Review: Grant

Grant by Ron Chernow
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well, that took a long while to read. Not to say I regret it or anything. It's just such an encompassing biography on someone who spent most of his life doing something important is not exactly light reading. Especially when it is so thoroughly well researched and detailed. In short, there probably isn't a more complete book on Grant outside of his own Memoirs.

I want to state upfront that I highly recommend this book if you're a history nerd or highly enjoy nonfiction works. It's well written and complied. It relies mostly on statements and events that can be backed up while acknowledging when something is likely subjective. I do have some complaints, which I'll of course get to, but this is one of the best civil war era biographies that wasn't a multi-volume set that noted every time someone sat down for tea.

My biggest complaint is that, during Grant's presidency, the narrative tends to find a few too many excuses for him. The book does successfully make the argument that he is perhaps America's most underrated President, but it also fails when it comes to assigning blame for his administration's failings. Taking a buck stops anywhere but with Grant approach. It is true that Grant himself wasn't corrupt, but being naive is a reason, not an excuse. I never felt there was a specific agenda at play, it just felt like the author felt bad for Grant because he was so often taken advantage of.

A much more nitpicking complaint is the book probably could have been a good fifty pages shorter. That sounds like a drop in the bucket compared to the sheer size of the volume, but I found the occasional segment that felt a little useless. The longest single example would be the troubled relationship between Julia Grant and Mary Lincoln. While interesting to a point, it reads more like a distraction than anything else. This point is more subjective but it's unlikely I'm the only one who felt that way while reading it.

Given how epic this book is, I hate to sum it up in a few paragraphs. Still, I can't really say much beyond exclaiming taht it's required reading. Rather than treating history as purely a list of facts, there is an artistry to the words that paint the man as a portrait. Something with depth and emotion instead of just a completed list of checkboxes. I walked away not only knowing what Grant had done but how he felt as he did it.

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Review: The Empress of Salt and Fortune

The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Given this is a short book, I'll sum up in a short review.

Meh.

To elaborate, the prose and characters are fair to strong, but seems to lack in any real sort of plot.  I mean, I get what's going on, but there doesn't seem to be any sort of point to the affair. Or maybe the point is so subtle I missed it. Being subtle is my preference, but only when it elicits a reaction or has payoff. You can't be subtle just for the sake of being subtle.

I think I can chalk this up to just being not for me. It doesn't come off as bad and my pretentious garbage alarm didn't go off. At no point I disliked reading this book, but I didn't love it either. It feels purposely written for a particular group of people. Which is great in and of itself, I'm just not it.

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Review: Leviathan Wakes

Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I honestly didn't know they made good adventure books anymore. You would think everything that labels itself as genre fiction was either world-building or droning introspective that do everything they can to avoid the plot. But the Expanse series, or at least the first book I just finished, makes no qualms about what it is. An entertaining space adventure that is 110% character and plot-driven. Something that wants you to like it without sacrificing good writing. There are issues, that I'll of course get into, but this book is good in such an old-fashioned sense that it threw me for a loop.

While I think the driven nature of the book suits it well, I was surprised at the lack of world-building. Multi-book epics tend to go on and on about the universe the author(s) created. Though this is mostly known in high fantasy that elevates the lore so much it can give you a nose bleed, it's not uncommon in science fiction. There's a more minimalist approach here that only really gives you what you need. It wasn't a turn-off for me, but it might be for those with tissues wadded up their nostrils.

The dual narrative can also be slightly problematic. It works 90% of the time but can feel clunky when the two main characters are in the same room. It's still structured better than most other books, even otherwise good ones, and it remains committed to the concept. It allows the authors to draw out their strengths and mostly avoids their weaknesses. Mostly.

The pacing is solid, starting and ending at the right place, but can drag in a few spots. The longest chapter of the book just has the chapters watching a bunch of videos as the plot is unfolded for both reader and character. While each chapter justifies its existence as a whole, some of the areas could have been truncated.  This is especially true for one side of the last chapters of the book. As the character doesn't have much to do except reflect on his life. As it reaches the end, you (and even the characters) know what is going to happen, but can take just a little too long to get there. That being said, it's probably my only serious issue with the book.

I have a tendency to finish things that I start. Even completing really bad books just so I can complain about how bad they are (check my other reviews for more). But nine novels plus a collection of shorts is too much even for my Adamantium constitution. About halfway into the book, I wondered if I would continue. The short answer is a yes. While not the best thing I've ever read in the history of man, it is smart and entertaining. It reminds me of a Heinlein juvenile but more grown-up and containing less sexism (and, unfortunately, fewer redheads). The book just wants to tell a good story in a good way. And it didn't even have to get up its own ass to do it.

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