Book reviews, continued

[winter]

William Gibson, Pattern Recognition

First of all, this is a Gibson book. I knew there would be that brilliant shattered-crystal prose that draws me inside and paints images on the inside of my brain.

Second, this is not a science-fiction novel. This is in present-time, and Gibson's first one like it. There's a reason for that: we are, right now, in the modern-and-gritty world Gibson predicted. Remember that dolphin-minesweeper from Johnny Mnemonic? (The story, don't mention the movie to me, please.) Just today Mr Gibson posted on his blog about how scientists have created a rat brain that pilots a jet.

And nowhere did his predictions come so true as in the realm of sociological impact of cyberspace. Pattern Recognition has flamewars, fandom wank and conspiracy theories. At times it seems like a jetlag nightmare made flesh. The escalating conspiracy seems almost contrived until you realize that it has that internet hyper-reality, where everything is within arm's reach. He tried for that in Idoru; Pattern Recognition is better.



L. Sprague De Camp and Fletcher Pratt, The Compleat Enchanter

From ultramodern cyberspace thriller to classic fantasy at its best. I've read the first two Harold O'Shea novels long ago in translation, so of course I jumped at the chance of getting the complete four-novel brick. Harold's a psychologist who fancies himself an adventurer, so when his co-worker speculates upon an exercise that may grant passage to a parallel world, Harold jumps at it.

During his adventures he changes from a charmingly inept and bumbling stranger-in-strange-land to an accomplished magician, and each step of his development is well documented. I like those tales for that realism; now that's something some Mary Sue authors should read ^_~ And as a bonus, the worlds Harold's magic lands him in are Norse myths, Spenser's The Faerie Queene, Orlando Furioso, The Kalevala and Irish myths - something for everyone!




Roger Zelazny, The Chronicles of Amber

I've waxed poetic about Amber over a year ago, back when I first read the books. Now I have them in deadtree format, and I like them just as much. I could talk for a long time about Zelazny's talent for weaving such gripping tales, his combining familiar elements into a stunning mythology, or my desire to raise his spirit and make him tell me what happened next, since he had the ill grace to die in the middle of writing the next book.

But I think a comment from my mother will suffice. When she read the Amber books, she said: "Now I know why you like them so much. That Corwin guy is you, male version."

Remember that book Fingon was reading in "Let It Snow", where he remarked he finally found a family more dysfunctional than the Finwians? Honestly, no contest.


And happy birthday to myrsine :)