Waterstone Media

Adventure Stories

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

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This is one of those books where I feel the need to begin with a disclaimer: I am probably not the intended audience for this book. While I am aware that Hank and his brother John, do in fact, technically exist, my knowledge of them doesn’t extend far beyond that. I don’t watch their youtube videos, don’t read John’s books, and don’t really interact with them in any way. Also, in a world where I, and I alone, selected all the books I read, I probably wouldn’t have chosen An Absolutely Remarkable Thing.

But, the new release by Hank Green was my wife’s book pick for our April book club, so here I am.

I would say that this story is very distinctly about two things: the appearance of a group of statues around the world known as the Carls, and a commentary on modern internet culture and fame.

As a reader, one of these stories is interesting to me. The other one is not.

To come to the book’s defense, the Carls, and the mystery surrounding them, is really interesting and really well done. Hank came up with a number of really interesting ideas here, and for me, the sections dealing specifically with this mystery flew by for me.

However, it felt as if most of the book was about April May, a fairly unlikeable and sarcastic protagonist who becomes internet famous (and then just famous) as a result of the Carls. I had no problems with April. I don’t mind unlikeable or sarcastic. There are a number of insightful comments about our culture and the internet here, and I think that if a reader was interested in that conversation, they’d find those pages immensely rewarding.

I did not.

Although I’m tempted to get into spoiler-y territory, I will not. I will only say that even though I now know this is only the first book in a series, I personally didn’t feel that either April’s character arc or the mystery of the Carls was resolved to such a point that I was satisfied.

In the end, I suspect if you’re already a fan of Hank Green, you’ll probably enjoy his foray into writing. Although I don’t watch his videos, my wife tells me a lot of his voice comes out in these books. If you’re looking for a sci-fi/contemporary fiction mash-up, this could also be a place to start. But if you’re really looking for a more sci-fi story, I might suggest looking elsewhere.

The Shadow of What was Lost

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A true pleasure in life is to crack open a book and see that it does the fundamentals so well you can’t help but be impressed.

For me, The Shadow of What was Lost is one of those stories. As the story began, I feared that I was in for a very familiar journey. An orphan boy slowly discovers that he has magic powers, soon to realize he is instrumental in the shape of events to come. It’s a trope as old as fantasy, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done well.

This book continued to prove itself with every passing page. New concepts are brought in, the magic system is slowly unveiled, and characters learn more about themselves and each other. Then it is all tied together in a beautiful and exquisite package.

The world here is deep and complex, with a history that is very clearly having an effect on the events of the story. Fans of world-building will no doubt be pleased by the work that has gone into this book. Even by the end of the story, it’s clear there is so much left to learn.

Needless to say, the sequel is already in my queue.

Gardens of the Moon

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There are times in my life where I have made serious mistakes.

Not loving Gardens of the Moon the first time I read it was one of those.

I first read Gardens of the Moon several years ago when working my way through the NPR top 100 sci-fi and fantasy list. My memories of reading it are somewhat indistinct, but I did not love it. For the life of me, I don’t remember why.

But this year I decided to read the complete Malazan series, and it had been long enough since my first reading of Gardens of the Moon that I figured I should read it again. I’m glad I did.

Inside, I find mystery, suspense, and beautiful writing. I find an epic fantasy that continues to hint at a world that is bigger and more awe-inspiring than the mere words on the page. I laugh at some of the characters and with others. I have to pay attention, because sometimes what is between the words is as important as the words themselves.

In short, this time, I fell in love with the book.

The Warded Man

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One of my good friends has been trying to get me to read The Warded Man for well over a year now.

I’m ashamed it took me this long to get to it.

As I’ve been thinking about this book, one word that keeps coming to my mind is “heartfelt.” The Warded Man is both epic and dark, detailing the struggles of humanity as it fights for survival against a horde of demons that appears every night. Within that setting, though, are a cast of characters who care deeply about the world around them. Some are obsessed with fighting against the demons while others focus on healing.

I think special mention needs to be given to the character arc of the titular character, Arlen. Through the novel, Peter Brett lays the groundwork for one of the most interesting character arcs I’ve read in a while. It reads as a starkly realistic, yet hopeful transformation in the face of an overwhelming challenge.

Beyond the impressive character development, The Warded Man gives us a tour of a fascinating world, introducing us to different cultures and lands that respond to the worldwide crisis in different ways. Like much of my favorite fantasy, there are hints of greater, lost civilization in the ruins of the current one. I found the magical system to be wonderful and am very eager to see it develop in future stories.

Finally, credit must be given to the writing and structure of this story. While it is clearly the first book in a series, it tells a full story and keeps the pages turning one after another. I think I read this book in two or three days, which is much faster than I read most books.

This is a story I’d highly recommend.

Battle Angel Alita

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Last week I took a Friday afternoon to go see Battle Angel Alita. I’d heard of the manga (although prior to the movie I hadn’t read any), and was truly curious to see how the source material would be adapted as a modern western movie.

I’ll admit a few things. First, based on the trailer, I wasn’t really expecting a great movie. Combined with the typically poor adaptations that American film-goers experience when Japanese source material is used, my expectations were pretty low. Second, even though I had the chance to read some of the manga before watching the film, I intentionally chose not to. I decided that for once I was going to see the movie first.

I did enjoy my time at the theater, which for me is the sole marker of time well-spent. Although my critiques of the movie are plentiful (see the following paragraph), there were some spectacular action scenes and a few moments where I actually had to fight back the urge to cheer because the moment was so damn cool. Overall, I enjoyed the film, but I don’t think that I would call it good, as much as I hate the terminology.

To borrow the phrase my wife’s students say to her (thus driving her off the wall), Alita was trying to “do too much.” Now that I’ve gone back and started to read the manga, I can see just how true that is. There are too many plots running through the film, making it difficult for any one to have weight. There’s the boyfriend/love interest, the discovery of the new body, the class warfare, sports, body part hacking, the whole works.

It made me think a lot about one of my own personal mottos as of late, which is that there’s no problem with telling a smaller story. End of the world superhero films are all well and good, but a story that’s limited in scope can often be much more powerful. I think Alita is an incredible example of this.

In the manga, the first collected volume, coming in at about 220 pages, if memory serves, focuses only on Alita discovering more about who she is and adapting to a new body. It’s the story of maybe one-third of the movie. Yet in the manga the story has room to grow, and although far less actually happens, its impact is no less than the movie itself.

But that’s my take on the movie – did anyone else watch it? If so, what did you think?

We Have no Third Life

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In the past few weeks I’ve had several encounters now with an idea that has really wormed its way into my thoughts. It’s the idea of just how alien alien could actually be. It seems to me that in so much of our sci-fi, aliens are remarkably human.

Before a few weeks ago, I’d never really given much thought to the idea. From the Romulans, Klingons, and Borg in Star Trek to the Wookies, Ewoks, and Bothans in Star Wars, I never thought to question just how similarly we pictured alien species. But in so many ways, they are so similar to us (in deeper ways than is even implied by the “forehead alien” term) from the desire for love and community to the goals they live with. Even species that aren’t humanoid, like the alien from Alien, or the Arachnids from Starship Troopers, possess the (we believe) universal desires to conquer and reproduce.

Recently, I’ve read two stories: Annihilation and Speaker for the Dead, in which the sheer alienness of what is happening feeds directly into the plot of the story. Of the two, I think Annihilation captures the sensation better. For most, if not all of the story, it’s almost impossible for the reader to understand exactly what is going on.  We are on a perpetual journey of confusion and uncertainty. The simple reason is because it’s simply that different. As humans, we have enough trouble trying to understand someone who votes differently than us – how likely is it we would understand anything truly alien?

I’ve been fascinated by this idea in fantasy as well. For the most part, fantasy stories allow us to play with societies that are mirror images, or shattered reflections, of the society we live in. But in a world where magic actually is possible, how deep might the effects on society be? If a world exists that contains multiple species that grew up in dramatically different circumstances, just how much would they be able to relate to one another, if at all? They are fascinating questions that make me think about all the unexplored possibilities.