Book/Movie Recs as of 8/17/12
In Books:
Embassytown, by China Mieville: Mieville has so many ideas in his books that I sometimes worry that the story is going to explode in a metaphorical spring-snake-out-of-a-can-of-"party-nuts" surprise ending. The plot in this book wasn't like that, exactly, but I began to feel like all the fabulous ideas came at the expense of something else. This something else was character development. The main character of this story, Avice Benner Cho (whose initials are ABC, remember that), even after reading the entire book, is still largely a cypher to me. I felt like any vaguely good character of either gender could have easily filled her shoes and the story would not have changed much. And... well, I guess that's OK, except that I didn't really invest much in the plot as a result, other than marveling at the ideas (there they are again!) as a whole.
In this novel, humankind has colonized much of space and encountered beings that are truly alien. The descriptions of the Arieki, which I mentally thought of as insectoid sea horses with two mouths and crab-stalk eyes, were... well, I have a feeling if I saw anything approaching good concept artwork for a movie adaptation, they might me feel a little ill. In fact, I was surprised that none of the human characters in the story ever expressed any sort of physical revulsion at the appearance of the aliens, especially as the plot twists came and went. In any case, because of their two mouths, the Arieki cannot understand humans, or any computer program interpretation of their simultaneous speech, because the words must be spoken together from the same soul. The eventual workaround to this problem is just as squicky and problematic as I imagined it would be, and the problem that eventually arises because of it wholly evil and disgusting... and entirely plausible, given the scenario that's been set up.
Mieville is keen on exploring the nature of language and its addictive properties, as well as the way a well- (or ill-) chosen word can change a relationship. Avice, who becomes a living simile in the Arieki language, is reduced to just her building block/ABC parts, and it's in this experience that she's redeemed and condemned. This wasn't an easy read, but it was a thought-provoking one. It doesn't come close to the engrossing experience that was Perdido Street Station, however, which still lurks around the edges of my subconscious. I recommend both, but one more highly than the other.
Spindle's End, by Robin McKinley: A birthday present from
orichalcum, and well chosen. I like McKinley's matter-of-fact, wry authorial tone, and I like the way the characters grow and thrive in her words. I did find that a lot of the suspense was suddenly deflated at a particular plot point, and after that, it didn't build again in the same way, but that's neither here nor there, and more a fault of the story she's retelling than this book.
The Prisoner of Heaven, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon: I adore the previous two books (The Shadow of the Wind & The Angel's Game) in this loosely affiliated trilogy, but I'm sorry to say that this one fell a bit short. The A-Plot, set in the story's present, feels oddly weak when held up against the B-Plot, a Count of Monte Cristo-esque prison escape story featuring someone who's ostensibly not the main character of the book... except that he is, and the A-Plot main character's motivations (other than being the best friend in the whole damned world, apparently) are unclear for the bulk of the story. I still recommend the first two whole heartedly, and maybe this one would read more strongly if I'd just read the first ones... huh. I may try that sometime and see if my opinion changes.
Polterguys, Volume 1, by
psychoe: It's no secret that this work is done by a friend of mine, the afore-tagged Laur/psychoe. I'm pleased to report that this first installment of her manga work is just spectacular, from both the art and storytelling standpoint. I'm not saying this just because I'm her friend, but because it really is that good!
Polterguys is a riff on the "reverse harem" anime/manga trope, where a cute girl is surrounded by a bunch of good-looking guys. These sorts of stories are usually silly bits of plot interspersed with a will-they-or-won't-they romance between the main female character and two romantic rivals. What Polterguys does so effectively is that it takes a step beyond that simple trope. Sure, the main character Bree is surrounded by cute guys, and a romantic subplot and rivalry are pretty obviously on the horizon. But the stakes are bigger than that and the conflict more interesting than *just* a simple romance with arbitrary hurdles. Bree is a tremendously relatable character, but with room for some growth and change, and the other characters have the same potential. Heck, in the case of most of the other characters, they HAVE to change, or... well, I don't want to give it away. Let's just say that it's a life and death situation and leave it at that. The art and story work nicely together and there are some lovely passages that are told solely via pictures, as well as snippets of great conversation, especially between Bree and Peter. Artistically speaking, the magic scenes in this are just top-notch, full of dynamic drama and otherworldliness. I cannot wait to see where this story is going, and it's a pleasure to read it in solid, book form. Everyone, check it out!
On DVD:
Jiro Dreams of Sushi: This was an excellent movie, although perhaps just a tad overlong. No matter: the food porn in it was beyond compare, and the people being profiled were open and honest. If you like sushi at all, you need to see this film. If I weren't sick, I'd be out eating sushi right now because of it.
Embassytown, by China Mieville: Mieville has so many ideas in his books that I sometimes worry that the story is going to explode in a metaphorical spring-snake-out-of-a-can-of-"party-nuts" surprise ending. The plot in this book wasn't like that, exactly, but I began to feel like all the fabulous ideas came at the expense of something else. This something else was character development. The main character of this story, Avice Benner Cho (whose initials are ABC, remember that), even after reading the entire book, is still largely a cypher to me. I felt like any vaguely good character of either gender could have easily filled her shoes and the story would not have changed much. And... well, I guess that's OK, except that I didn't really invest much in the plot as a result, other than marveling at the ideas (there they are again!) as a whole.
In this novel, humankind has colonized much of space and encountered beings that are truly alien. The descriptions of the Arieki, which I mentally thought of as insectoid sea horses with two mouths and crab-stalk eyes, were... well, I have a feeling if I saw anything approaching good concept artwork for a movie adaptation, they might me feel a little ill. In fact, I was surprised that none of the human characters in the story ever expressed any sort of physical revulsion at the appearance of the aliens, especially as the plot twists came and went. In any case, because of their two mouths, the Arieki cannot understand humans, or any computer program interpretation of their simultaneous speech, because the words must be spoken together from the same soul. The eventual workaround to this problem is just as squicky and problematic as I imagined it would be, and the problem that eventually arises because of it wholly evil and disgusting... and entirely plausible, given the scenario that's been set up.
Mieville is keen on exploring the nature of language and its addictive properties, as well as the way a well- (or ill-) chosen word can change a relationship. Avice, who becomes a living simile in the Arieki language, is reduced to just her building block/ABC parts, and it's in this experience that she's redeemed and condemned. This wasn't an easy read, but it was a thought-provoking one. It doesn't come close to the engrossing experience that was Perdido Street Station, however, which still lurks around the edges of my subconscious. I recommend both, but one more highly than the other.
Spindle's End, by Robin McKinley: A birthday present from
orichalcum, and well chosen. I like McKinley's matter-of-fact, wry authorial tone, and I like the way the characters grow and thrive in her words. I did find that a lot of the suspense was suddenly deflated at a particular plot point, and after that, it didn't build again in the same way, but that's neither here nor there, and more a fault of the story she's retelling than this book.
The Prisoner of Heaven, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon: I adore the previous two books (The Shadow of the Wind & The Angel's Game) in this loosely affiliated trilogy, but I'm sorry to say that this one fell a bit short. The A-Plot, set in the story's present, feels oddly weak when held up against the B-Plot, a Count of Monte Cristo-esque prison escape story featuring someone who's ostensibly not the main character of the book... except that he is, and the A-Plot main character's motivations (other than being the best friend in the whole damned world, apparently) are unclear for the bulk of the story. I still recommend the first two whole heartedly, and maybe this one would read more strongly if I'd just read the first ones... huh. I may try that sometime and see if my opinion changes.
Polterguys, Volume 1, by
psychoe: It's no secret that this work is done by a friend of mine, the afore-tagged Laur/psychoe. I'm pleased to report that this first installment of her manga work is just spectacular, from both the art and storytelling standpoint. I'm not saying this just because I'm her friend, but because it really is that good!
Polterguys is a riff on the "reverse harem" anime/manga trope, where a cute girl is surrounded by a bunch of good-looking guys. These sorts of stories are usually silly bits of plot interspersed with a will-they-or-won't-they romance between the main female character and two romantic rivals. What Polterguys does so effectively is that it takes a step beyond that simple trope. Sure, the main character Bree is surrounded by cute guys, and a romantic subplot and rivalry are pretty obviously on the horizon. But the stakes are bigger than that and the conflict more interesting than *just* a simple romance with arbitrary hurdles. Bree is a tremendously relatable character, but with room for some growth and change, and the other characters have the same potential. Heck, in the case of most of the other characters, they HAVE to change, or... well, I don't want to give it away. Let's just say that it's a life and death situation and leave it at that. The art and story work nicely together and there are some lovely passages that are told solely via pictures, as well as snippets of great conversation, especially between Bree and Peter. Artistically speaking, the magic scenes in this are just top-notch, full of dynamic drama and otherworldliness. I cannot wait to see where this story is going, and it's a pleasure to read it in solid, book form. Everyone, check it out!
On DVD:
Jiro Dreams of Sushi: This was an excellent movie, although perhaps just a tad overlong. No matter: the food porn in it was beyond compare, and the people being profiled were open and honest. If you like sushi at all, you need to see this film. If I weren't sick, I'd be out eating sushi right now because of it.