Showing posts with label Fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fiction. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Shy Creatures

Chambers, Clare. Shy Creatures. New York: Mariner. 2024. Print.



First Sentences:
 
In all failed relationships, there is a point that passes unnoticed at the tiume, which can later be identified as the beginning of the declined. For Helen it was the weekend that the Hidden Man came to Westbury Park. 



Description:

The premise of Clare ChambersShy Creatures was enough to hook me for good. A mute, shy man with uncut hair and a beard to his waist is discovered in a run-down Victorian house living with a dotty, aged aunt. Nearby neighbors did not know a man was living in this house, never having seen him outside in 20 years. 

William Tapping is admitted to a nearby phychiatric hospital where Helen Hansfor, a thirty-something art therapist, takes a special interest in his case. William talks with no one, but displays a brilliant talent for drawing.

The book gradually unfolds his story, in reverse chronological order, starting with the disturbance that led police to his home and his subsiquent admittance to the hospital, all the way back to his origins that led him to that point. His is a truly fascinating tale, one that is unpredictable, emotional, and powerful from end to start as the pieces of his life story slowly fall into place.

Meanwhile, on a parallel track, the life of Helen also unfolds. She is having a three-year affair with one of the hospital doctors, Gil Rudden, a married man with a family, a giant in the field of psychiatry, and her immediate superior. While they meet secretly, waiting for the day when his children leave their home in a few years, there is conflict on the treatment of the mute recluse, William Tapping, under their care. 

I think that is all you will get out of me. A very gripping story with highly sympathetic and often stubborn characters interplaying throughout the novel right up to its final conclusion. A great, engrossing read.

[If this book interests you, be sure to check out:] 
  
Michaelides, Alex. The Silent Patient   

A woman is found with a shotgun over her dead husband. There is no doubt she has killed him., But during the trial and for the six years she is in a psychiatric hospital, she has not said a word. Why? And can the new doctor get through to her somehow and learn her story? (previously reviewed here) 

 

Happy reading.


Fred
 
Click here to browse over 435 more book recommendations by subject or title
(and read the introduction to The First Sentence Reader).
 

 

Saturday, January 4, 2025

The Wandering Earth

Liu, CixinThe Wandering Earth. New York: Tom Doherty Associates 2013. Print.



First Sentences:
 
The Forerunner now knew that he was the only person left in the universe. 


Description:

Well, that first sentence certainly makes me want to read more. And the ten science fiction stories contained in Cixin Liu's The Wandering Earth collection never disappoint on any level: character, plot, setting, and writing.

Reading this volume is an immersive, challenging, and thought-provoking experience, one I highly recommend to anyone even mildly interested in Earth, space, and the humans (and other beings) that struggle to survive against daunting obstacles.

Here are a few examples of the plotlines for you to decide for yourself this is one of the best collections of Sci-Fi tales:
  • Scientists recognize their sun will explode in several centuries, vaporizing Earth. It is decided the only means of mankind's survival is to make the Earth itself, the only ecosystem large enough to support the world's population, into a gigantic satillite, and blast it towards the nearest habitable planet 4.3 light years away. Humans will move underground during the 2,500 year trip as the Earth heats, cools, and ices over while circles the sun to get necessary momentum to sling it to its destination and then surviving in deep space. During this time, all surface life on Earth will vanish.
  • A lone astronaut is the survivor of a twenty-three year mission to discover an alternate, habitable planet for Earth's population. As his ship traveled at the speed of light over those many years, trying to cover the most distance and explore the most worlds, the actual number of years differ between his trip and Earth's time. He realizes he had been gone for twenty-five thousand years. When he finally returns to Earth, what he finds on the seemingly dead planet, is beyond surprising.
  • Earth is soon to surrounded by the Devourer alien spaceship, containing a huge civilization confined to their wandering metal world. Along their voyage, the alien ship must eat up resources of victim planets in order to preserve their own lives. They siphon everything useful off the chosen planet until that world and all life on it is sucked dry and the Devourers move on to the next planet. The Earth, its next target, has barely 100 years to respond to this looming peril and deal with the aliens before their world is completely consumed.
  • An illiterate skyscraper window washer from a poverty-stricken family is trained as an astronaut to travel into low Earth orbit to polish space dust and debris off the artificial sun recently created and aunched to control weather on the planet. His new job changes his life and perspectives forever.
OK, I admit some (well, all) of these premises sound rather bleak. But the writing and intricacies make the situations and people of each story so compelling that these ominous scenarios totally grabbed me and held on to the very end, usually one that was completely unexpected. 

There is even a joke, a conversation with God (but don't expect any more laughs):

"Oh, God, for you thousands of years are just a brief moment!"  

 God answered, "Indeed, they are just a second to me."

"Oh, God, for you vast riches are just small change!"

God answered, "Just a nickel."  

"Oh, God, please spare me a nickel!" 

To which God then answered, "Certainly. Just give me a second."

The stories are fairly long, so readers have an opportunity to really get to understand the situation, the options, the pathways selected or rejected, and the people who try to coinquer them to survive. A bonus "Easter Egg" feature is that there is a subtle connection among most of these stories, revealing backgrounds to incidents and people previously mentioned, providing even more mind-expanding perspective to the tales, a unique revelation style in my experience that greatly enhanced my appreciation and understanding of the world and people Cixin creates.

I really enjoyed these engrossing stories and hope you will too. Highly recommended for fans of Sci-Fi, world apocolypse, and great writing.

[If this book interests you, be sure to check out:] 
  
Stephenson, Neal. Seveneves  
When an unexplained explosion completely destroys the moon, scientists worldwide reach the conclusion that the Earth will soon be bombarded by its fiery falling pieces, ending all life on the planet. Their solution? The world must work together and create a ship to take representatives and resources into space to await a time when the Earth is habitable once again. What could possibly go wrong? Brilliant writing with unexpected problems, solutions, and characters on every page. A wonderful, challenging read that gets my highest recommendation.  (Previously reviewed here.)

Happy reading.


Fred
 
Click here to browse over 435 more book recommendations by subject or title
(and read the introduction to The First Sentence Reader).
 

Wednesday, December 18, 2024

The Ministry of Time

Bradley, Kaliane. The Ministry of Time. New York: Avid Reader 2024. Print.


First Sentences:
 
Perhaps he'll die this time. He finds this doesn't worry him. Maybe because he's so cold he has a drunkard's grip on his mind. When thoughts come, they're translucent, free-swimming medusae. As the Arctic wind bites at his hands and feet, his thoughts slop against his skull. They'll be the last thing to freeze over.

Description:

Being a fan of time-travel books, Kaliane Bradley's The Ministry of Time, was a definite must-read for me. Of course, it involves different eras, people trying to understand earlier and later worlds, and possible altering history.

But Ministry of Time is quite different on many levels. First, it is primarily a character study between several protagonists, not just people wandering around a different world with their mouths open, making awkward mistakes. Second, it does not sem to dwell on the time-travel element. The time machine is rarely presented and remains cloaked in origin, powers, and dangers right up to the end. And the people simply go about their business in the new era, knowing they cannot return to their origins, so that issue rarely is discussed.

Here's the premise, without spoilers since this all happens in the first few pages. Somehow England in today's world and its government agency called "The Ministry" has a time machine that can bring a handful of people from their eras into the present. The selected people historically were destined to die soon, so removing them from the past probably wouldn't affect the future. One was from the plague era in the 1600s; one was a member of John Franklin's ill-fated Arctic exploration in the 1850s; one a soldier in the trenches of Somme in World War I, etc. 

Commander Graham Gore, the arctic explorer, is one of the five transported "expats" who is assigned to a previously lowly female Ministry civil servant in languages to be his Bridge. As his Bridge, she is to monitor and report on the expat's mental and physical developments, platonically living with Gore and being there to help him aclimate to the 21t century during his first year. After that, he had to get a job. 
 
But to what purpose has the Ministry of Time brought these five individuals into the present day? How will the expats cope with their new world and their Bridges? What is the future of the time machine and the administers who make decisions regarding its use? And finally, what will become of Gore and his relationship with other expats and his nameless Bridge?

That's all I'm revealling. It is a slower plot without ray guns or rockets, realistically paced to guage the activities and thoughts of the characters to reveal their deliberations and actions as they work on how best to address the people and the world of this century. 

But the writing, especially the imagry, are first rate:
  • Being around her made me want to run across the crosswalks without looking;
  • The days moldered and dampened, like something lost at the back of the fridge;
  • She looked at me as you ight a cat that, with unusual perspicacity, has brought home a ten-pound not instead of a dead mouse;
  • He was looking worse than when I last saw him -- he had that inefable air of someone who has to boil hot water on his stove for bathing, which was surely incompatible with his rank.

It's a compelling read with a layered plot that is not fully uncovered until the final pages. Until then, buckle up and follow these interesting characters try to uncover the mysteries and purposes of their very much-altered existance.

 
[If this book interests you, be sure to check out:] 
  
Crouch, Blake. Recursion  
People have begun realizing they have False Memory Syndrome, where they recall bits and pieces of an alternate life they've lived (or are living now). If so, which life can they choose to continue living? Fascinating.

Happy reading.


Fred
 
Click here to browse over 435 more book recommendations by subject or title
(and read the introduction to The First Sentence Reader).



 

Tuesday, December 17, 2024

Safe Enough

Child, Lee. Safe Enough. New York: Mysterious Press. 2024. Print.


First Sentences:
 
Like everything else, the world of bodyguarding is split between the real and the phony. Phony bodyguards are just glorified drivers, big men in suits chosen for their size and shape and appearance, not paid very much, not very useful when push comes to shove, Real bodyguards are technicians, thinkers, trained men with experience....I am a real bodyguard. Or at least, I was. 

Description:

If ever an author epitomized my First Sentence Reader philosophy, it is Lee Child, creater of the twenty-nine books in the Jack Reacher series. His writings, from the first sentence on, pull readers inexorably onward from sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph, page to page right up to the end. His ear for dialogue and inner thoughts are smooth and realistic, lending a believable persona to each of the people who populate his books. While some readers may not be fans of violence, Child handles these tricky encounters with straightforward descriptions that, while they never dwell on the overly-graphic, are descriptive enough to paint a picture that plants readers right smack dab in the middle of the mind and emotions of the protagonista.

His newest book, Safe Enough, is a collection of his published short stories, and not a one is about Jack Reacher. But no matter. Each story is riveting right from the start and up to the end. You simply cannot put them down until they are finished. Child finishes each tale with an unexpected (for me) twist, giving these tales the air of a Saki-Hitchcock-Spillane collaboration.

His stories were told by characters such as:
  • A bodyguard who himself needs a protector;
  • An assassin who likes to double-dip his protection fees by offering his target the opportunity to knock off the person who wants them killed;
  • An investigator working on a crime on Baker Street near Sherlock Holmes fictional lodgings;
  • A courier carrying a briefcase possibly full of money, but unable to be arrested in case he is innovent;
  • A Black jazz piano player with a mysterious past;
I simply ate them up, every one of them, in two short sittings. Great characters, enticing stories, smooth writing, and unexpected twists and turns. Who could want more in a book perfect for passing short periods of time in the world of crime and mystery? Highly recommended.
 
 [If this book interests you, be sure to check out:] 
  
Child, Lee. The Killing Floor  
Introduction to the Jack Reacher character: loner, ex-Military Police, 6' 6' of muscle, wandering the country with just a toothbrush and a desire to find the truth. Each one in the series is tremendous although contains some violence: brilliant read s for character, dialogue, and story.


Happy reading.


Fred
 
Click here to browse over 435 more book recommendations by subject or title
(and read the introduction to The First Sentence Reader).
 

Sunday, October 20, 2024

The Lantern of Lost Memories

Hiiragi, Sanaka. The Lantern of Lost Memories. New York: Grand Central 2019. Print.


First Sentences:

The hands and the pendulum of the old wooden clock on the wall were motionless. Hirasaka cocked his head to listen, but the silence inside the photo studio was practically deafening.



Description:

I picked up Sanaka Hiiragi's The Lantern of Lost Memories, for two reasons: first, the intriguing title; and second, the premise that after death a person could revisit one day of their choosing from their life. Who could resist either of these? Certainly not me.

Although the first sentences are rather ordinary, within the first two pages one meets two very interesting characters, Mr. Hirasaka and Mrs. Hatsue Yagi. Mr. Hirasaka is the manager of a photography studio, complete with a room for taking posed photos, an astonishing number of cameras on display, and a room for developing photos. Mrs. Yagi is a 92-year-old woman who wakes up on a couch in Hirasaka's photo studio and learns that she is now dead.
 
Hirasaka explains to her that he and the studio are a sort of "staging post between life and death." He provides Mrs. Yagi a box of photographs, one taken each day during her 92 years. Mrs. Yagi's task is to select one photo for each year that will be attached to a "Lantern of Memories" in the next room which both she and Mr. Hirasaka will sit and watch before she enters into her afterlife.
You see, once you get here, it doesn't matter how wealthy or important you were in life. All you're left with are your memories.
The wonderful addition to this task is that Mrs. Yagi must select from all her photos one single one that is extraordinarily important to her. Together with Mr. Hirasaka, she will revisit that day in the past represented by that photo and watch her younger self and others involved with that significant day in her life. Of course, both she and Mr. Hirasaka will be invisible, unable to interact with anyone or change events from that past.
The photo was really only a mass of tiny dots, and yet within its foud corners it seemed to contain everything important about the day it was taken -- the rush of the wind, everything she'd heard and felt ... How was it possible for all that to be hiding among those specks of colour?
"Photos do have a certain power, don't they?" said Hirasaka quietly
That's all you get. Either you are captivated, as I was, by this concept and these gentle characters in these first few pages and definitely want to find out more, or you are ready to put the book down. As further enticement for you to pursue finishing this wonderful story, the remainder of the book follows not only Mrs. Yagi's selected day from her past, but offers the revisits of two other people. By the end, we find out who Mr. Hirasaka is, how he come to be the photo studio proprietor, and why he has no memories of his own life, no box of personal daily photos.
 
The Lantern of Lost Memories is so compelling in its quietness, gentleness, and humaneness as secrets are revealed and incidents remembered. These are marvelous characters, perfectly calm in their conversations and journeys into the past. I loved this book and envy anyone picking it up for the first time to enjoy the tranquility and intrigue of the people, setting, language, and plot of this fine novel. Highly recommended.


[If this book interests you, be sure to check out:]

Ogawa, Yoko. The Housekeeper and the Professor  
A brilliant, quiet, cranky mathematics professor who, after a head trauma, can only remember anything, including people's faces, for 80 minutes, before everything is erased from his mind. A young housekeeper and her 10-year-old son are hired to take care of him. After some struggles, they learn to adapt and relate to each other in unexpected ways.  (previously reviewed here)
 
Happy reading. 
 

Fred
 
Click here to browse over 435 more book recommendations by subject or title
(and read the introduction to The First Sentence Reader).