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greetings, Adventurers...
What I've Just Finished:
Wicked, by Gregory Maguire. What can I say but... the Wicked Witch of the West was misunderstood! :D I was delighted... Mr. Maguire was very clever to think of writing the other side of the story... the novel is very enjoyable because Oz is so familiar to us all. And once read, one will never look at those familiar characters in the same way again! I will indeed be visiting Mr. Maguire's wonderful world again.
The Wrong Mother, by Sophie Hannah. I picked up this novel because the jacket intrigued me... it turned out to be well worth cracking the jackets. A modern-day British mystery/thriller, it involves a harried wife and career woman who secretly takes one week off from marriage, family, and career.... and is shocked when it comes back more than a year later to haunt her with a vengeance. The pages are stalked by one of the most original and disturbing killers I have ever encountered. The heroine is smart and resourceful. And I couldn't figure out what was really going on until the author wanted me to, which for me is always a bonus.. I tend to avoid mysteries because I figure them out too quickly.
The Magicians and Mrs. Quent, by Galen Beckett. An extremely rewarding read! All the best of Jane Austen's heroines, limited in their choices by societal constraints and the mores of Victorian life...star-crossed romances between social classes... mixed with the best of what we love about fantasy. Complete with a madman in the attic! Although a work of fantasy, Mr. Beckett, I believe, also has much to say here about the nature of the power of the land, the power of place...and the nature of the power that men possess and that which women possess..different, but no less powerful. His aim in writing this novel was to explore the question, "what if the societal constraints of Austen heroines were due to purposeful, magickal intervention?" I shouldn't like to spoil the story with more of the plot...but I will certainly be looking for the forthcoming continuation of the series, according to the afterword, to be titled The House On Durrow Street.
What I'm Reading As We Speak...
The Magician's Book: A Skeptic's Adventures In Narnia, by Laura Miller. Yes, still picking at it. I got distracted by dystopian fiction...
Brave New Worlds, Dystopian Stories; edited by John Joseph Adams. A collection of the best dystopian stories of the post-WWII era.. including my very favorite dystopian short story, of all time, the classic, extremely short yet brutally powerful, "Harrison Bergeron," by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (I happen to be a fan of Mr. Vonnegut's novels, may he rest in peace.) I feel compelled to share the editor's words from his introduction because I have never seen such an excellent expression of dystopian literature:
"Nineteen Eighty-Four, Fahrenheit 451, and, of course, the book this anthology is named for -- Brave New World -- are the cornerstones of dystopian literature in novel form, but there has never, to my knowledge, been an anthology collecting all the best, classic works of dystopian short fiction in one volume. This book aims to do exactly that, spanning from 1948 to the present day, from what is perhaps THE classic dystopian short story -- "The Lottery," by Shirley Jackson -- to stories just published in the last two years but which will surely stand the test of time.
The roots of the word dystopia -- dys- and -topia -- are from the Ancient Greek for "bad" and "place," and so we use the term to describe an unfavorable society in which to live. "Dystopia" is not a synonym for "post-apocalyptic"; it also is not a synonym for a bleak, or darkly imagined future. In a dystopian story, society itself is typically the antagonist; it is society that is actively working against the protagonist's aims and desires. This oppression frequently is enacted by a totalitarian or authoritarian government, resulting in the loss of civil liberties and untenable living conditions, caused by any number of circumstances, such as world overpopulation, laws controlling a person's sexual or reproductive freedom, and living under constant surveillance.
Whether or not a society is perceived as a dystopia is usually determined by one's point of view; what one person may consider to be a horrible dystopia, another might find completely acceptable or even nigh-utopian. For instance, if you don't care about procreating, then living in a world in which the birth rate is strictly regulated wouldn't seem very dystopic to you; to someone who values that very much, however, having society tell you how, when (or how often) you can procreate would seem like something out of a nightmare. Or a person who doesn't enjoy reading or intellectual thinking might not care if books were banned...or even hunted down and destroyed, as in Fahrenheit 451, whereas you, dear reader, would probably care very much.
Many societies in fiction are depicted as utopias when they are in fact dystopias; like angels and demons, the two are sides of the same coin. This seemingly paradoxical situation can arise because, in a dystopia, the society often gives up A in exchange for B, but the benefit of B blinds the society to the loss of A; it is often not until many years later that the loss of A is truly felt, and the citizens come to realize that the world they once thought acceptable (or even ideal) is not the world they thought it was. That's part of what is so compelling -- and insidious -- about dystopian fiction: the idea that you could be living in a dystopia and not even know it.
Dystopias are often seen as "cautionary tales," but the best dystopias are not didactic screeds, and the best dystopias do not draw their power from whatever political/societal point they might be making; the best dystopias speak to the deeper meanings of what it is to be one small part of a teeming civilization...and of what it is to be human.
And so here are thirty-three such stories, representing the best of what dystopian fiction has to offer. So read them, and be glad that doing so won't bring firemen to your door to burn all your books -- and your house with them." - John Joseph Adams, Introduction
And for those of you like myself, who are mad for dystopian fiction, may I recommend you run, not walk, to your nearest library or book emporium and pick up a copy of The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood.... one of the most frightening and disturbing novels I have ever had the pleasure of enjoying. It will make the hair stand on your nape.. it will make you squirm and want to scream in outrage.. it will cause you bad and upsetting dreams. Particularly if you happen to be female. In short.. it's fantastic. :D And no! Watching the movie adaptation doesn't count! Shame on you! :D
In The Ever-Delightfully-Growing Stack To Be Read Next:
Roaring Thunder: A Novel Of The Jet Age, by Walter J. Boyne. Fiction, based on non-fiction.
Bad Moon Rising, by Sherrilyn Kenyon. Werewolf tale.
One Minute To Midnight: Kennedy, Khrushchev, And Castro On The Brink Of Nuclear War, by Michael Dobbs. Non-fiction.
The Overachievers: The Secret Life Of Driven Kids, by Alexandra Robbins. Non-fiction.
George IV: Inspiration Of The Regency, by Steven Parissien. Non-fiction.
Dakota, by Martha Grimes.
The Last Voyage Of Columbus: Being The Epic Tale Of The Great Captain's Fourth Expedition, Including Accounts Of Swordfight, Mutiny, Shipwreck, Gold, Hurricane, And Discovery, by Martin Dugard. Non-fiction.
The Blood-Dimmed Tide, by Rennie Airth.
The Dark Descent, edited by David G. Hartwell. An award-winning collection of horror stories.
The Philosophy Of Horror, Or, Paradoxes Of The Heart, by Noel Carroll. Non-fiction.
Men, Women, And Chain Saws: Gender In The Modern Horror Film, by Carol J. Clover. Non-fiction.
Peter And The Shadow Thieves, and Peter And The Secret Of Rundoon, by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson.
The Mabinogion Tetralogy (The Prince of Annwn, The Children of Llyr, The Song of Rhiannon, The Island Of The Mighty), by Evangeline Walton. For those of you unfamiliar.. the Mabinogion is a mind-blowingly ancient cycle of myths and legends from Wales. Miss Walton is not the original author, of course; but the original Mabinogion is intensely difficult to read in its original translation to the English of the day (believe me, I have done, and even managed to write an A+ English paper using it as a major research source,) because of the difficulty of names in the Welsh tongue combined with the difficulty of reading ancient English (even heavily footnoted to guide the lost seeker.) I'm talking way before Shakespeare, friends...even Spenser and Chaucer are a walk in the park next to the Mabinogion, and it makes Beowulf a full-on picnic. (Not that I could ever deny loving that wonderful, violent, terrifying story and re-reading it many times. I love that the oldest surviving written story in English is a horror tale.) And this is a shame, because the difficulty of reading the Mabinogion deters the average person from reading and enjoying the wonderful stories. What Miss Walton has done is take the twelve major branches of the original tales and weave them into narratives that are much less a task and more a pleasure for the modern reader. My respect for her is immense for accomplishing that Herculean task. I trust her capable hands; she received a World Fantasy Award in 1985, and in 1989 she was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award and named a Grand Master of Fantasy by the World Fantasy Convention. The tales of the Mabinogion figure largely in Joseph Campbell's work, and in Arthurian study and scholarship. (And for those of you who laugh and think, oh, King Arthur, so what? Consider this fact: King Arthur is the most written-about and discussed person in the recorded history of humanity, with the sole exception of Jesus Christ. And some believe the two are one and the same.) And no, Rhiannon is not just a song by Fleetwood Mac, and don't believe for a minute that Stevie Nicks and crew didn't know it..even though she batted her eyelashes prettily, looked innocent, and denied it in interviews. :D
Nineteen Eighty-Four, by George Orwell. Finally getting to this one!
Spellbinder, by Melanie Rawn. I adore Miss Rawn's Dragon Prince and Dragon Star novels..I am a citizen of that far country.. this one is a little different, set in our world in the modern day, and regarding witchcraft. I'm excited to give it a whirl, based on my love of her prior work.
How To Be A Better Foodie: A Bulging Little Book For The Truly Epicurious, by Sudi Pigott. I think this is one that will be picked at and used for reference rather than being read through. I am an adventurous culinarian. Did I mention that my favorite program is Top Chef? :D
Anthem; The Fountainhead; and Atlas Shrugged, all by Ayn Rand. Write to me in care of the Tower of London... lol! Just kidding..The sheer size of Miss Rand's work is impressive.. but I am undaunted and up for the challenge. These are classics of American literature by any measure, and considered masterpieces of conservative political ideals in literature. Her work has been on my list for a very long time. And may the eminent lady rest in peace.
Full Dark, No Stars; and Blockade Billy, both by Stephen King. ummm.. did anyone miss the part that I'm a masochist? I make myself suffer by forcing myself to wait to read my favorites for last. Delicious anticipation. :D
With that, fellow Adventurers, this merry girl is off to maneuver herself crutches and all into the sunshine... to read of dystopian worlds...and make soap bubbles. I happily am possessed of a brand-new big-ass bottle of bubble soap and funky new wands and bubble pipes. Ah, the simple and beautiful pleasures of spring and life!
