The American Dream, A Retread: May Books
This has been moldering for almost half of June; I'm just going to post what I've got. Only one cut, for length and frank discussion of stuff that happens in the third book of a trilogy. So you might call it a spoiler.
Mars trilogy (Kim Stanley Robinson): Reread. For something like the fifth time. This would be one of my "formative influence" books; I read it at thirteen-ish and keep coming back to it. The first two books fight it out for "favorite KSR novel"; the third lags because of the lack of conflict. The trilogy's objectives are more or less accomplished by about a third of the way through, and the rest of the book has several drags on the narrative: the "where in the world solar system is Hiroko Ai?"plot; Zoe, who just annoys me; and the presentation of a bunch of different exploratory Martian cultures, but minimal acknowledgment of friction between, say, the tech-heavy Da Vinci crowd and the hunter-gatherer types. (My big personal issue with the sociopolitical setup of the trilogy is the lack of concern about educational inequalities: how can the kids of the hunter-gatherers can compete academically with the middle class Hellas suburb crowd? The hunter-gatherers seem to have made it harder for their kids to apply to the top schools and co-ops, to my eye. Which sets up a basis for social stratification in the new society, which is supposed to be getting away from that sort of thing. This annoys me.)
Having complained a great deal about one aspect of the trilogy, I feel the need to point out that when it's not tripping my ed switch it's really, really, good. KSR does a wonderful job of evoking what Mars would look like, how it would feel to live on Mars, and also creates a number of compelling characters. His future history and societies are engagingly developed, and KSR isn't afraid to kill off characters in the service of the plot. I may have philosophical disagreements with the third book, but the trilogy as a whole is well constructed and always leaves me crying, "wait! You can't stop now! I want more! Please?"
Random comment: was skimming Cyteen last night and came across a quote: "The interests of all humans are interlocked . . . and politics is no more than a temporal expression of social mechanics." KSR draws optimistic social systems; Cherryh likes to play with the places where the system breaks down. I would love to see both of them on a panel discussing political systems in SF.
American Gods (Neil Gaiman): Reread. Archetypes, coin tricks, and other deceptions. Gaiman's style is distinctive, and I'm still not sure if I like it or not. But I keep reading his books, which must count for something.
Two-Bit Heroes (Doris Egan): Reread. Theodora and Ran Cormallon's sort-of honeymoon is derailed when they're swept up by a band of outlaws in the Northwest Sector of Ivory, the only planet where magic is known to work. The Ivory trilogy (The Gate of Ivory, Two-Bit Heroes, and Guilt-Edged Ivory) is comfort reading for me. Easy prose, vivid characterization, scattered literary references, and occasional use of magic to remind the reader that yes, this is an sf/f novel. Two-Bit Heroes features adaptation to the bandit life, calculated application of the Robin Hood myth, and some very effective "yes, it's all fun and games until they stick your head in a noose" moments. Doris Egan (tightropegirl) hasn't written any fiction in about a decade, being employed in Hollywood and having (apparently) no time for it, but if she ever does I may have to add an author to my "buy on sight" list.
Digital Photography for Dummies (Julie Adair King): Not a reread. Buying and using your first digital camera, with trial image processing software and suggestions on how to use it. I already had the camera, so I skimmed to the "using it" section, and have enough experience with photoshop that a lot of the post-production stuff was review, but the "point and shoot" sections were written in a clear and entertaining style. I'm only getting around to trying the shareware CD today (6/14), since I suspect there's at least one addictive, expensive program in there, which I don't need.
Mars trilogy (Kim Stanley Robinson): Reread. For something like the fifth time. This would be one of my "formative influence" books; I read it at thirteen-ish and keep coming back to it. The first two books fight it out for "favorite KSR novel"; the third lags because of the lack of conflict. The trilogy's objectives are more or less accomplished by about a third of the way through, and the rest of the book has several drags on the narrative: the "where in the world solar system is Hiroko Ai?"plot; Zoe, who just annoys me; and the presentation of a bunch of different exploratory Martian cultures, but minimal acknowledgment of friction between, say, the tech-heavy Da Vinci crowd and the hunter-gatherer types. (My big personal issue with the sociopolitical setup of the trilogy is the lack of concern about educational inequalities: how can the kids of the hunter-gatherers can compete academically with the middle class Hellas suburb crowd? The hunter-gatherers seem to have made it harder for their kids to apply to the top schools and co-ops, to my eye. Which sets up a basis for social stratification in the new society, which is supposed to be getting away from that sort of thing. This annoys me.)
Having complained a great deal about one aspect of the trilogy, I feel the need to point out that when it's not tripping my ed switch it's really, really, good. KSR does a wonderful job of evoking what Mars would look like, how it would feel to live on Mars, and also creates a number of compelling characters. His future history and societies are engagingly developed, and KSR isn't afraid to kill off characters in the service of the plot. I may have philosophical disagreements with the third book, but the trilogy as a whole is well constructed and always leaves me crying, "wait! You can't stop now! I want more! Please?"
Random comment: was skimming Cyteen last night and came across a quote: "The interests of all humans are interlocked . . . and politics is no more than a temporal expression of social mechanics." KSR draws optimistic social systems; Cherryh likes to play with the places where the system breaks down. I would love to see both of them on a panel discussing political systems in SF.
American Gods (Neil Gaiman): Reread. Archetypes, coin tricks, and other deceptions. Gaiman's style is distinctive, and I'm still not sure if I like it or not. But I keep reading his books, which must count for something.
Two-Bit Heroes (Doris Egan): Reread. Theodora and Ran Cormallon's sort-of honeymoon is derailed when they're swept up by a band of outlaws in the Northwest Sector of Ivory, the only planet where magic is known to work. The Ivory trilogy (The Gate of Ivory, Two-Bit Heroes, and Guilt-Edged Ivory) is comfort reading for me. Easy prose, vivid characterization, scattered literary references, and occasional use of magic to remind the reader that yes, this is an sf/f novel. Two-Bit Heroes features adaptation to the bandit life, calculated application of the Robin Hood myth, and some very effective "yes, it's all fun and games until they stick your head in a noose" moments. Doris Egan (tightropegirl) hasn't written any fiction in about a decade, being employed in Hollywood and having (apparently) no time for it, but if she ever does I may have to add an author to my "buy on sight" list.
Digital Photography for Dummies (Julie Adair King): Not a reread. Buying and using your first digital camera, with trial image processing software and suggestions on how to use it. I already had the camera, so I skimmed to the "using it" section, and have enough experience with photoshop that a lot of the post-production stuff was review, but the "point and shoot" sections were written in a clear and entertaining style. I'm only getting around to trying the shareware CD today (6/14), since I suspect there's at least one addictive, expensive program in there, which I don't need.