After I read Neuromancer (published in 1984) in the early 90s, I quickly devoured everything Gibson had written, and I have since kept up with his releases. I was attracted to the tech themes of his early cyber-punk books and I continue to admire the way he investigates the concept of "reality" and how it is created or influenced. In this novel he returns to some of the characters of Spook Country, which was described by the media as a "post-9/11 thriller." As best I can tell, thrillers of this genre focus on edgy characters that are either bored or fighting for their lives, depending on the moment. Quite frequently, the thing they are fighting for don't seem particularly important (fashion, in this instance) and the bad guys and good guys are hard to discern. At times I found myself wondering why I was reading the book at all, but I was compelled to continue. There's always the feeling that the answer--not only to the current story, but to life itself--will appear on the next page of a Gibson novel. I keep turning them.
I keep coming across fantasy books by Nix, so I decided to try this Tween book to see what I thought of his work. As things go in books for this age group, Troubletwisters (yes, all one word, which bugged me immensely) was a relatively gripping read, fraught with the usual missing parents (work), visit to strange relative (grandmother), and oncoming powers (control of weather conditions). The main characters are Jaide and Jack--twins who don't necessarily conform to gender roles (Jaide is faster, Jack more thoughtful)--and there are enough evil characters, talking animals, and bugs to make kids this age happy. I'll take a look at another Nix book to see what I think, and I'll keep my eyes open for Troubletwisters Book 2, as promised by the this volume's title.
I enjoyed the Thursday Next series Fforde started a number of years back, although I lapsed and haven't read the most recent volumes. When I came across this in the Borders 50% off sale, though, I decided to give it a try. In this novel, Fforde's zany humor is evident, as is his love of words and vivid language. Here, however, we also have the added excitement of a whole new dystopic world called Chromatacia--one based on color and the ability of humans to perceive the colors around them--an ability which defines their class status within the Colortocracy, the jobs they can hold, and even who they can love or marry. This is Fforde at his best, and I'm inspired to catch up on the Thursday Next series as well!
A comic written about a flight attendant with a fear of heights is a winning premise to begin with, but throw in an exotic boyfriend, a country that doesn't exist but can still be visited, and historic figures like Amelia Earheart, and this comic makes a pretty winning combination. The plot occasionally drags and the main character can be a bit of a sap, but overall I'll add this to the comic series I follow.
Review coming soon. Tell me what you thought!
Review coming soon. Tell me what you thought!
Review coming soon. Tell me what you thought!
