I'm reading "Total Recall" by Sara Paretsky. Subtitled, "A V.I. Warshawski Novel"
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I just listened to the book.
Also this has nothing to do with the 1990 science fiction movie of the same name, the Phillip K Dick short story the movie was based on, Arnold Schwartzenegger or Sharon Stone.
Categories: detective, mystery
There was a 1991 VI Warshawski movie where Kathleen Turner played the title role. If you account for the 1980's fashions with the padded shoulders and the frizzy hair, I can see it if you add in some Lara Croft, Tomb Raider DNA.
This story is really a parable of the aftermath of man's inhumanity to man. The mystery is there but he real story is the aftermath of the Holocaust and American Slavery. Even 60 years or 150 year later, people's lives and the way we trust and are trusted are changed by the cruelty of the past.
But the mystery is good too. I never read a VI Warshawski novel before this. I like the way the story moves and, not so much twists as, swerves gently. I like the characters but find them irritating, silly, childish, giving or kind by turns.
It's two stories woven together. The one is the mystery of who the fellow is who shows up on TV claiming to have repressed memories from his childhood years as a Jewish refugee from Austria. The other is an insurance claim by an black woman that is refused saying the policy was already paid some years back. Vic investigates under the shadow of picketers demanding a law saying that the state of Illinois refuses to do business with companies that are complicit with Nazi government officials and slave owners. Of course, the two groups of picketers don't agree with each other either.
I loved the scene where she is following a suspect. He sees her and ducks into a shop. When he comes out, he takes off and she follows. But she breaks a heel, falls, tears her good clothes and loses him.
It has: holocaust survivors, psychiatrists, crooked politicians, greedy nazi lovers, a little girl with a stuffed dog, traffic jams, road rage, an unstable stalker, corporate arrogance, dogs
What did I like: characters cared about each other, the respectful attitude toward hard topics, the way the mystery revealed itself in a likable way, Vic seemed to know when to lie without being cruel
What didn't I like: Everybody she deals with can't reasonably get mad at her, the boyfriend is a little too nice.
Rating: 3 of 5, I liked it
25 March 2010
22 March 2010
Greg Bear, City at the End of Time
I finished listening to "City at the End of Time" by Greg Bear on CD. I enjoyed listening to 16 CDs (and one CD, not so much).
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I just listened to the book.
Categories: SciFi
You have to love any book that begins an early chapter with "For the first 100 Billion years ..."
The outline of the plot is one we have seen again and again. Something is threating to destroy everything. A group of heros, separately and together, begin a long journey. They travel, through great hardships, to the place where they can save or lose it all. (I don't think I'm telling to much to tell you that they end up winning.) In this book, each hero spends most of their time alone and confused.
Interestingly, one motivating factor of the whole story is that some of the characters can see the lines and branchings in space and time created by human decisions. In essence, this is a view into a dimension beyond. (It's sort of the way "Paul" could see these permutations in "Dune" but described less like there were drugs involved.) So, these characters can move sideways between these lines to pick an outcome they prefer. Or you can say they choose even very unlikely options to get what they want. These lines are called fates as well.
Then there is the uncharacter, called the Typhon. It appears somewhere and sometime an begins attacking the universe/multiverse. But, really, it doesn't really make sense to say that because it "eats" time and space and even the fates so they disappear and become no time and nowhere. Its a tricky concept to write about but Greg Bear makes it work.
How the 'humans' win is the mystery here and you may be surprised at how it works out. I may be wrong but I can't see a sequel coming out ever.
And that points to another wonderful feature of this book. You start out knowing nothing. The author does explain it to you but lets you see what the characters are doing so you figure out each little mystery bit by bit. It's excruciating and amazing. I really like the way it is done. (Well, there is that one CDs worth where the revelations come way too slow and the descriptions of the chaos are way too long.)
I was just looking at some other reviews for this book. Google books has about 30% giving it ONE star and only 11% give it the top 4 or 5 stars. I'm in the minority. Maybe its the math and physics stuff that bothers most people ... its not real math or physics but its just believable enough to pass (and this is Science Fiction). Maybe its the length or the lack of fast moving action or the slow way the mysteries are revealed.
It has: dead gods, true love, five dimensions (at least), several forms of matter, bible quotes and continuous creation, a half-million year experiment, libraries and cats against the chaos, reality changes when observed
What did I like: a different view of the universe, the occasional great word phrase, people now and 100 trillion years from now dreaming of each other, an "evil" opponent that neither cares nor really exists, description of being in the chaos, a hill that became a valley when you got to the top, a 1200 year old man
What didn't I like: As they approached the climax, very near the end of the book, the story slowed way down and described and redescribed things over and over. You can only stand the word "bloated" so many times.
Rating: 5 of 5, One of the best
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I just listened to the book.
Categories: SciFi
You have to love any book that begins an early chapter with "For the first 100 Billion years ..."
The outline of the plot is one we have seen again and again. Something is threating to destroy everything. A group of heros, separately and together, begin a long journey. They travel, through great hardships, to the place where they can save or lose it all. (I don't think I'm telling to much to tell you that they end up winning.) In this book, each hero spends most of their time alone and confused.
Interestingly, one motivating factor of the whole story is that some of the characters can see the lines and branchings in space and time created by human decisions. In essence, this is a view into a dimension beyond. (It's sort of the way "Paul" could see these permutations in "Dune" but described less like there were drugs involved.) So, these characters can move sideways between these lines to pick an outcome they prefer. Or you can say they choose even very unlikely options to get what they want. These lines are called fates as well.
Then there is the uncharacter, called the Typhon. It appears somewhere and sometime an begins attacking the universe/multiverse. But, really, it doesn't really make sense to say that because it "eats" time and space and even the fates so they disappear and become no time and nowhere. Its a tricky concept to write about but Greg Bear makes it work.
How the 'humans' win is the mystery here and you may be surprised at how it works out. I may be wrong but I can't see a sequel coming out ever.
And that points to another wonderful feature of this book. You start out knowing nothing. The author does explain it to you but lets you see what the characters are doing so you figure out each little mystery bit by bit. It's excruciating and amazing. I really like the way it is done. (Well, there is that one CDs worth where the revelations come way too slow and the descriptions of the chaos are way too long.)
I was just looking at some other reviews for this book. Google books has about 30% giving it ONE star and only 11% give it the top 4 or 5 stars. I'm in the minority. Maybe its the math and physics stuff that bothers most people ... its not real math or physics but its just believable enough to pass (and this is Science Fiction). Maybe its the length or the lack of fast moving action or the slow way the mysteries are revealed.
It has: dead gods, true love, five dimensions (at least), several forms of matter, bible quotes and continuous creation, a half-million year experiment, libraries and cats against the chaos, reality changes when observed
What did I like: a different view of the universe, the occasional great word phrase, people now and 100 trillion years from now dreaming of each other, an "evil" opponent that neither cares nor really exists, description of being in the chaos, a hill that became a valley when you got to the top, a 1200 year old man
What didn't I like: As they approached the climax, very near the end of the book, the story slowed way down and described and redescribed things over and over. You can only stand the word "bloated" so many times.
Rating: 5 of 5, One of the best
01 March 2010
Elizabeth Peters, Seeing a Large Cat
I finished listening to "Seeing a Large Cat" by Elizabeth Peters on CD. I neglected to note the number of CDs before I returned it to the library but its around 15.
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I'm just listening to the book.
Categories: Mystery, Murder, Suspense, Egypt
The story opens in 1903 in Egypt as the Emerson family meets for the winter work as Egyptologists and excavators. Rameses and David return from spending the summer with a sheik in the desert. Rameses is now 16 and David a few years older. Nephret is younger but none of them are children any more. They are all young adults and while they push for more space, parents Amelia and the Professor Emerson are dismayed to see the little ones growing up.
Before long there are dead bodies and attempted murders to solve. That will keep Amelia happy. And a strange warning says, "Don't go near tomb 21A." Which of course is like "sic em" to a dog.
This book introduces us to Katherine Jones and we find there is a "Manuscript H" with more about the story and a new perspective. The title is interesting in that the old cat, Bastet, dies and two new cats vie for center stage while an ancient manuscript about dreams pronounces a dream about a large cat as good fortune indeed. (The Emersons always were cat-people but I don't hold it against them.)
It has: mummys, 1906, tomb robbers, US slave owners, dithering blonde persons, excavations, unfaithful wives, old people in love, rich englishmen, poor egyptians, fake psychics, true love
What did I like: The consistent quality of the 19, so far, Amelia Peobody books. The genuine affection the Emerson family has for each other. The way they talk convinces me that I'm listening to real people of the time. You will never guess the end. Use of the "personal diary" literary device. The reader, Barbara Rosenblatt, does a wonderful job with the accents and shows emotion with flair.
What didn't I like: Sometimes a bit long winded. The Professor is a bit too grouchy.
Rating: 3 of 5, I enjoyed it.
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I'm just listening to the book.
Categories: Mystery, Murder, Suspense, Egypt
The story opens in 1903 in Egypt as the Emerson family meets for the winter work as Egyptologists and excavators. Rameses and David return from spending the summer with a sheik in the desert. Rameses is now 16 and David a few years older. Nephret is younger but none of them are children any more. They are all young adults and while they push for more space, parents Amelia and the Professor Emerson are dismayed to see the little ones growing up.
Before long there are dead bodies and attempted murders to solve. That will keep Amelia happy. And a strange warning says, "Don't go near tomb 21A." Which of course is like "sic em" to a dog.
This book introduces us to Katherine Jones and we find there is a "Manuscript H" with more about the story and a new perspective. The title is interesting in that the old cat, Bastet, dies and two new cats vie for center stage while an ancient manuscript about dreams pronounces a dream about a large cat as good fortune indeed. (The Emersons always were cat-people but I don't hold it against them.)
It has: mummys, 1906, tomb robbers, US slave owners, dithering blonde persons, excavations, unfaithful wives, old people in love, rich englishmen, poor egyptians, fake psychics, true love
What did I like: The consistent quality of the 19, so far, Amelia Peobody books. The genuine affection the Emerson family has for each other. The way they talk convinces me that I'm listening to real people of the time. You will never guess the end. Use of the "personal diary" literary device. The reader, Barbara Rosenblatt, does a wonderful job with the accents and shows emotion with flair.
What didn't I like: Sometimes a bit long winded. The Professor is a bit too grouchy.
Rating: 3 of 5, I enjoyed it.
Jack Vance ,The Dying Earth
I'm reading ""The Dying Earth" by Jack Vance.
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I just read the book.
Categories: SciFi, Fantasy
This is a compilation of four original novels. All set in "the dying earth" which is to say, the Earth but in the far distant future when the sun is red and is probably going to snuff out any day now. In this time, people are tired. Magicians and strange creatures inhabit the earth but people don't seem much different inside.
The first "book" is really a bunch of short stories centering around a small group of characters. To me, the fact that it was written in 1950 gives a glance into that era and the way people thought. This book was, I think, ahead of its time. By way of comparison, Asimov wrote "I, Robot" the same year and the "Foundation Trilogy" was published the next year while Tolkien's fantasies were published in 1948 though the writing started 20 years earlier. This first book, reminds me of the early Asimov robot stories in that they contain short, isolated incidents solved by clever thinking.
The other three books seem to be part of a single story about Cugel a con-man who is far too clever for his own good. He has several long journeys and the books chronicle his adventures.
In all the books, the language is just fun. The humor is dry, dry, dry with the tongue firmly planted in the cheek. There are a lot of made up names for things and places but there are also a lot of words that I never saw before.
I'm pretty good with vocabulary but when I found three pages in a row that had words I had to look up I had to pay homage to a word master. (Obloquy, supererogatory and the name of some Australian grass)
It has: Giant man-eating birds, a mechanical library of all the worlds knowledge (1950), magic shoes, a boat that flies, vats to build people, a city where the men hide their faces, mining of dead cities, a demon that hates light, magic eyeballs to make the world look wonderful, too many fantastic ideas to list
What did I like: Great fun with words, a story that keeps you turning the pages (but not the 1st book), always a different culture waiting around the bend for Cugel, a con-man who wins and loses both
What didn't I like: I had to make myself keep reading the 1st book but I don't much care for short stories.
Rating: 4 of 5, I enjoyed it a lot.
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I just read the book.
Categories: SciFi, Fantasy
This is a compilation of four original novels. All set in "the dying earth" which is to say, the Earth but in the far distant future when the sun is red and is probably going to snuff out any day now. In this time, people are tired. Magicians and strange creatures inhabit the earth but people don't seem much different inside.
The first "book" is really a bunch of short stories centering around a small group of characters. To me, the fact that it was written in 1950 gives a glance into that era and the way people thought. This book was, I think, ahead of its time. By way of comparison, Asimov wrote "I, Robot" the same year and the "Foundation Trilogy" was published the next year while Tolkien's fantasies were published in 1948 though the writing started 20 years earlier. This first book, reminds me of the early Asimov robot stories in that they contain short, isolated incidents solved by clever thinking.
The other three books seem to be part of a single story about Cugel a con-man who is far too clever for his own good. He has several long journeys and the books chronicle his adventures.
In all the books, the language is just fun. The humor is dry, dry, dry with the tongue firmly planted in the cheek. There are a lot of made up names for things and places but there are also a lot of words that I never saw before.
I'm pretty good with vocabulary but when I found three pages in a row that had words I had to look up I had to pay homage to a word master. (Obloquy, supererogatory and the name of some Australian grass)
It has: Giant man-eating birds, a mechanical library of all the worlds knowledge (1950), magic shoes, a boat that flies, vats to build people, a city where the men hide their faces, mining of dead cities, a demon that hates light, magic eyeballs to make the world look wonderful, too many fantastic ideas to list
What did I like: Great fun with words, a story that keeps you turning the pages (but not the 1st book), always a different culture waiting around the bend for Cugel, a con-man who wins and loses both
What didn't I like: I had to make myself keep reading the 1st book but I don't much care for short stories.
Rating: 4 of 5, I enjoyed it a lot.
Lisa Scottoline - Look Again
I'm listening to "Look Again" by Lisa Scottoline on CD - 9 CDs.
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I'm just reading the book.
Categories: Mystery
Checked it out of the library on CD.
Ellen is a reporter, a good reporter, in Philadelphia. There's a layoff coming up and she has a crush on her boss who might reciprocate or might not. Just when her job is on the line a real life mystery takes hold of her. She has to find out the truth about her son.
This is a standard "strong woman" mystery. Alone with her adopted son and gets slammed in the face with a moral dilemma of life altering dimensions. Could he be the child in the picture on the junk mail? Could he have been kidnapped.
Traces her conflict between wanting to know and wanting to not know. Talks about her emotions but doesn't expose them the way some people can.
It has: Coworker conflict, misguided FBI agents, babysitter jokes, coldhearted lawyers, heartwarming family junk, a distant father and a deceased mother, the perfect couple (on the outside) that isn't so perfect at all, accurate portrayal of a 3-year old, obsession and romance. There's an interview with the author at the end.
What did I like: Keeps your attention, the story twists take you for a ride, I guessed the end but actually just got lucky, I think.
What didn't I like: Predicatable, Jerks your emotion's chain, not great at wordplay
Rating: 2 of 5, It was ok but nothing to write home about. I kept listening to the end.
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I'm just reading the book.
Categories: Mystery
Checked it out of the library on CD.
Ellen is a reporter, a good reporter, in Philadelphia. There's a layoff coming up and she has a crush on her boss who might reciprocate or might not. Just when her job is on the line a real life mystery takes hold of her. She has to find out the truth about her son.
This is a standard "strong woman" mystery. Alone with her adopted son and gets slammed in the face with a moral dilemma of life altering dimensions. Could he be the child in the picture on the junk mail? Could he have been kidnapped.
Traces her conflict between wanting to know and wanting to not know. Talks about her emotions but doesn't expose them the way some people can.
It has: Coworker conflict, misguided FBI agents, babysitter jokes, coldhearted lawyers, heartwarming family junk, a distant father and a deceased mother, the perfect couple (on the outside) that isn't so perfect at all, accurate portrayal of a 3-year old, obsession and romance. There's an interview with the author at the end.
What did I like: Keeps your attention, the story twists take you for a ride, I guessed the end but actually just got lucky, I think.
What didn't I like: Predicatable, Jerks your emotion's chain, not great at wordplay
Rating: 2 of 5, It was ok but nothing to write home about. I kept listening to the end.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)