The Alienist (Carr)

The Alienist, by Caleb Carr (1994)

Like many, I saw the series, The Alienist on television, and then decided to find a copy of the novel. Like many, I decided to get it from the library, so there was a wait. Still, I managed to read it earlier in the year (before summer vacation), but I didn't get around to writing it up until the year was almost out. So I don't remember everything about it. That's the main reason I try to write these things in a timely manner.

Having seen the show, I put faces to many of the characters in advance, which is usually helpful (except in those instances where someone is woefully miscast). The story tells the tale of a serial killer in 19th century New York City, during Teddy Roosevelt's tenure as Police Commissioner. He charges Dr. Lazlo Kreizler with solving a set of grisly murders involving a disaffected portion of the underclass of society. Namely, poor immigrant boys that dress up like girls for the benefit of "gentlemen" of lower Manhattan.

Anyway, the first impression from the book was that I was glad that it started in the middle of things. The book opens with the third murder, with the reader being informed of the two prior. The show started with the first (although it was the same one depicted at the start of the book), and this dragged out the story a bit. Then again, they had ten or twelve episodes to fill.

The book also allows us to read, and reread, if necessary, things, like jargon or science explanations, that might've gone by too fast on TV. And you got a better handle on the characters.

This was the first work of Carr's I've read, and I wouldn't be opposed to reading more. And then possibly writing them up in a more timely manner.

(Note for anyone finding this page through a search engine: this blog isn't really meant to be a review page. More of a reading log for myself so I can keep track of things that I've read and maybe a few details besides. Comments are welcome, but please be polite.)

The Great Passage (Miura)

The Great Passage, by Shiwon Miura (2011)

This was another of the books that Amazon allowed to download that time when they had 12 world books available for free.

The story was a little confusing at first. In the beginning, we are introduced to Kohei Araki, who as a boy was fascinated with words and loved the dictionary. Next thing we know, he's close to retirement after having worked on dictionaries for Gembu Books for thirty-seven years. Although we begin with him, it isn't his story.

Araki needs to find a replacement who can continue his work, and bring his dream project, The Great Passage, to publication. Thanks to Nishioka, one of the few employees in the dictionary department of Gembu, Araki finds Mitsuya Majime, an odd fellow who works in the sales department. After an interview, they discover that they are kindred spirits in the love of and fascination with words, and how to define them precisely.

Majime is introverted and awkward, which makes it difficult to approach Kaguya Hayashi, his landlady's granddaughter. The awkward love letter he writes her becomes a running gag of sorts. There is even a version of it appended to the end of the book, but it, thankfully, doesn't run the fifteen pages it's supposed to. (It always includes a running commentary by Nishioka and Midori Kishibe, a character that seems oddly inserted into the drama after an equally odd time-skip).

I also want to mention Professor Tomosuke Matsumoto, just so I don't forget the name. He also consults on the dictionary, even after Araki retires, during the time jump between chapters, which shows you what a labor of love this project is. It also shows that while dictionaries are important projects, they are also money sinks and often get put on the back burner for other projects. (These other projects help to fund the dictionary, so they do what they have to.)

I did enjoy the book, although it probably isn't something I would have sought out on my own. In preparing to write this, I discovered that there was both an anime version and a movie that was submitted, but not nominated, for the Oscar for Best Foreign Film.

If I had any problems with it, it would be the shift in focus and the weird time skipping. Possibly the addition of the new primary character halfway through the book to replace a different character, who is still there, but moved to a different department. Worth reading.

The Black Tides of Heaven (Yang)

The Black Tides of Heave, by Jy Yang (2017)

The Black Tides of Heaven was a free ebook from the Tor.com Book of the Month Club. It amounts to one of two twin novellas, which establish the world of the Tensorate series, by Jy Yang.

I was drawn to it because it seemed different, and, yes, because it was free. Likewise, as part of a "book club", I thought it might lead to a discussion, either now or when I see some like-minded friends at a up-coming convention. That's not likely to happen at this point.

While I'm glad I read it, I had a problem immersing myself into the fantasy world being created. On the very first page, we encounter the word "slackcraft" as something not to be used by the Great Abbot Sung to climb the 800 steps of the Great High Palace. I let this slip by in the first instance, not knowing whether that was some kind of magical incantation or transport. Later uses of the term "craft" also left me wondering if they were talking about an actual vehicle or crafting some kind of energy, which comes from the Slack. Only the basics were covered, but I went with it as much as I could.

However, what probably would've had me put the book aside if I hadn't been predisposed to reading it, was the overuse of the singular "they" in the first few chapters. The reason behind it made a compelling case, but the execution was maddening.

Basically, children are born of neutral gender and stay this way until they declare themselves (or are declared, in the case of a three-year old?) to be either male or female. This is done well enough in the case of the first such character introduced, Sonami, the youngest of the Protector's children, was wearing the gender-neutral colors of a child, without overtly stating that the character itself had no gender. I believe I had assumed in my mind that the character was female, and, in fact, a chapter later was. From my reading, it seems that choosing a gender also includes the ability to bear children.

My problem came from the twin babies that are introduced. I just used "it" to refer to a "character". The novella choose to use the singular "they", which is something that is gaining popularity in English. This was fine (though initially odd) when used with Sonami. But here's the rub, there are two twins, each referred to, individually and collectively, as "they". And since "they" are usually together during this period of "their" lives, it bogged down my reading.

Seriously, I haven't been that confused since I first read Ayn Rand's Anthem the summer before high school. (Note: this book is in no way similar to Ayn Rand's Anthem!)

The novella spans 35 years and feels too short, as if important parts have been left out. The Venerable One, the Great Abbot, had gone to the Palace to settle a debt. The Protector owed him one of her children for the Monastery in payment for his help during an uprising the year before. He expected to get Sonami, the only child whose future hadn't yet been spoken for. He hadn't counted on the Protector bearing extra children, specifically, a pair of twins. She gives him both as she has no need for the spare. The Abbott is forced to accept this arrangement, as well as leave them in her care for the next six years because the Monastery has facilities for babies. (And the Protector would not allow any children of hers to be raised in any home below their station in life.)

The children, Mokoya and Akeha, finally move into the monastery but it is a temporary situation. Within a few years, it is discovered that Mokoya's dreams about the future, like a prophet, and the dreams will come to be. Once this is learned, the Protector wants the child back, allowing the Abbot to keep Akeha as payment for the debt. High Abbot Sung sends both children back, bringing their time at the monastery to a close.

Next thing you know, they are adults, declaring their genders and parting ways pursuing their destinies, which, when it comes to the Slack, may already be laid out before them.

I didn't know when I started reading it that it was one of two twin novellas, and I don't know if this accounts for the gaps. The first chapter of the other book was included at the end of this one, but I declined to read it. Well, not true, I did skim it and discovered a little more background about the five aspects of Slack.

The resolution seemed too quick and easy to have been a final resolution.

At some point I might revisit the series when there's more to it available, and if I have more friends who have read it and want to talk about it. Maybe I'll have them explain to me how the magic works first.

* * *

Note: I previously left the following review on GoodReads when I had finished the book:

Felt incomplete, parts left out, like it was the trailer for a longer novel. Then at the end is the first chapter for another novella—I skimmed it for a little more background on how the magic worked. I stuck with it longer than I might have were it a different book, openly because it was recommended to me, and I wanted to read something different.

P Is For Peril (Grafton)

P is for Peril, by Sue Grafton (2001)

The sixteenth installment of the Kinsey Milhone series finds Kinsey mixed up in two mysteries, as the background 'B' story takes up a good portion of the book.

The main mystery involves a missing persons case. Dr. Dowan Purcell disappeared nine weeks earlier and hasn't been located yet. His first wife is started to get worried now because he had gone missing once before but eventually returned. Kinsey briefly ponders if he'd faked his own death, as happened in an earlier case of hers. But Fiona, the first wife, believes that he may still be alive because his passport is missing, along with a bit of money.

Add in possible trouble at home with wife number two, Crystal, and mounting evidence of medical billing fraud, and it doesn't look good.

While all this is going on, Kinsey is once again looking for a new office. She's been renting space from Lonnie Kingman, but they are relocating. She finds a space at a reasonable rate nearby -- she can literally see it from her current office building -- and agrees to lease it from two brothers. They turn out to be bad news, as they were suspected in the fiery death of their parents. Investigators have been watching them as they blew through their insurance settlement to see if they'll fence any of the jewelry believed to be in their possession that would provide the evidence linking them to the crime. One of the brothers takes a liking to Kinsey and tries to attach himself in a way that a soon-to-be abusive boyfriend might, despite the difference in their ages.

Of the two plot lines, the main one wraps up neatly enough, although not spectacularly, with answers to the location of Dr. Purcell, the missing money, billing fraud, and, without saying too much, "who did it" and why. The other involving the sons along with a woman who is trying to use Kinsey to investigate them is a little underwhelming.

A River in Darkness (Ishikawa)

A River in Darkness: One Man's Escape from North Korea, by Masaji Ishikawa (2000)

Earlier this year, Amazon ran a promotion for twelve (specific) free ebooks from writers around the world. A River in Darkness was one of them, and the first one I indulged in. It tells the life story of Masaji Ishikawa, first growing up in post-war Japan being half-Korean. Life was difficult enough until the Koreans brought over during the war are promised a better way of like in the newly-created country of North Korea, under the leadership of Kim Il-sung.

The promises didn't work out, as one might have expected.

What follows are the hardships for his family as he grows into manhood, and then for his own family. North Korea was not a happy place to be, but don't dare say that. Everything is poorly run by the government, but you participate the way the government tells you, even if it means all the crops will fail. But hard work isn't rewarded. Just expected.

The book opens with a grown Ishikawa standing on the banks of the river across from China, contemplating escape, knowing that he'd likely be shot, if he didn't drown.

As the story unfolds and we finally get to that point, we know that he is leaving his children behind to make this escape, hopeful that someday, somehow, he can get to Japan and get his children out of North Korea.

The fact that this book was written tells you that he managed to escape, but don't expect a happy ending. Although it was published in 2000, it was translated in 2017 and contains an epilogue. It doesn't really get happier and leaves you feeling sorry for his remaining children.

Note: read this early in the summer, but I've been away from writing in the blog. I've already forgotten many of the details, particularly names, which, oddly, was the main point of my starting my reading journal, years before it became a blog.

Lost to Time (Sandler)

Lost to Time: Unforgettable Stories That History Forgot,Martin W. Sandler (2010)

I found a list, in my own handwriting, labelled "Books to Read". I don't know when I made this list, or why, or what the source of these particular books might have been. I only know that it had to have been in 2010 or later, judging from the first book.

I was never a big History fan, but that hasn't stopped me from being interested in certain particular stories or time period, and making up for my lack of knowledge. Maybe I'm correcting my own past here.

Anyway, I reserved this from the library (Dewey Decimal 904 S), and it arrived fairly quickly. I didn't get very far into it before it had to go back. As it hadn't really gripped me, I didn't renew it.

Of the ones I read, the first one about Ziryab was the most interesting. I knew nothing about the man, never heard of him, and yet he accomplished so much. But I get the feeling that if I traveled to Spain, I'd find that he wasn't forgotten, even if people were not aware of him. I would guess that there are museums dedicated to keeping his memory alive.

The reason for this guess is that some of the later stories seem like regional heroes, who are probably known close to home, even if they didn't get the same fame or notoriety of their compatriots. See "Chapter Five: Outdoing Revere" for examples of this. Not everyone had a Longfellow singing their praises.

If you like these kinds of stories, then this book might be for you (assuming once again that anyone other than me is reading this blog).

Graphic Novels: Superman, Supergirl, Batman, Astro City

Superman: Shadows Linger
Superman: Krypton Returns
Astro City: Through Open Doors
Batman/Superman: Volume 6 Universe's Finest

Walking through the library, I came to the shelves with all the graphic novels and manga. Sure, I checked if they had the next volume of One Piece (they didn't). But they also had regular graphic novels from DC and Marvel. I picked up the four books listed above. Something to read while floating in the pool in an inner tube.

First off, none of these books originated as a graphic novel. They are all reprints from the comics, which causes some odd breaks in the narrative and empty pages with filler art.

That, in itself, wouldn't be so bad, if the collections made any sense. Most of these do not.

Of the ones mentioned above, Shadows Linger was five consecutive issues of Superman and is composed of two separate stories, the second of which is "Shadows Linger". Both were good reads. It was interesting to see Lana Lang's evolution. I'm old enough to remember when an adult Lana Lang was brought into Galaxy Broadcasting, pre-Crisis. In this comic, Lana is now running Lexcorp, now that Luthor is missing. (Where he is or why he's missing is another story, and that's fine.) This works as well as having Lex's sister running the show on the Supergirl TV Show.

On the other hand, Krypton Returns is a hodgepodge collection of parts from multiple sources, and they don't flow together to make a cohesive narrative. Maybe if you read all the original books, you might like this summary of the plot line, but the parts from Superman, Supergirl and Superboy don't work. Also, Supergirl's outfit is horrible.

The Astro City book turned out to be the first six issues of a comic with a 12-issue run, the remainder of which were not available. I thought it was an independent comic trying to have a Justice League feel to it, but it turned out that it's put out through DC Comics. The better stories are the ones told about the people was support the heroes of the world. To be honest, I wasn't exactly sure what or where Astro City actually was. The odd thing was that the stories weren't primarily about the heroes on the cover. It was odd, but mostly enjoyable, even if the questions that arose from chapter 1 don't seem to get answered anywhere further down the line.

The Batman/Superman comic had it's moment, but again was a collection of parts of books. It even contained two non-consecutive parts of a "death of Superman" story line, which apparently isn't related to the "Death of Superman" from twenty years ago or so.

In summation: these graphic novels aren't novels. They were anthologies, and not necessarily good ones.

More Dime Novels

Last year, I have an interest in Dime Novels and checked out the Brooklyn Public Library catalog where there were two entries. One of them was 8 Dime Novels, which I reviewed last year, after having read only one novel and the introductory essay.

A few months ago, I got an email about the other book. I expected it to say that the Hold had expired, as it had been about a year.

No. Just the opposite. The book was ready and waiting to be picked up at the local branch.

I couldn't read it, but for good reasons, which I believe I confirmed with two of the librarians when I returned the book.

Despite the cover on it, there was no copyright information suggestion that these were reprints, or when this book had been assembled. From the look of the pages, I had a strong suspicion, which the librarians agreed with, that I was looking at the original dime novels, which had been bound together at some point. These books had individual copyright dates around the time of the Civil War -- the freakin' Civil War!!. I was afraid to touch these books. (Forget about the new lenses I'd need.)

Anyway, here are some pictures I took to share with you:

1634: The Baltic War (Weber / Flint)

1634: The Baltic War, David Weber and Eric Flint (2008)

This was a welcome and wonderful conclusion to 1633.

The thing you might notice is the colon in the title. The 1632 universe had taken off by this point. There are multiple books set in the year 1634 and they happen concurrently, but not as oddly as, say, A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons.

If you are starting this series, and this universe, I recommend that you read this book immediately after 1632 and 1633 before branching out. One of the complaints I had about 1633 was its cover depicting a warship on its cover, but the warship wasn't ready to go by the end of that book.

In this book, Admiral Simpson finally launches his ironclads and sails off to the Baltic to win Denmark for Sweden. In the meantime, the Grantville delegation in the Tower of London needs to be rescued, along with Oliver Cromwell.

But the natives of the time period have not been idle as winter set in. They had started to emulate the up-timers, for once they see that a thing is possible, then their own scientists can try to make such things happen. It also helps that up-time books, particularly books on technology, are sold at a premium on the black market. Thankfully, for the people of Grantville, and the members of Emperor Gustavus Adolphus's army, navy or air force (yes, he has an air force!), mass production is not in place yet, so superior weapons will be limited to a few companies of soldiers.

I wish I had written this up in a more timely manner, so I could've listed more about the characters and the story lines, which is really why I have this blog in the first place more than reviews. (I mean, who is actually reading this?)

This one took a while, mostly because I was lugging a huge hardcover on the subway, and it isn't the greatest thing to hold onto when I'm falling asleep. There's also a lot to keep track of, but it's worth the effort. History is getting rewritten and the timelines are diverging. People aren't dying when they were "supposed to". The painter Reubens is aware of the masterpieces he created in the "other" universe and now has no interest to create them here because they would be derivative.

I'm taking a break from this for a while now, but I wouldn't be opposed to read more.

Side note: Eric Flint was a Guest of Honor this past spring at HeliosphereNY, a new science-fiction convention in Rye, NY, held in March 2018. I was in attendance. There was a "1632 Mini-Con" occupying one of the conference rooms for the entirety of the weekend. There were discussions on the tech, the world, and, of course, writing. Many newcomers have been published in the Grantville Gazette. The idea did intrigue me, but I needed to get more familiar with the world. (Not the characters, those are reserved.) It's something to consider, but I need to familiarize myself with more of what has already been written.

On the Decay of the Art of Lying (Twain)

On the Decay of the Art of Lying, Mark Twain (1882)

You can't go wrong reading Twain, essentially if it's just a short essay. People lie, but there is an art to it, and Twain noticed that the Art of it was dying.

In short, lying is polite. Lying is fine when the truth would serve no good purpose, only ill. But imagine it written in a more witty style.

Recommended.

The Middle Ages: A History From Beginning to End

The Middle Ages: A History From Beginning to End, 2016

I don't remember where I heard about this book or why I downloaded it a few months ago, but it was a quick read. The book is part of an Hourly History series. I don't know if that means that the book was meant to be read in an hour or that there was an hour-long program on, say, the History Channel.

In whichever case, about 1000 years of history are crammed into one book. It was split into three segments and had some interesting highlights, but not much that I can remember two months later. I guess that shows you why I really need to keep this blog up-to-date.

TL;DR: It was interesting. Didn't hate it. Better than reading the material on wikipedia. Overall, I forgot most of it already.

Frostbite (2008)

Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead, 2007, Graphic Novel

Frostbite, Richelle Mead, 2008, Graphic Novel

This review is about two graphic novels. The entry for the novel, Vampire Academy can be found here.

First off, I read the Vampire Academy graphic novel months ago, and could have sworn that I had an entry for it, but I don't see one. The school I'm currently assigned to has the graphic novels for the first two books in the series in their library. I figured that I'd "reread" the first book, just to familiarize myself with the characters and the story line. I'm glad I did. I needed to get used to the images of the characters. Rose in the comic looks nothing like the cover of the first novel, but that's okay because it's a different artist.

The other thing that struck me, and which wasn't really a surprise, was how much of the book had to be left out to make it into a comic. I was still able to follow along for two reasons: one, the essentials are there, and two, I'd read the book, so I could fill in the gaps.

After reading the first book, I was not opposed to reading the second installment. However, as I'm not the target audience for the book, I wasn't going to go out of my way to track down a copy. I have plenty of things to read that I never get around to. (Another reason for this blog: I can't write new entries unless I read new books, so it'll prod me along sometimes.)

The comic was enjoyable, but I thought it likely missing parts of the book. The teen drama parts fill up a good part of the graphic novel and then the ending comes rushing at you. Again, that might just be my perception because of my demographic. But it didn't turn me off from wanting to read the book, which is something.

Frostbite gives us more background about the mythos governing the two types of vampires. We also get to meet Rose's mother, and learn about their strained relationship. Not surprising that they can't have a normal family life -- they are both dhampirs. Rose is training to a Guardian, and her mother already is one. The vampire's they protect will always be their first priority. That's part of the reason Dmitri resisted Rose in the first novel (other than the whole icky age thing, and the fact that she's a student in the academy).

Speaking of which, the relationship between Rose and Dmitri moves along, not just as trainer and pupil. The twist here is that another vampire comes along wanting Dmitri to be her Guardian, and he considers it.

The other twist to this book is that the Strigoi have enlisted the aid of humans to attack the Moroi. This is discovered from the use of weapons, such as a silver stake, that Strigoi can't touch.

In the end, Rose grows as a Guardian, getting closer to her hopeful position being Lissa's Guardian.