SF Book Project: March
March 30, 2010
We're now on to month three of Ed's Science Fiction Book Project. I've gotten some feedback from Ed about what books he's liked so far, so I'm going to try and pick books which match up with his tastes while avoiding books he didn't like. For example, Ed has a pretty strong revulsion when it comes to unexplained jargon. While this is a feature of the genre, there are plenty of authors who use it more sparingly. It is also clear that Ed doesn't like space opera. I'm disappointed because this means I can't send him Alastair Reynolds.
For this month we have the following:
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow. This is prolific blogger Cory Doctorow's first published novel. Set on a post-scarcity Earth where Whuffie (aka the respect of your peers) is all that matters, this novel explores what would drive people when the desire for material things has been completely satisfied. The narrator finds himself down on his luck, living in Disney's Magic Kingdom and working to improve the Haunted Mansion ride. When he is murdered without a recent backup of his personality, he is forced to investigate his own murder and preserve the future of his society.
Hominids by Robert J. Sawyer. In this novel, scientists accidentally open a rift between parallel universes. The first is our own universe, but in the other Neanderthals became the dominant species. Sawyer takes this opportunity to point out (rather heavy-handedly) the evils of our society while simultaneously creating a culture that is alien but also familiar to us in the Neanderthals. The novel exhibits an interesting twist on the "alien anthropology" genre while also exploring themes of healing and forgiveness.
Shriek: An Afterword by Jeff VanderMeer. Set in the spore-laden city of Ambergris, this novel presents itself as the afterword to a history written by one of the protagonists, Duncan Shriek. The afterword is ostensibly written by his sister and art critic Janice. To further complicate matters, Duncan himself is editing the afterword and provides interstitial comments. Despite the unusual presentation, the novel is a fascinating study of sibling rivalry in a unique and interesting fantasy setting. Ambergris lays atop an underground labyrinth inhabited by a race of fungus-people known as Grey Caps. Duncan explores this underground realm and learns a secret history of the city, but is called mad by his peers.
Taliesin by Stephen R. Lawhead. This is a historical fantasy set in the 5th century. Taliesin is a bard and father of the fabled Merlin. Lawhead sets the Fall of Atlantis (presented as a Minoan civilization) alongside Britain just after the fall of the Roman Empire. An Atlantean princess named Charis meets Taliesin who is later trained as a druid. Their union produces Merlin.