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0394757645
| 4.06
| 12,508
| 1939
| Aug 12, 1992
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really liked it
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To quote the man himself, Raymond Chandler’s stories are like alcohol, which is like love. The first kiss is magic, the second intimate, the third rou
To quote the man himself, Raymond Chandler’s stories are like alcohol, which is like love. The first kiss is magic, the second intimate, the third routine. After that you take the girl’s clothes off. I’ve read enough that I’ve reached a point where reading Raymond Chandler is like returning to a neighborhood bar you’ve haunted every Friday for more years than is worth counting. You don’t expect magic. You don’t expect excitement or novelty. In fact, it is the familiarity and routine that draw you back. All the little details - the stain on the bar that has taken up permanent residence, say, or the regular who sits at the end of the bar and drinks exactly one and a half beers before leaving - imbue the place with a personal character, such that your mind has begun to consider it an actual friend. Chandler’s style, which I once found sharp and exciting, is now old hat, and his plot structures are similar enough to please even the most tyrannical home-owner’s association. It’s all a bit like owning ten slightly different copies of a treasure map that lead to the same treasure. But then, I don’t expect magic or novelty or excitement. The pleasure of reading is still there. It’s just different. The small changes in style and plot become tremendously exciting. Like if that beer-and-a-half regular brought a lady friend one evening. A new patron wouldn’t even notice it. Wouldn’t know why it mattered. But us regulars would understand its significance. And Chandler’s Philip Marlowe remains largely unparalleled, mostly because so many imitation anti-heroes miss the point. It’s not his toughness, his perception, or his sarcastic wit that make the character. It’s the rare - but consistent - acts of kindness. Despite all the venality and vice of the world, he manages to keep one hand - one pinky, even - above the muck. ...more |
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Jan 27, 2021
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4.28
| 96,243
| May 07, 2019
| May 07, 2019
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it was amazing
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Story-for-story, Ted Chiang is the most award-winning sci-fi writer of all time. No one else even comes close. Part of it is due to his simple, yet el Story-for-story, Ted Chiang is the most award-winning sci-fi writer of all time. No one else even comes close. Part of it is due to his simple, yet elegant writing style. Another part is due to his ability to take complex ideas and reframe them in a way that makes them easier to enjoy and understand. But I think his most important trait is that he doesn’t moralize. He has no interest in telling the reader WHAT conclusion to draw. Rather, his stories are arenas of thought, in which you are invited to challenge your thinking and draw your own conclusions. Like a good magician, Chiang provides the wonder but not the explanation. What follows are meant for post-reading ponderance. The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate One part Arabian Nights, another part Canterbury Tales, a third part Back to The Future made for such a delightful cocktail. Time travel stories that concern themselves with the actual logic and causality of time travel invariably arrive at the same conclusion: Maintaining coherence in the face of backwards time travel requires the past to be immutable and destiny to be fixed. Such is the case here in Merchant and Alchemist’s Gate. As the Alchemist says, “Coincidence and intention are two sides of a tapestry, my lord. You may find one more agreeable to look at, but you cannot say one is true and the other is false.” But Chiang (via the Merchant) makes the interesting point that even if you cannot alter the past, you can nevertheless alter your understanding of it. We have a tendency to learn from experience but to then place that experience in stasis in our memory. Yet, days or decades hence, we might revisit our memories and experiences and revise our understanding of them. Indeed, failure to do so is to risk ossification. I am reminded of perhaps the most important lesson I ever learned from literature, from Anne Rice’s Interview of a Vampire: How many vampires do you think have the stamina for immortality? They have the most dismal notions of immortality to begin with. For in becoming immortal they want all the forms of their life to be fixed as they are and incorruptible: carriages made in the same dependable fashion, clothing of the cut which suited their prime, men attired and speaking in the manner they have always understood and valued. When, in fact, all things change except the vampire himself; everything except the vampire is subject to constant corruption and distortion. Soon, with an inflexible mind, and often even with the most flexible mind, this immortality becomes a penitential sentence in a madhouse of figures and forms that are hopelessly unintelligible and without value.To become fixated upon the past, to never revise your understanding of it but to instead worship at the Janusian altar of nostalgia and regret, is to voluntarily incarcerate yourself into such a madhouse. Exhalation One day I was bored, so I invented Erik's Law, connecting people running cars in parking lots to Fermi's Paradox. 2nd Law of Thermodynamics is such an ugly name for what is, basically, the core flow of the universe: order goes to chaos. You can create local pockets of order, but you can only do so by stealing from another reservoir of order. In our case, that reservoir is mostly the sun. Eventually, though, there will be no more reservoirs and the Universe will know Heat Death. But as I’ve grown older, I’ve come to realize it’s a mistake to limit the 2nd Law to only large-scale non-intelligent systems. It can provide great insight into human affairs. The daily struggle to maintain a sense of peace, the cycle of fallen civilizations, climate change, Fermi’s paradox - it’s all related to the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics. Unfortunately, the 2nd Law is wrapped up in all these technical terms - entropy, free energy, heat - that can make it hard to understand. That’s the genius of Exhalation: by reframing the 2nd Law in terms of air and air pressure, with a universe trapped in an air-tight dome, populated by robots whose brains are powered by air, Chiang grants novelty and clarity to the idea. The story ends on an optimistic note, as our robot-scientist narrator makes peace with the doom of his civilization. It’s a feeling that we are all going to become increasingly familiar with, as climate change continues to ramp up in the face of our ineffectual response. Many of us will liken it to the acceptance of our own individual deaths - we all know our time here is limited. This is just that, on the civilization level. The religious will, of course, embrace their doomsday prophecies and find comfort in those self-deceptions. Others will rage against the dying of the light, finding value and purpose in the struggle, even if it is futile. There is so much more to Exhalation, of course. The scientist dissecting his own brain to discover the secrets of the universe is a fun metaphor. And the realization that our “self” is not the brain or the body but rather a transient electro-chemical pattern contained within. And that line equating the Big Bang to a great initial Exhalation. Wonderful, wonderful. What's Expected of Us This very short story asks the question, “Is a belief in free will necessary for the functioning of society?” It’s not a philosophical question but rather a psychological one. Chiang answers this question with a massive YES. In the story, people are demonstrated the non-existence of free will with a simple device: a button that lights up BEFORE you press it. And try as they might, there’s no way around it. People can never fool it. Over-time this degrades everyone’s sense of responsibility and agency, such that large swathes of the population enter an apathetic malaise. The story’s solution - which comes in the form of a message from the future - is simply “pretend.” That’s where the story falls apart for me. It’s so Western-centric, embracing a strongly individualistic worldview in which every person is an island, ultimately isolated in the universe/ocean. But there is another solution, encoded in the famous Zen koan "What is the sound of a one-handed clap?": stop thinking of yourself as entirely separate from the world and universe around you. A button that lights up before I press it would prove no problem for me because I don’t consider that button as entirely separate from me. Yes, of course, I have a body distinguishable from that button - but it’s not so sharply different in terms of things like free will, determinism, electric and magnetic fields, flows of knowledge and entropy, the weft and weave of the Universe. So my view wouldn't simply be that I am pushing a button; rather, by doing so, I am freely participating in the pre-pushing powering of the light. That I am unable to push the button without also participating in the pre-pushing powering of the light represents no more a loss of my free will than does the fact that I cannot randomly decide to ignore gravity and leap into space. If you’re interested, I write in much greater depth about this view of free will in the bottom third of my Echopraxia review. Lifecycle of Software Objects In one of sci-fi’s most famous memes, the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy involves a super AI whose answer to the question, “What is the meaning of life?” is the number “42.” But we might substitute that “42” with something like “to be happy” with minimal loss of vagueness. Douglas Adams didn’t do that because it’s too subtly absurd - too many people wouldn’t get the joke. I bring this up because I’m pretty sure our interactions with future AI will be similar: “Dear Oracle Super AI, how do we save the world from climate change?” CALCULATING… BEEP BOOP BEEP. ANSWER: “Stop using fossil fuels.” Oh, right. We already knew that. In fact, we already know the answers to most societal ills. It’s not the knowledge we lack. It’s the collective will and/or flexibility and/or selflessness to actually put that knowledge into practice. In a way, that’s what the Lifecycle of Software Objects is all about: how to create the holy grail of AI: a generalized human-esque intelligence. But as this story gets into… we don’t actually want that, do we? We want a generalized intelligence that is NOT human-esque, so we don’t have to give it human rights. We want one we can put to work in factories and banks and so on, without having to treat it as a human employee. We want intelligent slaves who won't object to their slavery. And if we did want a human-esque generalized AI? Well, why? We already have a human-esque generalized intelligence... humans, lol. If this more subtle, realistic approach to AI is new to you, you'll probably like this story more than I did. Dacey’s Patent Automatic Nanny Don’t take this story literally. That’s true of every Ted Chiang story, which are rich in allegory and metaphor, so I don’t know why I was so dead-set on reading this one literally. But I did, and I missed the point. In this story, a Victorian semi-mad scientist creates a mechanical automaton to serve as his child’s nanny. Years later, the son ends up doing something similar. But the story isn’t meant as a machine-version of Tarzan. Rather, it’s exploring the idea that the environment in which children are raised tends to become their preference. That’s where that old joke that people tend to marry their mother/father comes from. Or, less humorously, why so many children raised by abusive parents can end up with abusive partners too. More particularly to this topic, it asks us to consider the fact that today’s children are, at least in part, being raised by the “machines” of screens and social media. What will that mean for their future? Even before the pandemic, face-to-face interaction was already dwindling. I had a long running joke with my girlfriend that every time we went out to eat, you could always find a family or a set of friends who basically never interacted but instead looked at their phones for the entire meal. I only see this becoming increasingly common and emphasized. Lament it, if you will, but I’ve always believed in turning my face to the future and not the past. You can find cause for optimism in this change, if you want to. Truth of Fact, Truth of Feeling This is one of my favorite stories in the collection, probably because it explores the role language and writing play in our human experience. And writing is a serious hobby of mine. Not just with these book reviews; I’ve also written two novels, probably about 30 short stories, countless essays. I even had a “writing apprentice,” who is now getting her masters in writing and working on her first book. So, yeah, big fan. I love that writing allows the writer to condense a lot of work and thought into an extremely rich piece of language. Like a precious gem. Or a depleted uranium round. There’s an impressive contrast between the time to create and the time to consume. A poem that might’ve taken 30 hours to construct can take less than a minute to read. Which is different than other uses of language, like conversation. For me, spoken conversation can be a pleasurable social activity but I tend to find it intellectually dissatisfying. But getting to the story: Truth-truth is a split narrative, one of which follows a native from a tribe with a strong oral tradition as he learns his letters from a Christian missionary… and how this learning changes him. That’s the part centered on language. The other (main) narrative is set in a future in which most people video-blog every moment of their lives. A journalist, who is a tech skeptic, decides to review a new update that allows easy instantaneous searching and access of this live-blogged history. “Siri, show me my 9th birthday.” Bam, done. Taken on its own, the main narrative is banal - the journalist discovers just how subjective and unreliable his memories are. Old news. I hope. But, combined, the two narratives provide sharp insight into our perception and usage of modern technology. Personally, I can be dismissive of those people who feel the need to post their every thought and experience on social media. Especially when they’re not even honest about it - when they edit those experiences to make them seem better than they are. This whole phenomenon has created a social media castle-in-the-sky that so very few of us will ever actually inhabit. That said, this story made me realize that, really, it’s old news too. Social media may have accelerated the trend, but written language itself often functions similarly. Cause written language is also a technology - we don’t always think of it as one but it certainly is. And it, too, alters our relationship with reality. Take this book review, for example. It’s highly edited. See in that second paragraph where I put, “So, yeah, big fan.” Wasn’t there in the first draft. I often edit in conversational beats like that in order to make my reviews more approachable. Couldn’t have done that if it were spoken language. And I think I’ll end the review here. Run out of steam, I’m afraid, so thoughts on the last three will simply have to remain a mystery. But I hope I’ve given anyone reading this some extra food for thought. ...more |
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Dec 31, 2020
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Nov 17, 2020
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Kindle Edition
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0345490177
| 9780345490179
| 0345490177
| 4.02
| 2,287
| 1967
| Oct 31, 2006
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really liked it
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This collection of related stories was way more awesome than I had expected. I essentially started reading it on a whim, as I had stol– ahem, borrowed
This collection of related stories was way more awesome than I had expected. I essentially started reading it on a whim, as I had stol– ahem, borrowed the full Robert Howard series from my father’s bookshelves but had promptly forgotten about them once they were on mine. But the other day I was bored and noticed them and said Hey, I love the Conan films (the snake palace / harem scene, my god! So well done! Not the battle itself but the stealth infiltration / build up to it. It was like a fantasy version of a Sergio Leone spaghetti western duel - the anticipation was everything). Now typically I don’t like short stories. For a year or two, I did a whole regimen of writing & reading them, even getting subscriptions to Asimov’s and Analog and SF&F. But a whole slew of rejections and a lot of unread stories later, I finally had to admit I’m just not that interested in the medium. Short stories are just too, well, too short. I like the long plot and character arcs, the slowly accumulating lore and world detail, the sense of falling into the deeper rabbit hole of a novel’s fictional universe. But Kull? Loved it. These stories are pure pulpy fantasy deliciousness. And because they all focus on Kull, and his trials and tribulations as King of Valusia (his ascension to kingship is literally a single paragraph at the end of the first story), they can maintain a longer sense of character arc and world building. And some of the stories are themselves longer, multi-parters, while a few are shorter. To my surprise, these shorter ones turned out to be some of my favorites. Special standout: The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune. It begins: “There comes, even to kings, the time of great weariness. Then the gold of the throne is brass, the silk of the palace becomes drab. The gems in the diadem sparkle drearily like the ice of the white seas; the speech of men is as the empty rattle of a jester’s bell and the feel comes of things unreal; even the sun is copper in the sky, and the breath of the green ocean is no longer fresh.” The story becomes this fascinating philosophical meditation in which a wizard and mirrors act as metaphors for depression / ennui. Kull sees himself in the wizard’s mirrors and says, “Nay, by Valka, am I the man or is he? Which of us is the ghost of the other? Mayhap these mirrors are but windows through which we look into another world. Does he think the same of me? Am I no more than a shadow, a reflection of himself--to him, as he to me? And if I am the ghost, what sort of world lives upon the other side of this mirror? What armies ride there and what kings rule? This world is all I know. Knowing naught of any other, how can I judge? Surely there are green hills there and booming seas and wide plains where men ride to battle. Tell me, wizard who is wiser than most men, tell me are there worlds beyond our worlds?” Even these small excerpts reveal the sense of grandeur that permeates the writing. For sure, Kull and his stories harken from a different era, one in which men could be unashamedly masculine and warriors need not apologize for their blood-letting. At risk of turning political what ought to be a simple review, I’ve only grown more sympathetic to the cause of the Sad Puppy movement (not the Rabid Puppies - they were all wankers). This collection demonstrates the power of simple story-telling, one in which any political agenda is incidental. That said, contrary to the popular narrative regarding golden age sci-fi & fantasy, Kull and his stories are by no means misogynistic and regressive. In fact, Kull is constantly striving against conservative tradition. A noble and his slave wish to marry each other? Kull would make it so - but it is against the Old Laws of Valusia. And Kull himself is explicitly asexual. He simply isn’t interested. Thank Valka for that. The idea that in olden times masculinity was synonymous with a sort of predatory promiscuity is just… eugh. Frat boy values do not equal masculinity. Anyway, Kull was my first Robert Howard reading experience and a genuine delight. If you’re at all a fan of fantasy, it’s worth reading at least one of these collections. *One downside is the absolutely egregious usage of adverbs on said. 'said Kull dazedly' 'said the other cryptically' 'answered the other tranquilly'. Yikes! ...more |
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Dec 28, 2018
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Dec 28, 2018
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Paperback
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1435122968
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| 1435122968
| 4.34
| 34,565
| Nov 1978
| Mar 18, 2011
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liked it
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HP Lovecraft, the Complete D&D5E Character
Name: HP Lovecraft Class & Rating: Warlock, 3 stars Race: Human Alignment: Chaotic Neutral HP Lovecraft is fHP Lovecraft, the Complete D&D5E Character Name: HP Lovecraft Class & Rating: Warlock, 3 stars Race: Human Alignment: Chaotic Neutral HP Lovecraft is famously nativist (i.e. racist) – his way of describing non-white personages isn’t by describing the color of their skin so much as using a word like ‘mongoloid’ or ‘savage’ – AND female characters are almost non-existent in his works as anything besides window dressing. Nevertheless, if you delve into Lovecraft’s life, you can’t help but feel pathos. He was devoted to his mother, becoming near suicidal when she was committed to an asylum. He visited her and wrote her regularly, and was quite broken by her death. He struggled all his life to make ends meet and sometimes had to choose between paying for the postage to mail his latest story and feeding himself. So evil? By no means. For the other axis, nearly every Lovecraft story explores some aspect of how people respond when their perceptions of reality and cosmology are shaken. The result is, invariably, mental chaos. Stat Block Strength: 7 The emotional strength of a HP Lovecraft story is low. They sometimes sort-of-kind-of have character arcs, but these arcs aren't compelling. His stories aren’t horrors either. There’s no sense of dread when turning the page. Rather, I would classify them as mysteries and more milieu mystery than character mystery. Any page-turning quality of a Lovecraft story arises because we’re interested in exploring the world-building and uncovering the truth of the story's strange cosmic mystery. We don’t particularly care about the fate of the protagonists, especially as most of the stories are narrated after-the-fact, anyway. Dexterity: 16 Lovecraft’s stories often remind me of how nudity was depicted in early film. It was never shown directly. The Hays code didn’t allow it. Instead, you might see a silhouette. Or a dress fall to the ground at the woman’s feet. Or there’d be a bannister in the way. Lovecraft likewise has this propensity to avoid actually describing his cosmic horrors. His characters will instead simply say, ‘I cannot describe it, for my very mind rebelled against grasping such a reality! Mouth and teeth and tentacles!’ or ‘I refuse to share this knowledge, for it will inspire madness in all who hear it.’ It is, frankly, annoying. Constitution: 13 My copy of HP Lovecraft, The Complete Fiction is highly sturdy and well constructed. When it became temporarily possessed, I struck it with a hammer. It survived this blow intact. Intelligence: 16 HP Lovecraft was clearly a man of high intelligence. In particular, he possessed a certain arcane vocabulary that gives his stories an other-worldly aesthetic. I was delighted to discover him use not one but TWO of my favorite rare words: chiaroscuro (a word I once used in a story, which earned me a rejection note from the editor: ‘pass. too pretentious.’ bwahaha) as well as tenebrous, which I snuck into the opening for my review for PKD’s Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said. I even encountered a few words whose meaning I had to look up, which is quite the feat, given I am a connoisseur of words: fulgurite and noisome, for example. And of course there’s the classics that you’ve no doubt encountered if you’ve ever played a Cthulu game, words like eldritch or daemon or aeons or what have you, all of which serve to imbue his stories with a sense of vast cosmic mystique. Wisdom: 5 I’m probably least impressed by the humanity of HP Lovecraft’s stories. Despite his clear intelligence, I’m quite certain Lovecraft didn’t understand people. Because of this, the characters come across less as human beings with rich inner lives and more as generic passive receptors of the world. At the least, the book displays a profound lack of insight when compared to modern psychology. Today we know that ‘insanity’ isn’t a single affliction at all – it’s not even a term used in medicine anymore. Rather, what might once have been called ‘insanity’ now has a much more specific classification, such as dementia or schizophrenia, and we have some grasp of the neurological reasons behind these illnesses. Thus the madness we encounter throughout Lovecraft's stories is less a specific ailment of a specific human being than it is the general madness of our entire race as a whole. Charisma: 6 The stories aren’t charming or magical or inspiring or anything like that. Which is fair, they’re cosmic horror. But don’t expect to come out of reading these stories energized to do good in the world or to treat your fellow human beings with greater love and kindness. Unless you think doing good in the world involves sacrificing a goat to the Elder Gods to stave off their hunger and imminent return. In which case you may well be plenty inspired. Class Features Otherworldly Patron: The Great Old One In Lovecraftian mythos, the universe contains vast and powerful beings - Gods to some - who are beyond mortal ken. To them, we are but ants, and we draw their attention at our peril. Thus, science is in many ways foolish to so wantonly sift through the mysteries of the universe. What happens when we uncover something that is beyond our comprehension – or, worse, our control? Pact Boon: Pact of the Tome …Yeah. Eldritch Invocation: Knowledge of New England Much like Stephen King, HP Lovecraft set most of his stories in New England, where he lived all of his life. His knowledge of its towns, history, and geography comes through strongly and confidently. Eldritch Invocation: False Knowledge of Ancient Tongues HP Lovecraft didn’t know Sumerian, Babylonian, or Aramaic. But that didn’t stop him from making up incantations in other worldly languages. ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn! Yi-nash Yog-Sothoth-he-lgeb-fi-throdog-Yah! Eldritch Invocations: Frame Narrative HP Lovecraft’s stories consistently use a literary technique called the Frame Narrative, which was popular at the time but is now rather antiquated. Most of HP Lovecraft’s stories actually consist of an outer framing narrative, within which the (outer) narrator encounters someone who relates the inner, usually more interesting story. The result is that each story is actually being told AFTER THE FACT. This technique makes Lovecraft’s stories more philosophical/reflective, but at the cost of drastically lowering the tension. Spellbook Dagon 1st-level conjuration Components: Madness, Deep Ocean, Elder Gods Casting Time: 5 pages A man shipwrecked at sea finds himself on a strange island… Dagon is to Call of Cthulhu what Magic Missiles is to Fireball. It’s not that one is superior to the other per se, but Dagon is the clear precursor, containing many of the same elements while being generally shorter and simpler. Given that, Dagon was a quicker, lighter read, but with less oomph than Call of Cthulhu. (...and yes I know Magic Missiles and Fireball aren't Warlock spells.) The Outsider 2nd-level divination Components: Death, Otherworldly Casting Time: 6 pages A man who lives in a remote land seeks to escape… This is a short and fairly simple story that, while undeniably atmospheric, is also undeniably juvenile. It all builds toward a twist that is – these days at least – a bit overdone. Whereas many of these other stories are uniquely Lovecraftian, I found this one derivative. The Lurking Fear 4th-level transmutation Components: NE, Madness, Rural, Death, Atavism Casting Time: 17 pages A rural legend tells of a haunted abandoned mansion, and creatures of death who lurk within… The Lurking Fear is a bit different than others on the list, and consequentially, I found it refreshing. For one thing, it’s less of a frame story. The narrator is the one who actually experienced the events of the story, which grants it a much better immediacy than the other stories. For another, instead of the horrors coming from outside of us, this is more about the horrors that dwell within us. The Call of Cthulhu 7th-level conjuration Components: Frame, NE, Deep Ocean, Madness, Elder Gods Casting Time: 25 pages A landmass rises from the sea, and the Call of the Priest of the Elder Gods tolls forth… Probably my favorite spell in the book. It’s one of the better plotted, with a real sense of unfolding layers of mystery. And, rarely for Lovecraft, it actually directly addresses the greater mythos. Most of the other stories indirectly reference a world-view in which humanity is insignificant. For example, the following spell - The Case of Charles Dexter Ward - contains some necromancy, sure, but it never actually talks about where the souls of the dead reside or what that might mean for us. Call of Cthulu, however, specifically speaks of the Elder Gods and humanity’s place in a universe where such beings exist. This made it more coherent and interesting. The Case of Charles Dexter Ward 3rd-level necromancy Components: Frame, NE, Madness, Death, Doppleganger Casting Time: 104 pages A young historian becomes obsessed with an ancestor who delved deeply into arcane matters… Not a big fan of this spell. That casting time. 104 pages! And it hits this slump in the middle where there’s a REALLY OBVIOUS plot-twist every reader will guess, but the characters are totally oblivious, and it just drags on and on and on. To the point that I began to feel a little embarrathy (this is a word I invented and am foisting upon you: it means second hand embarrassment) for Lovecraft because a huge chunk of suspense in the story hinged on this reveal. The Colour out of Space 6th-level evocation Components: Frame, NE, Rural, Madness, Otherworldly Casting Time: 23 pages A strange meteor falls from space, and it begins to warp its environs… I don’t think I’d call this Lovecraft’s most iconic story – that one must be Call of Cthulu – but I might consider it his most prototypical. Many consider it his best. You have an otherworldly visitor. In this case, it’s a comet or meteor with an, umm, let’s say a chromatic passenger (Dexter reference...). It strikes in a rural New England locale. And it’s largely told by proxy. That is, the (outer) narrator himself didn’t experience the primary events of the story. Even the (inner) narrator can only offer a first-hand account of SOME aspects. So the story is actually a frame-within-a-frame! This second-hand, third-hand approach just drains the tension from the story. That said, I had great fun because it’s dripping with horrific wonder, a uniquely Lovecraftian emotion. In fact, hey wow, actually, what? Did I just roll a 20 with that phrase, that ‘horrific wonder’? Was that a critical hit? Because really those two words are a perfect summary of what makes Lovecraft Lovecraft, and why he’s endured for over a hundred years. He combines two emotions that are usually considered completely different – wonder and horror – and he shows how, really, they’re two sides of the same coin. When something new rises up from beyond the depths of our current experience, we experience either a fear that our world-view is under threat or a sense of wonder at the evolution of our world-view. Or, as is the case in many of Lovecraft’s stories, we manage to experience both, simultaneously. A horrified wonder. Let us say, we are wondrrified. ...more |
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Jul 03, 2018
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Jul 03, 2018
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Leather Bound
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3.47
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| Aug 07, 2015
| Aug 07, 2015
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liked it
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An interesting mix of stories greater than the sum of its parts. That is, I liked the variety more than I liked the individual stories: A lighter stor
An interesting mix of stories greater than the sum of its parts. That is, I liked the variety more than I liked the individual stories: A lighter story was refreshing. As expected, at least one family drama - wouldn't be Asimov's without that domestic slant. Also as expected, at least one story centered around the consequences of the climate change. To be honest, I've already grown weary of this 'default future' setting. No surprise my favorite story was set in the far future. Biology at the End of the World by Brenda Cooper The protagonist is a sort of DNA detective who assures scientific compliance with genetic purity laws. Basically the story extrapolates the fear of GMOs into a futuristic setting where earth is ringed by orbital stations. I enjoyed the ethical back-n-forth arguments, but the character arc underneath was atrophied. This was a story for the mind and not the heart. Duller's Peace by Jason Sanford A dystopian tale told from the point of view of a conquered peoples (a little girl, to be precise). Nanites float through the air, infiltrating people's meatspace and brainspace. Treacherous thoughts can lead to bad mojo. Basically, it's a dystopia on steroids. Calved by Sam J Miller More or less a family drama involving a father who has failed his life and is attempting to reconnect with his distant son. There was some good writing here, but it takes a lot to make me like a family drama. This one didn't quite pull through. Some issues with consistency in the character's thoughts damaged my connection with the father. As a result, the ending felt forced, as well as being blatantly telegraphed. Furthermore, the sci-fi trappings were superfluous which always lowers my estimation of a sci-fi story. Last Hunt by Vylar Kaftan A piece about an Inuit (I believe) transgender who witnesses the crash of a UFO. It felt like an 'affirmative action' story. I enjoy seeing new cultures and characters, but I like them to actually do something in the story. So I appreciated the authentic-feeling Inuit culture aspects, but there wasn't much actual movement in the plot. Not surprisingly, the ending provided little resolution either. Searching for Commander Parsec by Peter Wood A light tale about a woman and her son who is listening to radio broadcasts that shouldn't be possible. It didn't strictly make sense (why would REAL radio broadcasts sound like a radio program?) but it was nevertheless a light, enjoyable story. Not every story has to be deeeeeep. The Molenstraat Music Festival by Sean Monaghan A story set in the far future about a very gifted young musician who has an accident. The resulting brain damage threatens to end her musical career so her and her mother seek out the protagonist, an old retired musician, to tutor her. Of particular sci-fi note is an exploration of brain implants. Yes they may repair the musician's brain damage - but at what cost? Will doing so 'alter' her in some way? It brings to mind the old conundrum of artists - it is despair and misery and DARKNESS that often motivate us to bring forth LIGHT via art. Would van Gogh have been able to paint with such beauty without the loneliness constantly eating away at him? I personally found this piece so far above and beyond every other story in this issue that it, almost, retroactively made me enjoy them less. The characterization here was just light-years above the others. Perhaps this is simply because it was longer, but in this story I actually felt like something was at stake. The relationships contained a real humanity. ...more |
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An uneven issue for me, with one really great story but two that I skipped/didn't finish. We Jump Down Into The Dark by M. Bennardo This story about An uneven issue for me, with one really great story but two that I skipped/didn't finish. We Jump Down Into The Dark by M. Bennardo This story about a jungle on a space station had a great evocation of place, but its plot and characterization were lackluster. What, exactly, was the conflict in this piece? And what did I know about any of the characters? Empty by Robert Reed Told from the perspective of an incorporeal machine species called Data, Empty was superb. After a terrible war between machines and humans (that the machines, of course, won), the machines mount an expedition into the stars, to create a sanctuary that might survive future such wars. Not only was Empty a good read, it was also thought-provoking in its exploration of the mystery of the Fermi Paradox. Also amazingly well-written. I genuinely felt I was getting a glimpse into the mind of a sentient AI. It is NOT easy to depict the exoticism of an alien mindset while also keeping it human enough to be relatable. Robert Reed succeeded superbly. Riding The Waves of Leviathan by Garrett Ashley Stopped reading fairly early on in this one. The clinical way the narrator described the death of his best friend didn't bode well for this character-centric piece. Bidding War by Rich Larson This piece, more or less about a man pining after an ex-girlfriend, had a great voice to it. Outside of that and an appreciably dark ending, I wasn't hugely impressed. I mean, I have a tumblr. 99% of the original work on there involves people pining over unrequited love, and so I'm pretty much over that. The greater sin for me, though, is that the spec-fic details are incidental. This exact same plot could have been told without them. Unless I missed something. Which is entirely possible. Of Apricots and Dying by Amanda Forrest This is a family drama set in Pakistan told from the perspective of the ugly sister. I really went back and forth on this one. First off, I just plain don't like family dramas - and that is the beginning and end of this story. Second off, it fails my 'is the spec fic element integral?' test. In my experience, the best science fiction marries the speculative elements with the plot in a way that improves both. Just as with the previous story though, Apricots could easily have been written as a purely contemporary piece. Yes there are robots and scroll screens and life-extension treatments, but they are just stand-ins for modern tech. Third off, this story has a rather deceptive hook that made me think the story was going to be about something much different than it was. I dislike the bait-n-switch structure that goes: HEY HERE'S A DRAMATIC OPENING. Now lemme give you a whole bunch of exposition and other scenes that have little to do with the hook. With all that said, I liked the story anyway! It was authentic and human and true. Come-From-Aways by Julian Mortimer Smith A rather brief story about a quaint New England town. What makes this town special is the fact that alien artifacts seem to wash up on the shores. I enjoyed it, though the primary action of the story was a bit understated for my tastes. ...more |
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This issue - one of my favorites - made me realize that I prefer longer fiction. I have trouble getting truly enmeshed in a world or the characters if
This issue - one of my favorites - made me realize that I prefer longer fiction. I have trouble getting truly enmeshed in a world or the characters if the piece is too short. I have similar trouble with comic books - the momentum always seems to get cut off right when it gets going. Like Native Things by Mary Robinette Kowal In this story, humans are able to 'control' animals (including sharks, octopi, and more) with the help of some fancy neural tech. Great spec-fic element exploration for sure. The story wrapping around this idea was also quite good, though I was majorly disappointed in the ending. Very minor scope considering the plot felt much larger. The Great Pan-American Airship Mystery, or, Why I Murdered Robert Benchley by David Gerrold Set in an alternate history in which airships (as opposed to fixed-wing aircraft) were much more popular. Didn't like this one at all. There was no actual plot to speak of. Perhaps if I were more familiar with the people involved, I might have liked it more. As is, I felt like I was at a party where I didn't know anyone and therefore didn't understand any of the inside jokes. Acres of Perhaps by Will Ludwigsen One of my favorite pieces in Asimov's thus far. Acres of Perhaps refers to a twilight zone-esque show and those who wrote for it. Had a great David Lynch / Twin Peaks feel to it. Honestly, it just hit all the right notes. The romantic subplot of the narrator felt a bit artificial, in that it didn't really play any actual role in the plot, but I can see why it was included. Petroglyph Man by Rudy Rucker I wasn't a huge fan of the prosaic plot involving a couple trying to rekindle their romance. But there was some weirdness in the spec-fic elements that I rather enjoyed, though they didn't quite mesh with the overarching plot. I personally prefer stories whose spec-fic elements & plot are so inextricably interwoven that they cannot be separated. Nevertheless, I would give this story a thumbs up. Pollen From A Future Harvest by Derek Künsken This time-travel / space opera / mystery tale is great. Stories like this are the reason I even subscribe / read short fiction. It's time-travel elements are REALISTICALLY plotted (nonsense time travel is a big pet peeve of mine). But more importantly, it's a complex, intelligent story with believable characters and good world building. One of my top 3 Asimov's stories this year. ...more |
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The longer stories were the strongest in this issue. The Unveiling by Christopher Rowe A pretty straightforward tale of labor and rebellion. Well-wr The longer stories were the strongest in this issue. The Unveiling by Christopher Rowe A pretty straightforward tale of labor and rebellion. Well-written but too tame for my tastes. If I had to choose either polished & safe or rough & risky with my fiction, I would choose the latter. Watergirl by Rudy Rucker & Marc Laidlaw A longer piece with a great surfer vibe and some interesting technology involving computerized surfboards and sentient water. I'm a huge fan of the notion of sentience / free will at the quantum level, so this one hit the spot. Ninety-Five Percent Safe by Caroline M. Yoachim Set on a very overcrowded earth, with a 95% safe portal to a distant utopia, this is a family drama with distinct YA sensibilities. As a fan of neither YA nor family drama, this one didn't do much for me. Candy From Strangers by Jay O’Connell The protagonist is definitely not a nice person here as he pushes people, especially vulnerable women, into suicide. I enjoyed it though not as much as either Watergirl or The Long Wait. Butterflies by Peter Wood A story about, well, giant insects. I liked that spec-fic element and the mental image of giant, dangerous insects caught in nets has stuck with me. However, this didn't work for me as a story with an emotional character arc. It's rather telling that I can't actually remember the plot. Songs in the Key of You by Sarah Pinsker In this story, teenagers wear bracelets that play customized theme songs. Naturally, the richer students have much better songs, leading to a bullying scenario. I always appreciate stories that feature an element of kindness. As with the previous story, 95% Safe, however, it was too YA for my tastes. The Long Wait by Allen Steele A longitudinal piece following the life of a young girl whose parents operate an observatory that stays in contact with a ship sailing off into the stars. I appreciated the large scope of this one and felt it really captured what it means to spend your whole life in pursuit (or centered around) a single idea. ...more |
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3.42
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Wasn't a huge fan of this issue - the only story that really satiated my spec fic appetite was Nick Wolven's. No Decent Patrimony by Elizabeth Bear Wasn't a huge fan of this issue - the only story that really satiated my spec fic appetite was Nick Wolven's. No Decent Patrimony by Elizabeth Bear A well-written, polished story set in the'default future' of climate change and radical wealth disparity. Story ultimately didn't jive with me. Too tame. It didn't take any risks or explore any new ideas. Forgiveness by Leah Cypress A story told from a teenage girl's perspective about an abusive boyfriend who is collared with a pacification device. The story could easily have been written without any spec-fic elements, however, which makes it a 'no go' for me. On the Night of the Robo-Bulls and Zombie Dancers by Nick Wolven My favorite of this issue. It had a Homeric feel to it, with the protagonist making a journey across a dystopian town to seek the advice of a stock-market sage. Interesting spec fic elements in that, in the future, most of the big stock-market movements are centered around AI predictions. Course, AI or not, that's basically how our stock market is today. Yes there's a fundamental grounding in actual numbers, but day to day or even month to month movements are mostly psychological and therefore bandwagony (to invent a word) in nature. ...more |
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Some enjoyable stories but nothing that really stood out for me: No Placeholder For You, my Love by Nick Wolven A look at the futuristic dating scen Some enjoyable stories but nothing that really stood out for me: No Placeholder For You, my Love by Nick Wolven A look at the futuristic dating scene. I thought it did well in depicting the jaded, by-the-numbers approach to dating in the Tindr age. Ultimately felt a bit stretched. Too long, given it basically amounted to a standard romance story. Two-year Man by Kelly Robson A tale that explores the dynamic between a husband who wants a child (and holds the 'traditional' view that all women want to be mothers) and a wife who doesn't. An important topic, to be sure. But I'm not a huge fan of stories whose speculative elements feel tacked on. Two Year Man could easily have been written without them. Wild Honey by Paul McAuley Depicts an post-apocalyptic confrontation between a sort of human queen of a colony of giant bees and a gang of bandits run by a psycho midget. The type of strong, Tim O'Brien "war story" style ending that I love. Probably my favorite story in this issue. Caisson by Karl Bunker Initially I wasn't a fan of this historical piece about the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. But it's down to earth sensibilities eventually won me over. The ending was a major tease, though. The First Step by Kristine Kathryn Rusch To be blunt, one of my least favorite Asimov's stories. It is a time travel tale that did nothing to push the time-travel sub genre. Powered largely by sentimentality. Most bewilderingly, there was no conflict. A Thousand Nights Till Morning by Will McIntosh A long novella about an alien invasion as seen through the eyes of someone suffering from an anxiety disorder. Well-paced. Felt real. I enjoyed it. ...more |
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We So Seldom Look on Love is a collection of 8 short stories featuring: a foster family involving a blind girl, a retarded girl, and a kind, bumbling
We So Seldom Look on Love is a collection of 8 short stories featuring: a foster family involving a blind girl, a retarded girl, and a kind, bumbling auntie; a circus freak with an extra pair of legs (a siamese twin) sticking out from her lower torso; a girl who thinks Jesus gave her the power to float; a house-wife exhibitionist; a two-headed man; an adulterous woman whose daughter was killed by a ceiling fan; a necrophiliac; and a woman who discovers her husband is a transgender female on their wedding night. All told with truth and with compassion, painting even the necrophiliac in a sympathetic light. It's really no surprise that so many reviews describe this collection as "disturbing." But are they really? There exists in the heart of humankind a disease, a conservative, conformist notion of 'normalcy' that serves the very useful function of unifying disparate desires and thought patterns into a singular, cooperative mindset capable of achieving great things. Peer pressure, in short, which helps everyone be on the same page but also demonizes ideas and persons exotic from us. But why? That is, I understand - from an evolutionary or sociological perspective - what function this ingroup/outgroup bias serves. I simply don't understand how or why any single individual person can allow him/herself to be unduly and irrationally swayed by it. How can you hate someone for being a homosexual? Why in God's name would you seek to prevent such a person from marrying their loved one? Why would you bully someone for looking or speaking or being different? Can you not see that this is WRONG? Do you not have the free will to choose what is right? I mean, who wants others to be the same as you? Who wants to be the same as others? Who will allow some celebrity, preacher, or government official to define your fashion, your ideas, your interests, or your beliefs? Who wants to write the same story as everyone else? Who wants to follow the same dream as everyone else? Must we unify in having an identical dream (the American dream, say) instead of unifying in the fact that we do all have dreams, even if they may be wildly different? I didn't really find these stories "disturbing." Rather, I find the notion of "normalcy" to be truly disturbing. It is limiting, it is hateful, and it is boring as all heck. Society, evolution, and biology together form a giant factory attempting to churn out the same types of people over and over. We So Seldom Look on Love is the story of those who, through some error in the system, didn't turn out the same. And so I, at last, come to my rating, my 3 stars. I would not call this collection disturbing but I certainly would call it depressing. I have come to the realization that you should never read a short story collection from the same author unless that author is a speculative writer (e.g. Ted Chiang and his Stories of Your Life And Others) or the collection forms an overall whole (e.g. Tim O' Brien's The Things They Carried). Because while the characters in We So Seldom Look on Love aren't the same as the 'normal' person, they are the same in their lack of sameness. That is, every story in this collection is essentially the same story. The emotional footprint is identical. The ebb and flow of foreshadowing, conflict, rising action, etc are identical. Every story is about a person completely defined by his or her abnormality or trauma. Take away the necrohpiliac's necrophilia, for example, and what story do you have? To some degree this is the real genius of this collection, how it reveals that - necrophiliac or two-headed or blind or completely normal - we all really want the same thing don't we? To be loved, to give love! These freaks, these abnormal characters, they're really just the same as us, aren't they? No. People aren't the same "deep down." We don't all want the same thing. This is what I was going on and on about in the beginning of my review - how people ARE different. It is NOT necessary for people to be the same "deep down." Sameness may make for a more efficient society. In fact, I know it does because all of the universe operates on the Efficiency principle. Do you know why atoms prefer to have their valence shell filled with electrons? It's not because of desire - it's purely because that's the most stable and therefore most statistically likely configuration. But the notion of structuring society primarily on efficiency seems, well, it seems wrong, doesn't it? Inhuman is the word I'd use. So, three stars and a recommendation: any one of these stories, taken on its own and in isolation, is fantastic. But as a collection, as a linear & continuous reading experience, it's incredibly depressing. It's like walking around a circular hallway with windows showing the same inner courtyard. Each view is different... yet the same. And when you complete the circle, when you complete the reading of this collection, where have you arrived? Nowhere. You're right back where you started. There is something fatalistic and depressing in that feeling. I am almost certainly a fool, but I like to think that abnormal people need not be defined by their abnormality. I like to think that intolerance is slowly growing extinct. That with each year, humankind undoes the chains that biology and physics and the universe (or God) have wrapped around us. That we will be free of the hatred that we KNOW is wrong yet somehow can't seem to escape. Strangely enough, I think this short story collection agrees with me. Many of the stories DO depict the characters attempting to escape their abnormality or other characters coming to accept the abnormal one's abnormality as just one aspect of an otherwise complete individual. But for the most part, they fail. It was like watching a fight between a brave and good band of warriors vs. a grand and evil overlord... and watching the good get crushed. Absolutely annihilated. I mean, it happens. Just as the opposite sometimes happens too. But every story here was the same. Every story showed the world going on and on and on in the same vein, over and over, in a never-ending cycle that takes you nowhere. I felt no lightness, no escape. Instead, I felt more trapped than ever. ...more |
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159780133X
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| 4.04
| 8,601
| Feb 2008
| Feb 01, 2008
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really liked it
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This is a collection of some ten stories of varied quality (mostly high but 'softer' was terrible and should have been left out). My two personal favo This is a collection of some ten stories of varied quality (mostly high but 'softer' was terrible and should have been left out). My two personal favorites were The Pop Squad, set in a world in which people are immortal (via a youth treatment known as rejoo) and therefore population must be strictly controlled. The narrator/protagonist is a member of the pop squad, a sort of police officer, whose job it is to enforce population control, i.e. kill children. My second favorite was The Pasho about a priest who returns to his war-like sand people after becoming educated by the more peaceful (and therefore ill prepared to fight war) lake people. What is most interesting to me, personally, is that this collection is universally described as grim. At least all the first ten reviews here on Goodreads used the word bleak. Which I found particularly alarming because I did not consider them any more bleak than the world we live in now. In Pocketful of Dharma, we get the perspective of a street beggar/thief who gets caught up in something of a religious/corporate struggle involving the Dalai Lama. Well that's certainly no different than our world today. In The Fluted Girl, we encounter a world in which people undergo often radical surgeries in order to make uniquely gifted stars (the title gives this one away). While the Fluted Girl herself is undoubtedly abused, I actually remain untroubled by the notion of radical body alteration. I'm not a fan of radical piercing - but only because they're usually done in a way that look terrible. Same for tattoos (don't get me started on how cliche so many tattoos are). But it's the execution I disagree with, not the idea. Frankly speaking, I am super gung-ho about genetic manipulation. We can now sequence the human genome for like a thousand bucks. The future of biotech looks bright indeed! In The People of Sand and Slag, we find three super human soldiers who live on an earth that is more or less devoid of any significant life aside from humanity. They come across a dog and find its fragility confusing. In the past couple of years, I've developed a new perspective on pets. I can still remember when I signed my lease, the staff asked if I had a pet. I said "No" and she replied, "Well there's still time." Like it was a baby or something. "You're not too old yet!" It should come as no surprise, then, that every single person in my apartment building (aside from me) has a dog. Well, a lot of these dogs NEVER STOP BARKING. Enough to drive anyone bonkers. I feel sorry for the dogs. I just think there's something wrong about forcing this noble beast designed to roam through the fields and forests of the world into a tiny box for most of its life except for the occasional walk. Such pet-lovers are often the same people who will lament Seaworld's terrible treatment of its whales and then not bat an eye over the fact that they're doing the exact same thing to their dog. And for what? In order to have a mentally regressed creature that doesn't know any better than to love them unconditionally. I find it, well, if I'm frank, I find it sickening. I also find it confusing that few people seem to agree with me. Actually no I don't. People will always support those beliefs which cast their actions in a good light. But anyway, are these stories bleak? Sure. But, if you're able to separate yourself from the context of the present, you'll see that, well, no, many of the practices portrayed herein aren't more bleak than the stuff we have today. Rather, I found many of these stories to be uplifting. The downtrodden refuse to be defined by their poverty or characters choose to fight against the status quo. ...more |
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1595820760
| 9781595820761
| 1595820760
| 4.04
| 7,301
| Jul 1970
| Aug 21, 2007
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really liked it
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Every single story in this collection is superior to those of the first book and each reminds me, in some way, of the shorts of Poe or Lovecraft or ev
Every single story in this collection is superior to those of the first book and each reminds me, in some way, of the shorts of Poe or Lovecraft or even the sort of X-Files-esque monster-a-week mindset that characterizes most non-drama/comedy television. While those stories contained in book #1 (Swords and Deviltry) are rather standard fantasy fare, these are much more original and interesting. The heroes fight against various evil dwellings, including a living tower; they encounter their own sunken island, very much in the vein of Lovecraft's Cthulu; they fight various incarnations of Death himself and other evil gods and goddesses. They seek after a great many jewels though, of course, rarely succeed in acquiring them. Just as noir crime thrillers have taught me to never trust a beautiful women, so too did these stories teach me to never trust a beautiful jewel! Always strings attached, you know. The stories really do come across more as idea explorations than fantasy pulp, and they're the better for it. With that said, fantasy short stories feel very dissatisfying to me, in much the same way as I recently explained how comic books feels very dissatisfying. It never actually feels like Fafhrd & the Grey Mouser are getting anywhere. Like they're running in place, y'know? A whole lot of fighting and sharing of witty thoughts to no end. That's the nature of short stories, sure, yet one of the things I most enjoy about the 'Epic' mode of fantasy writing (as opposed to Leiber's sword and sorcery) is the world building and the sense of the journey. Fantasy short stories, at least these, are the broken-record version of a journey. Each one begins with a quick, brief intro of Fafhrd & the Gray Mouser and then they're off, in a quick and entertaining little jaunt that nevertheless doesn't provide any character change at all. So they are well-written, yes, and deserve their four star. But I don't know that I would ever recommend them, and I don't know that I'll be picking up any more of Fafhrd & the Gray Mouser. ...more |
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044179176X
| 9780441791767
| 044179176X
| 3.86
| 12,996
| May 1970
| Apr 01, 1980
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These books are considered by many to be the fathers of "sword and sorcery" so I was rather excited to pick them up. I'm less excited now. While there These books are considered by many to be the fathers of "sword and sorcery" so I was rather excited to pick them up. I'm less excited now. While there wasn't anything glaringly wrong or bad about them, they were thoroughly ho hum. Origin stories for Fafhrd the Barbarian and the Gray Mouser. Nothing about them really stood out. Not the language, not the characters, not the setting, not the suspense, not the thrills. It was even a little strange that the Gray Mouser's origin story casts him as a wizard... but he never ever uses magic? All told, my response was: "Hrm alright." With that said, supposedly these are some of the weakest stories in the Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser series, and, having read the first story of book #2, I'd have to agree. It was much better. So this might be one of those things that, if you really like sword & sorcery shenanigans, you just have to get through in order to make it to the better stuff. ...more |
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Dec 11, 2012
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0806526300
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| 4.17
| 9,228
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| Sep 01, 2003
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0307280357
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| 0307280357
| 3.76
| 255
| May 05, 2009
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it was ok
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It has admittedly been awhile, but I remember being thoroughly unimpressed with most of the stories. And it is, after all, rather telling that I can n
It has admittedly been awhile, but I remember being thoroughly unimpressed with most of the stories. And it is, after all, rather telling that I can not now recall a SINGLE one in here.
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0425215180
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| 3.71
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0140255281
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| 4.29
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| 1995
| Aug 01, 1997
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0394757653
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| 0394757653
| 4.13
| 6,113
| 1944
| Sep 12, 1988
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In this essay & collection of shorts, it turns out the simple art of murder is not so simple after all. Actually it is. But someone had to say that. Th In this essay & collection of shorts, it turns out the simple art of murder is not so simple after all. Actually it is. But someone had to say that. The title was just begging for it. I enjoyed the essay, which was Chandler's take on the detective formula and the current (in his time) glut of detective fiction, mostly because I agreed with him about Agatha Christie's books. They're entertaining, no doubt, but as logic puzzles, they fail. They cheat; Agatha's Poirot and his "little grey cells" solve the crimes either with never-mentioned clues or magical leaps of intuition. With that said, the essay is basically whining in fancy language. He's whining about other writers trying to cash in on his genre and basically suggesting that his books/writing style is superior to theirs. He attempts to disguise this by praising his contemporary Hammett, but that'd be like an eagle using a falcon to explain how birds are the best animal. In fact, Chandler & Hammett might very well be the best of their genre, but it's not his place to make that critical assessment. As far as the stories go, they're entertaining enough. However, with the exception of the interesting, refreshing "Pearls Are A Nuisance," there's a sameness to the stories that starts to drag if you read them back to back. The protagonists are very clearly early prototypes for Chandler's Marlowe, and they're all basically the same: tough, silent detectives or ex-detectives with hearts of gold. And the plots come close to being formulaic. I think 5 or 6 of these start in a hotel. A damsel-in-distress pulls the tough detective in, and then there's a lot of double crossing but the protagonist slowly, patiently slogs through it all, like a mule pulling a very heavy cart. Of course, the killer is usually the dame. Basically hotels and pretty women were a recipe for disaster in the 1930-40s. In short, I don't know that I would recommend this. Either you're already a fan of Chandler in which case, you shouldn't listen to me. Or you're not, in which case you're much better off reading his novels. ...more |
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Nov 01, 2011
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Paperback
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159692313X
| 9781596923133
| 159692313X
| 4.17
| 65
| Jul 01, 2008
| Jan 01, 2010
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it was amazing
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Funny story involving this book. I'm a subscriber to the literary magazine Epoch (put out by Cornell), which I recommend for its short stories but not Funny story involving this book. I'm a subscriber to the literary magazine Epoch (put out by Cornell), which I recommend for its short stories but not its poetry. Well, at the end of Vol. 57, #2 of Epoch was a story called The Future Missionaries of America, an awesome love story between the narrator, cynical girl-with-black-fingernails, and a nearly fundamental Christian boy named Melashenko who become "parents" of a robot-baby given to them as part of a Health class. Yes that's right. A robot baby. Well this story just blew me away. Even glancing over it now, after I've read it twenty times, I still can't put it down. I'm still blown away. Like, if you could see me now, I'd be at the corner of the room limbs all a-tangle, with a mattress upended and pillows everywhere and the TV fallen over crushed and a refrigerator, which somehow got vortexed into my room from the kitchen. So I find the story and share it with everyone I know. Fast forward a couple of months, and a friend of mine says to me, "Hey you going to the reading at Volume II (a bookstore at Virginia Tech)?" "Dunno, who's reading?" "Matthew Vollmer" "Never heard of him." But I do love readings, so I went, didn't recognize the guy. He reads some stories, and I like him pretty well. Then I hear: "It's sleeting on Valentine's Day. I'm in the back booth of the Franklin Street McDonald's, waiting for Melashenko to deliver the robotic baby we're supposed to keep from suffering the slings and arrows of an unhappy infanthood..." And I'm like WHAT WHAT WHAT. There can't be TWO stories involving a robot baby. And indeed, there weren't. Turns out the author, Matthew Vollmer, had been a teacher at Virginia Tech the entire time. And I somehow managed to never take a class with him. It was too late, I was quite angry about that. Though quite elated such an improbable coincidence occurred. Story done. Getting to the review. Future Missionaries of America is about love. Love between a guy and his recently deceased best-friend's girlfriend, love between a young woman and an older woman, love between an almost goth and an almost fundamental Christian, or even what happens when you have no love. Though the title story is by far the best (and one of my favorite short stories of all time), all the rest range from decent to great. My second favorite story is called Will & Testament, which is, as might be guessed, someone's Will & Testament made out to a nameless, random executor, right before they commit suicide. As the narrator gives instructions for disposing of his body, which is full of black humor, you've got this suspenseful, emotional undercurrent of WHY, why would he commit suicide. I wouldn't say it's ever fully explained, but I don't think such emotions can be attacked head-on. But by the end, I nevertheless felt I knew why, and I felt satisfied in my sorrow of it. A small excerpt: "1. Skull: The undersigned would ask that his skull be given to one of the following doctors, providing said doctor places the skull upon a shelf in her/his office: Dr. Bill Jameson; Dr. Rachel Hawthorne; Drs. Lola and Marvin Randy; and Dr. Weston Hildebrand. These physicians--all of whom the undersigned has visited at least three times in the last year--should be reminded that the deceased's skull could serve several functions. One: a kind of model for understanding where scientists believe memory is located, as well as various points of entry, and Two; when hinges are attached to the jaw, the skull might provide its owner with a macabre, though humorous, puppet. "Mr. Bones" might teach otherwise skeptical children about the importance of abstaining from flesh foods, flossing after every meal, washing one's hands regularly to prevent the spread of disease, and drinking plenty of fluids." I recommend this collection very strongly. ...more |
Notes are private!
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Nov 27, 2009
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4.06
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really liked it
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Jan 27, 2021
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Jan 27, 2021
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4.28
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it was amazing
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Dec 31, 2020
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Nov 17, 2020
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4.02
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really liked it
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Dec 28, 2018
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Dec 28, 2018
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4.34
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Jul 03, 2018
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Jul 03, 2018
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3.47
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Nov 04, 2015
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3.57
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Oct 30, 2015
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3.53
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really liked it
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Oct 30, 2015
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3.58
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liked it
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Oct 30, 2015
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3.42
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it was ok
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Oct 30, 2015
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3.42
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Oct 30, 2015
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4.11
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May 12, 2015
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4.04
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really liked it
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Aug 24, 2014
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4.04
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really liked it
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Dec 16, 2012
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3.86
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Dec 11, 2012
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4.17
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really liked it
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Oct 26, 2012
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3.76
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it was ok
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Oct 26, 2012
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3.71
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Oct 26, 2012
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4.29
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Oct 19, 2012
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4.13
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liked it
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Nov 01, 2011
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4.17
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it was amazing
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Nov 27, 2009
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