This series just gets better with each installment. I gave City of Stairs and City of Blades 4 stars each, but I think having listened to all three, tThis series just gets better with each installment. I gave City of Stairs and City of Blades 4 stars each, but I think having listened to all three, the trilogy as a whole deserves 5 stars for incredible world-building, complex mystery plots, and above all its damaged and conflicted characters.
City of Miracles is centered on fan-favorite Sigrid, the Nordic berserker assassin and all-around badass, but much of the plot revolves around the secret machinations of Prime Minister Shara Komayd, who starts off the book in explosive fashion. It's a very cinematic opening sequence worthy of Luc Besson or Michael Mann, and its alternative Eastern European urban flavor is perfectly evoked. Though Bennett adopts the same structure of a murder mystery that unfolds into a much more complex tapestry of dead gods who never fully stay dead, diabolical plots to harness divine powers for various political ends, and in this book the numerous offspring of the gods, carefully hidden away in society as mortals, often with the children themselves unaware of their heritage.
What Bennett does best though is refuse to let his characters stay the same. They undergo traumatic adventures that leave physical and psychological scars that DO NOT GO AWAY. It's a direct refutation of the usual pattern of indomitable heroes who decimate their enemies, feel a twinge of remorse, and then move on to the next adventure with a jaunty swagger. Not so in THE DIVINE CITIES - Shara, Turiyan, and especially Sigrud carry the baggage of all the killings and schemes they have been involved in throughout their lives, and all the loved ones they were unable to protect from harm. Not only that, but their harrowing life journeys age them, so that we see characters that not so much grow in stature as get worn down, like weathered stones being battered by the sea, shaped by events into fantastically contorted patterns, yet still recognizable.
The themes of colonialism and its legacy remain front and center, and this time the theme of children and how they are often exploited for the purposes of adults is a key plot element, particularly as it pertains to the children of the gods and one particularly damaged godling that uses his own abusive past and takes a terrible revenge on his brethren and the world, seeking to envelop everything in everlasting darkness. He is both pathetic and terrifying, a man-child who is lashing out at those he feels wronged him.
The plot is as intricate as the previous books, and suffice to say that Bennett is adept at mixing intense action, complex intrigues, emotionally-charged relationships, and speculations on divinity, war, and oppression in a completely unique and organic way that I haven't seen done before in the genre. That's saying quite a lot considering how much derivative product is churned out year after year. This series deserves plenty of accolades and book sales, as the author has created something quite special and worthy of repeat readings. Though each book can stand on its own, the three form an integrated whole that is one of the most impressive works of the last decade, on par with N.K. Jemisin's BROKEN EARTH trilogy....more
This is an excellent follow-up to the genre-mixing City of Stairs, this time focusing on the legacy of war and violence in both the victims and perpetThis is an excellent follow-up to the genre-mixing City of Stairs, this time focusing on the legacy of war and violence in both the victims and perpetrators, from the perspective of generals, rank-and-file soldiers, spies, commoners, rebels, and then centering its mystery plot on Voortyashtan, the city formerly ruled by the goddess of war, Voorya, whose Sentinels are armored killing machines that guard a divine afterlife open only to soldiers who have slain enough enemies in battle to be worthy.
Once again the setting is a city in the conquered land of the Continent, its Saypuri occupiers, and this time it is foul-mouthed and embittered General Turyin Mulagesh, who is dragged out of retirement to investigate the disappearance of a Saypuri operative, some mysterious murders, a strange mining operation, and rumors that some of the divine objects of the dead goddess Voorya still seem to retain some power.
This time Bennett delves even more into the difficult territory of why humanity seems so intent on repeating the legacy of past violence and subjugation, with or without divine assistance, and so the story is far more emotionally raw than the first book, and the final third of the book is filled with pain, tragedy, and death. But it done is such a gripping way that it is hard to not be carried on by the relentless momentum of the various parties involved. It is hard to identify the "good" and "bad" characters, as all of them have their light and dark elements.
And unlike "grim dark fantasy", they are not mostly just ruthless and cynically-motivated, this is rather the book that questions that mindset and puts a spotlight on how even when we try to do right, our military actions inevitably result in victims, including those just carrying out orders. Its a tough perspective to embrace, even in a fantasy context, but it flows naturally from the world that Bennett has created in such vivid and careful detail. He has put a great deal of thought into making this world believable, and is not afraid to tackle difficult subjects and put his characters, whom we come to care for, through some very harrowing experiences that will leave them scarred forever afterward.
So while it was quite a challenging book, it raises intriguing possibilities for the final book in the trilogy, City of Miracles, as it is clear that Bennett is not afraid to challenge both genre conventions and limitations in both his characters' emotional depths and the socio-political worlds they inhabit. I might a bit a of a break first, but I am looking forward to the final installment in his Divine Cities series....more
An amazing and fresh mix of genres and themes, I loved the murder investigation, political scheming, and competing divinities in a fantasy about the cAn amazing and fresh mix of genres and themes, I loved the murder investigation, political scheming, and competing divinities in a fantasy about the city of Bulakov in the conquered land of the Continent, its Saypuri occupiers, the tough-as-nails investigator Shara, her Nordic bodyguard Sigurd, the various administrators of Bulikov, and the incredibly-detailed and exotic world-building that evoked China Mieville's The City and The City with its impoverished Eastern European Soviet-bloc political background, and much more fantastical latter half filled with not-so-dead divinities, iron flying ships, powerful magic, and bizarre sea monsters. In terms of tone, the story reminded me of N.K. Jemisin's Broken Earth series, with its strong female characters, complex and exotic societies, dark emotional undercurrents, and exploration of dominance and submission, the weight of history that divides peoples, all the prejudices that come with competing religions, and some very unique magic systems as well. All in all, it's a unique and enticing world and well worth continuing to the next two books in the series, City of Blades and City of Miracles....more
River of Stars: Captures the Tragic Downfall of the Song Dynasty This year I've finally closed a 20-year gap in my SFF reading, reading's all the Guy GRiver of Stars: Captures the Tragic Downfall of the Song Dynasty This year I've finally closed a 20-year gap in my SFF reading, reading's all the Guy Gavriel Kay books that I've earmarked since high school, starting with the high fantasy Tigana and then moving on to the historical re-imaginings of Moorish Spain (Lions of Al-Rassan), Medieval France (Song for Arbonne), Florence, Dubrovnik, & Byzantium (Children of Earth and Sky), and finally the Tang and Song Dynasties of Ancient China (Under Heaven, River of Stars). He captures the sweep of history with a wide-scope lens, but then enriches this tapestry with a large caste of characters that hold the story together and involve the reader in their lives and the events that they are swept up in. This book is too elaborate and detailed for me to muster the energy to describe (I regret that my reviews have gotten much shorter since moving to London), but suffice to say that it is an epic that remains centered on a number of compelling stories that complete a much broader picture of the decadent Song Dynasty as it collapses from within and succumbs to the barbarian hordes at its borders, and is an excellent read for all fans of history and great writing....more
Children of Earth and Sky: An alternate history of Venice, Dubrovnik, and Constantinople
This is another of Guy Gabriel Kay's magnificent historical reChildren of Earth and Sky: An alternate history of Venice, Dubrovnik, and Constantinople
This is another of Guy Gabriel Kay's magnificent historical reimaginings (not fantasies, for the most part), told in luxurious prose, assured style, and great skill in evoking era and place, along with compelling adult characters. He's really mastered this sub-genre of his own creation, and this book is set in the same shared world that was featured in The Lion's of Al-Rassan (set in Moorish Spain) and The Sarantine Mosaic (Constantinople).
Other reviews have captured the salient points and described the plot, so I will just add that I really enjoyed the descriptions of Dubrava, his analog for the real-world medieval oceanside walled town of Dubrovnik on the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia. Having visited there last spring as one of our first visits to Europe, it was such an incredibly atmospheric place (and the setting for King's Landing in Game of Thrones), that it was a particular pleasure to read his descriptions of it since I had walked those wall and streets and narrow alleyways and churches and palaces. It was so easy to picture the events of the story there, along with those of the characters who were for the most part not royalty or generals or high priests, but rather less prominent people who were nonetheless extraordinary in their own right, and their adventures and tribulations in this epic story were told very well indeed....more
Under Heaven: A Fresh Take on Tang Dynasty China Guy Gavriel Kay loves to delve into a specific historical period and create an alternative reality molUnder Heaven: A Fresh Take on Tang Dynasty China Guy Gavriel Kay loves to delve into a specific historical period and create an alternative reality molded on the bones of that history, fleshed out with elaborate plots, compelling characters, and of course sumptuous writing. This is his first attempt to venture outside Europe, and he's clearly done his homework. The details seem very convincing, though I admit to knowing very little about Chinese dynastic history. The characters are worth following, and the story is just as grand and cinematic and tragic as any Chinese blockbuster historical drama. I was drawn in early on and it kept me interested throughout, a very good book. On to the follow up, set 400 years later, River of Stars....more
Stories of Your Life and Others: Sadly I couldn’t connect with these stories Originally posted at Fantasy Literature This is one of books that receive Stories of Your Life and Others: Sadly I couldn’t connect with these stories Originally posted at Fantasy Literature This is one of books that receives such universal praise and accolades from readers, critics, and award committees that it represents a real risk for a book reviewer. After all, if you love the book, you’re merely contributing to the overwhelming chorus of praise and not really adding much to the discussion, but at least you are “on the same page” as everyone. The alternative is much more frightening. If you didn’t like or connect with a certain book, then you are either 1) too insensitive to recognize genius when it confronts you, 2) a perverse contrarian who takes pleasure in criticizing what everyone else likes, or 3) clueless and have no credibility as a reviewer.
Well, despite repeated listenings to the stories of Ted Chiang’s collection, I just didn’t get why they were so amazing and brilliant. I can certainly recognize their careful crafting, intellectual rigor, rationalism, and serious thought about religion and faith. But did I care about the characters or say “wow, amazing” at the end of each story? Not really. Instead, I found the heavy role of mathematics, theoretical physics, language theory, and cool rationalism to be an obstacle to developing an emotional connection to the characters.
This was particularly true of “Story of Your Life”, which is all about mathematics, quantum physics, alien linguistics, sequential vs. simultaneous time, but overlays this onto the very human story of a mother recounting the various events of her daughter’s life from a unique perspective. This should be EXACTLY the type of story that I love, given that I find all those topics fascinating. So in terms of story DNA, it should be a perfect story for me, but I’m afraid its like a painting I can appreciate for its technical brilliance and delicate structure, but it didn’t move me.
Since this story not only won awards but also served as the inspiration for the 2016 Academy Award-winning SF film Arrival, starring Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, and Forest Whitaker, it is certainly a story that gained plenty of attention. I’ll have to watch the movie now, since many of the book reviewers also rave about it as “that rare creature, a SF film that relies on intellect rather than CG and space battles.” Again, usually exactly my cuppa tea, so I’m at a loss to understand why I didn’t care all that much for it.
“Understand” is my favorite story in the collection, very much in the “Flowers for Algernon” mold but much more intense, about a man who in the process of being treated for a terrible accident is granted super intelligence, and his growing understanding of what it means to be smarter than the rest of the human race. The ending is quite dramatic and memorable.
There are also several stories that examine religious faith, specifically Biblical themes like “Tower of Babylon” and a literal vision of a world in which Heaven and Hell are real, “Hell is the Absence of God”. Both of these stories take a famous religious idea like the Tower of Babel or Heaven/Hell and then treat it in the most literal and magic realist terms.
“Tower of Babylon” describes that famous structure reaching into the stratosphere, and the construction workers who toil for generations to built it and what happens when they finally reach the Dome of Heaven. It is clearly a story about faith, but the conclusion and message was opaque to me. I tend to not respond to stories with religious themes, not being a believer myself, but still, I just didn’t get the point.
“Hell is the Absence of God” was a much more pointed story about why people go to Heaven or Hell, whether God is just or capricious, and whether good deeds and thoughts go rewarded or not. It is actually a fairly interesting exploration of “why do bad things happen to good people, and vice versa”, but I have never heard a convincing explanation of this that involves divine will, the conclusion of this story only confirmed for me that rewards and punishments have no connection with belief or actions, though I don’t think that was the intended message. Again, I just am not wired to understand these things.
“Seventy Two Letters” was a strong story, a very steampunk story of an inventor who creates a Golum that forms the basis of an alternate Industrial Revolution in England, and also has some interesting parallels with computer programming. It also raises some questions about creating life and the responsibilities that come with that. I’d say this was one of the stronger stories of the collection.
“Liking What You See: A Documentary” is about our human obsession with physical appearances and what would happen if this could be removed via a medical procedure. What would happen if you no longer perceived others as “beautiful” or “ugly”? Would you then judge them for their character or actions, and would this create a more just society? Again, an interesting thought experiment that Chiang explores via a series of journalistic articles and snippets of college students’ opposing views of this procedure, much like a pro-anti type debate. It was a good idea, but I thought it dragged on far too long and I lost interest partway through.
Overall, I think this collection will probably please more readers than not based on all the rave reviews and awards, even though I didn’t like it all that much. The audiobook was ably narrated by Abby Crayden and Todd McLaren, who convey the cool, cerebral tone of the stories....more
Bring the Jubilee: A brilliant alternative history where the South prevailed Originally posted at Fantasy Literature Bring the Jubilee is a fairly obscuBring the Jubilee: A brilliant alternative history where the South prevailed Originally posted at Fantasy Literature Bring the Jubilee is a fairly obscure alternate-history story published in 1953 in which the South won the "War for Southron Independence". In this world, Robert E. Lee succeeds Jefferson Davis as the second president of the Confederacy in 1865. The Confederacy steadily expands its empire through Mexico and South America. Its chief rival is the German Union, which splits control of Europe with the Spanish Empire. In response, the Confederacy has allied with Great Britain, creating two opposing empires that straddle the Atlantic.
Strangely enough, slavery was abolished but minorities continue to face persecution, and poverty is rampant in the United States, the former Union states of the North. Other than a rich landowner minority, most people are indentured to their owners, effectively a form or slavery. In addition, the combustible engine, light bulb, and aircraft were never invented, instead they have steam-powered minibiles (the equivalent of cars) and dirigibles, so horses or trains are still regularly used for transportation. The telephone was also not invented, so the telegraph is the main means of communication.
The main character is a directionless youth named Hodge Backmaker who leaves his impoverished life in the countryside of Wappinger Falls, Pennsylvania to move to New York, one of the few cities in the North to still thrive in a North America dominated by the Southron Confederate States. He comes to NY eager to get into a university, only to immediately be robbed of his possessions. Though great luck he manages to find work at a bookshop, reading almost constantly to educate himself. He develops a close relationship with the proprietor, who turns out to be in league with the Grand Army, a subversive organization devoted to restoring the United States to its former greatness.
The story then takes a sudden turn, as Hodges decides to leave NY and join a small progressive intellectual co-op in rural Pennsylvania. He pursues his dream of becoming a historian dedicated to studying the war between the North and South, gets involved in a love triangle, and then encounters a device that could help him very directly in his research, with totally unexpected consequences…
The story is extremely well-written, informed by the initially ignorant but intellectually-hungry mind of Hodge. His desire to pursue pure knowledge for its own sake in a poor, downtrodden North that has been left to decay after losing the war, and where blacks, Asians, Jews and other races are treated cruelly and with contempt, is not what you would expect of an alternate history tale centered around the Civil War.
I wouldn't even have known about this book if it weren't featured in David Pringle's Science Fiction: The 100 Best Novels and I'm glad I read it. It presents so many brilliant little details of his alternate world, but the main story revolves around the life and thoughts of the main character, so that I often felt prevented from seeing the bigger picture of his alternate world, and despite the depth of characterization, this book could have been longer and more complex, taking more time to explore his concept, and most likely have made a greater impact in the SF field. If he was writing today, I think it would have been just the first book in a long and successful series. As it is, it's a "minor" classic that few people have read, and I’d like to change that. ...more
V for Vendetta: Anarchy vs fascism in dystopian future UK (Graphic Novel & Film Review) Originally posted at Fantasy Literature For those who claim thatV for Vendetta: Anarchy vs fascism in dystopian future UK (Graphic Novel & Film Review) Originally posted at Fantasy Literature For those who claim that comics lack sufficient depth and complexity, fans generally recommend Alan Moore’s Watchmen, V for Vendetta and From Hell, Frank Miller’s DARK KNIGHT RETURNS and SIN CITY series, and Neil Gaiman’s SANDMAN series. These are considered “gateway” titles likely to convince skeptics that comics (often labeled “graphic novels” to lend them more gravitas) are a legitimate artistic medium for sophisticated and compelling storytelling for adults. While I never doubted this contention, I have inexplicably neglected this part of the SFF world for many years, and with no real justification. So after reading Watchmen recently and being completely blown away by its intricate storylines, meta-critique of the superhero myth, and perfectly articulated artwork, it was a no brainer that I would move on to V for Vendetta next.
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Well, V for Vendetta is a completely different creature than Watchmen. The cover image is absolutely brilliant: The knowing and enigmatic smirk of the Guy Fawkes mask is an iconic image of debonair anarchistic terrorism thanks to this graphic novel and the 2006 film. Having seen the film already, I knew what the story was about and had a clear image of the central character V and his love interest Evey Hammond. However, when I turned to the first page, I discovered that I really don’t like the artwork. All art forms are highly subjective and produce different reactions in all of us. In the case of Watchmen, I thought the artwork perfectly complemented the story and was precise, detailed, evocative, and pleasing to the eye. But something about the artwork of V for Vendetta just turned me off from the start. The coloring, which uses a very muted palate to match the dreary dystopian London of the future, may be effective but didn’t encourage me to pore over the images the way I did for Watchmen. And the impressionistic visual style just wasn’t what I was expecting. So while everyone’s reaction to the artwork will vary, this wasn’t for me.
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Now let’s get right to the story. V for Vendetta is all about opposing political ideologies: fascism and anarchy. Since the setting is a grim fascist white supremacist regime that rules England after a nuclear war destroys much of the world, nobody should expect a particularly upbeat story. In fact, Moore makes this dystopian regime so distasteful and unpleasant that it’s pretty impossible to imagine anyone sympathizing with it, since it eagerly imitates the Nazis in exterminating all its political opponents, as well as minorities, homosexuals, and any other ‘undesirables’, in concentration camps. Now anyone who knows Alan Moore knows he is virulently anti-Thatcher and very skeptical about conservative governments and power elites of any kind. The entire book is a catalog of all the horrid things perpetrated in the name of social order and uniformity: the state’s motto is "Strength Through Purity, Purity Through Faith". Really, it’s not very different from the current lineup of Republican candidates in the US presidential election, and Donald Trump would fit it quite nicely in this world.
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However, the only way to make a debate about political ideologies interesting is if both sides have some appealing aspects. Since Moore makes his dystopian England regime so odious, this isn’t really a fair presentation. And one of the most frustrating aspects of V for Vendetta is that the majority of characters are members of this fascist police state (driven by the Norsefire ideology), which is separated into different sections labeled “the Mouth”, “the Nose”, “the Eye”, “the Head”, and “the Finger”. And although I appreciate Moore’s artistic intent in humanizing the members of this government, exploring the inner lives of these people, the bottom line is they are part of a repressive, fascist regime. So it’s really, really hard to feel sympathy for them as V dispatches them with ease, one by one. It’s also impossible to care about their internal rivalries as them scheme to position themselves within the government.
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The far more interesting relationship is that between the enigmatic V and his innocent victim/love interest/protégé Eve Hammond. V is almost unbelievably quick, resilient, intelligent, cultured, and has directed all his considerable powers at overthrowing the fascist regime with targeted murders and bombings. He is a terrorist, but what a charming one. He quotes Shakespeare, speaks in iambic pentameter, plays the piano, and lives in his Shadow Chamber filled with the cultural treasures of the past. In him we can see all the artistic accomplishments that have been ground under the boot of the Norsefire ideology, leaving an empty-headed, crass proletariat. What he does to Evey Hammond in the name of truth and liberation is central to our judgment of his character. Give credit to Moore for making it difficult to paint V as a perfect vehicle for an anarchist ideology. Because I’m not even sure to what degree Moore sympathizes with V. He is a ruthless killer and many of his targets probably deserve what they get, but there are many innocents killed along the way.
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More to the point, V’s goals are very simple: destroy the fascist government of Norsefire, and allow the people to control their own lives and destinies in an anarchic society called “The Land of Do-As-You-Please”, which comes from a children’s book called The Magic Faraway Tree. V does not present a single detail about this wonderful society in which everyone agrees to participate in deciding the shape of society. It’s quite telling that the concept comes from a children’s book, since the vast majority of “functional anarchic societies” are just that: a children’s fairy tale. Before this ideal society is established, we have instead the complete chaos of “The Land of Take-What-You-Want”. While anarchy has a conceptual appeal to anyone who chafes under the rules of society, let’s think seriously about the alternatives. Communism has been tried and failed, at least the real world examples, while Marxists might argue that many attempts at socialism have been flawed. Instead, democracies have gained the upper hand in the last century, with strong links to free-market capitalism (I’m simplifying here, but bear with me).
How many professed anarchists have proposed anything resembling a realistic, functioning society in which people freely decide the rules in perfect harmony, while still retaining complete control to “do as they please”. It’s pretty ridiculous. We all know that societies need rules to function; the key is to continually examine and adjust those rules to achieve the best balance of freedom and social responsibility. And representative democracy, despite all its shortfalls in concept and execution, seems to get us closer than other political systems. So I really do wonder exactly what Moore would like in his anarchic utopia. He is famously reclusive and curmugeonly, holed up in his small town of Northampton. I don’t imagine you can have a utopia made up only of comic book writers and artists. An anarchist society is bound to fail when it comes time to regularly plant and harvest crops, build sewage systems, maintain infrastructure, educate people, and punish crimes etc.
So in conclusion I appreciate V for Vendetta for presenting fascism in all its ugliness and also painting anarchism is very ambiguous grays. But by stacking the deck and giving V such charm and culture, it’s really a bit unfair. Granted, Moore is brave enough to show that it’s easier to destroy than to create. But this story focuses so much on the people caught up in the machinery of fascism that I had trouble maintaining interest. It’s a story full of ideas but I can’t extract the message the author intended, unless that message is simply “there is no perfect political system, but anything is better than fascism”.
Film version (2006, directed by James McTeigue, produced by Joel Silver and Wachowski siblings)
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Alan Moore has disavowed himself of all film adaptations of his works, so we should consider this work separate from his comic. To be honest, I actually preferred the film version. Sure, it stripped out huge swaths of the side stories about all the political elites in the Norsefire regime, but that was my least favorite part of the comic anyway. We lose a lot of the literary references, and much of the details of this dystopia, but the film preserves all the central concepts of the comic. Visually, the Guy Fawkes image is incredibly effective, and remains very popular today in political protests and during Halloween. It has been part of the cultural lexicon and equates to fighting against fascism and oppression.
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So the film benefits from having this powerful visual image of V and his distinctive top hat, coat, and belt knives. It’s a very cool and seductive image, no question. Natalie Portman also plays Evey Hammond with skill, as an innocent waif who is slowly drawn into V’s world. When he turns the tables on her, she is suitably shocked. Her transformation after his ministrations is very believable. Hugo Weaving also handles the cool, cerebral voice of V perfectly. I believed in his invincibility. Notably, the film-makers make some crucial changes to the characters in the final reel, which enter spoiler territory to discuss:
(view spoiler)[Unlike the comic, Inspector Finch in the film is a much more sympathetic character, basically determined to see justice through regardless of where it takes him. Finch in the comic is much more complicated, and his deliberate LSD trip at the end is quite bizarre. The biggest difference by far is that in the comic, when V dies, Evey takes up his identity to further his revolutionary agenda, to the point of taking on a prisoner from the police who she will train as her protégé. In the film, V dies from a barrage of police bullets, but Evey elects simply to give him his Viking funeral by sending his train car full of explosives to 10 Downing Street to destroy Parliament, fulfilling Guy Fawkes’ failed dream. She never assumes his identity. (hide spoiler)]
V for Vendetta ends with a beautiful fireworks show as Parliament is destroyed, silently watched by the masses of citizens who have donned the Guy Fawkes masks sent by V throughout the city. It’s a nice image of revolution against fascist oppression, but my thoughts always go to the next day. What happens after the regime is overthrown? That’s when things get complicated in the real world. The film is a very stripped-down version of the more complex comic, and it may not have the exact same message, but it remains a thought-provoking and entertaining work....more
I was initially intimidated by the 1,000+ pages and copious footnotes, but this was a wonderful book and deserves the many positive reviews. I'd writeI was initially intimidated by the 1,000+ pages and copious footnotes, but this was a wonderful book and deserves the many positive reviews. I'd write a summary of the plot but GRs already has a pretty decent one. I actually watched the BBC mini-series first to see if I would like the story or not, as opinions seem split into "loved every bit of it" to "incredibly dull, gave up after 5o pages". I thought the mini-series was really well done but I could tell just how much content must have been trimmed to fit the story into bite-sized episodes, and of course all the background color provided by the footnotes is lost.
I've actually just moved to London three months ago and was saving this book to listen to on the Tube heading to the office near St. Paul's Cathedral, and it was so cool to hear street names like Threadneedle, Cheapside, Harley Street, etc as I walked along those very places, now fancy office buildings with wonderful old churches and imposing Victorian architecture designed by Christopher Wren. What an amazing, vibrant, and charming (and expensive) city! Well, this book was a real treat, and despite its length didn't feel bloated at all, since the sense of humor pervaded each page - those delicate and stuffy Victorian turns of phrase hid some very sharp comments and the whole story and social milieu felt so quintessentially British. It was a lot of fun and endlessly entertaining, and eased my concerns that it would be dull. Considering how much derivative drivel is crowding the fantasy shelves, I felt the story was completely original in its approach and setting....more
The Yiddish Policemen's Union: Larger-than life characters overwhelm noir plot Originally posted at Fantasy Literature I knew I would eventually get aroThe Yiddish Policemen's Union: Larger-than life characters overwhelm noir plot Originally posted at Fantasy Literature I knew I would eventually get around to this book. How can one resist? An alternate history about the US resettling European Jews to Alaska to escape the Holocaust, in a world in which Germany defeated the Soviet Union, Berlin was destroyed by nuclear weapons in 1946, and Israel was destroyed in 1948 in a different version of the Arab-Israeli War. Michael Chabon uses this setting for a hard-boiled detective noir story inspired by the works of Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, and Ross Macdonald, and adds the most colorful, ironic, and over-the-top narrative voice I’ve read in years. The audiobook is narrated expertly by actor Peter Riegert, who grew up in a Jewish neighborhood outside New York and whose resume includes two years on The Sopranos. He handles the colorful literary chutzpah of Chabon’s prose without embellishment and with cool competence.
Chabon revels in all aspects of Jewish culture, both what can be viewed as stereotypes or treasured cultural traits, along with classic detective noir, alcoholic self-destructive cops, sinister and yet comical mob bosses, chess geniuses that may also be the Messiah, Native American tribes, and the cold inhospitable backdrop of the Alaskan coastline itself. It’s a very eclectic and enticing stew with different flavors battling for supremacy, and for that reason will not be to everyone’s taste, but nobody would deny is unique and memorable. There is also a copious amount of Yiddish terms that add yet another layer of flavors to an already heady concoction, so have your web glossary handy.
I won’t describe the plot in detail since others have done that already. Rather, I’d like to include some of my favorite quotes from the book, because they are frankly what gives the book its character, rather than the plot itself. In fact, while I really liked the writing most of the time, it sometimes completely overwhelmed the story. Strip out the colorful, larger-than-life character descriptions and alternate history backdrop, and the noir mystery isn’t really that memorable. So the charm is in the telling, and as far as that goes, Chabon certainly doesn’t hold back. Whether you find it incredibly brilliant, charming but overbearing, or just too much really depends on your literary preferences. I felt all three at times, so I gave it 3 stars overall. Here are some memorable passages that will help you decide if this book is for you.
The main character, detective Meyer Landsman:
“He has the memory of a convict, the balls of a fireman, and the eyesight of a housebreaker. When there is crime to fight, Landsman tears around Sitka like a man with his pant leg caught on a rocket. It's like there's a film score playing behind him, heavy on the castanets. The problem comes in the hours when he isn't working, when his thoughts start blowing out the open window of his brain like pages from the blotter. Sometimes it takes a heavy paperweight to pin them down.”
Landsman’s estranged ex-wife and fellow detective, Bina Gelbfish:
“You have to look at Jews like Bina Gelbfish, to explain the wide range and persistence of the race. Jews who carry their homes in an old cowhide bag, on the back of a camel, in the bubble of air at the center of their brains. Jews who land on their feet, hit the ground running, ride out the vicissitudes, and make the best of what falls to hand, from Egypt to Babylon, from Minsk Gubernya to the district of Sitka. Methodological, organised, persistent, resourceful, prepared... A mere re-drawing of borders, a change in governments, those things can never faze a Jewess with a good supply of hand wipes in her bag.”
The most powerful mob boss in Sitka, Alaska:
Rabbi Heskel Shpilman is a deformed mountain, a giant ruined desert, a cartoon house with the windows shut and the sink left running. A little kid lumped him together, a mob of kids, blind orphans who never laid eyes on a man. They clumped the dough of his arms and legs to the dough of his body, then jammed his head down on top. A millionaire could cover a Rolls-Royce with the fine black silk-and-velvet expanse of the rebbe’s frock coat and trousers. It would require the brain strength of the eighteen greatest sages in history to reason through the arguments against and in favor of classifying the rebbe’s massive bottom as either a creature of the deep, a man-made structure, or an unavoidable act of God.
Some hard-boiled noir description of a greasy spoon in town:
The hidden master of the Filipino-style Chinese donut is Benito Taganes, proprietor and king of the bubbling vats at Mabuhay. Mabuhay, dark, cramped, invisible from the street, stays open all night long. It drains the bars and cafes after hours, concentrates the wicked and the guilty along its chipped Formica counter, and thrums with the gossip of criminals, policemen, shtarkers and shlemiels, whores and night owls. With the fat applauding in the fryers, the exhaust fans roaring, and the boom box blasting the heartsick kundimans of Benito’s Manila childhood, the clientele makes free with their secrets. A golden mist of kosher oil hangs in the air and baffles the senses. Who could overhear with ears full of KosherFry and the wailing of Diomedes Maturan?
On the Messiah:
“But there was always a shortfall, wasn't there? Between the match that the Holy One, blessed be He, envisioned and the reality of the situation under the chuppah. Between commandment and observance, heaven and earth, husband and wife, Zion and Jew. They called that shortfall 'the world.' Only when Messiah came would the breach be closed, all separations, distinctions, and distances collapsed. Until then, thanks be unto His Name, sparks, bright sparks, might leap across the gap, as between electric poles. And we must be grateful for their momentary light.” ...more
11/22/63: Time Travel, Romance, and Suspense in the Camelot Years Stephen King is far more than a horror writer, and this foray into time travel to go 11/22/63: Time Travel, Romance, and Suspense in the Camelot Years Stephen King is far more than a horror writer, and this foray into time travel to go back to 1958 and wait around to prevent Lee Harvey Oswald from assassinating JFK in Dallas on 11/22/63 is a really great concept, as it gives King a chance to explore the romance and rose-colored glasses that Baby Boomers invariably don when then think back to "what if?" JFK had lived, and whether Vietnam and the race riots would not have happened. If America would have been a better place led by the charismatic JFK. The answer, without giving anything away, is "it's not that simple, of course".
Despite the considerable length of the book (850 pages), I found it compulsively listenable, much moreso than the overrated The Stand, but with much more sympathetic characters than the nasty ones in Under the Dome. The key is the protagonist Jake Epping, an everyman who finds himself with the opportunity to change a pivotal moment in US and world history, an enticing concept that has been explored many times before, but King puts several unique conditions on his time travel conceit, namely that he is transported back to the same moment in 1958, but the most important factor is the blurb on the book "when you try to change the past, the past fights back". That's a new one, and provides a reason why he can't just go back, find Oswald, plug him in the head, and be done with it. In fact, the past kicks up every possible obstacle to prevent significant deviations, which is definitely a clever twist, even though it seems implausible. Perhaps the time stream is resistant to change, but would it actively create obstacles to get in your way of making changes? How would it know or anticipate you trying to change things? Surely it's not sentient?
In any case, the bulk of the middle section of the book involves Jake settling down in the small Texas town of Jodie, and going back to high school teaching English as he did in 2011, and meeting a pretty librarian named Sadie. Their romance was surprisingly sweet, filled with a lot of nostalgia for a less complicated life in small town America, but with its own dark places, such as domestic violence and racism.
Then the story picks back up as Jack arranges to spy on Oswald, watches as he beats his Russian wife regularly, and struggles to reconcile his admiration for Communism for his failure in capitalist America. The ugly side of the American dream is on full display here to counterbalance the nostalgia for a "better" time. And the tension builds steadily over the final few hundred pages as Jake prepares to stop Oswald and be certain he is Lone Gunman, with the hopes that JFK will create a better world.
He does find the answer to this, as will the reader, but I'll leave that for you to discover if you haven't already....more
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