Mark Reece's Blog

Review- Reaper man

Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I enjoyed this novel overall, although I thought that several of the plot points didn't cohere. The idea of 'personified death doesn't want to do its job anymore' has been done elsewhere (most notably in Saramago's Death with interruptions), although curiously, the amount of scenes involving Death seemed small given its centrality to the plot. Pratchett seemed to want to focus on the more lighthearted sequences.

The novel concerns the consequences that result when people are unable to die, including a magical build-up of energy personified by Windle Poons, a wizard whose existence seems more vital after he died.

The humour often felt forced, with the author too heavily reliant on puns and whimsy, when the setup itself provided ample opportunity for comedy. Moreover, the plot too often relied on exposition after long sequences with little relevance to the rest of the story. I enjoyed, and often looked forward to, the scenes involving Death, as that character was more vividly portrayed and interesting than the other characters.

Pratchett had a curious tendency to explain character's actions by referring to their inherent nature; wizards and bogeymen are said to act as they do because they are wizards and bogeymen. I sometimes wondered whether anything more should be read into this other than a pun, which is why I would have liked the story to be more Death focused. As it was, the story was sometimes enjoyable, although felt somewhat shallow.



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Review- A passage to India

A Passage to India by E.M. Forster

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I didn't think this novel was as good as other books I've read by Forster, although it was still highly enjoyable. It is set amongst an Anglo-Indian community at the start of the twentieth century, who, at the start of the book, wish to learn about the 'real India'. As such, several of the British characters are interested in visiting religious or culturally important places. This culminates in a trip to the Murabar caves, organized by Aziz, a Muslim doctor. However, when one of the participants, Adela, accused Aziz of assaulting her, Aziz is put on trial, sparking racial tensions that strain or break the relationships between the British and Indian characters.

As a novel, I didn't think the different sections fully cohered. The start of the novel played out like a social comedy of manners that went on a little too long. The middle of the novel, concerning Aziz's trial, was often fast paced and engagingly written. Although not an action packed book, a lot of incidents carried dramatic force, such as when Fielding, a British official, refuses to believe that his friend Aziz is guilty and is thrown out of his club as a consequence. The story after the trial seemed somewhat superfluous, concentrating on Aziz's move to a Hindu dominated state, which Fielding visits after returning to India.

Although Forster was in some sense of critic of colonialism, and certainly of the racism of colonial officials, and displays an awareness of India's diversity, this is not an anti-colonial book. The Indian characters often feel underdeveloped and flat in comparison to the richness with which the British characters are described. Furthermore, the book is limited by its liberal perspective; the conflicts in the book cannot be resolved satisfactorily because the natives are always portrayed as lacking agency. At the trial, they chant mindlessly; Aziz can only be acquitted by the actions of the good British characters. As such, there is always a air of unreality over the relationships, which is accelerated by an increasingly focus on mysticism in the final section of the book.

These factors meant that the elegance of the writing did not shine quite as brightly as in Forster's novels, although it was apparent often enough for the book to be highly engaging.



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Review- 'Howards End'

Howards End by E.M. Forster

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A really enjoyed this. Forster writes some great dialogue, perfectly capturing the speech of people who regularly speak nonsense in an authoritative tone. In that way, it captures the confidence of the English middle classes in Edwardian Britain.

The novel is in many ways reminiscent of Austen; the social codes restraining the characters are a little more liberal than is seen in an Austen novel but are nevertheless often repressive; a pregnant unmarried woman being enough to cause a scandal. However, the central tension of the book concerns social class. The Schlegel sisters seem to have a minor aristocratic background or at least outlook, with a regular income that means they don't have to work and artistic/political interests that they pursue in a half-hearted and somewhat louche fashion. By contrast, the Wilcox family are distinctly bourgeoise, having many business interests and all round poor taste, as evidenced (for example) by their obsession with cars. A childhood indiscretion ties the fates of the two families ever more closely together while constantly highlighting their differences.

The other family important to the plot are the Basts, who are poorer and feature less frequently, despite their centrality to some of the events. The Basts are less well defined, often little more than caricatures, with the author patronizing them in a similar way that the Schlegels do.

The author seems interested in exploring the idea about how the social classes, as represented by the three families, might live in harmony but has little idea of how this could be conceived, constrained as the novel is by a complacent liberalism that can conceive of political conflict only through the trivialities of the Schlegel’s ‘debates’, which must inevitably give way before the brutal although practical logic of the Wilcoxes. I think this is why the Basts are given so little agency; they cannot be allowed to shape their own fate.

That being said, the characters and conflicts are beautifully drawn, and the book is filled with delightful passages. There is a real sense of excitement late on when Helen Schlegel (the younger sister) unveils a secret that causes the denouement of the book, despite the revelation being mundane to modern readers in its inherent significance. The author regularly draws on pastoral descriptions of England as a gentle lament to the kind of progress being pushed by the Wilcoxes. Given that the Wilcox’s social views are prevalent, the authorial worries about them are often given in mystical terms, in descriptions that often approach magical realism. Forster is an extremely elegant and witty writer who makes the three families the centre of a world that holds a great deal of magic, despite the powerfully described expanding road network that stinks of petrol.

A novel very much of its time but also with hints of eternity; a truly lovely book.



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Review- Gogol's tales, volume two

The Complete Tales of Nikolai Gogol by Nikolai Gogol

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


One of the best short story collections of any time period, this book contains stories in a range of styles that display all of Gogol's talents.

'Taras Bulba' and 'Viy' show several continuities with Gogol's early works, in that they are highly romantic folk tales with a Russian nationalist tone. Taras Bulba is a remarkable story, describing the Cossacks in mythical terms as carousing, hard drinking warriors always ready to fight to the death to protect Russian orthodoxy. The tone is mystical and full of adventure, but contains curiously tender moments, such as when it briefly describes the grief of Taras Bulba's wife when she realises that she cannot do anything to prevent her husband and sons going to war.

These stories contain several crudely antisemitic scenes (which are common across Gogol's works). Such sequences are very naive and often child-like in their depiction of Jewish characters, giving them a startling rather than grotesque tone.

The other stories in this collection are written in Gogol's mature style, which often involves a character experiencing a surreal or supernatural event which is seemingly accepted by everyone he meets, leading to events that are first comic then tragic. Strong tonal shifts heighten the mood, often generating a strong sense of irony. Furthermore, Gogol's characters are often described as grossly mediocre before they display a startling sense of suffering that serves to partially redeem them.

Perhaps the best example of this is 'The overcoat', which tells the story of Akaky Akakievich, who is so simple minded that he thinks of little else other than copying official documents. At first a pathetic caricature, the reader is suddenly encouraged to sympathize with him when he cries out piteously against the bullying of his colleagues. Akaky engages with the world more fully when saving to buy a new overcoat, but his focus also leads to his undoing.

Gogol is a very witty author at times, and several of the comedic scenes are very memorable. One instance I always remember is in 'The nose', in which the protagonist's nose falls off their face and parades around by itself. The protagonist goes to a local newspaper to place an advertisement asking for the return of his nose, only to engage with an obstructive clerk, who tells the character that the newspaper cannot take such advertisements because of the damage to its reputation.

Many of the stories have a striking conservative tone, with the stories warning against obtaining material possessions, and satirizing character who try to change their social rank. However, these themes are inconsistent, with several points where the author portrays sympathy with the difficulties the (typically impoverished) characters find themselves in. It is this dramatic and stylistic tension that make the stories outstanding works of art.



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Review- Mordenkainen's tome of foes

Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes by Wizards of the Coast

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I liked this D&D book, which gave additional information about some of the major conflicts in that world, in addition to a collection of monsters associated with them.

The sections of devils, demons, elves, and dwarfs were compellingly written, with interesting motivations given for the different parties involved. However, I did think that most of the original writing was reserved for those sections, with some of the other material feeling repetitive.

The monster stats blocks provided some welcome variants for encounters with races such as the drow.



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Review- Gogol's tales, volume one

The Complete Tales of Nikolai Gogol by Nikolai Gogol

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The volume mostly comprises Gogol's early tales, although a few of the stories are written more in his later style.

Gogol's early stories are Ukrainian folk tales. The heroes are generally fantasized Cossacks who are hard drinking, constantly fighting, and willing to take up a crazy adventure on the slightest pretext. All the characters are superstitious to an absurd degree, ready to believe that the Devil has taken the form of their relatives when they notice a small detail out of place. Curiously, the Devil portrayed in these stories is usually unthreatening, bumbling when carrying out plans that amount to little more than practical jokes. Furthermore, the Devil or his minions can be foiled by making the sign of the cross when the heroes sees what is happening, making them akin to tricksters and giving the conflict in the stories an absurdist edge.

It is this element of farce that contains the essence of Gogol's style. The often unnerving tone of the stories comes from the fact that there is nothing unusual about people believing in talking animals or that settled life can be upturned in a moment. This is combined with moments of hyper realism, when a character or scene is described with striking detail.

The Arabesque stories more closely resemble Gogol's later style, in that the stories have a fantastic central premise rather than being folkloric fantasy. The Nevsky Prospekt starts with a remarkable description of the street of the same name, which was famous as a commercial district and as an example of modernity. There is both a wondrous fascination of the wealth on display and its concordance cosmopolitanism, combined with a conservative horror of the same things. The street forms the backdrop for a moralistic tale concerning the temptations of vice.

The diary of a madman is the other arabesque story, concerning a civil servant who starts to believe that he is the king of Spain. Wonderfully comedic and tragic by turns, this story contains one of Gogol's other trademark techniques, that of rapid tonal shifts, which heighten the poignancy of the story.

The other noteworthy story is Ivan Fiodorovich Shponka and his Aunt, which demonstrates another Gogolian staple: a comically mediocre man whose inadequacies are horribly revealed. In this instance, the protagonist faces existential horror when his aunt tries to arrange for him to be married (another of Gogol's obsessions).

I really like this edition of the tales, as it includes a table of the civil, military, and court ranks that were in use in the Russian empire at the time of the stories, which provide essential context. The notes are also useful, giving details such as the construction of stoves, which is an obscure but necessary detail to stories where characters regularly climb on stoves to keep warm.

These are remarkable stories, highly original and skillfully constructed.



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Short story accepted

I've recently had a short story accepted by 'Orbis' magazine. 'Large boats' will appear in the next edition of the magazine.

Short story accepted

I've recently had a short story accepted in the latest edition of 'Southlight' magazine.

'The game' will be published in issue 37.

Review- 'Letters to Hitler'.

Letters to Hitler by Henrik Eberle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The letters printed in this book are arranged chronologically, divided into the 'time of struggle' before the Nazis were in power, the pre-war Nazi period, followed by the letters sent to Hitler during the second world war. The introduction and narration provide useful context around the events referred to in the letters, and the increasingly complex bureaucracy that built up around Hitler when he gained power.

I didn't think that the letters added a great deal to the historical understanding of the Third Reich; what I found more interesting was the phycology of the people who took the time to write to Hitler. Putting aside the messages sent from officials and state institutions, the most striking feature that many of the documents highlighted was how completely the authors had misinterpreted the nature of Nazism. Several authors knew enough about politics to have discerned the importance of antisemitism within Nazi Germany, but were still confident that Hitler would soon relax its anti-Jewish policies after the dignity of the Germany people had been restored (in their view). Many of the writers praised Hitler in religious terms, either ignorant or indifferent to the low level harassment that most of the churches were subject to, and to the low regard in which Hitler held Christianity.

Still other authors decided to tell Hitler about their political views or sent him jam before encouraging him to crush Germany's enemies. Presumably, the amount of people who wrote to Hitler was only a small proportion of the population, and not necessarily a representative group. Nevertheless, it is notable how many of the letter writers seemed so naively unaware of the nature of Nazi Germany, despite living in it. This serves as a reminder of how complex politics is, and how much critical thinking is required to analyze social relations, even in a society such as the Third Reich.

Some of the letters had a tragi-comedic tone, especially those sent towards the end of the war, when several authors felt the need to tell Hitler about their idea for wonder weapons, such as destroying allied planes with nets. There felt something almost universal about the need to try to create some degree of control on a situation that was very obviously beyond the ability of the German state to resist, let alone the fantasies of wannabe military engineers.



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Review- A room with a view

A Room with a View by E.M. Forster

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I very much enjoyed this novel. The central character, Lucy, is engaged to the dull Cecil, but cannot quite forget a lower class man she met in Italy, George Emerson.

Lucy's family and group of friends are narrow minded and their snobbery is satirized with subtlety and wit. There are many memorable scenes around Cecil in particular. In one instance, he is described as feeling that:

"... he must lead women, though he knew not whither, and protect them, though he knew not against what."

Despite the confidence of Lucy's group, their behavior and social practices seem absurd in a way that is obliquely evident to the characters themselves. A sense of boredom and fear of losing position is strong amongst them. I could not help but contrast them with depictions of the upper middle classes and minor gentry in nineteenth century authors such as Charlotte Bronte, which were sometimes satirical, but also depicted confidence and dignity. By contrast, when Lucy and Cecil squabble over whether Cecil should play tennis, or when Cecil is boring his friends by reading passages from popular fiction, the reader can only see a social class in decline.

This tendency is further highlighted by the characters' attitudes towards money. Lucy's cousin, Charlotte, is a socially conservative spinster who is shocked by Lucy's interactions with George. However, in one revealing scene, she is desperate to pay back a pound she has borrowed from a member of the group, desperate to avoid the truth that she has financial problems. Embarrassment ensues when the group argues over change, and it seems that Charlotte is too poor at arithmetic to understand what the others are saying. A 'gentlewoman' in an Austen novel who was facing hard times might be forced to become a governess, but would certainly avoid the vulgarity of talking about money in this way. Charlotte's problems highlight the economic uncertainty that is haunting the group, making their snobbery tragic in addition to absurd.

The novel also works well as a romance, with scenes both elegant and awkward involving Lucy, Cecil, and George. There is a strong sense of realism when Lucy decides to become engaged to Cecil, the sensible choice, and a pervasive sense of the ennui that results from a relationship that neither party is quite committed to. It is never obvious who Lucy's final choice will be, meaning that the most straightforward aspect of the plot, a love tangle, always engages the reader.

Overall, 'A room with a view' is a short novel that feels like a weighty novel, in a good way, written with elegancy and grace.



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