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Tag Archives: Lost
There’s No Place Like Here by Cecelia Ahern
Synopsis:
When a missing persons investigator goes missing herself, she discovers a world where the lost can be found–but can she find her way back home?
Review:
There’s No Place Like Here is the second book by Cecelia Ahern, author of the immensely popular PS, I Love You, which I have not read. I picked up an ARC of this book at Book Expo, but put off reading it because I was anticipating something light and fluffy and not worth my time.
I was certainly mistaken. There’s No Place Like Here captivated my attention from page one, with the distinctive voice of protagonist Sandy Shortt (who is tall with black hair), and Ahern’s imaginative premise. I loved the use of magical realism in dealing with very deep issues of memory, loss, and longing.
We’ve all wondered where our lost socks go. And some of us have ached more poignantly for someone who has simply disappeared. Ahern imagines an answer to these questions, but what could have been a precious conceit comes to life with vivid emotional honesty.
Tangentially, There’s No Place Like Here was a refreshing change of pace from the grim ‘n’ glum fantasy I’ve been consuming lately. And it’s a reminder to me that my taste in reading is much broader than I sometimes think.
Dreamsongs (Volume 1) by George RR Martin
Synopsis:
The first of two anthologies featuring short stories by George RR Martin, ranging from fantasy to science fiction to horror to genre hybrids.
Review:
I am one of those readers who had never heard of George RR Martin before encountering A Game of Thrones, book one in his Song of Ice and Fire series. What I did not know is that Martin has had a prolific career as a short story writer, primarily in the genre of science fiction. Dreamsongs Volume 1 includes some of Martin’s most famous stories, as well as some highlights from his early career. The anthology is broken into segments, each with an introduction by Martin describing the publication history for each story as well as offering insight into his creative state of mind while writing. Naturally, his essays touch upon matters of genre and the craft of storytelling, and would be worth reading on their own.
Dreamsongs opens with four stories written when Martin was a very young man, and I found them interesting as artifacts. As stories themselves, the pieces didn’t hit their stride until “With Morning Comes Mistfall,” a tale about a world covered in an all-obscuring mist rumored to hide strange monsters. A scientist is out to disprove the existence of sentient life forms on the planet, and in doing so threatens to destroy the foundation for dreams and poetry.
The rest of the stories certainly show off Martin’s imagination and storytelling skills. “A Song for Lya” explores the intersection of psychic abilities and religious faith. “And Seven Times Never Kill Man” is a horrific look at the underpinnings of genocide. “The Way of Cross and Dragon” explores the development of a heretical branch of Christianity, one that reveres Judas Iscariot as a saint and posits him as a dragon rider who brought a dismembered Christ back from the dead.
I was most taken by two stories in the section in which Martin discusses his transition from science fiction to epic fantasy. “The Ice Dragon” takes a familiar type of story–that of the dragon rider–and adds a twist. The dragon in this story is made of ice, scaled in rime, and breathes a searing arctic chill. “In the Lost Lands” starts out seemingly as a mystical love story, but takes a dark turn towards an ironically tragic ending.
The last section in the book covers what Martin calls his horror hybrids. The first story, “Meathouse Man” was a bit too relentlessly grim for me, and “Remembering Melody” had a gimmick I spotted a mile away (knowing that Martin wrote for “The Twilight Zone” puts me on the lookout).
“Sandkings” deserves its acclaim as one of Martin’s best pieces. It’s a sci-fi/horror reimagining of The Picture of Dorian Gray, and concerns a man who purchases a sort of ant farm, with the promise that the sandkings will go to war for his entertainment. When they don’t start fighting fast enough, he starves them, and go to war they do–with horrifying repercussions.
The next story, “Nightflyers,” is just as compelling, though not quite as scary. It’s got a little bit of 2001 in it, and reminded me of the movie Event Horizon, which was billed as Hellraiser in space. “Nightflyers” has the same feel, but is a much better story.
A fantastic collection–can’t wait for volume 2!
Breathing Water by T. Greenwood
Synopsis:
After learning of the death of her abusive ex-boyfriend, a woman returns to the home by the lake she once loved to build a new life and exorcise old ghosts.
Review:
I am a very big fan of T. Greenwood’s second novel, Nearer than the Sky, and I have no excuse for why it took me so long to read Breathing Water, her debut. Simply put, Greenwood is a beautiful prose stylist who isn’t afraid to explore dark and scary places with characters who feel like people you’ve known all your life. Continue reading
The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall
Synopsis:
A young man with severe amnesia comes to realize that he is being stalked by a conceptual shark (which is much, much scarier than you might think).
Review:
What surprised me most about The Raw Shark Texts was how fast it moved. For all its high-minded metaphysical aims and experimental underpinnings, the book has the pacing of an airport thriller or Stephen King horror book. There were some sequences in this book, such as protagonist Second Eric’s Sanderson encounter with Nobody, that were are frightening as anything I’ve ever read. Continue reading
A Fatal Inversion by Barbara Vine
Synopsis:
A long ago summer idyll at a manor-turned-commune ended in tragedy, and the recent discovery of the bones of a woman and a baby threaten the secrets carefully guarded by the young man who inherited the home.
Review:
It may be a lesser Barbara Vine, but A Fatal Inversion is still an above average read. Continue reading
But I Did Get a Pink iPod Shuffle
Tonight I had a book for work, so husband and I did not do the Valentine’s thing. I was in a rush to get it done tonight because we have friends in town from Austin tomorrow night. I succeeded in busting through the 384-page tome and got my report written in time for “Lost.” Continue reading
Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman
Synopsis:
We live in the Age of Show Business. Postman’s book is a history of discourse that presents the case for the preeminence of the written word over visual media, and outlines the ills inherent in a visually-driven society.
Review:
I was somewhat familiar with Postman’s general ideas, having been friends with one of his protegees for many years. However, this is the first time I have read him for myself, which is a shame because I have an advanced degree in cinema studies. My studies were focused more on film history and less on film theory, so that’s my justification. Continue reading