Book Review: The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman

 

The Ocean at the End of the Lane
Neil Gaiman

The Ocean at the End of the Lane is vintage Gaiman, and is not unlike his film Coraline - a solitary, lonely child accidentally becoming the center of a conflict between good and evil; real and the unreal; the Facts and the Truth.

A middle-aged man returns for the first time to his childhood village in Sussex, England, to attend a family funeral.  As he strolls through the physical remains of his childhood, he remembers an old farmhouse at the end of the lane, and a very old friend long since moved to Australia, across the ocean.

As he finds himself on the front porch of his old home, the shadows that move within the house awaken a memory that unfolds like a trail of breadcrumbs, leading him to remember a time when he stumbled into a place where boundaries between real and other are thin, when three harmless-seeming women guarded him against monsters both human and other, and, in the process, brought him to an understanding about the universe so profound that his mind forgets it all - every time he leaves.

Gaiman has proven himself to be the master of the modern faery tale in earlier works, and The Ocean at the End of the Lane is no exception. He is plainly familiar with esoteric tradition, and incorporates everything from Greek to Norse mythology; from Celtic fae lore to Lovecraftian monstrosities. And more importantly, he uses them well, in context and with great respect.

If I have any criticism, it’s simply that Gaiman tends to tell the same story over and over again; but he does it well, and with great creativity and depth. If you liked Coraline, or Sandman, or Good Omens, you’ll enjoy The Ocean at the End of the Lane.

Book Review: The Birth House - Ami McKay

The Birth House

Ami McKay

The Birth House is set in the turn of the 20^th century in Nova Scotia; and midwifery is central to the book’s theme and plot. Dora Rare is a rare daughter in a family line famous for its proliferation of sons, who, in befriending an ostracized older woman, learns the art of midwifery at a time when standardized medical practice arrives in the rural areas of the province.

This book gave me serious deja-vu. It is reminiscent of The Secret Life of Bees, The Cure for Death by Lightening, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café, and so many others. Although the details are different, the plot seems the same:  a socially awkward girl befriends a local outcast; learns about herself in addition to practical skills; becomes the focal point in the battle between tradition and change; male and female; society and the individual.  Against all odds, the protagonist manages to overcome numerous challenges, while building a network of sympathetic female friends, gaining the reward of independence and the respect of her community. The End.

Despite this, I still enjoyed The Birth House. It is well-written, if not entirely original, and the depiction of Nova Scotia makes me very much want to go there.  The characters are somewhat two-dimensional, and the plot is relatively predictable; but if you’re looking for a light, comfortable read that you can discuss with friends over a glass of wine, this is a great choice.

Book Review: World War Z - Max Brooks

 

World War Z

Max Brooks

The introduction by the narrator explains that he is a former UN Investigator and was responsible for compiling an official report on the Zombie War. He goes on to explain that he felt the official report did not accurately reflect the true impact of the War as it focused only on cold, factual data; and so he decided to  write a “Personal History”, collecting and sharing the “human” experience from individuals from all walks of life from all over the globe.

The book is loosely organized into pre, during, and post Zombie periods, and jumps from place to place. There are far too many stories to share in one review, so I’m going to focus on my personal favourites:

Manitoba, Canada:

Zombies have no internal heating mechanisms  and so freeze into immobility in sub-zero temperatures. As a result, middle class families fled the Zombie menace in a mass exodus to the Northern expanses of Canada, escaping the horror of the undead without considering the horrors they fled towards.  A survivor recounts how badly these average families fared: people brought Sponge-Bob sleeping bags and DVDs instead of axes and water; they crammed  into their cars and minivans only to abandon them when the gas inevitably ran out, or the roads made impassible by other abandoned vehicles, leaving families stranded in a frozen wilderness with picnic lunches and useless electronics.  11 million North Americans escaped the Zombies, but not starvation, madness, and cannibalism. And then, in Spring, the zombies begin to thaw…

Kyoto, Japan

A spoiled, utterly pampered young man in Japan is obsessed with the Zombies from the very first; and becomes an expert on how to survive them. The only problem? He is an “Otaku”, living his entire life online, and has forgotten the physical world . So he is completely caught off guard when, one morning, he discovers that his mother has not left him breakfast outside his bedroom door as she always does.  She doesn’t bring his lunch or his dinner, either. It never occurs to him to look for his parents, and instead struggles along for days on raw, uncooked ramen and tap water. Only when the entire internet has gone “dark” does he finally broach the outside world, where his intelligence and ingenuity allow him to survive long enough to discover an ancient, priceless treasure… and thus is born a new kind of Samurai…

Quebec, Canada

This ultra-creepy story is narrated by a former Parisian soldier, who belonged to a battalion charged with cleaning up the catacombs of Paris. He emerges so traumatized he moves to Quebec and never steps on French soil again. If you like to have nightmares, this is the story for you.

 Sydney, Australia

What about the crews on the Space Stations? Abandoned, adrift, and completely unable to help or hinder, a few brave astronauts struggle to survive long enough… for what?

 Pyongyang, North Korea

How does the most secretive and state-controlled country handle a Zombie apocalypse? (Interestingly, it is a completely different story than what the film portrayed.  In this one case, I found the movie surpassed the book – but no spoilers!)

 

Ultimately, World War Z is far less about Zombies than it is about humans. To quote a friend, we’re only five missed meals away from complete social anarchy. This book is an exhilarating reminder of how foolish, deluded, and selfish we are; as well as brave, adaptable, and generous. It is extremely well written, utterly captivating and completely terrifying – the perfect Halloween read.

Book Review: Good Omens - Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Good Omens

Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman

 

Good Omens is what happens when you cross Disney’s The Parent Trap with Rosemary’s Baby.

A comic mix-up by the black nuns at the birth of the Anti-Christ threatens to derail the prophesied Apocalypse, throwing the best laid plans of Heaven and Hell into turmoil.  As a result, the Anti-Christ is growing up in small, generic England as a regular little boy with a gang of four friends, a (very confused) Hell-Hound, and A Certain Charisma. Heaven and Hell are now racing to find Him and get Him back on track to bring about the end of the world; they’ve been preparing for this War for quite some time now and aren’t accepting any excuses.

As a result two unlikely beings, a demon named Crawley (“who did not so much Fall as Saunter Vaguely Downwards”) and an angel named Aziraphale (part-time rare book dealer), are subsequently forced to work together.

However, they’ve grown to enjoy the status quo. After having spent millennia representing Heaven and Hell, Crawley and Aziraphale have learned that sometimes that the agents on the ground often have more in common with each other than the “people” they work for. They’ve also grown accustomed to their earthly pleasures like Queen and little coffee machines and digital watches and really cool cars.

Therefore Crawley and Aziraphale want to prevent the coming Apocalypse -- while giving their Superiors Above and Below the impression that they are Hell-bent on making it happen.

Good Omens is a collaborative story by two of fantasy’s towering personalities. Terry Pratchett is the genius mind behind the enormously successful (and beautifully ridiculous) fantasy satire series Discworld; and Neil Gaiman is the dark and dry creator of such hallowed works as The Sandman graphic novels.  Together they create a hilarious story with serious undertones that can appeal to all age groups – I recommend it.

Book Review: Patriot Games - Tom Clancy

Patriot Games

Tom Clancy

Tom Clancy, the Stephen King of military thrillers, passed away recently.

In honour of his vast influence in modern entertainment – he is famous for his extensive series of novels and their adapted films (The Hunt for Red October, Clear and Present Danger, etc.), and his lines of extremely popular military-focused video games (Rainbow Six, Splinter Cell, etc.) - I’m reviewing Patriot Games, my very first introduction to the author's works.

Patriot Games is Clancy’s second published book, and chronologically, the first book in the Jack Ryan series.  Ryan is 31, a naval historian and, quietly, an advisor to the CIA.  It is only by complete coincidence that he is in London, at just the right time and just the right place, to single-handedly foil a kidnapping attempt on the Prince and Princess of Wales and their new baby by a dastardly offshoot of the IRA.

Cue the patriotic fanfare at the expense of the British and some hilariously cringe-worthy dialogue as Ryan tries to “man-up” a discouraged Prince of Wales:

“You’re not some dumb kid, sir. You’re a trained pro. Start acting like one”.

Historically, Irish-Americans have long filled the coffers of Irish terrorists under the mistaken guise of patriotism, manipulated by the lure of jingoistic slogans and images of green hills, oppressed farmers, and St. Paddy's Day. Subsequently, Irish terrorists never act on American soil for fear of drying up the financial well.

However, Ryan, an Irish-American himself, becomes such a great thorn in the side of a vicious, rampaging Irish terrorist that the villain decides to do the unthinkable and decide to commit an act of terror in the United States! When the junior Royals, on an American tour months after the kidnapping attempt, decide to drop in on Jack and his family for a cozy dinner, they provide a perfect opportunity for the Irish rogues to strike a blow for the Cause and destroy Ryan at the same time.

The climax occurs on that storm-tossed night in his cliff-side mansion on Peregrine Bay with Ryan battling gun-toting terrorists with nothing but his wits and their Royal Highnesses (originally Chuck & Di, but Will & Kate can be inserted instead for equally amusing imagery).

Patriot Games is partially captivating because it captures the final years in what historians will call the Golden Age of American history. It is 1987 – the best personal computer has two megabytes of memory, the internet does not exist, terrorists use guns and cars, and the United States is still the undisputed dispenser of righteousness and authority. The book is also a cautionary tale about the dangers of blind nationalism and patriotism of all stripes, and an unintentional satire of traditional American patriotism, a eulogy for a global superpower. 

It also makes a good beach read. J

Book Review: The Culture Series - Iain M. Banks

The Culture Series

Iain M. Banks

Iain M. Banks’s Culture series is the high-brow space-opera for Science Fiction buffs.

“Culture” refers to the name of the pan-galactic civilization that features as the crux of the entire series. It is impossible to quantify, or even describe accurately, as its citizens span the known universe.  There is no central government, so at best the Culture can be described as a noble-minded interstellar anarchist utopia.

Anarchic government aside, Culture is much like Star Trek’s The Federation, only more so:  it is made up of every conceivable type of sentient life form, from humanoid to cumulous (cloud-based); individuals live for hundreds of years; there is no illness, no old age, and no money. Gender is a choice and changeable at will; even physical form is malleable. Do you want to be a butterfly? A mist? A whale? No problem.

Many of its most powerful and influential citizens are non-organic, incredibly advanced Artificial Intelligences known as Minds, who power and putter and plot around the universe as massive ships. The Minds are individuals and are recognized as “people” with all the quirks and personality that come with self-awareness.  One of my favorite elements of the series is the irreverent names they choose for themselves:  Refreshingly Unconcerned With the Vulgar Exigencies of Veracity,  I Blame the Parents, and so on.

Interestingly, Culture’s culture is just the backdrop of the series, the stage upon which each story plays out.  The majority of the books take place outside of Culture’s core, and some of the main characters are adversaries.  All the books are entirely unique and can stand-alone, and there is no real need to read them in sequence.

Sadly, Iain Banks died this year, with only ten Culture titles completed. Wikipedia offers a decent synopsis of each book here.  

I’ve read only seven at this point; I intend to devour the rest as soon as possible.  So far, each book has been excellent, entertaining and though-provoking.  I can recommend The Player of Games, Inversions, and Matter as particularly good, but do strongly suggest that new readers begin with Consider Phlebas, the first in the series, as a way of testing the water to see if the series appeals to you.

Book Review: The Water Rat of Wanchai - Ian Hamilton

 

 

The Water Rat of Wanchai (2011)
Ian Hamilton

The Water Rat of Wanchai is the first book in Ian Hamilton’s Ava Lee series, currently at 6.5 titles and counting. The Water Rat introduces the protagonist, a butt-kicking 115 lb. Chinese-Canadian accountant who lives in Yorkville named Ava Lee.

Ava Lee is quite the accomplished lady: a Havergal graduate; the master of a rare and secretive martial art (bak mei); a forensic accountant; and of course, drop-dead gorgeous. Ava works in tandem with “Uncle”, a non-relative based out of Hong Kong with whom she has a fond and respectful relationship. They track down missing money for their clients all over the world for a lucrative thirty percent commission. Ava has been very successful – when we meet her, she lives in a million dollar condo, travels only high end, and exhibits a terrible addiction to labels.

The Water Rat has Ava working to trace and recover $5 million dollars from a shrimp deal gone bad; the client is related to Uncle through ties thicker than blood, and therefore there is great pressure to succeed. Ava travels solo from Hong-Kong to Thailand to Trinidad, seeking out, interrogating, and when necessary, beating the snot out of a number of repulsive characters. The trail leads her to Guyana, where Ava is forced to work with a charismatic tyrant, Captain Robbins, the unofficial but extremely powerful ruler of this impoverished country. She locates her prey, Jackson Seto, and essentially kidnaps him in order to secure the $5 million and send it back to her client.

Ava Lee thinks she has the case sewn up, until her attempt to renege on a deal with the greedy and unscrupulous Robbins results in her being held hostage, along with her hostage, in the British Virgin Islands under the intimidating watch of Robbins’s massively over-muscled brother (dubbed “Mr. Clean” by Ava). I won’t spoil the ending, but rest assured that between her brains and bak mei she survives to continue her accountancy adventures for at least another 5 titles.

My two cents:

• Ava Lee is easy to admire yet hard to like; she is smart, tough, and fearless – but also cold, materialistic, and humourless.
• Despite the book’s superficial feminist slant, there is a curious undertone of the opposite: everyone Ava deals with is male, with the exception of her mother (not exactly a deep soul), a sister (barely mentioned), and the unfortunate girlfriend of her target, Jackson Seto. Ava Lee’s panties feature frequently, as do her many showers and massages; and her critical distaste for heavy and/or middle-aged women (Ava is gay) is weird as she never seems to encounter a woman she does find attractive.
• The relentless high-end product-placement every couple of pages makes me wonder if Hamilton has some kind of deal – or perhaps hopes for some comps.
• Judging from Hamilton’s website, he has created a character that has very little in common with him: Ian Hamilton is not Chinese, not female, and not gay. According to iMIS, he’s not an accountant, either.  All of which leads me to think that Mr. Hamilton must be a very brave man.
• I have to disagree with the comparison of Ava to the heroine of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium series. The author’s website states that Ava is “…the smartest, most stylish heroine in crime fiction since Lisbeth Salandar”. Aside from being extremely independent, the two are nothing alike. Lisbeth comes from the school of hard knocks; Ava Lee comes from the school of privilege.  Lisbeth is a vigilante seeking justice; Ava thinks in terms of profit and good business practice. Lisbeth is not “stylish”, and she is not obsessed with stuff.  Just sayin’.

However, despite my list of grievances above, The Water Rat of Wanchai achieves its true purpose: it is fun to read, and I would confidently recommend it to anyone seeking to be entertained. I will be reading the rest of the series.