Speaker For The Dead by Orson Scott Card

"When she called for the Speaker for the Dead, she had wanted him to discover the truth about Pipo; instead, he had come and discovered the truth about her."



I remember being a massive fan of the first of the series, Ender's Game  and being particularly excited that a) a movie version was in the works and b) that there was more to read of the series. In between reading the original and this sequel I've seen a lot of information on the Internet about the author that has been less than flattering, and I feel it has somewhat tainted my enjoyment of the sequel.

I thought nothing of the aliens being called "Buggers" before reading about the author's anti-gay stance which sadly infused some really negative connotations into my reading of the sequel.

Putting that aside, because I think it is possible to appreciate a work of fiction as distinct from an appreciation of its author's sentiments and beliefs, I still enjoyed the sequel. Not as much as the original and I query whether that was due to the pacing, the awkward multi-lingual conversations, or a reflection of the impact of some of the things I'd read online.

Winner of both the Hugo and Nebula awards, this novel remains intriguing and provides a very different perspective from the coming of age of Ender in the original versus the fully grown, 35 year old Andrew Wiggin.




4 out of 5 talking trees can be deadly.

Obsidian Butterfly by Laurell K Hamilton

"My hormones, my fault. I needed more hobbies, that was it, more hobbies."

It has been quite some time since I visited with Anita Blake, vampire exterminator and necromancer. I think I'd had enough of her lady doth protest too much attitude towards the sexy vampire Jean Claude. Given my propensity for sexy vampires, not the sparkling, holding hand kind, it was time to check in on volume 9.

 

 

Quelle surprise, this novel sees Anita away from her entertaining and always traumatic love life with Richard the werewolf and the delightful Jean Claude and this time she's off visiting the exterminating Edward, or his alter ego Ted in his home town. Queue way too much gore and way too little actual sex - Anita seems to feel guilty, a hell of a lot, about her lustful urgings, but there are way more pages devoted to her gruesome detective work and very little action for this pent up supernatural chick.

 

 

Yes, clearly this is not a literary masterpiece, but it is rather a speedy read. Ah will Anita's return to her home at the ends of the novel lead to some more fireworks with Richard and Jean Claude . I realise this sounds like a cross between bad soapies, bodice rippers and detective procedurals and that would just about sum it up. An easy escape from a busy week at work.

 

 

 3 out of 5, watch out for those body skinning freaky supernaturals in New Mexico.

The Ascent of Money by Niall Ferguson

"On the contrary, financial history is a roller-coaster ride of ups and downs, bubbles and busts, manias and panics, shocks and crashes."



Niall Ferguson's brief financial history of the world makes for compelling reading, something which I found a pleasant surprise. In general the prospect of diving into a non-fiction treatise of the economic persuasion would fill me with dread, however I was prompted to check this out due to its inclusion in the Independent's 10 best history books. You know how I loves me a list.

Looking at the origins of the current financial debacles through the prism of the past was no only educational and at times scary, it was also entertaining. Don't think too hard about how crazy it is that no-one learns from history and you'll enjoy it even more ;)

 5 out of 5, its all about the Benjamins

The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham

 

"If she had gone down with a twisted ankle, or had simply tripped I should have run on, to her. But this was so sudden and so complete that for a moment I thought, idiotically, that she had been shot."

Small town village life gets a big upset with the strange goings on in the town of Midwich. After an unidentified exclusion zone prevents access to the little hamlet for 24 hours, every woman of child bearing age wakes up pregnant - must have been quite the night! Were randy aliens to blame?

 

Fast forward to the births of some creepy golden eyed kids and its time to discover exactly what is going on in the strange little town. One of the really great aspects of this rather skinny volume was the reaction to the pregnancies by the women and their husbands (if they had them). There was something very credible and immediate about the way they acted, calling up the title's reference to cuckoo birds that lay their eggs in the nests of other birds.

 

 

The sense of fear and impending doom is well realised and I ripped through the pages to see where it would all end. My only quibble was the ending, coming as it did, so abruptly.

 

 

 5 out of 5 kids don't always look like their dads.

A Mere Interlude by Thomas Hardy

 

"She did not pronounce a clear affirmative. But that she consented to the novel proposition at some moment or other of that walk was apparent by what occurred a little later."

A delightful little collection of 3 short stories by Thomas Hardy acted as a pleasant tonic to an otherwise drama filled week. I know I'm supposed to be reading my study notes for uni, but I did fit this in on public transport and the like and it was a slim 125 pages long.

 

My favourite tale was the title story with its amusing take on the ramifications of keeping things from your intended, their secrets might be even worse. Is omission the same as a lie, I've always felt that it isn't, but clearly it is grey territory.

 

On a positive note, these Penguin Great Loves books are easy wins when it comes to adding to my tally for the year.

 

 5 out of 5 - poor Baptista has rotten luck when it comes to honeymoons.



 

 

Crome Yellow by Aldous Huxley

 

"A novelist could have made his fortune out of them, and even if I were to tell you, in my bald style, the details of  these adventures, you would be amazed at the romantic tale."

There are so many unknowns in life, so many unexpected events, some delightful, some devastating, others mostly quotidian. I greedily partake of the pleasant events and this week, discovering this little gem certainly tugged at my heartstrings.

 

Having only previously encountered Huxley via Brave New World  this much earlier work was a complete surprise to me. Reminiscent of Waugh, and crazy young things in a country house, but peppered with such insightful and delicious moments. Seriously, you could eat this book up with a spoon.

 

What particularly stands out is that Huxley wrote this novel in his early twenties and yet possessed such clear insight into the dynamics of his world. There's an almost jaded remove that allows for that clarity of view. Denis' silent sufferings, Anne's ability to dispose potential suitors unlikely to bear fruit, these characters display traits which are just as true today as in the twenties when they were created. Did I forget to mention that its hilarious? I think I will definitely be digging into the rest of his back catalogue!

 5 out of 5 everybody loves a house party.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



The Seducer's Diary by Søren Kierkegaard

"Young girls give me pleasure more than ever and still I have no desire to enjoy them."



Poor Cordelia, like so many young girls, falls victim to the attentions of a creepy, immature Johannes who believes he is the ultimate master manipulator when it comes to the fairer sex. In his sad little mind, women are only of interest when they are young and innocent enough to put up with his pathetic poetry and game playing. I did not enjoy this book and it is a SLIM volume.

 

While he might provide linguistic aerobatics going from one language to another, there is something really annoyingly self important about the narrator that brought on my gag reflex. This is particularly hilarious when you consider I was reading American Psycho  at the same time. Perhaps it is that he puts so much emphasis on trying to excite interest and then not really making good on it - he appears only in it for the self satisfaction  attained through the power he has over others.

 

The Penguin Great Loves series takes some pretty wide views on the nature of love, which is intriguing I suppose and yet this one did nothing for me.

 

1 out of 5 flowery prose is pretty but the sentiments are a little empty.