Interlude: Dilemma

Just started a new book today - Tomorrow They Will Kiss by Eduardo Santiago. Seems promising, considering I've only read the first chapter. But then the unthinkable happens. I walk into a bookstore....and I see the Grail.

Craig (my husband) is a toy collector and he often talks about the Grail - the one toy you can never seem to find or afford but would cut your hand off for etc etc. Well, if I were to have a literary Grail, it would be the fifth book of the amazing Obernewtyn Chronicles by Isobelle Carmody. It took her eight years to get around to writing it. I had completely given up hope, considering the number of books she's written in the interim. I thought she wasn't going to bother. Only this weekend I was telling someone it would never happen. But I walk into the bookstore and there it is - the fifth book, The Stone Key. So of course I buy it instantly, budget and loyalty to libraries notwithstanding.

But what do I do now? Do I finish "Tomorrow They Will Kiss" in a big rush, while Carmody's 1000-page tome calls to me from the bookshelf? Or do I plunge into The Stone Key, knowing that Tomorrow is due back to the library soon and I may never manage to finish it? Neither approach will do the two books justice. What to do?

Manga Corner: .hack// Legend of the Twilight

Last week I read the first three volumes of .hack// Legend of the Twilight. It's actually some manga that I bought for the public library I used to work at - it's recommended for the Young Adult collection.

I think it's fair to say that it really is aimed at teenagers - 11-15 years or so. And gamers. The premise is that there's a enourmous world-wide virtual reality RPG called the World - sort of like World of Warcraft but VR style. A brother and sister win the avatars of two famous former players. As they start to play with their new characters, they discover the "Mystery" of the World that their characters once sought - and also discover that the vaguely sinister corporation that runs the World is not always as in control as they would like.

There's lots of monster fighting and leveling up and quests - like I say, a real gamers' read. It's a bit like Pokemon and those other franchises - computer games, anime, manga. I think the computer game came first here. I might pick up the anime at the library for a look, but I don't think I'll go further with the manga. The story isn't bad, but I think I'll stick to my current fave, Fruits Basket.

Interlude: Credit where credit is due

After some gentle nudging (I'm sure the bruise on my ribs will heal) I must acknoledge my good friend Shadowfire for recommending the Hyperion books to me in the first place. He also recommended Intervention by Julian May which I have reread several times - he can pick 'em.

Shame he couldn't be bothered reading my recommendations. :P

And thanks to Ben for recommending Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson. He's an author that has been on my "to read" list for a long time - funnily enough I think Shadowfire recommended him too! So I shall endeavor to read Snow Crash later this year. But not yet - I don't want to overdo the sci-fi!

I'm currently reading "From Baghdad with Love" - about a Marine who rescues a puppy in Iraq. More on that later.

Book 2 - The Fall of Hyperion

Hyperion finishes as the 7 pilgrims finish their tales and prepare to walk into the valley of the Time Tombs and the terrifying Shrike.

I hate cliff-hangers, don't you?

The Fall of Hyperion (thankfully) tells us the events that happen in the valley, but the view-point widens to include the cataclysmic impact of these events on the greater Web of worlds. Most of this is narrated by a most intriguing character - John Keats, the poet. Or rather, a cybrid Keats (part human, part AI) constructed by the TechnoCore to recreate the poet's life and thoughts, who has escaped into the world Web.

Literature, philosophy and theology are deeply embedded in Dan Simmon's work. Hyperion is the name of an unfinished poem by Keats on the clash of the Greek Gods. The character Silenus struggles to tell the same tale in his Cantos. The poetry of Keats and Yeats are sprinkled throughout the books, and the theology of St Teilhard underpins the whole philosophy of the books: that God, or the Ultimate Intelligence, grows out of the collective spirit of humanity - the animus mundi, to borrow from Yeats.

I think the fact that I've studied both Keats and Yeats, and have a general understanding of theology, was one of the reasons I enjoyed the Hyperion books so much - it really opens up the concepts they try to convey. I love the swirls of intertextuality that run through literature - this concept informs that novel etc. The richer your experience and understanding of literature (or culture in general), the more you will draw from a text. There you go, there's a little treatise on an aspect of postmodernism for you. It's also gotten me thinking about the poetry I studied in high school and uni, so you may find some poetry reviews popping up in here later.

Book 1 - Hyperion by Dan Simmons

One of the great things about Science Fiction is that it allows authors/creators to draw concepts from philosophy, science, sociology, literature, you name it; throw it into the future or an alternate reality; and see what might happen.

In Hyperion, Dan Simmons envisions a future where the culture of humanity has become stunted by its sense of biological superiority while at the same time being entirely and unwittingly dependent on the AIs and technology it once helped to create. Despite having access to hundreds of worlds, there is a homogeneity within human culture created by the ability to step from one world to the next in the blink of an eye. I suppose you could say it is a sad display of the ultimate globalisation, characterised by everything from mediocrity in literature to the fall of religion and the destruction of unique ecosystems and life forms in the name of tourism.

The one variable that cannot be computed by the AIs is Hyperion, home to the mysterious Time Tombs and the Shrike, a creature straight out of nightmares. The Tombs are opening and the Church of the Shrike has hand-selected a last group to take the pilgrammage to the tombs. During their journey, each narrates their story in an homage to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales - and to a variety of literary styles including a hard-boiled detective story and a Heart of Darkness-style missionary quest.

Hyperion is a gripping, deeply intelligent read. It rightly won a number of awards, including the Hugo. I'll be writing about some more aspects of it in my next post, since you simply cannot read it without dashing out to find its sequel, Fall of Hyperion.

52 Books in 52 Weeks

I'm a pretty avid reader, so I probably don't need any additional motivation to read more than 52 books in a year. However, I can also sometimes be a lazy reader - there are lots of classic books that I just "haven't gotten around to", or if I do get stuck into a meaty book I may not take the time to really think through what I've read or even form an opinion on the book beyond "it was ok".

So here I am, determined to keep a record of my thoughts on everything I read this year and more than willing to share it with (inflict it on?) my dear friends and fellow readers. And please add your own thoughts or recommendations to my posts.

Love,
Linda