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| Kerri Einarson and team |
I finished a book this morning, will update that for you and also let you know what will be the next book on my list. I'll also continue with my look at the Science Fiction novel, with one of my favorite authors of recent years, Iain M. Banks.
Just Finished
"Beyond This Point Are Monsters by Margaret Millar was originally published in 1970. I've been focusing on her work for a little while, having now finished 4 of her books over the past month. This one, while interesting, was my least favorite.
The concept was excellent. Basically it's been a year since Robert Osborne disappeared one night, suspicion being that he was murdered. But Robert's body was never recovered, just lots of evidence (blood for example) that something bad happened. His mother doesn't believe he is dead, thinking that he will still turn up. His young wife, Devon, isn't sure but is ready to move on.
The story is told via the means of a hearing, organized by the family lawyer, who is trying to get Robert declared dead so that Devon can be listed as executrix of the estate. The estate is farmland in southern California. The suspects of the purported murder are / were itinerant farm workers from Mexico hired to pick the tomato crop. After Osborne disappeared, the workers did as well.
The lawyer, Franklin Ford, presents his case, calling a variety of witnesses to describe Robert Osborne's last day, the day he disappeared. It's an interesting way to do this and we get to know the various people involved, Devon, her neighbour Leo Bishop, the farm employees. We also find out about other incidents in the past, the death of Bishop's wife, who may at one time have had relations with young Robert and also the death of Robert's father. It makes for a rich story, an interesting combination of fact and emotion. Millar's story - telling is often sparse but she packs an awful lot into the story at the same time.
I had some issues with the ending as I don't always like it when the author leaves the result to your imagination; did this happen or that? So that satisfaction of a firm resolution wasn't the case in this story, at least to me anyway. But still there is something intelligent about Millar's stories that keep you thinking and also generally surprises you as things come to a conclusion. (3.5 stars)"
Currently Reading
"Cut off from his regiment by enemy forces pursuing his British comrades in retreat, Rifleman Matthew Dodd commits himself to fighting his way back to friendly lines. Dodd's simple, unyielding devotion to his duties as a soldier exemplifies core values - honor, courage and commitment - which all Marines are expected to demonstrate. He never thinks in terms of surrender. He doesn't just escape and evade - he continues to perform as a rifleman, killing enemy soldiers. In one of the opening chapters, Dodd is discovered by a French soldier as he is making his way back to his company. He flees in the opposite direction and finds himself scaling a steep hill. The French don't wish to follow him any farther. Instead of escaping from the impending danger, Dodd single-handedly takes on a cluster of soldiers at the foot of the hill and beats them. When he finally returns to his unit, no one knows of the deeds he has done, and his simple reward is a hot meal and the company of his mates."
The Science Fiction Novel - Iain M. Banks
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| Iain M. Banks |
I've read six of his books so far, five in the Sci-Fi genre. The other was The Wasp Factory (his first book / 1984), a strange, intriguing piece of fiction. I'll look at his Sci-Fi books below, some I've not yet read and others I have.
"It is 4034 AD. Humanity has made it to the stars.
Seconded to a military-religious order he's barely heard of, Fassin Taak must travel amongst the Dwellers of the gas giant Nasqueron, in search of a secret hidden for half a billion years. Any help they offer will be on their own terms and in their own time.
But time is one thing Fassin Taak doesn't have, with each passing day bringing the system closer to war - a war that threatens to overwhelm everything and everyone he's ever known."
"In a world renowned within a galaxy full of wonders, a crime within a war. For one brother it means a desperate flight, and a search for the one - maybe two - people who could clear his name. For his brother it means a life lived under constant threat of treachery and murder. And for their sister, it means returning to a place she'd thought abandoned forever.
Only the sister is not what she once was; Djan Seriy Anaplian has become an agent of the Culture's Special Circumstances section, charged with high-level interference in civilizations throughout the greater galaxy.
Concealing her new identity - and her particular set of abilities - might be a dangerous strategy. In the world to which Anaplian returns, nothing is quite as it seems; and determining the appropriate level of interference in someone else’s war is never a simple matter." (5 stars)
"Excellent. One of the most unique SciFi writers I've ever read. Iain Banks has created (a) fascinating universe(s) populated with interesting characters, both human and machine. The Culture is a well-crafted, diverse 'organization', with amazing technology and concepts. Consider Phlebas is Banks' first to feature the Culture. I've read others already and have been drawn into his stories. This story is about an adventure, voyage to find a lost Culture Mind and about the Idaran/ Culture war.
Horza, a Changer (you have to read it to find out what that means) is a mercenary working for the Idarans who is charged with going to one of the Planets of the Dead to find the Mind and Perosteck Balveda is the Culture agent trying to stop him. The plot is a slow-moving, journey through Banks' universes but don't the slow pace put you off. It's an excellent story and as the story comes to its climax moves along very nicely. His characters are all interesting and his story excellent. Highly recommended. (5 stars)"
"The Culture--a humanoid/machine symbiotic society--has thrown up many great Game Players. One of the best is Jernau Morat Gurgeh, Player of Games, master of every board, computer and strategy. Bored with success, Gurgeh travels to the Empire of Azad, cruel & incredibly wealthy, to try their fabulous game, a game so complex, so like life itself, that the winner becomes emperor. Mocked, blackmailed, almost murdered, Gurgeh accepts the game and with it the challenge of his life, and very possibly his death."
"This is the 5th book in the Culture series I've read and once again, it didn't disappoint. I will say that at times I had no idea what was going on, but even then it didn't seem to matter. Basically the premise is that an unknown entity has been discovered somewhere in the known universe; has done something with the ship that discovered it and set a course of action that might result in a full-scale galactic war.
That's the big picture, but also on the smaller scale, and these events might also be influenced by this entity (the named Excession in the title), we have various individuals who are guided/ heading towards each other and this Excession for a variety of purposes. I've not described it very well, but basically you have the intimate story of the various people; Genar Hofoen, Dajeil, and Ulver Seich who are brought together; stories of past events (Genar Hofoen and Dajeil both becoming pregnant, after Hofoen sublimates from male to female; their falling apart); both complex and simple.
I enjoyed the stories of the ships (basically animate beings in their own right), even their names are interesting and fun (e.g. the Sleeper Service, the Fate Amenable to Change, the Honest Mistake, etc). The universe of the Culture is one of the most unique worlds I've ever read about. The stories and characters are all so interesting and just to experience this world of SciFi makes reading that genre interesting and exciting again. I find it difficult to describe in a few words. You just have to try one of the stories to discover for yourself. (5 stars)"
The other books I have waiting on my shelf include some of his fiction as well.
- Walking on Glass (1985)
- Complicity (1993)
- Looking to Windward (Culture #7 / 2000)
- Transition (2009)
- Surface Detail (Culture #9 / 2010)
- The Hydrogen Sonata (Culture #10 / 2012)
The complete listing of Banks's books can be found at this link.
Curling final will be on shortly. Have a great week!
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