/08
Since I'm currently forced to find new work to make up wages in my salary, I found "But Wait! There's More!" by Richard Mueller, the last story in the August issue of FSF, timely and amusing. Cullin McSherry, a Hollywood writer, needs work. Having exhausted the usual sources for work, he turns to the writing gigs section of Craigslist. He finds a gig writing about Nascar (but hates Nascar), a job as a ghost writer (but he knows the celebrity and has watched his friend lose his home from a previous ghost writing job for him), writer for a gay porn site (there's always at least one post like this), and finally one that sounds too good to be true but hooks him in any way. Cullin McSherry figuratively sells his soul by agreeing to write for an infomercial that literally buys and sells souls. What follows after Cullin gets the job isn't the usual reveal that his employer is the devil. Instead it's a funny poke at society as Mueller extrapolates what would happen if there was a Soul Bank running infomercials. Bad Manners: 08/26/08
Christine, an American, living in London, recounts her disastrous dates with a man she only calls by the nickname "the Prince." In the end she realizes he isn't right for her and sets out to declare her independence. I have to admire her patience with "the Prince" as he is an appalling character. He needed a good telling off. As the title suggests the story is about manners. Christine in her dates with "the Prince" is constantly comparing herself to Eliza Doolittle for his constant nagging about her diction, her choice in art, and of course her manners. Genuine bad manners do come into play, but how, I won't tell. It's a cute story and I don't want to spoil it. The stories in the book are: (Click on a title to read reviews).
Comments (6) Simplexity: 08/25/08
Simplexity by Time magazine senior writer Jeffrey Kluger tries to explain eleven chapters the complexities of the world and how they can be understood in simple terms. Most of the chapters deal with human systems: the stock market, evacuations during emergencies, social structures, business, sports, technology and the arts. Kluger's book is a potpourri of topics with enough information to lead to further reading if one is interested. He thankfully keeps himself out of the picture making the book about the topic and thankfully not about his struggle to write the book. Having a book focus on the topic and hand was refreshing after the disappointing Geography of Bliss. Although my over all impression of the book is positive, I found some of the chapters mind numbingly dull. The opening chapter on the stock market had me preparing to write a negative review. The ending chapter on complexity science in the arts also left me yawning. My favorite chapters came in the last half of the book: the one on linguistics and language acquisition was by far the most interesting one. Another fascinating chapter is the one on the business of technology and how it drives the complexity of product designs. Collected Ghost Stories: 08/24/08
Collected Ghost Stories is just that, a collection of all the ghost stories M. R. James (Montague Rhodes) published over the course of his writing career (roughly 1904-1935). When he wasn't writing, he was British mediaeval scholar and later the provost of King's College. His work in mediaeval studies comes through in his ghost stories. This 350 page volume contains thirty-one ghost stories written in a Gothic style. The ornate language and slow pacing of the stories requires extra time when reading. Many of the stories were written to be read out loud and they still work best when read at the slower pace of spoken text. My favorite story in the collection comes early in the book: "Number 13" which plays on the tradition of hotels not having a room #13. "Number 13" supposes the existence of such a room in a hotel that claims not to have a room. Where does this extra room come from? Comments (2) Andromeda on the Street of Ducklings: 08/24/08
Andy (short for Andrea) goes to Paris on a moments notice. A lack of planning has left her with only one option: staying at Chez Pauline in a room let by an ex patriot Briton. "Andromeda on the Street of Ducklings" is part travelogue and part melancholy reminiscence on a life left behind. The reason behind Andy's trip is the glue that holds this story together. Paris is an escape and a therapy wrapped together. It might even be the start of her recovery. The stories in the book are: (Click on a title to read reviews).
Bounty: 08/23/08
After having so enjoyed "Litany", the cover story for the June 2008 issue, I'm stuck on how to review "Bounty" from the August issue. I've read through the four page story three time and it still fails to leave much of an impression with me. "Bounty" follows four hunters as they brutally track down a "perv." They finally catch one of the two they had been chasing. The big reveal of who had hired them to hunt the perv down reads like its meant to be a shocking ending. For me, the reaction was more of a mixture between "huh" and "so what." On further reflection and a couple more readings, I settled on "but Brimstone did it better." Amore: 08/23/08
The next story in the collection is "Amore" by Laura Wolf. Linda comes from a large family and can't understand why her siblings think her love life is weird. She wants to find a foreign man to sweep her off her feet and take her far away from Ohio. After a long line of men from all corners of the world, Linda meets Raffaele, an Italian. She hopes he's her ticket out of Ohio. Most of the story follows Linda's disastrous attempt to make a multi-course meal for Raffaele and her family. Here the tale is reminiscent of A Thousand Days in Venice and its sequel A Thousand Days in Tuscany, the memoirs by Marlena de Blasi. "Amore" bases it humor around funky sexual obsessions and women not being able to cook. Granted, it's a short story, but these clichés weren't enough to make it interesting. The stories in the book are: (Click on a title to read reviews).
Another Perfect Day: 08/22/08
"Another Perfect Day" reminds me most of Connie Willis's time travel books. As this short story by Steven Popkes is on the lighter side, I would say it's more like To Say Nothing of the Dog than Doomsday Book. A man polishing his gun on the anniversary of his wife's death is visited by a man named Wilson Taylor who claims he' from the future and wants to stop his suicide. There's only one problem, he's not the right man, not in the right state and it's not the right year. Usually what follows in these type of time travel stories is the person traveling from the future gets stuck for a while and the person in the past can't comprehend the notion of time travel. Not so in this story. What happens instead is more amusing than the typical plot. The Regent's Knight: 08/21/08
The Regent's Knight by J. M Snyder was originally published as an ebook and then republished in an anthology called Forever After. Although I read it in the anthology, I have chosen to use the original artwork. Reviews of this book when it was first released in March was how I first heard of J. M. Snyder and became and avid lurker on her blog. In The Regent's Knight, the kingdom Pharr is under siege, King Adin is missing in battle, presumed dead and his son, Amery is the reluctant regent. To become King he must marry and it must be a woman of noble birth. Amery though has long had his heart stolen by Sir Tovin Raimus, one of his top knights. Given the impossible situation that Amery and Tovin are in and their youth (mid twenties) the angst level is much higher than it is in Persistence of Memory even though the situation in that post-apocalyptic world is probably worse for everyone than the war is for Amery and his subjects. Amery being still early in his relationship with Tovin is too focused on the logistics of their relationship to see the bigger picture. In other words, he's a terrible regent. The story though isn't really about Amery; it's about Tovin and how he has to balance his duty to the kingdom and his love for the regent. Years of service to the King has taught him maturity and given him perhaps a more jaded take on life. I really wanted more insight into what Tovin sees in Amery because it isn't obvious in the seventy pages of the novella except that it isn't the regent's position in society. Having read both stories back to back, I've come to the conclusion that I like Snyder's writing style to try more of his books. The story I thought I would like, I did but I didn't love it. The story I was wary about, Persistence of Memory, I ended up loving. An Open Letter to Earth: 08/20/08
I love a completely silly and very short story when I need to unwind at the end of the day. "An Open Letter to Earth" by Scott Dalrymple in the August issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction fits that bill perfectly. Like Ruth Nestvold's "Mars a Traveler's Guide" or Robert Reed's "Character Flu", "An Open Letter to Earth" is only a few pages long and more a monologue than a story. In this case, it is a letter from an unnamed extra terrestrial who rants about humanity and tries to explain why he and other visitors to Earth find the human species so interesting. He then goes on list ways that we can improve ourselves and our time on Earth. It's cute story with some very silly points (like the request that the term "alien" be replaced with "Chuck Norris"® and that hamsters would be the perfect intergalactic currency. It also has some important warnings about protecting the environment, ending wars and celebrating diversity (even if the Chuck Norris can't tell humans apart). Church of the Dog: 08/19/08
Imagine if Pollyanna grew up, became an art teacher an moved to a ranch run by an elderly couple. That's the gist of Church of the Dog by Kaya McLaren. Set in Oregon farm country, Church of the Dog follows the lives of Edith, Earl, their grandson Daniel and their mysterious guest Mara O'Shaunnessey who can astral project herself into dreams and sometimes heaven. The novel is told in the voices of the four main characters, though it later settles on just Daniel and Mara. The chapters are divided up by season and the book covers a year and a bit of Mara's stay on the ranch and the way in which she changes it. Although the ranch is the central setting of the novel, Mara's classroom, Daniel's home (the "ugliest house on the street" (page 25), the church and the Grand Canyon also have important roles in this unusual and sometimes hard to follow story. With such potentially different narrators, I was surprised at the sameness of their voices. Earl and Edith make sense for their sixty year marriage but Daniel and Mara should have sounded more different than they do. I found it difficult at times to distinguish who had taken over telling the story and would have to flip back to see which names was listed. Fans of Can't Wait to Get to Heaven by Fannie Flagg and The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom will enjoy Church of the Dog. The Bamboo Confessions: 08/19/08
Lauren Weisberger's story "The Bamboo Confessions" follows Kate as she takes a backpacking tour of Vietnam. It's a story of impulse, adventure and unlikely friendships. Kate goes on the trip without her boyfriend and without the blessing of most of her friends and family (including her boyfriend). She is repeatedly warned that she won't last because she "doesn't like to be alone." Unlike some of the previous heroines in this book, Kate actually adapts and grows during her trip. She complains less as the trip continues, makes friends and grows as a person. As a former exchange student, I enjoyed traveling along with Kate and the others. I giggled when they rebelled against their leader, Claire. I nodded at the disconnect Kate feels when calling home and hearing the life she has left behind going on without her as she compares it to what she's experiencing in a town that only gets mail once a week. The Geography of Bliss: 08/18/08
Inspired by research done in the Netherlands on the World Database of Happiness (page 7), NPR correspondent and self proclaimed grump Eric Weiner decided to travel to the happiest countries in the world to see if he could figure out the secret of happiness. Weiner's tour included The Netherlands, Switzerland, Bhutan, Qatar, Iceland, Moldova, Thailand, Great Britain, India and home to the United States (Florida). Like so many recent travelogues the book quickly stops being about the research and becomes a blow by blow account of the journey. When Weiner pulls himself out of the picture and focuses on the culture of the place he's visiting the book is fascinating. Unfortunately, as he becomes more jet lagged he spends more of his time grousing. The first hundred pages or so are interesting. I especially liked the chapter set in Bhutan and how it contrasted to Qatar. By Iceland, things started to wind down an his observations on human nature began getting repetitive. To learn more about the Eric Weiner, please see his website. The Political Prisoner: 08/18/08
"The Political Prisoner" by Charles Coleman Finlay in the August 2008 issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction is the sequel to "The Political Officer" (April 2002). Maxim Nikomedes returns a political prisoner to the political mess he helped create on a world founded by religious fundamentalists. Try as I might, I just couldn't get into the story. I don't know if I would have enjoyed it more if I had read "The Political Officer." Although I found the comparison to the Amish interesting the concept wasn't enough to sustain such a long story. My enjoyment of "The Political Prisoner" was sabotaged by two similar but better stories: Persistence of Memory by J. M. Snyder and Borders of Infinity by Lois McMaster Bujold. Voodoo Dolls, C-Cups and Eminem: 08/17/08
Originally I had two reviews planned for today: a story from American Girls About Town and a story from the August issue of FSF. Unfortunately iCal has decided to delete all my entries for planned reviews. So I have been wasting my time fighting with that P.O.S. application rather than concentrating on writing reviews. Rebecca Simon is engaged to her boyfriend of six months. Her family isn't happy especially her 14 year old sister who is as annoying a plot element as Dawn's addition was to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. So I just imagined Dawn with a perm whenever Madison did anything in this story. In the end, Rebecca and Michael do get married just as planned even though everyone thinks they are too young. Madison doesn't get her way and Rebecca isn't cursed after all. I personally can't imagine the two sisters being as close as they apparently are, not being eleven years apart in age. I have a younger brother and the seven years between us made it seem like we were only children for most of our lives at home. Learn more about Melissa Senate. The stories in the book are: (Click on a title to read reviews).
Persistence of Memory: 08/16/08
Persistence of Memory by J. M Snyder was originally published as an ebook and then republished in an anthology called Forever After. Although I read it in the anthology, I have chosen to use the original artwork. The novella was a 2008 finalist in the GLBT category for the EPPIE Awards. Persistence of Memory, set in future in a time when the government culls population at random for use in its army. Memories are erased and all the focus is on training to be a soldier. Snyder asks, can love persist against such odds? After five years of planning his escape, Joah manages. He only knows his name (which he shouldn't) and that he wants to be free. He fights the chip in his head that demands he go back to the base and he runs on a leg wounded by a bullet until he can run no more. Fate, or love, or luck or some combination of all three has brought him home. Can his husband, Tobin, help him pick up the life that was taken from him when he was culled? My only complaint with Persistence of Memory is that it's too short. It comes in at 62 pages and I want more. It's a well told story in an interesting science fiction setting. It's full of raw human emotion with a poignant ending. The Truth About Nigel: 08/16/08
"The Truth About Nigel" by Jennifer Weiner reminds me favorably of another short story I recently read: "The Kiss in the Carry-on Bag" by Richard Peck. Both are about mistaken identities and romances that cannot be. To Sarah Compton "he was just Nigel." They were new employees at the First Bank of London and were bumbling along together in learning their jobs. Except, Nigel wasn't Nigel and Sarah hadn't found a new boyfriend. What Sarah had found instead was unwanted attention by the tabloids. "The Truth About Nigel" has a sweet ending, though not the Hollywood ending that one might expect. For all the frustration and annoyance, Sarah learns the value of being friendly and may have found a better suited mate than Nigel. Of the stories I've read so far in the collection, "The Truth About Nigel" is one of my favorites. The top spot so far goes to "Leaving a Light On." The stories in the book are: (Click on a title to read reviews).
El Tigre: 08/15/08
El Tigre by John H. Manhold with it's catchy title and colorful cover is a conversation piece. Whenever I was reading this book in public, people wanted to know what it was about. It's a historical fiction about a young Prussian aristocrat who makes a life for himself as a professional soldier and in the process becomes a legendary figure known as El Tigre for his skill and speed in battle. Although El Tigre is a fictional character he was inspired by Manhold's family history and his own interests in the old west. In an online interview, Manhold explains how he uses the alias "El Tigre Viejo" (the old tiger) in the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS). El Tigre is full of interesting history. Sometimes the presentation of the facts gets in the way El Tigre's adventures through excessive "info dumping" but the setting is interesting enough to keep the reader engaged. It was interesting to see how the political situation in Europe meshed with the situation in the new world between Spain, Mexico, the fledgling Republic of Texas, the United States and finally, California. There's a Cow in the Cabbage Patch: 08/15/08
There's a Cow in the Cabbage Patch is a delightful children's board book from England. It's a collaboration between Clare Beaton, known for her handcrafted illustrations and Stella Blackstone. The cow and a number of other farm animals have gotten loose and are making nuisances of themselves. Can the two farmers round up the animals before they cause too much trouble? Stella Blackstone's rhymes are cute and humorous but it's Beaton's felt, bead and button quilt collages that make the book extra special. Beaton describes herself as a "tremendous hoarder and collector of everything", especially fabrics, just in case she'll need something for her artwork. Her enthusiasm shows in her whimsical pieces. There's a Cow in the Cabbage Patch is the second book by Blackstone and Beaton that I've enjoyed with Sean and Harriet. If you enjoy this one you should check out Secret Seahorse. Comments (2) Yoga Babe: 08/14/08
"Yoga Babe" by Lauren Henderson follows a unnamed woman through her yoga class. If you believe her, she's a babe and deserving of any extra perks in life that may come from it. "Yoga Babe" is the first story in American Girls About Town that I have genuinely hated. I don't care how perfect she is. I don't care how imperfect her yoga partner is. I don't care about how important it is to be seen at the yoga class or what clothes one should or shouldn't wear. I don't care how smooth her legs are or how stubbly her partner's legs are. I just don't care! If you enjoy stories about shallow, self absorbed characters, then by all means enjoy "Yoga Babe." I, though, want my ten minutes back. The stories in the book are: (Click on a title to read reviews).
Doomsday Book: 08/13/08
Doomsday Book (1992) by Connie Willis takes place in the same world as To Say Nothing of the Dog (1997). In 1993 it won a Hugo and Nebula and the Best Science Fiction novel from Locus Magazine. Kivrin travels back to 14th century Oxfordshire at Christmas time. She's there to experience a mediaeval Christmas but influenza and later the blue illness puts Kivrin at risk. Meanwhile in 2054, her Oxford colleagues are dealing with their own influenza outbreak and are under quarantine to avoid another pandemic during the Christmas holiday. The "Doomsday Book" of the novel's title is Kivrin's record of her travels. She originally calls it her "Domesday Book" after named after the Survey commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1085. The book slowly transforms into the "Doomsday book" as events make Kivrin believe this book will be the record of her death. With so many fantasy books where someone from the present travels to the past, the present-day hero usually can save the people of the past with his or her knowledge of "modern science." Connie Willis doesn't give Kivrin that power, nor does she make disease easy to beat in the future. Yes, the methods are more advanced but epidemics and pandemics are still possible. Comments (6) Moving Day: 08/12/08
"Moving Day" by Cindy Chupack is about two women suddenly finding their marriages over. Madeline's husband of two years thinks he might be gay; Mrs. Rothman is now a widow after 52 years of marriage. Although the story does have some humorous scenes it's mostly a sad a story about endings. The story follows Madeline as she first reacts to Mark's news. She tries self help books, therapy and finally talking to her family and friends. Only after she breaks her silence does she start the healing process but there's no happy ending for Madeline at the end of this short story. I enjoyed the story but was also saddened by it. I know of a handful of relationships that have ended in the way that Mark and Madeline's marriage ends. The stories in the book are: (Click on a title to read reviews).
Deja Dead: 08/11/08
Back in December 2007, I received Cross Bones, the second in the Temperance Brennan series. Déjá Dead (1997) is the book that started it. Déjá Dead is a pun on déja mort (already dead), a term that comes up in one of the autopsies of bodies found dismembered and stuffed in garbage bags. To Tempe the recent murders look oddly familiar, giving her an unsettling feeling of déjá vu. Like the Cross Bones, the book suffers from being too long. A little bit of Quebecois culture would suffice in setting the stage and showing that Tempe isn't a native of Montreal. After a while, though, the plot gets bogged down with Tempe's endless asides on the cultural quirks and her own troubles with Québec's dialect of French. The other main weakness which is supposed to be a feature of the novel is Tempe's personal life. Unfortunately, like so many mystery-thrillers, all that personal life padding is a big red flashing sign saying that Tempe and / or her loved ones will be targets of the yet to be discovered killer. It's so painfully obvious by about page 50, that when these events do finally played out, it's a relief to have them over. Whether in the book as an older, wiser character living in Montreal or as the younger and almost completely socially inept television version, Tempe's personal life is still a boring distraction from the mysteries. Comments (2)
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