Doug Lewars's Blog, page 9

Utopia

Utopia by Thomas More

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

Although this is a work of fiction, I think it would be better classified as philosophy. True, both characters and setting are fictional but the book consists mostly of an exposition of what the author believes would be an ideal society. Modern readers will have encountered most of this before as it reads like a 16th century Marx. There is a bit of satire but one would need to be a historian to fully understand it. For the modern reader there's not much here.



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The Mantis

The Mantis by Kōtarō Isaka

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This was a thriller and a good one although personally I prefer the books in which Ladybug is the protagonist. There are various mentions of events from other books but no real connection. In this one, along with the action involved when a number of assassins set about killing one another, the author sets out to explore the question running through Bullet Train. Hiding behind the excitement is a morality tale. It was sort of interesting but I preferred it when the plot trotted right along. I think if you like this author's works in general, you'll like this one. There is one decidedly unexpected plot twist at about the 2/3 mark. I also quite liked the ending.



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Bullet Train

Bullet Train by Kōtarō Isaka

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This is a good rip-roaring thriller so utterly removed from reality it has comic overtones. A bunch of assassins run up and down a bullet train killing one another is the basic plot. The pacing is fast and the characters are quirky.

Those who wonder if it's worth watching the movie after reading the book have no cause for concern. I watched the movie and about the only thing the two have in common is the title. They're both enjoyable but certainly different.

This is fiction so anything is permissible but there were a couple of scenes which stretched credulity perhaps a bit too far. In any event, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and will move on to the next.



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Hotel Lucky Seven

Hotel Lucky Seven by Kōtarō Isaka

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

If your looking for verisimilitude, choose another book. Likewise if you're looking for character arcs or anything but a wild ride move on. What we have here is a bunch of assassins trying, and frequently succeeding in killing one another in a hotel. There are precious few guests in this hotel so they're able to run around doing bad things without anyone noticing. A cleanup squad carts the bodies away. This book is part thriller but comedy in most respects. The humour lies mostly in the ridiculous nature of the situation but it's amusing nonetheless.

I thoroughly enjoyed it but there were places where I thought the author could have done a bit better. Two of the characters, Pillow and Blanket are assassins but to a large extent they're involved in the cleanup operations. In one scene they received instructions to go to a specific room to remove a body. When they get there they discover not one but four bodies. I would have thought their dismay could have been played for laughs but the author has them merely shrugging and setting about the task of getting the bodies out of the hotel and handed over to some technicians who are in charge of making the disappears. For me, these scene was a wasted opportunity; however, for the most part the story was lively, the action fast, and the absurdity real. If you've read the other books by Kotaro Isaka I think you'll enjoy this one.



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Red Warning

Red Warning by Matthew Quirk

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

I DNFed this book. Part of the problem i think was before reading this, I read two Adam Brookes thrillers and after those, this was just to flat to engage my interest. The prose leaned towards the purple end of the spectrum, the protagonist was far too guild-ridden and I found all the angst merely annoying. I think the author wants to develop his hero's 'character' which is popular among the 60% of readers who focus on character development and regard plot as secondary. One thing bothering me was the lack of professionalism in both the protagonist and the villain. The villain has a bomb planted and a remote control device in his pocket. He has identified our not-so-secret agent. The individual is walking in the correct direction. If he waits a bit and then detonates his device, there's a good chance he'll kill his target. First, he phones him and let's him know he's being stalked. Then he sets of the bomb so as to kill and injure a bunch of innocent people and leave his opponent alive. Somewhere around here I started shaking my head and after our hero spends page after page being 'driven' to catch or kill the villain I gave up on the book as a bad effort.

Interestingly in both book, this and the ones by Brookes the senior bureaucrats are obstructionist; however at least Brookes provides them with motives. Here they seem merely incompetent. it's rather bad when these bureaucrats appear far more professional then the protagonist. In any event I found the hero's constant whining about the suits on the seventh floor merely annoying. The whole environment was far to facile for me.



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Spy Games

Spy Games by Adam Brookes

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This is even better than the first book in the series. The pace remains fast and the plot interesting. True, there is a bit too much introspection for my taste but it didn't become odious. In the first book the bad guys were bad and the good guys were worse. In this one the good guys are utterly corrupt. The world presented by the author is one in which the powerful jockey for wealth and position and make use of society's institutions for their own benefit. No-one can be trusted. Betrayal lurks around every corner. I loved it and will almost certainly read the third volume.



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Night Heron

Night Heron by Adam Brookes

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This was a great book, fast paced and exciting. The author really knows how to build and sustain tension. The bad guys are very bad indeed and the good guys are worse. Don't look to this book for character development. This book is pure plot. I loved it and intend to move on to the next in the series.



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Welcome to Your World

Welcome to Your World: How the Built Environment Shapes Our Lives by Sarah Williams Goldhagen

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

That I made my way to the end of this word salad should give me points for shear dogged determination. Let' summarize it.

1. The author doesn't like cars.

2. The author doesn't like profits.

3. The author doesn't like suburbs.

4. The author considers design important. And it is. For example imagine a block of wood as big and round as a basketball with a blade sticking out of it. You couldn't use such a knife to cut carrots easily and possibly not at all. Yes design is important. It may not be the holy grail the author believes it to be.

5. Nature is important. I agree with this 100%.

6. The author believes the design of buildings influences ones thought processes, creativity and mental state. There probably is a link but I doubt this is the ultimate factor for most people.

7. The author believes population growth is inevitable. Maybe, maybe not.

8. The author believes in a broad inclusive and diverse social experience. She categorically seems to reject the idea many people like associating with those of a similar background and she doesn't even consider the roughly 40% of the population who are introverted to some greater or lesser degree.

9. She seems to think everyone should live in ant hills. (high density)

10. She believes zoning regulations separating industry, retail, and housing are obsolete. She also believes zoning regulation limiting density are obsolete.

11. She believes her opinions are backed by science but considers social science to be a science.

Sarah Williams Goldhagen taught at Harvard for, if I recall correctly, 10 years thereby demonstrating the paucity of higher education. Some of what she says makes sense but a very large portion is little more then left-wing Marxist drivel. She is, however, far from alone in her opinions. In fact, I think she is close to the norm in academia which is unfortunate because instead of educating, our universities and colleges are little more than indoctrination centers for far left ideology. Even if your politics are left of center, I think you will find much of this book thoroughly boring.



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If The Shoe Fits

If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

I disliked this book, but then it wasn't written for me. I believe the author is quite competent in the romance genre. It seems targeted towards Gen-z, female, romance readers. Within that demographic I think those who read this book will enjoy it.

The story is very loosely based on the Cinderella fairy tale, in which a reality television show has young women competing for the attention (and eventual proposal) from a young man. The show has balls and is titled 'Before Midnight'. The protagonist is a shoe designer. There is no mention of mice.



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We Kept Her in the Cellar

We Kept Her in the Cellar by W.R. Gorman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This is a blood and gore horror story incorporating some of the elements of the Cinderella fairy tale. In this case Cinderella is a monster with shape-shifting abilities she uses to look beautiful when she wants to. In reality she would fit nicely is many stories by H.P. Lovecraft and I suspect those stories influenced this author. Certainly Cinderella in this tale has more than enough tentacles to go around. Some parts of the book were a little tedious but I think it's worth reading by horror fans for the most part.



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