books Archives - Page 60 of 64

Yzabel / October 30, 2012

Review: Duplicity

My rating: [rating=4]

Summary:

If Graylee Perez thought sharing a body with her twin sister was bad, dealing with a duplicate of herself is two times worse. Gray the second doesn’t seem to get that Lee’s boyfriend, Raj McKenna, is off limits. Then there’s the problem of Adrian Montez. He expects one of the Grays to be his.

Nearly a year later, the council is onto them for past misdeeds; Lee, along with the rest of the coven, has lost control of her powers; and Gray is being stalked by what looks like the Grim Reaper.

If they work together, they may stand a chance of setting things right and making it out alive.

Review:

I found this second installment as good as the first one, although in different ways, and due to different reasons. As is normal in second books in a series, there was no need to introduce the reader to the world and characters, so the whole story started fast. What was at stake felt more important this time, more serious, and better justified (I must admit that the reason to Gray’s death in the first book was kind of… cheesy in my opinion). And there was no Charlene. I’m not fond of Charlene, that is.

Seeing Lee and Gray interact and progress through the plot was interesting, because of both being basically the same person, yet with diverging personalities and conflicting interests; Gray’s situation was the more problematic from the start, arriving as she was in a world that had gone on spinning without her, and I could quite understand her feelings of being the extra wheel. Also, I really enjoyed seeing more of Adrian in this novel; I had already taken a liking to him in “Entangled”, and here I found his character fascinating. He’s got the markings of someone with a serious potential to do evil, yet it seems to me that there’s much more to him, and that he didn’t start being ‘the Avenger’ just for show; I seriously hope we get to learn about his past in the third book.

On the other hand, I found Gray’s behaviour somewhat odd at times; she was supposed to be the one who hadn’t changed, who came back just as she was one year ago, without having evolved in the meantime, but she all of a sudden seemed muchmore manipulative. Perhaps because she didn’t have much left to lose? I don’t know. The other character that somewhat annoyed me (or whom I felt sorry for) was Raj. He had such a diminished presence compared to what was his in “Entangled”–not in terms of ‘screen time’, but of charisma–and I couldn’t find back the Raj I had learnt to enjoy.

Despite those flaws, I’m still givine 4 stars to this book. It was a light, entertaining read, it made me spend a fairly good time, and this was precisely what I wanted out of it.

Yzabel / October 18, 2012

Review: Dark Tidings

Dark Tidings by Ken Magee

My rating: [rating=3]

Summary:

What happens when ancient magic meets the internet? One thing is certain, modern life will never be the same again.

A thousand years ago, a young thief, Tung, and a disgraced wizard, Madrick, are thrust together in an executioner’s dungeon.

In the darkness, Madrick reveals an incredible secret about a legendary spell. The great spell helps them escape their prison cell… and eventually their century.

Catapulted into the present day, their lives collide with Michael, a computer hacker who plans to destroy the world’s largest bank. But sinister people are tracking their every move and they will stop at nothing to steal their spell.

Review:

(Book provided by the author through ARR #421 in the Making Connections group, in exchange for an honest review.)

The premise of this book made it look like the kind of story I could enjoy—magic and technology mixed with a hefty dose of humour—and enjoy it I did. Granted, I thought the two storylines would converge much sooner; instead, they do after a while only, and at first I wondered when that would be. However, when the author brings them together, it all makes up for it. Besides, Tung’s and Madrick’s antics in their own era provided for very fun moments, that made me laugh a lot; not to mention I have a soft spot for such characters with a definite ‘loser’ streak, yet are able to get through their problems in the end.

The overall plot flew nicely and fast enough, with magic of old intertwined with conspiracy theories and modern means of action. The ending, while a cliffhanger and reminding me that there is a sequel, was of the kind I’d find brilliant—from the moment the characters made their decision, it spelled (pun intended) something grand and terrible in the making.

There were two things that bothered me in this novel, though. The first was the style itself, that I found at times a little too dry and descriptive, thus keeping the characters at a distance from the reader, so to speak; there were plenty of inserts such as “little they did they know at the time that…”, and while those were, in a way, in line with more traditional “tales formatting”, I’m just too keen about that. Also, I’d have liked to see more of Tung’s and Madrick’s reactions to the modern worled (the way things went, they just seemed to adapt much too quickly, in spite of a couple encounters and mishaps, and I think this removed some potential for more funny situations and interactions).

Still, I’ll probably pick the second installment along the way, as I want to know more about what the three heroes left behind.

Yzabel / October 14, 2012

Review: Here Lies Death

Here Lies Death by Harlan Vaughn

My rating: [rating=3]

Summary:

On December 21, 2012, the processes of death and aging stop completely. Here Lies Death is the story of Kelsey and April, sisters who are forced to explore their own mortality because of unprecedented supernatural phenomena. As the world struggles to understand the psychological and sociological implications, Kelsey and April dive deeper into hopelessness and depravity. While the slow realization of life without death begins to burn itself into a new reality, the human race threatens to implode.

What happens when there is no more death?

Part fantasy, part science fiction, and part story of survival, read the acclaimed novel that sweeps across the human experience and digs into the darkest corners of the mind.

Review:

(Book provided by the author through Read It & Reap #100 in the Shut Up And Read group, in exchange for an honest review.)

I rated this book 3 stars, because I’m not exactly sure what to make of it, so I went for the middle ground.

It was a puzzling read, first for the questions and hypotheses it raised about human nature and how people may react if death didn’t exist anymore, if everyone was eternally stuck in the same body, a body that would regenerate almost instantly if hurt or killed. This theme was intriguing, and as I suspected (and probably would’ve written myself if I had been the author of such a story), the ‘answers’ weren’t pretty—while reading, I would tell myself “actually, I’m not surprised”. Some characters (Sean, Kes…) were quite the positive ones about it, enjoying the ‘gift’ as it was given to them; for others, it triggered terrible feelings, causing them to spiral downwards into darkness they might never have known nor suspected had they been able to go on just as they had always believed they would. In that, this novel was pretty interesting.

It was also a page-turner for me, in quite an odd way… Much like a train wreck in the making, in fact: somehow you feel that something’s horribly wrong, yet you can’t help but go on, because you have to see it brought to an end, no matter what kind. Let’s say it prompts you to wonder about many things, about your own reactions if you were in such situations as presented in the book, about whether you’d enjoy such eternal life or not. Because it’s probably easier to say “yes, I’d enjoy it” if you were stuck in your prime… but what if you were stuck eternally in the body of a kid, because you were only 6 when it happened, and then your mind would grow old in a clearly inadequate body? Or what about being 80 and wishing it had happened sooner, when you were still young and beautiful? I don’t think giving a definite answer is so evident.

That said, while the story was fascinating, albeit not the kind of read I’d recommend if you’re depressed yourself, I wasn’t so thrilled about the writing itself, which I found often too cold, too clinical. I couldn’t exactly relate with the characters, whose actions and emotions were relayed rather than shown. And thus I couldn’t really empathize either.

Also, we’re provided no clear explanation about why the Restoration occurred. In a way, I’d like to say that this is not what’s important about the story, that what matters is how the whole concept of immortality is explored; nonetheless, I’d still have wanted to know, especially given how it all concludes.

Yzabel / October 12, 2012

Review: Soul Screamers (volume 1)

Soul Screamers Vol. 1: My Soul to Lose • My Soul to Take • My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent

My rating: [rating=3]

Summary:

It starts with a scream…

My Soul to Lose
—The prequel: never before in print!—
Kaylee is just your average girl shopping at the mall with friends—until a terrified scream bursts from her that cannot be stopped. Taken to a hospital ward, will she be able to save her mind—and her life?

My Soul to Take
She’s always felt different, but now Kaylee discovers why. The screams that cannot be denied mean that someone near her will die—and she can never save them. Because saving one life means taking another.

My Soul to Save
Going on dates with her boyfriend is still new to Kaylee. But when the singer of the band they’re seeing dies onstage and Kaylee doesn’t scream, she knows something crazy is going on. Soon she discovers souls can indeed be sold.

Review:

3 stars, but actually it’s more like a 3.5. That’s pretty much because I liked book #2 a little less than book #1.

Overall, I enjoyed discovering and reading this series’ beginning, first because bean sidhes aren’t so represented in YA books (not that I know of, at least), so it was quite a nice change from the usual vampires/werewolves I’ve read about so far. Besides, I really liked the world developed by the author here; it seems to be grounded in solid bases, with consistent rules, and it’s definitely the kind of world I want to read more about (especially the Netherworld and the reapers). Finally, contrary to many paranormal YA novels these days, the romance part isn’t the main focus of those stories, and that their plot doesn’t revolve around a love triangle (even though I can sense one coming); they stand for themselves, and the problems to solve aren’t related to those relationships. (Since I picked this series for the bean sidhes aspect and not for the romance one, I expected to read about bean sidhes and a paranormal world first and foremost; in that, I was rewarded.)

I was a little less thrilled about the characters, though. While I liked Nash in the first book, I found he lacked impact in the second one. I liked Tod better, especially because of his disjointed morality: his reactions and decisions were good reminders that he’s an ally… but one of those allies you’d better not trust *too much*. As for Kaylee, she’s OK in general, but I couldn’t really relate to her; also, I found that she was extremely naive regarding some things (which was normal, considering she was quite new to that world and revelations), but oddly not so regarding others (stuff she accepted too fast, or how she always has to right ideas, when those would rather be expected from the more experienced characters). I understand she’s the heroine; still, that was weird. Also, Addison and Regan in book #2 seemed a little too ‘weak’ for readers to understand why such a concern for them: it’d have been better, in my opinion, if Kaylee and Nash had known them beforehand (if Addy had been a girl from school, for instance), as it’d have made the connection deeper, and not only a case of “we’re doing that because it’s the right thing to do”.

That said, I still plan on reading the next omnibus once it’s out.

Yzabel / October 8, 2012

Review: Claus

Claus: Legend of the Fat Man by Tony Bertauski

My rating: [rating=3]

Summary:

Some legends are forged in fire.
Others are born in snow.

In the early 1800s, Nicholas, Jessica and Jon Santa attempt the first human trek to the North Pole and stumble upon an ancient race of people left over from the Ice Age. They are short, fat and hairy. They slide across the ice on scaly soles and carve their homes in the ice that floats on the Arctic Ocean.

The elven are adapted to life in the extreme cold. They are as wise as they are ancient. Their scientific advancements have yielded great inventions — time-stopping devices and gravitational spheres that build living snowmen and genetically-modified reindeer that leap great distances. They’ve even unlocked the secrets to aging. For 40,000 years, they have lived in peace.

Until now.

An elven known as The Cold One has divided his people. He’s tired of their seclusion and wants to conquer the world. Only one elven stands between The Cold One and total chaos. He’s white-bearded and red-coated. The Santa family will help him stop The Cold One.

They will come to the aid of a legendary elven known as… Claus.

Review:

I must admit I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the other one I read from the author. Nevertheless, it was enjoyable in its own right, and proved a gripping read.

It was also a somewhat weird novel, in that some things in it that might have thrown me off-course actually proved palatable in the end. The idea of the elves as a science-based civilization is so different than the usual take on the whole North Pole/Santa Claus/elves vision that even though it seemed weird at first, it very soon left me going all “Sure, why not?”, and discovering it became an enjoyment in and of itself. Same went with Jack’s antics: in the very beginning, I thought they’d be unnerving… but then, all of a sudden, I realized that I was actually waiting to see him come into the story again, with his crazy ways of acting and the way he would treat the people around him.

The story also tackles touchy themes, such as the loss of memory (which is probably worse than dying for some people, at least) and how gestures (or lack thereof) seen as insignificant, or overlooked, in the past may give birth to a monster. Those are part of the themes I can easily be brought to appreciate in a fictional setting.

I think the one thing that left me hesitant was the 19th century aspect of “Claus”. I couldn’t relate to those parts of the story—being an avid reader and student of 19th century litterature, I didn’t find the ‘feeling’ I would expect from the chapters about the Santas’ life before arriving amon the elves. I probably wouldn’t have minded as much hadn’t I already had quite a pile of previous readings behind me, though. Still, it happened. That’s too bad.

Otherwise, if you like different takes and original twists on very traditional tales, go for it.

Yzabel / October 3, 2012

Review: The Tube Riders

The Tube Riders by Chris Ward

My rating: [rating=4]

Summary:

Mega Britain in 2075 is a dangerous place. A man known only as the Governor rules the country with an iron hand, but within the towering perimeter walls of London Greater Urban Area anarchy spreads unchecked through the streets.

In the abandoned London Underground station of St. Cannerwells, a group of misfits calling themselves the Tube Riders seek to forget the chaos by playing a dangerous game with trains. Marta is their leader, a girl haunted by her brother’s disappearance. Of the others, Paul lives only to protect his little brother Owen, while Simon is trying to hold on to his relationship with Jess, daughter of a government official. Guarding them all is Switch, a man with a flickering eye and a faster knife, who cares only about preserving the legacy of the Tube Riders. Together, they are family.

Everything changes the day they are attacked by a rival gang. While escaping, they witness an event that could bring war down on Mega Britain. Suddenly they are fleeing for their lives, pursued not only by their rivals, but by the brutal Department of Civil Affairs, government killing machines known as Huntsmen, and finally by the inhuman Governor himself.

Review:

(Book provided by the author through ARR #534 in the Making Connections group, in exchange for an honest review.)

A long book packed with action and events, for sure, and one that I had a hard time putting down whenever I had to.

First, the theme. A book about young people riding trains, barely hanging onto them with tiny boards, and using them first for games, then to escape and run for their lives. In Tube stations and tunnels. In the hands of a reader who’s been known to ride the London Tube and explore corridors and stairwells there just for fun. Awesome. Also, I think the author did a good job depicting his world. Granted, there were a few points on which my suspension of disbelief was somewhat stretched at times (some of the experiments, and a couple of plot junctures). But Chris Ward quickly falls back on his feet, giving us explanations about Mega Britain’s shortcomings, that make it more understandable why a group of fugitives manages to outsmart officials for some time. If anything, I would’ve liked to know a little more about how exactly that country and government came to be; on the other hand, the books is already quite long, and this probably isn’t absolutely essential in order to enjoy it (it’s just me being curious).

The characters portrayed throughout the story were all heroic in their own ways, while remaining very humane, with both merits and flaws. Among the heroes, I especially liked the street-savvy Switch, always so resourceful, and Jess, who had to wade through so much grief and try to find her own answers. And I really wasn’t happy about seeing Simon go… but with such unjuries as he sustained, at best he’d have had to be ‘left behind’ to heal, so from the moment it happened, I kind of suspected what would happen… The villains themselves had humane sides and redeeming points, in spite of their vices; the Huntsmen were clearly victims before being monsters, and Dreggo herself had a vulnerable side and a very hard past that made her anger and resentment all the more understandable. For sure, she was a resilient and interesting adversary.

I’m still hesitant about the ending, to be honest: I can’t decide whether I’d like to see a sequel or not. So much may still happen—the Bristol guys, the person left on the beach at the very end…—yet at the same time, the story still feels self-contained no matter what. It’s hard to tell.

Yzabel / September 25, 2012

Review: Revamp

Revamp by Beck Sherman

My rating: [rating=4]

Summary:

FOR THREE DAYS, IT WAS DARK.

News reporters scrambled. This was the biggest story to come along in weeks.

They called it a blackout.

The last one was in New York City in 2003, but this one was different, special, because the grids in six major cities across the country had been fried, kaput, see-you-next-Sunday. Everyone with some jurisdiction blamed each other, and when there was no one left to blame, terrorism rode in on its gallant steed.

It was the media’s fault. They were so busy stuffing fanatical Muslims with a penchant for Allah and decapitations down the American citizen’s throat, that they never saw it coming. I guess I shouldn’t be too hard on them.

They were partially right.

It was terror after all, but a whole new kind. And when the lights came back on, things had changed.

The dark had brought us visitors.

Review:

(Book provided through Read It & Reap in the Shut Up & Read group, in exchange for an honest review.)

I found this book fairly enjoyable; I dont have a lot of time to read non-academic books these weeks, but if I had, I’d probably have read it in two or three sittings only (it’s a long novel).

The pace was fast enough, the events unfolding in a way that made me want what would happen next. Emma’s reactions regarding the existence of vampires seemed logical enough to me: she didn’t accept it too easily, trying to find more realistic explanations, but she also wasn’t too retentive about it, confronting the ‘revelation’ to her own experiences in order to check if this could be true or not.

There were highly tense scenes, made easy to picture oneself thanks to vivid descriptions. That’s usually the kind of thing I expect from my vampire novels—to show the gruesome nature of the beasts underneath, even though they still seem human on the surface. And yet, the book also tackles an interesting aspect of the duality of such creatures, for throughout the story and at the end, they were, all in all, still close enough to humanity to reproduce exactly the same old schemas (shortages, class divisions, the ‘rich’ hoarding all the good blood while the ‘poor’ had to stick to the vampiric equivalent of junk food…). I liked that the author decided to explore such aspects, because from the start, I thought that such a takeover by vampires couldn’t go smoothly, and that the mighty bloodsuckers were sooner or later run into the conundrum of “now that we’ve gotten rid of the humans… what do we eat?” In fact, I’d have been disappointed if it hadn’t happened.

I liked the flashbacks used to explain what had happened to some of the characters. I usually have no problems following those, and they were probably a better method to involve us readers than simply have said characters tell them in a dialogue or long-winded first-person explanation. And I liked that Emma’s ‘romance’ with Cooper was only a budding one, a few potential hooks here and there: it leaves room for more, while still being believable.

I have a couple of gripes with the story, though. First, I’d have liked to read more about the blackouts themselves: they seemed mysterious enough in the cover blurb, but reading about them after the events was a bit anticlimatic (considering the blurb, that is). Also, I’ve wondered a lot about Emma’s reaction regarding her family: she’d sometimes think about the boyfriend she had left on campus… but what about her mother who probably lived a few miles only from where her daughter now had to live? Why didn’t Emma try to discover what had happened to her mother—or, at least, why not show her thinking about it a little more often (even if only to conclude “she’s a vampire or dead, and I shouldn’t think about it anymore”). And I’m really not sure either about the last vampire the hunters off at the end: sure, it tied with something mentioned at the beginning of the novel, but… I don’t know, it just came as kind of “what the hell?…” to me.

But no matter those, I liked the story. I don’t know if there’s a second installment in the making. I think this one works well as a standalone, as the main issues are solved at the end; at the same time, there are still enough elements left to development for a second book to be welcome too. If there’s going to be one, I’ll definitely be interested in reading it.

Yzabel / September 11, 2012

Review: When Love Is Not Enough

When Love Is Not Enough by Wade Kelly

My rating: [rating=4]

Summary:

A six-year downward spiral into a world of lies and deception leads to the end of one man’s life when self-discovery crosses the line between being the perfect son or following his heart.

Jimmy Miller never intended to lead a double life starting the day he fell in love with Darian, but his parents’ divorce, fighting in school, and constantly keeping secrets for his closeted best friend and protector, Matt, force his hand. Jimmy finds the demands too great to withstand and ends it all prematurely, leaving behind an angry best friend and a shattered lover.

Matt and Darian cling to one another in the aftermath of their loss, forging a new friendship immediately tested by the truths of their relationships with Jimmy that are hidden in the pages of Jimmy’s journals. Will Matt and Darian discover what truly happened to their friend? And will this tragedy birth something beautiful between them as they learn the balance between life, family, and friendship when love is simply not enough?

Review:

(Book provided by the author through ARR #455 in the Makinc Connections group, in exchange for an honest review.)

I hesitated a lot about which mark to give this book, pondering a 3 at first. I have a few gripes with it… but all things considered, it was a beautiful story that got me hooked no matter what, more complex than it seems, and so I settled on 4 stars.

Part of me perceived the characters and their reactions as often too angsty, too over-the-top, and at first sight too skewed. I thought I may not like this novel in the end. The author tackles a lot of issues in it: violence at home, broken parents-children relationships, homosexuality, rape (left unseen), lies bordering on cheating… Do so many things happen to people? Was it believable? Wasn’t it just, well, ‘too much’?

Then I thought some more, and realized that those plot points, what went in the characters’ lives, were precisely why I liked the book in the end: it made me wonder, it made me try to question people’s motives and reactions, try to understand why such event would lead to such reactions. And this was quite interesting.

There were moments I didn’t get Jamie. I didn’t get Matt. I didn’t get Darian. Why would Jamie keep everything separated, everything hidden? Why wouldn’t he just leave, give the finger, and steer his own life as soon as he was legally of age? Why would Matt be so hell-bent on one night stands? Why would Darian fall into Matt’s arms like that? I couldn’t get those. In a way, their reactions made me angry. That said, as soon as I started thinking more about them, they actually made sense, too.

– Jamie, desperate to be accepted for who he was, yet also knowing deep inside (without admitting it to himself) that it just wouldn’t happen; trying to balance out everything, to keep everything in little boxes because this may have been the only control he felt he could have on his life. I wondered why, after everything he had been through, one conversation would prompt him to commit suicide; but the very nature of that talk, as well as the people involved, had a shattering potential, and I can understand why someone like Jamie would suddenly make a terrible decision after that, after realizing openly that all his efforts were in vain.

– Matt: acting that way, I suppose, because not involving himself, not committing himself, removed the dreaded possibility of having to come out to his family. As long as he kept things like that, he wouldn’t have to make the choice, to cross the line, and could go on pretending that he was ‘just like the others’, like what other people expected him to be. In that regard, he too was caught in the same trap as Jamie, that of feeling he had to conform and hide who he truly was inside. In spite of assuming his being gay, he only assumed it far enough from home to be of no consequence to his official life.

– Darian: so desperate, alone, a young man who from the start had been robbed from half his close family, and was so frightened of losing his newfound happiness that, paradoxically, trying to escape those feelings could have destroyed him. And then Jamie was gone, making Darian’s worst fear come true, in a much cruel and ironic twist. But in spite of his frailty, of his inability to cope, he was still strong in many other ways. Strong in how he assumed who he was from the start. Strong in how he admitted he was afraid, and made the choice to not give in, even though this meant running straight into someting that a lot of people would deem as shocking. He was a beautiful soul, a person with a heart of gold, plenty of love to give freely, and the ability to commit himself fully to the one he loved, without conditions.

As I wrote above, I had some gripes with the book, and I can’t not just mention them, because even though I enjoyed the story, they may be a turn-off for a different reader:

– A couple of inserts were really, really weird. I’m thinking more specifically about that part where Darian reads from a book to Jamie, and we get the whole details about the title, author, the book being on Goodreads, an excerpt from the real text… Although I usually enjoy cameos, that one was too much like some kind of ad, that temporarily made me go “what the heck?” and broke my train of reading. I recovered quickly, but it was seriously weird.

– Matt’s speech in the end. It was spot-on, sure, yet it was also too much of a literal sermon. That too made me quirk an eyebrow and wonder if it was so necessary to present it this way.

– Not so much a gripe as a “I would have preferred if…”: Darian and Matt’s relationship. It evolved too quickly to my taste. It was beautiful, and it sort of made sense in that both of them were drawn together by the very pain that might have destroyed them had they stayed along… but I think I’d have liked it more if it had been closer to budding friendship, with love developing from there, and not the way it had started.

I suppose my review might come off as bizarre and unbalanced: a story that made me angry, confused, with characters whose reactions felt flawed at first, with an episode that destroyed my suspension of disbelief, with a sermon… and I’m still giving it such a high mark?

That’s precisely because it made me angry—and I’m not prone to a lot of feelings while reading, so any author who proves able to elicit something in me like that get to have bonus points. And in spite of the other flaws I mentioned, the way the story managed to captivate me is something I definitely can’t ignore.

(Bonus points go to Jamie’s mother, too, for being one of the craziest bitches I’ve seen in a novel so far. What’s most mind-shattering is that in the real world, there *are* people like her, who should clearly not be left running a family, yet are such skilled manipulators that nobody ever notices how screwed-up they are. I hated that woman, really.)

Yzabel / September 9, 2012

Review: City Of Pillars

City of Pillars by Dominic Peloso

My rating: [rating=2]

Summary:

Men in Black… An Ancient Manuscript… A City that Isn’t Supposed to Exist…

No matter how paranoid you are, you’re not paranoid enough!

An innocent man accidentally comes into possession of an ancient text. Soon he is being chased to the ends of the earth, pursued by shadowy forces who seem intent on getting the book back and eliminating all evidence of it. As he attempts to stay alive and translate the mysterious document he uncovers horrific and ominous details of an ancient, worldwide conspiracy. But the question is, can he find the answers he seeks before he loses everything?

City of Pillars charts one man’s journey into madness, past the narrow confines of Western notions of reason and scientific reality. As he decodes more and more of the secrets of the City of Pillars, he is pushed farther and farther outside the bounds of traditional society and is forced to discard his morality piece by piece to stay alive. He is forced to answer the question:

How far am I willing to go to uncover the truth?

Review:

(I got this book a few months ago through Goodreads’s giveaway/first reads program.)

I hesitated a lot about which mark to give it. I’d probably put it at 2.5/5; for want of half-stars to give here, I’ll leave it at 2 for now. It wasn’t an unpleasant read, it has its good sides, but I think that having had to read it in little chunks wasn’t a good choice; it’s the kind of story that would probably be better enjoyed in one or two sittings only.

Being an old reader of Lovecraft and similar tales, of course a plot about men in black, a mysterious city, and a mysterious manuscript leading to it was bound to catch my interest. It alludes to the lost city of Irem mentioned in the Quran, as well as to HPL’s “The Nameless City” (which was inspired by that very Irem too). The story revolves around Mitchell Sinclair, a money-hungry American lawyer whose life is turned upside down when he is accidentally handed out an old manuscript. The events set in motion by this mistake force him to take action and to overhaul his life, in search for the truth hidden behind those pages written in several languages, some of which are clearly dead tongues only spoken by a chosen few. In his quest, Mitchell travels to several places around the world, experiences dire circumstances, discovers his own ruthless ability for survival, and has to reevaluate his relationship to his own humanity.

Basically, the plot itself was interesting, especially the part where Mitch gets chased by the mysterious men in black; but in some parts, the narrative becomes a little slow. Also, the paratactic style used most of the time, along with a few shifts to present tense whose interest I didn’t really see, tended to grate on my nerves after a while: although it worked well for action scenes, it was annoying for the more descriptive ones, making them dry. I also felt frustrated at the whole mystery, that I’d have liked to see unveiled some more.

Bonus points, though, for chapter titles matching the Sefirot. I always enjoy my little dose of esoteric allusion outside of the direct text.

Yzabel / September 6, 2012

Review: The Plot Against America

The Plot Against America by Philip Roth

My rating: [rating=3]

Summary:

In an astonishing feat of narrative invention, our most ambitious novelist imagines an alternate version of American history. In 1940 Charles A. Lindbergh, heroic aviator and rabid isolationist, is elected President. Shortly thereafter, he negotiates a cordial “understanding” with Adolf Hitler, while the new government embarks on a program of folksy anti-Semitism.

For one boy growing up in Newark, Lindbergh’s election is the first in a series of ruptures that threatens to destroy his small, safe corner of America — and with it, his mother, his father, and his older brother.

Review:

Hard to review, this one. I’m quite keen on Roth’s works in general, but I wasn’t so convinced here. I still found it enjoyable—just not as much as others of his novels.

What I liked:
* The “what if…” aspect (that’s why I had picked this book, after all). I have such a soft spot for these, especially when they involve American history and WW2.
* The way the story was told, through the eyes of a child. I think it allowed the author to toy (no pun intended) with a point of view that was both innocent and terribly lucid at times, in its ability to feel the raw intensity of events.
* The convincing narrative. I felt that the events unfolding in the story might indeed have happened, have been possible. It’s not totally far-fetched, on the contrary. And that’s precisely what makes it frightening.

What I liked less:
* The rushed half-assed end, and the impersonal way in which it was told. I found it really jarring, compared to the narrative style in the rest of the novel.
* Actually, Roth could’ve gone further with this story, and do more with it than (view spoiler)
* The fact that past that point, the author seemed to have lost sight of what exactly he was aiming at.