I cannot think - I can only respond as the string of a violin quivers under the drawing of a bow. This is prose so voluptuo...more Ah! This writer is sublime.
I cannot think - I can only respond as the string of a violin quivers under the drawing of a bow. This is prose so voluptuous that no amount of imagery, sumptuous, voluminous, sensuous or rapturous can even begin to describe the delights of this book.
Literature only reaches the utmost limit of its seductiveness when it gives occasion for jealousy - not the petty feelings that constitute envy of one writer for another, but the searing, tumultuous emotion that demands withholding its beauty and wonder from the eyes of all other readers.
No. Those three stars are because this book has not read me. This book is utterly, if adroitly, contrived. It is belletristic masturbation of astoundi...moreNo. Those three stars are because this book has not read me. This book is utterly, if adroitly, contrived. It is belletristic masturbation of astounding proportions.
The three stars are an acknowledgement of Mr Mitchell's deliberately smug composition....see remainder of review at www.abookwithaview.com and the comments for a raise-the-eyebrows and dimple-the-cheeks discussion.(less)
I saw the movie on the plane (where else) and was frantic to surf the 'net to find out more about it when we landed. I wanted to understand more about...moreI saw the movie on the plane (where else) and was frantic to surf the 'net to find out more about it when we landed. I wanted to understand more about the book, its author, the concepts, and background. Big screen (well, in this case, the small screen on the back of a plane seat) is terrific but ephemeral, whereas with a book I have time for distractions, cogitation, re-reading (and checking things on the net!). You might argue that I can fiddle with 'Pause', 'Rewind', 'Forward' and (several iterations later) 'Play', but this tends to have the undesirable effect of tossing me out of my utterly physiological entrapment within the film. The beauty of a book is that it is really all in my head! And that's what I would like to discuss here.
Chris Nolan's treatment of the book was brilliant, precisely because of the medium; fast-paced, fore-shadowing, and with a judicious and welcome lack of gratuitous violence and special effects. But it doesn't do justice to the subject matter that Chris Priest wanted to, and effectively did, explore.
Priest's book is a marvel no less worthy precisely because it is a book! The book is written in three parts, each part representing one of the three elements of a magic act, and each part cleverly reflects the nature of the element it represents (bear that in mind when reading nay-sayers who think the opening setting is irrelevant). Nolan did condense parts of the book and the condensation works perfectly in a movie. Priest's original material is able to play with the nature of a magic act in a way Nolan could not, because of the shortening required for a screenplay.
Nolan made an emotional grab for the guts with the motivation he set up for the characters - and that is also a function of the medium. A film doesn't have the luxury of time that a book does. Priest's book, on the other hand, delves much more in the psychology of its protagonists without a quickly discernible (and emotionally acceptable) cause-and-effect providing the basis for the competition between the two magicians.
The book's haunting ending achieves a level of ambiguity the movie fails to translate (and Nolan is known for his lack of black-and-white, cut-and-dried endings). Images from the film still sit with me, but scenes from the book that I have imagined myself resonate far longer, and with far many more questions.
I think it is probably better at this point to recommend reading the book (keeping in mind that it is a book and the film is a successful adaptation) than saying anything else, because even if you have seen the movie, the book is sufficiently different that I would have to start on the path to spoilerdom. And this is a novel which deserves the innocence of an audience waiting in anticipation for the curtain to rise.(less)
A small piece of background is probably useful before plunging into the review 'proper'.
Caris (I've moved from Mr O'Malley to the more familiar term a...moreA small piece of background is probably useful before plunging into the review 'proper'.
Caris (I've moved from Mr O'Malley to the more familiar term at his invitation) and I became acquainted during the manic month known as NaNoWriMo, he as the die-hard spewer of the requisite 1667 words per day, I as the innocent reviewer of said words. It wasn't really a match made in heaven, since he specialises in a level of violence which makes Tarantino seem like Peter Pan's Wendy on a bad hair day (think Pulp Fiction where Travolta blows the brains out of someone, blood spraying everywhere and messing up the car rear window multiplied by a factor of infinity), and my reading tastes tend to coincide with those of a young middle-grader. The one scene in his Clownstory where we connected was when the hand of his hero/protagonist welded itself to a knife. As a serious and critical reviewer, I asked whether he was intending that the protagonist's other hand should also weld to the knife, thus making 'our hero' a completely hands-on dispatcher of insane clowns. As it turned out, I'm given to understand the suggestion had merit, but related little to the underlying theme of violent television programs, thus the protagonist served the purpose better by having his other hand make irreversible contact with an idiot box, before proceeding to nullify said clowns.
We briefly colluded on his review thread of Mykle Hansen's Ethical Cannibals where he promised to complete a collaborative project with Mr Hansen as a Part II entitled How to Assemble the Perfect People Taco. The conception was Caris' reading this break-through author, who, in lamenting the overlap with his own work, forms the basis for beginning this review. Caris' idea was given further credibility when acclaimed activist K.I. Hope, described it as "the best idea in the history of literature."
Which left us both at an impasse. Caris' imagination clearly attracted my own. So, in a moment of supreme sensibility he crafted the The Egg Said Nothing - Puppy Version, which I will now proceed to review.
We have a number of different interpretations which can be placed upon this novel. A well-received existentialist explanation defies description. In the same vein, although somewhat more pragmatic, if a little phlegmatic, this reviewer noted many boxes had been ticked and approved the psychic aspect of The Egg Said Nothing.
At least once, a reader felt so removed from his own reality as to envision himself falling asleep at the wheel in order to remain 'at one' with the book. The lack of spelling mistakes also indicates the depth of meaning this book can inspire.
The existence of the Egg itself could be said to have sparked controversy. What is its true meaning? Is it, in fact, a metaphor for gender roles? Does it signify the potential for developing a nesting instinct? Is it an analogy for a future in which both sexes will reproduce?
In ending this review, which has attempted to explain the fundamental temporal and mannyfold premise upon which this novel is built, let us return to K.I. Hope, who provides a lucid metaphysical deconstruction repeated elsewhere, mirroring the coda of The Egg Said Nothing.
If you've noticed the tags I've chosen for this book, you're probably wondering if I've made a mistake about the book I think I'm reviewing. A book wh...moreIf you've noticed the tags I've chosen for this book, you're probably wondering if I've made a mistake about the book I think I'm reviewing. A book which should be in its early stages of causing a tsunami in its effects on the way we view sentience. Let those tags be your guide.
A full-disclosure clause, because although I don't know the author, I'm the person about whom she is writing. That's how I feel every day of my life, in my mind, in my reality, as another sentient entity.
To explain the last sentence would mean I have to 'spoiler' my review. So I won't do it except by saying that, in further full-disclosure, I'm not going to read the entirety of this book. Because the reality that Ms Hope describes is what I experience every day, in my mind, when I observe my other fellow sentients, from whom I feel hopelessly, ineluctably estranged. It is a suffering too harsh to bear in the written word as well as in my daily existence.
You'll have to read the book for yourself to understand why Ms Hope has so brilliantly captured what it feels like to be a sentient entity unrecognised.(less)
This is a long novel, with plenty of twists and turns. The intricate nature of the plot and some of the subject material of this book resemble The Bou...moreThis is a long novel, with plenty of twists and turns. The intricate nature of the plot and some of the subject material of this book resemble The Bourne Identity, Tom Clancy's works or Stieg Larsson's Millenium trilogy. So if you're a fan of corporate and international espionage, techno-bio thrillers with a sci-fi feel, apocalypse, races-against-the-clock, quirky-but-fun characters, this is for you.
The plot kept me reading - where was it going, how was it going to be resolved. Some of the characters were obvious, but remained believable. There were a couple of glaring plot devices eg deus ex machina, towards the end, and the end itself felt very rushed, almost as it the author had gotten the whole drama of his chest, and wanted to call it a day. This jerked around suspension of disbelief - but it was so late in the book as to make no difference.
Why I wouldn't give it more stars is because the version I read is an older one. The author has just signed (congratulations) a contract with Underland Press, and a good editor will smooth out the rough edges and pull out some unnecessary scenes (and hopefully insist on a few new ones towards the end of the book). The foreign language use in the book is often incorrect, and this needs attention in the upcoming hard/soft editions. However, I don't think these caveats should put you off reading the book.
Other reviews mention the 'techie' nature of the book. I'm neither a scientist nor a computer geek, and the few instances of hard-core heavy-duty bioscience/computerspeak aren't enough to label this book 'just-for-the-nerds'. I rather admired the author for the research he had undertaken and the ease with which he pulled the various disciplines together.
There's minimal use of coarse language and violence, the latter is not described ad nausaeum, which I appreciate.
The bottom line: if this book had been written by a better-known author, more people would be reading it. Go ahead and buy a copy - you'll be entertained.(less)
Sherlock is lost on the plane! The culprits are identified (and harangued) but can our intrepid lost baggage service locate the missing collection!?!?...moreSherlock is lost on the plane! The culprits are identified (and harangued) but can our intrepid lost baggage service locate the missing collection!?!?! Watch this space.
A very enjoyable romp through a bygone London. Lots of lovely ideas to plagiarise if I had any inkling (or aspiration) to be a crime writer. Really, Conan Doyle should be included in creative writers' courses.(less)
Sometimes a little slow going. But you just can't go past all those lovely plots. Such a pity technology these days renders most of Doyle's twists and...moreSometimes a little slow going. But you just can't go past all those lovely plots. Such a pity technology these days renders most of Doyle's twists and turns obsolete.(less)
This is not a book for Da Vinci fans. But if you like a more leisurely journey of discovery, with Italian art, history, and a good rendition of the tw...moreThis is not a book for Da Vinci fans. But if you like a more leisurely journey of discovery, with Italian art, history, and a good rendition of the twisted interplay between village and state politics, as the focus, as seen through the eyes of a reluctant heroine, you will find this book entertaining.(less)
This novel is one of those which could come carrying a warning label: "flammatory material", or a back cover blurb including: "no liability accepted f...moreThis novel is one of those which could come carrying a warning label: "flammatory material", or a back cover blurb including: "no liability accepted for wanton acts of a prurient nature."
Kushiel's Dart is fantasy without the Elves, Dwarves etc, a pseudo mediaeval and feudal Europe in which each character claims allegiance to one of the ruling gods. It also constitutes soft/hard-core pornography of various persuasions, and is laced with scenes of brutal savagery - the heroine is delightfully relieved of her skin by a tribe of hunters.
There's mystery and murder, minus the magic, politics between the monarchy and the ruling houses, espionage as well as traditional romance - even though the triangle angle has now been rendered old geometry, this book precedes the current fashion of threesomes and a heroine besieged with choice. In the case of Kushiel's Dart, at least the premise for such a construction is better founded than other works of fiction that don't require naming.
Is it tightly paced, action packed reading? I'm not sure, but I don't think so. I found it difficult to see the trees for the...ah...purple forest. I finished (by skimming chunks) of the book, and have no interest in the series. Running the gauntlet of human experiment has never really turned me on.(less)
UPDATE: I was very saddened to read this Guardian article about Golding's manipulation of the classroom as a means to inform this work. Here is the di...more UPDATE: I was very saddened to read this Guardian article about Golding's manipulation of the classroom as a means to inform this work. Here is the dichotomy between contextual analysis and the reading of a book in isolation. It's of no consequence to anyone but me that my previous rating is reduced to no stars, but a writer searching for plot events or people on which to base characters has a moral obligation, particularly when dealing with children, not to indulge in the seductive siren call to experience an authenticity in life with the intent of reproducing it on the page. It's one thing to write a book on previous experiences garnered as the unconscious evolution and transition from state of naivete to worldliness, it's another, and entirely reprehensible, to create situations for the purpose of observation and recording and insertion in a novel, without the consent and knowledge of the subjects forming the experiment. Worse, Golding's work has been lauded as commentary on the nature of political and social structures, as I mentioned in my review proper. That he used school children, innocent of and incapable of denying his intent, constitutes no less of an emotional dishonesty than that to which I have ascribed other authors, indeed the one to whose work I have compared his.
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