Jeff
Another Masterpiece Expanse Novella
I am constantly amazed at the sheer number of characters that populate The Expanse universe and how they are all written with distinctive personalities possessing relatable human strengths and weaknesses in such believable ways and all within the wide-spanning plot. I want to see the end of this tale, and yet I don't.
Life of a Master Storyteller
Robert A. Heinlein was among the first “serious” science fiction writers I discovered when I was about 10 years old and over the following years I devoured everything of his I could find in my school and local public library. I have thoroughly enjoyed this look into the first half of the life of a master storyteller, and look forward with anticipation to the second volume.
A Sturdy Page-Turner From Mather
As usual, Mather blends bleeding edge scientific facts with an intriguing story, but this time in a different genre and shows again he has the storytelling skill to keep the reader engaged and immersed in the world he creates. As a bonus, we get the promise of a recurring character as a series in the future.
“Snow White” as You've Never Known Her
When you combine one of the greatest writers/storytellers of our time with one of the most talented illustrators/storytellers of our time, you get this masterpiece of a tale about someone you only thought you knew.
Neil Gaiman and Colleen Doran merge their respective talents in a work that is greater than the sum of their parts. I could not put this down on the first reading and then returned again and again to soak in all the beautiful words and art and savor their flavor in my head and heart.
You are denying yourself an exceptional experience if you do not get this book and read it.
This series continues to be one of the best examples of writing that employs the synergy of realistic character development with extensive, well thought out plotting to create stories that completely envelop the reader in their words.
In this book, there is sadness for the loss of some beloved characters, but there is also happiness and satisfaction for the reunion of those who have been scattered. And, as is the case with life and all good writing, changes.
So, this story is an interesting time jump which puts a different spin on some things and people. I think you'll see some of your favorite characters in a different, perhaps not flattering, light. Still, the quality of storytelling and character development is as high as it has ever been for this series.
I was saddened by a death, but also pleased that it was not who I expected. Though I still feel that the one I expected may still come to pass.
It Just Keeps Getting Better
This series never seems to have a low point. Now we see the end of a planet, a solar system, a civilization and a way of life. But we also see the birth of a hopefully new path forward.
I always feel a bit astounded by the authors' ability to tap into real, raw, human emotion and thought processes, as well as their ability to make me feel uplifted by human actions and behavior.
To paraphrase; we all have to live together, so we need to be gentle.
Another Great Story by Mather
I've been reading Mather's books since his first work appeared and they just keep getting better as he hones his storytelling skills. This was a great “who done it” adventure tale with a deeper message buried within and I would heartily recommend it to all who enjoy a good story.
When I went to BookPeople a couple of weeks ago for the reading/book signing of “The Oracle Year” by Charles Soule, I also picked up a copy of a signed edition of “Armada” by Ernest Cline. I pretty much purchase dead tree books for only two reasons these days:
I love the book and/or author so much (for example, Neil Gaiman) that I want the hardback version on my bookshelves.
I've either had the author sign the book or the bookstore has signed editions so I can add it to my bookshelves.
“Armada” fell into the number 2 category. Other than one review from a friend of mine shortly after it was published almost 3 years ago (and that didn't matter because I couldn't remember if it was a good review or a bad review), I hadn't seen any other reviews on the book and my first thought was, “Well, it's the same author who wrote “Ready Player One” so it's probably a good read.”
When I was checking out, the clerk asked me if I'd seen the movie. We both quickly figured out he was referencing Cline's first book “Ready Player One” and had a good laugh. I told him that reading the inside flap description made “Armada” sound like another “The Last Starfighter” and he said, “You'd be pretty close in getting that impression.”
So, a few days ago I had the time to start reading “Armada” and finished it last night.
Let's get the obvious out of the way; “Armada” is indeed another story with constant references to pop culture from the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's. If you liked “Ready Player One” because of those references, then you should LOVE “Armada” all to pieces. It felt like there were double or triple the pop culture references, mostly under the umbrella of sci-fi, (video games, TV shows, etc.) but also a lot of music and even commercial jingles. I enjoy those references as much as most people who lived through them, but they really almost got to be too heavy-handed in their use in this story.
I don't want to spoil anything for those who have not read the book and intend to, so I'll try to keep this as generic as possible, but you already have an idea from “The Last Starfighter” comparison above.
And I'll say from the beginning; I wanted to like this book. I really, really enjoyed “Ready Player One”, so I was hoping that “Armada” would be just as good, if not better than “Ready Player One.” I mean, there's always that question when you have such a hit like “Ready Player One” as your first book, “Will the author's sophomore book be as good as their freshman offering?”
In this case, close, but no cigar.
Zach Lightman is a high school senior about to graduate and contemplating life after school. He's a video playing kind of nerd who works in a video game store after school and on weekends and lives with his widowed mom. His father died in a sewage plant accident when Zach was less than a year old. His two best friends are gamers too, but they're not as good as Zach.
It turns out that all the top video games on the market are just a way for Big Brother to find out who their best defenders might be because aliens are coming to destroy the world. Turns out his boss at the video game store is not who Zach thinks he is; his dad may or may not have really died in the shit plant accident; and he meets a smoking hot girl his age who's being recruited as well.
You could probably write the rest of this book yourself. Right down to the schmaltzy ending.
I think the most disappointing thing was that this felt like a “write by the numbers” story. The characters were cardboard, plucked from central casting, given a standard background and then placed in a formulaic “80's coming of age saving the world tale” that was so easy to predict it lost any of it's suspense. I've often said there's nothing wrong with a formulaic story, if it's handled properly. If you give the characters lives that are as real as possible and work the story in such a way that plotting is not as obvious as one plus one equals two, then you craft a story that makes it stand out from the formula.
“Armada” is a perfectly readable and serviceable story, but it is not even close to being as good as “Ready Player One.” I felt like Cline just relied on the standard tropes for this kind of story and put no effort into making it stand out. It was disappointing.
I'm sure Cline has another great book in him, but it's not this one.
A couple of months ago I was reading about a new book coming out titled “The Oracle Year” by Charles Soule (the “e” is silent) and what caught my attention in the review was that the writer was also a writer for comic books such as “Daredevil”, “She-Hulk” and others. I haven't really read any new comics in the past decade, at least, so I haven't read any of his comic book work but I usually enjoy novels written by comic book writers. I love Neil Gaiman, and have been impressed by Peter David, Steve Englehart and others, so I made a mental note to look into “The Oracle Year” when it was published.
Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago when I was looking over the list of authors coming to Book People bookstore here in Austin to do readings and signings, and there was the note that Charles Soule would be there on Wednesday evening, April 25th to read and sign his new book, which had recently hit the shelves. I knew I would be there as well.
There were only about 12-14 people present, so after Mr. Soule read the second chapter of his book (I had already read up through Chapter 7 while waiting for the event to begin), it was good to hear that the way I “heard” the characters speaking and interacting in my head was exactly how the author read them, with the same inflections and tones. Afterward we asked questions and then the book signing began.
“The Oracle Year” centers around Will Dando (The Oracle) who awakens one morning from a dream with 108 specific predictions in his head of things that will happen in the future. To protect his anonymity, he sets up a super-secure website with the help of The Florida Ladies (don't ask, just read the book) and he and his investment banker friend Hamza selectively release a few of the predictions, netting them billions of dollars from corporations looking for any advantage in their business forecast models.
But Will is not about the money at all. He's about social good and looking out for the other guy. He meets a beautiful reporter at an event that he knows will cause some people to die, hoping that his call to the police and perhaps even his anonymous presence will change the prediction, but it doesn't. In fact, Will soon discovers, with religious leaders calling him the AntiChrist and his own government leaving no stone unturned in trying to discover his identity, that the predictions work together for some reason. A reason that seems to be a nefarious one. The book leads us around the world with action, thrills, and a satisfying ending to such a complicated tale.
The characters work well, which I would expect because comic book characterization is important and Charles Soule's many admirers attest to his ability to create believable characters. The story and plot hold up well and, frankly, longer than i expected. It was a page-turner of a pleasant read and I have no doubt that Charles Soule's next novel will be even better.
I recommend “The Oracle Year” for a good read.
Another excellent story in the series! The one less-than-stellar part for me was the “battle” scenes involving Miller, Elvi, and the whatever it was supposed to be. I found that section difficult to follow and to understand what the whatever it was even consisted of. But, as usual, the plot, characters, and pacing of the story were far superior to most other works, especially in series as long as this one.
