Yesterday I listed books I’ve tried in the last three or four weeks. I’m going to talk briefly about the novels I managed to read all the way through:
Reamde, Neal Stephenson
11/11/63, Stephen King
Santa Olivia, Jacqueline Carey
The Long Tomorrow, Leigh Brackett
The Affair, Lee Child
Island, Thomas Perry
The Last Werewolf, Glen Duncan
Haweswater, Sarah Hall
Key word: brief. Which means my remarks may seem to be brusque or careless. After Hild I’m finding it difficult to write at length. My comments will feel more like elevator conversation than the long, rambling beery interludes you’re used to here. It might seem as though I’m damning with faint praise; that’s not my intent. I’m talking about these books because I think they might be worth your time.
The Stephenson (Reamde) was kind of cool–a geek thriller set in various parts of the world (including the online world) full of fascinating detail about how aspects of MMPORGs (and money, and China, and terrorism, and drug smuggling, etc.) work. Also offering insight (I suspect) into how some corporate sultans of tech think. Very long, though. And the last 20% or so felt a little out of control. Actually, it felt a bit like Return of the King, the movie: too many endings. But the women aren’t objects, they’re very much subjects (mostly–still lots of tie-them-up-and-threaten-them-sexually scenes, sigh). If you want to spend a week in another world, read this.
The King (11/22/63) was a return to his old style, lacking that particular bitterness which feels like carelessness I’ve come to associate with his recent work. A few pages in it was clear to me that this was an idea he’d had near the beginning of his career. The afterword confirmed it. Also confirmed in the afterword: the ending is not entirely his. It’s a nice ending, but it doesn’t sit entirely comfortably. But, damn, I was relieved. Given his recent callousness to his characters, I thought the ending might be horrible. I read on faith. I was well rewarded. I might talk about this one some more another time, when a Certain Someone Who Bakes has finished it and won’t be grumpy about spoilers.
The Carey (Santa Olivia) was a blast. Lesbian boxing mutants, woo hoo! It was also peculiarly one-dimensional in places. But, oh, what assured narrative; so lovely to be in competent hands. I knew nothing of this book before I started it and haven’t read anything about it since. It wouldn’t surprise me to find out that this, like the King, had its genesis at the dawn of the author’s career. It has that fresh-new-writer-in-the-world feel to it. Also like the King, I was initially worried about the story trajectory. But, again, it ended well. Perhaps a little too well. It’s obvious Carey is writing a sequel, and I feel about that the same way I felt about the Phèdre books: Kushiel’s Dart was wonderful, the sequels unnecessary and a dilution of the original premise. But that’s just the kind of reader/writer I am. If you can tell the story with one definite spear thrust, then you don’t need endless dancing and jabbing. Mileage varies. (I know lots of readers would love to have a sequel to Ammonite…)
The Brackett (The Long Tomorrow) was a reread. A Ruined Earth story, in some ways the American mirror image of Wyndham’s The Chrysalids. I’m writing a short essay on this one, so I’ll stop there for now.
I think Lee Child’s The Affair was the first book I read after finishing Hild. It’s pretty much what I expect from a Reacher Novel, with the added bonus of being Reacher’s origin story. Reacher never changes. In other words, the perfect book to read when you don’t want anything surprising, e.g. while flying.
Island, by Thomas Perry, was a bravura performance, and a delight. Not deep, but a fascinating premise–create land, turn it into a nation state–backed to the hilt by a thoroughly committed author. Good stuff.
Glen Duncan’s The Last Werewolf was great: chewy, unexpected, sharply written and exactly what the title promises. Sort of. Let me put it this way: a smart protagonist, lots of sex and food and blood, a hint of queerness, some name-brand Scotch, good clothes and a nifty ending. No doubt this one, too, will have a sequel. I might read it.
Hall’s Haweswater is a fine novel, a paean to early twentieth-century Cumbria. Hall understands bodies, human and animal, and she understands landscape. Her notions of story and point of view aren’t like mine–her perspective shifts about two-thirds of the way through, which I found disorientating–but I can recommend this one if you like the moors of Hardy and Emily Brontë. Given the other works of hers that I’ve read (The Carhullan Army and one short story) I’m beginning to suspect she has a problem with endings. But she’s definitely worth reading.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in the US–so discussion of the list of books that didn’t work for me will have to wait a few days.
Nicola Griffith 
Good! I like Stephenson. His technothriller side is his least interesting side– bring in the big giant books about secular monks! Bring on the three thousand page opus about alchemy & calculus!– so I'm in no hurry, but I wasn't NOT going to read it.
I really liked the Brackett. She is one of my favorites. I really look forward to your essay. At WFC in San Diego this year, Bob Silverberg told me a Harlan and Brackett story which I shan't commit to paper, but it involved Barry Goldwater's “Little old ladies in tennnis shoes.” I am sorry I never had the chance to meet her. Glad to see some praise for Perry. Some of his books are so swell.He started off right with The Butcher's Boy and Metzger's Dog, Island is one of my favorites.
I hate it when they say people make reading decisions based on the book's first page. it's unfair to the writer and you can't really judge a book by its first couple of paragraphs, can you?
based on your reviews I klicked on three or say, two and a half titles: “santa olivia”, “the last werewolf” and, hesitantly, on “the affair”. I can't help it: but it's again the first page. Carey's intro is … pretty cool. I might try that.
Thx for the recommendations. more to follow?
Kate
mordicai, I can see how you might think of this side of his work less interesting. But I enjoyed it.
chadao, The Long Tomorrow comes close to being a Great American Novel–but blows it in the last section. Still damn good, though.
Kate, I'll talk about non-fiction at some point.
Sometime I'd like to hear your thoughts (if any) on Anita Blake, Rachel Morgan, and Sookie Stackhouse.
Dianne, I don't know Rachel Morgan, but I have had–will take some retrieving from the dusty memory–thoughts on Anita and Sookie.
Rachel Morgan is the protagonist in a series of urban fantasy / alternate history / mystery novels by Kim Harrison. She's a witch who solves crimes with her partners, a bi (female) vampire and a pixie.
I am so burned out on Neal Stephenson's bricks after Anathem—which I liked somewhat, admired somewhat, and thought could have lost three or four hundred pages without any real loss. Your description reminds me of Walter Jon Williams' “This Is Not A Game” which I enjoyed immensely (and it was much leaner) and sounds like it dealt with some of the same material.
I, too, recall enjoying the Brackett. She's another one that's being too quickly forgotten. I may have to reread it to see the GAN potential.
I'm not familiar with the others in the list. I've been careening through a lot of mysteries this past year, trying to get a sense of them so I can write them. A couple stood out. Tess Gerritsen's “Rizzoli and Isles” held my interest (and no helpless women—in fact, one of the victims in the fourth one solves the crime; I'll say no more: spoilers). I've rediscovered Ross McDonald, who was, in my opinion, on par with Chandler with the bonus that the plots make more sense and resolve better. Also stared reading P.D. James and discovered Val McDermid, both in their different ways excellent.
Among the stand-alones I read this year that I found excellent were “Midnight In The Garden of Good and Evil”, “Mother London”, “The Gold Bug Variations” and “Isles of the Forsaken.”
Mark, aaargh, I still haven't read Mother London.