I read a weird mix of books this last month. They ranged from those that were predictably awful (*cough* Harlequin faith-based romance *cough*)to others that were so good (B-town!)that I'm still chortling over bits of dialogue. Five of them were free Harlequin e-books, one was an e-book from Torquere Press that had been hanging around unread on my hard drive for months, and two were books that I'd been wanting to read for years and years.
Angels Come to Visit by Diane Fox
Dancing in the Moonlight by Raeanne Thayne
Kiss Me Deadly by Michele Hauf
Snowbound by Janice Kay Johnson
Speed Dating by Nancy Warren
His Lady Mistress by Elizabeth Rolls
Elsewhere by Will Shetterly
Finder by Emma Bull
I really need to catch up on my backlog of reviews so that I can get to these.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
City of Glass Celebration
Cassie Clare's new book, City of Glass comes out this Tuesday. I adored the first two books in this series, so I'm pretty excited about it. I'm not the only one. There's a week long celebration of all things COG over at Tales of A Ravenous Reader. They even have a contest! How cool is that?
Friday, March 13, 2009
Party Favors by Nicole Sexton and Susan Johnston
Tee is a fundraiser for the Republican Party in Washington D.C. She’s the original Southern girl, softhearted and eager to please; who struggles to survive in a world of scandal producing senators, backstabbing co-workers, and glittering parties. The story is the fictionalized account of Nicole Sexton’s career as a director of finance for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, so naturally all resemblance to actual politicians is completely unintended. Ha. These guys are hilariously, unbelievably hypocritical, and the sad thing is that it‘s probably a spot-on characterization. The whole thing reads like The Nanny Diaries for politics.
This is a cute little book, as bubbly and as easily read as its heroine.
my rating system
A Princess of Roumania by Paul Park
Miranda Popescu, adopted from Romania in infancy, feels foreign and strange even though she‘s lived in the same college town almost all of her life. Of course, most people feel dislocated during the teenage years, but Miranda has more reason than most. Though at first she isn’t aware of the fact, she’s actually a princess from an alternate world. As political and diplomatic forces reach into our world from “Roumania,” she must decide who to trust and which reality she ought to believe.
On a blurb on the inside of the book, Terry Bisson (no idea who that is) says, “I once told Paul Park to write a tale filled with…the dark complexity of Phillip Pullman….Sooner or late, Paul always does what I tell him.” Apparently, he did. I agree that this book is very reminiscent of the His Dark Materials series. The problem is that I didn’t like that series at all. Though Pullman's concept of an animate soul is neat, I just couldn’t make myself care about the characters enough to keep them straight as they meandered through the plot. A Princess of Roumania is similar. Though the world building concept behind the story is really cool, as soon as the characters journeyed to that other world, I stopped caring what happened to them. No one there was interesting enough to draw me into the plot (which has the same ponderous rhythm as “His Dark Materials“, by the way), so I had to keep turning back to look up the characters anytime something new happened.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the Dark Materials series. Whatever it was that made you like it is probably present in this book, as well. Otherwise, don’t bother.
my rating system
Friday, March 6, 2009
A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
When I was a little girl, I wanted to go to an English boarding school just like Sara Crewe in A Little Princess; so when I went to the bookstore to look for things to read for the YA challenge, it wasn’t surprising that I was attracted to Libba Bray‘s book. Like Sara Crewe, Gemma Doyle grows up in India and is sent to an English boarding school. Though the similarities in their stories stop there--Gemma is a young lady with a mystical connection to a secret magical society, not a little girl with a riches to rags to riches story--A Great and Terrible Beauty possesses that same Victorian English voice that enchanted me so much as a girl.
Despite the old fashioned feel, this is a deeply feminist book. Don’t cringe. It’s quietly subversive, definitely not one of those stories where a modern character seems to be dropped fully formed into a historical setting. Gemma is a product of her times; there are no anachronisms in her dealings with women’s issues. No, what’s so great about this book is that you barely notice the feminism for the story. Gemma struggles with her mother’s death, with making friends at school, and with learning about the magic of the Realms; and she does it all firmly within the Victorian setting. It’s only when the plot doesn’t turn out quite how you’d expect that you notice the message. Quite frankly, it astounded me.
It made me think about the what society expects of our girls. In the time period of the book, girls were not supposed to want anything but to make a good marriage and have babies. We’ve come quite a long way from that time, but what this book made me realize is that our modern society is still hanging on to more of those ideas than I thought. No, we don’t shun a girl who wants a career or wants to stay single; we don’t say that she can’t do something because she’s female. We do, however, send girls a completely different message with the stories that we tell them. It’s this: girls are not supposed to want. When girls get what they want, they ought to be punished for it, because what they want is never, ever what they ought to have. That message is in almost every story we tell to our girls.
Think about it. In any story, the heroine may want to be normal, to be special, to go out with the bad boy, to be smarter, to be beautiful, or to be popular. If she gets what she wants, it always ends in disaster. She learns her lesson. At the end of the story, she has learned that she shouldn‘t have wanted any of those things. Being normal, special, smarter, or beautiful didn‘t make her life better. It made it worse. She finds that she’s better off without being popular, and that she really ought to go out with the geek next door. Undoubtedly, learning to value yourself for who you are is an important lesson, but it’s rather sad that we never tell our girls stories in which the heroine wants something and gets it without being punished. It’s like we’re telling girls not to bother to reach for what they want. They’re learning that wanting things is wrong.
A Great and Terrible Beauty turns those assumptions upside down. I won’t give away the plot here, but I will say that Gemma Doyle doesn’t get away with having everything she wants in this book; Libba Bray tells a much more complex story than that. Like I said, it’s subtly subversive. It’s a powerful, well-written story, and what’s more, it’s humorous, exciting, and fun. I highly recommend this book.
my rating system
The Best Urban Fantasy
Reading Tinker by Wen Spencer reminded me why I fell in love with Urban Fantasy long ago. While wondering what to say in my review of the book, I found myself thinking rather nostalgically of the Urban Fantasy novels I read back in college. They were so much fun. It’s been a long time since the genre produced anything like them, something that isn’t either vampire based or written for the young adult market. Don’t get me wrong, I’m as fond of blood suckers as the next gal, and I adore some of the recent YA novels like Holly Black’s Modern Fairie Tales and The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare; it’s just that I wish more authors would write true Urban Fantasy for grown-ups. You know, like something that takes longer than an hour to read and isn’t yet another girl meets vampire story.
Oh, Charles DeLint is still writing his Newford stories. Those are great, but they’re getting mighty repetitive after all these years. Yeah, and Neil Gaiman is still awesome even though he’s playing in the YA market at the moment. I’m sure someday he’ll produce another UF novel for adults, something as different from Neverwhere and Ananzi Boys as they are from each other. Emma Bull is still writing. Terri Windling is still editing. I’m certain there are tons of unpublished authors out there writing the kind of thing I want to read, I just wonder if they’ll ever get published if they don’t give in to the “girl kicks some butt then falls for a vampire” plot. Remember when Urban Fantasy meant something besides an excuse for hot vampire sex? I miss those days.
Way back when, the setting wasn’t just a backdrop to a love story; it was a metaphor for living on the edges of things. Magic came to the city and produced an atmosphere of uncertainty. It was a half-way place, neither one thing nor the other. The characters were always people who didn’t fit into mainstream society, neither one thing nor the other themselves; and that atmosphere gave them a place to grow and change. The stories were almost always about exploring individuality and finding a place to fit without sacrificing that individuality.
These novels caught me at a time in my life when I was struggling to do the same, so they really spoke to me. These days, I’ve pretty much got the individuality vs. fitting into society thing down to a sort of wobbly tightrope walk; I hardly ever plunge screaming to the ground anymore. Still, it’s fun to voluntarily muck around down there with my favorite characters every once in a while. When I do, the books below are the ones that take me back:
War for the Oaks by Emma Bull--This is the quintessential, genre defining Urban Fantasy novel. The novel may not have been the first, but it was the first that mattered. Eddi the rock musician gets dragged into a war fought in Minneapolis between the light and dark fairie courts. As she’s drawn deeper into their world, she realizes her creative potential, finds herself, and incidentally finds someone to love. War for the Oaks might seem dated to anyone who wasn’t a teenager in the eighties, but the power of the story transcends the intervening decades. A must read for any UF fan.
Bordertown--If War for the Oaks is the birthplace of Urban Fantasy, Bordertown is the genre’s beloved childhood home. Seriously, B-town rocks like an heirloom cradle covered with purple glitter paint. Terri Windling invented a world where magic and technology meet in the borderlands of Earth and Elfland, then invited all the best voices in SFF to come play there. It spawned quite a few short story collections and a couple of novels. I haven’t read them all, but everything I’ve read has been delightful. “Mockery” by Ellen Kushner and Bellamy Bach is an enduring favorite of mine.
Knights of Ghosts and Shadows by Mercedes Lackey and Ellen Guon--I’m never quite sure how I feel about Mercedes Lackey’s books. I can’t stop reading them, but I’m a little embarrassed to admit they still remain favorites. The things don’t even have a nodding acquaintance with literature. Nevertheless, this book deserves a place on the list, if only because it was the first Urban Fantasy book I ever read. Elves at the renaissance fair…on motorcycles no less! How can you not love this book? (If you want to read a novel by Ellen Guon set in the same universe, try Bedlam Boyz over at Baen Free Library. You can’t go wrong with something free.)
Memory and Dream by Charles DeLint--Charles DeLint always writes interesting Urban Fantasy when he visits Newford, but this particular book is the best of the best. It explores the nature of art, creation, and reality. Over the years, the characters have become like old friends. I’ll never tire of reading about Isabelle’s friendship with Kathy, her love story with a man from one of her paintings, or her love/hate relationship with her mentor. Good times.
Wraeththu by Storm Constantine--There’s never been anything remotely like this book. Ever. That makes it sort of hard to explain. You could describe the magical hermaphrodites in an apocalyptic world, or say that its an urban fantasy with pagan elements; you could rave about the beautiful language, point out the genius of the concept, or even describe how the basic naivety of the world building lends it an innocence that‘s almost heartbreaking. None of that would really do it justice. It’s a cult classic for a reason. Just read it. You’ll see. (And probably become obsessed.)
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman--When I read American Gods, I knew Neil Gaiman would be important, not just to the urban fantasy genre but to literature as a whole. This was a book that you could call an “instant classic” without having to cross your fingers behind your back. His writing reminded me of Ray Bradbury, an author I absolutely adore. The only problem was that I hated American Gods. Violently. It gave me nightmares. The imagery made me so sick to my stomach, so full of dread, that I barely even took in the story. After that, I shied away from his books. It wasn’t until his publisher offered Neverwhere as a free e-book that I even glanced at any more of his words. I’m so glad I finally did, because Neverwhere is just about perfect. I’d even go so far as to call it the best of the new Urban Fantasy.
And there you have it, my guide to the best in Urban Fantasy. I hope it encourages you to read a whole bunch of good books.
Oh, Charles DeLint is still writing his Newford stories. Those are great, but they’re getting mighty repetitive after all these years. Yeah, and Neil Gaiman is still awesome even though he’s playing in the YA market at the moment. I’m sure someday he’ll produce another UF novel for adults, something as different from Neverwhere and Ananzi Boys as they are from each other. Emma Bull is still writing. Terri Windling is still editing. I’m certain there are tons of unpublished authors out there writing the kind of thing I want to read, I just wonder if they’ll ever get published if they don’t give in to the “girl kicks some butt then falls for a vampire” plot. Remember when Urban Fantasy meant something besides an excuse for hot vampire sex? I miss those days.
Way back when, the setting wasn’t just a backdrop to a love story; it was a metaphor for living on the edges of things. Magic came to the city and produced an atmosphere of uncertainty. It was a half-way place, neither one thing nor the other. The characters were always people who didn’t fit into mainstream society, neither one thing nor the other themselves; and that atmosphere gave them a place to grow and change. The stories were almost always about exploring individuality and finding a place to fit without sacrificing that individuality.
These novels caught me at a time in my life when I was struggling to do the same, so they really spoke to me. These days, I’ve pretty much got the individuality vs. fitting into society thing down to a sort of wobbly tightrope walk; I hardly ever plunge screaming to the ground anymore. Still, it’s fun to voluntarily muck around down there with my favorite characters every once in a while. When I do, the books below are the ones that take me back:
War for the Oaks by Emma Bull--This is the quintessential, genre defining Urban Fantasy novel. The novel may not have been the first, but it was the first that mattered. Eddi the rock musician gets dragged into a war fought in Minneapolis between the light and dark fairie courts. As she’s drawn deeper into their world, she realizes her creative potential, finds herself, and incidentally finds someone to love. War for the Oaks might seem dated to anyone who wasn’t a teenager in the eighties, but the power of the story transcends the intervening decades. A must read for any UF fan.
Bordertown--If War for the Oaks is the birthplace of Urban Fantasy, Bordertown is the genre’s beloved childhood home. Seriously, B-town rocks like an heirloom cradle covered with purple glitter paint. Terri Windling invented a world where magic and technology meet in the borderlands of Earth and Elfland, then invited all the best voices in SFF to come play there. It spawned quite a few short story collections and a couple of novels. I haven’t read them all, but everything I’ve read has been delightful. “Mockery” by Ellen Kushner and Bellamy Bach is an enduring favorite of mine.
Knights of Ghosts and Shadows by Mercedes Lackey and Ellen Guon--I’m never quite sure how I feel about Mercedes Lackey’s books. I can’t stop reading them, but I’m a little embarrassed to admit they still remain favorites. The things don’t even have a nodding acquaintance with literature. Nevertheless, this book deserves a place on the list, if only because it was the first Urban Fantasy book I ever read. Elves at the renaissance fair…on motorcycles no less! How can you not love this book? (If you want to read a novel by Ellen Guon set in the same universe, try Bedlam Boyz over at Baen Free Library. You can’t go wrong with something free.)
Memory and Dream by Charles DeLint--Charles DeLint always writes interesting Urban Fantasy when he visits Newford, but this particular book is the best of the best. It explores the nature of art, creation, and reality. Over the years, the characters have become like old friends. I’ll never tire of reading about Isabelle’s friendship with Kathy, her love story with a man from one of her paintings, or her love/hate relationship with her mentor. Good times.
Wraeththu by Storm Constantine--There’s never been anything remotely like this book. Ever. That makes it sort of hard to explain. You could describe the magical hermaphrodites in an apocalyptic world, or say that its an urban fantasy with pagan elements; you could rave about the beautiful language, point out the genius of the concept, or even describe how the basic naivety of the world building lends it an innocence that‘s almost heartbreaking. None of that would really do it justice. It’s a cult classic for a reason. Just read it. You’ll see. (And probably become obsessed.)
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman--When I read American Gods, I knew Neil Gaiman would be important, not just to the urban fantasy genre but to literature as a whole. This was a book that you could call an “instant classic” without having to cross your fingers behind your back. His writing reminded me of Ray Bradbury, an author I absolutely adore. The only problem was that I hated American Gods. Violently. It gave me nightmares. The imagery made me so sick to my stomach, so full of dread, that I barely even took in the story. After that, I shied away from his books. It wasn’t until his publisher offered Neverwhere as a free e-book that I even glanced at any more of his words. I’m so glad I finally did, because Neverwhere is just about perfect. I’d even go so far as to call it the best of the new Urban Fantasy.
And there you have it, my guide to the best in Urban Fantasy. I hope it encourages you to read a whole bunch of good books.
Another Fanfiction Friday
I'm in the mood for a bit of slashy reading tonight. If you don't know the meaning of the word slash in this context, check out the wikipedia definition here before reading any of the stories below. I'd say the stuff I'm recommending is PG 13 at the most, but I thought I'd better warn you just in case. Not everybody likes to read about male/male relationships, after all.
The Wraeththu Fandom (The Wraeththu books are by Storm Constantine.)
Love the One You're With by Oshun--a Pell/Vaysh songfic that is truly lovely.
The Mortal Instruments Fandom (The Mortal Instruments series is by Cassandra Clare.)
Trying to Burn Bridges of Stone by Marcyjo--A sweet little Alec/Magnus fic. This one is so cute and funny and honest, it made me a bit teary eyed.
The Wraeththu Fandom (The Wraeththu books are by Storm Constantine.)
Love the One You're With by Oshun--a Pell/Vaysh songfic that is truly lovely.
The Mortal Instruments Fandom (The Mortal Instruments series is by Cassandra Clare.)
Trying to Burn Bridges of Stone by Marcyjo--A sweet little Alec/Magnus fic. This one is so cute and funny and honest, it made me a bit teary eyed.
Homespun Bride by Jillian Hart
This was one of the e-books given away by Harlequin in honor of their sixtieth anniversary. I never expect much from romance novels, so I wasn’t too disappointed by this one. The heroine, blinded by a carriage accident, is rescued from a runaway horse by a cowboy who loved her long ago. They get a second chance at love. Yawn.
Besides the main character’s blindness, which made for a pretty interesting point of view, this was a novel like hundreds of thousands of others. It was, however, free and grammatically correct.
my rating system
Besides the main character’s blindness, which made for a pretty interesting point of view, this was a novel like hundreds of thousands of others. It was, however, free and grammatically correct.
my rating system
Midnight on Julia Street by Ciji Ware
This is another book borrowed from my grandma’s bookshelf. I suspect she only kept it on the shelf because her name is Julia, not because she thought it was wonderful literature. She usually gets rid of this type of light reading a few years after it’s been published. (Where else did you think I learned the art of collecting good books? Or of getting rid of the mediocre ones?)
Midnight on Julia Street isn’t bad, but it’s not all that great either. It’s a love story that spans generations. Go-getter TV reporter Corlis meets rich Southern guy King, her rival from her militant feminist days in college. She’s all feminine looking now, he has unexpected depths, yadda, yadda, yadda. He’s a leading figure in the movement to restore old houses, she’s covering the movement for TV; thereby providing the main tension in their relationship, “Oh no, we can’t give in to our lurve! It wouldn’t be professional!” None of this is very original or exciting, but at least it’s written well enough not to be annoying.
Their love story is juxtaposed with the stories of their ancestors in New Orleans. It’s done through the psychic experiences of the heroine, psychic experiences that leave her drained and disoriented so that King can come to the rescue in a manly way. Despite this cliched aftermath, Corlis’ psychic episodes are really the best thing about this story. The author clearly adores historical New Orleans. While telling about the characters who used to live and work in the building that King is trying to rescue, Ciji Ware shows her love for New Orleans’ old houses, for its history, and for its diversity. The backstory ties in nicely with the modern love story, redeeming the mistakes of the past in a happily ever after sort of way. It’s a satisfying, light read for anyone who loves New Orleans.
my rating system
Monday, March 2, 2009
100+ Reading Challenge
Since I'm already reading and reviewing so many books here, I thought it would be a good idea to join the 100+ Reading Challenge hosted over at J. Kaye's Book Blog. It seems like an easy one. The Challenge runs from 1-1-09 to 12-31-09, and any kind of book is eligible. I'm pretty sure I already read at least a hundred new books a year, but I've never tried to count them before. We'll see how it goes.
Here's my list:
1. Splendid Solution: Jonas Salk and the Conquest of Polio by Jeffrey Kluger review
2. Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCaig review
3. Thank You for All Things by Sandra Kring review
4. Tinker by Wen Spencer review
5. Wolf Who Rules by Wen Spencer
6. Midnight on Julia Street by Ciji Ware review
7. Rebel Angels by Libba Bray
8. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray review
9. A Princess of Roumania by Paul Park review
10. Ananzi Boys by Neil Gaiman
11. Sex, Lies and Wedding Bells by E.M. Linley
12. Homespun Bride by Jillian Hart review
13. Party Favors by Nicole Sexton review
14. Angels Come to Visit by Diane Fox
15. Dancing in the Moonlight by Raeanne Thayne
16. Kiss Me Deadly by Michele Hauf
17. Snowbound by Janice Kay Johnson
18. Speed Dating by Nancy Warren
19. His Lady Mistress by Elizabeth Rolls
20. Elsewhere by Will Shetterly
21. Finder by Emma Bull
Here's my list:
1. Splendid Solution: Jonas Salk and the Conquest of Polio by Jeffrey Kluger review
2. Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCaig review
3. Thank You for All Things by Sandra Kring review
4. Tinker by Wen Spencer review
5. Wolf Who Rules by Wen Spencer
6. Midnight on Julia Street by Ciji Ware review
7. Rebel Angels by Libba Bray
8. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray review
9. A Princess of Roumania by Paul Park review
10. Ananzi Boys by Neil Gaiman
11. Sex, Lies and Wedding Bells by E.M. Linley
12. Homespun Bride by Jillian Hart review
13. Party Favors by Nicole Sexton review
14. Angels Come to Visit by Diane Fox
15. Dancing in the Moonlight by Raeanne Thayne
16. Kiss Me Deadly by Michele Hauf
17. Snowbound by Janice Kay Johnson
18. Speed Dating by Nancy Warren
19. His Lady Mistress by Elizabeth Rolls
20. Elsewhere by Will Shetterly
21. Finder by Emma Bull
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Tinker by Wen Spencer
Tinker is a technological genius who lives in Pittsburg, a city that regularly transports itself between Earth and Elfhome due to a bizarre side effect of an interdimensional gate. There, Tinker invents things at a workshop in her very own scrapyard, races her motorbike, and stops listening when anyone tells her she's wasting her potential by not living on Earth where there are colleges with research labs. Why go to college when she already knows everything about quantum physics?
Then one day, a pack of wargs chases an elven noble into her scrapyard, and suddenly she's on an adventure that will require every scrap of her potential just to survive. Will her intelligence be enough to unravel alien elven customs, outsmart government agents, and foil and interdimensional plot? Oh, and while she's at it, will she ever find the time to go on her first date?
This book is pure fun. The action starts on the very first page, drawing you right into the story. The plot, characters, and setting are nothing revolutionary, but honestly I think that's what makes it so good. Wen Spencer writes the stereotypical urban fantasy book as if it isn't stereotypical at all, with care and attention to detail; she doesn't need fancy tricks to tell a good story. The elves are exactly as they should be, immortal, arrogant, somewhat baffling, and dead sexy. The government agents seem to come from an adventure movie, and the enemies are derived from familiar folklore. Yet, somehow, the story still seems as fresh as if nothing like it had ever been published before. This is the kind of stuff that made me fall in love with the urban fantasy genre long ago. It's wonderful to see it in a new book.
My rating system
Sunday, February 22, 2009
February 2009--The Books I Read This Month
The books I read in February:
Tinker by Wen Spencer
Wolf Who Rules by Wen Spencer
Midnight on Julia Street by Ciji Ware
Rebel Angels by Libba Bray
A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
A Princess of Roumania by Paul Park
Ananzi Boys by Neil Gaiman
Sex, Lies and Wedding Bells by E.M. Linley
Homespun Bride by Jillian Hart
Party Favors by Nicole Sexton
Reviews coming soon!
Tinker by Wen Spencer
Wolf Who Rules by Wen Spencer
Midnight on Julia Street by Ciji Ware
Rebel Angels by Libba Bray
A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
A Princess of Roumania by Paul Park
Ananzi Boys by Neil Gaiman
Sex, Lies and Wedding Bells by E.M. Linley
Homespun Bride by Jillian Hart
Party Favors by Nicole Sexton
Reviews coming soon!
Rating System
My rating system for publshed fiction comes from my lack of storage space. I live in a tiny apartment, and if I kept every book I liked, my family would soon have no place to sleep. I had to develop a book purging system just to keep my bookshelves down to a reasonable number.
Six is a reasonable number, right?
To keep the mountains of books from falling on our heads; I only keep a book as long as I know I'll want to read it again, and I purge my bookshelves monthly to make room for new fiction. Some books go immediately on the re-sell pile, some stay for months, some for years, and some will have a place on the bookshelf until the day I die. I've been winnowing my library like this for so many years that I can usually predict a book's eventual fate on the very first read. Since I already do this automatically, I think it makes a pretty good basis for a rating system.
Black Sky, No Stars--This book is so awful that I can't even finish it. I'll skim through it so I know how it ends, the put it on the re-sell pile.
One Star--This book isn't so great. I can manage to finish it, but it goes straight to the re-sell pile when I reach the last page. It's too boring, too derivative, or too something. I know I'll never want to pick it up again in my life.
Two Stars--This book is a decent read. It will stay on the bookshelf long enough to read it again, but it will be one of the first to go when I run out of room on the bookshelf.
Three Stars--This is a good book. I'll re-read it two or three times before it goes to the re-sell pile, and I'll probably read it again at least one more time before I actually take it to the used book store.
Four Stars--This book is really good. I know I'll re-read it more than two or three times, and it might have a place on the bookshelf for as long as twenty years. There's just something about it that makes me hesitant to get rid of it. It may just be sentimentality; perhaps it influenced me during a particular time in my life, and I'll want to keep it even though I've outgrown the thing. It may be that the power of the story outweighs any problems with the writing that make the book less than perfect, or it may be the power of the writing that outweighs any problems with the story. This book may go on the re-sell pile more than once, only to be rescued at the last moment. If I actually do sell it in a burst of spring cleaning or something, I'm likely to regret it and buy a used copy again someday.
Five Stars--This book is so awesome that I know it will stay on my bookshelf until I'm dead or homeless. This is the kind of book that is so well-written that it will always have the power to interest me. I know I'll discover something new each time I re-read it, the characters will become like old friends, and someday the pages will be held together by packing tape and a prayer.
Half Stars--I add a half star when I'm not sure about a book's eventual fate on my bookshelf. I make rating judgements after the very first read, and sometimes I'm not certain how I really feel about a book until I've read it more than once.
As you can see, this rating system is based on personal preference rather than any objective critical reading strategy. I'm not a publisher or editor, so I can do that if I want. (Nyah, nyah, so there.) :D
Six is a reasonable number, right?
To keep the mountains of books from falling on our heads; I only keep a book as long as I know I'll want to read it again, and I purge my bookshelves monthly to make room for new fiction. Some books go immediately on the re-sell pile, some stay for months, some for years, and some will have a place on the bookshelf until the day I die. I've been winnowing my library like this for so many years that I can usually predict a book's eventual fate on the very first read. Since I already do this automatically, I think it makes a pretty good basis for a rating system.
Black Sky, No Stars--This book is so awful that I can't even finish it. I'll skim through it so I know how it ends, the put it on the re-sell pile.
One Star--This book isn't so great. I can manage to finish it, but it goes straight to the re-sell pile when I reach the last page. It's too boring, too derivative, or too something. I know I'll never want to pick it up again in my life.
Two Stars--This book is a decent read. It will stay on the bookshelf long enough to read it again, but it will be one of the first to go when I run out of room on the bookshelf.
Three Stars--This is a good book. I'll re-read it two or three times before it goes to the re-sell pile, and I'll probably read it again at least one more time before I actually take it to the used book store.
Four Stars--This book is really good. I know I'll re-read it more than two or three times, and it might have a place on the bookshelf for as long as twenty years. There's just something about it that makes me hesitant to get rid of it. It may just be sentimentality; perhaps it influenced me during a particular time in my life, and I'll want to keep it even though I've outgrown the thing. It may be that the power of the story outweighs any problems with the writing that make the book less than perfect, or it may be the power of the writing that outweighs any problems with the story. This book may go on the re-sell pile more than once, only to be rescued at the last moment. If I actually do sell it in a burst of spring cleaning or something, I'm likely to regret it and buy a used copy again someday.
Five Stars--This book is so awesome that I know it will stay on my bookshelf until I'm dead or homeless. This is the kind of book that is so well-written that it will always have the power to interest me. I know I'll discover something new each time I re-read it, the characters will become like old friends, and someday the pages will be held together by packing tape and a prayer.
Half Stars--I add a half star when I'm not sure about a book's eventual fate on my bookshelf. I make rating judgements after the very first read, and sometimes I'm not certain how I really feel about a book until I've read it more than once.
As you can see, this rating system is based on personal preference rather than any objective critical reading strategy. I'm not a publisher or editor, so I can do that if I want. (Nyah, nyah, so there.) :D
Thank You for All Things by Sandra Kring
Lucy is an eleven year old, homeschooled genius. She lives with her writer mom and her twin brother (who's even more of a genius) in a small apartment in the city. Add in a new age grandma, a missing father, and a journey to the country to take care of a dying grandfather; and you have all the elements for a coming of age story in the midst of family drama. It's been done before, but never quite like this.
This is a pretty fun book, partly because of Lucy's young voice. Profound insight mixed with youthful innocence makes for a unique perspective on what is, after all, a purely adult drama. What makes it even better is that the author never develops the story quite how you'd expect. She sets up these common literary tropes--the urban, single mom going back to her family in the country, the troubled child coming of age, the quirky relatives, the big family secret--and subtly turns them all on their heads. I won't spoil the surprise by explaining further, but I will say the unexpected twists kept those pages turning until the very end of the book. Sandra Kring is now definitely on my list of authors to watch.
My rating system.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Fanfiction Friday
I'm a bit late this week, but since it's still Friday somewhere in the world, here are the fanfic recs:
Labyrinth
The T-shirt Incident by Pika-la-Cynique--A story based on a drawing by the author. Funny stuff!
Lord of the Rings
Those Who Remain by Marnie--A bittersweet conversation between Celeborn and Sam. Truly lovely.
Labyrinth
The T-shirt Incident by Pika-la-Cynique--A story based on a drawing by the author. Funny stuff!
Lord of the Rings
Those Who Remain by Marnie--A bittersweet conversation between Celeborn and Sam. Truly lovely.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCaig
Remember Rhett Butler? He was that good looking, somewhat mysterious guy in Gone With the Wind. You know, the one who didn't give a damn. I always thought he was pretty awesome, so reading Rhett Butler's People sounded like a treat. The author, Donald McCaig, delves into Rhett's character, his backstory, and the lives of his family and friends--just like it promised on the little blurb on the back of the book. It's like fanfiction for GWtW.
The bad stuff:
The book is an authorized sequel to Margaret Mitchell's work, but strangely enough, McCaig is not a huge fan of the original. It definitely shows. It's been a long time since I read the original work or even saw the movie, but since I have a thing for handsome, uncaring men, I at least remembered Rhett. His selfishness and masculine mystery made him such an intoxicating counterpoint to Scarlett's character. Unfortunately, McCaig completely fails to capture that. In his version, Rhett is the poor, misunderstood good guy. Every less than savory action on his part is justified times a million. Sounds a bit unlikely, doesn't it? I don't remember the original story enough to know how well McCaig wrote the other characters, but based on my observations of Rhett, I can see why GWtW fans are so upset with this book.
The good stuff:
As a stand alone novel, this book does very well. If you pretend the characters and setting have nothing to do with GWtW, the book becomes your standard, well-written Southern nostalgia story. It possesses a nicely suspenseful plot (for me, probably aided by the fact that I couldn't remember exactly how the original ended), a slightly more balanced view of race than you usually get in this type of book, and well-drawn characters. Rhett's sister was a particularly enjoyable one; it was a delight to watch her personality become more complex as she grew. Also, Rhett waxing eloquent about nature came across as downright sexy. Rhett Butler's People was definitely worth reading for that alone.
My rating system.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Splendid Solution: Jonas Salk and the Conquest of Polio
My grandma's bookshelves are always full. I'm grateful for this when I don't have the time to visit the library or the money to visit the bookstore, but it does make for some odd reading choices.
Splendid Solution by Jeffrey Kluger is one of those books that I never would have picked up on my own. It's about the development of the polio vaccine, mainly focusing on the biography of Jonas Salk, the scientist who invented the vaccine we use today. Kluger presents Salk's story as the triumph of science over public fear and other researchers' intellectual hubris. It's surprisingly readable for a book of this kind.
The narrative starts with Jonas Stark's mother and her efforts to protect her child from the polio epidemic in the summer of 1916. It continues with Stark's education, his internship under his mentor, his work on a flu vaccine, and finally his efforts to develop a polio vaccine from a "dead" virus. The author chronicles the work of competing scientists as well, though more briefly, and he also gives us the story of the fledgling March of Dimes organization (created to fight polio) and other philanthropists like President Franklin D. Roosevelt whose efforts contributed to the defeat of the disease.
There's little blind praise of Dr. Salk here; he may be the hero of this story, but he's a flawed one. He blunders occasionally, just like the rest of us poor mortals, and the author doesn't flinch from describing those misakes. It certainly makes the biography more interesting than your standard "triumph of reason" book.
Kluger also does a great job describing the science in layman's terms. He intersperses human interest stories with each stage of the vaccine's development, and his descriptions of individual polio victims give that dry theory immediate importance. Less successful are the character sketches of rival scientists, Salk's assistants, and polio organization members. Though necessary to give a complete view of the struggle to eradicate polio, I found reading about all the infighting and bureaucracy incredibly tedious. It meant that I had to read the book in little snippets every night instead of devouring it in a few hours.
I thought it was a pretty good book considering that I had no prior interest in the subject. It's definitely worth reading if you are at all interested in a behind the scenes glimpse of the scientific community, if you want a picture of the climate of fear surrounding the disease in the forties and fifties, or just because you're grateful we no longer have to be scared of polio today. I know I'll say a big thank you to Dr. Salk the next time my kid gets his shots.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
January 2009--Books I Read This Month
These are the books I finished last month:
Splendid Solution: Jonas Salk and the Conquest of Polio by Jeffrey Kluger
Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCaig
Thank You for All Things by Sandra Kring
There were others, but I honestly can't remember what they are.
Reviews coming soon!
Splendid Solution: Jonas Salk and the Conquest of Polio by Jeffrey Kluger
Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCaig
Thank You for All Things by Sandra Kring
There were others, but I honestly can't remember what they are.
Reviews coming soon!
2009 Young Adult Book Challenge
This looks like fun!
J. Kaye's Book Blog is hosting a YA Book Challenge.
The rules:
1. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate.
2. Read 12 Young Adult novels. No need to list your books in advance. You may select books as you go. Even if you list them now, you can change the list if needed.
3. Challenge begins January thru December, 2009.
4. You can join anytime between now and December 31, 2009.
Here's my list so far:
1. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
3. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
3. Little (Grrl) Lost by Charles DeLint
4. The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Gothgirl by Barry Lyga
5. Sucks to Be Me: The All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton, Teen Vampire (maybe) by Kimberly Pauley
6. Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan
7. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray review
8.Rebel Angels by Libba Bray
9.
10.
11.
12.
J. Kaye's Book Blog is hosting a YA Book Challenge.
The rules:
1. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate.
2. Read 12 Young Adult novels. No need to list your books in advance. You may select books as you go. Even if you list them now, you can change the list if needed.
3. Challenge begins January thru December, 2009.
4. You can join anytime between now and December 31, 2009.
Here's my list so far:
1. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
3. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
3. Little (Grrl) Lost by Charles DeLint
4. The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Gothgirl by Barry Lyga
5. Sucks to Be Me: The All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton, Teen Vampire (maybe) by Kimberly Pauley
6. Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan
7. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray review
8.Rebel Angels by Libba Bray
9.
10.
11.
12.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Introducing Fanfiction Fridays
Unless you’ve been living in a box, you probably know something about fan fiction. You may love it or hate it; but if you read it at all, you already know the difficulty of finding something decent to read. Who wants to slog through hundreds of terrible stories to find that one gem?
Surprisingly, I actually enjoy digging through the mess, and that means you don't even have to dirty your hands. Every Friday, I’ll recommend some fan fiction from various fandoms. There’s no guarantee that any of it will be to your taste, but at the least you can count on stories minus glaring grammatical errors.
Selections for this week:
Lord of the Rings Fandom
Hands of the King by Anglachel--A novel length fic about the love story between Denethor and Findulas. This story gives depth to a Tolkien character that is often ignored. (If you need your memory refreshed, Denethor is Boromir’s father and the steward of Minas Tirith.) It’s highly readable, well-researched, and full of political goodness.
Star Wars Fandom
Crashing in Time by Siamesa--A humorous little alternate history fic. The writing is a bit shaky in places, but it’s worth reading for the time travel silliness.
Sorry there are only two this week, but I haven't organized all of my links yet.
Surprisingly, I actually enjoy digging through the mess, and that means you don't even have to dirty your hands. Every Friday, I’ll recommend some fan fiction from various fandoms. There’s no guarantee that any of it will be to your taste, but at the least you can count on stories minus glaring grammatical errors.
Selections for this week:
Lord of the Rings Fandom
Hands of the King by Anglachel--A novel length fic about the love story between Denethor and Findulas. This story gives depth to a Tolkien character that is often ignored. (If you need your memory refreshed, Denethor is Boromir’s father and the steward of Minas Tirith.) It’s highly readable, well-researched, and full of political goodness.
Star Wars Fandom
Crashing in Time by Siamesa--A humorous little alternate history fic. The writing is a bit shaky in places, but it’s worth reading for the time travel silliness.
Sorry there are only two this week, but I haven't organized all of my links yet.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Single Character POV: Isn’t it ironic?
After reading ten or fifteen recently published novels, I started to wonder what the heck was missing from these books. Why couldn’t I immerse myself in them? They weren’t awful books, not precisely, but nothing to keep me up past my bedtime. Predictably, it started me thinking--because, ya know, everything starts me thinking.
Here’s what the novels had in common:
Possessed an interesting premise, check
Included vampires, elves, or other androgynous males, check
Attempted witty, witty dialogue, check
Written from a single character’s point of view, che--OH.
It hit me hard, like an epiphany accompanied by choirs of angels. All of the novels were written from a single character’s point of view! That must be the reason! It’s obviously because novels with single character’s POV lack…um…well, um…they lack multiple points of view?
Yeah, as epiphanies go, this one kind of sucked. I clearly needed to think about it some more. Why would the POV make a difference? Why, God, WHY? Two hours and many wikipedia entries later, I’m pretty sure I discovered an actual answer. It’s this: single character POV discourages irony. Since irony is often the machine that moves the plot, builds character development, and generally makes a story worth reading; that’s pretty important, isn’t it?
But what exactly IS irony, anyway? I know I’m not the only one to be shaky on this point at one time or another. None of my teachers ever gave me a simple definition of irony, at least not one that I understood, and it was probably because they were just as confused. (Then again, maybe I was just stupid before the invention of wikipedia.) Whatever. Let’s just call irony a disconnect between reality and perception; that’s as good a definition as any.
It encompasses these three things:
1. Verbal irony, the difference between what someone says and what he means
2. Situational irony, the difference between what actually happens and what is expected to happen
3. Dramatic irony, the difference between what the audience knows and what the character perceives.
In fiction, dramatic irony is the greatest of these. It increases the tension in the novel, makes for delicious “Aha!” moments for the reader, and keeps those pages turning. That’s why this recent tendency for authors to stick with a single character’s point of view is so disappointing. When readers aren’t given a different point of view, how can they know more about the story than the character? Well, duh, they can‘t--at least not very easily. Authors have a much tougher time using this kind of irony when the reader only receives the story from one perspective.
The number of multiple POV novels published in the last five years or so seem to be few. It might just be me, but I can count the number I‘ve read in the past year on one hand. There’s The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory, and Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. That’s it. Everything else has been restricted to stories told from one character‘s perspective.
Damn all well-meant advice to aspiring authors.
Okay, so maybe not, but I think that’s where this tendency originates. Publishing houses, published authors, and “how to write” books all recommend that the author pick one character and write everything from his point of view. I know, I know, it’s not terrible advice. Many inexperienced authors have a tendency to switch POV in mid-paragraph, sometimes even in mid-sentence, and that just results in a confusing mess. Now, I’m all for encouraging inexperienced writers to produce something decent for publication, but does this mean I have to say goodbye to those well crafted, multiple POV stories? I certainly hope not.
Character Development
It’s just plain better when you see a character from another character’s point of view. It gives them both depth.
Consider this bit of (admittedly not very good) writing:
“Don’t be stupid.” Tiffany hated how her voice scaled up to that high, whining pitch when she was nervous, but she could barely choke the words out around her fear, much less modulate their tone. There was something so disquieting about the smell coming out of that cave. "Besides," she continued, "there’s probably nothing down there but a few old bat skeletons."
She squared her shoulders as Raoul nodded. Did nothing fluster the boy? He slid his sword out of his scabbard, looking as unconcerned as any of the grim knights from the Crystal City, and edged closer to the opening in the rock.
And now this bit with multiple POV:
“Don’t be stupid." Tiffany hated how her voice scaled up to that high, whining pitch when she was nervous, but she could barely choke the words out around her fear, much less modulate their tone. There was something so disquieting about the smell coming out of that cave. "Besides," she continued, "there’s probably nothing down there but a few old bat skeletons."
She squared her shoulders, trying to seem as brave as Raoul . He looked as unconcerned as one of the grim knights from the Crystal City. Did nothing ever fluster the boy?
With this POV switch halfway through the scene:
Raoul slid his sword out of his scabbard, hoping that his sweaty palms wouldn‘t cause him to lose his grip at a crucial moment. He considered wiping them on his t-shirt, but damned if he would look like a coward in front of Tiffany again. “Right.” He nodded and edged closer to the opening in the rock. The cave positively reeked of dragon, but how could he suggest turning back when a this slip of a girl spoke so contemptuously of bat skeletons?
Yes, I’m aware that switching pov mid-scene is a stupid move, especially with such a rough transition, but you get the general idea here. Adding Raoul’s point of view lets us know more about both Raoul and Tiffany.
What we now know about Tiffany:
1. She hides her fear better than she thinks she does.
2. She has no idea Raoul is nervous.
What we now know about Raoul:
1. He doesn’t think he’s brave.
2. He’s nervous.
3. He thinks Tiffany sees him as a coward.
See? Multiple POV = Verbal irony x 2 + dramatic irony = character depth. It can help with the plot, too.
Heigh-ho, Moving That Plot Along
Okay, so the plot is what happens in the story. Let’s say a wizard transports Tiffany and Raoul to a fantasy kingdom threatened by a dragon. The kids overcome obstacles which eventually result in the dragon’s death. There is much rejoicing, and the kids, profoundly changed by their adventures, return to their home. Setup, conflict, and resolution; those are the elements of the plot.
There’s no question that the plot could be accomplished from one character’s perspective and without the use of dramatic irony. So how does dramatic irony help? How does it move the plot along, and how does the use of multiple POV make it better?
To go back to the excerpt above, moving the plot along means the kids are going to have to go down into the cave of the dragon. Dramatic irony shown through the use of multiple POV gives them a reason to go there. Why are they going? What’s their motivation? Raoul draws his sword and edges closer to the entrance because he wants to prove to Tiffany that he is not a coward. Tiffany will follow because she wants to be as brave as Raoul. If they would just talk to each other, if they would just admit their fears, they wouldn’t have to go into the cave to meet the dragon at all. They could just go have a nice cup of tea somewhere. Of course, then there wouldn’t be much of a story. It’s that disconnect between their perceptions of each other that is giving them both the impetus to crawl into that creepy cave.
Now, I’m not denying that there still might be a story if we received the whole thing from Tiffany’s perspective. I don’t think, however, that it would be quite as interesting.
And that brings us to…
Tension and Oh, Those Delicious “Aha!” Moments
The most satisfying moments in multiple POV stories come from tensions resolved with each switch of perspective. Something unknown by the character in the first scene becomes known in the next POV switch. “Aha! Joe saw the butler holding the candlestick in the billiard room! If only Sally had seen it, she would have realized the parlor maid lied. Oh, if only Joe and Sally could talk!“ You, the reader, perceive something the character doesn’t. That disconnect is dramatic irony, and it’s what keeps those pages turning long after you ought to be starting dinner for the kids.
It doesn’t even have to end with the conversation between Joe and Sally that solves the murder. The trick to keeping the tension going is to add another conflict along with each resolution--sometimes two or three other conflicts, some that are resolved with the next character switch, and some that are resolved much, much later in the story. It becomes a many layered thing, drawing the reader deeper and deeper into the story.
The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan is the first story that comes to mind when I think about this kind of writing. The man was the master of head hopping. There’s also The Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R, Martin, almost anything by Maeve Binchy, and if you’re into military type stuff, The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy is supposed to be an absolutely great multiple POV novel. (I haven’t read it yet, to my eternal shame.)
So, would any of these novels and series even be worth reading if the authors restricted their narrative to one character’s perspective? The authors are pretty good, so the answer is probably yes. The stories, however, would certainly lose much of their tension and complexity. In fact, each novel would probably change beyond recognition given the impossibility of telling the stories from so many different settings within their respective worlds. The authors would have to compensate by simplifying the plot so the novel wouldn’t suffer from information dump-itis. (Never, ever fun.)
It’s dramatic irony that moves the plots in these books. It’s what makes them worth reading. If they were written from a single character’s perspective, they would lose that dramatic irony and thus become completely different stories. And THAT, kids, is what tells us what is missing from all these recently published books.
So, in glorious conclusion (or something): A single character POV, isn’t it ironic? The answer is no, it usually isn’t.* At the least, single character POV is restricted to verbal and situational irony; it isn’t dramatically ironic at all.
And that’s too bad.
*Sorry Alanis, it’s also really not like rain on your wedding day. Unless, of course, your biggest fear is that it will rain on your wedding day; and you’re obsessed with the possibility, so much so that you research weather witches on the internet. You meet one and fall in love. The day of your wedding dawns the tiniest bit overcast, so your groom to be starts to cast a spell for clear skies, just in case. But WOE and DISASTER, at the most critical moment he’s distracted by having to rescue you from a villain who kidnaps you to use your great fear as a focus to put a curse on your nuptials. The groom wins the day, the curse is averted, but the weather spell is horribly ruined. Instead of really clear skies, it’s pouring down rain when you finally walk up the aisle. Now, that’s ironic. Pretty stupid, but ironic. Yay for situational irony!**
**Oh, and bonus points if you’re telling this story from the perspective of twenty years of married bliss.
Here’s what the novels had in common:
Possessed an interesting premise, check
Included vampires, elves, or other androgynous males, check
Attempted witty, witty dialogue, check
Written from a single character’s point of view, che--OH.
It hit me hard, like an epiphany accompanied by choirs of angels. All of the novels were written from a single character’s point of view! That must be the reason! It’s obviously because novels with single character’s POV lack…um…well, um…they lack multiple points of view?
Yeah, as epiphanies go, this one kind of sucked. I clearly needed to think about it some more. Why would the POV make a difference? Why, God, WHY? Two hours and many wikipedia entries later, I’m pretty sure I discovered an actual answer. It’s this: single character POV discourages irony. Since irony is often the machine that moves the plot, builds character development, and generally makes a story worth reading; that’s pretty important, isn’t it?
But what exactly IS irony, anyway? I know I’m not the only one to be shaky on this point at one time or another. None of my teachers ever gave me a simple definition of irony, at least not one that I understood, and it was probably because they were just as confused. (Then again, maybe I was just stupid before the invention of wikipedia.) Whatever. Let’s just call irony a disconnect between reality and perception; that’s as good a definition as any.
It encompasses these three things:
1. Verbal irony, the difference between what someone says and what he means
2. Situational irony, the difference between what actually happens and what is expected to happen
3. Dramatic irony, the difference between what the audience knows and what the character perceives.
In fiction, dramatic irony is the greatest of these. It increases the tension in the novel, makes for delicious “Aha!” moments for the reader, and keeps those pages turning. That’s why this recent tendency for authors to stick with a single character’s point of view is so disappointing. When readers aren’t given a different point of view, how can they know more about the story than the character? Well, duh, they can‘t--at least not very easily. Authors have a much tougher time using this kind of irony when the reader only receives the story from one perspective.
The number of multiple POV novels published in the last five years or so seem to be few. It might just be me, but I can count the number I‘ve read in the past year on one hand. There’s The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory, and Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. That’s it. Everything else has been restricted to stories told from one character‘s perspective.
Damn all well-meant advice to aspiring authors.
Okay, so maybe not, but I think that’s where this tendency originates. Publishing houses, published authors, and “how to write” books all recommend that the author pick one character and write everything from his point of view. I know, I know, it’s not terrible advice. Many inexperienced authors have a tendency to switch POV in mid-paragraph, sometimes even in mid-sentence, and that just results in a confusing mess. Now, I’m all for encouraging inexperienced writers to produce something decent for publication, but does this mean I have to say goodbye to those well crafted, multiple POV stories? I certainly hope not.
Character Development
It’s just plain better when you see a character from another character’s point of view. It gives them both depth.
Consider this bit of (admittedly not very good) writing:
“Don’t be stupid.” Tiffany hated how her voice scaled up to that high, whining pitch when she was nervous, but she could barely choke the words out around her fear, much less modulate their tone. There was something so disquieting about the smell coming out of that cave. "Besides," she continued, "there’s probably nothing down there but a few old bat skeletons."
She squared her shoulders as Raoul nodded. Did nothing fluster the boy? He slid his sword out of his scabbard, looking as unconcerned as any of the grim knights from the Crystal City, and edged closer to the opening in the rock.
And now this bit with multiple POV:
“Don’t be stupid." Tiffany hated how her voice scaled up to that high, whining pitch when she was nervous, but she could barely choke the words out around her fear, much less modulate their tone. There was something so disquieting about the smell coming out of that cave. "Besides," she continued, "there’s probably nothing down there but a few old bat skeletons."
She squared her shoulders, trying to seem as brave as Raoul . He looked as unconcerned as one of the grim knights from the Crystal City. Did nothing ever fluster the boy?
With this POV switch halfway through the scene:
Raoul slid his sword out of his scabbard, hoping that his sweaty palms wouldn‘t cause him to lose his grip at a crucial moment. He considered wiping them on his t-shirt, but damned if he would look like a coward in front of Tiffany again. “Right.” He nodded and edged closer to the opening in the rock. The cave positively reeked of dragon, but how could he suggest turning back when a this slip of a girl spoke so contemptuously of bat skeletons?
Yes, I’m aware that switching pov mid-scene is a stupid move, especially with such a rough transition, but you get the general idea here. Adding Raoul’s point of view lets us know more about both Raoul and Tiffany.
What we now know about Tiffany:
1. She hides her fear better than she thinks she does.
2. She has no idea Raoul is nervous.
What we now know about Raoul:
1. He doesn’t think he’s brave.
2. He’s nervous.
3. He thinks Tiffany sees him as a coward.
See? Multiple POV = Verbal irony x 2 + dramatic irony = character depth. It can help with the plot, too.
Heigh-ho, Moving That Plot Along
Okay, so the plot is what happens in the story. Let’s say a wizard transports Tiffany and Raoul to a fantasy kingdom threatened by a dragon. The kids overcome obstacles which eventually result in the dragon’s death. There is much rejoicing, and the kids, profoundly changed by their adventures, return to their home. Setup, conflict, and resolution; those are the elements of the plot.
There’s no question that the plot could be accomplished from one character’s perspective and without the use of dramatic irony. So how does dramatic irony help? How does it move the plot along, and how does the use of multiple POV make it better?
To go back to the excerpt above, moving the plot along means the kids are going to have to go down into the cave of the dragon. Dramatic irony shown through the use of multiple POV gives them a reason to go there. Why are they going? What’s their motivation? Raoul draws his sword and edges closer to the entrance because he wants to prove to Tiffany that he is not a coward. Tiffany will follow because she wants to be as brave as Raoul. If they would just talk to each other, if they would just admit their fears, they wouldn’t have to go into the cave to meet the dragon at all. They could just go have a nice cup of tea somewhere. Of course, then there wouldn’t be much of a story. It’s that disconnect between their perceptions of each other that is giving them both the impetus to crawl into that creepy cave.
Now, I’m not denying that there still might be a story if we received the whole thing from Tiffany’s perspective. I don’t think, however, that it would be quite as interesting.
And that brings us to…
Tension and Oh, Those Delicious “Aha!” Moments
The most satisfying moments in multiple POV stories come from tensions resolved with each switch of perspective. Something unknown by the character in the first scene becomes known in the next POV switch. “Aha! Joe saw the butler holding the candlestick in the billiard room! If only Sally had seen it, she would have realized the parlor maid lied. Oh, if only Joe and Sally could talk!“ You, the reader, perceive something the character doesn’t. That disconnect is dramatic irony, and it’s what keeps those pages turning long after you ought to be starting dinner for the kids.
It doesn’t even have to end with the conversation between Joe and Sally that solves the murder. The trick to keeping the tension going is to add another conflict along with each resolution--sometimes two or three other conflicts, some that are resolved with the next character switch, and some that are resolved much, much later in the story. It becomes a many layered thing, drawing the reader deeper and deeper into the story.
The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan is the first story that comes to mind when I think about this kind of writing. The man was the master of head hopping. There’s also The Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R, Martin, almost anything by Maeve Binchy, and if you’re into military type stuff, The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy is supposed to be an absolutely great multiple POV novel. (I haven’t read it yet, to my eternal shame.)
So, would any of these novels and series even be worth reading if the authors restricted their narrative to one character’s perspective? The authors are pretty good, so the answer is probably yes. The stories, however, would certainly lose much of their tension and complexity. In fact, each novel would probably change beyond recognition given the impossibility of telling the stories from so many different settings within their respective worlds. The authors would have to compensate by simplifying the plot so the novel wouldn’t suffer from information dump-itis. (Never, ever fun.)
It’s dramatic irony that moves the plots in these books. It’s what makes them worth reading. If they were written from a single character’s perspective, they would lose that dramatic irony and thus become completely different stories. And THAT, kids, is what tells us what is missing from all these recently published books.
So, in glorious conclusion (or something): A single character POV, isn’t it ironic? The answer is no, it usually isn’t.* At the least, single character POV is restricted to verbal and situational irony; it isn’t dramatically ironic at all.
And that’s too bad.
*Sorry Alanis, it’s also really not like rain on your wedding day. Unless, of course, your biggest fear is that it will rain on your wedding day; and you’re obsessed with the possibility, so much so that you research weather witches on the internet. You meet one and fall in love. The day of your wedding dawns the tiniest bit overcast, so your groom to be starts to cast a spell for clear skies, just in case. But WOE and DISASTER, at the most critical moment he’s distracted by having to rescue you from a villain who kidnaps you to use your great fear as a focus to put a curse on your nuptials. The groom wins the day, the curse is averted, but the weather spell is horribly ruined. Instead of really clear skies, it’s pouring down rain when you finally walk up the aisle. Now, that’s ironic. Pretty stupid, but ironic. Yay for situational irony!**
**Oh, and bonus points if you’re telling this story from the perspective of twenty years of married bliss.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Must. Read. Books.
Hi there, I’m a zombie monster who must devour books instead of brains. Mediocre writing is not a deterrent. If I see words, I have to read them. It’s as simple as that.
It all started when I was a child. I wasn’t the kind of kid who merely looked at the pictures on the back of the cereal box over breakfast. I read every bit of advertising, played every game, then turned the box on its side to puzzle over words like “niacinamide” and “monolyceride“. (In case you’re curious, I’m pretty sure niacinamide is vitamin B, and monolyceride is a preservative that also binds ingredients together. I was also the kind of dorky kid who looked things up in the dictionary.)
I haven’t changed much over the years. I’ll still read anything and everything. That trashy romance novel in the waiting room at the doctor’s office? Yep, devoured it despite the paper doll characters and formulaic plot. The book about the polio epidemic in the 1920s? Uh huh, I read it in snippets each night over a month even though the book bored me to tears. That box of science fiction and fantasy books my friend tried to throw away? Rescued, read, and reread. And let’s not even mention those impulse purchases at the bookstore.
I’m not bragging here. Being an avid reader doesn’t make you intelligent. If it did, I’d have transformed that early interest in cereal ingredients to a career in the sciences, instead of being a starving artist with a book addiction. However, after twenty-five years of reading every scrap of print that fell into my grubby little hands, some knowledge of what makes a well-crafted story must have wormed its way into my brain.
I’ll share my thoughts here. If I had my dream job, I’d be that editor who reads through all those manuscripts sent to the publishing house by aspiring authors; you know, the editor who wades through fifty stories to find the one manuscript good enough to send upstairs? Until I get that job (and win the lottery, and grow wings, and have my next carving displayed in the museum), I’ll have to content myself with using this blog to review published works. Hopefully, I can lead others to the good stuff and warn them away from the bad.
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