A Mid-Week Reading Update

My second post today. I've been on a bit of a reading binge, trying to finish off some of my Challenge books before the end of the month. So I thought I should update the books I've finished, provide the synopses of those I'm starting and also the synopses of a couple of books that arrived in the mail in the past two days. I'll get back to my look at my Favorite Authors in an upcoming post. It might be a couple of days as I'll also be doing my end-month stats either the 31st of Jul or on the 1st of Aug. 

So let's get on with it, eh?

New Books

1. Dragonsdawn by Anne McCaffrey (1st Chronicles of Colony of Pern).

"The beautiful planet Pern seemed a paradise to its new colonists - until unimaginable terror turned it into hell. Suddenly deadly spores were falling like silver threads from the sky, devouring everything - and everyone - in their path. It began to look as if the colony, cut off from Earth and lacking the resources to combat the menace, was doomed.

Then some of the colonists noticed that the small, dragonlike lizards that inhabited their new world were joining the fight against Thread, breathing fire on it and teleporting to safety. If only, they thought, the dragonets were big enough for a human to ride and intelligent enough to work as a team with a rider...

And so they set their most talented geneticist to work to create the creatures Pern so desperately needed - Dragons!"

2. The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin (Earthsea #3).

"In this third book in the Earthsea series, darkness threatens to overtake Earthsea: The world and its wizards are losing their magic. But Ged Sparrohawk — Archmage, wizard, and dragonlord — is determined to discover the source of this devastating loss.

Aided by Enlad’s young Prince Arren, Ged embarks on a treacherous journey that will test their strength and will. Because to restore magic, the two warriors must venture to the farthest reaches of their world—and even beyond the realm of death."

Just Finished

1. Not Much Fun: The Lost Poems of Dorothy Parker by Dorothy Parker.

"Not Much Fun: The Lost Poems of Dorothy Parker is my first experience with the 'verses' of Dorothy Parker. I readily admit that poetry is one of my least favorite genres; I just don't get it. I also readily admit that, in spite of that, I have enjoyed some authors' poetry. Dorothy Parker's book was one such.

The book includes an excellent introduction about Parker's life. A fascinating, irascible, hard living, witty woman. She preferred to call her poems 'verses' as she had an inferiority complex when it came to her work. Stuart Silverstein, who wrote the intro, compared some of her work to that of short story writer, H.H. Munro AKA Saki. Having read a collection of Saki's work, I can see the comparison. Saki's stories often started in one direction but the final outcome / ending often came out of the blue, somewhere out in left field and left you shaking your head. Parker's poems have that effect as well. A romantic work will start out in one direction but you always find yourself wondering if there will be a witty punchline.

A poem about Myrtilla, on Easter Day, starts off

"Myrtilla's tripping down the street

In Easter finery.

The Easter blooms are not more sweet

And radiant hued than she....."

It continues with lovely descriptions of Myrtilla, how she makes the men's hearts flutter.. and then ends thusly

"As down the street Myrtilla trips,

I hope she breaks her neck!"

Not all of the works are in this vein, but there were many that make me chuckle at the end. What I especially liked about her work was how accessible it was. I think that is my normal issue with poetry; I just find it difficult to get into a flow. But not with this collection. I have to say that I found myself reciting some of them to my wife to gauge her reaction. And even reading them was 'easy'. I just found myself able to see them, to get into them.

I enjoyed this collection. The first section The Poems, was excellent. The second section, The Hate Verses, was not quite so enjoyable. In them she writes a number of selections; Women, Men, Actors, etc and highlights different types of personas within each grouping and why she dislikes them. It's all in good fun, I imagine, they didn't grab my attention quite so well.

All in all, I enjoyed the collection very much. I may look for more of her works. (4 stars)

2. The Night Eternal by Guillermo del Toro (The Strain #3).

"The Night Eternal is the third and final book in Guillermo del Toro's Strain trilogy. It details the final climatic battle between a small group of human rebels against the vampire overlord, The Master the demon who controls the Earth. 

It's been about 4 years since I read the 2nd book, but I found it easy to get back in with the flow of the series and to recall the events of the previous books; this was most encouraging. The Master now controls the world. He is able to monitor everything through the eyes of the countless vampires under his thrall. He now owns Zack, not a vampire, but infected with the Master's blood. The Master uses small amounts to keep Zack's asthma under control. Zack's mother Kelly, a vampire, is always around and she controls the Feelers, blind, young vamps who are used as tracking dogs.

The story follows the remains of the human resistance; Zack's father, Eph, who is lost in his desire to find and save Zack; Nora, Eph's ex-lover who is trying to keep her aging mother safe; Fet, the rat exterminator who now seems to be the team leader, searching for a weapon to destroy the Master; Gus, the gang banger; and Mr. Quinlan, the Master's son who is needs to find the book that will show where the Master was born so they can destroy him.

It's a dark, grim story. The world is covered in gritty cloud, rainy and gloomy. Only a couple of hours a day of feeble sunlight keep the vamps under cover. The Master wants to find Eph and also the Lumen Obscura, the book that will help destroy him. Eph is struggling with his guilt about Zack and is linked with the Master who is trying to make a deal with Eph. Nora is captured and sent to one of the Master's camps. Fet works with Mr. Quinlan to try to decipher the book; provided by old Mr. Setrakian, who formed the group of rebels and perished in the last book. Gus is in Iceland trying to find the weapon to destroy the Master.

The story moves along at an excellent pace. It's frustrating as the group suffers setback after setback but somehow manage to keep going. Is there a traitor in the group? Who can trust whom? It ends with a hell-bent-for-leather race to try and finally destroy the Master with everyone coming together in a climatic ending. It was an entertaining and ultimately satisfying conclusion to a dark, well-crafted trilogy. Worth trying, especially if you like a different perspective on the vampire story. (4 stars)"

3. Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don't Know by Malcolm Gladwell.

"Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know is my second book by Malcolm Gladwell, the first being The Tipping Point. Both were interesting, both outside my normal reading material. Talking to Strangers was a fascinating story.

Let's see, how to describe. I'll probably get it wrong but here goes. Gladwell looks at a number of incidents / events to look at how we interact with strangers, how we perceive them, and in these cases who the interactions go awry. His initial comments deal with Sandra Bland and he concludes the book by using it complete his theory. If you don't know, Sandra Bland was a black woman moving from Illinois to Texas who was pulled over by a police officer. Their interactions escalated and Sandra was put in jail and hung herself in jail after 3 days. Gladwell tries to analyze this to see how everything went so wrong from a simple traffic stop.

He uses the other cases to outline his theories and it is a fascinating read. He talks about Nevil Chamberlain (PM of UK just before WWII) and his meetings with Adolf Hitler and how that went so wrong; the Default to Truth, where we tend to want to believe a person / stranger rather than just be suspicious. (grossest simplification on my part). He looks at the CIA's misreading of a Cuban spy in their midst, The Queen of Cuba. Suspicious of her, she still spied on them from within for years. 

Gladwell examines the Jerry Sandusky child abuse scandal and why it took so long to actually do something. He looks at the Amanda Knox case. How did the Italian police and the world's press get it so wrong? He looks at the Fraternity party case, the young man who was trying to rape the young lady by the dumpster. (If you read this book, this chapter should be must reading by both boys and girls attending university. The affects of booze and black outs struck home with me... 

Gladwell has an interesting analysis of suicide, using the Sylvia Plath example. Quite fascinating. The Case study looking at the Kansas City police experiments on policing was also fascinating and considering the issues that are making the press especially these past few months, make it also must read, in my mind. And then it all goes back to the Sandra Bland case and how did it all go so wrong.

The last sentences struck a chord as well with me. "Because we do not know how to talk to strangers, what do we do when things go awry with strangers? We blame the stranger." Of course the book has much more to offer than that last sentence. There are fascinating case studies and interpretations. Worth checking out. (4 stars)"

Currently Reading

1. The Courts of the Morning by John Buchan.

"Begins in the pleasant atmosphere of a country house in the Scottish borders, where Richard Hannay is the guest of his old friend, Sandy Arbuthnot. The drama shifts to a small South American republic in the grip of a dictator."

2. You Think You Know Someone by J.B. Holman.

"Who is Dominion 1431?

And why shoot the PM? 60 million suspects. Only one culprit.

Eduard Foxx, secret agent, traitor and the tactician who planned the assassination, meets his match in Julie Connor, a quiet, unexceptional, self-deprecating, reclusive civil servant with a secret.

For their own reasons, they each need to uncover the identity of Dominion 1431, the shadowy figure behind the assassination and unravel a complex plot to change the course of history. But nothing is as it seems and no one can be trusted in the convoluted world of political intrigue.

Foxx and Connor find themselves in a race to stop the destruction of democracy . . . or are they already too late?"

There you go folks. Any of them appeal to you?

Your Mid-Week Music Medley

I've finished 3 books since my last update and had one arrive in the mail. I'll update those later today if I get a chance. For now, here is your mid-week music selection to help get you through the rest of the week. Enjoy.

1. English singer Belouis Some - Imagination (1985).

2. English singer Johnny Marr (ex of the Smiths & other bands) - Armatopia (2019).

3. English singer Marc Almond (ex of Soft Cell) - The Days of Pearly Spencer (1992).

Enjoy the rest of your week. Stay safe.

Favorite Authors - Nevada Barr

OK, it has to be said. I know it's only 3 games in but STUPID BLUE JAYS! OK, that feels better. Congratulations to Brighton Seagulls for staying up another year in the Premiership.

It's a hot day today and we're watching a Father Brown, enjoying a slight breeze. I haven't finished any more books yet but hope.

Favorite Authors - Nevada Barr

Nevada Barr

Nevada Barr is an American mystery writer. She was born in Nevada in 1952 and since 1993 has been writing one of my favorite mystery series featuring US National Park Ranger, Anna Pigeon. She has written 19 books in the series and since I discovered her in early 2000, I've read 13 so far. Barr has also written 4 standalone novels. I will highlight those novels where I've actually provided a review as I didn't begin doing so until I was on Goodreads, around 2010. So let's check out Nevada Barr.

I have not read this series in order, although I've tried to correct that more recently.

1. Deep South (#8 / 2000).

"Deep South is the 8th book in the Anna Pigeon mystery series by Nevada Barr. I have read 10 or so books in the series and I have to say this is one of the better ones.

Anna Pigeon is a Park Ranger for the US National Park Service. Each story highlights a different national park around the US. In this story, Anna decides to bite the bullet and apply for a promotion and gets the job as District Ranger on the Natchez Trace in Mississippi. With some trepidation she moves to this new job; it being a new area for her and she feeling somewhat nervous about becoming a boss and dealing with the the administrative aspect of the job and of having to lead Rangers instead of just being one.

She gets off to a somewhat rocky start as her two subordinates feel some resentment in being bossed by a woman and leave her to her own devices in the first two incidents. Anna gets involved in a ruckus at the campground where she is housed, two cars of teenagers causing problems with the campers. During this Anna discovers a young girl, drunk an abandoned. It turns out another girl is missing and she is found later, nearby and unfortunately, murdered. The body has been covered by a white hood with eye holes cut out and a noose placed around her neck. During the upcoming investigation, Anna and her two rangers and the local sheriff must keep racial implications in the back of the mind.

In its way, it's one of the more straight-forward mysteries of this series. As incident after incident crops up, Anna deals with it and continues with the investigation. She is threatened by an alligator (maybe left at her place on purpose), she deals with feelings for this new sheriff, she deals with the obstructionism of her deputy rangers and all the time she learns of her new district and continues to investigate.

It's an excellent mystery, lots of tension and sufficient action to satisfy you. Anna must deal with being somewhat of a stranger in a strange land, being a woman, white and a Northerner in this area of the US. The story works on many levels. My one minor complaint is that I find it somewhat difficult to believe that she would gain such familiarity with the areas so quickly, since she only just arrived there. But it's a minor complaint as the story is totally engrossing. And, you'll understand this when you read it. Give you doggie a hug. Excellent story! (4 stars)"

2. Endangered Species (#5 / 1997).

"The Anna Pigeon books are comfort food. I always enjoy entering Anna's life and finding out about which National Park she will be working at. In this story she is in Cumberland Island Park in Georgia as a Fire fighter, there with other Park Service employees just in case. Also in the mix are the Loggerhead turtles, coming ashore during their annual migration to lay their eggs and as well, a plane crash and possible murder. The story meanders through the mystery, Anna is lovely as ever. I also liked the bits involving Frederick, her FBI friend in Chicago, and her sister in New York who is receiving threatening letters and phone calls. All in all, I enjoyed very much and look forward to my next Anna Pigeon mystery, Blind Descent, set in Carlsbad Caverns, NM. (3 stars)"

3. Hard Truth (#13 / 2005).

"Since I discovered the Anna Pigeon series a few years back, I've tried to read one or two every year or so. Hard Truth by Nevada Barr is the 13th book in the series and the 12th I've read so far. Anna Pigeon is a US Park Ranger and each book is generally set in a different US National Park, where Anna has found herself transferred for one reason or another.

In Hard Truth, Anna, newly married, has been transferred to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, filling the position of district ranger. This will mean a year away from her husband who stays back at Natchez, Mississippi. She has arrived at this position as the park has conducted a search for 3 lost girls, all belonging to a religious commune that resides just outside the park proper.

The story starts with Heath and her aunt Gwen Littleton who are camping in the park. Heath is an ex-mountain climber who was paralyzed in a fall and is still adjusting to her new life as a paraplegic and not going about the process too smoothly. The two discover two of the lost girls, both traumatized, both suffering injuries and dehydration. This brings Anna into the situation as well. The story now moves between the two women, Heath coping with her new limited body and trying to help one of the young girls, Beth, or as she calls her, the limpet. Anna, while working to learn the job in her new area and also to learn more about the other rangers who work there also works to discover where the other lost girl might be and who might have been involved in kidnapping them. The two girls, themselves, still traumatized, offer not too many clues as to what happened to them.

It's is at times a slow-paced story but still very interesting as Anna tries to sort things out in her mind and to find clues to what might have happened. We get a decent view of the park as well. The story gets darker and grittier as it moves along and the pace picks up rapidly as everything starts to fall together. There are many suspects that Anna must try to sort through and in the end must try to close out the case all the while trying to keep herself, the girls, Heath, and others alive from a dangerous, psychotic killer. As in most of her stories, Nevada Barr doesn't disappoint. (4 stars)"

4. Track of the Cat (#1 / 1993).

"A very good intro to the Anna Pigeon series. Anna is a US Park Ranger/ Law enforcement officer. In this story she is working at a National Park in West Texas and discovers a dead park ranger. This discovery leads Anna to try and solve what she perceives as the Rangers' murder. Nevada Barr describes the park setting extremely well and develops Anna's character nicely. I've read other Barr mysteries but it's nice to finally read the first in the series. (3 stars)"

5. Liberty Falling (#7 / 1999).

"Another comfort read from Nevada Barr. In the 7th book in this excellent series, we find our intrepid National Park ranger, Anna Pigeon, on a leave of absence, in New York, watching over her psychologist sister, Molly, who is critically ill. Anna is staying with her friend Patsy who is the chief administrator at the national park on Liberty and Ellis Islands. Even though preoccupied with her sister's health, Anna finds herself embroiled in a mysterious death on Liberty Island. The story moves along a nice pace, sometimes a bit slowly, as Anna moves between the hospital and her off-duty investigation of a young girl's death, presumed suicide. Nevada Barr knows how to string along a neat mystery and to build the tension to an exciting climax. Always entertaining to read, I enjoyed this latest installment and look forward to visiting with Anna soon to see what new National Park will find her embroiled in a mystery. (3 stars)"

6. Winter Study (#14 / 2008).

"I like Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon mystery series very much. Anna is a US Park Ranger who finds herself assigned to work in the varied National Parks in the US each book. Each book lets you have a view of new areas of the US and at the same time people the stories with interesting characters and thrilling mysteries. In Winter Study, for the first time in the series, Anna returns to a park she's worked at before. This is Isle Royale National Park, an island park located in Lake Superior near Michigan.

As you can guess from the title, the story takes place in mid-winter, as Anna joins a group of scientists who are conducting the annual study of the wolf packs that reside at Isle Royale. At the same time, a representative of Homeland Security is visiting to gauge whether the park should be open year round (it closes in the winter normally), as Canada is such a threat to US security (the last comment is a joke of course, but the park being on the border with another country is a security concern)

So you've got winter conditions, a group of people isolated on a frigid island and a mystery. Call it the 'And then there Were none scenario'. Nevada Barr ramps up the story and tension and creates an excellent story. We have the death of one of the members, people wandering off in the cold, wolves in the vicinity, extreme frigid temperatures and all add up to a tense, interesting story.

There are frustrating thriller scenarios; why do people wander off on their own and why don't the others seem to notice or to care, that sort of thing. Anna gets beaten and frozen but she's a tough lady and always manages to work through these dangerous situations.

All in all, it's an interesting story, with surprising, even if maybe far-fetched results, but even so, in true thriller style, satisfying. I like Anna Pigeon very much. She's a strong-willed, stubborn, interesting woman and I've enjoyed pretty well all of this series so far. (3 stars)"

7. Blind Descent (#6 / 1998).

"Another solid Anna Pigeon mystery, this one is set in Carlsbad Caverns. Almost a parlor mystery in its inception as Anna's friend Frieda is injured in a closed cavern with limited people about to have committed the murder attempt. There are many claustrophobic periods as Anna crawls through narrow tunnels with other cavers trying to extricate Frieda. A totally new experience for me, this caver's world, both exciting and terrifying. The mystery broadens once the group is above surface, with many suspects. Excellent mystery all round and most enjoyable read. (3 stars)"

The complete listing of Nevada Barr's books can be found at this link.

Enjoy the upcoming week.

A Reading Update and My Favorite Authors

OK, it's Saturday 25 Jul and baseball is back on. I've watched the first two Blue Jay games so far. Nice to watch baseball again. It's been a beautiful day today, fresh, sunny and not too hot. Jo is thrilled because Quality Foods had packages of her favorite sweetie in stock, Rowntree's Jelly Tots. I got myself a new package of Mackintosh Creamy Toffees. Yes this was a sweetie shopping trip. I did get some tomatoes and snow peas, so there was some healthy stuff. At the moment, Jo is frying up hamburger as the first step in making us Sloppy Joe's for supper. Yum!

I finished one book this morning and I've got another book to read and review from Booktasters. I'll update those and also continue with my look at my Favorite Authors.

Just Finished

1. New Orleans Beat by Julie Smith (Skip Langdon #4).

"While I won't say the Skip Langdon mystery series is one of my top ten mysteries, the stories by Julie Smith are always different and entertaining. New Orleans Beat is the 4th book in the series and maybe one of the best so far.

In this latest story, New Orleans police detective, Skip Langdon, is called to the scene of a death (murder?) of a young man, Geoff Kavanagh, who lived at the home of his mother. He is found at the bottom of a ladder, a death initially called an accident. As the story progresses, Skip begins to suspect that Geoff's death was, in fact, a murder.

The story will involve many people, many damaged people, as Skip gets more into the investigation. As well, Skip is dealing with the frustrations of a long-distance relationship and with helping her best friend Dee-Dee raise his 'adopted' children, a teenage girl and younger brother. It makes for a messy, packed story.

I admit that, mainly because I have 4 or 5 stories on the go at one time, I sometimes had a bit of trouble keeping track of who was who, but that is my issue, not yours. There is so much going on that it makes for a fascinating tale. Aspects that particularly interested me. The story was published in '94 and I liked reading about the online group, The Town. It reminded me of the impact of my first online communities. There is also 'witchcraft', a group of woman supporting each other. Is it a factor in the murder(s)?

Part of the story struck a chord with me as well, especially considering what is going on in America today. There is an ongoing theme about the appropriateness of blacks and whites dating. Skip, dealing with her relationship problems, finds herself attracted to a black man. I don't know if Smith is criticizing this issue (meaning she feels it's not an issue) or just commenting on it as a fact of American life at that particular time. As an aside I do recall being on course in Oakland in the '90s and finding it strange when one of my white American classmates said she thought it was disgusting when we saw a black man with a white woman (but if I recall, not if it were the other way). Anyway, not here to debate the issue, but just found it interesting and somewhat unsettling.

So, all in all, a rich, layered story with a somewhat untidy, but interesting, mystery and ending. Ultimately satisfying. (4 stars)"

Currently Reading

1. The Concrete Blonde by Michael Connelly (Bosch #3).

"Edgar Award-winner Michael Connelly brings back Detective Harry Bosch in a breathtaking breakthrough novel, a supercharged thriller that thrusts us into a blistering courtroom battle and a desperate search for a killer who should already be dead. Harry Bosch is sure that the man he killed was the sadistic serial murderer known as the Dollmaker, and that the killing was justified. Even if the dead man's widow wins her civil suit, it's the city of Los Angeles that will pay. Harry has already been exonerated in an internal investigation. The trial - and Harry's certainty that he shot the right man - are torn apart when a corpse is discovered beneath the concrete floor of a building that burned during the L.A. riots. It's the body of a woman, and all indications are that this is another of the Dollmaker's victims. But the autopsy report is unequivocal: this woman was killed after Harry shot the man he believes was the Dollmaker. Into the L.A. night Harry takes his investigation. By day the trial continues excruciatingly, with the prosecuting attorney focusing on Bosch's violent past and portraying him as a vigilante murderer protected by his badge. By night he re-investigates the infamous Dollmaker case, frantically trying to understand where he went wrong - and what he can do to keep this murderer from carrying out his threats to make Harry his next victim."

New Books

1. You Think You Know Someone by J.B. Holman (2019).

"Who is Dominion 1431?
And why shoot the PM? 60 million suspects. Only one culprit.

Eduard Foxx, secret agent, traitor and the tactician who planned the assassination, meets his match in Julie Connor, a quiet, unexceptional, self-deprecating, reclusive civil servant with a secret.

For their own reasons, they each need to uncover the identity of Dominion 1431, the shadowy figure behind the assassination and unravel a complex plot to change the course of history. But nothing is as it seems and no one can be trusted in the convoluted world of political intrigue.

Foxx and Connor find themselves in a race to stop the destruction of democracy . . . or are they already too late?"

My Favorite Authors - Iain M. Banks

Iain M. Banks

Iain M. Banks was a Scottish author who lived from 1954 - 2013. I first read one of his Sci-Fi books, one of the Culture series. I have to say he re-ignited my interest in Sci-Fi and I've since found a number of new authors because of him. I've read six of his books since I discovered his writing, 4 Culture books, and two standalones. It's unfortunate he passed away so young as he still had lots to offer. Let's take a look at those I've read.

1. The Wasp Factory (1984).

"I did enjoy this story. I really had no idea what to expect from it as my only familiarity with Iain Banks' writings up to this point was with his SciFi Culture stories. There were many little twists and turns and the ending was very much a surprise. At times it had a feel of stories like Lord of the Flies, teen angst, the young man dealing with a solitary life style. Banks pieced the plot nicely, delving into details of Frank's childhood, describing the key incidents of his life, but ultimately leaving the biggest detail for the end. Very good story, maybe somewhat of a let down at the end, but ultimately satisfying. (3 stars)"

2. The Algebraist (2004).

"It is 4034. Humanity has made it to the stars. Fassin Taak, a Slow Seer at the Court of the Nasqueron Dwellers, will be fortunate if he makes it to the end of the year. The Nasqueron Dwellers inhabit a gas giant on the outskirts of the galaxy, in a system awaiting its wormhole connection to the rest of civilization. In the meantime, they are dismissed as decadents living in a state of highly developed barbarism, hoarding data without order, hunting their own young & fighting pointless formal wars. Seconded to a military-religious order he's barely heard of—part of the baroque hierarchy of the Mercatoria, the latest galactic hegemony— Taak has to travel again amongst the Dwellers. He is in search of a secret hidden for half a billion years. But with each day that passes a war draws closer—a war threatening to overwhelm everything & everyone he's ever known." (4 stars)

3. Consider Phlebas (Culture #1).

"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)"

4. The State of the Art (Culture #4).

"The first ever collection of Iain Banks' short fiction, this volume includes the acclaimed novella, The State of the Art. This is a striking addition to the growing body of Culture lore, and adds definition and scale to the previous works by using the Earth of 1977 as contrast. The other stories in the collection range from science fiction to horror, dark-coated fantasy to morality tale. All bear the indefinable stamp of Iain Banks' staggering talent." (3 stars)

5. Excession (Culture #5).

"This is the 3rd 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 world's 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. Excession is the 5th book in the Culture universe/ series. (5 stars)"

6. Matter (Culture #8).

"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)

You really should explore Banks' work. It will be worth the effort. The complete listing of his works can be found at this link.

Favorite Authors - J.G. Ballard

I did my weekly run out to do some shopping today. Not everybody wears masks but I didn't feel like I was the only one out there or outnumbered. And nobody shouts or screams either, at least not where I was. People, even if without a mask, keep their distance, are respectful.. I'm sure it's different other places, but I don't mind going out.

On that brief note, today I will continue with my look at my favorite authors. Once again, this list is based on the rationale I outlined in my first post on this new topic. See the link if you care for my reasoning. Scroll down a bit.

My Favorite Authors - J.G. Ballard

James Graham Ballard

I have discussed Ballard previously in my look at the Sci-Fi novel. He was born in Shanghai International Settlement, China in 1930. (This experience was used in his novel, Empire of the Sun). He died in London, 2009 at the age of 78. Ballard was a prolific writer with the majority of his writing (in my opinion) focused on dystopian Sci-Fi. He wrote 19 novels and a number of collections of short stories.

Like my previous author, Margaret Atwood, my first exposure to Ballard was in my university days (74 - 78). In my 3rd year I took An Introduction to the Science Fiction novel. Yes, it was a bit of a bird course but I loved Sci-Fi and this course exposed me to so many Sci-Fi authors. I lived it. One of the authors was Ballard. We read The Drowned World, published in 1962, one of his earliest works. After that I read The Wind from Nowhere, his first published novel. I think I lost track of him for many years. 

When I moved to Comox and started exploring Sci-Fi again, at least quite a bit more than usual, I began to look through his novels. I read The Drowned World again and began to explore more of his works. Since 2000ish, I've read 10 of his novels. 

How to describe Ballard's work? Well, let's see.. He's one weird dude. A few of his novels have been turned into movies, Empire of the Sun, High-Rise, Crash. So anyway, let's take a look at J.G. Ballard, shall we?

1. The Drowned World (1962).

"In the 21st century, fluctuations in solar radiation have caused the ice-caps to melt and the seas to rise. Global temperatures have climbed, and civilization has retreated to the Arctic and Antarctic circles. London is a city now inundated by a primeval swamp, to which an expedition travels to record the flora and fauna of this new Triassic Age." (3 stars) Sound familiar? Kind of prescient, eh?

2. Kingdom Come (2006). Ballard's last published novel.

"A gunman opens fire in a shopping mall. Not a terrorist, apparently, but a madman with a rifle. Or not, as he is mysteriously (and quickly) set free without charge...

One of the victims is the father of Richard Pearson, unemployed advertising executive and life-long rebel. Now he is driving out to Brooklands, the apparently peaceful town on the M25 which has at its heart the shining shoppers’ paradise where the shooting happened – the Metro-Centre.

Then the main suspect is released - thanks to the testimony of self-styled pillars of the community like the doctor who treated Richard's father on his deathbed. Richard, determined to unravel the mystery, starts to believe that something deeply sinister lurks behind the pristine facades of the labyrinthine mall, its 24-hour cable TV and sports club." (3 stars)

3. The Day of Creation (1987).

"On the arid, war-plagued terrain of central Africa, a manic doctor is consumed with visions of transforming the Sahara into a land of abundance. But Dr. Mallory’s obsession quickly spirals dangerously out of control." (3 stars)

4. Vermillion Sands (1971).

"J.G. Ballard is one of the most unique, strange writers I've ever read. The first story of his that I read was The Drowned World, which pictures a world that is sinking under water. He wrote that in 1962 and it was one of his earliest books. I next read, The Wind from Nowhere, which pictures mankind forced to live underground to avoid the ever increasing winds that scour the Earth's surface. Even those stories portray his unique writing style, his moodiness, his ability to describe the settings he is trying to picture. 

Since then I've read High-rise, Crash, Hello America, etc. Some of them are somewhat inaccessible; you are an observer in these strange worlds or situations that he is describing. But, even with them, you have to find out what will happen to the people he places in such disturbing surroundings.

Vermillion Sands was written in 1971 and is a collection of Ballard's short stories. They all portray the decaying lives of artists and rich people living in the area of Vermillion Sands. It's another strange futuristic world; a desert sea, sand rays, musical sand towers, etc. Fascinating and Ballard sort of enfolds you in the life and setting. Artists make clothing from bio materials that have a life of their own. Poets no longer write their own poetry, but use machines to draw themes and words to create poetry and then set out the parameters for people to read them. Artists soar to the skies to create art from the cumulus clouds that float above them. Rich people sail the sand seas in sail ships.

It's a fascinating scene and the stories that surround these moody settings are also interesting, somewhat emotionless, but still keeps you reading to see how they resolve. Another interesting work from Ballard. (4 stars)"

5. High-Rise (1975).

"When a class war erupts inside a luxurious apartment block, modern elevators become violent battlegrounds and cocktail parties degenerate into marauding attacks on "enemy" floors. In this visionary tale, human society slips into violent reverse as once-peaceful residents, driven by primal urges, re-create a world ruled by the laws of the jungle." (4 stars)

6. Hello America (1981).

"I enjoyed this story very much. I do find that Ballard can be somewhat inaccessible; I'm thinking of The Crystal World and The Day of Creation, which I didn't enjoy all that much, or extremely imaginative and fascinating; The Drowned World, Kingdom Come and High-Rise, which I enjoyed very much. 

Hello America falls into the latter category. It was very interesting; an expedition from Europe to America, destroyed many years ago and evacuated. The expedition ends up in Las Vegas, ruled by a madman, who at the same time has created an amazing place. Definitely worth reading. (3 stars)"

7. Concrete Island (1974).

"I've read a few books by J.G. Ballard over the years. He writes some of the more unique science fiction that I've ever read. I like some more than others. I have enjoyed The Drowned World, Passport to Eternity, High-Rise, Crash, etc. I also enjoyed my most recent selection, Concrete Island. 

At the beginning of the story, architect David Maitland, crashes his Jaguar, while driving home on the expressway outside of London. His crash brings him to an artificial island in the midst of the various interconnecting roads. In the crash he damages his hip and this affects his mobility. This begins a modern type Robinson Crusoe type of story. Days pass into days ad Maitland tries to find a way out. The area is fenced in, and surrounded by muddy hills. Cars passing by can't really see him due to the tall grass that has overgrown the area. 

So that's the gist of the story. We follow Maitland as he explores the area, suffers from fever and pain, suffers from mental problems and other things. It's an interesting story, a quick read. There isn't lots of action, it's more an exploration of Maitland's frame of mind as he tries to cope with his isolation and decide what he will do to escape... if he really wants to escape. It's always worthwhile to try one of Ballard's stories to see what you think of his story-telling and writing style. (3.5 stars)"

8. The Crystal World (1966).

"The story got off to a slowish start as, with most JG Ballard stories, you do need to focus on his writing style. As I got into it, I got much more involved with the plot, basically a Doctor, in Africa, travels up-river to find his friends. He discovers that the forest and area where he wishes to go is being transformed, the vegetation, even the people, into crystal. It's an interesting journey, as he becomes involved with other peoples' stories and tries to stay alive. It's worth reading if you're familiar with Ballard's other Sci-Fi works. I also recommend  The Drowned World and The Wind from Nowhere, if you've not read any of his work before. (3 stars)"

9. Passport to Eternity (1963).

"A variety of Sci-Fi short stories, highlights JG Ballard's unique imagination. It features 9 stories, all unique, some of my favorites being The 99th Floor and The Thousand Dreams of Stellavista.. Very enjoyable. (4 stars)"

10. Crash (1973).

"A very strange, but at the same time, compelling/ engrossing story. The basic premise being a group of people who have been involved in car accidents who now equate car accidents with sex. It does sound strange doesn't it. 

The story focuses on the author, who is in effect, JG Ballard, his wife and a man he meets after his car accident, that being Vaughn. There are also other characters but these three are the main focus. The story starts at the end then with flashback works it's way from the beginning; Ballard's car accident, through a variety of incidents until the start of the story (in effect, the end). 

There is a lot of sex in this story, (it's been described in some reviews as pornographic) and interesting discussion/ comparison with the human body and that of an automobile. The people involved have issues, sex is often only satisfying in automobiles, even in broken automobiles. 

It's a hard story to describe, but it's so 'out there' that it can draw you in very deeply. David Cronenberg made a movie in 1996 based on this book, starring Holly Hunter, James Spader and Elias Koteas, amongst others and as I recall it, he very successfully captured the mood and strangeness of the story. It can be a graphic story to read, but I found it also very interesting. Did I like it? Like isn't the right word, but I found it hard to put down. (4 stars)"

So what do you think? The complete listing of Ballard's books can be found at this link.

Enjoy your Friday and the upcoming weekend. Take care.