The Angel's Game, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.
The Angel's Game is a puzzle; and it's one which I'm not entirely sure has an actual solution. It's ultimately so confusing that I'm not entirely sure whether or not I enjoyed it, or if I'm just colossally disappointed. I think it must be somewhere in between.
David Martin is an aspiring young writer who gets his start writing tawdry, sensationalist novels for a Barcelona newspaper. Even though his stories are wildly popular, he is still working his fingers to the bone for bread crumbs due to the political nature of such things: those with money and/or power are the ones who get credit for lesser works, while those with true talent and no name recognition stay in the gutter. Everything begins to change when he is approached by a mysterious foreign publisher who wants to pay him a fortune to write a great work. David's life becomes one of his novels, full of intrigue, violence, and consequences. As the story progresses, one finds that the narrator seemingly becomes less and less reliable, and in the end, the lines between fact and fiction are completely blurred.
Written in the first person, Zafon's protagonist is actually a pretty enjoyable character. He's clever, self-deprecating, and has a wonderfully sarcastic sense of humor. I think it's part of what really works, is that even while the action becomes more and more fantastical and far-fetched, David Martin's earnestness and candor keeps the reader believing his side of things. Most of the other characters are nicely drawn sketches, and we don't delve into them too much. Again, I think this helps the narrative along, as it keeps David isolated. He doesn't share his mystery with anyone for most of the novel, and when he finally does, it's a complete and utter mess.
I realize I'm probably not selling it, but it's really hard to talk about it without going into the plot in a more serious way, and I don't want to spoil anything for anyone. Here's what I'll say: it reminds me of the movie Memento. I think Zafon is playing with similar themes, questioning memory and perception, and wondering exactly how reliable our own senses are sometimes. Just when you think you've got things figured out, he turns them on their head, goes in another direction, and then does another 180 when you've gotten comfortable with a new theory.
The writing is excellent; descriptive without being verbose, which is just the way I like it. Once again, I don't know how I came across this book, but I think it was mentioned that it dealt with books and writers and things like that, so of course I was interested. While I am a bit frustrated and befuddled by it, it was still a very good read that I think almost anyone can enjoy, provided you're willing to devote a bit of time to a novel. Which, if you're reading this post at all, you probably are. Apparently there's a previous novel entitled The Shadow of the Wind that takes place after the events of this novel, but has much in common with it, both in terms of setting, characters, and style. I might be willing to give that one a try as well ... once I stop trying to dissect this one.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
CBR Book 10: Live and Let Die
Live and Let Die, by Ian Fleming.
For the past several years, my husband and I have been involved in a James Bond movie-viewing project. We've got a few left to rewatch, but at this point, we've now seen all of them. You can read my wrap-up post here, but we're not talking about movies, right? So, when I finished the movies, I had various people tell me I should read the books. I actually read Casino Royale a few years ago, and quite enjoyed it. So, I decided to pick up where I left off, and the next book is Live and Let Die.
In this adventure, Bond is tasked with figuring out a gold-smuggling scheme and disposing of the mastermind of said scheme, who is also conveniently an agent of SMERSH, an organization against whom Bond has sworn revenge. He begins in Harlem, moves briefly through Florida, and ends up in Jamaica. His target is Mr. Big, perhaps "the first great African-American criminal," who has a nation-wide network of accomplices, all of whom are utterly terrified of him because he is believed to be the zombie of Baron Samedi, who is more or less the voodoo version of the devil. Bond is assisted by various people along the way, most notably Felix Leiter (who gets himself half-eaten by a shark) and Solitaire, who is initially Mr. Big's fortune-teller/fiancee, but who of course falls in love with Bond and changes allegiances.
The first thing to say about this novel (and possibly all Bond novels as opposed to the films) is that it was so much more subtle. In terms of plot, there are very few twists and turns. In terms of action, it's all very straightforward. There are gadgets, but they're really very practical things. A surprising amount of the narrative is Bond doing his homework - this novel deals a lot with voodoo, and with the behavior of ocean life, and Bond actually sits around reading books, learning about these things. Some of the descriptions of violence are surprisingly graphic.
Another interesting difference is that the character of Bond is much more layered and nuanced. He is genuinely fond of Leiter, in particular, and his interest in Solitaire is much more "romantic" (as opposed to purely lustful) than has ever been portrayed in film, with one or two exceptions. There's no sex at all in this novel. Bond and Solitaire discuss it several times, but generally he is too injured to make good. One gets much more of a sense that there are two sides to Bond - there's the human side and then the cold, analytical side that is the agent at work. It makes him a much more compelling character than one would expect.
The writing is fascinating. It's very straightforward, very economic, but also fairly descriptive, albeit in odd ways. I think that Fleming provides his readers with details in a way that closely mirrors what Bond himself is noticing - things that would be important for a spy to pick up on, and rhetoric that suits his experiences. Fleming himself was a Naval Intelligence Officer, and I feel as though that really comes through in his writing.
The last thing I want to say about this novel is that it's the kind of thing with which those people who get all in a huff about Tom Sawyer would have a field day. It deals very heavily with black culture, and not in a way that would be considered PC these days, having been written in 1954. There's all the talk of voodoo, lots of eye-rolling, use of the words "negro" and "negress" (only in one instance is "the n-word" used, and it's used as a slang term, not in a particularly derogatory fashion), and in particular, the speech patterns of many of the lesser characters is somewhat shocking. I don't personally find such things offensive because I feel that these depictions are merely showing us the attitudes of the time. It's all treated very matter of fact-ly, again because it's from the perspective of Bond and Leiter, who are merely doing their homework without passing any kind of judgment, but if you find such things unpalatable, Live and Let Die is not the Bond novel for you.
I, however, enjoyed it, and will look forward to reading (and reviewing!) more of Fleming's works in the future.
For the past several years, my husband and I have been involved in a James Bond movie-viewing project. We've got a few left to rewatch, but at this point, we've now seen all of them. You can read my wrap-up post here, but we're not talking about movies, right? So, when I finished the movies, I had various people tell me I should read the books. I actually read Casino Royale a few years ago, and quite enjoyed it. So, I decided to pick up where I left off, and the next book is Live and Let Die.
In this adventure, Bond is tasked with figuring out a gold-smuggling scheme and disposing of the mastermind of said scheme, who is also conveniently an agent of SMERSH, an organization against whom Bond has sworn revenge. He begins in Harlem, moves briefly through Florida, and ends up in Jamaica. His target is Mr. Big, perhaps "the first great African-American criminal," who has a nation-wide network of accomplices, all of whom are utterly terrified of him because he is believed to be the zombie of Baron Samedi, who is more or less the voodoo version of the devil. Bond is assisted by various people along the way, most notably Felix Leiter (who gets himself half-eaten by a shark) and Solitaire, who is initially Mr. Big's fortune-teller/fiancee, but who of course falls in love with Bond and changes allegiances.
The first thing to say about this novel (and possibly all Bond novels as opposed to the films) is that it was so much more subtle. In terms of plot, there are very few twists and turns. In terms of action, it's all very straightforward. There are gadgets, but they're really very practical things. A surprising amount of the narrative is Bond doing his homework - this novel deals a lot with voodoo, and with the behavior of ocean life, and Bond actually sits around reading books, learning about these things. Some of the descriptions of violence are surprisingly graphic.
Another interesting difference is that the character of Bond is much more layered and nuanced. He is genuinely fond of Leiter, in particular, and his interest in Solitaire is much more "romantic" (as opposed to purely lustful) than has ever been portrayed in film, with one or two exceptions. There's no sex at all in this novel. Bond and Solitaire discuss it several times, but generally he is too injured to make good. One gets much more of a sense that there are two sides to Bond - there's the human side and then the cold, analytical side that is the agent at work. It makes him a much more compelling character than one would expect.
The writing is fascinating. It's very straightforward, very economic, but also fairly descriptive, albeit in odd ways. I think that Fleming provides his readers with details in a way that closely mirrors what Bond himself is noticing - things that would be important for a spy to pick up on, and rhetoric that suits his experiences. Fleming himself was a Naval Intelligence Officer, and I feel as though that really comes through in his writing.
The last thing I want to say about this novel is that it's the kind of thing with which those people who get all in a huff about Tom Sawyer would have a field day. It deals very heavily with black culture, and not in a way that would be considered PC these days, having been written in 1954. There's all the talk of voodoo, lots of eye-rolling, use of the words "negro" and "negress" (only in one instance is "the n-word" used, and it's used as a slang term, not in a particularly derogatory fashion), and in particular, the speech patterns of many of the lesser characters is somewhat shocking. I don't personally find such things offensive because I feel that these depictions are merely showing us the attitudes of the time. It's all treated very matter of fact-ly, again because it's from the perspective of Bond and Leiter, who are merely doing their homework without passing any kind of judgment, but if you find such things unpalatable, Live and Let Die is not the Bond novel for you.
I, however, enjoyed it, and will look forward to reading (and reviewing!) more of Fleming's works in the future.
Wednesday, February 09, 2011
CBR Book 9: The Alchemyst
The Alchemyst, by Michael Scott
You know how the first Harry Potter book is Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone? (Or Sorcerer's Stone, for us silly Yanks)? If you recall, Dumbledore mentions Nicholas Flamel, who was the owner of the Stone, and his wife, Perenelle, who were six hundred-odd years old. Flamel being the philosopher in question, which in his times was more or less synonymous with a scientist or a magician, practically interchangeably. Well, Flamel is the titular Alchemyst of this book, which is the first of a series of YA fantasy.
Oh, YA fantasy. It gets so predictable after a while. There's magic, and danger, and there's a prophecy, and there's the normal, average person whose life gets turned upside down and they are the key to saving the world ... actually, that's pretty much all fantasy. Bonus points if the hero/ine is an orphan with no knowledge of his/her origins. In this case, the hero/ine is actually one of each (although not orphans) - fraternal twins Sophie and Josh, who get mixed up with the Flamels and suddenly find themselves in the company of immortals, sorcerers, and goddesses. The Flamels are the guardians of an ancient book of magic that contains, amongst other things, the recipe for immortality. More importantly, it contains (naturally) the means whereby to destroy the earth. What the twins learn is that everything we all know as a myth or legend is actually real. The earth was originally peopled by the Elder Race (which includes those entities later worshipped as gods, vampires, were-creatures, and so on and so forth), before the rise of the "humani". Many members of the Elder Race are still around. And many of them don't like humans so much. Dr. John Dee, also apparently immortal, is working for these "Dark Elders," trying to steal the Book of Abraham from Flamel and use it to bring about the destruction of the human race. Obviously, the Flamels and the twins must try to keep this from happening.
It's all pretty standard stuff. The fun/interesting part is the use of real people (the Flamels and Dee were all real) and the use of mythology and legend. It's sort of like American Gods without all the deep thoughts and Gaiman-esque smuggery. Yeah. I made up that word. Anyway. If you're into this type of thing, it's actually pretty good, if a bit busy. Apparently, at least according to the blurb on the jacket, Michael Scott is an authority on mythology and folklore, so he's qualified to bring in everyone from Bastet to Odin as characters. For myself, I just wanted to read this first one out of curiosity, but I've sworn off series (too much commitment) and I am not sure I feel the need to read the rest of the books. I mean, I can guess what'll happen, more or less. The characters are mostly enjoyable, and I always enjoy seeing what each writer brings to the table when working with legends, etc., so who knows? Maybe I'll break my no-series ban for these. If I do, I'll let you know.
You know how the first Harry Potter book is Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone? (Or Sorcerer's Stone, for us silly Yanks)? If you recall, Dumbledore mentions Nicholas Flamel, who was the owner of the Stone, and his wife, Perenelle, who were six hundred-odd years old. Flamel being the philosopher in question, which in his times was more or less synonymous with a scientist or a magician, practically interchangeably. Well, Flamel is the titular Alchemyst of this book, which is the first of a series of YA fantasy.
Oh, YA fantasy. It gets so predictable after a while. There's magic, and danger, and there's a prophecy, and there's the normal, average person whose life gets turned upside down and they are the key to saving the world ... actually, that's pretty much all fantasy. Bonus points if the hero/ine is an orphan with no knowledge of his/her origins. In this case, the hero/ine is actually one of each (although not orphans) - fraternal twins Sophie and Josh, who get mixed up with the Flamels and suddenly find themselves in the company of immortals, sorcerers, and goddesses. The Flamels are the guardians of an ancient book of magic that contains, amongst other things, the recipe for immortality. More importantly, it contains (naturally) the means whereby to destroy the earth. What the twins learn is that everything we all know as a myth or legend is actually real. The earth was originally peopled by the Elder Race (which includes those entities later worshipped as gods, vampires, were-creatures, and so on and so forth), before the rise of the "humani". Many members of the Elder Race are still around. And many of them don't like humans so much. Dr. John Dee, also apparently immortal, is working for these "Dark Elders," trying to steal the Book of Abraham from Flamel and use it to bring about the destruction of the human race. Obviously, the Flamels and the twins must try to keep this from happening.
It's all pretty standard stuff. The fun/interesting part is the use of real people (the Flamels and Dee were all real) and the use of mythology and legend. It's sort of like American Gods without all the deep thoughts and Gaiman-esque smuggery. Yeah. I made up that word. Anyway. If you're into this type of thing, it's actually pretty good, if a bit busy. Apparently, at least according to the blurb on the jacket, Michael Scott is an authority on mythology and folklore, so he's qualified to bring in everyone from Bastet to Odin as characters. For myself, I just wanted to read this first one out of curiosity, but I've sworn off series (too much commitment) and I am not sure I feel the need to read the rest of the books. I mean, I can guess what'll happen, more or less. The characters are mostly enjoyable, and I always enjoy seeing what each writer brings to the table when working with legends, etc., so who knows? Maybe I'll break my no-series ban for these. If I do, I'll let you know.
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