NJ: Month End SF Book Group (Paramus, NJ) discussion
2015 Books Read Thread
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The following accounts are reprinted with permission from THE STARSHIP EXPRESS Copyright 2015 Philip J De Parto.THE KILLING MOON, Dreamblood 1
Everyone liked the work, although Jackie was unconvinced by the villain's motivation. Liz liked the setting (the moon of a gas giant) and the culture (modeled on ancient Egypt). Phil appreciated the detail of world building, citing the food dishes as an example. Pam applauded the sweeping story canvas: "Myth! War! Politics! Religion! Family! Addiction!" Recommended.
WE ARE ALL COMPLETELY FINE
It has a fun concept: a psychologist forms a support group for sole survivors of monsters of all shapes and sizes. Stan escaped an American cannibal family. Harrison was the boy hero of Dunnsmouth. Martin sees creatures that no one else can. Greta was raised by cultists to marry a dark god. Barbara was a prisoner of the Scrimshader, who cuts open the flesh of his victims and etches their bones. Psychologist Jan Sayer, who brought the group together, has secrets of her own. As the members of the group slowly open up to each other, they realize that one of them is still being targeted by a monster.
STARGLASS, Starglass 1
The book is a YA science fiction novel set aboard the Asherah, a generation ship nearing the end of its 500 year journey to a world which was judged capable of supporting human life.
The vessel was launched by secular Jews mostly in the United States who wished to preserve their heritage before and approaching asteroid wiped out life on Earth. During the journey, much of this heritage has been lost or transformed by the ruling Council which is more interested in maintaining their grip on power than on faithfully carrying out their mission. An underground movement is underway to overthrow the regime, but it is not clear that the revolutionaries will be any better. Sixteen-year-old heroine Terra becomes enmeshed in the struggle, a useful pawn to both sides.
Phil enjoyed the book. Jeni ("mediocre") and Liz ("so so") were less enthralled. Phil was surprised how mainstream science fiction the work was. The story created is low tech except the propulsion system and would easily (with the exception of the gay subplot) have been published when Heinlein was writing his juveniles. Jeni had issues with the Jewish society which had evolved. Liz felt the book didn't really end (there's a sequel) and the romantic element.
AMERICAN CRAFTSMEN, Craftsmen 1
The work is the opening volume in a secret history of the United States. Although set in the present day, a knowledge of American literature and history add tot he enjoyment of the book as various works by noted Men of Letters like "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" and THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES are fictionalized accounts of occult endeavors by friends and foes of the Republic.
SHADES OF GREY, Shades 1
The work is very much in the tradition of Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams: silly and serious, literate and pulpy, and with a definite British sensibility. The hero of the work is Eddie Russett, a callow youth who does not question the highly color-perception stratified society until he encounters a formidable young woman, Jane Ochre. Fierce, outspoken, and ticketed for the reeducation camps, Jane converts Eddie into a member of the resistance, and the pair uncover secrets too dangerous to know.
Fforde displays the same sort of zany world-building he constructed in the Thursday Next and Nursery Crimes novels: wild zebras and giraffes roam outside the populated areas; lightning and ferocious giant swans present an ever-present danger. The book kicks off a new trilogy which is more serious and less a romp than his other works. If you're already a fan of the author, then go ahead and read it. If you are encountering him for the first time, start with THE EYRE AFFAIR or THE BIG OVER EASY.
SNOW IN AUGUST
The book is set in Brooklyn just after the end of the second World War. Eleven-year-old Catholic altar boy Michael Devlin befriends recent immigrant Rabbi Judah Hirsh. The unlikely pair are drawn together because (among other things) both are targets of the street gang which runs their area of town. Michael learns about Prague, academic discipline and Jewish culture from Judah. The Rabbi learns about baseball and American culture from Michael.
Baseball is important in the work because Jackie Robinson, an outsider like Michael and Judah, is breaking the color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers. One of my favorite scenes in the book is when a fight in the bleachers breaks out between a group of bigots who are cursing out both Jackie Robinson and Jewish ballplayer Hank Greenberg. An alliance of blacks, Jews and Union Workers thrashes the rowdies.
People at the discussion enjoyed the author's descriptions of snow, Vienna, Brooklyn and other objects and locations. Hamill's recreation of post-war Brooklyn was also lauded. We also enjoyed the irony of having Michael the Goyem be able to create a golem because he is innocent and fervent in his belief, while the Rabbi has seen too much of the world's evil and is unable to place his faith in God. Recommended, but be warned that the fantasy element does not make an appearance until very late in the book.
THE EAR, THE EYE & THE ARM
The book is a fantasy tale set in the future. Everyone enjoyed the setting of future Zimbabwe on many levels: the sense of place (particularly Resthaven and Dead Man's Vlei), the fantasy African spirit folklore, and the default setting of characters being black unless otherwise specified. The story reminded Pam of Dickens. Phil commented positively on the fight scenes: the battle between She Elephant and Mrs Horespool-Worthington, and kitchen staff going into battle with posts and pans. Erica and Jessie talked about how their perceptions of the work had changed upon rereading the book. A good time was had by all.
THE GOLEM & THE JINNI
The book reads like a mainstream historical novel and is set in 19th Century New York where the golem and jinni, much like many other displaced immigrants, must find their way in a new and strange land. Although the work was nominated for the Nebula and World Fantasy Awards, and won the Mythopoeic Award, I am convinced that many non-genre readers will deny that this is a work of fantasy.
There are a lot of nice touches, from the description of the Arabian Desert to the bustling immigrant ghettos of Manhattan, with memorable secondary characters like Rabbi Meyer. The two supernatural leads have very different ideas about the world and regularly disagree about individualism vs community, the existence of God and other issues. Recommended, but slower-paced than most genre fiction.
CONTROL POINT, Shadow Ops 1
There is an X-Men vibe to the premise. In the near future the magic potential of a number of people Awakens and they are able to manifest various sorts of enchantments. Some can cast healing magic, others assorted forms of elemental magic and still others necromancy. The Awakened are considered a menace to society and must either join the military magic corps or face lifetime incarceration.
The hero of the book is Lieutenant Oscar Britton of the Supernatural Operations Crops who is torn between duty and conscience. Lacking any good options, Britton must decide and choose which is the lest harmful alternative. He sometimes makes disastrous decisions.
CONTROL POINT spends most of its time with the magic training of the hero who has the rare ability to create Portal through which he and others can teleport from place to place. The book is set in the United States, but we catch glimpses of how things play out in Europe, the Mideast, and China. The nation's number one problem is an Apache uprising orchestrated by powerful Native American Shaman.
THE HERO'S GUIDE TO STORMING THE CASTLE, Princes 2
This is the second book in the author's Middle Grade comic fantasy "League of Princes" series. The heroes of the books are Prince Liam, Prince Gustav, Prince Frederic and Prince Duncan, the actual names of the princes associated to Sleeping Beauty (aka Briar Rose), Rapunzel, Cinderella and Snow White who are generally referred to as "Prince Charming."
The plot is set in motion when the rapacious Briar Rose has bounty hunter Ruffian the Blue kidnap Prince Liam, who is living with Prince Frederic and Cinderella, to get away from the woman who wants to marry him only for his treasure horde. What he does not know is that while the money is nice, Rose is really after a fabled sword which has a magic gem as part of its hilt. The jewel will allow the wielder to bind others to their will, and Sleeping Beauty wants it to take over the world. Her plans hit a roadblock when she learns that 11-year-old Bandit King Deeb Rauber had previously stolen the sword, although the thief is unaware of the gem's enchantment. The Bandit King is also in an alliance-of-convenience with the tyrannical Warldord Rundark of Dar. Both also plan to conquer the world and scheme to get rid of the other.
It is up to the League of Princes to make sure that none of the bad guys get their way. Along the way they are helped or threatened by giants, trolls, dwarves, a gnome, mercenaries, shape-shifters and others. While Liam and Gustav easily fit the heroic mode, Frederic the Dainty and Duncan the Strange also play important roles in the quest as do the various girlfriends. We enjoyed the book but felt it was not up to the inspired loopiness of the first volume.
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene WeckerMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
What an enchanting story.
The Golem and the Jinni isn’t a typical urban fantasy or magical historical fiction, and the writing style is more fairy tale like than what you get from most modern fiction. The strongest aspect going for this book is it’s premise: Two magical creatures are thrust into 1899 New York, a place unfamiliar to them for various reasons. They must keep their magical identities hidden or they could be destroyed. Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, who’s master awakens her just before he dies leaving her adrift and ignorant on a boat headed for Ellis Island, New York. Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire, born in the ancient Syrian desert; but has been trapped in an old copper flask for a thousand years and is accidentally released by a tinsmith in a Lower Manhattan shop. The story unfolds for the reader to answer such questions as how the two magical creatures deal with being new immigrants in 1899 New York, how they come together, and what issues as a result of their unlikely friendship.
The novel is filled with vivid imagery and vivacious, passionate characters who have their own strengths, weaknesses, and desires that coincide and clash in a very believable and human fashion. I found the story engaging, enthralling, and unique. The cast of characters were varied and the stories soaked in Jewish and Arab mythology.
As I said in the beginning the writing style is more like reading a fairy tale with a lot of telling the reader information, which could put off some more literary readers or the modern writer who’s expecting a more active writing. Not to say that there isn’t action in this book, in fact there’s quite a bit of it, but it’s told as if by a story teller instead of a character within the novel. The two main stories lines (that of the golem and the jinni) were intertwined with several sub stories, that highlight the most important of the secondary characters, and all come together to weave a intertwining tapestry of beauty.
My only gripe with the writing style are the abrupt scene changes. Within chapters the story will shift from one storyline to another without good warning. Sure there’s an extra paragraph break, but I listened to, instead of read, this book and that was quite off putting even though there was always a distinct pause for the break. It’s not that the shifts weren’t easy to follow, it was just a bit jarring.
Toward the end of the book I was left wondering how everyone who’s story was highlighted would come together and resolve for there wouldn’t be so much time spent on certain story lines if there wasn’t a purpose to it. I was thoroughly satisfied by the ending and wonder if the author will write another story involving Chava and Ahmad or will this just be a beautiful stand alone novel. I certainly hope she decides to continue.
If you enjoy magical realism, urban fantasy, or historical fiction and are interested in trying out a new and fresh perspective on golems and jin, I highly suggest The Golem and the Jinni.
Happy Reading!
Check out my website review
http://www.writeralina.com/2015/10/21...
THE KILLING MOON.............................N K Jemisin...............................10/30/15
WE ARE ALL COMPLETELY FINE............Daryl Gregory............................09/30/15
STARGLASS.........................................Phoebe North............................08/31/15
AMERICAN CRAFTSMEN.......................Tom Doyle.................................07/31/15
SHADES OF GREY.................................Jasper Fforde.............................06/30/15
SNOW IN AUGUST................................Pete Hamill................................05/29/15
THE EAR, THE EYE & THE ARM..............Nancy Farmer............................04/30/15
THE GOLEM & THE JINNI.......................Helene Wecker..........................03/31/15
CONTROL POINT / Shadow Ops...............Myke Cole.................................02/27/15
HERO'S GUIDE TO STORMING................Christopher Healy.....................01/30/15