Books 2007

A Frolic of His Own by William Gaddis;© 1994, Simon & Schuster, pp. 509 - I'm still not sure if I like Gaddis' style. This book is said to be a comedy, but I don't laugh out loud anywhere. If this is postmodernism, take me back to modernism. To be fair, this took me a long time to read, just like JR. Maybe if I give his writing more effort, it will be more rewarding to me.

The Ground Beneath Her Feet by Salman Rushdie; © 1999, Picador USA, pp. 575 - The twisted love story of Vina & Aspara..a "remaking of the myth of Orpheus." The whole world revolves around Vina & Aspara, rock stars straight out of India. She reminds me of Madonna, and he reminds me of Jim Morrison. I'm not sure what I think about this one.

Gain by Richard Powers; © 1998, Picador USA, pp. 355 - Power is one of my favorites. This one weaves two tales of a large chemical manufacturer. The first tale is of the woman who figures out that the chemical plant in her small Illinois town is causing cancer in the residents. The second is of the manufacturer itself, how it came into being and how it got to where it was in the present of the book.

The Echo Maker by Richard Powers; © 2006, Farrar, Strauss, & Giroux, pp. 451 - Brain trauma, the nature of memory, familial obligations, and sandhill cranes are Powers' palette this time. It is very interesting how he interweaves these topics. I was captured with the sandhills, and he drew me in with his tale of a rare brain disorder where the subject believes that their family has been replaced by robots. Really, you have to read this one.

Dante's Equation  by Jane Jensen; © 2003, Delrey, pp. 484 - Jensen uses the Kabala to play with reality. Throw in some wave theory, a touch of good and evil, just desserts, and Armageddon, and you have this one down pat. It is very well-written & I recommend it highly, not that anyone cares.

Farthing by Jo Walton; © 2006, TOR Books, pp. 319 - British mystery book meets alternative history. In the vein of Dorothy L. Sayers, Walton has written a really good book. In searching the web, I was happy to find that a sequel is planned. Walton throws in enough red herrings to make a salad. Her writing is faithful to the mystery genre, well done, and compelling. A one-sitting read.

Callahan's Con by Spider Robinson; © 2003, TOR Books, pp. 286 - This reminds me of Fletcher Pratt. A bar at the end of the world. I have to go back and see if that is where it came from. Key West, the Mafia, time travel, an education bureaucrat, what more could you want. Decent writing, but there was something about it that put me off.

The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson; © 2003, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, pp. 400 - The Black Plague wipes out Europe leaving only the Asian and Islamic cultures. That would be the premise for this one. Robinson has an interesting premise, but somehow doesn't manage to pull it off. I think that he tries to cover too much temporal territory without building enough background. There is a whole portion devoted to the bardo, but the connections between characters are never made clear.

Darwin's Radio by Greg Bear; © 1999, Ballantine Books, pp. 427 - This is the first book that is concluded by Darwin's Children. Didn't know that when I read that one first. Here is all of the background info that was missing. A retrovirus is evolution's next big step. Instead of going with little baby step, there is a giant leap. Just as good a read as the Children book.

Signal to Noise by Eric S. Nylund; © 1998, Avon-Eos Books, pp. 371 -

Septimus Heap: Magyk by Angie Sage; © 2005, Katherine Tegin Books, pp. 564 -