Since I made it a point to read all the Nebula Award nominees, I might as well read all the Hugo nominees as well. This is one that was nominated for the latter, not the former.
The setting is the late 22nd century, after the collapse of the hydrocarbon economy (caled here "the Age of Efflorescence") has devastated the world. North America is united as a United States where the power rests on a triumverate of the Dominion (a sort of State Christianity) the Army, and a Caesarian presidency. Technology seems to be around the level of the mid 19th century.
The narrator, Adam Hazzard, is explicitly naive, and his naivete colors the tone of the book, making it read almost like a Young Adult novel. Hazzard grown up friends with the title character, who's the son of the president's murdered brother. The two (along with Comstock's faithful retainer Sam) are forced to run from their village, and end up having adventures, up to and including Comstock assuming his uncle's position.
The portrayal of a post-industrial society is somewhat interesting, but I felt it was let down by the cheeseballness of the narration, as well as the clumsy foreshadowing.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Book: Santa Olivia by Jacqueline Carey
A pretty respectable near-future dystopia.
A superflu causes the US to create a buffer zone on the border with Mexico. A town (Santa Olivia) that's left in the zone (as recreation for a military base close by) is the setting for the story of a girl's coming of age.
The girl's the daughter of an escaped military experiment, and therefore pretty tough.
The ending's a touch ex machina, but the story's still an interesting take. Plus, since it's Carey, there's the requisite perviness.
A superflu causes the US to create a buffer zone on the border with Mexico. A town (Santa Olivia) that's left in the zone (as recreation for a military base close by) is the setting for the story of a girl's coming of age.
The girl's the daughter of an escaped military experiment, and therefore pretty tough.
The ending's a touch ex machina, but the story's still an interesting take. Plus, since it's Carey, there's the requisite perviness.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Book: A Fictional History of the United States (with big chunks missing) By T Cooper and Adam Mansbach (editors)
I got this book because my friend Paul LaFarge had a piece in it. Plus, playing with history appeals to me. Unfortunately, few of the stories in the book really play with history. They're mostly a series of (a)historical fictions masquerading as metahistory, or critical history.
Paul's stands out as the one real alternate take on the history. He muses on the "discovery" of America. It was possibly the Icelanders, or the Danes, or the Chinese. Or maybe the Libyans.
The other stories in the book vary pretty drastically in tone and quality. Standouts are Alexander Chee's explanation for how many Native Americans were actually descendants of Chinese explorers is one particularly good one, as is Kate Bornstein's tale of Huck Finn as a transvestite prostitute.
Overall, though, neither the critique of history it sets out to be, nor as entertaining as a well-done satire could have been.
Paul's stands out as the one real alternate take on the history. He muses on the "discovery" of America. It was possibly the Icelanders, or the Danes, or the Chinese. Or maybe the Libyans.
The other stories in the book vary pretty drastically in tone and quality. Standouts are Alexander Chee's explanation for how many Native Americans were actually descendants of Chinese explorers is one particularly good one, as is Kate Bornstein's tale of Huck Finn as a transvestite prostitute.
Overall, though, neither the critique of history it sets out to be, nor as entertaining as a well-done satire could have been.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Book: Reappraisals by Tony Judt
A collection of reviews and essays by someone I've never read before.
Interspersed among biographical sketches of various postwar Jewish intellectuals are a few essays of real interest. His takes on Belgium: that most of its citizens' allegiances are to their subregion (starting at Wallonian/Flandrian and devolving from there) rather than the nation; and Israel: that the Yom Kippur war was the moment at which Israel started down the path of international pariah.
He seems to claim to a hope that Liberals can anchor the left end of the political spectrum without the center shifting drastically rightward seem badly out of date, however.
He does throw down a deliciously nasty assault on Althusser, though.
Interspersed among biographical sketches of various postwar Jewish intellectuals are a few essays of real interest. His takes on Belgium: that most of its citizens' allegiances are to their subregion (starting at Wallonian/Flandrian and devolving from there) rather than the nation; and Israel: that the Yom Kippur war was the moment at which Israel started down the path of international pariah.
He seems to claim to a hope that Liberals can anchor the left end of the political spectrum without the center shifting drastically rightward seem badly out of date, however.
He does throw down a deliciously nasty assault on Althusser, though.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Book: Muse and Reverie by Charles De Lint
De Lint is possibly my favorite of the "urban fantasy" (meaning fantasy set in contemporary times) authors.
This collection, set in Newford, his main universe, has its moments, but would be a poor entry into his work. De Lint also has the unfortunate tendency to belabor his stories with a moral.
This collection, set in Newford, his main universe, has its moments, but would be a poor entry into his work. De Lint also has the unfortunate tendency to belabor his stories with a moral.
Book: Palimpsest by Catherynne M. Valente
One of the Hugo nominees I had not read.
The fascinating story of a communicable disease, sort of. People are afflicted (?) with a map of a fragment of a city (known as Palimpsest)in a parallel dimension (or in another world, or something) as a mark on their skin. The map is a sexually-transmitted disease. But everyone has a different fragment of the city. When you fall asleep after having sex with someone with a map, you enter the city in your dreams. But the things that happen to you there (like losing fingers) have an effect in the "real" world.
When you first enter the city, you're grouped with 3 other people. You can only enter the city permanently by finding the other three in the real world.
The way people deal in the everyday world with the effects of the disease is quite interesting. Palimpsest is drawn mostly in fragments (perhaps echoing the marks on the characters' skin).
One rare element is man-on-man sex. Tastefully drawn, to be sure, but much more rare, in general, than its lesbian counterpart (which also appears).
The fascinating story of a communicable disease, sort of. People are afflicted (?) with a map of a fragment of a city (known as Palimpsest)in a parallel dimension (or in another world, or something) as a mark on their skin. The map is a sexually-transmitted disease. But everyone has a different fragment of the city. When you fall asleep after having sex with someone with a map, you enter the city in your dreams. But the things that happen to you there (like losing fingers) have an effect in the "real" world.
When you first enter the city, you're grouped with 3 other people. You can only enter the city permanently by finding the other three in the real world.
The way people deal in the everyday world with the effects of the disease is quite interesting. Palimpsest is drawn mostly in fragments (perhaps echoing the marks on the characters' skin).
One rare element is man-on-man sex. Tastefully drawn, to be sure, but much more rare, in general, than its lesbian counterpart (which also appears).
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