January 21, 2012
Tempest
Author: Julie Cross
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press (Macmillan), January 2012, Hardcover, $17.99
19-year-old Jackson Meyer discovers that he can travel through time, albeit only a few hours and with no effect on his present. This changes however when two mysterious men attack Jackson’s girlfriend, Holly, and Jackson finds himself stuck two years in the past, unable to get back. All Jackson wants is to get back to his own time and save Holly, but he finds that not only have these mysterious “Enemies of Time” are still looking for him, but so is a secret branch of the CIA that seems to include Jackson’s own father.
There’s lots of good stuff in Tempest, including plenty of mysteries, action, and conspiracies. It’s also nice to read a YA novel where the main characters are in college for a change. Jackson is also a pretty likeable narrator, although he starts out a little too perfect-he’s rich, has a beautiful girlfriend, and has superpowers to boot. The relationships of the characters are generally well done overall, such as the relationship between Jackson and his sister.
However, there are a few research errors that bothered me while reading. Time travel is apparently genetic, which is rather ridiculous but not a huge problem if accepted as fantasy. Cross however throws around biology terms with no regard to there meaning; a recessive gene is treated as simply a rarity which is not always the case (the allele for five fingers is recessive to polydactyly in humans, yet is also extremely common). Purely recessive versions of genes will simply not be expressed in the presence of other versions; in the example given in the book a single copy of the time travel gene will be not be expressed at all. An individual is also said to be “evolved,” when in reality evolution as a concept cannot be applied to single organisms. While this may be nitpicking as a biologist, these errors were enough to take me out of the story. There are a couple of other things as well, such as a sailboat having a “center post” rather than a mast. Cross is also obviously not a native New Yorker, as evidenced mainly by a lack of local slang. A native like Jackson would also probably be able to recognize an NYC subway station by design and signage even if teleported randomly into one. Also, a bunch of middle-class white kids would probably not be working in Newark, least of all by themselves. Again, this may be nitpicking but the lack of simple research was enough to disrupt some climactic scenes in the book.
While this review may sound harsh, Tempest makes for a very entertaining read. The older characters and fairly original plot can make for a nice change from the glut of paranormal romance and dystopian novels clogging the young adult section.
A review copy was provided through the Librarything Early Reviewers program.
December 18, 2011
The Year of the Flood
Author: Margaret Atwood
Publisher: Nan A. Talese/Doubleday (Random House), 2009, Hardcover, $26.95
The Year of the Flood begins after the plague from Oryx and Crake has killed off most of humanity. Two seemingly-different women have somehow survived; one, Toby, has barricaded herself inside a luxurious spa while exotic dancer Ren was fortunate to have been in quarantine at the time. Both women, however, share a common history as members of a religious group known as God’s Gardeners, who warned of a “waterless flood” that would wipe out humanity.
Most of the story focuses on Ren’s and Toby’s pasts in the Gardeners, a group briefly mentioned in Oryx and Crake. Atwood includes a sermon from the group’s leader at the beginning of each section, revealing the core tenets of the group, which seeks to reconcile Biblical tradition with modern biology. The Gardeners try to live an eco-friendly lifestyle, a contrast to the exaggerated commercialism surrounding them.
Year of the Flood also shows more of the “pleeblands” mentioned in Oryx and Crake, showing a world in which global warming has gotten out of control, and in which there is no corporate and environmental regulation whatsoever. The messages seem a bit heavy handed and absurd at times, but there is still a good story here.
The novel alternates between Toby’s point of view, and Ren’s, who tells her story in the third person. Both Ren and Toby’s stories intersect with each other, until the two are reunited near the end. The final portions after the plague feel a bit rushed, with the surviving characters finding one another a bit too quickly.
Many questions from the previous book are answered, including the origins of the “Extinctathon” game, and the identity of the people Jimmy encounters at the end of Oryx. New questions are raised as well however, such as Crake’s involvement with the Gardeners. Year of the Flood crosses over with Oryx and Crake in multiple places, although the novel can stand alone. This is still a great read, although the ending seems a bit abrupt; reading Oryx and Crake as well is recommended for a more complete story.
November 23, 2011
Ranchero
Author: Rick Gavin
Publisher: Minotaur Books (Macmillan), November 2011, Hardcover, $24.99
Ex-cop and repo man Nick Reid thought he was on a simple collection for $20 owed on a rented TV. Instead, Percy Dwayne Dubois knocks Nick out with a shovel, and steal’s the 1969 Ranchero Nick borrowed from his landlady. Accompanied by his Sonic-loving friend Desmond, Nick sets out across the Mississippi Delta to retrieve the TV for his hotheaded boss, and to return the Ranchero as promised.
Of course, each new plan only makes things more complicated, and Nick and Desmond reluctantly end up with more and more colorful characters in their party. Nick is an enjoyable narrator and a likeable character, despite is violent actions as he takes the law into his own hands.
Rancherois a fun quick read with a great sense of humor. The story is action packed, funny, and gives a very clear picture of the Delta and its people, although some characters do play into a lot of southern stereotypes. This is a different kind of crime novel that is definitely worth a look. Be forewarned, Desmond’s constant Sonic stops may give you a craving.
A review copy was provided through the Goodreads.com First Reads program.
November 18, 2011
House of Leaves
Author: Zampano; notes by Johnny Truant (Mark Z. Danielewski)
Publisher: Pantheon Books (Random House), 2006, Paperback, $19.95
Johnny Truant receives a late night call from his friend, Lude. A strange old blind man in Lude’s building, known only as Zampano, has died; the old man’s apartment is a bizarre scene filled with tape measures and fragments of an even weirder manuscript. Johnny soon finds himself compelled to transcribe and edit the old man’s work-a treatise on a film that does not appear to exist, and which is slowly driving Johnny mad…
The bulk of the novel consists of “The Navidson Record,” Zampano’s academic study on a purportedly famous documentary film that even Johnny admits may not exist. The film follows famed photographer Will Navidson, who seeks to record the experiences of his family’s move to an old house in Virginia. The focus soon shifts, however, as Navidson discovers a small anomaly of the house-the inside is slightly bigger than the outside. Shortly afterward, the entrance a mysterious corridor appears in the living room, in what is seemingly an outside wall. The film soon shifts to the exploration of a possibly infinite space, filled with pitch-black walls, shifting corridors, and staircase that may be deeper than the earth itself.
The faux-academic style can be a bit dry at times, as “Zampano” makes large digressions into the nature of labyrinths, mythology, and echoes. However, his admittedly “freshman” writing style contains plenty of dialogue and suspense, and the details of the house are wonderfully creepy. There are copious footnotes scattered throughout the text, many fictional, and a great deal bizarre in and of themselves.
Johnny’s story is largely told throughout these footnotes, as he often interrupts with humorous observations on “The Navidson Record” and its inconsistencies. Many of his notes are very stream-of-consciousness, and some of Johnny’s tales of sex and drugs can be too much of a distraction at times. Most are well done however, especially the later footnotes that show his descent into madness.
Danielewski plays with the text layout almost constantly; a notable chapter on labyrinths sends the reader into a literal maze of footnotes. When Navidson enters the black hallways of his house, the text shifts and changes along with the house itself. Some the textual oddities even extend as far as the cover and copyright page.
Also included are a number of photographs, drawings, collages, and poems to accompany the story. The book is also riddled with codes and puzzles to solve if the reader wishes to dig deeper.
Creepy, bizarre, and even funny at times, House and Leaves is a fantastic read. The book may be difficult at times, but the reward is an excellent, unique, and satisfying reading experience.
October 24, 2011
The Burning
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Author: Jane Casey
Publisher: Minotaur Books (Macmillan), September 2011, Hardcover, $24.99
A serial killer is loose in London, abducting young women and setting their corpses on fire. DC Maeve Kerrigan and her colleagues have been on the trail of the “Burning Man,” but their efforts have so far proven fruitless. A fifth victim has just been found; however, the crime scene doesn’t exactly fit with the other victims, leading Maeve to investigate a possible second killer.
The Burning opens with a young woman leaving a nightclub; when she is picked up by a strange man it is almost certain that she is the next victim. However, the young woman surprisingly ends up stabbing her abductor instead, and it soon becomes apparent that this man is not the actual serial killer. What begins as a stereotypical opening serves instead as an introduction to the protagonist, Maeve, as her hopes of having caught her killer are quickly dashed with the discovery of a fifth victim.
The focus of the novel is not on the main burning man case, but on Maeve’s investigation into the newest victim, Rebecca Haworth. Maeve is the narrator for most of the story, is a very likeable, well developed protagonist. At the end of each chapter, the POV switches to that of Louise, Rebecca’s best friend. These asides are the ones major flaw of the novel, and are largely skippable until the last couple of chapters.
The Burningis a very enjoyable crime novel with realistic characters, and I look forward to Jane Casey’s next offering.
A review copy was provided through the Librarything Early Reviewers program.
October 3, 2011
The Monstrumologist
Author: Rick Yancey
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2009, Hardcover, $17.99
The Monstromologistpresents itself as the purported diary of William James Henry, former apprentice to “monstrumologist” Dr. Pellinore Warthrop. Will Henry’s story begins on a dark night in 1888, when a grave robber delivers the corpse of one the Anthropophagi, headless, man-eating monsters based on the mythical cannibals known as “Blemmys.” However, these monsters are not native to New England, and it is up to Warthrop and 12-year-old Will to investigate and eliminate the infestation.
In Will Henry’s world, Anthropophagi and other monsters are animals with no supernatural origin, although they are no less horrifying. Yancey does not shy away from the gory details when describing monster attacks, festering diseases. The novel even opens with a detailed description of a monster dissection.
The writing is wonderfully atmospheric, with the settings coming straight out of a Victorian gothic novel. Warthrop and Will’s investigations take them from dark basement laboratories, to graveyards at night, a dank asylum, and claustrophobic tunnels. The Monstrumologist is a fantastic horror story, although some may be turned off from the gore.
The book design itself even features bizzare anatomical drawings on the endpapers, with engravings of surgical tools within the pages of the text. Unfortunately, the book also reflects a recent trend of YA hardcovers being of a lesser quality than those of “adult” titles. The pages of the book are glued directly to a flimsy spine, which annoying bent in multiple parts as I was reading. The book also lacks a decorative “headband” near the edges, which detracts aesthetically from an otherwise nice book design.
September 4, 2011
The Dog Who Came in From the Cold
Author: Alexander McCall Smith
Publisher: Pantheon Books (Random House), June 2011, Hardcover, $24.95
The Dog Who Came in From the Cold is not so much a novel than a collection of intersecting stories, each involving the inhabitants of Corduroy Mansions, a London apartment house. The titular dog is Freddie de La Hay, a Pimlico terrier both in breed and residency. After a visit to his master from an old acquaintance, Freddie finds himself reluctantly “spying” for MI6 by way of a bugged dog collar.
Other residents include Caroline, who is contemplating her relationship with quiet, sensitive James. Caroline finds herself consulting psychiatrist Berthea Snark, who is trying to protect her naive brother Terrence from some unscrupulous “friends.” Meanwhile, literary agent Rupert Porter (who should be residing in the Notting Hill flat of his partner, Barbara Ragg, rather than Corduroy Mansions), is dealing with an eccentric client who claims to have interviewed a yeti.
The writing is very stream of consciousness in a good way, with characters musing humorously on topics ranging from Latin conjugations to homeopathic remedies. The overall novel can feel a bit disjointed, as the author often jumps from plot to plot very abruptly, although the unique characters and plotlines make the stories easy to pick up again.
While there may not be a traditional plot, The Dog Who Came in From the Cold makes for an enjoyable light read, full of quirky characters and humorous reflections on life and relationships.
A finished copy was provided through the Goodreads.com First Reads program.
July 26, 2011
Jamrach’s Menagerie
Author: Carol Birch
Publisher: Doubleday (Random House), June 2011, Hardcover, $25.95
Jaffy Brown is living a life of squalor on the streets of nineteenth century London, when a close a close encounter with a tiger changes his life forever. The tiger belongs to Mr. Jamrach, an exotic animal trader, who offers young Jaffy a job caring with his animals. It is at jamrach’s that Jaffy meets his rival and best friend, Tim Linver.
When an associate of Jamrach’s plans a voyage to capture an exotic “dragon,” Jaffy jumps at the opportunity. Although enchanted at first with life on board a whaling ship, Jaffy finds himself homesick even before the crew reaches the island of the dragon. When the ship encounters a disaster, Jaffy, Tim, and their shipmates must face a horrifying fight to survive on the open ocean.
Jamrachs’ Menagerie can be considered a story in multiple parts. The first part of the novel deals with Jaffy’s childhood in London, while the second part is an adventure story aboard the whaling ship. The third part of the novel is an often horrific and gruesome tale of survival at sea.
It took a little while to get used to Jaffy’s voice at the beginning. The writing is partly stream-of-consciousness, which is really effective in the later parts of the novel. Jaffy’s hunger and mindset while adrift comes across very strongly through the text. Some of Jaffy’s shipmates are underdeveloped anf hard to keep track of, and some of the survival scenes can be rather gruesome. However, Jamrach’s Menagerie is very well written and is overall an excellent read.
A review copy was provided by the publisher.
July 14, 2011
The Shadow of the Wind
Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafón (Translated by Lucia Graves)
Publisher: Penguin, 2005, Paperback, $16.00
Among the streets and alleys of Barcelona lies a mysterious, maze-like library known as the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. Traditionally, a visitor chooses one book as his or her own to protect. When he is first brought to the Cemetery at the age of ten by his father, a bookseller, Daniel Sempere chooses The Shadow of the Wind by Julián Carax as his own. Daniel, enthralled by the book, soon discovers that his copy is the last in existence; a mysterious figure has been systematically burning all of Carax’s works, a figure who appears to be Carax’s fictional devil come to life.
The Shadow of the Wind is as much about Daniel’s coming of age as it is about the mystery of Julián Carax and his books. As Daniel digs deeper into the life of the enigmatic Carax, the more his own story comes to mirror that of the author’s. Like Carax, Daniel finds himself in a forbidden relationship with his best friend’s sister, as well in the crosshairs of the sadistic Inspector Fumero.
The novel begins somewhat slowly, largely dealing with Daniel’s loves and relationships. Later, as his story intersects more with Carax’s, Daniel enters a darker Barcelona of dank alleys, crumbling mansions, and a dank sanatorium. The lives Zafón’s characters intersect in an almost Dickensian manner, with people from Daniel’s present serving as links to Carax’s past.
It is through these intersecting characters that Julián Carax’s story is told. Both past and present stories are excellent, although the often large chunks of flashback sometimes disrupt present events. The Shadow of the Wind is simply a great read, and is definitely worth the hype.
June 18, 2011
Eyes Wide Open
Author: Andrew Gross
Publisher: William Morrow (Harper Collins), July 2011, Hardcover, $25.99
Jay Erlich is a physician with a loving wife and two successful kids; his brother Charlie, however, is a mentally disturbed former hippie and a ward of the state. When Charlie’s son and Jays’ nephew, Evan, seemingly commits suicide, Jay flies out to California to help out his brother. Charlie insists Evan could not have jumped to his death; as Jay looks into his Nephew’s death, he realizes Charlie may in fact be right.
Eyes Wide Open is a bit uneven, with the first third of the novel essentially serving as a cathartic experience for the author following a similar family tragedy. Jay spends these initial chapters uncovering a series of mistakes by Evan’s caregivers that led to a mentally disturbed young man being released early and allowed to go for a walk on his own. Most of the novel, however, is devoted to a part of Charlie’s past that may be coming back to haunt him. While Jay focused on his education, Charlie became a vagrant musician and child of the sixties, eventually settling on a ranch led by a Charles Manson-like figure. Although Charlie evidently had nothing to do with the gruesome murders, it seems former followers may be tormenting him, starting with Evan’s death.
There is a good story here, but it is unfortunately hampered by the writing. Gross falls into the common thriller trope. Sentence fragments are suspenseful. And jerky. They build tension. Annoy readers.
Important points should also be set aside for emphasis.
The author also feels the need to reiterate important facts repeatedly throughout the story, as though the reader is incapable of keeping track of them on her own. There are also redundant portions of redundancy, such as when a sheriff character learns of an important discovery about a suspect; this character then proceeds to repeat the details to Jay about two chapters later almost word for word. Such repetition is unnecessary and often holds the story back.
Eyes Wide Open is a different kind of thriller and can be very good at times, but the awkward writing leads to a limited recommendation.
A review copy provided through the Librarything Early Reviewers program.
