All posts by Carl V. Anderson

Book Reviews, Science Fiction

Chasm City ~Alastair Reynolds

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Chasm City ~Alastair Reynolds

–published 2001
–Ace Books, 694 pages
–Winner 2002 British Science Fiction Association Prize
–5/5 stars

Tanner Mirabel is a “security expert”, driven by his own sense of honor to avenge the death of his former boss’ wife at the hands of a man named Argent Reivich. His mission of vengeance carries him to one of the most richly realized and imagination inspiring places ever created in a science fiction novel–Chasm City. Far from being a simple tale of revenge, Alastair Reynold’s award-winning space opera captivates the reader with engaging characters, skillful and exciting world-building, and a deeply layered plot that satisfies on so many levels.

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Book Reviews, Mystery, Nonfiction

Two for the Price of One

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The Man Who Loved Books Too Much ~Allison Hoover Bartlett

–published 2009
–Riverhead Books, 262 pages
–4.25/5 stars

With a cover image like the one above and a main title that reads like a personal confession, it is hard not to be predisposed to like this book. Its full title: The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession, gives one just the barest hint of the story that this book will tell, a story that will have book lovers experiencing a wide range of emotions as they go on a journey of discovery with the author.

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Book Reviews, Comics, Fantasy

Peter and Max: A Fables Novel ~Bill Willingham

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Peter and Max: A Fables Novel ~Bill Willingham, illustrated by Steve Leialoha

–published 2009
–Vertigo, 400 pages
–4.75/5 stars

For those of you who are not reading the award-winning comic book series, Fables…and you really should be…here is a brief synopsis:

The creatures inhabiting the many familiar, and not-so-familiar, fairy tales are real. Their worlds were taken over by an evil Empire and as many as could fled to our world for Sanctuary, where they now live and slowly but surely plot the retaking of their realms.

Wow, that was a very, very simplistic, and rather boring synopsis of what is a fascinating, rich, deep and engaging world rendered in wonderfully creative ways both by the artists involved and by Bill Willingham’s mastery of storytelling.

In this stand-alone novel set in the Fables universe, Willingham once again uses his mastery of the English language to craft an attention-grabbing, sleep stealing, ‘I-have-got-to-keep-reading’ adventure that not only proves that great fairy tales for adults can be written but that they should be written, and written more often.

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Book Reviews, Science Fiction

Podkayne of Mars ~Robert Heinlein

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Podkayne of Mars ~Robert A. Heinlein

–originally published in novel form in 1963, my version 1970
–176 pages, Berkley Books
–3.75/5 stars

Robert Heinlein was and remains one of America’s most celebrated science fiction authors. Although Heinlein wrote a number of short stories for various magazines on any variety of themes, his first published work in novel form, and several of his novels thereafter, were classified as “juveniles”, what would be defined as YA (Young Adult) today. His later works took on more decidedly adult themes and were definitely not for a younger audience. The two books that seem to fit in between these two styles were Starship Troopers and Podkayne of Mars. According to Wiki, “both books were written for a publisher expecting to market a juvenile science fiction novel, and both raised serious objections from the publisher.” More on that later.

I picked up a used copy, pictured above, on a birthday celebration/Christmas gift visit to Half Price Books last week for a whopping two dollars. Something about the cover and the size of the book and my previous positive experiences with Heinlein, and an ever-growing urge to immerse myself in science fiction, made me want to get right to this novel. And that is just what I did, reading it over the course of a day or two this holiday weekend. I’m glad I did. While not my favorite Heinlein story to date, it was a very engaging tale with an interesting history to it.

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Gaming

Dragon Age: Origins

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I’ve long postulated that the very best video games, regardless of platform, allow the player to insert themselves into the story, providing an experience different to, but every bit as enjoyable as, getting lost in a good book or film. Over the course of gaming history, that immersion into story has varied, with the onus of ‘getting lost’ often falling squarely on the shoulders of the players imagination. Storytelling is catching up with advances in technology and companies like Bioware and Bethesda are releasing games that are not only beautiful to look at but offer the player a chance to truly become absorbed in the adventure as it unfolds. Even better, these companies have been working to release games where the player’s choices and relationships with other characters in the game effect the outcome of the story being told. The latest of these is a “dark heroic fantasy roleplaying game” from Bioware, Dragon Age: Origins.

Having just finished the game, I sit here with that bittersweet melancholy that accompanies the end of any good story, knowing that I cannot keep it to myself, I must share it with you!

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