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juushikaEmail from my sister today to warn me that the house was unusually crowded, "there's about 10 cars outside and people coming all day [...] might be too many people," so instead of going to the house I took a nap and ate two (2) complete meals, and now feel marginally more corporeal; a well-timed day off. Anyway, here are some books I read in August.
Title: The Descent of Monsters (Tensorate Book 3)
Author: J.Y. Yang
Published: Tor, 2018
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 160
Total Page Count: 272,085
Text Number: 880
Read Because: continuing the series, ebook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: A disaster at an experimental Protectorate institute prompts an investigation into its research and its cover-ups. This has a risky structure; there's a lot of repetition in content and no real twists, which makes for a detective story without much mystery and horror overtones without much suspense: we already knew the Protectorate was this bad. But it's a more satisfying sequel The Red Threads of Fortune; it progresses the worldbuilding in logical ways and ties in prior characters with relative grace, and the writing is good. An epistolary, multiple-PoV format demands (but rarely has) distinct voices, and these are excellent, particularly Rider's atmospheric account. If this is flawed, then not fatally so, and the distinctive, diverse, compelling world persists despite occasional structural problems.
Title: The Lives of Christopher Chant (Chrestomanci Book 4)
Author: Dianna Wynne Jones
Narrator: Gerard Doyle
Published: Recorded Books, 2006 (1988)
Rating: 5 of 5
Page Count: 280
Total Page Count: 272,085
Text Number: 881
Read Because: continuing the series, ebook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: A child with unusual dreams discovers the source and consequences of his magic. This is, finally, a worthy sequel to Charmed Life—which isn't to say that the intervening books were bad, but rather that that one and this one are very good. It has a phenomenal beginning, a dreamscape of multiple worlds, creative and playful and entrancing, and it doesn't lose its magic even when events become more mundane—thanks in part to DWJ's humor, which is critical without becoming cruel and sits on just the right side of absurd; thanks in larger part to her aptitude for characterization. To see an internal view Christopher Chant in his childhood, having been familiar with an external view of his adult persona, creates a full and complicated character. DWJ also excels at endings; this is less climactic and numinous that some of her others, and the twists are obvious and young reader-accessible, but it's satisfying clever in a way that aligns well with Christopher's character arc: it feels good. I loved this, especially on audio, which has benefited this entire series but particularly makes the best books soar.
Title: Borderline (The Arcadia Project Book 1)
Author: Mishell Baker
Published: Saga Press, 2016
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 400
Total Page Count: 272,485
Text Number: 882
Read Because: reviewed by Kalanadi, ebook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: Post-suicide attempt, a woman is recruited into a secret agency that manages human/fae interaction in Hollywood. This has compelling background aspects—the concept of fae-human bonds called Echoes (and I wish we'd seen the link between creativity and Echoes interrogated; it feels too simple), the unusual character of Caryl most especially—but they're buried under the more predictable beats of a UF mystery & a cast of generally unlikable people. The choice of protagonist is fantastic, and she has a strong internal voice and convincing characterization, but her infodumping re: Borderline Personality begs the question: who is she talking to? First person is the default of UF, and my grudge against it is perhaps out of proportion, but the unjustified narrative is particularly glaring here. I would say "it's not you, Urban Fantasy, it's me," and that's certainly true (it's time for me to take the hint and stop reading it), but it also feels like many of the book's weaknesses are the direct result of its genre.
Title: The Descent of Monsters (Tensorate Book 3)
Author: J.Y. Yang
Published: Tor, 2018
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 160
Total Page Count: 272,085
Text Number: 880
Read Because: continuing the series, ebook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: A disaster at an experimental Protectorate institute prompts an investigation into its research and its cover-ups. This has a risky structure; there's a lot of repetition in content and no real twists, which makes for a detective story without much mystery and horror overtones without much suspense: we already knew the Protectorate was this bad. But it's a more satisfying sequel The Red Threads of Fortune; it progresses the worldbuilding in logical ways and ties in prior characters with relative grace, and the writing is good. An epistolary, multiple-PoV format demands (but rarely has) distinct voices, and these are excellent, particularly Rider's atmospheric account. If this is flawed, then not fatally so, and the distinctive, diverse, compelling world persists despite occasional structural problems.
Title: The Lives of Christopher Chant (Chrestomanci Book 4)
Author: Dianna Wynne Jones
Narrator: Gerard Doyle
Published: Recorded Books, 2006 (1988)
Rating: 5 of 5
Page Count: 280
Total Page Count: 272,085
Text Number: 881
Read Because: continuing the series, ebook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: A child with unusual dreams discovers the source and consequences of his magic. This is, finally, a worthy sequel to Charmed Life—which isn't to say that the intervening books were bad, but rather that that one and this one are very good. It has a phenomenal beginning, a dreamscape of multiple worlds, creative and playful and entrancing, and it doesn't lose its magic even when events become more mundane—thanks in part to DWJ's humor, which is critical without becoming cruel and sits on just the right side of absurd; thanks in larger part to her aptitude for characterization. To see an internal view Christopher Chant in his childhood, having been familiar with an external view of his adult persona, creates a full and complicated character. DWJ also excels at endings; this is less climactic and numinous that some of her others, and the twists are obvious and young reader-accessible, but it's satisfying clever in a way that aligns well with Christopher's character arc: it feels good. I loved this, especially on audio, which has benefited this entire series but particularly makes the best books soar.
Title: Borderline (The Arcadia Project Book 1)
Author: Mishell Baker
Published: Saga Press, 2016
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 400
Total Page Count: 272,485
Text Number: 882
Read Because: reviewed by Kalanadi, ebook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: Post-suicide attempt, a woman is recruited into a secret agency that manages human/fae interaction in Hollywood. This has compelling background aspects—the concept of fae-human bonds called Echoes (and I wish we'd seen the link between creativity and Echoes interrogated; it feels too simple), the unusual character of Caryl most especially—but they're buried under the more predictable beats of a UF mystery & a cast of generally unlikable people. The choice of protagonist is fantastic, and she has a strong internal voice and convincing characterization, but her infodumping re: Borderline Personality begs the question: who is she talking to? First person is the default of UF, and my grudge against it is perhaps out of proportion, but the unjustified narrative is particularly glaring here. I would say "it's not you, Urban Fantasy, it's me," and that's certainly true (it's time for me to take the hint and stop reading it), but it also feels like many of the book's weaknesses are the direct result of its genre.
