NJ: Month End SF Book Group (Paramus, NJ) discussion
2016 Books Read Thread
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The following accounts are reprinted with permission from THE STARSHIP EXPRESS Copyright 2016 Philip J De Parto.LEONARD: MY FIFTY-YEAR FRIENDSHIP WITH A REMARKABLE MAN
Deb found it interesting to hear Shatner's take on various incidents of well-known fan lore. Pam thought it was sad that Leonard died estranged from his co-star. Jeni was very critical of the author's reading for the audio book. Liz and Jeni thought it interesting and ironic how many childhood experiences they had in common.
MURDER ON OLYMPUS
The work is set in a universe where the Greek gods not only exist, but move among mankind as celebrities. Private Eye Plato Jones is blackmailed into a hush-hush investigation of the death of three members of the Olympians, murders which should not be possible. This is actually one of three cases Jones is working on at the time, the others being a stolen gorgon and a cheating husband. All wind up being connected.
Jackie liked the TMZ world-building worship established by the author. Liz enjoyed some humorous touches and found the brutal torture parties an interesting conceit. Jeni thought the book was poorly edited and disagreed with the rest of the group's evaluation of Aphrodite, but still gave it a 4/5 star rating. Phil liked the depictions of Ares (crude, but brave and true), Aphrodite (unexpectedly empathic) and Hercules (good guy but a real tightwad). Recommended.
ONLY SUPERHUMAN
Christopher L Bennett's fusion of comic book superheroes and hard science fiction, ONLY SUPERHUMAN, was not a popular selection as only Philip De Parto and Jacqueline Moroz attended the Wednesday, August 31, 2016 gathering. Jackie's first words were "I'm sorry I read it," feeling that although there was some decent world building, the story was ruined beyond redemption by the depiction of superhuman lead character Emerald Blair, aka, the Green Blaze, as a male's fantasy figure.
Phil was less judgmental on this point. He agreed that the book's heroine was by no means sympathetic, but felt the work had a number of virtues worth noting. He thought that the concept of gene rape--whereby a victim is pumped with nanobots which reconfigure their genetic code against their will--was an interesting concept. He enjoyed the multi-cultural depiction of the asteroid colonies. He also applauded Emerald's elegy of Jeanette LaSalle, an innocent bystander who was collateral damage on a mission gone wrong. Finally, he appreciated that in a book filled with super heroes and villains, the corrupt leader of Troubleshooters is done in by a quiet, efficient administrative assistant with no superpowers.
UBIK
The novel is set in a near-future where PSI talents are not uncommon. Businesses and governments employ telepaths and precogs as well as anti-telepaths and anti-precogs to steal or protect secrets. Glen Runciter, head of Runciter Associates--the world's largest prudence (PSI security) organization--falls into a trap set by ruthless business rival Ray Hollis. An explosion wounds him and fatally wounds a dozen of his top talents. And then the fun starts.
The mortally wounded are placed in a half-life cryogenic storage container. They share a dream state with a psychic killer who picks them off one by one. There is also a double-agent in their midst. And they receive strange messages about a miracle product which may be able to save them: Ubik.
Like all of Dick's work, reality in UBIK is a very uncertain commodity. Who is living? Who is dead? Who is trying to help them? Who is trying to kill them? Liz thought the book was quite prescient about privacy concerns. Jackie was intrigued by the possibility of reincarnation in this universe. Phil compared the work to EYE IN THE SKY and other novels of the author. Recommended.
PINION
The series plays around with the Clockwork Universe concept of the Enlightenment. God created the universe, set it in motion, and then stepped away. The world runs like a clock. The sun and heavenly bodies move across the sky on a pathway of gears.
The work is formatted as a typical quest. A disparate group of adventurers trek across the world as they move across the world to accomplish their goal: to kill Queen Victoria of England and end the war between the British and Chinese Empires. The books are an alternate history as well as an alternate cosmology. China did not turn inward, but expanded to control most of the Eastern Hemisphere. Chinese Gordon gained his fame not in China, but along the massive mountain range the northern hemisphere from the magical south.
There are airships and submarines, secret societies, grand engineering projects and enchanted devices. I found the book a bit difficult to get into as the actors started out all over the globe. Once they have coalesced into two teams, it is a lot easier to follow. There is nice writing here: "The sun was pitiless, like a shovel opening a grave (237)," and "In the airy green cathedral a profusion of butterflies moved, as though the flowers themselves had detached fro their seats and gone hunting for mates. (88)." I found the discovery of the Seal of Solomon to be a distraction and wish that Lake had cut this subplot. Overall, recommended, but not for everyone.
THE END OF ALL THINGS
The book consists of four interrelated stories: "The Life of the Mind," "This Hollow Union," "Can Long Endure and "To Stand Or Fall," as well as an alternate abandoned beginning of "The Life of the Mind."
There are two related plot arcs binding the tales. The first deals with the discover and neutralization of the shadowy Equilibrium Conspiracy. The second deals with the political changes forced upon the alien Conclave, humanity's Colonial Union, and EarthGov, as a result of developments from earlier works in the series.
This is not a good entry point to the series. The work is plot-oriented, with little time spent on character development except for pilot Rafe Daquin in the opening story. Existing fans, however, should enjoy the way the author pushes the series in new directions.
THE IMMORTALS
The group enjoyed the work which features the Greek goddess, Artemis, working as a P I in contemporary Manhattan protecting abused women. The gods are not what they once were, but there is a plot afoot to restore their former glory by a series of ritual human sacrifices. Karen enjoyed the pacing. Pam appreciated the mechanics of its writing. Phil liked the NYC setting. Overall, it was judged a good, though not great, book. We talked about culture, history and other matters for a long time after the book discussion.
READY PLAYER ONE
The work focuses on a treasure hunt in the virtual world of Oasis in a dystopic near future. An eccentric billionaire has left a real-world fortune to the person who can first solve the puzzle. Noble nerd gamers and villainous corporate flunkies sift through clues based on 1980s games, song and movies on their quest.
Karen and Audrey loved the book. Both were avid video gamers during their childhood. Jackie, who is in the same age cohort, also enjoyed the book. Phil, Pam and Jeni were more restrained, though Phil readily admitted that the book was a well-crafted, if not terrible original, entertainment. This was the last book group that Audrey will be able to make as she is moving out of the area. We will miss her warmth and enthusiasm at our events and wish her well.
THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF SANTA CLAUS
Part history, part secret history, part fantasy, the work is a pleasant enough belated holiday diversion. History: The reason Christmas is celebrated on December 25 is that before Constantine became a Christian, Mithraism was the state religion of the Empire and they celebrated the birth of Mithra on the 25th. The early Church was a very decentralized affair, with different communities celebrating the birth of Christ on different days, so the Romans stuck with the 25th as the birthday of the state god and just changed who they were honoring. Secret history: George Washington's crossing of the Delaware and victory over the Hessians was due to the loose lips of Saint Nicholas. Early Americans kept only the most token of Christmas observances as a legacy of the Puritans (who allowed no Christmas celebration). Germans celebrated the holiday with gusto. This came up in a conversation between the two legends and Washington changed his military plans to take advantage of a lot of inebriated Hessians. Nicholas and his gift-giving associates do not age, can cover vast distances in a short span, and have other supernatural abilities, although they have no idea how and why. The simply accept it as a miracle.
I've decided to read Ungodly, since Phil described the book pretty well last month. I wasn't planning to, since it was 3rd book and young adult.
LEONARD: MY FIFTY-YEAR FRIENDSHIP..................William Shatner..................10/31/16
MURDER ON OLYMPUS (Plato Jones 1).......................Robert B Warren.................09/30/16
ONLY SUPERHUMAN.....................................................Christopher L Bennett.......08/31/16
UBIK................................................................................Philip K Dick........................07/29/16
PINION (Clockwork Earth 3).........................................Jay Lake...............................06/30/16
THE END OF ALL THINGS (Old Man's War 6)............John Scalzi...........................05/31/16
THE IMMORTALS (Olympus Bound 1).........................Jordanna Max Brodsky.......04/29/16
UNGODLY (Goddess War 3)...........................................Kendare Blake.....................03/31/16
READY PLAYER ONE.......................................................Ernest Cline........................02/29/16
THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF SANTA CLAUS....................Jeff Guinin..........................01/29/16