I’M READING AS FAST AS I CAN (APRIL 2015 EDITION)
Book reports 4 u. Koo koo ka choo.
We'll Always Have Paris by Ray Bradbury
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A 2009 collection of previously unpublished short stories that cover a fairly wide range (a little SF here, a ghost story there, a childhood reminiscence or two, a little surrealism, a dash of romance, etc) but, according to Bradbury’s intro, are united around the theme of immediacy. Which in this case means Bradbury coming up with an idea and just running with it on the spot to see where it goes. In that sense, it’s more like a collection of writing exercises, or perhaps the literary equivalent of studio jamming with the tape rolling. But in Bradbury’s hands, that not necessarily a bad thing. Inevitably some stories work better than others, but the ones that do work showcase his capacity to spellbind and surprise (particularly the title track, which I never would have expected to find in a Bradbury anthology). And even when they don’t quite work, you can still appreciate his technique.
The Administration of Fear by Paul Virilio
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I don’t always get my book recommendations from Warren Ellis, but when I do, it’s often something like this, a 90-page interview from 2007 with philosopher/cultural theorist/urbanist Paul Virilio, in which he explains how fear has become an environment, generated in part by globalization and the acceleration of technology and everyday life, to the point that governments and leaders now find themselves in a position to manage that fear rather than do anything to alleviate it. Like most books from Semiotext(e), it’s written at a highly intellectual level to the point of being buried in philosophic academia. You have to be the equivalent of a philosophy professor (or at least a philosophy major) to understand half of it - so in that sense it’s not very helpful or practical in terms of identifying solutions to the overall problem. Still, there are some interesting ideas here, so at least it’s thought-provoking enough to get a discussion started, which is never a bad thing.
The Ministry Of Fear by Graham Greene
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was already on my to-read pile, but it seemed appropriate to follow up Paul Virilio’s The Administration of Fear with this, not least since Virilio name-checked it as inspiration for his book’s title. Set during the London Blitz, the story follows Arthur Rowe, an acquitted murderer who wins a cake at a village fête and suddenly finds that people are trying to kill him. Typically of Greene, the novel operates on several levels - a straightforward spy thriller, an account of life during wartime London, and an exploration of the nature of (and connections between) fear, love and guilt. It’s not always successful - mainly in terms of the love story (which seems a little forced, as they often are in these kinds of stories) and the use of memory loss as a plot device, which may work by 1943 standards but seems a bit hackneyed in 2015. For all that, it’s still a gripping page-turner with added depth, and the Blitz angle adds an extra layer of danger and fascination. Overall, it’s one of Greene’s better novels.
Ukraine Diaries by Andrey Kurkov
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I’m generally a fan of Kurkov’s novels, so I was keen to pick up this translation of his diaries regarding current events in Ukraine, from the start of the Euromaidan protests in November 2013 to the annexation of Crimea and the subsequent separatist uprisings in the east up to around mid-2014. People unfamiliar with Kurkov’s work might expect some serious, detailed investigative journalism about the Ukraine/Russia situation or at least a rabid anti-Putin diatribe. However, this is more of a sober document of daily life in Kiev during a time of political corruption and upheaval, and the anguish of watching your country rip itself apart (with some outside help) in real time, with no idea how events are going to play out. Kurkov is an observer, not a participant, but he’s not detached either. And while he makes no secret about whose side he is on, he reports on events with admirable restraint and mild sarcasm. It’s a compelling read for anyone who wants to get a better sense of what happened in Ukraine during this period and what was (and arguably still is) as stake.
View all my reviews
To be continued,
This is dF
This entry was originally posted at http://defrog.dreamwidth.org/1518714.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
We'll Always Have Paris by Ray Bradbury
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A 2009 collection of previously unpublished short stories that cover a fairly wide range (a little SF here, a ghost story there, a childhood reminiscence or two, a little surrealism, a dash of romance, etc) but, according to Bradbury’s intro, are united around the theme of immediacy. Which in this case means Bradbury coming up with an idea and just running with it on the spot to see where it goes. In that sense, it’s more like a collection of writing exercises, or perhaps the literary equivalent of studio jamming with the tape rolling. But in Bradbury’s hands, that not necessarily a bad thing. Inevitably some stories work better than others, but the ones that do work showcase his capacity to spellbind and surprise (particularly the title track, which I never would have expected to find in a Bradbury anthology). And even when they don’t quite work, you can still appreciate his technique.
The Administration of Fear by Paul Virilio
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I don’t always get my book recommendations from Warren Ellis, but when I do, it’s often something like this, a 90-page interview from 2007 with philosopher/cultural theorist/urbanist Paul Virilio, in which he explains how fear has become an environment, generated in part by globalization and the acceleration of technology and everyday life, to the point that governments and leaders now find themselves in a position to manage that fear rather than do anything to alleviate it. Like most books from Semiotext(e), it’s written at a highly intellectual level to the point of being buried in philosophic academia. You have to be the equivalent of a philosophy professor (or at least a philosophy major) to understand half of it - so in that sense it’s not very helpful or practical in terms of identifying solutions to the overall problem. Still, there are some interesting ideas here, so at least it’s thought-provoking enough to get a discussion started, which is never a bad thing.
The Ministry Of Fear by Graham Greene
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was already on my to-read pile, but it seemed appropriate to follow up Paul Virilio’s The Administration of Fear with this, not least since Virilio name-checked it as inspiration for his book’s title. Set during the London Blitz, the story follows Arthur Rowe, an acquitted murderer who wins a cake at a village fête and suddenly finds that people are trying to kill him. Typically of Greene, the novel operates on several levels - a straightforward spy thriller, an account of life during wartime London, and an exploration of the nature of (and connections between) fear, love and guilt. It’s not always successful - mainly in terms of the love story (which seems a little forced, as they often are in these kinds of stories) and the use of memory loss as a plot device, which may work by 1943 standards but seems a bit hackneyed in 2015. For all that, it’s still a gripping page-turner with added depth, and the Blitz angle adds an extra layer of danger and fascination. Overall, it’s one of Greene’s better novels.
Ukraine Diaries by Andrey Kurkov
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I’m generally a fan of Kurkov’s novels, so I was keen to pick up this translation of his diaries regarding current events in Ukraine, from the start of the Euromaidan protests in November 2013 to the annexation of Crimea and the subsequent separatist uprisings in the east up to around mid-2014. People unfamiliar with Kurkov’s work might expect some serious, detailed investigative journalism about the Ukraine/Russia situation or at least a rabid anti-Putin diatribe. However, this is more of a sober document of daily life in Kiev during a time of political corruption and upheaval, and the anguish of watching your country rip itself apart (with some outside help) in real time, with no idea how events are going to play out. Kurkov is an observer, not a participant, but he’s not detached either. And while he makes no secret about whose side he is on, he reports on events with admirable restraint and mild sarcasm. It’s a compelling read for anyone who wants to get a better sense of what happened in Ukraine during this period and what was (and arguably still is) as stake.
View all my reviews
To be continued,
This is dF
This entry was originally posted at http://defrog.dreamwidth.org/1518714.html. Please comment there using OpenID.