Return of the Book Log!

[nolly]

59) The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, by N.K. Jemisin

Wow. I'm not going to have time to read the full text of all the Best Novel nominees before the deadline, or the novel-length works for the Campbell nominees, so my plan was to do more-or-less what I did last year -- read the first three or so chapters of each and decide on that basis. (Although it's not really possible to judge Connie Willis that way; I'll read as much as I can over the next couple of days and then decide, I guess.) Anyway, I had to tear myself away from this one, so once I'd had a taste of the others, I came back and devoured the rest of it -- SDCC lines are great for reading, and the phone's a lot easier to wrangle than a hardcopy.

This is a story of family, politics, gods, and power. I don't think I can write about it in a way that will do it justice. You can read the first three chapters on the author's website; if that grabs you the way it grabbed me, you'll want to keep going. This isn't a thousand-page behemoth of an epic fantasy; I found it a fairly quick read. I've picked up the second as a ebook, but I won't start it until I finish my Hugo ballot.

60) Forever Peace, by Joe Haldeman, via Audible

I didn't like this as much as The Forever War. It seemed confused about itself, what kind of story it wanted to be, etc., and I found it hard to get in to. It won a Hugo, so clearly some people liked it, but it didn't quite work for me.

61) Blackout, by Connie Willis

Now reading All Clear, which is the second half of the story. If you like Connie Willis historian novels, this is the kind of thing you'll like. If you haven't read any of the preceding ones, I suggest starting with a shorter piece -- the novelette "Fire Watch" or the novel Doomsday Book, perhaps.

Went ahead and submitted my Hugo Ballot last night; if I change my mind over the next couple of days, I can resubmit, but at least I won't forget this way, and I probably won't change my mind.

Comments

[gunslnger.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I didn't like Forever Peace as much either. I'm reading The Accidental Time Machine right now and it's not too bad, but I'm only halfway through. :)

[charlie-ego.livejournal.com]

...I bounced hard off of 100K Kingdoms; was not at all a fan. (I don't do well with one-dimensional villains.) But almost everyone else I know liked it.

[nolly.livejournal.com]

Interesting. Did you finish it, or stop mid-book? I didn't find any of the characters one-dimensional or even villainous per se, but it took a but for the complexities of some of them to come out. (Well, ok, as I think more, I guess that one guy was pretty much a villain, but he wasn't a core character, to me.)

[charlie-ego.livejournal.com]

I finished it. I liked the ending a little more than the rest of it.

You didn't find the entire Arameri culture villainous? Scimina in particular, I thought, is basically presented as an evil psychopath who does things solely on the basis that they are EEEEVIL. Oh, yeah, and Yeine's grandfather too, I guess (I think that's who you are referring to), though to me he's mostly just indicative of the culture as a whole. I actually started laughing out loud at the scene in which the Arameri were having a party for the express purpose of torturing someone... because apparently that's what they think is the most fun thing in the world. Uh, what?

Though like I said, I am way in the minority on this (most people I know who've read it were very impressed by it) so take that for what it's worth.

(It also occurs to me that I believe Tanith Lee occasionally does this pure-evil villain thing -- although I don't have any on my shelf here so I can't think of a good example other than (I think) some of the Red as Blood tales -- and I don't object to it then, so I may be being hypocritical as well.)

[nolly.livejournal.com]

I guess Scimina was pretty straight-up bad, but I was thinking of Viraine the Scrivener. I think the grandfather just didn't know any other way to be, and way to cope with her mother and then with her.

I was focused enough on Yeine and the gods that the rest of it was background to me, like in a painting -- it's there, it matters, but I don't expect it to be as detailed as the central figures.

[charlie-ego.livejournal.com]

Ah, perhaps that's the problem, then -- I tend to get bored with gods' shenanigans very easily (even in books I like), and therefore tend to focus on the human interactions.

I think I actually thought Viraine was slightly more interesting than the rest of them, though still eeeevil, but I can't remember very well.

[nolly.livejournal.com]

Yes, that would definitely do it -- the major and minor gods are pretty key to the whole thing. I haven't started the second yet -- after I finish All Clear, I'll either start that or finish The Magicians -- but I've read that it's less about the gods and rulers.

[charlie-ego.livejournal.com]

Oh man, do I have Things To Say about The Magicians -- I'll link you to my LJ post when you get to reading it.

(I liked the first half, really really hated the third quarter, and loved the fourth quarter. And I can't remember the last time a book made me want to talk about it so much. (Which doesn't reflect on whether it's good or bad -- actually books I think are incredibly good or incredibly bad I have very litte to say about.) Doesn't that make you want to read it? ;) )

[nolly.livejournal.com]

I've read the first three chapters -- Grossman is a Campbell nominee this year -- but I only had time to sample most of the nominees.