Weaveworld is one of the very few books that I can claim to enjoy from the first page to the last, all 700+ pages of it. Even the introduction is greaWeaveworld is one of the very few books that I can claim to enjoy from the first page to the last, all 700+ pages of it. Even the introduction is great, normally I skim through lengthy intros to get to the story, but Clive Barker puts his heart and soul into this one, including this beautiful passage about the genre fiction:
“I have been, I think, altogether disparaging about the ‘escapist’ elements of the genre, emphasizing its powers to address social, moral and even philosophical issues at the expense of celebrating its dreamier virtues. I took this position out of a genuine desire to defend a fictional form I love from accusations of triviality and triteness, but my zeal led me astray. Yes, fantastic fiction can be intricately woven into the texture of our daily lives, addressing important issues in fabulist form. But it also serves to release us for a time from the definitions that confine our daily selves; to unplug us from a world that wounds and disappoints us, allowing us to venture into places of magic and transformation.”
As a lifelong devotee of SF/F/H fiction, I sometimes have the same doubts about preferring this type of fiction above all others but the above passage really puts it in perspective for me.
Weaveworld is about another dimension called “The Fugue” which has been transformed into a carpet in order to hide from an unstoppable creature called “The Scourge”. The residents of the Fugue are called the “Seerkind”, a race with magical abilities who view mankind with disdain and refer to humans as “cuckoos”. The Fugue in carpet form works a little like suspended animation or dehydrated food in which places, animals and most of the Seerkind are woven in as patterns on the carpet; to be reconstituted by an appointed guardian when the world is safe. The storyline concerns two human protagonists who become involved with the Fugue and the Seerkind and their struggle against powerful enemies who are trying to destroy both.
I first read Weaveworld around fifteen years ago and certain elements and scenes have stuck with me through all these years. It is a dark fantasy with several horrifying scenes — definitely not for the faint of heart — and scenes of surreal beauty. The most memorable element of the book for me is the magical jacket worn by Shadwell, the main human antagonist of the book, the lining of the jacket is able to enslave anyone who look at it by showing their heart's desire and allowing them to delve into it and obtain that very thing.
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The central characters are very well written and believable, the antagonists are suitably warped, formidable and devious. In spite of its considerable length Weaveworld still manages to move at a fair clip. Something bizarre is always happening on almost every page and boredom never sets in. There is also more artistry in his prose than you would find in most genre books. The best thing about this book is that it is wonderful escapism, this book can sweep you away from a dull rainy day, or a slow day at the office. If you are a fan of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods this book is likely to be right up your alley, though it is much more horrific, packed to the gills with horrible slimy, sticky, drippy – not to mention horny – monstrosities.
With an average rating of 4.13 Weaveworld is generally very well liked. However, all books have their share of negative reviews and while I respect opinions contrary to my own, I take exception to one review that says this book “is lacking”. The trouble is the reviewer does not say what it is that the book is lacking. Is “lacking” an adjective now? In any case I don’t think it lacks anything and I heartily recommend it.
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Cover art for the 25th anniversary edition of Weaveworld by Richard A. Kirk (click on image for larger size).
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Note: I have to admit Clive Barker's books are generally very hard to review, they tend to be densely plotted and the settings and storylines are always so goddam outré. This is particularly true of Weaveworld, I really struggled to write this review. I normally make notes when I read a novel so I will have some material ready to put in my review, but with this book I was so engrossed that I hardly paused to make any notes at all; just a sentence or two....more
In retrospect this book reminds me a little bit of Terry Pratchett's Mort, though On a Pale Horse predates it. The idea of Death as an office rather tIn retrospect this book reminds me a little bit of Terry Pratchett's Mort, though On a Pale Horse predates it. The idea of Death as an office rather than an entity was very original at the time and the adventures of the protagonist in this book as a rookie Grim Peaper is a lot of fun. The main difference between this book and Mort is the tone, the emphasis of this book is on action and adventuires rather than comedy. This is the first of Piers Anthony's Incarnations of Immortality series and is possibly the best one. As I recall the series went downhill a bit after 3-4 books (it did pick up with For Love of Evil though, then nose dived after that).
Piers Anthony is often criticized for poor writing style, but in reality his prose is just utilitarian without being elegant or poetic. He is no Le Guin but then his books are generally more fun (without ever being important). His writing style is easily accessible and suitable for the sort of romp that he writes. At his best Anthony's books are wonderful escapism and he really is on top form with this book....more
Orson Scott Card is of course best known for Ender's Game, an sf classic to be sure but he has written several other books which to my mind are equallOrson Scott Card is of course best known for Ender's Game, an sf classic to be sure but he has written several other books which to my mind are equally good. Unfortunately these tend to be overlooked as readers are so enamored of the Ender series. Consequently Enchantment is unjustly less than famous.
As the title suggest, this is a fantasy novel. The story is based on the original Russian version of Sleeping Beauty, folk tales, and some Slavic history. Card's writing is always crystal clear and elegant, none of the chopped up sentences so beloved by William Gibson fans. The characterization, the pace, the use of magic and spells is first rate. Most of the book takes place in our world, but is no less magical for that. I love it when the magical world intrudes upon our world, the sort of thing you get in urban fantasy.
While the story is less than epic in scope I still had an absolute blast with this book. This book is pure joy and a must read, you may even learn something about Slavic history which will undoubtedly come in handy at parties and such....more
Ender's Game is one of those rare sf classics that are placed in the top 5 of most "All-time best sf books", I have seen it occupy the pole position i Ender's Game is one of those rare sf classics that are placed in the top 5 of most "All-time best sf books", I have seen it occupy the pole position in a few such lists. Such accolade is not undeserved as Ender's Game is a great book, and one of the best military sf novels ever published, alas military sf has never been my favorite sf sub genre so Speaker for the Dead is much more to my taste. What makes this book very special are the existential and philosophical issues raised by this book. I also love the Pequeninos (piggies) alien species and their highly unusual stages of growth. Their culture is very alien and this leads to a terrible misunderstanding and a couple of tragic human deaths, that said, there are some recognizable human characteristic in their behavior. Characterization has always been a particular strength of Orson Scott Card and this is very much a character-centric book, though the sf element, the sense of wonder and immersion is very strong. The character of Andrew Wiggin (Ender) is very different from the previous novel he has grown up, grown old and attained a lot of wisdom. Some of the alien piggies characters such as Rooter and Human are as vivid as the human ones. For me this book has a lot more emotional resonance than its predecessor as I can identify with some of the problems the characters go through. This book epitomizes all that I look for in a perfect sf novel.
As I write it has been about a week since Ray Bradbury passed away, as you can expect for such an influential author, numerous tributes are being writAs I write it has been about a week since Ray Bradbury passed away, as you can expect for such an influential author, numerous tributes are being written by famous authors, celebs, columnists, and of course fans. Instead of adding another drop to the ocean of tributes I would rather pay my own little tribute through rereading and reviewing my favorite Bradbury books. This one is my favorite of them all.
Something Wicked This Way Comes is one of Bradbury's best-known works. Like Fahrenheit 451 this is a fully fledged novel rather than a collection of interconnected stories like The Martian Chronicles or Dandelion Wine. If this was written recently it would probably be classified as YA. Fortunately, it was first published in the 60s, so it escapes such unnecessary stigmata and was read far and wide by readers of all ages.
This is a story of two boys Will Halloway and his best friend Jim Nightshade. How their lives are turned upside down when a mysterious carnival arrives in their Midwestern town and all hell proceed to break loose. [image] From the 1983 film adaptation
Novels centered around a friendship between two kids like Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn can be very wonderful if done well. There is something about friendship at that young age when walking always seems too slow to get to where you want to go to do what you want to do, so you must always run. If you have a "bestie" to run with better still; the race is always on and winning it is unimportant. Those days stay with you for the rest of your life even if the friend has gone his separate ways. [image]
Reading about Jim Nightshade and William Halloway makes me feel nostalgic and brings back a lot of happy childhood memories even though I did not have to battle creepy supernatural gentlemen from a dark carnival. That said, the fantastical element of this book makes the story even more vivid for me because that is how my mind works. The book is written in simple yet evocative prose, there is a poetic rhythm to Bradbury’s writing which is characteristic of him. Practically every paragraph contains something quotable as an example of written elegance. The book is also highly atmospheric, I love the portentous feeling of the impending arrival of the mysterious carnival; I can almost hear the creepy calliope music described in the book.
The characters are beautifully drawn, Will Halloway is intelligent and earnest without being a mere cipher for the readers, his friend Jim Nightshade is impulsive, impatient and loyal. Will's father Mr. Charles Halloway is a lovable melancholic janitor who finds grace under pressure. Mr. Dark (AKA The Illustrated Man*) the villain of the piece is suitably suave, evil and formidable, his witchy henchwoman is even more creepy than he is. [image]
Beside a great story, there is plenty of food for thought, moral lessons and philosophical issues to ponder. I envy the boys their friendship, I do not want to go on that weird merry-go-round, and I love this book from first page to last. R.I.P. Mr. Bradbury. [image] Art by FictionChick
* Not to be confused with the eponymous The Illustrated Man from Bradbury's famous anthology.
This would be my Halloween pick for any year.
Notes: • If you like spooky circuses, check out The Night Circus. • If you type in GR's code for this book's title in a review or a comment, like this: [image] GR will generate a link to this identically titled " Something Wicked This Way Comes" by Jenika Snow, which looks like a godawful book! 🤣...more
Since Ray Bradbury passed away (about a month ago at the time of writing) it occurred to me to reread his books that I have read before, and read the Since Ray Bradbury passed away (about a month ago at the time of writing) it occurred to me to reread his books that I have read before, and read the others that I have missed. After rereading Something Wicked This Way Comes last month I thought I'd read Fahrenheit 451 but as it turned out The Reddit SF Book Club chose The Martian Chronicles as book of the month (July 2012) so in order to keep up with the Joneses here we are! How about that for a useless intro?
This book is a fix-up novel which is something between an anthology and a novel, and it benefits from both of its sibling formats. The stories are interrelated with only a few recurring characters but read together the whole is certainly greater than the sum of its parts. It is also worth noting that while the table of contents look as if there are almost 30 stories in the book, quite a few of these are not really stories in themselves but brief passages that lead to the next story or provide background information to move the major story arc of the book forward. In general the book tells the story of the colonization of Mars, which in a sense is a little bit like the reverse of H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds in that we invade Mars and they fight back in their quiet ways only to meet the same fate as their counterparts in Wells' book. The major difference is that there is no interplanetary war and it is only the first part of the Chronicles.
I just want to make a few notes on the main stories, the brief interludes are also great but too short for my noting purposes.
Ylla (February 1999/2030*) A Martian woman dreams (or have a premonition) of an Earthman's arrival. The actual First Contact does not go well.
The Summer Night (August 1999/2030) Tell me more! Tell me more! ...more
David Gemmell is a legend (much like the title of one of his books). I know GRRM, Rothfuss and Brandon Sanderson are all the rage but Gemmell is a giaDavid Gemmell is a legend (much like the title of one of his books). I know GRRM, Rothfuss and Brandon Sanderson are all the rage but Gemmell is a giant among men. His books are always action packed, intelligent and passionate, extra points also for them generally of being of medium lengths (300-600 pages). I love every one of his books that I have read but for the purpose of constructing my top 20 goodreads shelf I choose Lion of Macedon as being representative of his greatness.
Lion of Macedon is based on Greek mythology with Parmenion being the main protagonist, his development from a lowly half-Spartan into "The Death of Nations". The story is full of magic, strategies and tragedy, the complete story spans just two books, this one and the sequel Dark Prince, which features a semi-possessed Alexander the Great. There is no question of reading just the first volume and abandoning the rest of the story, I can not imagine anybody wanting to do that....more
This bit of nonsense is likely to send shivers down the spine of Dark Tower fans, it is one of the “Did-a-chick? Dum-a-chum? Dad-a-cham? Ded-a-check?”
This bit of nonsense is likely to send shivers down the spine of Dark Tower fans, it is one of the most memorable scenes in the entire series which spans seven books (originally). The bizarre “questions” are constantly asked by the “lobstrosity” creatures even while they are munching on people. [image]
The above picture—lifted from the graphic novel edition—is not quite to scale as the lobstrosity is described in The Drawing of the Three as “four feet long and a foot high”, but the creepiness is about right!
The Drawing of the Three is volume two of Stephen King’s epic Dark Tower series. If my memory serves me correctly it is my favorite book of the series. This book is all about Roland Deschain recruiting three characters from our world to help him in his quest for the Dark Tower. As foretold by The Man in Black in the previous book these three are represented on Tarot cards as The Prisoner, The Lady of Shadows, and Death. Roland is to go through three doors which are portals into our world at different times.
[image] The first of the three doors
The first person to be drawn to our world is “The Prisoner” Eddie Dean. Eddie is not imprisoned anywhere, but he is a heroin addict. The “drawing” of Eddie Dean involves drug smuggling, gangsters, a shootout au naturel, and more lobstrosities; never a dull moment. [image] Odetta / Detta by LadyFiszi.
The second “drawing” is of a black lady called Odetta Holmes who suffers from dissociative identity disorder schizophrenia with multiple personalities (see Stephanie's message 10 in the comments section) and has an evil secondary personality called Detta Walker who takes control of her body from time to time (usually when it is the most inexpedient for our heroes). Odetta is kindly and soft-spoken, while Detta is evil, cunning, and deadly, she talks like “a cartoon black woman, Butterfly McQueen gone Loony Tunes”. Even though she is missing legs below her knees Detta is very capable of killing both Roland and Eddie who she charmingly calls “honky mahfahs”.
The last drawing of The Three is not at all who I was expecting*, it involves a character even more psychotic than Detta. Without going into details it involves possession, crazy hyperkinetic shootouts, more lobstrosities and a unique way of dispatching a villain. [image] Art by Phil Hale
Phew! What a book! I hope I have not spoiled anything so far, if you think I did please let me know in the comments. The Drawing of the Three is a fabulous, riveting and thrilling read. The writing style here is much more typically Stephen King than the previous volume, The Gunslinger, where King takes a stab at some lyrical writing in the early chapters that confused my young mind when I first read it. I have to admit this is how I like my King. Screw “literature”, just tell the story so vividly that the reader is transported into Roland’s world (even though it has “moved on”). King’s accessible writing style is one of his chief weapons, it is the most effective way of conveying his outlandish narrative. Even with all the carnage going on the book is occasionally hilarious, with pop culture references and an almost “TMI” rectal examination scene. The “Roland in New York City” part is particularly amusing, with his bemusement by the city life and his failed attempt to avoid violence. Imagine Clint Eastwood’s The Man with No Name in modern day New York and you will have an inkling. The book does not end on a cliffhanger yet it does make you want to commit to the series, to follow Roland and his friends on the quest for the Tower, to see what happens next. As Roland would say, “it’s ka”. [image] Notes: * I thought it was going to be poor Jake Chambers from The Gunslinger, but poor Jake only makes a quick cameo in this volume.
• Idris Elba is unlikely to be called “honky mahfah” in the forthcoming Dark Tower movie. Here is King's comment about the casting.
• Roland’s classic “ka-tet”, the crew of his quest, is not fully formed in this book, awaiting a couple more members. So this picture below, from the graphic novel edition, is a little misleading. [image]
Quotes: “There is an umbilicus which somehow connects our world to the world of the gunslinger.”
“The first is dark-haired. He stands on the brink of robbery and murder. A demon has infested him. The name of the demon is HEROIN.” “Which demon is that? I know it not, even from nursery stories.”
“He walked out of nowhere toward nowhere, a man from another time who, it seemed, had reached a point of pointless ending.”
“Not his eyes but those of a stranger. Not hazel but a blue the color of fading Levis. Eyes that were chilly, precise, unexpected marvels of calibration. Bombardier’s eyes.”...more
“No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences g[image]
“No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man's and yet as mortal as his own; that as men busied themselves about their various concerns they were scrutinised and studied, perhaps almost as narrowly as a man with a microscope might scrutinise the transient creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water.”
A beautiful opening to the book but I must say the Martians did a very poor job of scrutinising us human chappies and our little blue planet considering what transpires later. Ah, but I must not spoil the book even though I imagine most people reading this review (all three of them) already know how it ends. Which brings me to my next point, if you know the story of The War of The Worlds quite well already but have not actually read the book I urge you to read it, especially if you are a science fiction fan. I don't think there are many books in the pantheon of sci-fi as important as this one. This is the book that launched the alien invasion sci-fi trope and even manages to remain one of the best examples of it.
H.G. Wells was literally* light years ahead of his time, the mind boggles to think what he was able to conceive in the 19th century; alien invasion, time travel, genetic engineering, all these when TV sets are still decades in the future. If historical importance is not much of an inducement for you and you are just looking for a thumping good read Mr. Wells is also at your service here. The War of The Worlds is often thrilling, skillfully structured and narrated with some unexpected moments of philosophising and surreal dialogue. I generally find that Wells wrote much better prose than most of today’s SF authors do.
He even included some element of hard sf into his novels, here is an example from this book:
“It is still a matter of wonder how the Martians are able to slay men so swiftly and so silently. Many think that in some way they are able to generate an intense heat in a chamber of practically absolute non-conductivity. This intense heat they project in a parallel beam against any object they choose, by means of a polished parabolic mirror of unknown composition, much as the parabolic mirror of a lighthouse projects a beam of light.”
Yes, you may already have a fairly good idea of The War of The Worlds’ beginning middle and end without ever reading the book but you would miss Wells’ marvelously immersive and visual storytelling and the subtexts embedded in the original texts. The scene of naval battle between the military’s ironclads and the Martian tripods is vividly depicted and should please fans of military sf and general badassery. The slightly surreal chapter involving the artilleryman is a particularly interesting depiction of people who always seem to be brimming with ideas, plans and suggestions but never actually do anything.
The story of The War of The Worlds is so potent that Orson Welles’ 1938 War of the Worlds 1938 radio broadcast“became famous for causing mass panic, although the extent of this panic is debated”. Still, even moderate panic is an amazing achievement for a radio drama.
This book has of course been adapted into movies several times. Unfortunately a straight adaptation complete with the Victorian setting does not seem to have been made. The most recent adaptation being the 2005 Spielberg directed movie with Tom Cruise being the usual Cruisian hero, dodging Martian heat rays like nobody's business.
I hope to eventually read all of Wells’ sci-fi and perhaps his more mainstream books also. Anyway, never dismiss H.G. Wells' sci-fi as old hat because he invented the hat and it is still superior to most of today's headgear.
* I have a bee in my bonnet about today's frequent (and incorrect) overuse of "literally".
A quick note about the ending: (view spoiler)[The ending is the mother of all Deus Ex Machina, I suppose Wells may have written himself into a corner a bit here as Victorian Brits are never going to be much of a challenge for giant tripod riding aliens armed with heat rays and weird smoke guns. (hide spoiler)] [image] I love this album cover art from Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds. For some reason, I never heard the album in its entirety, but the hit single Forever Autumn is great.
“Thus far Man has come alone. One thinking, intelligent race all by itself. Think of how much farther, how much faster it might have gone had there be“Thus far Man has come alone. One thinking, intelligent race all by itself. Think of how much farther, how much faster it might have gone had there been two races, two thinking, intelligent races, working together. For, you see, they would not think alike. They'd check their thoughts against one another. What one couldn't think of, the other could. The old story of two heads.”
Ah, that Clifford D. Simak, what a gent. He is one of the most optimistic, compassionate, and humanistic sci-fi authors ever. His lesser-known book All Flesh is Grass is the first science fiction novel I ever read, I took to the genre like a duck to water and never looked back since. So, I feel like I owe him—more than any other SF authors—a debt of gratitude. His works are sometimes described as “pastoral science fiction”, they usually have a rural setting and extol the virtues of the countryside life. There is also an avuncular feel to his prose style that is quite comforting and relaxing to read.
City is one of his best-known books, the winner of the International Fantasy Award for 1952*, and a part of the SF Masterworks series. In spite of the title, the book is not about a particular city or of cities in general. It is a fix-up novel comprising nine stories with an interstitial introduction by a dog (stop laughing back there!) for each of the first eight, the ninth story was published more than twenty years after the others, and is introduced by the author.
City, in spite of its modest page count of around 224 pages, is epic in scope. The first half of the book depicts the slow decline of human civilization, as atomic powered personal air transport, hydroponics and space colonization do away with poverty, hunger and the need for people to live in cities. Later on, most of humanity migrate to live in Jupiter where they can live in paradise, at the cost of losing their humanity through extreme physical modification. The few humans remaining on Earth are catered for by robots and live a meaningless life of plenty. A scientist named Bruce Webster surgically modifies dogs to give them sapient intelligence, speech, and literacy and gives rise to humanity’s successor (not usurper). From then on the book shifts its focus to the rise of the dog’s civilization, with help and guidance from a robot called Jenkins, and robots in general that function as the dogs’ hands for tasks which require building. Towards the end of the book, humans become mythical creatures most dogs no longer believe in (don’t worry, this is not a spoiler, the introduction to the very first story—written by a dog—already mentions this).
In spite of the decline and fall of humanity City is not a dystopian sci-fi, mankind fades away somewhat happily, in a post-scarcity civilization, eventually most of them finding a happier state of being and leaving their humanity behind. Simak has a rare ability to make his stories compelling without including action scenes as such. The pacing and tone of his narrative tend to be contemplative but the philosophical questions he raises are often fascinating and more than make up for the absence of edge of the seat thrills. Considering it is a fix-up novel—where the first eight stories were originally published between 1944 and 1951, and the ninth in 1973—it is surprising cohesive as a novel. The robot Jenkins, practically a protagonist, appears in most of the stories and the shadow of the Webster family looms over all of them, even after the family members are long gone. The interconnected stories are all very good individually, but together they form a wonderful narrative with an epic story arc that spans thousands of years.
Simak was never a hard science fiction writer, quite the opposite even. The science behind his fiction is mostly rather vague and of the “handwavium” variety. For examples, some robots begin to develop psychic abilities, how? The surgical modifications Webster made to the dogs breed through to successive generations of dogs. How? Ah! nevermind! Perhaps this is why he is not as revered as the likes of Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein from the same era. The robots in this book are practically indistinguishable from humans in term of personality and behavior, except they are all very nice and kind. While there is no actual tragedy in this book the narrative does develop an air of melancholic wistfulness towards the end, where the themes of abandonment and loneliness become dominant. The dogs and the robots are utterly charming, and the Webster family members are sympathetic and believable. There are no villains as such, except some unsympathetic mutants and the inscrutable ants. I had a great—if slightly wistful—time reading City, and I thoroughly recommend it.
__________________________ * Yes, it is very old, but it’s like fine wine.
Notes: • There are many variants of City book covers. This one best represents the book, I think: [image]
This one also comes close: [image]
This is the edition I actually bought decades ago: [image]
• Simak’s Way Station is also an unmissable classic.
Quotes: “Aside from the concept of the city, another concept which the reader will find entirely at odds with his way of life and which may violate his very thinking, is the idea of war and of killing. Killing is a process, usually involving violence, by which one living thing ends the life of another living thing. War, it would appear, was mass killing carried out on a scale which is inconceivable.”
"The city is an anachronism. It has outlived its usefulness. Hydroponics and the helicopter spelled its downfall.”
“If Man had taken a different path, might he not, in time to come, have been as great as Dog?”...more
Robert Silverberg is one of science fiction all time greats, there is no doubt about that in my mind. He belongs up there with Asimov, Clarke, HeinleiRobert Silverberg is one of science fiction all time greats, there is no doubt about that in my mind. He belongs up there with Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein etc. If you have never heard of him it would be because he is the most criminally underrated sf authors ever. I have said virtually the same thing in my previous review of his book Nightwings, and I will probably be saying the same damn thing again next time I review one of his books simply because it bears repeating.
Among long time avid sf readers Silverberg is in fact quite well known and Dying Inside is often regarded as one of his very best books. I just reread it today for discussion at Reddit SF Book Club where it is the selected title for October 2012.
"He who peeps through a hole may see what will vex him."
This old proverb is quoted a couple of times in the book and sums up the basic plot about the life of David Selig, the protagonist of the book, quite well. David Selig is a telepath who is slowly losing his telepathic powers. He regards his telepathic gift/curse as a separate entity residing within himself, the gradual loss of this power is like a part of him is dying inside. Dying Inside puts the reader inside Selig's head much like his probing into other's people's mind. Silverberg puts in a lot of attention to details of a telepath's life, and reading this book is a visceral experience. [image] Art by Leo and Diane Dillon
I used to imagine having telepathic power is bound to be a lot of fun and come in very handy. This novel shows how it can lead to a very miserable existence depending on the personality and outlook of the person with the power. Selig feels guilty about using his power to spy on other people but is addicted to doing it.This results in a severely conflicted individual, and the deterioration of his power only compounds his misery. In contrast his friend Nyquist who has the same ability is well adjusted and is having a whale of a time using it. While the general tone of the book tend to be rather melancholy there are humorous comments and witticisms scattered trough out the book which saves it from being too leaden. Selig's attempt at jive style Greek tragedy is particularly hilarious.
What makes Silverberg special among sf authors is his prose style, it is eloquent and lyrical yet it is not like the style of other lyrical sf authors such as Ray Bradbury, Jack Vance or Gene Wolfe. Silverberg has his own unique voice which can veer from elegant to hip and sarcastic as the narrative demands. The novel has a non linear timeline but it is easy to follow even without any indication of the date at the beginning of each chapter due to the clarity of his narrative. Unlike Silverberg's other sf novels there is no mind blowing sci-fi technology in this book, no aliens, space travel, no world building to speak of etc. The setting is "contemporary America" in the 60s/70s and there is no climax in the conventional sense. I believe this book is essentially about how people relate to each other, especially those who are (or should be) near and dear to us. The end result is one of the most beautiful, exquisitely written sf novels I have ever read....more
A few months ago I posted a question on Reddit's Print SF forum about three free e-books that I was interested in reading. Accelerando by Charles StroA few months ago I posted a question on Reddit's Print SF forum about three free e-books that I was interested in reading. Accelerando by Charles Stross, Blindsight by Peter Watts and this one, Little Brother by Cory Doctorow. I received quite a few replies which are generally very helpful. Since then I have read Blindsight which I found difficult but very clever, attempted to read (but failed to finish) Accelerando which I could not get along with, and now Little Brother which I like best of the three. However, there were some suggestions that I should avoid Little Brother like the plague (there were some positive comments also). This I duly did until I saw Neil Gaiman’s rave review of this book. I like Gaiman’s books a lot so I want to read this, especially at this price tag.
This book seems to be more of a YA techno thriller than sf, the technology seems to be already in existence, although for all I know some aspects may have been imagined by Doctorow. Any way, apart from the fascinating tech the book also has a lot of heart and a plenty to say about liberty and freedom. I would not hesitate to recommend this book....more
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