I saw a review - Far Beyond Reality, maybe? - that suggested this collection should be viewed in some ways as a scrapbook. I'm glad I read that, sinceI saw a review - Far Beyond Reality, maybe? - that suggested this collection should be viewed in some ways as a scrapbook. I'm glad I read that, since it had me a little confused. The confident storyteller of Akata Witch and Who Fears Death stumbles here and there within this collection. As I read the story notes, though, I realized that Okorafor was letting us behind the curtain. The first story she ever wrote is included here, and several stories culled from a trunked novel. Others serve as backstory for published novels. Most of the previously published stories are a few years old, probably since she has been concentrating on novels. "Spider the Artist" and "The Palm Tree Bandit" are two of the standouts, but the sum total is a portrait of a now-powerful storyteller's early efforts....more
This was a lovely, subtle piece of science fiction, of a sort I don't see enough of. It's reminiscent of The Left Hand of Darkness and Ammonite: anthrThis was a lovely, subtle piece of science fiction, of a sort I don't see enough of. It's reminiscent of The Left Hand of Darkness and Ammonite: anthropological and travelogue-ish in the best senses. Lord develops characters slowly, letting the reader discover them through their actions as they are placed in new and strange situations. The story begins with a large-scale tragedy, but starts the action some time later, so that the book is about long-term personal coping rather than the immediate aftermath. I have a couple of minor issues with the book. Though it is very different from Lord's first book, Redemption in Indigo, she at times falls back on some similar narrative techniques. Addressing the reader works in a folktale, but pulls me out of the story here, making me wonder how the tale is being related to me and why in a way that I shouldn't be questioning. The book is very episodic, and some of the episodes were more resonant than others. Some threads seem like they would come back again, but really don't make any return appearance. I love seeing sexual minorities and ethnic minorities portrayed in SF, and for the most part Lord handles those topics well. There is a character of ambiguous gender in this novel who is written as a well-rounded member of the team, neither a curiosity past the initial mention nor a source of ridicule. I was therefore a little disappointed when at one point (very, very minor spoiler) (view spoiler)[someone wants to turn Lian's story into a romantic holo, but "Lian firmly redeclared as gender-neutral," which seems to negate that possibility. (hide spoiler)] The latter shouldn't necessarily preclude the former in a society this open-minded. In any case, I found myself reading only a chapter a night because the book was such a pleasure to read, I wanted to stretch it out as long as possible....more
I've never read Donoghue's longer fiction, but I love her stories. In this collection, as in The Woman Who Gave Birth to Rabbits: Stories, she includeI've never read Donoghue's longer fiction, but I love her stories. In this collection, as in The Woman Who Gave Birth to Rabbits: Stories, she includes detailed story notes. Each piece jumps off from a news clipping or other factual source. It's great fun to try to figure out what the grain of truth is inside each work of fiction. Most of the stories are somewhat bittersweet; after all, who makes the news? A few are from the other type of news, surprising deceptions carried out on an individual or group. I did feel a bit of distance from most of the stories, even as I enjoyed them, but a few were very moving, particularly those in the last section of the book. The last story in particular - the only one set in the latter half of the twentieth century - had a very Alice Munro feel to it, a comparison I consider to be a high compliment. ...more
I always find semi-biographical novels fascinating. There's something special that happens when a writer taps a place that she knows that intimately. I always find semi-biographical novels fascinating. There's something special that happens when a writer taps a place that she knows that intimately. Usually you avoid those places, for fear of using some detail or character that a friend or family member will point to and say "There! That's me! How could she?" In that way, this is a brave book. The characters are all likable to a point, but also distressingly human. They fail, they make human choices, they acknowledge their mistakes and frailties. And sure, they succeed too, in their own way. Every relationship feels real and possible, and all the more heartbreaking for it. I found it easy to picture the setting, having driven through that area of the city looking for shortcuts between my aunt's house and my own. I think even if I didn't have that mental picture the setting would have been vivid enough. I also enjoyed the unusual structure: present tense, two different time periods, and multiple narrators, including one that I think is not a human at all, but merely the center of a five pointed star, "we" come to life as a separate entity from any of the individuals that make up the group. Solid stuff.
I'm going to quote Nnedi Okafor's review of Say You're One of Them again, in which she wrote "I can stand the dark but I need light so that I can see I'm going to quote Nnedi Okafor's review of Say You're One of Them again, in which she wrote "I can stand the dark but I need light so that I can see where I need to go."
Christie Watson realizes that need for light. This book, set in a small community in the Nigerian Delta, does not shy away from the hot topics: oil, religion, poverty, female genital mutilation, violence. Despite all of that, Watson manages to paint a larger picture that is very much a tribute to the beauty of the land and its people. Her book is poignant, funny, and deeply moving. By moving the young narrator, Blessing, from Lagos to the Delta, Watson allows us to see everything in various shades of new, from Blessing's grandmother's wonderful stories to the disgusting bathrooms at the school. There are some great comic touches, such as Alhaji's Marmite cure. My only complaint about this book is that at times Blessing seems a little too young and a little too unable to make connections that should be obvious to her at her age. It is a minor quibble about a beautiful book. Watson clearly loves her subject matter and has obviously taken the time to research, to speak with the real inhabitants of the Delta, and to get things right. She shows real people, real problems and real solutions within a compelling fictional narrative.
This is a wonderful debut novel. I'm very happy to have won an advance copy, and equally happy to spread the word, since I'm not sure I'd have heard of it otherwise. ...more
This was an enjoyable and darkly comedic look at America through the eyes of a new immigrant, Lula. Her viewpoint is informed by her Albanian upbringiThis was an enjoyable and darkly comedic look at America through the eyes of a new immigrant, Lula. Her viewpoint is informed by her Albanian upbringing, and it's interesting to see where her Eastern European sensibilities clash with her new life, and where they hold her in good stead. The characters are not always sympathetic, but they make their own choices based on the situation at hand. My only reservation is that the satirical nature of the book forced some of the situations to come across a bit broadly. Then again, "My New American Life" is clearly another story that Lula tells; like any good storyteller, she knows that it is sometimes necessary to embellish the truth for the sake of story. ...more
I thought I knew a fair bit about Will Eisner. Many of his comics that I've read are at least quasi-autobiographical, and I had read interviews with oI thought I knew a fair bit about Will Eisner. Many of his comics that I've read are at least quasi-autobiographical, and I had read interviews with other comic writers about his influence on their work. This book sets out to give greater insight into a comics pioneer. The subtitle is "A Dreamer's Life in Comics" and most of the book focuses on his work, not only on the comics that bear his name, but also on armed services safety manuals and other commercial work. Eisner may have been a dreamer, but the book emphasizes his pragmatism; he was proud of his business acumen, and made sure that was part of what he passed on to the young comic artists he mentored. While other artists signed their work away, he made sure he understood every aspect of the business and how it pertained to his property. Unlike many of his generation, he worked all sides of the business.
The book has a couple of flaws. It includes some photos and art, but not nearly enough. It often describes comic panels in great detail rather than simply printing the panel, ironic given the time devoted to quotes such as this one, from Rodolphe Topffer: "The drawings without their text would have only vague meaning; the text, without the drawings, would have non meaning at all. The combination of the two makes a kind of novel."
I knew the breadth and scope of Eisner's work, but the other thing I had not previously realized was the extent to which he wanted to break new ground. I had somehow assumed that he was a pioneer because he was the first to do what he did; I didn't realize that he did it because he wanted to be a pioneer, if that makes sense. He worked until the last days of his life, striving and experimenting and breaking new ground.
In an interview about his favorite Spirit installment, "The Story of Gerhard Shnobble," Eisner said "The theme I was working with is that everyone, no matter how small they seem, has a moment of glory. I'm fascinated by the fact that the world has billions of people, each of whom does small things. And I'm convinced that small acts can have huge ramifications. I just can't get out of my mind the belief that our existence is part of a larger scheme." Schumacher does an excellent job of explaining how Eisner lived that philosophy as well as putting it to paper....more
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