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This book is an EPIC -- it covers decades of time but boy is it a worthwhile read, so give yourself some time to grow to love these characters.
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" I have been hearing such wonderful things and reading such amazing reviews of Margaret Atwood's latest novel The Year of the Flood, that I finally dec...moreI have been hearing such wonderful things and reading such amazing reviews of Margaret Atwood's latest novel The Year of the Flood, that I finally decided to read her previous book Oryx and Crake. Atwood is not just a fiction writer, she is a poet, and her words grab the reader from the very beginning and take us on a journey of incredible characters and thought-provoking ideas.
Like her classic, The Handmaid's Tale, (which was adapted into a film starring Natasha Richardson, Faye Dunaway, Aidan Quinn, Elizabeth McGovern, Victoria Tennant, and Robert Duvall), Oryx and Crake takes place in a dystopian future. (The Year of the Flood is a sequel of sorts, told from the point of view of different characters.)
Atwood describes these novels as speculative fiction rather than science fiction, arguing that her tales are speculations on the dangerous directions being taken by our current societies. These novels about the future are not about intergalactic space combat or other-planetary alien creatures. Rather, they deal with all too identifiable human flaws and situations, with religious and social ideology evolving to frightening extremes. It's not a big leap to imagine the scary events in these novels taking place in the not-too-distant future.
In Oryx and Crake, the story unfolds through the eyes and memory of Snowman, who has seen the world digress into a hellish place, with genetically altered animals like glow-in-the-dark rabbits and hybrids of wolves and pigs that have all broken through their original laboratory constraints and are now part of the new environment. Snowman might be the last imperfect human being left, with only new, green-eyed test-tube people roaming the Earth.
To give more away would be the ultimate example of spoiling a terrific plot that unfolds enticingly page after page. Readers should discover on their own all about Snowman's past, the identities of Crake and Oryx, the details of the brutal world that is the novel's setting. They will not be disappointed.
The novels stand on their own but richly complement each other. Check them out if you haven't already. (less)"
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One of the books I’m reading this summer is Anathem by Neal Stephenson. It’s not exactly a typical paperback book you’d see people casually reading on the beach. Like a lot of Stephenson’s other speculative fiction, it’s a dense, challenging novel – ...moreOne of the books I’m reading this summer is Anathem by Neal Stephenson. It’s not exactly a typical paperback book you’d see people casually reading on the beach. Like a lot of Stephenson’s other speculative fiction, it’s a dense, challenging novel – not the kind of book that you’ll read once in a few hours and toss, never to read again. Rather, it’s a brilliantly written story that will reward repeat visits by readers over and over again.
Stephenson makes it clear in a preface to his tale that Anathem is not set on Earth. This is not an alternate history or a future vision, it’s another world – a planet called Arbre. Since Stephenson writes in English, he uses amalgamations of words we’re familiar with to create new words to describe elements of the world he’s created. It becomes a wonderful act of discovery for the reader as seemingly familiar but new words pop up, their meaning revealed by the context, by the glossary sprinkled throughout the story, and by the author’s skill in sparking our interest to pay attention.
There are plenty of reviews online if you’re interested in a plot description, but honestly, the joy of a novel like this is the revelation that occurs as each page is turned. Everything you need to know can be obtained from the description on the book’s cover sleeve and Stephenson’s forward. Daring readers can even tackle the story without knowing anything at all, and just let everything unfold. As I mentioned, it’s the kind of speculative fiction that will just get better and better every time you reread it. Not too many other stories can claim the same thing.
My favorite Stephenson novels are probably his most mainstream: Snow Crash and Zodiac. But his other books are also recommended and worth the time to read: The Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon, The Big U, In the Beginning was the Command Line, and his magnum opus, The Baroque Cycle, which includes Quicksilver, The Confusion, and The System of the World.
As much as I’ve enjoyed the others, Anathem is probably the best of the bunch. For a cool teaser trailer to whet your appetite for the book even more (yes, they make coming attraction trailers for books now) click here.(less)
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I've always considered myself a spiritual man. As a Roman Catholic, I've experienced moments in my life that have tested my faith. Yet, the more I examine the beliefs that have shaped my life, the more questions that have popped up, and the more answ...moreI've always considered myself a spiritual man. As a Roman Catholic, I've experienced moments in my life that have tested my faith. Yet, the more I examine the beliefs that have shaped my life, the more questions that have popped up, and the more answers I've struggled with, the stronger it seems my faith grows.
Jesus Interrupted by Bart D. Ehrman -- One of the agnostic voices out there is Mr. Ehrman, and even though fundamentalists have vilified him for allegedly trying to convert people to abandon their beliefs, I love reading his well-thought out and researched books because he encourages people to examine what they believe. Much of what is in this book I had already learned from my Jesuit teachers at Fordham and from my own independent studies, but I still recommend people read it and draw their own conclusions.(less)
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"We tell lies when we are afraid... afraid of what we don't know, afraid of what others will think, afraid of what will be found out about us. But every time we tell a lie, the thing that we fear grows stronger." -- Tad Williams
One of my favorite m...more"We tell lies when we are afraid... afraid of what we don't know, afraid of what others will think, afraid of what will be found out about us. But every time we tell a lie, the thing that we fear grows stronger." -- Tad Williams
One of my favorite modern speculative fiction writers is Tad Williams. Best known for his groundbreaking fantasy series Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, I first discovered his writing by reading his equally impressive science fiction series Otherland.
I'm a big fan of myths and fairytales, and through his Otherland saga, Williams was able to play with mythic elements from a broad range of worlds. The premise, in which children become comatose after exploring a dangerous virtual reality and the protagonist Rene Sulaweyo starts a quest to find the cause, allows Williams to throw his characters in any environment, any scene, any situation that his imagination can conjure up.
Many of those environments are inspired by classic literary works by H.G. Wells, L. Frank Baum, Lewis Carroll, and others. Williams then takes those familiar motifs from Wonderland, Oz, Homer's Odyssey in Ancient Greece, and more, and twists them into something fresh and unpredictable.
The story begins in City of Golden Shadow as we're introduced to the diverse characters, (my favorites include Renie, her dad Long Joseph, and !Xabbu) who begin their journey to unravel the mystery. It continues in River of Blue Fire as the characters look for answers and are thrust from one outlandish reality to the next, each with its own unique dangers...and clues. In the third book, Mountain of Black Glass, the conspiracy starts to get fleshed out more as we learn more about Felix Jongleur and the Grail Brotherhood who created this cyber realm in an attempt to achieve eternal life. The series concludes with Sea of Silver Light as all the characters and subplots merge in an epic and satisfying climax.
The characters are memorable, from Orlando Gardiner, the young, physically challenged boy who becomes a warrior in the Otherland, to the psychopathic assassin who calls himself Dread. Even when Tad Williams' plot seems to be growing out of control, as many serial fantasies seem to do, he manages to rein it back in.
I'm excited to hear that Otherland will be made into a game (a "Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game" to be precise). Tad Williams is keeping busy with another Shadowmarch novel coming out and a new book co-written with Deborah Beale titled The Dragons of Ordinary Farm. You can also check out some of his earlier tales, like Tailchaser's Song and Caliban's Hour. I think you won't be disappointed.(less)
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
One of my favorite m...more"We tell lies when we are afraid... afraid of what we don't know, afraid of what others will think, afraid of what will be found out about us. But every time we tell a lie, the thing that we fear grows stronger." -- Tad Williams
One of my favorite modern speculative fiction writers is Tad Williams. Best known for his groundbreaking fantasy series Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, I first discovered his writing by reading his equally impressive science fiction series Otherland.
I'm a big fan of myths and fairytales, and through his Otherland saga, Williams was able to play with mythic elements from a broad range of worlds. The premise, in which children become comatose after exploring a dangerous virtual reality and the protagonist Rene Sulaweyo starts a quest to find the cause, allows Williams to throw his characters in any environment, any scene, any situation that his imagination can conjure up.
Many of those environments are inspired by classic literary works by H.G. Wells, L. Frank Baum, Lewis Carroll, and others. Williams then takes those familiar motifs from Wonderland, Oz, Homer's Odyssey in Ancient Greece, and more, and twists them into something fresh and unpredictable.
The story begins in City of Golden Shadow as we're introduced to the diverse characters, (my favorites include Renie, her dad Long Joseph, and !Xabbu) who begin their journey to unravel the mystery. It continues in River of Blue Fire as the characters look for answers and are thrust from one outlandish reality to the next, each with its own unique dangers...and clues. In the third book, Mountain of Black Glass, the conspiracy starts to get fleshed out more as we learn more about Felix Jongleur and the Grail Brotherhood who created this cyber realm in an attempt to achieve eternal life. The series concludes with Sea of Silver Light as all the characters and subplots merge in an epic and satisfying climax.
The characters are memorable, from Orlando Gardiner, the young, physically challenged boy who becomes a warrior in the Otherland, to the psychopathic assassin who calls himself Dread. Even when Tad Williams' plot seems to be growing out of control, as many serial fantasies seem to do, he manages to rein it back in.
I'm excited to hear that Otherland will be made into a game (a "Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game" to be precise). Tad Williams is keeping busy with another Shadowmarch novel coming out and a new book co-written with Deborah Beale titled The Dragons of Ordinary Farm. You can also check out some of his earlier tales, like Tailchaser's Song and Caliban's Hour. I think you won't be disappointed.(less)
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