I have read several books by Neal Stephenson, who excels at both science and historical fiction. I especially liked Cryptonomicon and Anathem. His latest book. Polostan is a historical fiction set mainly in the 1930s. It follows an unusual woman who was born in America to an American mother, moved to Russia with her father as a child in time for the revolution, then returned to the Midwest for her teenage years. She leads a complicated, fascinating life and is present at key historical events, like the Chicago World's Fair. Halfway through, I discovered that this would be a series, and I worried the ending of Polostan would be a disaster of unknowing, but Stephenson did well. I am excited to read the next book when it comes out in September.
🐎🪆🎡🎟️🩻
After a steady diet of mindblowing sci-fi, I needed a palate cleanser. I chose The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper, by Phaedra Patrick, because a review said it was like A Man Called Ove, and it involves an older man who has lost his wife and is unsure how to continue living. The adventures that Arthur Pepper pursues are more hilarious but also uplifting. It is just on the edge of believable. A lot depends on how eccentric you believe the British to be.
🐯🐅🚇👴🏻
I am enjoying reading Adrian Tchaikovsky at present. Spiderlight, I assumed, would be more of his Children of Time series. It was not. It was about a group of misfits on a quest to defeat the dark forces of their world that could only be accomplished through killing the Dark Lord. They needed the fang of a spider queen and her map to the Dark Lord. One spider is appointed to accompany them in an uneasy alliance. It changes all of them, and they learn astonishing things about good versus evil. Tchaikovsky. This book was entertaining and also thinky-thinky.
🕷️🕸️🧙♂️🔮🏰
I like a weird book with an unusual narrator. Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell is just that kind of book. The protagonist is, perhaps, a slime mold that can take in parts from humans, trees, deer, chain mail, anything, and create an externally believable human. The village it borders sees it as a monstrous worm threatening their safety. Though a monster, she desires connection and understanding, causing story tension and a propelling narrative. It reminded me somewhat of Frankenstein in its setting and sensibility. Some themes include: Who is the real monster? Parent/Child relationships are complicated.
🪼🏰❤️💀
No comments:
Post a Comment