Review: The Testaments

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

There is a downside to high expectations. Mostly in the fairly obvious way that it prevents you from enjoying something for what it is rather than what you expect it to be. I try not to go into something with such forethought, but sometimes it can't be helped. You, dear reader, might be able to do better than I. But I doubt it. Not with as something as expectantly loaded as 'The Testaments'.

This book isn't a sequel to 'The Handmaid's Tale'. Nor is it a prequel. Nor any other type of 'quel' you can imagine. It is more of a companion. By expanding the lore by a few inches, it manages to carve out another story from the sad state of Gilead. While almost as depressing and poignant as the first novel, it has a larger scope and importance to the overall lore. Trying to answer questions about the old world nation-state while keeping the perspective on two seemingly inconsequential players. Like trying to tell the entire history of Battle of the Bulge from a single private in the 101st Airborne. You get a first-hand account. Lacking a better term, it's from the trenches. The problem being that you don't get a sense of scope while things are happening and the ending plays off as a little too overly dramatic because you never learn why things are important until after the fact.

For the most part, I'm happy I read this book. I doubt I would have been content with myself otherwise. It's just a fact that I didn't walk away impressed. It has problems with its narrative structure and a number of smaller things that kind of add up over time. However, I think its biggest problem is that it doesn't really have anything new to say. 'The Handmaid's Tale' is sometimes lumped in with science fiction because it answers one of Heinlein's big three questions: What if this goes on? Over the years since Handmaid was published, radicalized religion has gotten worse, not better, and the book's foreboding tale rings louder today than it did yesterday. With that in mind, it's nearly impossible to read a companion to that book and not expect something new out of it. I just didn't find it.

I know I've given better reviews to worse books, but I can't recommend Testaments beyond being in the know of its place in literature. And FOMO is a shitty reason to read a book. Not only does this book have a loaded expectation from its source material, but also has a high bar to climb in regards of who wrote it. There is no escapism here, and nor should there be. I know it might be unfair, but books have different standards for different reasons. Literature is placed not just by what is written, but why is it written. With 'The Testaments', its reasons just weren't good enough for me.

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Review: Gideon Falls, Vol. 1: The Black Barn

Gideon Falls, Vol. 1: The Black Barn by Jeff Lemire
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

All you need to know is that this is a good intro story into something much larger than what it is showing. That, and you'll probably love or hate it. As a first volume, it's intelligent but slow. You either go in for the long haul or you bail early. This is one you marry, not fool around with. I fully recommend you at least read this first volume. You'll finish with more questions than answers, but that isn't the point. It's all a matter if you care enough to keep digging and find out how far the rabbit hole goes.

The writing is good but can be a little uneven. Like I said before, it's slow. The main problem is that the book is trying to tell two stories at the same time, and they aren't equal in terms of pacing. In one story, you have almost entirely setup. Six issues in, and we're still wandering around looking for clues like the opening chapter of a grand novel. In the other story, the action is more immediate but still feels like a tease. There's more of an arc to the second story, which isn't a bad thing, but it's the contrast with the first that feels muddling.

In other news, the art is where it's at. At first, I wasn't sold on it. There's a graininess to it that can be off-putting at first glance. But behind the scratchy nature of it, you start to see patterns to make it some of the best art I've seen in a comic. What sucks about ninety percent of comics is that they're basically bad short stories with pictures. Going from panel to panel without any real interest in using visual art to help tell a story. Gideon doesn't do that. It instead fully invests the time and brainpower to utilize the art form. It might not always make sense, but it sure is refreshing.

I was originally going to give this book three stars. The opening issues spend too much time talking and not enough digging into the lore. It definitely has its pacing problems, but that doesn't mean it isn't a good book. It wants you to stick around but isn't willing to lower itself with cheap tricks in order to do it. Just make it to the end of the volume, you'll be pulled in and you're not going to want to come up for air.

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Review: Trail of Lightning

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Somewhere throughout reading this book, I came across the idea that this was the author's first novel. I double-checked to make sure I was right, as one should always do, and I was. As I usually am. There were just too many first author mistakes made that showcased such an aspect. Tendencies that more experienced authors would hopefully grow out of. A key example, several chapters end on a strong almost cliffhanger sort of note. The kind you would see on Star Trek right before they cut to commercial. The problem is that this was almost always followed by a short chapter to finish the conversation the characters were having right before the chapter break rudely interrupted them. Writing tip: Don't do that.

I could give several more examples of first-timer mistakes, but I don't want to sound like a writing professor. No one wants that. I'll refocus on the quality of the novel, which is best summed up as average at its best. The prose is decent, serviceable. Perhaps what it does best is world-building. Giving you just enough to maintain interest, but doesn't vomit out the entire history in the first third of the book. However, that maintenance to the pacing might be because there is plenty of room in later books due to this being a series. Because everything has to be a series these days.

This might also be due to this being a first novel, but there's a vagueness to the book. I don't mean in the prose. If anything the dialogue and descriptions is too precise. I mean in terms of the thread of the plot. Not in so much what is happening but rather in why is it happening. The main character, Maggie, is mostly led by the nose from plot point to plot point with things happening to her rather than because of her. The vehicle is moving, but Maggie isn't the one behind the wheel. There's only one part of the book, about 2/3rds of the way in, where she takes control. But then the book promptly hands her ass back to her and she returns to the passenger seat where she remains for the rest of the story.

Despite its problems, it's a decent book. Especially for a first novel. I did start to get bored by the end, mostly because another problem is it doesn't do a good job raising the stakes, but I was able to finish it without feeling I was wasting my time. There's a cultural element to it that I found refreshing, but I also can't comment if it's good or bad in its portrayal. This is mostly because I'm not qualified to do so and it would be foolish of me to pretend otherwise. That being said, you might enjoy this book if its issues don't stand out as much with you. It's a good light read, to say the least.

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Moving Pictures

Moving sucks. Good news is that we've set a goal for September 21st as the big moving day. It won't be the end of it, but at least we'll actually be living in the new house after that point. Assuming we can keep that date. The only writing news is that I've been named the municipal liaison for NaNoWriMo in my area. I'm stilling editing and waiting on all other fronts. Everything else is moving related.

For something completely different, I finished painting my room and here is the end result:

The big mural.

How this started was that I was staring at the blank wall wondering what the hell I was doing with my life. I had already resigned myself to doing a large mural but had yet to design it. I had recently seen Rembrandt's "Night Watch" and it had left an impact. Several thoughts later, I had the mural compulsively designed in my mind. The end product is 90% of what I envisioned. So proud of all my hard work I even initialed the damn thing.

Corners



The Door

Above the Shelf. I didn't paint the shelf.

 

The far side of the wall.

 





Window Wall. The latter is not a part of the art.

Squares. Ignore the Ethernet cables.

Well, that's my room. What sucks is that most of this will be covered by shelves, desks, and bookcases. But that's life. If you happen to run across this and have any questions/comments/praise/hatred, the comment box is below. It was fun to paint, but it took a hellish long time. Maybe by the time we move next I'll have forgotten how hard it was to do.

Review: Valley of Genius: The Uncensored History of Silicon Valley

Valley of Genius: The Uncensored History of Silicon Valley by Adam Fisher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oral history books might sound like an easy book to write. Lazily copying and pasting the interviews into a readable format. However, once you dive into the final product, it becomes less clear as to the level of difficulty that was involved. The writer obviously has to interview someone. Just type out a transcript of an important person and call it a day. Though this book doesn't interview someone. It interviews everyone. Think of a name that's important to the history of Silicon Valley, and he/she/they are in here. How much it matters is up to you.

Genius does a good job sectioning the interviews by subject and timeline. For example, the interview with Steve Jobs appears throughout the book because it's cut up among the various topic and places in time he was involved in. The book more or less starts with Atari where most of the early figures of Silicon Valley, including Jobs, got their first tech jobs. Each chapter does a thorough run-through and history of each subject. Doing an excellent job of using interviews to tell an actual story. Which is where the book really shines. Using the voices of the people that were there to explain the beginning, middle, and end of a point in the valley's history.

The only real downside to a book of this format is the length. I couldn't help feeling this book would have been only half as long if the interviews were summed up rather than directly transcribed. Keep in mind I don't view the format as a bad thing. It's more of a point of order for someone else who is thinking of reading it. It might not be for everyone.

My only real complaint is the people in the book can be a little self-serving at times. It's not the book's fault, it's just holding up a mirror, but that doesn't change the fact it's there. In particular, the 'epilogue' had a lot of people smelling their own farts. As someone who has already used their smartphone three times since starting to type this, I really can't argue that Silicon Valley has been really important to our culture and history. But there was too much taking credit for the good while ignoring responsibility for the bad.

All in all, if you're the least bit interested in history and/or Silicon Valley, I would say this book is a must. It's extremely well put together and everyone who was someone is here. It even has Lars Ulrich.

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Review: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've done a lot of re-reading this year. Some have held up, some have revealed themselves to lack plot. And this might be the fourth time I've read THGttG. Does it still hold up? Yes. Why would you even ask that? I'll get into why a little later down, but just know that I can probably read this book a thousand times and still laugh like no one is watching.

Since I'm a negative person, I tend to gravitate to what is wrong with something. So I'll start what's bad about this book. One, it's British. British authors tend to write as if only British culture exists. You can travel a million lightyears across the galaxy and the aliens there will still serve afternoon tea. Cognitive bias is more of a human flaw than a British one, but it's still there. Two, sometimes the cleverness is undermined by the absurdity. For example, the Improbability Drive and how it's first used might be one of the cleverest ideas in literature. I could write every clever idea I ever have throughout my life and never have an idea that good. But then the characters turn into penguins and stuff for no other reason than to be absurd. It's kind of how a joke is ruined by a heckler. Except here, the heckler and comedian are the same person.

Good Omens, the one by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, doesn't have much a plot to it. It's funny and well written but doesn't hold up to multiple reads. The reason I bring that up is because I had the same worry for THGttG. The thing is, the opposite is true for this book. Hitchhiker has a fairly layered plot that moves along at a breakneck pace. I would even say maybe a little too quickly. It's a rather short book and might be helped by expanding it somewhat. Still, it doesn't waste my time and deliveries an exciting adventure. Which is about eighty percent of what I ask for in a good book.

Now, why does THGttG hold up? I want to call the reason micro-humor. There are so many little jokes throughout that the book keeps you laughing regardless of how well you think you remember it. Sure, everyone remembers 42 and Thanks for All the Fish, but it's all the wittiness in between that keeps it fresh. THGttG is an absolute must if you've never read it before, but, what makes it truly great, is it stays an absolute must even after you've done so.

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Review: The Poppy War

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The first question I had come to mind while reading 'The Poppy War' is if it would be classified as YA. At first, I was thinking that answer to be a soft no. Especially in the beginning, it has elements associated with YA. Lots of training, young female protagonist, a poor oppressive upbringing. There is also the danger of this book simply being classified as YA. The publishing industry tends to put books written by female authors, especially if the main character is young, in YA regardless if it belongs there or not. By the middle of the book, my answer changed to more of a hard no. Then, by the latter third of the book, my answer changed to another question: Why the hell did I ever ask myself that?

The biggest asset to this novel is that gradual change. Not from YAish to full-on adult, but more of the change of the character and the nature of the world around her. Think the first Godfather film. Michael going from a decent guy to the worst of all the mob bosses. I won't say if Rin goes to the dark side or not, but it's more of the comparison of hard decisions and comprises she has to make. The person who you start with isn't the same by the end. I know character development shouldn't sound like a mind-blowing topic, but you'd be surprised by how few books actually have it.

There's also the prose. When I first starting reading, I dug into how well and engaging it was written. And it never really loses momentum. I've been stuck reading a book that had really strong first few chapters but quickly loses its sense of polish. You won't find that here. My only problem writing-wise is the characters aren't as varied as I'd like. They don't all sound the same, but I feel most of them are singing the same song at different notes.

My only criticisms are small nitpicks. It's a little longer than need be and I wasn't as enthused with the book by the end as I was in the beginning. Also, it's written in the third person without me really understanding why. We spend 95% of the narration with Rin and could have easily been told in her first-person. Though this more of a matter of personal style and taste. I still really loved it but felt worn by the closing chapters. So I say read it as soon as possible. You just might want to pack a snack.

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