This sequel to The Traveller (2005), picks up right where the first book left off. Travelers are people who can leave this universe (though their bodies stay here), and tend to be spiritual and cultural leaders and revolutionaries. Throughout history, the Harlequins have been tasked with protecting Travelers, by whatever means necessary - though swords are the preferred weapon. And the Travelers have many enemies, mostly the established governments and organizations, led in secret by the Tabula (think Illuminati).
Set in today's world, these books follow Maya, a young, and reluctant, Harlequin, (yet another 'tough' heroine - are you seeing a pattern in my reading?) who is trying to protect the last two (known) Travelers. The Tablua rely on the current computer networks to track people, so Harlequins "live off the grid" to avoid detection, and rely on the anti-establishment subculture to aid them. Both books are fast-moving and suspenseful, but I thought The Dark River wasn't quite as "tight". Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading about Maya's struggles with her destiny and her struggles against the Tabula. Definitely fun, fast-paced reading, overall.
These books are pretty much a crusade against Big Brother tracking us through our everyday lives, and thereby controlling us. (The author, who is using a pseudonym, is said to "live off the grid" himself.) They don't really break new ground in the "secret conspiracy" genre, but the idea of the Harlequins & Travelers is somewhat unique.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
What I Read on My Summer Vacation
OK, so this is a little late - in fact, a lot late. What can I say - I've been busy reading!
So, my summer vacation (in cabin with no electricity) reading list:
1. Tomb of the Golden Bird by Elizabeth Peters - the nth in the Amelia Peabody mystery series. Amelia is an Egyptologist from England, and these books cover her escapades (and her family's) in Egypt in the early part of the 20th century. I enjoy them for her wry humor, and watching Amelia, a liberated woman, struggle to be treated as an equal. As an added bonus, I pick up a smattering of history and archeology while I read. These books are just plain fun, and great to take on a vacation.
2. Twelve Sharp by Janet Evanovich - Another mystery series with a female protagonist. These, however, are not exactly educational - unless you want to learn about the culture in New Jersey. Stephanie Plum is the (rather inept) bounty hunter in this series, which is chock full of very memorable characters. This series is definitely "junk food" reading, and just like food, it's fun to let go and indulge every now and then!
3. The Bug by Ellen Ullman - This is sort of a mystery, and also an exploration of life in the software industry and an interesting character study. The titular 'bug' is randomly popping up in a soon-to-be-released software application. It is set in the 80's, at the beginning of the PC revolution and the birth of Windows. This book does a wonderful job of showing what life is like for a programmer, without succumbing to intimidating jargon or code. I thought the en was a little thin, but otherwise I enjoyed it.
4. A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge -These two books are just about the best treatment of alien cultures that I've encountered, in a lifetime of reading science fiction. Absolutely believable and definitely alien. Vinge's imagination of alien life and societies is absolutely brilliant. The human characters are not the only focus - the alien characters are fully developed, and I found myself relating to them, despite their incredible alienness. Absolutely BRILLIANT. (Thanks, Dave R. for the recommendation!)
5. Apropos of Nothing by Peter David - A satirical fantasy (though light on the "fantasy", which is good for me, not being much of a fantasy fan) that was impossible for me to put down. Very, very funny! I am looking forward to reading the sequel, The Woad to Ruin.
I think I read one other book during vacation, but since that was in July, I don't remember! :-)
So, my summer vacation (in cabin with no electricity) reading list:
1. Tomb of the Golden Bird by Elizabeth Peters - the nth in the Amelia Peabody mystery series. Amelia is an Egyptologist from England, and these books cover her escapades (and her family's) in Egypt in the early part of the 20th century. I enjoy them for her wry humor, and watching Amelia, a liberated woman, struggle to be treated as an equal. As an added bonus, I pick up a smattering of history and archeology while I read. These books are just plain fun, and great to take on a vacation.
2. Twelve Sharp by Janet Evanovich - Another mystery series with a female protagonist. These, however, are not exactly educational - unless you want to learn about the culture in New Jersey. Stephanie Plum is the (rather inept) bounty hunter in this series, which is chock full of very memorable characters. This series is definitely "junk food" reading, and just like food, it's fun to let go and indulge every now and then!
3. The Bug by Ellen Ullman - This is sort of a mystery, and also an exploration of life in the software industry and an interesting character study. The titular 'bug' is randomly popping up in a soon-to-be-released software application. It is set in the 80's, at the beginning of the PC revolution and the birth of Windows. This book does a wonderful job of showing what life is like for a programmer, without succumbing to intimidating jargon or code. I thought the en was a little thin, but otherwise I enjoyed it.
4. A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge -These two books are just about the best treatment of alien cultures that I've encountered, in a lifetime of reading science fiction. Absolutely believable and definitely alien. Vinge's imagination of alien life and societies is absolutely brilliant. The human characters are not the only focus - the alien characters are fully developed, and I found myself relating to them, despite their incredible alienness. Absolutely BRILLIANT. (Thanks, Dave R. for the recommendation!)
5. Apropos of Nothing by Peter David - A satirical fantasy (though light on the "fantasy", which is good for me, not being much of a fantasy fan) that was impossible for me to put down. Very, very funny! I am looking forward to reading the sequel, The Woad to Ruin.
I think I read one other book during vacation, but since that was in July, I don't remember! :-)
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Something Rotten - Jasper Fforde
This is the 4th volume in the "Tuesday Next" series. (The first 3 are The Eyre Affair, Lost in a Good Book, and The Well of Lost Plots.)These books are all set in an alternate world to ours, where literature is taken VERY seriously, genetic recombination is commonplace (dodo birds are a favorite pet) and people can go in and out of books, often wreaking havoc. Tuesday Next is the intrepid detective who has marvelous adventures, meeting Jane Eyre (and saving the original ending!), Miss Haversham and other famous literary folks. Meanwhile folks are trying to kill her, her husband has been eradicated via time-travel (oh- and her dad is popping in and out of the time stream, trying to keep history straight), and she has to deal with the usual work hassles.
As you may assume from the title, this 4th book is very Hamlet-related. In fact, the Danish Prince has accompanied Tuesday back to "real life", where he is trying to convince everyone that he doesn't have a fatal flaw of indecision! He CAN make decisions! Er, well, sort of...
There are just too many funny bits - for instance, another detective branch in the police department is tasked with taking care of things like vampires, werewolves and zombies. And then there are the William Shakespeare clones...
This is not a "science-fiction" book, depite the familiar SciFi themes. It's really more of a mystery series, that just happens to take place in a rather odd world. Anyone who loves literature will appreciate these books. I think this 4th one is the best yet!
As you may assume from the title, this 4th book is very Hamlet-related. In fact, the Danish Prince has accompanied Tuesday back to "real life", where he is trying to convince everyone that he doesn't have a fatal flaw of indecision! He CAN make decisions! Er, well, sort of...
There are just too many funny bits - for instance, another detective branch in the police department is tasked with taking care of things like vampires, werewolves and zombies. And then there are the William Shakespeare clones...
This is not a "science-fiction" book, depite the familiar SciFi themes. It's really more of a mystery series, that just happens to take place in a rather odd world. Anyone who loves literature will appreciate these books. I think this 4th one is the best yet!
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Out by Natsuro Kirino
I saw this book on the bookshelf at the store, and being a bit attuned to things Japanese of late (because of my recent trip there), it just jumped out at me. The cover proclaims it to be the "winner of Japan's grand prix for crime fiction" and an "Edgar Award finalist". The fact that it was written by a woman sealed the deal for me - I bought it.
Once again, I found myself immersed in the dark side of Japanese culture. The book follows the lives of several women who work the night-shift packaging box lunches. All of the women, though working, are struggling to get by. When one of them kills her abusive husband in a fight, they rally around her, and decide they must dispose of the body to keep anyone from knowing about the crime. How they go about doing this, and the consquences that this leads to is much like the old cliche of watching a train crash - you want to look away, but you just have to keep looking.
The characters in the book were fairly interesting, with a few stereotypical ones found any any crime drama, such as the young 'mafia-type' punk who wants to make a name for himself. I can't say that I could identify with any of them - nor could I really feel the desperation that their situation supposedly put them in. I don't know if this is due to the translation, the nature of Japanese novels, or the nature of this author's writing. So I never really "connected" with the book. While the depiction of the dark side of Japanese life was intriguing, it didn't really reach out and grab me. (And I still don't know what the "out" of the title refers to - getting "out" of the situation? Being "out" of normal society?) So, not sure I'll read another of her books.
Once again, I found myself immersed in the dark side of Japanese culture. The book follows the lives of several women who work the night-shift packaging box lunches. All of the women, though working, are struggling to get by. When one of them kills her abusive husband in a fight, they rally around her, and decide they must dispose of the body to keep anyone from knowing about the crime. How they go about doing this, and the consquences that this leads to is much like the old cliche of watching a train crash - you want to look away, but you just have to keep looking.
The characters in the book were fairly interesting, with a few stereotypical ones found any any crime drama, such as the young 'mafia-type' punk who wants to make a name for himself. I can't say that I could identify with any of them - nor could I really feel the desperation that their situation supposedly put them in. I don't know if this is due to the translation, the nature of Japanese novels, or the nature of this author's writing. So I never really "connected" with the book. While the depiction of the dark side of Japanese life was intriguing, it didn't really reach out and grab me. (And I still don't know what the "out" of the title refers to - getting "out" of the situation? Being "out" of normal society?) So, not sure I'll read another of her books.
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