CivilWarLand in Bad Decline by George Saunders

5/5 stars

What's it about? George Saunders mines the human condition in a witty collection with sprinklings of the dark consumerism and theme park background of Westworld. A masterfully executed first book.

How’d I find it? A friend who loves George Saunders gave my spouse this copy. I got to it first.

Who will enjoy this book? What are you waiting for? Saunders is an American treasure that always deserves a read. But, in the interest of following my self-imposed formula, fans of Nana Adjei-Brenyah, who studied under Saunders, will find inspirations for both Friday Black and Chain-Gang All-Stars in CivilWarLand in Bad Decline. Watchers of Black Mirror and Neil Gaiman should enjoy the book’s themes and humor.

What stood out? The writing is impeccable: irreverent, funny, and joyfully spot-on. You’ll be laughing out loud and thinking to yourself, “Man, he nailed it.” Saunders intuitively understands when to tickle the brain or strum a heartstring; the turns surprise and delight. The title story and the novella “Bounty” are particular standouts.

Which line made me feel something? The last paragraph of the story “CivilWarLand in Bad Decline” is perfection, but it would be unfair to spoil it. Here’s an excellent tidbit from “Bounty:” “Discipline and other forms of negativity are shunned. Bedtimes don’t exist. Face wiping is discouraged. At night the children charge around nude and screaming until they drop in their tracks, ostensibly feeling good about themselves. ‘We ran the last true farm,’ one of the kids screams at me. ‘Until the government put us out,’ the wife says softly. She’s pretty the way a simple white house in a field is pretty. ‘Now we’re on the fucking lam,’ says a toddler. Both parents smile fondly.”

The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa, translated by Stephen Snyder

2/5 stars

How’d I find it? A dear friend passed along this copy. Her review? “It was okay.”

Why not 3 or more stars? On an unnamed island, the titular authorities regularly disappear items from existence, making them impossible to remember or recognize. When the Memory Police begin targeting people who can still recall disappeared things, a novelist intervenes to save her editor. Red herrings abound: smuggled sculptures, a tsunami (that narrowly drowns our leads but we aren’t privy to their escape?), and strangers begging for refuge. A great story that would have been better served by a faster pace and less sterile writing (“So it was that evening came to the island.”). It was okay.

The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler

2/5 STARS

How’d I find it? Because I greatly enjoyed The Mountain in the Sea, I made sure to see Ray Nayler discuss The Tusks of Extinction in person at Lost City Books.

Why not 3 or more stars? The bones of this story entice: mammoths walk the earth again with some genome tweaking à la Jurassic Park, and the ability to download and upload someone’s consciousness just might save the species. From these strong bones hangs flab: frequent dives into character’s psyches that repeat previous points (Vladimir is infuriatingly one-note) and prolonged waxing on the function of Jacobson’s organ, cells that allow elephants to communicate and remember through smell. How I wish this would’ve been shaved down into a short story! As a novella, The Tusks of Extinction succeeds mostly in pumping readers for an extra $27, which was perhaps the publisher’s goal all along.

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

2/5 STARS

How’d I find it? As with a number of my most recent reads, this was in a large stack of goodies checked out from Enoch Pratt Free Library.

Why not 3 or more stars? This collaboration serves up truly sumptuous language— “an ant’s sip of juice” and “cloying honey-heavy light” —but doesn’t sell me on Red and Blue’s love. When I peeked behind the pretty words, I realized that half of this quick read is an unvaried epistolary exchange, and the other half’s low stakes and sentiment feel flimsy. I see your hand trembling, book!

Counterweight by Djuna, translated by Anton Hur

1/5 stars

How’d I find it? A face-out at Solid State Books that I couldn’t resist.

Why not 3 or more stars? The all-powerful LK Group colonizes the island of Patusan for the establishment of Earth’s first space elevator. Mac, an investigator in LK’s External Affairs department, discovers a plot that could threaten the LK Group and his own identity. While this sounds like the start of a promising mystery, the most interesting plot turns are given in dialogue between characters, and the space elevator makes only a brief appearance. Alas, my favorite thing about Counterweight is its incredible cover.

Machines in the Head by Anna Kavan

3/5 stars

What's it about? Mental illness, addiction, and ennui haunt this selection of short stories by Anna Kavan. A sinister and strange moan of a book.

How’d I find it? I have heard twitterings among booksellers about Anna Kavan before and was intrigued to find this copy among the offerings at Lost City Books.

Who will enjoy this book? Admirers of Lucia Berlin and The Bell Jar should enjoy, as well as those who seek speculative elements in their literary fiction, such as Kavan’s ever-morphing city that recalls Italo Calvino.

What stood out? The selections from Asylum Piece open the book grimly, salvaged by the strength of later standouts like “A Bright Green Field” and “Face of My People.” The stories benefit from an illuminating forward by editor Victoria Walker about Kavan’s life and influence.

Which line made me feel something? From “Ice Storm:” “The big unbroken trees sprayed like unclear fountains towards the mist. Through the centre of each jet of clouded crystal the black branch was threaded. The trees were lovely and frightening to look at. I tried not to feel afraid of the trees. Dear God, let me not start being afraid of things in the natural world.”

A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr.

3/5 stars

What's it about? The novel follows the monks of the abbey of Saint Leibowitz in three different future eras as they endure the travails of their time. Expect spaceships, a Station Eleven-esque reverence for antiquity, and quests for purpose through religious conviction.

How’d I find it? A fellow science fiction fan encouraged me to check this out, and I found a copy at Books-A-Million before having a drink at the bar next door.

Who will enjoy this book? Fans of Lauren Groff's Matrix, lovers of apocalyptic slow burns, and those interested in the push and pull between faith and secularity.

What stood out? Several eerily prescient moments make it hard to believe Miller wrote this book in 1959. The biggest hint of the time is the lurk of nuclear war, though this doesn't make the writing feel dated. Look out for the Poet — a thoroughly entertaining presence in the second act.

Which line made me feel something? "You don't have a soul, Doctor. You are a soul. You have a body, temporarily."

The Ferryman by Justin Cronin

2/5 stars

How’d I find it? On publication day, I marched myself over to Solid State Books and got myself a signed copy.

Why not 3 or more stars? It pains me to give this book anything less than four stars, especially because I love (LOVE) The Passage trilogy fiercely. These reluctant two stars have nothing to do with the story driving The Ferryman. The tensions between Prospera and the Annex build deliciously, and our time in the Nursery marks the beginning of an unexpected new twist in the plot. Ambitious and exciting to read. Seriously, no notes. This has the trappings of good sci-fi.

But the writing. It doesn't rise to the challenge set by the story. Expect precious, a surface-level treatment, archetype as character. "I am Proctor Bennett." Expect lots (and lots) of telling. The figurative remains cookie cutter, uncomplicated. Was The Passage the same? I can't remember. Either way, unlike The Passage, this one might fare better when it's adapted for the screen. It could use a little more magic.