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patchworkbunny's Reviews (2.12k)
This could so easily be a depressing book, but there is something about the way it is written that keeps you going. Despite the main character's premonitions, it seems a very 'real' book. Loved it.
Rick Deckard is a bounty hunter on a futuristic earth, destroyed by war. His bounty is for androids, escaped from colonies by killing their masters and returned to earth to live amongst humans. The latest model, the Nexus-6, are near impossible to differentiate from man but for one flaw. The androids are lacking in empathy.
PKD's vision of the future (or to be exact, 1992, which we've managed to survive) included a religion based on empathy, Mercerism. After World War Terminus, the war to end all wars, many animal species became extinct and it became a duty to own an animal and take care of it. The animals become a bit of a status symbol but unfortunately, Deckard's sheep died and he was forced to replace it with an electronic replica. Real animals don't come cheap. When San Francisco's number one bounty hunter is injured, Deckard sees this as an opportunity to earn enough to buy a new animal for himself and his depressed wife.
The extreme empathy towards animals is in contrast to the hatred for androids. The theme of the novel is one we have become familiar with over the years, at what point does something become alive? Considering artificial intelligence was in its infancy at the time of writing, it's a very insightful book. The androids breathe and are highly intelligent yet they are incapable of embracing Mercerism because they cannot feel empathy. They are technically sociopaths. Though a sociopathic human would be allowed to live until they committed an unforgivable crime, the android's crime is to exist without a master. Admittedly, we are told the only way they could have escaped is by murder, but this never seems like a concrete fact.
I went full circle with my feelings, very much like the story itself does. There are things that the androids do that make you sympathise with them yet others that justify what happens to them.
It is a classic science fiction read and it always feels a bit hard to criticise something that has inspired so much. However I did start reading it and think, “oh no, what's all this sci-fi gobbledegook?” I had to re-read a few parts to quite get what they were talking about. Maybe the introduction of how empathy fits into their world could have been done better but do keep reading. After the first chapter or so, it becomes unputdownable. Honest.
I did find it slightly amusing that Deckard's wife wanted to experience depression through her mood organ, although all signs point to her suffering with it anyway. I also liked the idea that there was an option to make you feel like watching TV for hours without caring what's on.
PKD's vision of the future (or to be exact, 1992, which we've managed to survive) included a religion based on empathy, Mercerism. After World War Terminus, the war to end all wars, many animal species became extinct and it became a duty to own an animal and take care of it. The animals become a bit of a status symbol but unfortunately, Deckard's sheep died and he was forced to replace it with an electronic replica. Real animals don't come cheap. When San Francisco's number one bounty hunter is injured, Deckard sees this as an opportunity to earn enough to buy a new animal for himself and his depressed wife.
The extreme empathy towards animals is in contrast to the hatred for androids. The theme of the novel is one we have become familiar with over the years, at what point does something become alive? Considering artificial intelligence was in its infancy at the time of writing, it's a very insightful book. The androids breathe and are highly intelligent yet they are incapable of embracing Mercerism because they cannot feel empathy. They are technically sociopaths. Though a sociopathic human would be allowed to live until they committed an unforgivable crime, the android's crime is to exist without a master. Admittedly, we are told the only way they could have escaped is by murder, but this never seems like a concrete fact.
I went full circle with my feelings, very much like the story itself does. There are things that the androids do that make you sympathise with them yet others that justify what happens to them.
It is a classic science fiction read and it always feels a bit hard to criticise something that has inspired so much. However I did start reading it and think, “oh no, what's all this sci-fi gobbledegook?” I had to re-read a few parts to quite get what they were talking about. Maybe the introduction of how empathy fits into their world could have been done better but do keep reading. After the first chapter or so, it becomes unputdownable. Honest.
I did find it slightly amusing that Deckard's wife wanted to experience depression through her mood organ, although all signs point to her suffering with it anyway. I also liked the idea that there was an option to make you feel like watching TV for hours without caring what's on.
The Impassable Wilderness lies on the edge of Portland, Oregon. Twelve year old Prue has been told by her parents never to enter the mysterious wild woods across the river but one day, crows swoop down and carry her baby brother off into the woods. She can't bear to tell her parents that he's gone, so Prue heads off into the unknown to rescue him, accompanied by her friend Curtis.
At first glance, Wildwood is an attractive book that will be sure to garner attention in store. Beautifully illustrated by Colin Meloy's partner, Carson Ellis, this Canongate edition has a selection of coloured plates as well as an abundance of black and white drawings within the text. The writing itself is charming and has the sense of a childish imagination. Remember the days when you ran off into the wilderness by your house to play in a land of make believe, never mind if the wilderness was a small park or clump of trees? That's exactly what Wildwood feels like.
Understandably, it is going to be likened to Narnia. The children find themselves in a magical land that no one else can enter, with talking animals and an evil queen. It doesn't have any grand messages though and there is a sense that nature is important to Meloy. The Wildwood is beautifully described and the passages describing the wood itself are what stand out, I especially loved the descriptions of the impassable brambles.
However Wildwood didn't quite live up to my expectations. Whilst it is a lovely children's story, the characters are not complex enough to engage an adult reader for over 500 pages and the story starts to drag. On the other hand, the vocabulary strikes me as a little too advanced for pre-teen readers. I'm sure each page contains a word that a parent would need to explain; apocryphal, spectre, culvert, loam, blanch, phalanx, anarchistic, brackish, promontory, bagatelle, obliterated, decimated... I could go on. I know reading helps expand a child's vocabulary and perhaps parents will like to challenge their offspring with this, but it seems a little too grown up for the content of the story.
At first glance, Wildwood is an attractive book that will be sure to garner attention in store. Beautifully illustrated by Colin Meloy's partner, Carson Ellis, this Canongate edition has a selection of coloured plates as well as an abundance of black and white drawings within the text. The writing itself is charming and has the sense of a childish imagination. Remember the days when you ran off into the wilderness by your house to play in a land of make believe, never mind if the wilderness was a small park or clump of trees? That's exactly what Wildwood feels like.
Understandably, it is going to be likened to Narnia. The children find themselves in a magical land that no one else can enter, with talking animals and an evil queen. It doesn't have any grand messages though and there is a sense that nature is important to Meloy. The Wildwood is beautifully described and the passages describing the wood itself are what stand out, I especially loved the descriptions of the impassable brambles.
However Wildwood didn't quite live up to my expectations. Whilst it is a lovely children's story, the characters are not complex enough to engage an adult reader for over 500 pages and the story starts to drag. On the other hand, the vocabulary strikes me as a little too advanced for pre-teen readers. I'm sure each page contains a word that a parent would need to explain; apocryphal, spectre, culvert, loam, blanch, phalanx, anarchistic, brackish, promontory, bagatelle, obliterated, decimated... I could go on. I know reading helps expand a child's vocabulary and perhaps parents will like to challenge their offspring with this, but it seems a little too grown up for the content of the story.
The year is 1321. In the isolated village of Ulewic, the people are ruled by the Owl Masters and the church. When a group of women set up a beguinage on the edge of the village, they are viewed with suspicion but tolerated for their charity. As crops struggle in bad weather and disease strikes livestock and the villagers, they begin to doubt the purpose of the outlander women. Have they been cursed?
The Owl Killers, at the very least, will make you feel grateful for living in the 21st century. Not only was daily life a struggle to survive, but they lived under the oppression of the Catholic church who took their money and dictated what they must believe in or risk punishment. The church is shown as corrupt and hypocritical although the priest, at times, seems like he wants to show compassion but is constrained by those above him. Ulewic has the added tyranny of the Owl Masters, a pagan group of men who rule with fear and enact their own brand of justice. To receive a dead owl on your doorstep is a death sentence.
For the time, beguines were impressive women. They wished to be neither wives nor nuns and set up what we might think of as communes today. Whilst a fictional account, some of the actions of the women are based on historical records, such as giving mass after being excommunicated by the church. They believed in God as that was tantamount to the law but they didn't believe that faith was something that an entity could control.
The novel is narrated in first person by five different characters which makes it difficult to get into the story at first. However this does give differing viewpoints and shows that both religions had good and bad sides. The cunning woman, often thought as of a witch, did her best to aide the women of the village yet the Owl Masters used superstitions to maintain power. Greed was at the centre of the church's concerns yet the beguines helped tend to the sick and feed the poor. However even within the beguines there is prejudice and judgement.
The text is also historically interesting, from how everyday people lived their lives to the superstitions that shaped their lives. Things such as a small cut could mean death in those times, with no real medicines or understanding of sickness. It is sad to think that those with leprosy are still shunned in some countries to this day, even though it is easily treated with modern antibiotics. As it is set before the Gregorian calendar was in use, the passing of time is told with the relevant saint's day or festival and includes some fascinating tidbits.
A slow start, but persevere and it picks up. I enjoyed it more for the history than for the plot or charactisation though and, as is often the case with books over 500 pages, felt it could have been pruned a little. I do understand why setting the scene took so long due to the different narrators.
The Owl Killers, at the very least, will make you feel grateful for living in the 21st century. Not only was daily life a struggle to survive, but they lived under the oppression of the Catholic church who took their money and dictated what they must believe in or risk punishment. The church is shown as corrupt and hypocritical although the priest, at times, seems like he wants to show compassion but is constrained by those above him. Ulewic has the added tyranny of the Owl Masters, a pagan group of men who rule with fear and enact their own brand of justice. To receive a dead owl on your doorstep is a death sentence.
For the time, beguines were impressive women. They wished to be neither wives nor nuns and set up what we might think of as communes today. Whilst a fictional account, some of the actions of the women are based on historical records, such as giving mass after being excommunicated by the church. They believed in God as that was tantamount to the law but they didn't believe that faith was something that an entity could control.
The novel is narrated in first person by five different characters which makes it difficult to get into the story at first. However this does give differing viewpoints and shows that both religions had good and bad sides. The cunning woman, often thought as of a witch, did her best to aide the women of the village yet the Owl Masters used superstitions to maintain power. Greed was at the centre of the church's concerns yet the beguines helped tend to the sick and feed the poor. However even within the beguines there is prejudice and judgement.
The text is also historically interesting, from how everyday people lived their lives to the superstitions that shaped their lives. Things such as a small cut could mean death in those times, with no real medicines or understanding of sickness. It is sad to think that those with leprosy are still shunned in some countries to this day, even though it is easily treated with modern antibiotics. As it is set before the Gregorian calendar was in use, the passing of time is told with the relevant saint's day or festival and includes some fascinating tidbits.
A slow start, but persevere and it picks up. I enjoyed it more for the history than for the plot or charactisation though and, as is often the case with books over 500 pages, felt it could have been pruned a little. I do understand why setting the scene took so long due to the different narrators.
Angelic is a novella set in the Women of the Otherworld universe and occurs somewhere between Living with the Dead and Frostbitten. Whilst you can read the main novels without the shorter works, I don't think these novellas work by themselves and will contain spoilers for the series. Originally, it was only available as a limited edition hardback through Subterranean, but has more recently been released as an ebook for those that missed out. I'm still a little sad that this is the only book missing from my Kelley Armstrong collection but it was great to have a chance to read it without paying secondary market prices. The Subterranean books seem to be easier to get hold of now that they also release ebooks and they are top quality books. I have both Counterfeit Magic and Hidden from them.
So it's a little story about Eve and her angelic duties. It's always nice to visit the Otherworld but there wasn't enough meat to the story. Yes, it's a novella, but I would expect one thing dealt with in more detail rather than a few things skimmed over. There was hardly any description of the djinn she was hunting and there was a couple of new minor characters to get to grips with. I'm not a huge fan of the illustration style either, although this is similar across the limited editions.
Eve has to put off her holiday with Kristof for a few days and I liked the sound of what she had planned. I think I would have preferred reading about the holiday more than a quick “mission”. As this year marks the final instalment of the series, I'm sure I'll be re-reading, in order, all the novels, novellas and short stories in the future.
So it's a little story about Eve and her angelic duties. It's always nice to visit the Otherworld but there wasn't enough meat to the story. Yes, it's a novella, but I would expect one thing dealt with in more detail rather than a few things skimmed over. There was hardly any description of the djinn she was hunting and there was a couple of new minor characters to get to grips with. I'm not a huge fan of the illustration style either, although this is similar across the limited editions.
Eve has to put off her holiday with Kristof for a few days and I liked the sound of what she had planned. I think I would have preferred reading about the holiday more than a quick “mission”. As this year marks the final instalment of the series, I'm sure I'll be re-reading, in order, all the novels, novellas and short stories in the future.
Touches The Sky is a young, male dolphin living within a clan which follows the teachings of the Way, passed down through generations. He is an outsider, rescued by humans when his family were beached but he is loyal to his elders. As he trains as a Novice, those around him start to ask questions about a mysterious group of rebels known as the Guardians.
I feel a bit ambiguous about Dolphin Way. The very first page is a moving account of a beached dolphin and our main character witnessing a slow and distressing death of a friend. There are little passages that describe the underwater world with an obvious passion and charming detail. I loved the fable of how the hermit crab and the sea urchin and how they came to be and when One Eye tries to explain the concept of ownership to Sky.
Yet the dialogue ruined it for me. Sky sounded like a child, with no nuances of speech and an excessive amount of exclamation marks. I understand he was meant to be a younger dolphin but from the story he should have been an adolescent at least. The older dolphins had far too formal speech with the exception of One Eye, who was the only character I really liked. The dolphins also had the habit of stating the obvious and repeating themselves.
I quite agree with Dusk and by that point more than half the book had passed with Sky repeatedly stating that so and so wasn't the Way. I think the point that humans are polluting the planet can be told in a more subtle way than having your characters mention it over and over again. When they watch the sharks being caught for their fins, and the horror of seeing one thrown back alive but without its fins, it's self explanatory without the dolphins explaining it to the reader in simplified terms.
I'm not sold on the dolphin concept of organised religion either, which is really what the Way is. It seems far too human a thing to me and dolphins don't seem particularly benevolent creatures. I have watched enough documentaries to believe in the things that the Guardians do but not to set quotas and expect other species to comply. The ocean's a big place after all.
The last 80 or so pages picked up the pace and I wish the event that happened at the end of chapter 35 had been brought forward in the story as it feels like something is happening at last. These final chapters also feel a lot more accomplished and would make me consider reading more of Mark Caney's work in future.
The cover blurb suggests this is a utopian society but it has a lot in common with some of the dystopian fiction I have picked holes in recently. I would suggest it more suitable for younger readers.
I feel a bit ambiguous about Dolphin Way. The very first page is a moving account of a beached dolphin and our main character witnessing a slow and distressing death of a friend. There are little passages that describe the underwater world with an obvious passion and charming detail. I loved the fable of how the hermit crab and the sea urchin and how they came to be and when One Eye tries to explain the concept of ownership to Sky.
Yet the dialogue ruined it for me. Sky sounded like a child, with no nuances of speech and an excessive amount of exclamation marks. I understand he was meant to be a younger dolphin but from the story he should have been an adolescent at least. The older dolphins had far too formal speech with the exception of One Eye, who was the only character I really liked. The dolphins also had the habit of stating the obvious and repeating themselves.
“And to follow the Way? Can't you come up with anything of your own? It's like you're always quoting from a lesson.”
“What's wrong with that? So, they are the kind of things our teacher would have said – old wisdom – but why should that make them wrong?”
Dusk was exasperated. This was exactly what drove her crazy about him.
I quite agree with Dusk and by that point more than half the book had passed with Sky repeatedly stating that so and so wasn't the Way. I think the point that humans are polluting the planet can be told in a more subtle way than having your characters mention it over and over again. When they watch the sharks being caught for their fins, and the horror of seeing one thrown back alive but without its fins, it's self explanatory without the dolphins explaining it to the reader in simplified terms.
I'm not sold on the dolphin concept of organised religion either, which is really what the Way is. It seems far too human a thing to me and dolphins don't seem particularly benevolent creatures. I have watched enough documentaries to believe in the things that the Guardians do but not to set quotas and expect other species to comply. The ocean's a big place after all.
The last 80 or so pages picked up the pace and I wish the event that happened at the end of chapter 35 had been brought forward in the story as it feels like something is happening at last. These final chapters also feel a lot more accomplished and would make me consider reading more of Mark Caney's work in future.
The cover blurb suggests this is a utopian society but it has a lot in common with some of the dystopian fiction I have picked holes in recently. I would suggest it more suitable for younger readers.
Harry Karlinsky comes across a name in the London Asylum records which piques his interest. Thomas Darwin. Was he any relation to Charles? He delves deeper into the records and discovers the story of the youngest son, a quiet man who had an obsession with cutlery which slowly drove him insane.
It's an odd little book. The cover has the word “novel” in a small font and the author's note acknowledges that it's fiction but it is otherwise introduced and written as a historical biography. Thomas' life is intertwined with that of Charles Darwin and it becomes difficult to separate fact from fiction, something that is both charming and infuriating, depending on your outlook. It is certainly a unique way to write historical fiction.
I rather liked his theory of evolution of cutlery, there is a lot of sense to it, except for when he starts to become a bit “peculiar” as the editor of Nature kindly put it.
The style is not dissimilar to that of Charles Darwin's works and there are a number of letters, articles and illustrations throughout like the collected works of one man's research. It is not told in chronological order, instead divided into sections for his personal life, his work and his illness, much like a real biography.
I really can't decide if this is genius or not. If you're looking for well rounded characters and a gripping plot, keep looking. However, if you're interested in unique ways of story telling or even just Darwinism, give this a try. I think it might bring a smile to your face.
It's an odd little book. The cover has the word “novel” in a small font and the author's note acknowledges that it's fiction but it is otherwise introduced and written as a historical biography. Thomas' life is intertwined with that of Charles Darwin and it becomes difficult to separate fact from fiction, something that is both charming and infuriating, depending on your outlook. It is certainly a unique way to write historical fiction.
I rather liked his theory of evolution of cutlery, there is a lot of sense to it, except for when he starts to become a bit “peculiar” as the editor of Nature kindly put it.
The style is not dissimilar to that of Charles Darwin's works and there are a number of letters, articles and illustrations throughout like the collected works of one man's research. It is not told in chronological order, instead divided into sections for his personal life, his work and his illness, much like a real biography.
I really can't decide if this is genius or not. If you're looking for well rounded characters and a gripping plot, keep looking. However, if you're interested in unique ways of story telling or even just Darwinism, give this a try. I think it might bring a smile to your face.
Mobile phones contain entire lives within their circuits. Poppy has just lost her engagement ring when her phone is stolen. The timing couldn't be worse but as she's waiting for assistance, she spies a phone in the bin, carelessly tossed away. If it's in the bin, no one wants it right? Turns out it belonged to the PA of Sam, a bigshot in a PR firm and he's not too happy that Poppy is now using it. But they come to an agreement, Poppy can keep the phone until she finds the ring and she promises not to read his emails...only who could resist? Slowly, Poppy becomes his uninvited PA all the while preparing for her wedding.
Sophie Kinsella is back on form with I've Got Your Number. I laughed, I cried and it's a thoroughly modern tale. We rely so much on our phones these days and managing work through email. It highlights the misunderstandings made through lack of inflection in emails and pokes fun at some people's phone habits. There's a contrast between the formal world of academics and the informal world of every day life. I loved how the footnotes became a running joke.
Of course, there will always be a central romantic plot, although I didn't think the outcome was overly obvious from the start. One thing I like about her female leads is that they always feel real, even if the plot isn't. They are imperfect and they think absurd things at times but this is something actual real people do.
If I had to nit-pick, I'd say the circumstances around the phone are a bit unbelievable. I got the feeling it was a bit of an outdated model but she is still emailing from it and taking photos. If it had been an iPhone, I think Sam would have retrieved the data and be shot of her within an hour. And really, would you let a phone thief have access to your business' confidence information? You really have to try not to think about this and allow some artistic license.
The book is “augmented” with an app which animates the cover and a short video message from Sophie. It does seem a token gesture to do something digital with a print book. I think something like that would work better with children's books.
Sophie Kinsella is back on form with I've Got Your Number. I laughed, I cried and it's a thoroughly modern tale. We rely so much on our phones these days and managing work through email. It highlights the misunderstandings made through lack of inflection in emails and pokes fun at some people's phone habits. There's a contrast between the formal world of academics and the informal world of every day life. I loved how the footnotes became a running joke.
Of course, there will always be a central romantic plot, although I didn't think the outcome was overly obvious from the start. One thing I like about her female leads is that they always feel real, even if the plot isn't. They are imperfect and they think absurd things at times but this is something actual real people do.
If I had to nit-pick, I'd say the circumstances around the phone are a bit unbelievable. I got the feeling it was a bit of an outdated model but she is still emailing from it and taking photos. If it had been an iPhone, I think Sam would have retrieved the data and be shot of her within an hour. And really, would you let a phone thief have access to your business' confidence information? You really have to try not to think about this and allow some artistic license.
The book is “augmented” with an app which animates the cover and a short video message from Sophie. It does seem a token gesture to do something digital with a print book. I think something like that would work better with children's books.
I was flying through the Morganville Vampires series, reading them back to back for some light relief. I had to force myself to put them down at the end of Lord of Misrule to get back to my normal reading material. Well, I really shouldn't have forced myself, Carpe Corpus would have been my Morganville cold shower.
Like the others, it carries on from the previous book's plot, however with a gap in my reading it took me a while to remember what was going on. It doesn't have any real plot to it, I mean I really couldn't summarise it for you and I finished it yesterday! It seems to me that it's an attempt to tidy up all the loose ends from previous Morganville escapades, which means that we can start afresh in the next one.
There's still some good bits, like the vampire computer and most of Myrnin's scenes. Claire finally passes the age of consent so we don't have to hear about that excuse for the hundredth time. It's still got some of the humour that makes the series so endearing.
The ending seemed really out of place, not with the general world of Morganville but in its placement in the book. I thought it was being wrapped up and I was getting bored. Then suddenly something quite serious happens but that's over again in a few pages.
Like the others, it carries on from the previous book's plot, however with a gap in my reading it took me a while to remember what was going on. It doesn't have any real plot to it, I mean I really couldn't summarise it for you and I finished it yesterday! It seems to me that it's an attempt to tidy up all the loose ends from previous Morganville escapades, which means that we can start afresh in the next one.
There's still some good bits, like the vampire computer and most of Myrnin's scenes. Claire finally passes the age of consent so we don't have to hear about that excuse for the hundredth time. It's still got some of the humour that makes the series so endearing.
The ending seemed really out of place, not with the general world of Morganville but in its placement in the book. I thought it was being wrapped up and I was getting bored. Then suddenly something quite serious happens but that's over again in a few pages.