Yup, it's time for another run down of the books I've read this year. I think I'm doing better at reading, lately, as I've really gotten more into it. I'm not sure what's changed, but I'm actually looking forward to reading more than I have in the last several years. In any case, I've got another stack of books to cover, so let's get into it!
by Frank Herbert
So after I was blown away by the movie, I decided it was time to revisit this classic sci-fi novel. As I've said before, I had read it and loved it in high school, but that was longer ago than I care to admit, and I wanted to know if the book itself still held up. I ended up spending many a night listening to Hans Zimmer's amazing soundtrack and reading chapter after chapter, and in just over a month, I had finished it, happy to know that it did retain its powerful storytelling and world building after all this time.
The book is practically a classic, so summarizing its story might be unnecessary, especially now that a big motion picture has been made of its first half. Still, it's a very compelling read as we see Paul lose everything around him, only to crawl back up to power through the austere and aboriginal Fremen society and the potential of his Chosen One influence. It's definitely the kind of book that really sinks in the atmosphere and culture (though, one wonders if it isn't partially a consequence of a psychedelic spice being a prominent element, lending it a distinct 60's vibe).
If there is a problem with it, I'd say that the ending almost feels rushed. The rest of this book has this rather deliberate pacing, even during the great betrayal that sends Paul and his mother into the desert. However, as Paul rises to lead the Fremen against the evil Harkonnens and their imperial backers, the story starts to accelerate, resulting in a kind of throne-room melodrama where all the loose ends suddenly get tied up in a hurry. It's a thrilling surge to experience, but without any kind of denouement, it feels like it rises and then just stops mid-thrill.
Of course, there are sequels, and maybe the story carries on that level of intensity from the start of the next one, but we'll see when I get to that. However, there are plans to adapt the next book into a film once the second half of Dune is done, so maybe I'll read it in anticipation for that. In any case, this sci-fi classic remains exactly that, and its influence is pretty apparent, with the dense world-building and imaginative rearranging of human culture and religion. Highly recommended, if the movie didn't sell you on it before.
by John le Carré
I think I've mentioned before that I picked up a ton of books at my local library's booksales, and one of which was a big, hardback collection of three John le Carré novels, of which this is the first. After having enjoyed both the film and the older TV series for Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, and seeing that this book was part of that continuity, I figured I'd dive back into the gritty, grey-moralistic world of Cold War espionage.
At first, I was surprised to learn that George Smiley has very little to do with the novel (though he does show up), as it followed a different British spy by the name of Alex Leamas. After seeing nothing but failure in his efforts in East Germany due to an enemy spy named Mundt, Leamas's superior convinces him to take one last mission before he retires to take out Mundt once and for all. Leamas suddenly gets demoted, goes to pot, picks up a drinking habit, and is let go, only to work for a small library for a while. From there, he gets picked up by Communist German spies, asking Leamas to defect and become a source of counter-intelligence, which is all part of Leamas's plan. Or least, so Leamas thinks. From there, the tale begins to spin, and while it may seem like things are working, it doesn't take long to realize there is much more going on than what is immediately apparent.
The tone is surprisingly dry. All the descriptions are very matter-of-fact, giving the book a very terse, clinical feel. It's definitely different from the flowery prose of the fantasy or sci-fi I've been reading, but it serves the story and its themes very well. There's nothing flashy, there's barely any fight scenes, and it really reads more like a mystery novel. The result is a book about the sheer tedium and blasé nature of spy work, where it's all done for its own sake. Any attempt at morals, like honesty and loyalty, is abandoned for the sake of sheer survival and job security, maintaining a system for appearance's sake at the cost of the innocence and lives of those used as pawns in the process.
It's definitely a stark book, but it was a compelling read, as the tension slowly but satisfyingly builds until its all brought to a head. The ending was pretty sudden, as the floor drops from our characters, rushing them to a dramatic and dour ending. Still, I think it was a solid read, with its deliberate pacing and procedural approach to spy work that contrasts well to the over-the-top adventurous nature of more popular spy-based fiction.
by Margret Weis and Tracy Hickman
After finishing the DragonLance Chronicles Trilogy last year, I thought I would carry on through to the sequel Legends trilogy of books. Despite being aware of them, I had never read them before, so I was eager to dive right back into the world of Krynn and follow the Heroes of the Lance once more. Unfortunately, this series isn't quite as good as the Chronicles were.
Part of the problem is a narrowing of focus. While that isn't necessarily a bad thing, it does mean that fewer characters carry the story, resulting in a lot of time spent with them. Unfortunately, the characters we're left with just aren't that interesting. First are the titular twins, Caramon and Raistlin. While they were a solid corner of the party in the Chronicles trilogy, they're given a lot more time to explore their relationship and circumstances. However, this mainly means we see Caramon waver back and forth between wanting to save his brother or wanting to kill him. Raistlin also feels rather flat, switching between his ambitions and the "temptation" of love. There's an attempt at making him something of an anti-hero, but it never feels very relatable. Of course, the annoying kender Tasslehoff comes along as well. I've never been a big fan of this character, so seeing more of him wasn't exactly great. The new main character was the lady Crysania, a nobleman's daughter who abandoned her wealth to become a holy cleric. However, her own ambitions compel her to stop Raistlin, only to fall in love him, which just ends up being a part of Raistlin's manipulative plans. While she does have a decent story arc, it's hard not to pity her as she seems to continually be at the mercy of the plot, only really having a character as it relates to the twins.
The result of all this is a pretty cheesy and filler-laden soap opera, as we see our characters hop through time as Raistlin's plans come together. While it was neat to see what Istar was like before the Cataclysm, and the dwarven hero Kharas was pretty cool, most of these books simply fill their pages with pretty mediocre plotting. And with the characters so emotionally wrenched by their circumstances and decisions, it tends become a slog. Honestly, this probably could have been pared down to a single novel.
Still, it was kinda fun to catch up with the characters after the last trilogy, and the ending does have some decent closure, when it finally comes together. However, I can't say I really enjoyed these very much. I don't know when I'll come back to the world of Krynn, but I know there are plenty of novels ahead of me to check out.
by Homer (Translated by Samuel Butler and edited by Louise R. Loomis for the Classics Club collection)
During this year, I suddenly felt the desire to read the Iliad, as it is one of the original epics. I was kinda familiar with the story, but I had never read it as a book before, so I grabbed the version I had (noted above), and started working my way through it. It certainly was a tough read, as it took me quite a bit of time, but in the end, it was certainly an epic experience.
Starting at the end of the Trojan war, Achilles learns that he has been robbed by the King Agamemnon, who is leading the Greek armies against the Trojans, and in his anger, Achilles abandons the battlefield. From there, the Greeks struggle as the Trojans advance nearly to their ships, largely because the Trojans are led by Hector, son of the king of Troy. It isn't until Achilles' friend Petroclus dies in battle at the hand of Hector that he returns to the battlefield and gets his revenge. After killing Hector, he drags his body around Petroclus's grave, then later gives up Hector's body at the behest of Hector's father Priam so that it can be buried by the Trojans as a hero. Strangely, the book doesn't cover the end of the war, simply cutting off at Hector's funeral.
I really had no idea what to expect going in, so there were a lot of things that really stood out to me. First of all was the grand speeches that seemed to happen on a regular basis from many different characters, usually full of grand boasts and words of courage for their fellow soldiers. Second was the involvement of the Greek pantheon of gods. Many times, these gods would interfere with the battle, supporting one side or undermining the other, and often trying to get in each other's way. Third was the very details descriptions of the deaths of the soldiers, discussing how the weapons killed them with clinical detail. Fourth was how often these soldiers' backstories would suddenly be explained, discussing their parentage or lands of origin, making it feel like a genealogical record at times.
When I started, I wasn't quite sure what to make of it, as it was a pretty tedious thing to read, especially with so many run-on sentences. However, as I carried on, I realized I was thinking about it wrong. This wasn't originally written as a novel, but as an spoken poetry performance. You aren't necessarily expected to remember what happened in the previous chapter, to say the rest of the book. Instead, everything is very in-the-moment, where what is said and done now matters so much more. This is why every character has long monologues as they go on about their emotions, and why every battle is vital and intense, as each moment could be life or death.
It's hard to so say anything that's truly comprehensive about the book, as it covers so many different characters and themes. Is it a way to carry on the memories of ancestors? Is it a lesson about passion and self-control? Is it a discussion of the Greek Gods and their influence on humanity? Is it a war tale of great battles fought by great men? Is it all of these things, slowly morphed together over time into a single oral poem? The answers are pretty much left up to the reader to decide. In any case, it certain has had an impact on Western literature and culture, even to this day. I'll probably read the Odyssey at some point, but I think I'll need to be in the right mood for it, now that I have a better idea of what to expect.
by H.G. Wells
Having grown up with Jeff Wayne's rock musical version of this, I thought I was pretty familiar with this story. However, after all these years, I had never actually read the original beyond the first chapter or so. This past October, I decided to really give this a go in the spooky spirit of Halloween. While the language was a little dense, once the story got going and the Martians were wrecking havoc, this turned out to be an ideal, horror-friendly choice.
Starting off with a strange green flash coming from Mars, the story follows our unnamed narrator as he watches the Martian's cylinders land in England, only to devastate the countryside with their Heat Ray and Black Smoke, killing the onlookers, and then chasing after people to collect for their own purposes. Scenes of the horrific aftermath of their destruction aren't graphic, but sufficient to show the terrifying results of dealing with a hostile enemy with significantly superior technology and firepower. While the Kingdom's armies do their best, their cannons and ironclads pale in comparison to Martian's walking machines. However, our narrator survives it all, including the surprising turnaround that provides the alien invaders' true defeat.
The book does a great job of showing what it would be like to lose a war to a power far greater than humanity can comprehend. Not only do the horrors of war seem sudden, but the helplessness associated with it permeates through the book. We see various individual's willpower tested, with some surviving, and others losing to panic and despair, the narrator himself struggling between self-preservation and abandon. It's a pretty harrowing outcome. Even when humanity is "saved," there's a sense of lingering trepidation now that there's proof of alien life on a nearby planet, and that it's hostile.
Despite it's age, the book is still quite readable. While I can now see the various changes that were made for the rock musical I referenced earlier, it still does a great job of retaining the themes and ideas from the book. The novel a bit slow to start, as it feels it has to introduce a lot of details about what is known about Mars, and what could potentially be there, but after the Martians land and the body count starts to rise, the book moves at a pretty good pace through to the end. There's also an incredible sense of place where these events happen. I don't really know all the places Wells chose to name, but I am given the impression that they were real English communities, which probably helped his horrors seem all the real to the first readers of this work. Overall, the book retains it's power and thrills, even after all these years, and is certainly recommended for those willing to have a first-person description of impending obliteration.
by Ray Bradbury
Another spooky read for October, this is one that I've read many years ago in high school, where I fell in love with Bradbury's writing style and sense of the uncanny. However, I had been thinking about re-reading it during the past several Halloweens, and I finally got myself around to it this past year, and it remains as compelling and tantalizing as it ever has.
Taking place the week before Halloween, two boys named Will Halloway and Jim Nightshade see a very strange carnival show up at 3 AM, and while they partake of the wonders, they soon discover that the carnival is filled with horrors that seek to pray upon the people of Green Town. However, who is going to believe the wild stories of a pair of young men, especially when they get framed for robbery? From there, the tale spins, almost nearly out of control at times, before it all comes together in the end.
If there is one thing Bradbury excels at, it is capturing the mindset of a young teenage boy: the energy, the thrills, the wonder, being just old enough to recognize the complexities of the world, but young enough to enjoy it to its fullest extent. Eventually, a third character, Will's middle-aged father Charlie, joins them, and despite his old age, becomes an important part of the story and its themes. While the Dark Carnival certain has a kind of eternal if haunting pleasure, it is defeated by a timeless sense of joy, born from living in the moment with laughter, and no one is too old for laughter.
Throughout the book, Bradbury dazzles with his poetic prose and urgent, action-driven writing, compelling the reader to run beside the boys as they charge off from one moment to the next, going from joy to horror to excitement to panic in mere instances. I always feel satisfied whenever I read Bradbury's stuff, as each page and chapter propels me through the book. This remains one of my favorites of all time, not only because it feels like such a vivid snapshot of another time, but because I think it has some of the best writing in all of the English language. And I know that's saying something!
by Nicholas Eames
After hearing about this book from my father, he let me borrow his copy of it, and I let it collect dust there for a few years. I started it once or twice, but it didn't grab me right away. However, my father insisted that it was quite fun, and so, in my effort to read more, I decided I probably should give this a serious chance, and once I got over that initial hump, discovered that it was a pretty entertaining ride.
In a typical fantasy world that's intentionally reminiscent of a dozen D&D campaign settings, adventuring parties are referred to as "bands." Instead of questing, they "go on tour," and have managers to help them find jobs or "gigs." Before long, you realize that the story is also drawing upon rock music history as much as a Monster Manual, and there are some pretty entertaining references to classic rock bands throughout the book.
The story focuses on one of the "bands" by the name of Saga, who were once the titular "Kings of the Wyld." However, many years ago, a sequence of events cased Saga to break up and go their separate ways (some by force). Now, years later, a former member of Saga named Clay Cooper is living the peaceful life as a city guard and caring for his wife and daughter, when Saga's "front man" Gabriel shows up at his door, explaining that his daughter tried to start her own band, only to end up in the hopelessly besieged city of Castia on the other side of a chaotic forest called the Heartwyld. Clay is reluctant at first, but when he considers that he would do anything to rescue his own daughter, he decides to join Gabe in bringing Saga back together for one last show on the road.
Right off, the harsh language and crude humor make it clear that this isn't The Lord of the Rings. It may not be everyone's cup-of-hot-chocolate (and I admit I wasn't a fan of a lot of it), the humor does a good job of humanizing the characters. Before long, all of their hang-ups come out in the open, and they're bonding like a band once again, making the reader really care about their efforts to save Gabe's daughter and perhaps even the entire world!
However, like I said, it takes a while to get there, as the plot tends to meander about, showing parts of its quirky fusion of the music industry and classic fantasy before things really get going. Once the band is back together and the quest is properly in front of them, the story does pick up, building momentum with each twist and turn. Unfortunately, a few plot threads get lost in the shuffle along the way, but they are largely forgiven by the brisk pacing and well-realized characters.
There is a sequel out already, with a third book coming sometime soon. However, I don't know if I'll be getting back to this series in a hurry, partially because I already have plans for what I want to read next year. Still, if you don't mind a loose interpretation of classic fantasy tropes and an irreverent sense of humor, you may find quite a bit to like with this one.
So that's another year in the books (heh heh). Like I said, I have some plans for what I want to read for the upcoming year, and it looks to be quite a bit of fantasy, both classic and modern. That being said, I won't deny that my mood can shift like the wind and I might find myself picking up something else entirely. A lot can happen in a year, after all.
Still, I enjoy making these articles, as I slowly build them over the course of the year. It's kind of nice to look back and reflect on these books, and I hope you all don't mind me sharing my thoughts on them. The upcoming year may have a lot of variables, but my reading habits are here to stay, and I think that's a good thing.
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