This "not so distant" world is ruled by the wealthiest. The working society who struggles to eke out an existence lives on the periphery of the wealthThis "not so distant" world is ruled by the wealthiest. The working society who struggles to eke out an existence lives on the periphery of the wealthiest individuals who fly in on helicopters to enjoy their waterfront living.
Against this dark backdrop of inequality, hard-scrabble life, crumbling society, and an earth clinging tenuously to survival, we meet Rainy as he reminisces about his life with Lark and what led to him sailing around Lake Superior in search of her.
Rainy (short for Rainier) is a big, gentle bear of a man who is totally devoted to his wife and their life together. There's such a sweetness and gentleness between Rainy and Lark. This is a romance for the ages against a dark landscape.
Rainy meets Lark after basically stalking her when she was a librarian. Thanks to Lark, Rainy discovers the joy of books and the worlds to be found within them.
And Rainy falls almost instantly in love with Lark just by her voice, her kindness, the way she can intuitively tell what a person needs and make the perfect book recommendation for them. His love for her grows through the years, as does their respect and care of one another.
Rainy is friends with a local bar owner (where Rainy often plays bass guitar) known simply as Labrino, a rather melancholy guy. "Still, it was good he knocked at all. There were times Labrino was so melancholy he couldn't bring himself to raise his knuckles, and then he might stand motionless on the back step until one of us noticed he was there."
But he is also a man of grit and endurance. And thanks to Labrino, we have one of my favorite scenes from the book when Lark arrives home to find her husband soothingly playing guitar for Labrino.
"He grinned-- a wide grin, at which Lark danced back into the kitchen and held out her hand. Labrino took it and got up and followed her lead. She whisked him about, I kept playing, and Labrino kept losing the steps and then finding them again-- it was good to see him prance around like a man revived. By the time I brought the tune to a close Labrino was out of breath and scarcely noticed as Lark snagged his coat and lay it over his shoulders. With genuine warmth she thanked him for coming and suggested dinner next week, then he was out the door and turning back to smile as he went."
Lark is so empathetic, so intuitive and kind-hearted, and she knows just how to give someone what they need in that moment.
And then Lark brings home a stray by the name of Kellan who she's taken on as a room boarder. Lark describes him as "Enigmatic. Obscure." Rainy describes Kellan as having a "kid brother quality" and "plucky doomed optimism" that made you want "to take care of him". And Kellan needs someone to take care of him. He is running from his past and needs the soft landing that Rainy and Lark offer him for a time.
The idyllic life that Rainy and Lark have built together is shattered, leaving Rainy living on the shifting winds of Lake Superior aboard the boat Flower.
The author is a skilled wordsmith and this story is well-crafted prose, creating a world that is equal amounts beauty and tragedy. Nature and nature's beauty is a recurring theme, as well as her indiscriminate wrath. I noted how even many of the character's names have the earthy feel of nature to them (i.e. Rainier/Rainy, Lark, Sol/Sun, Thorn, Beezie, and even the boat's name Flower).
But there is also a darkness in this dying world where you can find both the best and the worst of humanity. "What scares me is the notion we are all one rotten moment, one crushed hope or hollow stomach from stuffing someone blameless in a cage."
My final word: This book is "simple" in the very best meaning of the word. It's stripped down to the basics and helps you find joy in the simple things. It's optimistic and hopeful even amid tragedy, and... atmospheric. You get the sense that Rainy and Lark were destined; their love was written in the stars. "Yet we were also, as Lark liked to whisper in the dark, quixotes, by which she meant not always sensible. Open to the wondrous. Curious in the manner of those lucky so far."
And you learn through their story that sometimes things have to get really dark for you to see the light. It's just a beautiful story. Let Rainy take your hand and lead you to the light....more
This series, from writer Rob Williams and artist Pye Parr, could be another story about mankind living in domes, using robots (specifically in high stThis series, from writer Rob Williams and artist Pye Parr, could be another story about mankind living in domes, using robots (specifically in high stakes races) as another form of “bread and circuses.”
And yet it’s this very real sense of fire and chutzpah that takes this book from being yet another title that explores man’s hubris to a proper celebration of what actually makes our species worth celebrating. Also, bad ass race cars!
The energy and intent, of course, begins with Parr’s own art. The art has such a deep and prevailing sense of motion and intensity — it’s what makes everything from the daring races to the world-building stuff feel truly alive. And from a design perspective, Parr really does a great job of fluctuating and spinning in influences — certain robots have a really sleek look, while our titular hero looks more like a rusted B-52 bomber with Hulk-ian mitts.
That contrast, as it were, does a lot for balancing this book’s ideas and influences, helping fostering something organic and familiar and yet a world that’s just as much removed from our very own experiences. It’s that sweet spot, as it were, that plays with our sensibilities and has us grappling with the scope and development of this world. And it never feels any less deliberately fun even as we sense some larger currents beginning to take shapes.
There’s just so much force and liveliness across every scene, and we get the sense of a wholly-fleshed out world. It’s one that we can explore with every new page, and try to sort out how our own planet may have transformed into this hellish but also quite vivid new landscape. So in that sense, it feels even more playful than outright accusatory. And so much of all of that is Parr’s work with colour and shading — few people can bring this much heft and intensity, and it’s that commitment and a series of subtle choices that fleshes this world out so poignantly.
And in a decidedly similar sense, Williams’ writing is very much accomplishing the same kinds of goals. The aforementioned Petrol Head “hero” isn’t just designed really well, but that specific aesthetic, and his bridging of the human and “futuristic” elements, is really important to the grander narrative. But even more than that, he’s just a properly surly hero, and his movements through the world give us a chance to see the sheer multifaceted emotionality that defines this world — one of bleakness and despair but also something more hopeful as it, once again, still feels very much like our own world. That vivid struggle rings as quite important thematically — how can we prevent our own downfall, perhaps — while also feeling quite compelling in terms of creating a narrative framework that’s distinctly more nuanced than some similar titles.
Petrol Head is also a great foil for two human characters who 1) kick-off the story proper into some Smokey and The Bandit/Children of Men territory and 2) give us something to root for in terms of Petrol Head’s development and our own future as a species. Williams, much like his collaborator, came to the story with enough levity and intent to make it a textured journey, something with big odds but also just as much heart.
Yes, if you like fast cars and dope robots, you will love this book. But Petrol Head is so much more than what’s basically a rather gritty remake of Wacky Races; it’s a story of the pervasiveness of humanity (for better and worse), and how things are never truly clear unless you hit the gas and get moving.
It’s reminiscent of a lot of recent sci-fi that’s obsessed with our downfall and the ways we have failed as people. But it also gives us a road map to something more, and it makes the resulting journey feel like a proper thrill ride. ...more
At a glance, Classwar is a political-superhero-war story with a penchant for sex and ultra violence that can feel reminiscent of The Boys, but I wouldAt a glance, Classwar is a political-superhero-war story with a penchant for sex and ultra violence that can feel reminiscent of The Boys, but I would venture to say more thoughtful in its critique. American, a “hero” made to fight on behalf of American interests alongside other super soldiers on the team Enola Gay, sees the failures of America, and it shakes his patriotism to the core. American feels motivated to expose the evils of his country while still clinging to its ideals.
American is juxtaposed by his partner Isaac, a Black man who he is reluctant to work with but does so out of necessity. While Isaac is given the room to explore his motivations and story, he can feel at times like he has fallen into the “magical negro” trope. Isaac is already well aware of the failings of America as a Black man while American is being given Isaac’s insight and pointed in varying directions with Isaac’s knowledge. With the potential for this trope, it is understood that American is our protagonist, and as he wakes up to America’s many evils, he can function as a white saviour, taking it as his responsibility to right America’s wrongs. As the story explores the systems and ways in which they are utilized, it engages with race and class and can stumble a bit though it is apparent that writer Rob Williams was well intentioned as he crafted this narrative and the critiques made are valid as he critiques political positions, the drug epidemic, and foreign intervention in the name of “freedom.”
On American’s journey, he gets into violent interactions, one of which where he punches off the jaw of one of his former teammates who, like the others, are pretty content to abuse their power and do the bidding of the government. There is an inherent critique of power here through Enola Gay; these are people that feel a sense of entitlement and access, heightened by their powers and it feels telling that all but one of them are white.
This is elevated by the origins of the super soldier program here and it’s Nazis. Of course it’s Nazis. This works to the ideas of white supremacy that are at play in these racial critiques and power structures. Enola Gay’s power is affirmed by their superpowers and the feeling of superiority they have over “humans” as this difference is pointed out explicitly on page 74 during a tense exchange between Icon and her previous sexual partner. Capitalism and consequently white supremacy, as structures, only function when there is a hierarchy and in this, someone has to be on top.
The Black member of the team is characterized as a sellout. He is beyond the point of being in the struggle yet continues to oppress the Black community with crack and cocaine that he is responsible for moving and protecting on the government’s behalf. He holds himself out as someone that made it out but he only made it out through harm and violence and even after, continues to facilitate harm and violence not only within his community but on people of colour outside of America’s borders.
It is a challenge to tell an anti-war war story and further still, to utilize superheroes in this because there is supposed to be a spectacle to seeing them in action but, with this story being a critique it has to toe a line and visually, artists Trevor Hairsine (pages 3-82) and Travel Foreman (pages 83-154) deliver on blending the spectacle and horror in these obvious violations of the Geneva Conventions. Both artists bring something different to the art where Hairsine has a very heavy use of spot blacks, Foreman’s line work has a pencil quality and they both shine in different regards while approaching the story and its characters.
Across both, they give the room within their panels to sit with the carnage, placing their cameras intentionally to control mood and pacing even when we hit particularly grotesque and gruesome moments. The colour work of Len O’Grady is a testament to his versatility in being able to adapt to the styles of both artists while keeping the tone of the book. The colours elevate the art in Classwar across the board making the book a visual treat to read as long as you have the stomach for the violence and body horror.
Tying the words to the images are the letters of Eddie Deighton who gives voice to the characters and distinction between caption boxes and balloons. The balloons used for technological communication didn’t quite work for me as well as his other lettering work throughout but it was different and a clear visual indicator of where a voice was coming from. There wasn’t a moment of questioning who was speaking throughout the book and it helped keep a clear focus from moment to moment.
Classwar is a mature superhero story with a lot its trying to say about American institutions and the creative team works well together to play between horror and spectacle....more
Imagine a not to distance future England where there is literally no privacy - "Big Brother" is always watching - not the State per se, but instead a Imagine a not to distance future England where there is literally no privacy - "Big Brother" is always watching - not the State per se, but instead a highly complex computer monitoring system - think of Facebook, Google, Instagram, email, you cell phone and CCTV cameras all wrapped into one vast system, known as the "Witness". And the people of England go along with in the name of security and protection.
While the vast majority of citizens are ok with the Witness, not all are. In particular, one elderly lady refusenik Diana Hunter ends up being interrogated by the Witness (never entirely clear why) and dies while under interrogation. No one has ever died while interrogated Inspector Mielikki Neith is assigned to investigate the death and to determine what happened. The Witness also has the ability to probe minds and memories. Which does raise and interesting question, in a world where there is no privacy left, how do preserve your private thoughts? It turns out that Diana Hunter has managed to create a number of false memories - an ancient Roman woman, an Ethiopian Artist and brilliant Greek billionaire. These memories are intended to create barriers to prevent the Witness from discovering the "true" memories of Diana Hunter. How she created these false memories is another mystery that Inspector Neith must solve.
Its an interesting premise, especially as you can see our concept of privacy changing from prior generations. But ultimately, I found the story went nowhere. We meander in and out of the stories of the Roman woman, the Ethiopian artist, the Greek billionaire, none of which are particularly interesting and then back to Inspector Neith's investigation. I found the whole thing, tedious, confusing, bloated and ultimately uninteresting and with an unsatisfactory resolution....more
Author Dean M. Cole states right on the cover that this is book one in a series, and indeed the story contained therein does set the stage for what prAuthor Dean M. Cole states right on the cover that this is book one in a series, and indeed the story contained therein does set the stage for what promises to be a compelling extended story. That said, Solitude: Dimension Space Book One could very well stand on its own as a single instalment post-apocalyptic thriller. Of course we’re left wondering what caused the apocalypse, and where the survivors will go from here, but the events of the first book are brought to a tidy, satisfying conclusion.
And what a ride this first book is! The question of what caused the apocalypse, and why, is briefly probed but mostly set aside for the time being while the characters work out their more immediate dilemma. There are only two survivors left: Vaughn, a sort of washed-up combat helicopter pilot, on Earth’s surface, and Angela, an unlikely survivor stranded alone on the International Space Station. They eventually become aware of each others’ existence, initiate communications, and work to rescue Angela from orbit.
Vaughn is a frustrating character. He is presented as the hero but he has some flaws that sometimes make you want to reach through the page and slap some sense into him. Even though he embarks on what would seem an impossible quest–to travel to the ISS and return with Angela safely to the surface, its not the borderline-believable aspects of these tasks that nearly do him in–its his own stupidity, haste and stubbornness. But despite a series of self-imposed setbacks, he manages to stumble through the story.
Dean M. Cole is a helicopter pilot, and the knowledge and jargon of that profession come through the narrative. While I was reading it I was wondering if other readers might find it a bit wonky in that regard (I didn’t). But there were a couple of minor issues about the writing that did bug me a little. The first of these came early in the story, with some fairly steady fat-shaming of the main character, both self-inflicted and also by his partner. Another was the repetitive use of certain phrases that are unique enough that recurring use of them becomes a bit annoying. I’m not sure how many times the term “a pregnant pause” was used, but it seemed excessive.
The characters were well developed and ably portrayed. But it did sometimes feel a bit awkward when the author was dealing with romantic interactions between them (as well as their private thoughts regarding intimacy toward the other). I suppose that’s fine though, as I can’t really say how one would act if he or she were the last of their gender, and there was only one left of the opposite. I suppose it might seem a little awkward.
Solitude is an interesting combination of apocalyptic and near-future sci-fi. I enjoyed exploring Dean M. Cole’s version of a suddenly people-less world, where planes, trains and automobiles are instantly left pilot-less, and how that can lead to mass destruction even in the absence of roaming hordes of survivors, zombies or monsters. With regards to the science, I’m putting my faith in the author that the technologies he employs come with at least a theoretical grain of truth rather than created out of whole cloth. The author’s apparent knowledge of other, real-world technologies such as the workings of NASA and the ISS, was impressive and seemed well-researched.
I found this book interesting and entertaining. There are hints that the next instalments will delve further into science theory, and I’m looking forward to that. I’m also looking forward to seeing how these characters grow and cope with both the world around them and the relationship between them. Mr. Cole has skilfully hooked me into anticipation of the continuation of the series....more
I would recommend reading something by Michael Crichton such as The Andromeda Strain, Jurassic Park or Sphere. They have a similar basic plot idea witI would recommend reading something by Michael Crichton such as The Andromeda Strain, Jurassic Park or Sphere. They have a similar basic plot idea with isolated scientists trying to figure out a mystery without the parade of bad science. Also these, at least, function as science fiction.
The first half of the book is so filled with scientific inaccuracy and unmotivated character development it's hard to concentrate on the story. Every other paragraph I read something that was so witlessly wrong, I couldn't take the narrative seriously.
No interesting ideas are explored. It's pure survival science fiction without any believable evidence that these people are clever enough or trained enough to survive. We're just told they're clever. They don't do anything clever.
The author is clearly a scientific illiterate. You'll find a diverse team consisting of a "particle physicist," a "biologist," an "engineer," a "compute programmer" and a "psychologist." They are one of the world's top "science teams." These people don't have any specialties in their fields and there's no development of them beyond their labels. They don't do anything interesting inside their fields. The heroine several times brags that she can handle some task or other because of her PhD in particle physics (at one point she mans a helicopter's radar system based on this credential). They could have been anything and done anything. Any scientific sounding ideas are random terms strung together. The alien blood is 80% water and 20% ions! Ah HA!
The principal motive of the antagonist is moronic. The given reason they feel the need to systematically take out humans is ridiculous and could be refuted by a junior high school student comparing two easily accessible estimates. (SPOLIER: The motive of the aliens is to steal the Earth's water. The reason they're taking humans is to get every last drop. Compare the volume of water in the oceans with the amount of water in animal matter.)
Finally, there are a number of plot points that are raised and never explored. EMP pulses used to take out China's industry. Why is this important to the story? I'd list more but I am getting tired.
Trifecta is unique among Judge Dredd graphic novels in switching between three separate features, all set in Mega City One, by three different creativTrifecta is unique among Judge Dredd graphic novels in switching between three separate features, all set in Mega City One, by three different creative teams. There’s a reason three seemingly disparate stories are not just gathered between two covers, but intermingled as the graphic novel proceeds. Spolier alert. Don’t want to know, don’t read beyond the fourth paragraph.
The Simping Detective and Low Life both feature judges undercover. Low Life’s Dirty Frank has been undercover so long his sanity had been discarded, and the Simping Detective’s Jake Point is equally damaged, still on the job, but alcohol soused and cynical, with Simon Spurrier’s first person narrative an effective 1950's tough guy fiction pastiche. Jake’s official back-up support mechanism appears to have cut him loose. Dirty Frank’s also in above his head among a group of predatory financiers as Rob Williams satirizes the single-mindedness of the few whose greed sent the world economy down the toilet in 2008. Meanwhile Judge Dredd is concerned about a power play taking place in the Council of Judges, those who set the tone and law for Mega City One.
Mirroring the noir narrative, Jake’s strip is well illustrated in shadowy style by Simon Coleby, primarily in black and white, but notable colour montages also feature. There’s a great contrast in the artistic styles, with the equally good D’Israeli almost channelling Kevin O’Neill with his spiky character designs for Low Life. Henry Flint is also on form for the Dredd pages.
Al Ewing’s good handle on Dredd is exemplified on the opening page. Back in the 1980's heyday of Judge Dredd writers John Wagner and Alan Grant regularly reminded readers of Dredd’s humourless intolerance and Ewing’s homage has a judge who apologies for excessive security methods curtly ordered to report for reassignment.
It’s a big surprise when Dredd storms into an apartment and straight into Jake’s strip. It takes a little longer for Low Life to connect, but when it does, it appears someone very highly placed in the Justice Department is manipulating matters to their own ends. Dredd has fingered the head of Black Ops division Judge Bachmann, with whom he’s had a previous run-in, and Ewing’s early episodes certainly indicate this is the case, with Bachmann a suitably sinister and manipulative presence. Ewing also makes good use of technology Wagner and Grant employed as the basis for single stories then discarded. Central to all three tales is a list revealing the identity of every undercover judge in the city, and someone taking the opportunity to eliminate them. It’s a threat concluding with a neat twist.
There are clever elements to all threads. Spurrier takes the opportunity to move his character forward, Ewing ensures Dredd is on top of his game and Williams’ knowing idiot savant dialogue for Dirty Frank transmits well: “Dirty Frank digresses due to psychic epiphany”. However, the over-arching plot of a grab for power among corrupt judges is something that’s better handled in the later Endgame, although its nefarious means of replacing what’s considered the outmoded society of Mega City One is suitably ambitious.
All three writers contribute to the conclusion, nicely illustrated by Carl Critchlow, and Trifecta is very tidily tied up via a shadowy background presence. Not as effective is the downfall of someone who’s been the very epitome of cool planning, undone by a moment of emotional impulse.
Trifecta is a bold statement that on balance is just about carried off.
I remember the first time I read Neuromancer. It was like 30 years ago now. Reading Neuromancer and its often dense, cinematic prose often made me witI remember the first time I read Neuromancer. It was like 30 years ago now. Reading Neuromancer and its often dense, cinematic prose often made me with for a glossary with the book, like there had been when I read my older brother's late 60s paperback copy of Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange. But Burgess' was using Anglicized Russian as British English slang in that book -- you really needed the glossary.
For Gibson, everything is written in English, so you get no glossary. You have to figure out the meanings of new/invented/esoteric terms from the context of the prose. Now, it's got it's confusing, hallucinatory aspects that make it akin to reading Burroughs sometimes (but without all the drugs and homosexual sex). But Burroughs' stuff also was frustrating to read because of the cut-up, disjointed narrative style. Gibson's stuff is far more tightly plotted and less hallucinatory.
Figuring out the meanings of terms from the prose and context is less an issue in this novel than in some of Gibson's previous novels (like The Sprawl trilogy novels). But it is definitely much more of an issue here than it was with in the last three "Bigend" trilogy novels combined.
I did not have a problem figuring out terms/actions from the context with this novel. For people who are already aware of topics as disparate but technologically reliant as social media's geolocation capabilities, social media mood indication/tracking, advancements in 3D printing, and concepts such as string/membrane theories of physics (in a PBS TV kind of way) and possible parallel multiple universes, this book should not be difficult to read.
For everyone else, yeah... it will be a problem.
In my opinion, there are two mysteries in this novel: the murder mystery (which is the obvious mystery) and the underlying, shadow mystery, which is revealed in dribs and drabs until very near the end: the mystery of The Jackpot -- what it is, how it happened, who it affected.
Ironically, the biggest mystery -- communication between people of one near future multiverse, and the people of a far future multiverse -- is simply set up as a given. (If anything in this novel is a deus ex machina, I suppose that is). So the mystery is never explained.
Let me put it this way: If you already know and pretty much love Gibson's previous stuff, I don't think this will disappoint.
If, however, Gibson's writing (especially the early stuff) put you off, then you'll probably hate this novel, too.
I loved it. Gibson has always been so expertly, specifically, and hauntingly able to describe the nostalgia of anachronistic characters and to chart the narratives of those people whose changing personal circumstances have left them with uncertain footing in either a not entirely friendly world, or an outright hostile one, as they try to secure some piece of stability and/or security for themselves amid an often constantly changing landscape. He's always written relatable and often quite compelling heroines, the vast majority of whom were not stereotypical scifi babes.
He has also always extrapolated from current and historical sociopolitical and economical trends -- especially with respect to technological innovation -- to provide a glimpse of the growing, ever-sharpening class divisions that our world has rapidly devolved into. Much of what he presented as mere backstory or incidental detail in his Sprawl trilogy novels (and even in later works) has come to pass. He obviously has class politics, and to me, Gibson seems to be one of those ex-working class intellectuals who never lost touch with the fact that -- had he never become successful as a writer -- he'd probably would have worked some kind of blue collar or civil servant/wage slave type job his whole life, because that's what he was headed for.
So he has remarkable sympathy for those square-peg-round-hole drones who get caught up in things larger than themselves, especially those who've had a taste of "the good life" and then otherwise blew it, lost it, or had it somehow snatched away. Yet he never comes across as overtly or explicitly adhering to any 'ism;' he never comes across from that kind of tiresome first-raised pro-blue-collar/almost anti-intellectual pride, either. That's probably because, for many of his protagonists, it's their intellect, their brainy skills, that got them out of whatever backwater, wrong-side-of-town situation they were originally born into.
The way he writes his dystopian futures -- which are all merely extrapolations of things that are already true now -- "it is what it is." There's no agenda-pushing by Gibson, it's just a very dry recitation of the surrounding details that gradually weave into a whole where you see how the poor get poorer and the rich get richer, and you come to realize that is what we all would observe ourselves about our current world, if we were only paying attention.
So when one of his underdog protagonists finally achieves some level of security, you feel like it's been really earned... and much of the time, those underdogs are trying to pull another person or two or more up with them, or sometimes, enlighten an entire group even as they merely pursue their own trajectory.
It's that warmth and strange optimism amid all the doomy gloomy dystopia that has always kind of made Gibson's stuff moody, haunting, and ultimately very fulfilling reading for me.
These are some of the things I've always really admired about him....more
Dust is the long-awaited conclusion to the saga that started with Wool. If you have not read Wool, or Shift, the previous books in the trilogy, don’t Dust is the long-awaited conclusion to the saga that started with Wool. If you have not read Wool, or Shift, the previous books in the trilogy, don’t start on Dust (and don’t read this review yet). Sometimes it is possible to glean enough from the later books in a sequence to fill in the story, but not in this case. There is simply too much detail and there are too many characters to get a grasp on the extraordinary richness and complexity of the whole.
In Wool we found a silo that contained many thousands of people – Silo 18, a rigidly stratified and controlled world with no escape and with one of the most chilling and vindictive tricks played on those who were sent to their deaths outside. They walked into a poisoned environment with a visor that convinced them that they were in an Eden, and once outside, they cleaned the windows of the silo in the vain hope that they could convince those inside that they were being fooled by their view of a barren landscape. Metaphorically, there was wool over their eyes. Juliette, a very appealing heroine, defied the brutal death planned for her and set the subsequent rebellion in motion. She was a mechanic – a vitally important role – and a visionary. Her experience of escaping death and finding Silo 17 gave her enough insight not to be a dupe.
Shift was a collection of three novellas that gave us the backstory and explained the reasons why there were so many silos, all controlled by Silo 1. Here we met Thurston, a man corrupted by his arrogance, who had taken it upon himself to construct the future and preserve the world of the mid-21st century on his terms. He feared that a rogue terrorist would destroy the world with nano-technology so he attempted to create a world free from such technology. There were other characters of importance introduced in these books, among them Donald, Charlotte and Anna, who ultimately attempted to stop Thurston in several scenarios. Silo number 17 was home to a few lonely survivors from an earlier episode of Thurston’s use of destructive power. These people also feature in Dust.
Dust is the culmination of the fight for knowledge and understanding waged by Juliette and her supporters. There is much confusion among those who live in Silo 18, who have been controlled by Thurston’s use of various methods of indoctrination. Some oppose Juliette, who is now the mayor; some have religious beliefs that preach submission; others find it hard to believe her version of events. She gleans information through flimsy radio contact with Donald and his sister Charlotte in Silo 1, who have begun to rebel against Thurston, but there are no clear answers given to her, just hints and clues. And she doesn’t trust them anyway.
She engineers a mammoth digging project that connects Silo 18 to Silo 17, home to a few lonely survivors of an earlier use of Thurston’s destructive power: the tragically isolated Solo, who was found by Juliette when she was expelled from Silo 18, and some younger people who also feature in Dust. All her small advances prepare those in the silo for the cataclysmic horror that is pending. If this sounds somewhat confusing, it is probably because the amount of information we are being given here is enormous. Wool was an exciting, fairly straightforward story but Dust seems to have too many details to deal with; all the narrative threads from Wool and Shift are now brought together, but in a rather unwieldy way.
In Silo 18 Juliette fiddles with technical details but the exciting action is with Charlotte and Donald in Silo 1:
His shins hurt from protecting himself from Thurman’s blows. There was a knot on his forearm like a second elbow. And every time a coughing fit seized him, he wanted to die. He tried to sleep. Sleep was a vehicle for passing the time, for avoiding the present. It was a trolley for the depressed, the impatient and the dying. Donald was all three.
There is no doubt that Howey is a fine writer. The trilogy is a wonderful epic, full of imagination and skillful invention, but the need to bring so much incident to a conclusion has meant that some aspects of the narrative in Dust are thinly sketched. Juliette and her lover Lucas in Silo 18 are well developed, Donald and Charlotte in Silo 1 are also engaging but many of the other characters are treated too briefly to have much impact. Even those still alive in Silo 17 are sparsely fleshed out – except for the charming child, Elise.
However, the drive and momentum of the story carry the reader to a satisfying and truly exciting ending that is full of hope. The trilogy is an amazing tour-de-force and I am still thrilled by the scope of the narrative and the basic premise of preserving humanity through confinement to silos. Howey has an extraordinary imagination and the skill to make his story vivid and compelling. The three books have been a demanding and clever read....more
This is the second entry in Hugh Howey's Silo saga. In Shift, we go back in time to 2049 to learn what happened before the silos were built, and how aThis is the second entry in Hugh Howey's Silo saga. In Shift, we go back in time to 2049 to learn what happened before the silos were built, and how and why they were constructed. We also learn the way in which the silos were run following the devastation of the planet. Much of the story is told from the point of view of Donald Keene, a young congressman from Georgia who, under the thumb of the elder senator from Georgia, Paul Thurman, gets pulled into the silo project without fully understanding what it is. But Keene has known Thurman all his life and trusts him; he even used to date Thurman’s daughter Anna. Maybe soon, Donald and his wife Helen keep saying, things will improve. But as Anna, now working with Donald, presciently observes:
“Everyone thinks they’ve got all the time left in the world. … But they never stop to ask just how much time that is.”
Centuries later, in the control silo – Silo 1, Donald is among those who work in six-month “shifts” helping to run the other silos, alternating these periods with long intervals of cryogenic preservation.
None of the females who are frozen are supposed to serve on shifts, but Thurman secretly brings his daughter Anna out to use her computer skills to help with a problem. She serves on two consecutive shifts, joined on the second one by Donald. When it is time for them to be put under once again, Donald tries to kill himself by going to the outside, but Thurman brings him back.
In the last part of Shift, it is now 2345, and Donald gets awakened for another shift. But this time, his identity has apparently been switched, and he is taken for Mr. Thurman, the ultimate authority. Donald has no idea how or why this happened, but he takes the opportunity to find out the rest of the secrets about the Silo project. His discoveries all go back to one underlying premise:
“…evil men arose from evil systems, and… any man had the potential to be perverted. Which was why some systems needed to come to an end.”
As Shift concludes, Donald confronts Anna over what he has found out; wakens his sister Charlotte and hides her where Anna had been hiding on the previous shift; and makes contact with Juliette and Lukas in Silo 18....more
After a hard-fought battle, Kenoh leaves his brothers to begin terrorizing another group of people. Kenshiro aims to stop him again, this time with thAfter a hard-fought battle, Kenoh leaves his brothers to begin terrorizing another group of people. Kenshiro aims to stop him again, this time with the aid of the giant Fudo. Unlike most of the big guys Kenshiro has crossed paths with, Fudo is a big softie, doing all that he can to protect orphans from a life without parental love. In order to stop Kenoh, they’ll need the help of Juza, a free-flowing warrior with a connection to Kenshiro’s beloved Yuria.
There’s a solid balance of both carnage and quiet beauty found in this volume of Fist of the North Star. For the former, the body count here reaches possibly in the hundreds, as minions left and right are stabbed, squashed, sliced in half, and spontaneously combust in hilariously gruesome fashion. As for the latter, that’s where the big lug Fudo comes in, whose kindness is on a level not even Kenshiro can reach. Thankfully, despite his kind heart, Fudo has some solid battle skills of his own.
Despite his clumsiness and even comic relief, Fudo knows when it’s time to quiet down a villain. That big brute strength of his comes in handy not just dealing with evil, but also when the lives of children are at stake. Selfless at every turn, Fudo acts as a big beacon of hope for this manga. He’s proof that when the world’s crying for help, a shining light will come to bathe it in comfort.
Speaking of light, the same can’t unfortunately be said about Shuren of the Flames. While he’s quite the formidable opponent for Kenoh, he learns very quickly that fire can be fought with…well, we all know the saying. Juza also serves as a terrific opponent, with his charisma being both cool and humorous at once. But within that coolness is a heart that’s been broken for ages, with the love of his life being unobtainable. (Hence why he’s settled for a lusty lifestyle, which, hey, I won’t judge here.)
All of this leads to the big plot twist, one that I cannot spoil here. But it’s one that will certainly shake the fabric of Fist of the North Star as a whole. It involves the last general of Nanto Rokuseiken, with both Kenoh and Kenshiro rushing to get to them before the other shows up. When it comes to the matters of the heart, there’s no stopping any man of passion, especially these two!
Volume Nine marks the halfway point of Fist of the North Star's epic narrative. Even 122 chapters in, Buronson and Tetsuo Hara’s iconic series never stops wowing its readers. With the way this volume ends, there’s no telling where the story will go from here. At any rate, this is another solid instalment of Fist of the North Star....more
The post-nuclear apocalypse has one tall tale told by many: that of the Glowing Man who walks outside without a suit…
The year is 2030, and the world hThe post-nuclear apocalypse has one tall tale told by many: that of the Glowing Man who walks outside without a suit…
The year is 2030, and the world has finally lost it. Tariq Geiger takes his family to the fallout shelter they built, where they plan to survive for as long as it takes for things to return to normal. While going inside, Tariq is shot by his neighbors who want to take the shelter from them. Desperate to save his wife and kids, Tariq has them shut the door so that they may survive…. Just in time too, for less than a minute later, a nuke falls not so far from them.
… but Tariq survives… now able to channel the nuclear power in him.
20 Years later, the King of Las Vegas is searching for the “nuclear football”, a book that lists in detail where all the nuclear arsenal of the United States is, hoping to take over and reign everywhere. When it ends up in the hands of a waitress’ children who have been instructed to take it to NORAD (what’s left of the American government), only Geiger, may be able to keep them safe.
A post apocalyptic story is never new, but to see one revolving around an everyday guy who happens to have gotten nuclear powers, who wants to protect the weak and not conquer them is very encouraging. The book is written by Geoff Johns (Green Lantern) and drawn by Gary Frank. The story is compelling and fast paced. Tariq is a very sympathetic lead character and you really feel for him because he is a man who has lost everything. Frank's art is up to his usual exacting standards and is a visual feast. A special shout out goes to Brad Anderson who did a stellar job on the coloring. Highly recommended.
Vonnegut was trying to make a point with these words at the beginning of "Cat's Cradle," but they're wrong. The events and characters may be foma, butVonnegut was trying to make a point with these words at the beginning of "Cat's Cradle," but they're wrong. The events and characters may be foma, but the things that drive this book are all too real.
"Cat's Cradle" is the story of John or Jonah and his attempt to write a book about the events of August 6th, 1945, the day of the first dropping of the atomic bomb. His efforts begin weaving his karass with those of the Hoenikker family, children of one of the prime scientists who worked on the bomb.
Foma? Karass? These are Bokononist words. While this book is written by Vonnegut, the tale tells that it's been written by John, after the events of the book. He started his book as a Christian, but has since converted to Bokononism, developed by a man named Bokonon, a Buddha in his own right. Bokonon's religion is simple: Make lies, be happy. It is at the beginning of his book that it claims the entire text is foma, or lies.
Vonnegut has created an excellent conflict within the politics of San Lorenzo, the island where Bokonon lives, and how it draws John in as a catalyst for events to come. While the end result is not his fault, it's interesting to see how he learns of things that will happen, and since the book is being written by him, he comments on his own thoughts and those of others in the past. This isn't very new, but often first-person narrative books make the character not know what's happened, even if they tell everything in the past tense, even so much as to know how long ago the events took place. Within "Cat's Cradle" and stretching into a few of his other works, Vonnegut has created an entirely new and original religion, one that professes openly that nothing about it is true except it's theme, which is exactly what is true about the novel.
Little Newt Hoenikker represents the second best theme, the first having been the religious implications present. His traumatic obsession with the cat's cradle and the fact that he wonders why he can't see the cat, not as a six-year old, and not as an adult, shows that sometimes people are expected to see what they cannot see, and that it's ludicrous sometimes to expect anyone to see it.
The most intriguing questions of all lie in what the character Mona says late in the book, after the climax; questions that are sure to have you yourself wondering about things in our world, in the real life posed by this book.
Above all, "Cat's Cradle" is an interesting book that will keep you reading.
While many Vonnegut books are primarily for those who enjoy Vonnegut's dark humor and style, "Cat's Cradle" is a novel that can be enjoyed by pretty much anyone old enough to read it. ...more
The main antagonist of Volume 7 of Fist of the North Star is the Holy Emperor Souther, whose wickedness holds nothing back. He enslaves children, poisThe main antagonist of Volume 7 of Fist of the North Star is the Holy Emperor Souther, whose wickedness holds nothing back. He enslaves children, poisons them, and will go any length to get his pyramid built. An old ally of Kenshiro is there to aid in the next battle, with the blind fighter Shu testing the warrior’s skills. But reminiscing will have to wait, as they set off to find a way to topple Souther’s god-like power.
Although Fist of the North Star has always been a brutal manga, it’s in this arc where it’d be fully understandable to wince. Seeing children forced to build a massive pyramid and be tortured if they don’t follow orders might make some readers uncomfortable. But that’s the power of Buronson’s writing and Hara’s visuals: they want you to feel this way to fully understand just how evil man is capable of being. Thankfully, there’s always a hero to be found when foul men are in power, and in this case, there are two!
It often feels like every old friend of Kenshiro will appear right when he needs to be reminded of something. Shu is no different, who sacrificed his sight solely to save Kenshiro when he was younger. Thinking of others is certainly a Kenshiro move, but the way Shu does it is very saint-like. However, that doesn’t mean that he’s free from endangering others; Souther always finds a way to plant his wickedness solely with mere words and so-called “promises”.
Watching as Shu sacrifices himself in a brutal way can be considered Christ-like. Having someone try to aid him as he carries the last piece of the pyramid feels much aligned with what happens in the New Testament. As the children watch Shu walk up the steps with cut tendons a-plenty, the moment delivers a harsh sight of a man willing to do anything to keep those he loves safe. Although Shu’s time in the manga is short, his actions no doubt may affect the narrative of Fist of the North Star going forward.
As for Kenshiro, his injuries during a fight with Souther keep him out of the picture. However, a couple of men from journey’s past arrive to lend a surprising hand, one that’s covered with the blood of their enemies. It all leads to another face-off between Kenshiro and Souther, with the stakes at their highest yet. The outcome isn’t revealed, but one can easily feel that someone’s about to die in a glorious fashion!
Fist of the North Star has yet to slow down with the violence. The fights are showcased with Hara’s knack for brutality beyond anyone’s imagination, with it tied up nicely with Buronson’s storytelling techniques. Even when the story reaches uncomfortable levels, it’s practically impossible to look away from it all! Whatever happens next in Fist of the North Star will surely be a sight for the eyes, even if the beauty vanishes and carnage only remains....more
![Fist of the North Star, Vol. 7 (北斗の拳 究極版 [Hokuto no Ken kyūkyoku-ban], #7)](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1658674958l/60321297._SX50_.jpg)
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