I loved the premise of the Dead Zone - I think King is exceptional with "what if" scenarios. If I had one complaint it is that his endings tend to be disappointing (The Stand) but he does a great job with premises and characters.Originally Posted by Zsinj
I've read some good reviews of The Drowning Girl - will be interested in what you think.
I finished Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. I was initially a bit reluctant to plunge into this novel seeing all the comparisons to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, which for me tends to evoke randomness, silliness and chaotic plots. Neverwhere was all these things of course but Gaiman infused his London Below society with life and populated it with several memorable characters. Good plot, fine writing and an unusual main protagonist (just a random guy).
I don't know, I would argue that a certain violent scene in the final book could be shocking to teenagers and would disqualify it for recommendation.
Thank you for your thoughts on Wormwood. I've got it in my sights and have just bought Drawing Blood.
Concerning Kiernan, I'm a bit at a loss. I truly loved her writing in Silk but the plot fell completely flat and meandered into some sort of frustrating nonsensical "dreamscape". I've been reluctant to try some of her other stuff because of it and the sequel sits unread on my shelves. Are all her books in a similar vein?
I haven't read her early novels, except for Threshold, and her last novel before The Drowning Girl, The Red Tree which was one of my favorite reads in 2009. Note, though, that Silk was her first novel, and first novels can be rocky.
When I started To Charles Fort, With Love, it was after reading a couple of other really fine short story collections. Both of those writers, though, were mostly traditional in the way they structured their stories, so Kiernan's stories demanded that I adjust some. Kiernan doesn't seem all that concerned with plot. It's there, and in the stories I've read so far it has its importance, but several of the stories end with the implication of actions important to plot taking place after the end of the story. What Kiernan focused on instead was the revelation to a character of other worlds that may be less than a step away, and what that may mean to the character.
The Red Tree, as simple and straight-forward as the prose is (and I'm having a hard time naming a better current prose stylist than Kiernan), is a complex novel. It combines Kiernan's Lovecraftian/Machen-like imagination with a Shirley Jackson-like concern for understanding her main character. Since the main character is not altogether reliable, you have to work your way through the novel, weighing what is said and what is meant -- is this character having a supernatural/paranormal experience or is she going insane? It's a novel I expect to reward rereading in the future.
There was an official SFFWorld review here, http://www.sffworld.com/brevoff/596.html
I'd say that I've been reading Kiernan more for the quality of her prose and her Gothic imagination than for her plotting.
Randy M.
Addendum: Came across this over my lunch hour as I was reading further in To Charles Fort, With Love. It's from the afterword to her short story, "Nor the Demons Down Under the Sea": “This is one of those stories which takes very seriously my belief that dark fiction dealing with the inexplicable should, itself, present to the reader a certain inexplicability. It’s not about resolution or understanding, but that brief, disturbing contact which usually characterizes actual paranormal encounters.”
Last edited by Randy M.; April 4th, 2012 at 11:27 AM.
I'm losing my Miéville virginity to Un Lun Dun. About 50 pages into it and I've already giggled.
Ehhhh, I read both the Covenant books and the Darkover books when I was in high school -- and that was a looooong time ago, when teenagers weren't nearly as conversant about sexual issues as they are these days. I think most teens would handle it just fine.
Finished Night of Knives by by Ian C. Esslemont yesterday.
Steven Erikson tells us in the Introduction that it is not fan fiction. Alas, it reads like one.
The atmosphere is similar to Erikson’s Malazan world and it encourages. Then, flat, one dimensional characters ruin it. There is just not enough depth. Unfamiliar monsters, magic and boring characters are thrown into one big pile of boring narration.
I would not even finish the book if not for want to learn more about Kellanved and Dancer. The confrontation of the couple with Surly.
The overall impression is of reading an Appendix A of you know what book.
Once again I dive into Malazan World.
The Bonehunters.
Finished The Killing Moon by NK Jemisin over the weekend. Loved it. Not quite the narrative masterpiece that was 100K Kingdoms, but it's got a lot more depth.
Not sure what to read next...
I just finished The Wise Man's Fear and that was awesome can't wait for the next one. I just began Furies of Calderon and its been good so far however I can't really say being only a few chapters in.
Last edited by Hobbit; March 27th, 2012 at 03:16 PM. Reason: Signatures as given not accepted at SFFWorld.
Just finished Retribution Falls by Wooding. It was pretty good. I know there are one or two sequels already so just for the sake of discussion - where would the story go from here? Retribution Falls is a sort of story of redemption. Now that people are "redeemed" new stories would just be adventures without the added dimension of learning back stories and the development that happened in the first book. Which is fine if that is what they are. To me Retribution Falls worked as a stand alone and I can't see how the story could match the first book if it is just more of the same (which is what it looks like from the descriptions of the sequels).
Further into Deadhouse Gates. Hoping my suspicions about Fiddler are correct.
This is one of my more anticipated books of the year. I'm a little jealous of anyone getting an advanced copy. It's good to hear that you enjoyed it.
Redshirts? Oh wait...
It's a shame really for those rationalists amongst us who would prefer to have those sensible explanations. Then again, maybe Kiernan's style wouldn't mesh well with a heavy dose of realism and is actually better suited for those weird atmospheres and this certain "inexplicability"?
Thank you for the detailed response, The Red Tree does look interesting.
I can agree with you on an individual level. However rape scenes are a polarizing issue and seeing as some adults can't stomach them, I would have reservations about recommending such material to teens. You've mentioned Covenant and it's hard to ignore the huge negativity that has arisen because of that ONE scene, whether justified or not (especially as there are plenty of other reasons to lambast Lord Foul's Bane). Hence the precautions but hey, maybe you're right and I'm not giving teenagers enough credit. I just wouldn't be comfortable doing it.
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