Review by David Moldawer Attention all you Earth-crack junkies out there. J. C. Hutchins’s 7th Son podcast novel is well worth checking out. It’s a taut, tense scifi thriller that’s got me hooked after only a few episodes. Seven men are kidnapped by a shadowy organization and put in a room together, only to discover [...]
Review: Across The Nightingale Floor
December 18, 2004 By 2 Comments
Billed as “Asian Fantasy,” Across the Nightingale Floor is an epic tale of revenge, intrigue, and love unrequited. At least, that is what the book jacket says. The writing style could have ascended me to a higher plane of enlightenment, but its absent plot, vapid characters, and stilted dialog made me want to commit hari-kari.
As I’m working on a book of my own and promoting my latest release, finding time to read is precious. And, like many fans of SF/F/H, I’ve got a reading list that is longer than my right leg! It’s frustrating because there are books written by colleagues that I’d like to read so I could talk to them about their books and vouch for their work with a clear conscience. There are other books I want to read because they either come highly recommended or sound like something right up my alley. As I am into my anime, a lot of people were hardly surprised to find Across the Nightingale Floor on my “To Read” list. This is Book One of the Tales of Otori, penned by Lian Hearn. I was thrilled to see Asian Fantasy begin to make a showing, providing a delightful alternative to Celtic Fantasy. So anxiously I opened up Nightingale Floor and prepared myself to enter a world and a series that was described as an Asian Lord of the Rings.
After reading a description from our hero about how great it felt to take a piss, I knew I was in trouble. Had it been for comic relief or something along those lines, I think I would have been okay?but this was a “moment’s peace” for our hero, and only a dark omen for what was to come.
This epic Asian Fantasy centers around a young boy who loses his entire family in a Conan-esque raid on his village. Lord Iida, it seems, has major issues with this group of people called “The Hidden” and whenever these group of pacifists are found, they are wiped out. Why? Well, Lord Iida’s an evil Asian warlord, and as we who write Asian Fantasy all know?
First Rule of Evil Asian Warlords: Wipe out pacifists!
The boy gets in a few lucky shots and even manages to unhorse the mighty evil warlord.
Second Rule of Evil Asian Warlords: Don’t let a pacifist make you look stupid.
The boy’s about to be cut down, but a skilled swordmaster named Shigeru (a/k/a Lord Otori) saves the day. Lord Otori takes the young orphan-sole survivor, gives him the new name of Takeo, and pledges to turn him into a master swordsman as well.
This is how Across the Nightingale Floor begins, but after we get to know Takeo, the first person POV suffers a jarring switch to third person and we meet Kaede. She pretty and smart, but as she is Asian this means she has to be whiny, victimized, and helpless to resist becoming a pawn in a game bigger than her puny existence can fathom. Now why are we getting to know this girl? You’ll have to get ninety pages into the book to understand.
And how does Across the Nightingale Floor create a plot that can involve Kaede, Takeo, and Lord Otori. Well?you’ll have to get a few more pages into the book to figure that out?like about one hundred and fifty pages?
So, let me cover the good. When Across the Nightingale Floor is at its best, Lian Hearn paints breathtaking landscapes, atmospheres and settings. Her ability to worldbuild and set a stage blew me away. She was brilliant, in particular, where Takeo tests his skills as an assassin and serves as an ?angel of mercy.? Quite a powerful scene.
Now, the bad. All this beautiful scenery and few-and-far-between moments of inspiration are ruined the minute the characters opened their mouths. The dialog was so canned I half-expected an advertisement for ?La Choi Chinese Food? to appear in the back of the book. Even at the opening when Takeo is mute, I really wanted him to shut the hell up because the more he talked, the less I liked him. And if the dialogue wasn’t enough, the character development appeared to be straight out of bad kung-fu theatre. I was appalled at how the author toted ?her frequent stays in Japan? inspired the Tales of the Otori and yet presented fortune cookie-cutter cutouts that didn’t make it past the second callbacks for The Last Samurai. And as she had cardboard Asian stereotypes for her cast, Hearn tries to weave something resembling a plot around trite device after trite device. For example, we have Takeo who meets Kaede who is promised to Lord Otori in a marriage that will seal alliances. You think Takeo and Kaede will fall in love at first sight? You think? Later on, Takeo and his teacher, Kenji, are on their way to swordfight practice when they come up to Kaede and her servant, Shizuka, who are currently tearing it up in the dojo. Kenji, Takeo’s ?ise instructor, thinks it would be good fun for Kaede and Takeo to spar together. You think Takeo and Kaede are going to try and work out their sexual frustrations in this bout, only to cast a covert look of desire that everyone else notices? You think?!? Just take every over-the-top soap opera clich?ou can think of, slap a kimono on them, and you’ve got Across the Nightingale Floor, a story that redefines predictability.
And you know the “Cast of Thousands” that sometimes appear in books? Don’t bother with a scorecard or a program to keep track of who’s who. In Across the Nightingale Floor you meet:
- Shigeru
- Sadamu
- Shizuka
- Shirakawa
- Kenji
- Kaede
- Ichiro
- Chiyo
- Takeo
- Takeshi
- ?and so on and so on.
Good luck in trying to keep clans, people, and places straight because the author didn’t bother to vary the names all that much.
By now you might be wondering why I’m spewing out this bad review so passionately. Here’s the downright butt-ugly truth of this book: IT ISN’T FANTASY. I was looking for something?anything?that would make this book a Fantasy, and it just wasn’t there. Perhaps publishers, booksellers, and even the author believed this pretentious nonsense as Fantasy on account of The Tribe and The Hidden, two societies that have “enigmatic backgrounds.” Maybe they thought turning Takeo into a super assassin overnight (and I mean it?between a single page, Takeo goes from being Jackie Chan to Jet Li?) would add in an element of Superhero Fantasy, but if Across the Nightingale Floor is Fantasy, then The DaVinci Code is SciFi. So after I got over the initial shock that in Hearn’s Asian Fantasy there was no Fantasy, I continued to read it as if it were a Japanese fable. Didn’t help. If you want a better example of Asian Fantasy done as a Japanese fable, take a look at Sandman: The Dream Hunters by Neil Gaiman and Yoshitaka Amano. As far as Nightingale Floor is concerned, don’t let the hype fool you. The only thing “mythical” about it is the proportions it takes on how hackneyed it is.
Still, Lian Hearn has two more Tales of the Otori out on the bookshelves, Grass For His Pillow and Brilliance of the Moon, and I give her credit for conning her agent, publisher, and readers on asking for more. I was told by someone “It gets better in Book Two.” Funny, that’s exactly what I was promised after seeing Phantom Menace and Matrix: Reloaded.
Rating: 2 out of 5
Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn
Published by: Riverhead Books (Part of Penguin Putnam)
ISBN: 1573223328
Genre: Fantasy (HA!)
Author’s Webpage: www.theotori.com
Review: Thomas the Rhymer
December 5, 2004 By Leave a Comment
It is happening everywhere. Perfectly good movies and TV shows are being remade by Hollywood left and right. Stepford Wives, Starsky and Hutch, Around the World in Eighty Days, the Time Machine, Vanilla Sky, the Ring. Etc, etc. ad nauseum. I hear that Evil Dead is going to be remade. I weep.
Apparently, the big screen is not the only medium in which remakes are popular. There are many authors that have written successful versions of children’s stories and fairy tales. Gail Carson Levine wrote the popular children’s novel Ella Enchanted, a marvelous reinvention of Cinderella. Anne Rice wrote the popular oh-so-not-for-children’s novel The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty. Ellen Kushner brings us Thomas the Rhymer, winner of the World Fantasy Award.
The blessed difference between these novels and the flicker-shows is that the books are actually pretty damn good.
The Gist: The book is based on the ballad of Thomas the Rhymer, a traveling minstrel who is loved by the men of royalty for his music and song and by the women of royalty for his other talents.
Getting caught outside during particularly bleak weather, Thomas is taken in and befriended by a peasant couple, and falls madly in love with Elspeth.
One day, the Queen of Elfland comes upon our fair Thomas, who suddenly says, ?Elsie who?? and rides off to stay with the queen in her enchanted land for seven years, during which he is not allowed to speak.
Seven years later, after no speaking, some heroics, and a fair amount of sex, Thomas is sent back to earth with the gift of the tongue which cannot lie. The gift inflicts poor Thomas with the gift of foresight and the source material for Jim Carey movies.
Thomas and Elspeth marry and live happily ever after. That is, after Elspeth calms down a bit ?cuz the lout ditched her for seven years.
The Good: If you like romance, you’ll like this book. If you like romance mixed with magical surroundings, you’ll love this book. If romance is your thing, buy this book. The characters are sympathetic, the prose is poetic, even beautiful. You will not be wasting your time.
The Bad: If you want an engaging story, you won’t like this book. I have a feeling women will enjoy this book much more than men. It’s a romance, a mild one by romance-novel standards, but a very feel-good, magic in the air, a song in the heart kind of romance. And while the book is exquisitely written, left me flat most of the time, since that just isn’t my thing.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Thomas the Rhymer by Ellen Kushner
Published by: Spectra; June 1, 2004
ISBN: 0553586971
Genre: Romantic Fantasy
Author’s Webpage: www.ellenkushner.com
Review: National Treasure
November 23, 2004 By Leave a Comment
Ron Howard and Tom Hanks are gearing up to put Dan Brown’s bestselling thriller on film, but producer Jerry Bruckheimer apparently tries to beat them to the punch with National Treasure which plays like The DaVinci Code…on steroids.
RATING: 4 out of 5
If you haven’t read The DaVinci Code, let me give you a quick rundown. Symbologist Robert Langdon gets swept up in a bit of intrigue when a murder occurs at the Louvre Museum in Paris, and the DCPJ (The French equivalent to the FBI) believe Langdon is the murderer, fingered by the dead man himself. Langdon, alongside Cryptologist Sophie Neveu, begin following a series of clues left behind by DaVinci in paintings, puzzles, and landmarks that will lead to the Holy Grail. Cool, huh? The DaVinci Code has become the hottest title to hit the bookstores since Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It has become so popular of a book that people are now publishing books about Code, delving into more detail over The Knights Templar, the Priory of Scion, the Virgin Mary, and DaVinci. Its reputation has reached such a fervor that there is a contingent of people (I discovered at GalaxyCon 2) who believe Code is non-fiction;(And folks?it’s fiction!) and Ron Howard is turning it into a film with Tom Hanks will be in the lead role.
Now producer Jerry Bruckheimer must have read Code and asked himself ?How can I dumb this down and make a kick ass action movie out of this?? And after a few lattes, Bruckheimer probably said “First, don’t set it in France. Set it in the United States. And instead of the DCPJ, the French equivalent to the FBI, just make it the FBI. Allright, instead of making the hero a ‘Symbologist’, how about we just make him a treasure hunter? That’ll work. And instead of the Holy Grail, let’s just make it a big-ass treasure that our Founding Fathers hid. And as for the clues?hmmm?instead of DaVinci paintings?oh-oh-oh, we put a treasure map on the back of The Declaration of Independence! Okay, let’s throw in a hot blonde, and we’ll make her ?mart. Add a wacky sidekick who’s a wiz with computers, an evil Richard Branson, and The Free Masons. We need a secret society to hold everything responsible for, so we can always count on The Masons.”
“And since I’m Jerry Bruckheimer, I’m gonna blow stuff up!”
This is National Treasure, the first knock-off of The DaVinci Code released before the original is even releasing teasers!
Ben Gates is a self-proclaimed ?treasure protector?, part of a family entrusted with safeguarding a secret that has cost the family their reputation in academic circles and their relationships with one another. The secret is a massive mother lode of a treasure amassed since Egyptian conquests, discovered by the Knights Templar, brought over with Christopher Columbus, and then hidden by Geroge Washington and his pals in the Free Masons. This treasure is now considered a historian’s equivalent to an urban legend, but Gates finds a true believer in rebel millionaire Ian Howe. A clue leads Gates and Howe to believe the real key to finding the treasure lies in the Declaration of Independence. Howe suggests they ?borrow? it. Gates doesn’t think stealing the Declaration is such a good idea. That’s when Howe becomes ?bad guy with a bankroll? and tries to double-cross Gates. Instead, Gates and his super-smart techno-geek Riley Poole narrowly escape Howe’s trap, and set out to protect the Declaration of Independence by stealing it themselves.
So begins this ?Amazing Race??and I enjoyed it every step of the way.
When I saw the trailer for National Treasure, I knew this would be Bruckheimer’s own slant on The DaVinci Code, and if you go into this flick with that mentality you won’t be disappointed. If you have read The DaVinci Code you might roll your eyes at some of the similarities but can appreciate this variation on a theme. If you haven’t read Code you will still have a fun ride! When Nicolas Cage makes an action film with Bruckheimer, many times the end result is solid. Maybe not hard-hitting, Oscar-caliber acting and writing, but definite prop-your-feet-up, turn-your-brain-off, and enjoy-the-popcorn entertainment. National Treasure is right alongside those really cool action flicks like The Rock and Gone in Sixty Seconds where you just sit back and enjoy. The clues leading our heroes (and villains) along this colonial scavenger hunt are fun to noodle through, and the performances from Nicolas Cage, Sean Bean, and John Voight help you suspend belief for two hours.
My hang-up’s with the film aren’t with its far-fetched devices, ?historical inaccuracies? (Come on, folks, lighten up! If you nit-pick this flick on that angle, I guess you should also know the Nazis didn’t go after the Lost Ark or the Holy Grail, and Eliot Ness did not face off with Al Capone after bringing him down for tax evasion!), or for the blatant Code rip-off’s. The writing in National Treasure was extremely sharp and clever?for the most part. I was a little annoyed at the canned dialogue coming from Justin Bartha, playing the goofy, quirky sidekick. At times, he made me laugh, but most of the time I cringed whenever he opened his mouth, especially when he said something that was supposed to be ?hip and cool?. There was also a romance thrown in for kicks. Hey, brainy blonde (played by Diane Kruger, who looks a lot hotter in this movie than when she played Helen in Troy?) matching wits with swashbuckling treasure hunter?what are you going to do? Still, the romance comes across contrived in comparison to the clues left behind for Kruger and Cage.
Despite its flaws, National Treasure was a two-hour trip that I would not mind taking again. This obvious DaVinci Code-inspired adventure has all the Bruckheimer touches?slow motion moments of suspense, explosions, and high-tech toys that I could only wish would find their way into my Christmas stocking?and doesn’t take itself too seriously. Provided you accept this movie will not receive an endorsement from the History Channel and just roll with it, you’ll walk away thoroughly entertained.
Review: Ella Enchanted – The Movie
September 30, 2004 By Leave a Comment
Have you read the Ella Enchanted book review yet? If not, you can check it out here.
Some movies I find quite easy to review. Star Wars Episode IV, A New Hope is a great movie. Star Wars Episode I, The Phantom Menace, not so much.
There is one type of movie that I believe defies reviews, and that is the goofy comedy. I honestly believe that these are movies that you either like or don’t, and to hell with logic. Gene Siskel once said that there are two things that you cannot explain: what is funny, and what is sexy. I couldn’t agree more.
The movie Ella Enchanted is a movie that will have you either giggling or rolling your eyes constantly. To give you an idea of what you’re in for watching this movie, follow this recipe:
1. Take Gail Carson Levine’s novel.
2. Add some ’70s and ’80s rock and roll.
3. Add all the historical accuracy and high brow humor of A Knight’s Tale.
4. Shake vigorously. Pour into a tall glass.
5. Garnish with Anne Hathaway’s inhumanly beautiful smile.
6. Serve cold. Drink it with your tongue firmly planted in cheek.
Ella’s fairy godmother, Lucinda, gives Ella the gift of obedience. Anything anyone commands her to do, she must do. In a little twist from the book, the movie Ella must literally do what she is told. (For example, in the movie Ella is told to “hop to it,” and she actually starts jumping up and down. In the book, if Ella were told to “hop to it,” she’d simply start her assigned task right away, since that’s what the person commanding her obviously meant.)
Ella’s father, a widower in desperate need of money to keep up the household, marries Madame Olga, and Olga’s daughters Hattie and Olive become Ella’s stepsisters. Hattie (the evil one) discovers her secret and becomes so cruel to Ella that she finally leaves home to find Lucinda and break her curse. And from this point, the movie differs significantly from the book. (In fact, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say the movie is merely “inspired by” Levine’s book. I mean, the characters’ names are the same, for the most part, but that’s about it.)
While going through the woods, she comes across an elf named Hermey Slannen, who feels oppressed, and doesn’t want to make toys in Santa’s workshop sing and dance for the amusement of humans, he wants to be a dentist lawyer. Go ahead, read that sentence again, I’ll wait.
(Hitting “Fast Forward” button)
Rudolph and Hermey are nearly eaten by the abominable snowman. Ella and Slannen and nearly eaten by ogres.
The Handsome Prince saves them and escorts them to the Island of Misfit Toys Giantville.
Along the way, Ella and the Handsome Prince fall in love. (Whatever.)
The Handsome Prince’s evil Uncle Edgar uses Ella in an evil plot.
The evil plot is foiled. (Yay!)
(Hitting “Play” and returning to normal speed.)
Ella and the Handsome Prince live happily ever after. No fancy ball, no glass slippers, no pumpkin coaches.
The Good: Like I said, this is an intentionally silly movie, so depending on who you are, you’re going to put the humor in The Good, The Bad, or The Ugly category yourself. Me, I only laughed out loud a few times during the flick, but I was grinning stupidly throughout pretty much the whole thing, so it won me over.
And, like most good, goofy movies, it will shock you with some pretty strong poignant moments. Early in the movie, Ella, at Hattie’s command, says unbelievably cruel things to her best friend, Areida. I couldn’t believe how great the scene was, making me all glassy-eyed and all. A later scene in the “Hall of Mirrors” had me almost peeing my pants with anticipation. Very well done stuff.
And what was the best thing about this movie? Being able to watch Anne Hathaway for an hour and a half. Jesus, Mary, mother of God.
The Bad: If you were watching this movie in 1950, when you got to the scene in Giantville, and you saw little Ella, little Slannen, and little Handsom Prince, walking and talking with giants hundreds of feet tall, you’d think “Wow! What great special effects!” Watching it in the Two Thousand and Oughts, you’d think “Wow! What great special effects… if this was 1950!” Pretty much all of the Giantville sequence is done in front of a blue screen, and it really shows. But you know what, I don’t really care. Not everything can be Lord of the Rings, and I think it’s unfair to compare the effects in this little kid’s movie to the big blockbusters, as I’ve read in some reviews. I found the low-tech effects kind of quaint, actually, and they don’t hurt the movie in my arrogant opinion.
The Ugly: It’s a small thing really, but who the hell holds a mandolin up to his or her chin and bows it like a violin? Apparently several people in the land of Frell.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Ella Enchanted
Studio: Miramax; August 24, 2004
Genre: Fantasy
Official Webpage: Miramax’s Ella Enchanted Page
Review: Ella Enchanted – The Book
September 29, 2004 By 2 Comments
The DVD for Ella Enchanted has just come out recently, so I decided to go for a 2-4-1 deal. With my book review, you also get a brand new, one of a kind movie review at no extra charge! (Only at participating stores. Check local store for details. Offer does not include state and local taxes. Void where prohibited.)
The Gist: On the day that Ella was born, her kind-hearted but certifiable fairy godmother, Lucinda, bestowed on the child the gift of obedience. Whatever command anybody gave her, she had to follow.
Ella’s mother and their maid, Mandy, raise the little girl and protect her secret, until Ella’s mother falls ill and dies of an infection. Ella’s father, a merchant she barely knows, returns for the funeral, and finds himself appalled at how Ella has turned out. Her father sends her off to finishing school with Hattie (the Cruel) and Olive (the Dense), the daughters of Madame Olga. Hattie quickly discovers Ella’s secret, and takes full advantage, making Ella her lady in waiting.
Hattie makes Ella’s life so miserable, she runs away from the finishing school and…
(Hitting the fast forward button.)
Finds Lucinda, who refuses to lift the curse.
Ends up back at home, with Olga as her evil stepmother, and the girls as her evil stepsisters.
Ella becomes a servant, cleaning out the chimneys. Get it? She’s Cinder-Ella.
The handsome prince.
Pumpkin coach, mice turned to horses.
The ball.
The glass slipper.
Need I go on?
(Releasing the fast forward. Resuming normal speed.)
Ella and prince live happily ever after.
The Good: It is always a dangerous thing to take a story everybody knows, and then retell it, because you can either end up with Lord of the Rings, or you can end up with Troy. I think Gail Carson Levine has the right idea on how to revisit a classic story well. She found an angle, one little twist that put the story in a new light, while remaining faithful to the story itself. Instead of writing a “Cinderella story,” Levine wrote Cinderella, with one small but significant change, the addition of the curse.
Not only that, but the author took great care to weave the story in such a way that the various elements of the story make sense. There’s a reason why the stepmother and stepsisters are so cruel to Cinderella. There’s a reason why the glass slipper can only fit her foot. Everything fits in place by the end of the book, without if feeling forced.
The Bad: I have to be a bit careful here. As with all readers, there are literary techniques I like and dislike, and I have to remind myself that this book is written for 10 year old girls, and not 30 year old men (Hear that? I think my name just got dropped into a special FBI file).
Of course I would have liked the story more if it were written at a more sophisticated level: more in depth description, more scenes and less exposition, etc. For example, the book ends with an epilogue in which Ella just tells the readers what happens to everybody in the end. As far as I’m concerned, that’s a kiss of death in adult literature. I just made myself get over it. Since I took the intended audience into account while I read the story, criticisms like that didn’t bother me as much as they normally would have.
The Ugly: Tell me the truth, you skip down to this part first, don’t ya? Sorry, nothing ugly in this kiddy tale.
And now, the review of Ella Enchanted – The Movie
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Published by: HarperTrophy (Reprint edition); August 30, 1998
ISBN: 0064407055
Genre: Children’s Fantasy
Author’s Webpage: Harper Collin’s Author Page
Review: Bride of the Fat White Vampire
August 16, 2004 By Leave a Comment
God, I love the sci-fi-fantasy-horror-magicrealism-pagan-mystic genres, cause every once in a while you come across a book like Bride of the Fat White Vampire, by Andrew Fox. Funny, clever, and highly entertaining. Jules Duchon, our hero, was once a 450 pound pale white cab-driving vampire. Now he is a collection of 187 pale white rats [...]
Review: Chronicles of Riddick
June 13, 2004 By Leave a Comment
Didja have high hopes for this movie? You did if you were a fan of Vin’s earlier portrayal in Pitch Black. Unfortunately, this installment comes up short– way short.
Evo’s too lazy to type out a review, though you can listen to the review of The Chronicles of Riddick if you like!
http://www.asimplerway.com/tdp/reviews/Riddick.m3u
Review: Far-Seer
May 18, 2004 By Leave a Comment
In the ancient battle between science and religion over how the universe works, I can’t understand why religion hasn’t just thrown in the towel already. If I were a boxer (well, ok, let’s be honest here – a sumo wrestler) and I got my ass kicked every single match, it wouldn’t take long for me to get the hint.
The earth is flat – wait, no, it’s a sphere. The earth rests on the shoulders of Atlas (or on the back of an elephant, or on pillars.) No, actually, it rests on nothing. The stars do not travel across the firmament. The sun does not move around the earth. We are not at the center of the universe.
If this war waging were contained within the halls of academia, perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad. But of course it hasn’t been. Human history is littered with stories of people who have suffered and died in their attempts to end our ignorance.
Robert J. Sawyer’s Far-Seer tells the story of Afsan, an apprentice astrologer who takes his first pilgrimage: a long and dangerous ocean voyage to find the face of god. Hungry and thirsty for knowledge, Afsan is blessed on this voyage. The ship’s captain owns a far-seer; a new invention made of lenses and tubes that enables its user to see far off objects in great detail.
The night the captain loans him this wondrous device, he points it towards the planet Kevpel, looks into the eyepiece, and twists a knob on the side of the instrument to bring the little speck into focus.
And what he sees changes the world forever.
The Good: It is staggering for me to think that one person can discover a truth that, once revealed, transforms the way the entire world sees itself. In our world, we had Galileo. We had Einstein. In the world of Far-Seer, there is Afsan.
Afsan is a hero in an unconventional sense. He’s not a great warrior, or soldier, or leader. He sits by himself, looks at the stars, makes his calculations, studies his charts, and then decides to fight the ignorance and superstition of his entire race. And he stays the course, even when the ignorant and the superstitious fight back.
There should be more stories of these kinds of heroes.
That’s not to say this is a boring read. Far from it. There are dangerous hunts, rites of passage, a wicked battle with a sea monster, a riot or two, and a little sex thrown in to boot. It’s fun for the whole family.
Oh, and one little detail I forgot to mention. Afsan is a dinosaur. The whole book is about talking dinosaurs. And that means the boot throwing sex is dinosaur boot throwing sex, which is worth the price of the book right there.
The Bad: The only quibble I have with the book is that once Afsan realizes that the face of god is not what everybody thinks it is, he goes through his crisis of faith pretty damn fast. He goes from “I have seen the face of god!” to “There is no God!” within the course of a single night. While I know a person’s faith can be shaken in a day, I find it hard to buy that his or her entire belief system can turn 180 degrees in the course of one night. I’m sure it’s happened before, but Afsan’s change from “believer” to “skeptic” seemed rushed to me. To be honest, that’s really more of a nit-pick than an actual complaint, but it bugged me some.
The Ugly: No ugly here. I’m feeling nothing but love for this book.
So once again, I’m pleased to recommend a work by one of my favorite authors. And I’m not ashamed to tell you that every once in a while, as I’m dancing skyclad under the light of the full moon, I look up to that great ball of green cheese and thank Sirius the Dog God that I came across Robert J. Sawyer’s books. I haven’t been let down yet.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Far-Seer by Robert J. Sawyer
Published by: Tor; May 1, 2004
ISBN: 0765309742
Genre: Science Fiction
Author’s Webpage: www.sfwriter.com
Audio Review
http://www.asimplerway.com/tdp/reviews/Far-Seer.m3u
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