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Title: Parasite (Parasitology Book 1)
Author: Seanan McGuire writing as Mira Grant
Narrator: Christine Lakin
Published: Hachette Audio, 2013
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 500
Total Page Count: 238,880
Text Number: 761
Read Because: reading more from the author, audiobook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: In the near future, all health issues are handled by an engineered parasite—an advancement that saved the life of a comatose young woman. This is my second Grant novel (the first was Feed), and I think it's safe to say: the books under this pseudonym aren't for me. The worldbuilding and characterization are exhaustive, the pacing meticulous; the content tropey in horror-movie ways that are probably great for fans but which I don't find appealing. The plot here hinges on a singular non-reveal, a development which is withheld to the end but heavily broadcasted throughout, and that doesn't strike me as authorial oversight but as an intentional choice to craft the book around the character's realization and the relationship between knowledge and assimilation. It's an interesting idea but perhaps not a successful one, especially within the action/horror genre and as part of a series—ending on a cliffhanger when this is the only substantial reveal is unfulfilling. (The other engaging element is the inset storybook narrative, which is creepy and intriguing but out of place, and mostly made me wish for that book, or for more Wayward Children). I can recognize the elements of the Grant books which appeal to others, but consistently find them just okay, and am ready to move on.
Title: The Running Man
Author: Stephen King writing as Richard Bachman
Published: Signet Book, 1999 (1982)
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 305
Total Page Count: 239,185
Text Number: 762
Read Because: personal enjoyment
Review: In the dystopic near future, a desperate man volunteers for a survival game reality TV show. Survival games are one of my favorite tropes, and this is certainly an example—an early one, with all attendant caveats (it's not especially robust; may even feel reiterative), but if the premise appeals then the follow-through will probably be satisfying. The pacing is predictable but has significant momentum, and the Bachman novels have a succinct, brutal, dark humor which compliments this premise. But it's not as good as The Long Walk, probably because, while half the fascination of a survival game is the extreme circumstances, the other half is how multiple characters react to that situation—and here there's just one character, and not a great one; the protagonist encapsulates the poor white man as a stand-in for the underprivileged in a way that ignores intersectionality.
Title: The Tropic of Serpents (The Memoirs of Lady Trent Book 2)
Author: Marie Brennan
Narrator: Kate Reading
Published: Macmillan Audio, 2014
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 340
Total Page Count: 239,525
Text Number: 763
Read Because: personal enjoyment, audiobook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: The ongoing chronicles of a historical dragon naturalist, continuing now in Africa. I enjoyed Isabella's voice significantly in audio—it was the highlight of the first book as well, but sincerely shines in audio format; vivid and humorous and lively, with a sympathetic self-depreciation. The alt-worldbuilding, diversity, and historical feminist voice play nicely and manage to be more engaging than didactic. But again I wish this weren't part of a series; being episodic tips it into the frivolous and makes for predictable pacing. I've liked both books, but doubt I'll finish the series; I don't have enough appetite for fun.
Author: Seanan McGuire writing as Mira Grant
Narrator: Christine Lakin
Published: Hachette Audio, 2013
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 500
Total Page Count: 238,880
Text Number: 761
Read Because: reading more from the author, audiobook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: In the near future, all health issues are handled by an engineered parasite—an advancement that saved the life of a comatose young woman. This is my second Grant novel (the first was Feed), and I think it's safe to say: the books under this pseudonym aren't for me. The worldbuilding and characterization are exhaustive, the pacing meticulous; the content tropey in horror-movie ways that are probably great for fans but which I don't find appealing. The plot here hinges on a singular non-reveal, a development which is withheld to the end but heavily broadcasted throughout, and that doesn't strike me as authorial oversight but as an intentional choice to craft the book around the character's realization and the relationship between knowledge and assimilation. It's an interesting idea but perhaps not a successful one, especially within the action/horror genre and as part of a series—ending on a cliffhanger when this is the only substantial reveal is unfulfilling. (The other engaging element is the inset storybook narrative, which is creepy and intriguing but out of place, and mostly made me wish for that book, or for more Wayward Children). I can recognize the elements of the Grant books which appeal to others, but consistently find them just okay, and am ready to move on.
Title: The Running Man
Author: Stephen King writing as Richard Bachman
Published: Signet Book, 1999 (1982)
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 305
Total Page Count: 239,185
Text Number: 762
Read Because: personal enjoyment
Review: In the dystopic near future, a desperate man volunteers for a survival game reality TV show. Survival games are one of my favorite tropes, and this is certainly an example—an early one, with all attendant caveats (it's not especially robust; may even feel reiterative), but if the premise appeals then the follow-through will probably be satisfying. The pacing is predictable but has significant momentum, and the Bachman novels have a succinct, brutal, dark humor which compliments this premise. But it's not as good as The Long Walk, probably because, while half the fascination of a survival game is the extreme circumstances, the other half is how multiple characters react to that situation—and here there's just one character, and not a great one; the protagonist encapsulates the poor white man as a stand-in for the underprivileged in a way that ignores intersectionality.
Title: The Tropic of Serpents (The Memoirs of Lady Trent Book 2)
Author: Marie Brennan
Narrator: Kate Reading
Published: Macmillan Audio, 2014
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 340
Total Page Count: 239,525
Text Number: 763
Read Because: personal enjoyment, audiobook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: The ongoing chronicles of a historical dragon naturalist, continuing now in Africa. I enjoyed Isabella's voice significantly in audio—it was the highlight of the first book as well, but sincerely shines in audio format; vivid and humorous and lively, with a sympathetic self-depreciation. The alt-worldbuilding, diversity, and historical feminist voice play nicely and manage to be more engaging than didactic. But again I wish this weren't part of a series; being episodic tips it into the frivolous and makes for predictable pacing. I've liked both books, but doubt I'll finish the series; I don't have enough appetite for fun.
