Neverwhere by Neil Giaman

370 Pages (Trade Paperback)
Fantasy Fiction

This is the first book I have read by Neil Giaman. I have heard of other stories and seen a couple movies based off of his books. I was pretty sure that I would be impressed with his writing.

Richard Mayhew is living the typical life of a middle aged Londoner. He is engaged to be married, has a steady job and is blissfully letting life pass him by. One evening on the way to dinner he finds a woman lying, bleeding on the ground. Against the warnings of his fiancé; he helps the woman. The woman, named Door, pleads not to be involved with a hospital or police. Richard has no choice but to take her to his place.

The following morning a strange pair of men show up at Richard’s apartment. They burst in the room and start searching for Door. They find nothing and leave him. Door seems to have quickly recovered from her injuries and, after talking to a bird and a rat, leaves. Richard starts to go back to his normal life when things start to take a strange twist. He hails taxis and they ignore him. He tries to interact with people and the act as if he isn’t there or quickly forget about him. He goes to work only to find that his desk has been cleared off. He soon finds that he has become a part of London Below. The place where people who fall through the cracks end up. He has to quickly learn how to survive in a place where nothing aligns with London Above. He eventually finds the Lady Door, who he helped, and is drawn into a mystery involving the death of her entire family.

Gaiman’s writing is easy to read. The story itself gets twisted and turned you seem to be lead one way only to be lead another. Interesting characters and a dreary background make this story what it is. A reader can take nothing for granted as the values of London Above mean little Below. Monsters and Monks are more common than money. Magical abilities are not uncommon and Rats sit atop the hierarchy of society. Only by joining with a unusual set of characters does Richard have any hope of returning to the life that has forgotten him.

I found Neverwhere to be a light read that was still entertaining. A teenager would be able to read this, but there is enough for an adult to enjoy.

Emotional/Intellectual 2 – I did enjoy reading this, but nothing stuck out as extremely dramatic.

Style/Readability 5 - Gaiman light hearted style combined with easy reading is a boon to the book. I was easily immersed and wanted to keep read each night. His

Long-Term Impact 2 – Gaiman has made a significant impact on the slightly strange side of things. His popularity deserves to only grow more. That said, other books of his will most likely be what make this possible.

9 out of 13. I did enjoy it and suggest it. I do feel that I may get more out of some of his other books once I get to them. That said, I certainly will be giving those others a try.

The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie

561 pages (trade paperback) Fiction

This book had a ton of press in the late 80’s and early 90’s. As most people know the Islamic reaction to this book was extreme and caused quite a commotion between different countries. This included a fatwa on Rushdie’s life that eventually held an almost 3 million dollar reward. There are a number of things in the book that a follower of Islam could find insulting. My understanding is the biggest problem stemmed from a poor translation of the title made it seem as if Rushdie called the Qur’an satanic. There are also depictions of people that have the same name or similar names to characters from the Qur’an. This is a violation of Islamic tradition that does not allow visual depictions of the religious test. Of course they are not drawn in the book, but are described in detail.

I attempted to read this when I was in high school, but both it’s foreign subject matter and dense writing style made it hard for my 17 year old brain. I eventually picked up other Rushdie books and have become a huge fan since. Anyone that reads my reviews will know that I am usually extremely pleased with his writing.

Unfortunately, to understand this book some spoiling is necessary. Part of this is just me attempting to understand all that is going on. I won’t try to reveal anything too important.

The book follows the lives of two men. Gibreel and Saladin. The book begins with both of them flying over the English Channel for different reasons. The plane cracks up and these two are the only ones to survive. They are found by a strange old woman and at that point there lives take a fantastic switch. Saladin starts to turn into a Devil. Gibreel gains a halo and becomes an Angel.

Their lives split apart. One takes the good life and the other drops into misery after misery; matching their newfound bodies. As this happens they start to go into dream like trances. It is as if they both have two lives. One: The continuation of their old life now being experienced in a new body. Two: A dream world that seems to be in the past. It is in this dream world that the cause of all Rushdie’s fatwa troubles is written. I am not a Muslim scholar. In fact I really don’t know much about Islam other than what a small amount of research tells me. My understanding is that in the dream we experience a “parody” of Mohammed’s life. Rushdie writes about people taking on the persona of famous people from The Prophet’s life. These people are poets, prostitutes, beggars and thieves.

This part of the book became very hard for me the first time around. Now, as a more experienced literary reader I still had difficulty. At first it isn’t made clear that you are in a “dream sequence”. For me it was if a different story was being told. It wasn’t until much later is it revealed that as the two main character go into these “trances” they are leading a separate life.

As always I find Rushdie’s writing to be fantastic. He has a style that is joyful to digest. He could be writing about anything and it would be good just for the construction of words and sentences. That said, this is probably one of the hardest books I have ever been successful at finishing. The main characters are Indian. Although I have a better understanding of Indian life then some, I am barely a novice when it comes to the culture. Knowledge of things such as jobs and names and locations are taken for granted. This book requires effort to read. This isn’t a Stephen King, thriller page turner. (I am not putting him down only making a comparison.) With that in mind, I really did enjoy the story. There are twists and turns. Rushdie’s ability to take the world as we know it, splash some fantasy in it, then tell a gripping story is as evident here as any of his other books.

3 Intellectual/Emotional – It is easy to imagine yourself being thrown a curve ball as these two men have. Coming to grips with their new life is a large part of the story.

4 Readability/Style – Rushdie’s writing is a pleasure. His ability to make small things a joy to read is done with an ability that few modern writers can match.

5 Long-Term Impact – This book is one of the poster boys of censorship in writing. It has been banned in countries around the world. Because of this it will have a long lasting place in the history of books. Even though I would not put this as my favorite of Rushdie’s writing even without the controversy surrounding the book it would stand on it’s own as great modern literature.

12 out of 13. I enjoyed this book very much. It was challenging and worthwhile. That said, this is NOT the place to start reading Rushdie’s books. I would suggest The Moor’s Last Sigh or Midnight’s Children. If you are not familiar with Indian writing or culture I might suggest you read some other people’s work to more familiarize yourself with it before delving into Rushdie. He is undoubtedly a great writer, but requires a lot of his readers to totally enjoy his books. I wouldn’t even claim to fully “GET” all that I read. BUT once you have the background and willingness to put in the effort this and all of his writing is worth your time.

As always,

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Memories of Ice by Steven Erikson

775 pages (Fantasy Fiction) Trade Paperback

This is the third book in the Tale of the Malazan Book of the Fallen series. Erikson has been jumping around from continent to continent with each book. This book brings us back to most of the characters in the first book and continues their story on Genabackis. As the book goes on you realize that for the most part this is coinciding with the events that happened in the second book.

The Pannion Seer has raised an enormous army in the south. He brought about the Tenescowri, an army of people that have been driven to the brink of starvation, to the point of cannibalism. The battle centers itself in the city of Capustan. The local defenders known as the Grey Swords are set to defend themselves. A huge portion of the book focuses on how the members of the various armies and tribes start to sort themselves out. An uneasy alliance is formed between Dujek’s Army, Anomander Rake and the Tiste Andii, Silverfox and the T’lan Imass and Caladan Brood. They decide to join forces to work against the overwhelming armies of the Pannion Seer and his Tenescowri.

On the side, Toc the Younger, Tool the T’lan Imass, Lady Envy and three Seguleh warriors are traversing through Pannion lands.

Erikson method of dropping you into the middle of the story is slightly less abrupt in this book. The reader has the benefit of knowing some of the characters from the first book. He also tends to stick with a group for a bit longer. He at least references a few at a time before jumping off into something unrelated.

I enjoyed reading the book and many nights stayed up late finding out what would happen next. If you have been dedicated enough to come this far in the series I think you will be well rewarded to continue.

I am actually writing this about a month after finishing the book and have been reading a couple other things. I have taken a small break from Erikson, but will jump back in soon.

4 Emotional-Intellectual: His characters have depth and the twists and turns of the story keep most any reading enriched in the story.

3 Style Readability: The overall arching story still hasn’t been fleshed out. The reader continually finds out more about the different players. This book had the most momentum of all the books so far.

3 Long Term: As I said previously, Erikson certainly has the potential to have a long term impact on the fantasy genre. If people become interested in his work he will hold up for years to come.

10 out of 13. Overall, I enjoyed the second book more, but I am excited to see what happens as this epic moves forward.

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

208 pages (Fiction)

I have been a fan of Chuck Palahniuk for a while now. I have read a good portion of his books, but I had never read his first and most famous book, Fight Club. It was made into a movie with Brad Pitt and Ed Norton. This quickly drew a cult following and the book enjoys some of that fame. I have an almost bizarre look out on knowing the endings to anything. I don’t want to know anything about a movie or book before I read it. This is especially true of books. Since I had seen the movie I had never read Fight Club. My wife bought it for me for Father’s Day and I read a good portion of it on a couple airplane flights I was on.

The Narrator goes unnamed through out the book. He suffers from insomnia. In order to deal with his problem he starts going to support groups for various issues. None of the maladies actually affect him. Eventually, our narrator meets Tyler Durden. Tyler is a take charge charismatic guy. While out on the town one evening, Tyler asks the Narrator for a favor. “I want you to punch me.” His theory is that people are so numbed by living their useless lives going nowhere; they need to have something to live for. That something is Fight Club.

The pair begins Fight Club in the basement of a local bar. Soon enough Fight Club becomes huge. Splinter cells start popping up all over the place. Tyler starts using the people attending Fight Club for less than legal activities.

Palahniuk writes like no other author. In this book and others his style is choppy. He jumps from place to place and subject to subject with quick sentences. The reader is left to put the pieces together to form a whole. The book is quickly read and digested easily. The work is all in putting together what is happening.

As I have written in the past many times Palahniuk’s characters are unstable. Being in the head of a crazy person can really get to you. This book isn’t quite as disturbing as others, but this was his first published book. Because of the “crazy” factor I can’t read through many of his books in a row, but they are an exciting change of pace from other books from time to time.

3 Intellectual/Emotional: The interaction of the characters and uniqueness of their outlook on life makes this worthwhile.

5 Readability/Style: Palahniuk’s unique style of writing draws a reader in and you become a part of the story. It’s as if the narrator is revealing himself to you in a seedy bar.

3 Long Term Impact: This book and its adaptation into a movie have garnered a cult following. I wouldn’t suggest it to my mother, but there will be many with interest in his writing for many years.

A total of 11 out of 13. Anyone interested in an off the wall, jarring book is encouraged to pick this up. If you want to try something new this may be for you. Either way…

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If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor by Bruce Campbell

368 Pages (Autobiography)

Bruce Campbell is a B movie actor; most famous for his first real movie, Evil Dead. He also had a big part in The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. and in the Hercules and Xena series. The book follows a form similar to what you would find in most autobiographies. It follows his childhood and teenage years. As he nears adulthood it starts to focus on his life in the creation of movies.

A lot of time is spent describing the “behind the scenes” of Evil Dead. (Since this is his main fan base it comes as no surprise.) It does take an interesting look at what it takes to make a movie happen. Coming up with the idea. Making a “rough draft” movie. Pitching it to people and raising money. All that before you can even think about really making the film.

Campbell writing style is strait forward. He is humorous and isn’t afraid to be real and make fun of himself. He pokes fun at the people he works with and admits the failures in his life openly. He doesn’t waste time going into extreme detail with much and that makes for a refreshingly quick read.

This book is pretty much only for someone who is a fan of Bruce Campbell. Although, someone just interested in getting the “behind the scenes” look at movies would be rewarded, most likely you would be better served with something else.

5 Emotional/Intellectual: Intellectually these points are mainly from the movie background things you learn about. Just as with any autobiography its emotional impact is based on your interest in the writer. Since most people reading this book would be a fan I gave this a higher rating.

2 Style/Readability: Nothing special here, but not bad either. Just what you would expect.

1 Long Term: The base popularity of this book is pretty low. Campbell is a B movie actor and most likely won’t ever go beyond that. The popularity of this book relies solely on that.

8 out of 13. Basically this comes down to if you like the Evil Dead series or are a fan of Bruce Campbell you want to read this book. If you aren’t don’t bother. No surprise there.


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The Deadhouse Gates by Steven Erikson

943 pages (Fantasy Fiction)

This is the second book in the Malazan series. If you don’t want anything ruined I would suggest finishing the first book before reading this review. Erikson continues with his unique style of writing. His presentation is unlike most other writers. In the first book, Gardens of the Moon, you are dropped into the middle of the story with no explanation as to how you got there, or what exactly is going on. A similar thing happens in this book. We are now on different continent. Almost all of the characters are new. A couple minor characters from the first book have traveled to the new continent and have bigger roles.

The story jumps between a few groups of people. Heboric, Felisin, and Baudin are working as slaves in the mines off of Otatoral Islands. The assassin, Kalam, is sent to deliver the Book of the Apocalypse to Sha’ik. She will start the Whirlwind to rise up against the Malazan invaders. Crokus, Fiddler and Apsalar search for Tremorlor, the Azath House in Raraku. Duikar, the historian, follows the path left by thousands of refugees trailing across the continent.

Heboric, Felisin and Baudin eventually escape and the book follows their journeys to find the center of the Whilrwind. Kalams adventures lead him towards his ultimate goal, killing Empress Lasseen. Crokus, Fiddler and Apsalar join with two ancient wanderers, Mappo and Icarium, and a crazy priest, Pust, in hopes of attaining passage through the Azath House. Duikar meets up with Coltaine’s Army and continues on with the moving city through the attacks and trials they face. The Path of Hands, a way of ascending to godhood, has been opened and ancient powerful beings from across the world are all converging to attempt ascension.

I really enjoyed Erikson’s way of setting up memorable scenes. The continuation of the story is hard to keep a handle on. References to the guide at the beginning of the book help you keep track of who’s who. Each chapter sets the reader with a memorable scene. Throughout the book I found myself being drawn into the picture he creates. A tall lanky man fires a bow his target at the edge of vision. He calls the shot as too high. It hits the target in the head, not the chest as intended. Another group of people find themselves thrown into the Whilrwind. As there skin is peeled to the bone they are saved by a fat merchant traveling through the storm. A great skeletal dragon flies past a sailing ship taking no more notice than we would of an ant. The plot of the book is so intense it gives the reader a chance to focus on each small scene. This isn’t to say that there is no plot. Erikson weaves a tale with as much intrigue and twists as the best of them.

The more invested I am in this series the more it becomes worthwhile. Since the series is 10 books long it seems as if the first two books have been character introduction and set up. The story has moved along and some exciting things have happened, but it seems like the set up for the “whole” story is just getting going.

3 Emotional/Intellectual: I can see this being more rewarding once I know the “whole” story. Right now so many things have been unexplained.
4 Style/Readability: Erikson’s style is unique and easily read. The complex plot structure hints a great rewards and encourages the reader to stay involved.
4 Long Term: He certainly deserves the accolades of the fantasy fan base. I would put him in the top five fantasy writers I have read. If other fantasy fans pick up on this series he will surely hold for the long term.

11 out of 13. I look forward to continuing with the series and am already into the 3rd book of the series. I will hold final judgment until I have read more, but I foresee this being well worth your time.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

229 Pages Paperback (Fiction)

Anyone who has read Oscar Wilde before won’t be surprised at my review. Unfortunately, up until this point I have never read Wilde. I am certainly a huge fan now.

I think most people know the basic premises of the Book. A young man makes a wish that a portrait of him would age instead of himself. He was always admired as a fantastic person with a magnetic personality. All the people in society were interested in him. A large estate left by a benefactor makes Dorian’s life sleeping in and parties. What I found interesting was you really delved into the lives of affluent people of the late 1800’s. Gray is the main character is the focus, but we are constantly treated to the inner workings of the people around him.

Once Dorian discovers his wish has been granted he becomes obsessed. Not only does it age for him, but the picture bares all the evils of life, broken hearts and hatred as well. Soon he is doing things just to see the changes in the painting. It seems that Wilde uses this background to make a discussion about people and our actions. The book is more a commentary on modern life then a story about a certain character.

Now obviously Oscar Wilde is considered one of the greatest writers in history. So any amount of praise will just be blather in the wind. I will say what I appreciated most. His style of writing is like an ocean wave. Each sentence flows and is a partner to the sentences around them. I am most sincerely a fan of his work and will surely seek out more to read.

4 Intellectual/Emotional: It is easy to become a part of the story and find yourself sitting at the table of a wealthy lady discussing Victorian life.

5 Readability/ Style: This is what makes this book so great. Every page is a joy to read just for the sake of reading.

4 Long Term Impact: This book has already stood the test of a hundred years and will be a part of our culture for much longer.

13 out of 13. An extremely good score that is well deserved. In fact this could have a chance at a 14. “Classic” books are usually pretty good. Some are a little dryer than I would prefer. A Picture of Dorian Gray suffers no issues and is well worth your time.

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JFK: A complete biography 1917-1963 by William H. A. Carr

There is no available picture for this book.

255 Pages (Biography)

My grandmother gave me this book. As you can probably guess it is about John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s life. It starts with a little family history. It moves on to his childhood. His education is mentioned and little bit about who he is as a person is revealed. It focuses a lot on his rise in the political arena. His older brother was supposed to be the political man, but he died young; John took his place. Using the family fortune, they put more money into buying elections than ever. The family helps Kennedy rise through the political machine to eventually become President.

I felt the book was very poorly written. Carr is a journalist. It reads like a 200 page newspaper column. Just the facts. But then occasionally he would add something like “they were so nervous, their hearts beat quickly” How does he know this? Seems as if the author is attempting to bring story to the book, but fails. This would happen every so often and feel jarring and fake.

4 Emotional/Intellectual: Intellectually this book gives you the facts, 0 emotional content.

1 Readability/ Style: The book is easy to read, but the style is so uninspired.

1 Longterm: This book probably had been in a box in my grandparents place for 50 years. That is where is belongs.

6/13 -I am sure 100’s of books about Kennedy are readily available. Read any of those. I am sure almost everyone would be a better read.

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A Perfect Balance By Rohinton Mistry

With A Perfect Balance I continue my exploration into Indian literature. Maybe I am fascinated by the culture or I have been getting lucky with surprisingly great writers. This book is also a part of Oprah’s book club. Now I am not a fan of Oprah’s show, but I can appreciate the things she does and I would love to be able to say that most rich people act like she does. Anyway what I am getting at is her book club has yet to let me down.

Onto the review. The reader starts out the book meeting the four main characters. Aunty Dina, Maneck, Ishvar and Omprakesh. The setting is a flat in a huge city, that is never named, in India. Dina rents the flat and because of certain laws is allowed to stay there without rent increase as long as she can afford it. The problem is since the death of her husband and her increasing age she is unable to afford the current rent. This coupled with the fact that the landlord does what he can to make her move makes things difficult. In order to pay the bills she hires two tailors, Ishvar and Omprakesh. These two make clothes that she sells to a big company. Maneck is the son of Dina’s childhood friend. Maneck is going to school and is a paying guest.

The book then jumps back in time. It follows the early lives of all the main characters until they get to the point at the beginning of the book. From there it continues with this unlikely groups lives and eventual friendship. The book is labeled as fiction, but you know that it is all based on real situations. Dina chooses to get married to a man without the approval of her family. She lives with the constant judgment of her surviving brother. Ishvar and Om leave the countryside because there is no work. The hope is living in the city will bring good fortune. After months of living on the street and in a shack on the side of a railroad track, they finally get to work for Dina. Maneck goes to college to learn refrigeration. He develops friendships that are torn apart by politics.

The book uses the characters to tell the story of India in the late 1970’s. The political upheaval of the time makes crime and extortion the best way to survive. Children are mutilated on the streets so the can gain more money begging. The police will roll into town and sweep everyone off to a work camp to make money for road builders and the politicians and police they pay off. Hundreds of other atrocities are made to “better” the country.

The book is also about friendship. How, even through these hardships, these four unlikely people become a family. The struggle of Dina to care for those that “are below her.” The hotheaded Om accepting someone in a place of power as a friend. The way all the characters grow as people interweaves throughout the book.

The writing is simple, but engaging. You become invested in their lives and feel for their hardships and rejoice at their successes. I think any reader would be drawn into their world and come out better on the other side.

5 Intellectual/ Emotional: The combination of learning about the lifestyle of the people of India combined with the emotional impact the characters provide makes this worth 5.

3 Readability/Style: Mistry’s style is simple and easy to read. Occasionally you are graced with a line that sticks with you, but for the most part it is very bare bones.

3 Long Term Impact: Unfortunately, I feel this book will get lost in amongst the many other great artists writing in India. He is young though and hopefully he will produce mre great work that will bring this to a more popular stage.

11/13 – A great little book. Anyone interested in literature would find this worth the read.

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Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

Science Fiction 316 pages (Paperback)

Ender’s Game and Orson Scott Card have been on my radar for a long time and was pleased to have a copy lent to me. This book is on many “Best” lists as well as favorite of many people. Keep in mind that I read it after years of reading other science fiction.

Ender is a six year old Third. In the future people can only have two kids and occasionally are given permission to have a Third. The Third is signed up for military service. Ender’s brother and sister were both considered for service, but for different reasons never made the cut. Ender is soon whisked off into space to start training at Battle School. Here they train children the strategy of war in a simulation called the Battle Room. Everyone just calls it The Game.

Ender is pushed to his absolute limits. As soon as he finds a place or masters something the “teachers” move him to another situation. The reader soon learns that Ender is being specifically trained to lead the defense of earth from the “Buggers”. The “Buggers” are a race of insect-like aliens that have invaded the solar system twice. They suspect that another attack is on the way, but humans don’t have a leader to defend against the vastly superior attackers. The hope is that Ender has the ability to make it happen.

Card writes simply and the book is easy to digest. I read the entire book in about a week and never felt bogged down. The book is intended to be a juvenile read, but was interesting enough for an adult. Ender, his brother Peter and his sister Valentine are the only characters that are delved into much.

I felt the book was pretty predictable. At about 2/3’s in I could have told you the ending. I also felt as if some things were made “to easy.” This is basically explained as Ender and his siblings are so intelligent that they could do anything they can think up. Basically, any idea he comes up with is sufficient to do what it needed. Peter and Valentine develop an extremely difficult plan that goes off without a hitch.

I can’t help but look at this from the eyes of a person that has read 100’s of science fiction novels. Ender’s Game is a very influential book. Many books and movies since have stolen the ideas set down here. It came off as predictable to me, but if it were one of my first reads in the genre or I read it in the 70’s I think it would have had a much different impact.

3 Intellectual/Emotional: The ideas are interesting and the inner struggle of Ender is a main part of the book.

3 Style/Readability: Extremely easy read and very easy to keep going, but Cards style wasn’t great or lacking.

4 Long Term Impact: This has already taken its place as a standard in science fiction and it will stay there for a long time.

10 out of 13. A great score for an entertaining book. I think it is worth most reader’s time. It is an easy get away without having to get too involved. For younger readers I would say this is a must read and am disappointed I didn’t have the chance when I was in junior high.

Imperial Earth by Arthur C. Clarke

301 pages (Science Fiction)

I have been a huge Arthur C. Clarke fan since I was in high school. In general, his books are insightful, entertaining and engaging. In fact, I had read so many that I didn’t know what books I had read and what I hadn’t. Recently, I picked up Imperial Earth and realized I hadn’t read it. One of the most interesting things about his books is that they all fall within the realm of possibility. Rarely are they about dashing heroes flying across the universe.

Imperial Earth focuses on Duncan Makenzie. He is a 3rd generation clone from Titan, a moon of Saturn. The year is 2276, 500 years the USA came to be. As a representative of Titan he is flying back to Earth to celebrate. His real mission is to use the cloning facilities of Earth to continue his family’s bloodline.

Soon after arriving on earth it is brought to his attention that a large supply of Titanite, an extremely rare and expensive stone only found on the outer planets, is being sold without the Titan government being aware. After some research Duncan finds that a close friend of his is also on Earth and seems to behind these mysterious sales.

Clarke blends his stories unlike most writers. He takes a character and has them in a situation. Typically, they are intelligent people in position of scientific or political power. Once his setting is formed this becomes a background to experiment. He uses his vast knowledge of science to invent and explore the possibilities of what humans will achieve in future. In Imperial Earth humans have colonized the planets of Saturn, settled on Mars and the Moon, developed a fusion drive, live under a world government and have relative peace. Cloning has been mastered, but is still an ethical dilemma. It is interesting to read the book 30 years after it has been written because some of these predictions have already become true. He discusses how people carry a computer in their pockets, Duncan uses something we would recognize as the internet and how the space station is used by people all over the world.

He has a simple way of writing that is easy to digest, but is filled with intellectual and ethical questions. A reader identifies with the main characters and joins in their discoveries. Aome may be put off by a book labeled science fiction assuming Space Aliens and lazers, Clarke brushes these assumptions to the side and produces a modern story you connect with. One of the things I really enjoy about Clarke is he allows the reader to figure things out. He doesn’t always come out and describe exactly what has happened, but requires the reader to put together some of the pieces of the puzzle for themselves. I find this has me more invested in the book.

4 Intellectual/ Emotional: Clarke seems to enjoy taking what might be possible and making it a part of his book. These experiments in the future are a delight to experience. His characters are “real” people whose relationships push the story in certain directions.

3 Style/Readability: There is no problem for most readers to just keep chugging along. At the same time nothing sticks out as remarkable other than his consistency to be entertaining.

3 Long Term: Clarke has always held popularity in science fiction and he will always do so. Even though his stories can be over passed with time they still deal with modern issues even if the technology does not.

10 out of 13: Clarke has written over 40 novels and another 20 non-fiction books. I wouldn’t suggest this as a first read, but realistically any of his books could be picked up and enjoyed by most. I would suggest some of his more famous books such as, Rendezvous with Rama and Childhood’s End.

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Stones into Schools by Greg Mortenson

Stones into Schools by Greg Mortenson

420 pages Hardcover (Non-Fiction)

This is a follow up book to Three Cups of Tea. I will start with a little background to make sense of everything. At the beginning Mortenson attempts to climb K2. While coming down the mountain, after failing to reach the top, he gets lost. After almost starving he finds himself in a tiny mountain village called Korphe. Haji Ali is a town elder and brings the best of everything in the village to help this total stranger. After recovering from his ordeal he wants to help the village for their kindness. He sees the children in “school” in a field, writing in the dirt. He vows to make a school for the village. The first book focuses on the building of that school and how it opens up the floodgates for many more schools to be built in Pakistan.

Stones into Schools takes up roughly were the first book left off. At the beginning of the book a group of Afghani horsemen ride across a pass into Pakistan to meet with Mortenson. They convince him that a school needs to be made for the Kirghiz people in the Wakhan region of northern Afghanistan. He makes a solemn oath to build the school. Unfortunatly, soon after America attacks Afghanistan.

Over the next ten years in the midst of a war and through a major earthquake Moretenson’s organization, the Central Asia Institute, start to build schools across Afghanistan. They are plagued with bureaucratic nonsense, political upheaval, attacks from the Taliban, resistant family members, sickness and natural disasters. Mortenson meets Sarfraz Kahn. He is fluent in many lauguages and has the personality needed to persuade people into doing what is needed. Sarfraz Kahn and the other members of “The Dirty Dozen” work together to start making peace by spreading education. The ultimate goal is to build the school for the Wakhan Kirghiz.

Greg Mortenson writes from the heart. It feels as if he is writing this out to someone close to him. He reveals his owns weaknesses and worries as he attempts to build schools at the “Last Best Place” in the world. I tore through the book easily reading 50 pages a night before realizing I needed to go to sleep. The subject matter is something that is very dear to me: Education and an alternative to war.

5 Intellectual/ Emotional: The whole point is to be doing something constructive rather that destructive. More has been done by a small non-profit organization to encourage peaceful resolution than all the money spent on wars.

4 Style/ Readability: Mortenson presents himself in a humble and straight forward way. It feels as if you are being recounted the major events that he has been involved with. At no point do you get bogged down. You can just keep turning pages.

3 Long Term: As the “current event” status of what is happening with the school wanes so will the popularity of the book. BUT I think that this has the potential to be the start of a whole new way of doing foreign relations. Hopefully those that make these decisions can take from what Mortenson and the CAI has done and make peaceful resolutions rather than bombs.

12 out of 13. I personally feel both of his books should be required reading for most people. When the money it makes to make a bomb could go to make a school and we are still making bombs then there is something wrong with what we are doing. I think anyone with an opinion on how American involves itself in other countries can gain something from both Stone into Schools and Three Cups of Tea.


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The Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson

657 Pages PB (Fantasy Fiction)

This book is hard to review. There is so much going on and so many characters and so many factions all intermixed with each other it is hard to know what is going on. After having read the book and am not 100% sure I know what was going on. It is written as if you are living on the world. You already know what has happened in the past so you are only told what is happening now. Some things that happen now aren’t explained enough to know what really happened. You throw in some magic explosions, portals and warring armies and gets confusing. Oh yeah, some gods come up to mess with things. Some people die and come back to life. Some die and turn into evil puppets and some live for thousands of years.

Let’s see if I can make some sense of it all.

Empress Laseen rules the Malazan Empire. Her goal is total domination. The jewel of the continent, Darujhistan, stands yet untaken. The siege of Pale is finished and Sergeant Whiskeyjack and his Bridgeburners have been sent to infiltrate this ancient city. Here they hope to encourage the city to become a place of complete chaos once the Empire shows up.

The Assassins are on the brink of war within the city and it is dangerous times to be on the rooftops. Rumors claim of the Empire’s Claw assassins have entered the city and are looking to cause trouble.

Lorn, a high ranking official in the Empire, is searching in the hills looking to wake an ancient force. The Jaghut, a member of an ancient race, was imprisoned within the earth thousands of years ago. Lorn has been sent to release that power.

The men at the Phoenix Inn have agendas of their own. Kruppe, a babbling old wizard, that seems to have his hand involved in a little of everything. Crokus has fallen in love with a maiden who’s standing does not allow him a chance. Rallick is intermixed with the problems of the assassin’s Guild.

Paran is a noble born officer in the Empire. He is put in a command of the after fall of Pale. He is quickly killed. Before walking through the gates of the afterlife the Gods of Luck, Oponn, stop him and give him his life back. Just before he returns to the land of the living he sees, Shadowthorne, King of the High House Shadow and his Hounds. They beckon him through the gate. He stands up against them, but in doing so makes some enemies. His relationship with the gods is not fully revealed, but from that point on he becomes a pawn in a much greater game.

The tales of these characters as well as MANY others are intertwined and clashed together in this book. Stephenson was nice enough to include a glossary of sorts to help identify the various characters, factions and places. The beginning of the book can be hard to follow. As the book goes on you do start to understand who is who. It feels very much like this is the start of epic tale. It is the first of 10 books. I have been told that the following book makes this even easier to follow.

The writing is very rich and descriptive and the characters are unique and you sympathize with those on both “sides” of the war. That being said I did find it difficult to really get “into” the book. Many times with a fantasy book such as this I get lost in the story and don’t want to put it down. With Gardens of the Moon this wasn’t as apparent. This mostly had to do with the confusion. Not knowing exactly what was happening made it hard to get involved. That said, when I finished the book I wanted to start over again. Now that I have an understanding of what was going on a second read would make it all make sense.

4 Intellectual/Emotional: The characters are deep and well written. Although it’s in a fantasy world the characters act “real.” The Empire is dominating the world, but you feel for the characters that are “fighting” on the Empire’s side. The unending list of characters and places are enough to keep any reader busy keeping them all straight.

3 Style/ Readability: Stephenson writing style is Epic and engaging. It is difficult to keep track of it all and that makes the readability suffer. It seems to me that it will be worth it as you continue into the books.

3 Long Term Impact: This is one of the hardest to judge. I certainly has the potential to be a hit for the long term. It stands in the same category of Epicness as Martin, Jordan and Tolkien, but could get lost with so many competitors considering is difficulty to get through.

10 out of 13. A fine score for a lesser known book. I certainly will read the next in the series. I don’t think this is a good starting point for people just trying out fantasy, but many dedicated fantasy fans will find this worth their time.

The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett

210 Pages PB (Fantasy Fiction)

This is the first in a series of books that all involve a world called Discworld. It is a disk floating though space on the back of four enormous elephants. These in turn are standing on the shell of an even bigger turtle. Pratchett takes the fantasy genre and turns it on its ear for a humorous and fun ride.

Rincewind is a pretty unfortunate wizard. In fact, he isn’t much of a wizard at all. In fact, in fact, he only knows one spell. And he can’t use it. Most likely it would destroy the world. He isn’t sure. Death is on his tail, but he is doing everything he can do avoid the appointment.

Twoflower is a tourist from the other side of the disc. Luckily for him gold is very easy to come by where he comes from. What he considers a normal tip for a small service is enough to keep a family happy for many years. He has a set of Luggage. This Luggage is a fantastic magical device that will protect and follow its owner anywhere.

Twoflower offers to hire Rincewind as a guide. Unfortunately, the city is soon consumed by a terrible fire. This sends the two into the wild country side of Discworld.

The book is broken into 4 chapters that cover the length of their journeys. Each one has its own story, but involves the same main characters. Rincewind and Twoflower find themselves in the tomb of a forgotten god, fight in an upside down mountain where dragons are made with a thought and find themselves captured by water fearing wizards when they thought they were about to fall off the edge of the world.

Pratchett has an entertaining way of writing. He uses plays on words and unexpectedly spins “traditional” fantasy so that it is very engaging. Since the world is filled with magic many impossible things are easily done and he uses it in a creative and humorous way.
I found myself laughing at parts, but the book wasn’t so silly as to turn a reader off. This leads to having a lighthearted feel. The book is also very fast paced. The “heroes” are swept from here to there encountering all types of strange people and fantastic places.

2 Intellectual/Emotional: The books focus is to have fun in a magical world. It really doesn’t get too deep.

5 Style/Readability: This is where this book shines. Pratchett’s humor reminds me of Douglas Adams, but has his own style and it is filled with creative ideas that you won’t expect. It is also an extremely easy read.

3 Long Term: It was printed over 25 years ago. I have heard about him for many years and sadly hadn’t read him until now. I sure this book and series will be popular for some time. I certainly intend to read more.



10 out of 13

I feel having a large background in fantasy reading made this even more enjoyable. It takes your view of what is possible in a “Magic Place” and makes fun of it. I think most readers would find this a quick and fun book, but fantasy fans would have even more to enjoy.

Change of Rating!

So I am changing how I rate books (again). I found that some books were being graded low that I actually liked more than my rating would reveal. The main issue was I had categories for intellectual and emotional. Although I feel these are important parts to consider in a book I found they were often at odds with each other. Some books focus on intellectual achievement and others on emotional. I also felt that how a book reads wasn’t a part of my system and is also important. SO here is my new grading system:

As always the system will go up to 13 points. 4 in each category with a bonus point available to put in special cases I feel warrant it.

Intellectual-Emotional Impact

Rather than have these qualities at odds with each other I have combined them. If the book focuses on one or the other I will describe that accordingly.

Readability-Style

Some books are easy to read and you can’t put them down. Some authors writing styles are just a joy to read. This will rate that.

Long-term Impact

This piece will remain the same. Many books hit the best seller list, but few are still popular 50 years later.

As always I will attempt to explain my reasoning along with the points.

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Legends edited by Robert Silverberg

Legends edited by Robert Silverberg

715 pages (Paperback)
Fantasy Fiction


Legends is a collection of short stories and novellas by some of the most prominent authors in fantasy. They include: The Little Sisters of Eluria by Stephen King, The Sea and the Little Fishes by Terry Prachett, Debt of Bones by Terry Goodkind, Grinning Man by Orson Scott Card, The Seventh Shrine by Robert Silverberg, Dragonfly by Ursula K. Le Guin, The Burning Man by Tad Williams, The Hedge Knight by George R.R. Martin, Runner of Pern by Anne McCaffrey, The Wood Boy by Raymond E. Feist and New Spring by Robert Jordan.

I felt that the stories fell into three categories: Introductions, Stand Alones and Humorous. I should note here that I have read the books these stories are based on for Jordan, Le Guin, King and Jordan. This could influence my outlook on these stories as I know a lot of background that isn’t necessarily a part of this book.

The introduction stories by King, Goodkind, Silverberg, Le Guin, Williams and Jordan all seemed to be an introduction to their “world.” This isn’t to say that they weren’t interesting in themselves, but that they seemed to be saying “Hey! This is what my world is about now go check out the “real” story.” Since I feel this was the point of this book that is ok. I am just trying to be honest about what I read. The Sisters of Little Eluria involves Roland the main character in the Dark Tower series. He gets laid up in a small town on his search for the man in black. Debt of Bones introduces you to Zed a main character in his Sword of Truth series. The Seventh Shrine probably stands by itself the best of this group. Silverberg draws you into a murder mystery while drawing you into his world. In fact, I will be picking up a full novel by him as the world did seem very interesting. Dragonfly follows a young lady on a quest to learn the way of magic. Although it doesn’t tie into the other books directly it feels very much like the books in her world. The Burning Man also stood by itself but felt like an world introduction as well; having not read his books this could be misplaced. His story telling has me interested in finding out more about the world he has created. This story was creepy. A young girl comes to live in a haunted castle and a captured witch is forced into servitude. New Spring by Jordan could be the Prologue for his Wheel of Time series. We meet Lan and Moiraine. We discover how Moiraine becomes an Aes Sedai, a magic user, and how Lan is bonded to her as her protector.

McCaffrey’s Runner of Pern also fits in the “introduction” category as well. Unfortunately, I had to keep it separate because this was the worst story of the entire book by far. All though the others in the “introductions” were stories that could be enjoyed by themselves Runner of Pern wasn’t much of a story at all. Although it started out seeming like it could lead somewhere it had no climax and went nowhere.

The Hedge Knight and The Wood Boy both seemed to stand on their own feet. As I said the books in the introduction section could as well, but seemed to lead onto something else or only tell part of the story. Both of these had a beginning, middle and end that was satisfying by itself. I am a big fan of Martin, I know this story doesn’t relate to the rest of his books so that could have some influence. In it we follow Dunks ascension to knighthood. The Wood Boy tells the tale of a young man’s journey to save a kidnapped young lady at great danger to himself.

The last too stories are focused on having fun. Both the Sea and the Little Fishes and The Grinning Man take the fantasy genre and have fun with magic. The Sea and Little Fishes is about a witch contest that is always won by the same woman. This year she is asked not to participate; she agrees, but still has an impact on the contest. The Grinning Man follows travelers using their knowledge and magical powers to outwit and chastise those that are taking advantage of others. Both stories were lighthearted and enjoyable.

I found the book to be an easy engaging read. All of the writers are enjoyable to read and other then McCaffrey each story was very entertaining. Magic, witches, knights and mystery fill the book.

Style-Readability: 4 Great read over all. This is a must for any fantasy fan. Shouldn't be to surpising considering the great authors involved.

Intellectual-Emotional Impact: 2 The book isn’t about intellectual matters and it is hard to get emotionally involved in less than 100 pages.

Long Term Impact: 4 Most of the writers were famous at the time it was published. Fans of even one of the authors will be interested in this for years to come.


Overall 10 out of 13. Anyone somewhat interested in fantasy would find this a good read. It is a must is you are a fantasy fan.

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Jailbird by Kurt Vonnegut

Jailbird by Kurt Vonnegut (1979)

283 pages Paperback
Fiction

Walter F. Starbuck is getting out of prison. He was jailed for his part in the Watergate Scandal. The book takes us on a trip through his life leading up to this point. As a young man Walter’s mother works as a cook in a rich man’s mansion. Having no one to entertain him, Alexander Hamilton McCone took Walter and made him into a playmate. “He taught me hearts and old maid, checkers and dominoes – and chess. Soon we were playing only chess.” Along with teaching him the finer points of the game McCone also made a promise to Walter’s mother and father. “You are going to find yourselves the proud parents of a perfect Harvard gentleman someday.” True to his word Mr. McCone sent him to Harvard.

Eventually, Mr. Starbuck is hired by the Nixon administration of the President’s special advisor on youth affairs. It quickly becomes obvious that he job entails doing nothing, but still goes to work faithfully every day. He really doesn’t have much to do with the scandal, but much of the evidence is found within his “office” basically a whole floor of the Executive Office Building of which he only uses a small bit. He is charged with embezzlement, perjury and obstruction of justice.

Vonnegut tells this story jumping back and forth. At one point we are in a lavish unearned mansion and the next we sit waiting in a cell to be released from our time in prison. A few paragraphs detailing his friendship with a prison guard is juxtaposed with the first date with his wife. Walter seems amused by life. Prison isn’t much of an inconvenience to him. His wife died shortly before being arrested and he determines it can’t be that bad.

After being released from prison he starts to walk about New York. He gets a room and continues to roam. He comes upon a bag lady that attaches to him claiming to know him. After a bit he realizes this decrepit old woman is an old girlfriend of his that he had never devoted himself too. Her rambling keeps him mystified until an unfortunate series of events implicate him in yet another crime he has nothing to do with.

Vonnegut has a delightful writing style that is easy to read, but harder to digest. In this book he pokes fun at American politics and corporations and relationships as well. I think the book would have been a little easier to follow if I had been alive as the scandal was happening. This isn’t to say that it takes away from the book. Overall it is a light and quick read.

Emotional: 3 – Vonnegut’s writing is humorous and entertaining.

Intellectual: 2 – He picks on some of the systems in America, but overall it is light reading.

Long- Term 3 – Kurt Vonnegut has been established as an off the cuff writer. His work will be cherished by many for years to come. That being said Jailbird doesn’t stack up to his more famous work and just isn’t as memorable.

8 out of 13. Seems a bit blasphemous for such a revered writer, but I would suggest Breakfast of Champions, Slaughter House 5, and Cat’s Cradle or other books of his first.

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

The Autobiography of Malcolm X
With Alex Haley

526 pages Paperback (Autobiography)

I didn’t know anything about Malcolm X other than he spoke up for black Americans and was killed. Honestly, I thought I knew some things that turned out to be wrong. I felt it was impossible to write this with out spoiling a large part of his life so beware.

The book starts by following Malcolm Little through his childhood. He remembers his father and uncles dying at the hands of random white men. His mother is badgered and eventually sinks into insanity by the “good intentioned” welfare workers. He jumps from foster home to institutions. Eventually, Malcolm ends up living in Boston with a sister and later moves into Harlem. In Harlem he learns to be a hustler. He gets involves in drugs, prostitution and crime. He sinks to the lowest lows that he can; constantly on the move to avoid the police and other enemies he has made.

In Malcolm’s early twenties he is imprisoned for burglary. It is here that he starts to change his ways. He starts by teaching himself to read and then devours each book he can get his hands on. He is transferred to a less restrictive prison and gets to visit with his family more often. His family introduces him to Elijah Muhammad and the Muslim religion. At first he is skeptical, but gradually starts to turn to Islam.

Malcolm joins the Nation of Islam and starts to dedicate himself to the teaching of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. After being released from prison he soon takes charge of his own Mosque. He quickly rises among the ranks and starts to make appearances for Elijah Muhammad because of his failing health. He gives speeches on the “white devil.” How, for the entire history of America the white man has exploited the black man and continually kept him down. How even black folk had joined into façade by trying to be “more white” by conking their hair, and dressing and talking like white people. How the white man had pushed blacks into the slums and provided them with drugs to keep them down. How the white man would start businesses in the slums only hire white people and take the money out of the slums. A large part of the book focuses on this part of his life. He travels across the US and pretty much becomes the “face” of what others call the “Black Muslims.” As Malcolm X would say; “We are not black Muslims, we are Muslims.” It is during this time that he takes the name Malcolm X. The white man had given his ancestors the name Little and the Muslim people would take X until God came and gave them back their rightful name. He preaches hatred of the white man and is accused of reverse racism and anti-Semitism during this time.

Envy and jealously start to take hold of others within the Nation and soon Malcolm X is soon “silenced”. He is not allowed to speak on the Nations behalf and he takes it upon himself to start his own organization; Muslim Mosque Inc. He decides that he needs to make a Hajj. A Hajj is a holy trip to Mecca, something every able Muslim is supposed to make at least once in his life. He borrows money from his sister and makes the trip to Mecca. On the way he meets many other Muslims on the same path. On his Hajj Malcolm comes to realize that the “white devil” isn’t something that is about skin color. The “white devil” is who the people are, not the color of their skin. He soon finds himself being treated as a guest of the state. At first he was denied entrance into Mecca, but after a phone call to family of a friend he is given a suite and personal guide and chauffer. Upon coming to these conclusions about the “white devil” he sends a letter to American newspapers confessing his past mistakes and describing racism as a cancer that is eating away at America.

Malcolm changes his name to El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. He returns to America and starts to spread his message of brotherhood among races. The Nation of Islam and others are at odds with Malcolm. He tells Haley that he doesn’t think that he will live long enough to see the book published. If you are interested in reading this book most likely you know that he was shot and killed soon after.

The end of the book is narrated by Haley. He describes the whirlwind that the last few months of Malcolm X’s life is and describes his death.

Honestly, I was unsure how I would feel about this book. I quickly became interested as the Malcolm’s life developed. One thing I noticed was the writing style seems to match the style of what was occurring in his life. It seems loose and quick and angry while he was young. The style became more formal and somewhat preachy as the book focused on his life as a minister. You could feel the relief he had once he opened himself to true Islam.

Emotional: 3 – This is a true display of Malcolm X’s life. He displays everything both good and bad.

Intellectual: 3 – I found it intellectually interesting as I knew nothing about his life of his fight before this. I’m not sure how it would hold up against other books from this period.

Long-Term: 4 – Obviously, this book will always have a place in black history. It will be required reading for anyone studying black history and will stand the test of time because of this.

10 out of 13. I think that as a white American I can’t know what it is like to grow up black in America. The type of freedoms that we take for granted is something that doesn’t come so easily for other people. This book allows you to see the struggle that black folk have had to deal with and that makes reading this worthwhile.

The World is Flat By Thomas L. Friedman

The World is Flat
A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century


By Thomas L. Friedman

Pages 365 (Paperback) Historic Non-Fiction

This title of the book is a bit misleading. Although the entire twenty-first century is mentioned it really is about the last 30 years. The book focuses on the major influences that encouraged globalization in the world. Friedman terms this “making the world flat”.

The first thing to happen was the falling of the Berlin wall. This opened the world up for all the technology that was coming to be able to take hold almost anywhere in the world. Of course, a huge push for globalization came with the personal computer. The personal computer ability to hook up to the internet along with people being able to share and view all this information made the world flatter than ever.

This is not like a typical book that I review. I feel like if I was assigned to read this for a class it would have been drudgery. Since I was reading it by choice it wasn’t. It mainly focuses on the rise of personal computers, the internet and all the companies and ideas that have formed since than. A huge part of this is the ease with which people can communicate and collaborate regardless of their physical location. It doesn’t matter if you are in Bangalore or Burlington, if you have an internet connection you are hooked in.

I found his writing to be easily digested and usually easy to comprehend. The first half of the book focuses on what made the world flat. I was really engaged with that. The next couple chapters touched on education and how American compares to the rest of the world. Being a teacher this was interesting to me. The rest of the book became very dry. It seemed as if it was reiterations of what had been said earlier and was only enforcing what was related rather than adding much that was new.

This copy was labeled 3.0. I’m not sure where the new things are added, but I know that the criticism of earlier books was the writer was entirely pro-globalization. It’s great, can’t stop it, join in or get left behind. The very end of the book does take a look at some of the bad things that can happen because of globalization such as making terrorism easier.

The book ends telling us that for better or worse the world is getting smaller. We have the ability to use this to make the world better or worse. One person can have a lot more impact than ever before. It is up to us to make the best of it.

Intellectual: 4 – This is a technical look at the last 30 years.

Emotional: 1 – Not the point of the book at all.

Long – Term: 3 – Although it will be outdated in a few years as its prediction and relevance, it still does tell us a history of the computer age which can be built on in the future.

8 out of 13. This book is only for someone that is interested. If you find the subject interesting than you will find it worth while. I don’t suggest reading it straight through. If you aren’t interested in the subject you would rate this lower than me, skip it.

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