some book reviews

Well, I just woke up with a very sour stomach, and need to kill some time before the antacid kicks in...so I thought I would copy and paste and edit (a little bit) some of the book reviews  I have posted at Ahira's Hangar. That way I have a record of them should that discussion board ever be hacked again!

About a month ago I started reading The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. It was a pretty good read.

It begins telling the story of a teenaged diplomat's daughter who finds a mysterious book and papers about Dracula in her father's library.

When she asks about it, it turns out that the father's PhD dissertation adviser (and leading historian) had also once mysteriously received such a book and checked up on Dracula when he was young. He came to believe from his research in Turkey that Dracula still lived.

The father slowly tells the historian's story, as well as his own. In addition, the daughter begins her own research, leading to what could be called three generations of historians going through the dusty archives of Europe in three very different eras of the twentieth century hunting desperately for information on Dracula and his possible whereabouts. The three stories and time lines are very skillfully interwoven.

In a way this book does remind me a bit of Dan Simmons's excellent vampire novel, Children of the Night in the way the authors did a lot of research on the historical Dracula, and interweave the history with their stories - and both show that the real world Dracula was much worse and more terrifying than any vampire mythos.

Actually, this would be a great vampire book for people who do not care for standard vampire books. It is as much as a history quest as anything, and the tension slowly and masterfully builds.

Kostova's book is quite wonderful. She has elegant language and pacing, and skillfully interweaves the story of three generations of historians on the trail of Dracula, primarily through historical documents and interviews. However -- if you are looking for fast paced advanture or buckets of blood-- this is not the book for you! It interweaves the story of the Balkans for hundreds of years, from the time of Dracula to the time between the world wars, to the Soviet occupation, to the present day. Like Simmons, Kostova demonstrates the extreme monstrous qualities of the real life Dracula. Lots of history, well presented, well drawn main characters, elegantly told -- but again, might not be everyone's cup of tea.

Susanna Clarke ~ Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell

I picked this book up a few months ago, due to its near universal praise and its various award nominations.

Unfortunately, it is the size of a doorstop or a cinder block (800 pages or thereabouts in hardcover) and I simply haven't had time to pick it up and start reading it.

I have decided that the time has come.   Tomorrow I will begin my journey through an alternate history of a Europe where magic is used during the Napoleanic Wars!

I am actually looking forward to it ~ I have been told by various people that this is a book to savor and slowly enjoy.

***

Well, I read the first few chapters this morning and so far I am very pleased. It is set in Napoleanic War/Regency Era Britain, and the author writes as if she is working within that time period.

She is charming and witty, and it is filled with footnotes filled with all sorts of interesting little side stories.

It might be a difficult read if you are not used to the language used in that era, but as a long-time Jane Austen fan, I am completely delighted.

I feel very lucky - two unusual and first rate fantasy books in a row for me now, between this and the last one I read (Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian which I started a thread for down in the horror forum).

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell is just plain charming. Though it does help if you have a familiarity with the manners, cultural mores, and important historical figures of Regency Era England...or just familiarity with the sort of language in use then, with Jane Austen being the foremost example.

To get to the meat of the discussion -- I tracked down The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell due to the recommendation by Taras.

I have not finished it yet, but so far it is a wonderful book, though I have a feeling it might be emotionally devastating before Russell will be finished with her story.

It tells the story of a Jesuit priest, from two intertwined time lines. In one, he is man who has survived some terrible thing (not yet known what) and is broken both mentally and physically. He is a seemingly ruined man, being cared for by his fellow Jesuits in Rome. In the other, he is an intelligent, caring, and good man, and we see him before whatever terrible thing has happened to him.

The mystery is, of course, how such a good and devoted person can be so broken, and how he could come to do the criminal acts attributed to him.

All that has beenmade clear so far is that what ever terrible thing that broke him took place on another world, inhabited by nonhuman intelligent beings, when he went there as a part of a Jesuit scientific mission of exploration. It is made clear that he is a linguist of great skill, who knows many languages, and who has a gift for learning new languages quickly. I would presume to guess that is part of why he was chosen for that mission?

Taras mentioned the two intelligent species...I do not want to get too spoilery but they are very different from each other and from humans. One seems to have originated as a vegetarian herd species. The other started out as carnivores. I think that this ties them both to cultures we as humans have a hard time getting a handle on...

R. Scott Bakker -The Prince of Nothing Series

Well, I have heard an awful lot of good things about this writer and have finally begun reading the first book in his Prince of Nothing trilogy, called The Darkness That Comes Before.

The opening prologue was certainly gripping, and Kelhus shows great promise of being a very interesting character, though perhaps not a particularly sympathetic one.

I am now bogged down a bit, as the author just begins showing us how interesting Kelhus might be, then abruptly changes locations and cast of characters to what looks like a Prophet-led religious war. So far this part has not caught my fancy, though I will patiently wait until he ties it back into Kelhus and his story line.

Bakker certainly shows great promise as a writer. He has a very nice way with words.

***

Well, I actually had some reading time this morning, and it is now official. Halfway through the first book, Bakker has me seriously hooked.

He is quite a gifted writer, and I can see why he is sometimes compared to Herbert, as both writers use a large number of factions jostling for power in an Imperial setting, as well as religion as a force in society. I can also see why Syl compares him to Zindell, as he has a very elegant writing style, and includes both religion and philosophy in the story, and he brings it in through the characters' thoughts and experiences. Like Zindell, he can very brutal to the characters when the story calls for it.

So far its great stuff. And you guys say it gets even better in the second book????

***
Well, yesterday I ended having the flu and was throwing up a lot. One benefit of that was a nice big block of reading time.

I finished the second book Warrior Prophet.(I had posted this after finishing the first book as well, obviously). It really was, as claimed, better than book one. Since it began with most of the main characters together, there was not all of the set-up needed as there was in the first book, so the second book flowed much more smoothly.

I have been so impressed by Bakker I have started googling around a bit for some background on him. He lives only a couple of hours from me, over in London, Ontario. That makes me wonder if Shakespeare is one of his influences, as there is a wonderful Shakespeare festival near London in a little town called Startford, where the theater is world class. I know he credits Tolkien and Herbert, but I cannot help but wonder about Shakespeare as well.

Bakker must be every bit as intelligent as his writings indicate, as he is working on a doctoral degreee in philosophy and he apparently studies ancient languages.

I thought this was a good interview about him and about the inspiration for his world:
www.sfsite.com/10a/sb185.htm

There is also a discussion board for his work at:
www.princeofnothing.com/