Posted By onefinemess on August 24, 2010
I just haven’t felt like blogging lately. Luckily for you, my obsessive drive to document all things minuscule and pointless compels me to review everything I read these days. Maybe someday I’ll start reviewing tweets and FB comments. Or not. I suppose I could have posted these all as individual blogs but hey, I’m a nice guy. More bang for your nonexistent buck. Onward.
The Wolfman
by: Nicholas Pekearo
A more “realistic” urban fantasy than the other stuff I’ve read, this one is the tale of one man, seemingly alone in his supernaturalness, cursed with some kind of evil spirit thing that turns him into a murderous werewolf every 29 days or so. Unfortunately, the author’s life was cut tragically short before he got to write or publish a sequel, so we’ll never know how the rest of his world works. There were two rather serious hints about other things of a supernatural nature, but the lead doesn’t think that way about anything (one of the difficulties he runs into in the course of the novel would have been solved quite simply by someone able to think outside the “box of the natural”), so we can assume that he’s something unique, or at least believes himself to be.
Anyway, this is an engaging (as in things this grounded in reality don’t usually draw me in) story of a somewhat obnoxious (his list of character traits are almost entirely unflattering) lead who has learned to channel the killing urges of his “dark passenger” (<.<) mostly into killing people that deserve it. Mostly.
There’s a lot going on here and this was a strong first genre novel, enough for me to think that a sequel would have been even better.
You can get a great deal on the hardcover on Amazon. It’s hard to argue with a $5 hardcover.
THREE STARS
For solid writing, but a character that kind of annoyed me and not enough of a window into the supernatural side of the author’s world.
A Victory of Eagles (Temeraire 5)
by: Naomi Novik
Lots to like here, and a few complaints. We are again introduced to interesting characters we’ll never see again (apparently, as they aren’t in the next book) – particularly Perscitia, who is (obviously!) an example of the English accidentally breeding a dragon for intelligence, as the Chinese do habitually.
By the end, we’re (finally) somewhere new (historically), I think, and the dragons have made a little social progress. Also there’s a resolution to the “traitor” arc in the way of a setup for the next book – which happens to sound like the least interesting book of the series (trip to Australia with no new dragons or interaction with the natives? Bleh.), but we’ll see.
It seems like Novik had to wrap up the “Napolean as an unbeatable force” angle in order to continue her world tour-style plot, but he’s not dead yet so I’m sure there will be a round two. The finale battle was breathtaking and tragic. I keep meaning to look up the actual battles these are modeled on, but just don’t care enough yet.
THREE AND A HALF STARS
Crabgrass Frontiers
by: Kenneth T. Jackson
Simultaneously really boring and really fascinating, it’s a look at suburbanization in the US (and bits of it elsewhere as a matter of contrast).
Lots of information of value to come away with… but the damning critique of the goverment’s housing policies and the loan appraisal system’s (and a few other things I’m not aware enough to comment on) effect on (and indeed, as prime causes of) urban decay, ghettoization, racial segregation and any mashup concocted between them was the most intriguing part.
Things that make perfect sense once you see them lined up & spelled out, but that never occurred to me beforehand. Hint: If the government will only loan you money to build a house in the suburbs (as compared to in the city, or to repair a structure in the city), and only to white people then uh. Well, you know. Shit happens. Other factors at play as well, but almost all of them in the predictable manner.
Also, watching (imagining anyway) the changes that each new system of transportation brought is pretty fascinating.
I’m left with a phrase, not ever uttered in the book, and indeed, even argued against in the closing… but it’s still what sticks with me:
“Cities Will Abandon Themselves”
THREE STARS
Because it was a little dry, but I still highly recommend it for any longtime US citizen (particularly homeowners) or student of US culture.
Category: Book Review, Books |
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Tags: Cities Will Abandon Themselves, Crabgrass Frontiers, Kenneth T. Jackson, Naomi Novik, Nicholas Pekearo, The Wolfman, Victory of Eagles
