Matt
I think it’s important for people to read books that are explicitly about experiences that they can not and will not have in their lives. It’s a great way to expand one’s horizons and I find that the process makes people more enlightened. This idea is what drew me to Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami. The vast majority of Japanese books that I’ve read have been written by men and for men, with the women in these books either being nonexistent or totally unrealistic. Breasts and Eggs is the opposite of that. It is written by a woman for women with the majority of the characters being women and the entire focus of the book being on womens’ issues. That makes it a book that is very important for me as a man to read but one that I am unsure of how to review. Because I question what right I have to critique it. What I will do is lay out the facts of how I feel about this book in as matter-of-fact a way as I can possibly get.
I love it. I love pretty much everything about it. I love how it’s structured. I love how it’s narrated. I love the nuances of the characters. I love the questions it brings up. I love how some of those questions aren’t totally answered. I love the big emotional scenes. I love the more subtle parts. It’s a book that I feel is totally successful in what it is trying to do, which is about the highest praise I can give any novel. And those are the facts.
I think it’s important for people to read books that are explicitly about experiences that they can not and will not have in their lives. It’s a great way to expand one’s horizons and I find that the process makes people more enlightened. This idea is what drew me to Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami. The vast majority of Japanese books that I’ve read have been written by men and for men, with the women in these books either being nonexistent or totally unrealistic. Breasts and Eggs is the opposite of that. It is written by a woman for women with the majority of the characters being women and the entire focus of the book being on womens’ issues. That makes it a book that is very important for me as a man to read but one that I am unsure of how to review. Because I question what right I have to critique it. What I will do is lay out the facts of how I feel about this book in as matter-of-fact a way as I can possibly get.
I love it. I love pretty much everything about it. I love how it’s structured. I love how it’s narrated. I love the nuances of the characters. I love the questions it brings up. I love how some of those questions aren’t totally answered. I love the big emotional scenes. I love the more subtle parts. It’s a book that I feel is totally successful in what it is trying to do, which is about the highest praise I can give any novel. And those are the facts.
A lot of fantasy books are written with tons of ambition. It’s a genre that very much lends itself to it, as there aren’t really any limits within the genre itself. The only barriers are created by the author themselves. However i do think that some authors would be served well by tempering their ambitions, and Lynch is one of them. With that said I enjoyed most of my experience reading The Lies of Locke Lamora. It has a fun premise, the main characters have a lot of charm and the basic narrative is very satisfying to follow up until the final act. I think this book is a ton of fun when it’s only focusing on the adventures of Locke and the rest of the Gentlemen Bastards. Where this book loses me is when it tries to expand its scope. One minute you’re reading about Locke coming up with a scheme, the next you’re reading about the economic system of the entire city. One moment you’re reading a cool action sequence, the next you’re reading about some random diplomatic relationships. It takes a very skilled writer to blend the micro with the macro and unfortunately I just don’t think Lynch is quite at that level. I don’t want to come across as too harsh on Lynch as I do like a lot of the ideas he has here and I think the core story of this book is a really good one. But not every fantasy book needs multiple countries, nor does it need to be over 700 pages. A version of this book that trims down some of the excess worldbuilding would probably land around 500 pages and I would be singing its praises. Alas, I am not reviewing that version, I am reviewing this one and this one is a flawed book with some great sections.
A lot of fantasy books are written with tons of ambition. It’s a genre that very much lends itself to it, as there aren’t really any limits within the genre itself. The only barriers are created by the author themselves. However i do think that some authors would be served well by tempering their ambitions, and Lynch is one of them. With that said I enjoyed most of my experience reading The Lies of Locke Lamora. It has a fun premise, the main characters have a lot of charm and the basic narrative is very satisfying to follow up until the final act. I think this book is a ton of fun when it’s only focusing on the adventures of Locke and the rest of the Gentlemen Bastards. Where this book loses me is when it tries to expand its scope. One minute you’re reading about Locke coming up with a scheme, the next you’re reading about the economic system of the entire city. One moment you’re reading a cool action sequence, the next you’re reading about some random diplomatic relationships. It takes a very skilled writer to blend the micro with the macro and unfortunately I just don’t think Lynch is quite at that level. I don’t want to come across as too harsh on Lynch as I do like a lot of the ideas he has here and I think the core story of this book is a really good one. But not every fantasy book needs multiple countries, nor does it need to be over 700 pages. A version of this book that trims down some of the excess worldbuilding would probably land around 500 pages and I would be singing its praises. Alas, I am not reviewing that version, I am reviewing this one and this one is a flawed book with some great sections.
I… feel very confused by this book. Other than H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine, I am not all that well-versed in old sci-fi. However I figured that I would be equipped to tackle this book as I am a long-time sci-fi fan. After reading it I have to come to the conclusion that I wasn’t as this book was straight-up too vague for me. Ubik feels like a book that uses its plot to ask grandiose questions without really giving a strong answer to any of them. I think this can be done well but between the writing and the odd characters and things never making sense I never felt like I had a good enough grasp on the situation at hand to think about the questions the book ponders. It throws you from one mystery to the next, giving you no time to ground yourself before another surprise shows up. And yet in spite of all of that I can’t say this book didn’t entertain me. It’s a weird ride that left me firmly befuddled but a ride I ultimately enjoyed.
I… feel very confused by this book. Other than H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine, I am not all that well-versed in old sci-fi. However I figured that I would be equipped to tackle this book as I am a long-time sci-fi fan. After reading it I have to come to the conclusion that I wasn’t as this book was straight-up too vague for me. Ubik feels like a book that uses its plot to ask grandiose questions without really giving a strong answer to any of them. I think this can be done well but between the writing and the odd characters and things never making sense I never felt like I had a good enough grasp on the situation at hand to think about the questions the book ponders. It throws you from one mystery to the next, giving you no time to ground yourself before another surprise shows up. And yet in spite of all of that I can’t say this book didn’t entertain me. It’s a weird ride that left me firmly befuddled but a ride I ultimately enjoyed.
I find Transcendent Kingdom to be a really difficult novel to talk about succinctly. I feel like saying a few sentences about it doesn’t quite do it justice. It’s one of those books that is far better read than discussed. Part of this is due to its length. At just 246 pages, this is a pretty short book that feels even shorter thanks to the many short chapters that make up said 246 pages. It’s a book that someone could very easily get through in a day. But another reason why I have a hard time discussing this book is the sheer magnitude contained within its 246 pages. Gyasi tackles some very heavy topics here: immigration, racism, addiction, loss of religion, paternal abandonment, death and a few others. It is a true testament to Gyasi’s skill as a writer that I never felt overwhelmed by all of the subjects she was writing about. She somehow manages to be just subtle enough with her writing that you feel the devastation her protagonist feels without it feeling like torture porn. Every moment and emotion in this book feels so real that I can’t help but appreciate the craft. Growing up I would hear about certain books being only described as novels, as if the term novel had more weight and gravitas. I feel as if Transcendent Kingdom is a true novel in that sense. It’s just so devastatingly effective at doing everything it wants to do.
I find Transcendent Kingdom to be a really difficult novel to talk about succinctly. I feel like saying a few sentences about it doesn’t quite do it justice. It’s one of those books that is far better read than discussed. Part of this is due to its length. At just 246 pages, this is a pretty short book that feels even shorter thanks to the many short chapters that make up said 246 pages. It’s a book that someone could very easily get through in a day. But another reason why I have a hard time discussing this book is the sheer magnitude contained within its 246 pages. Gyasi tackles some very heavy topics here: immigration, racism, addiction, loss of religion, paternal abandonment, death and a few others. It is a true testament to Gyasi’s skill as a writer that I never felt overwhelmed by all of the subjects she was writing about. She somehow manages to be just subtle enough with her writing that you feel the devastation her protagonist feels without it feeling like torture porn. Every moment and emotion in this book feels so real that I can’t help but appreciate the craft. Growing up I would hear about certain books being only described as novels, as if the term novel had more weight and gravitas. I feel as if Transcendent Kingdom is a true novel in that sense. It’s just so devastatingly effective at doing everything it wants to do.
It’s been a while since I had the opportunity to sink my teeth into a new fantasy series with a ton of books. That used to be my favorite type of book but nowadays seeing a series with a book number higher than I can count on one hand is intimidating. However everything I heard about Will Wight’s Cradle series suggested it was one that I would love, so I dove in with a mix of excitement and nostalgia and I’m so glad I did. I had the pleasure of listening to this as an audiobook narrated by Travis Baldree and I think he did a fantastic job with it. He has a great way of making even the narration sections really interesting and he puts a lot of emphasis exactly where it needs to be. I also think he’s genuinely good at voicing female characters. Oftentimes when male narrators voice female characters the result is a caricature of a female voice but Baldree avoids that and makes the female characters sound like actual people. Combine that with really strong world-building and excellent fight choreography from Wight and you have a really enjoyable experience. I can’t wait to see where Wight and Baldree take me next.
It’s been a while since I had the opportunity to sink my teeth into a new fantasy series with a ton of books. That used to be my favorite type of book but nowadays seeing a series with a book number higher than I can count on one hand is intimidating. However everything I heard about Will Wight’s Cradle series suggested it was one that I would love, so I dove in with a mix of excitement and nostalgia and I’m so glad I did. I had the pleasure of listening to this as an audiobook narrated by Travis Baldree and I think he did a fantastic job with it. He has a great way of making even the narration sections really interesting and he puts a lot of emphasis exactly where it needs to be. I also think he’s genuinely good at voicing female characters. Oftentimes when male narrators voice female characters the result is a caricature of a female voice but Baldree avoids that and makes the female characters sound like actual people. Combine that with really strong world-building and excellent fight choreography from Wight and you have a really enjoyable experience. I can’t wait to see where Wight and Baldree take me next.
There are two definitive things I can say about this book. The first is that it’s really weird. The second is that I absolutely love it. It takes a really special type of writer to do what Gunty does here. She manages to pretty effortlessly weave thick sections of social commentary with short vignettes about bizarre situations with cartoonish drawings with small slice of life stories. You could make the argument that the way the book goes back and forth in time and across multiple characters makes it disjointed but I really think it works. Every character feels impactful. Every detail feels purposeful. Every setting feels truly realized. Even the things that are ostensibly out of place aren’t. This is one of the funniest books I’ve ever read as well as one of the saddest and yet I didn’t feel any sense of tonal whiplash throughout. I really can’t help but admire what Gunty was able to do within these 396 pages. She’s a legitimate master of her craft and she deserves all the praise in the world for this book. I don’t throw out the word masterpiece too lightly but I really think this book has earned that title. Bravo Tess Gunty.
There are two definitive things I can say about this book. The first is that it’s really weird. The second is that I absolutely love it. It takes a really special type of writer to do what Gunty does here. She manages to pretty effortlessly weave thick sections of social commentary with short vignettes about bizarre situations with cartoonish drawings with small slice of life stories. You could make the argument that the way the book goes back and forth in time and across multiple characters makes it disjointed but I really think it works. Every character feels impactful. Every detail feels purposeful. Every setting feels truly realized. Even the things that are ostensibly out of place aren’t. This is one of the funniest books I’ve ever read as well as one of the saddest and yet I didn’t feel any sense of tonal whiplash throughout. I really can’t help but admire what Gunty was able to do within these 396 pages. She’s a legitimate master of her craft and she deserves all the praise in the world for this book. I don’t throw out the word masterpiece too lightly but I really think this book has earned that title. Bravo Tess Gunty.