The Yiddish Policemen's Union: A Novel (Michael Chabon)

[****] ISBN: 0007149824

What would it be like if most of the world's Jews were evacuated to Sitka, Alaska during WWII? This mystery novel set in that world paints a vivid picture of the possibilities. But the picture is personal and claustrophobic, centered on the life in that city of one rundown Yiddish police detective and a murder case that imposes itself on his life. In that regard, it is a successful homage to the noir detective novels of the 40s and 50s, such as those of Raymond Chandler.

The prose is rich and laced with Yiddish, most of which a non-Yiddish speaker will have to learn by context. The characters and settings are dynamic and richly described. I can understand how the author managed to win a Pulitzer (for another title). The story itself is somewhat lightweight and laughable, also in the vein of Chandler. It's just something to hang the character and settings on.

I liked the book, but would have liked a bit more story.

Way Station (Clifford D. Simak)

[****] ISBN: 9780020248712

This is a very interesting book. Antiquated, yet timeless. In some ways fun, yet serious. It was definitely written in a more innocent time, even though it deals with complex issues of peace and human frailty.

The protagonist is an ageless veteran of the Civil War, who has spent a hundred years looking after a galactic transfer station. He has become separated from men and wrapped up in galactic matters that he can barely comprehend. Then he is caught up crisis on both earth and in Galactic Central and finds himself even more alone.

This was fun to read. I see why it won the Hugo Award in its time. But it was clumsy and a bit rushed at the end, I thought.

Fragile Things (Neil Gaiman)

[***] ISBN: 9780060515225

An uneven, but ultimately satisfying collection of short stories, poems, and a novella from the author of "Stardust" and "Mirrormask" (and others I haven't yet read). Even though several of the stories and most of the poems fell flat for me, all of the entries showcase Gaiman's gift for imagination and invention. My favorites were "A Study in Emerald" (which re-imagines Sherlock Holmes in the world of H.P. Lovecraft), "Goliath" (which is from the world of "The Matrix"), "The Day the Saucers Came" (the one poem I liked), and "The Monarch of the Glen".

Eclipse One: New Science Fiction and Fantasy

[**] ISBN: 1597801178

I wasn't as impressed as I was supposed to be. I think I read a recommendation for this on someone's blog and figured it was time to be up-to-date in my short story reading. But this can't really be the good stuff, could it? I can't say I read a single story that really knocked my socks off. There was one about a hermaphrodite bigfoot that captured my attention and then lost my respect when the ending imploded. To top it off, I wasn't that impressed with the binding. This one gets two stars for trying, but I'm sure there are better collections out there.

Tides of Light (Gregory Benford)

[**] ISBN: 9780553282146

This is the fourth book in Benford's "Galactic Center" series, and the second one set far in the future. I finally liked it. But it was a tough slog through the middle third or so. I think the whole book could have used the tightening of another draft.

To his previous war between man and mechs, the author adds insectoid cybers and other organic and inorganic lifeforms that may or may not be sentient. The fascinating and frustrating part of this book was the totally alien point of view that the cybers bring to it. That might be enough for some readers. But the only thing that really kept me going was desiring the payoff for the investment that I'd made in the previous book.

There are two more books in the series. I hope Professor Benford does not disappoint.

Voyagers (Ben Bova)

[*] ISBN: 9780786154289 [audio] 9780385148900 [hardcover]

An alien encounter novel that probably felt outdated when it was published. It is full of descriptions of technology and behavior that was probably not even real at the time. Both felt clumsy and misunderstood. Perhaps the story was not quite as boring back then, which is why it still gets good marks from other reviewers.

This tries to be a reality-based account of humanity's reaction when an alien spacecraft suddenly arrives in our solar system. Odd radio signals are found to emanate from Jupiter. Then a powerful telescope spots the spacecraft orbiting that planet and watches it turn toward earth. The story follows a motley group of scientists and others, falling in and out of bed with each other, using computers that take minutes to program and hours to do calculations, as they jockey for power.

None of the characters ever really sprang to life for me. All were there to serve the plot and not vice versa. I liked the overall premise of the story. It's too bad much of the book felt like padding. Five pounds of potatoes in a ten pound bag. I won't be picking up the next books in the series to see what happens.

Forty Signs of Rain (Kim Stanley Robinson)

[***] ISBN: 9780553803112

This is a well-written, straight-ahead novel about a possible near future of global environmental catastrophe. There are times when it feels like the author is hitting you over the head with a two-by-four of science facts. But these can be excused because they are relevant and interesting.

The characters are well-drawn, charming, and down-to-earth. The author even manages to draw the Bush-like President in a likable, if not flattering way. The settings are mundane, yet evocative. The reader is always present in the places and the weather becomes another character.

The ending of this book is really the set-up for the next book, which makes it a bit unsatisfying. But I will definitely read the next two volumes to see where the story takes me.

The Making of Star Wars: The Definitive Story Behind the Original Film (Charles Lippincott)

[****] ISBN: 9780345477613

This is an amazing book documenting the amazing story of an amazing film. The big revelation for me was that George Lucas really didn't have the whole story of all of the episodes mapped out before he began the process of making the film (which is what SW lore would have you believe). Amazingly, he didn't even have the entire plot of this first film mapped out until after he started shooting (something that is not that uncommon, but I did not really comprehend) and didn't really finish it off until the end. I think I learned more about story development from following this saga than from reading any other texts on how to do it.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (Frank Miller)

[****] ISBN: 9781563893421

This is a 5-star graphic novel, but only a 3-star book. I split the difference. The problem I have in being more enthusiastic about this book is that by now, twenty years after it was first published, this ground has been thoroughly covered and trampled to the point where it's hard to turn new dirt. It's obvious why it was considered groundbreaking at the time, but there are ways in which it doesn't wear well (Reagan and the communists are gone, you know). That makes it difficult for it to stand up as a true 'classic' piece of literature.

That being said, I do give it high marks for fresh story telling (especially for the time) and for overall endurance (it still is a decent read).

Lost in Space: Voyage to the Bottom of the Soul (Bill Mumy, Michal Dutkiewicz)

[***] ISBN: 0976543605

This is Bill Mumy's long unfinished epic graphic novel of the Robinson family finally reaching Alpha Centauri. I'm very glad to finally read the whole thing, after having it interrupted when Innovation went out of business over 10 years ago. I liked the story, swiftly read the entire thing in a couple of sittings, and was pleased with the ending. But I have to report some disappointment in the execution.

The good: the story was interesting, true to the characters and held my attention; the preface material by the creators that outlined the history of the book and their history with the franchise was almost the best part

The bad: the storytelling was a bit stiff in spots; the art struck me as varying from lush and beautiful to mushy and awkward; several misspellings in the text

I would recommend this to fans of the series.

A Day With Wilbur Robinson (William Joyce)

[***] ISBN: 9780060229672

Saw the film (Meet the Robinsons); had to read the book, even though it's a slim volume for young children (ages 4-8). It's easy to see why someone thought this was charming. But it also must have been a chore adding a real story to what is essentially just a collection of humorous vignettes. Apparently, there is a second edition that adds a few more scenes, but is still not exactly what is in the film. Fun!

The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One, 1929-1965 (Robert Silverburg, ed.)

[****] ISBN: 0765305364

I got this in order to read the short story that inspired the current move The Last Mimzy. The story is "Mimsy Were the Borogroves" by Lewis Padgett (1943). It's pretty good, and indicative of the era. It raises interesting questions about nature verses nurture, sparingly told and barely framed within a time travel context. It will be interesting to see what the film makers have done with it.

As to the collection itself, if I didn't already have a couple of solid collections of short science fiction stories, I would be tempted to obtain a copy for my own library. These were chosen (a while ago) by the members of the Science Fiction Writers of America as a way to honor stories that were written before the society began bestowing the Nebula awards. I would love to, and probably should, read through the entire thing. But that will probably have to wait.

Cryptid: The Lost Legacy of Lewis & Clark (Eric Penz)

[***] ISBN: 158348485X

Somehow I stumbled across this author's web site and got excited because he lived nearby, worked full time and had still managed to get something written and published. More dots connected because I had recently read (er, listened to) a history of Lewis and Clark and was also starting to work on a novel revolving around a fictional creature and a cover-up. Thankfully, Cryptid is both completely different than what I have in mind and proves that the concept can work.

The early chapters of the book worked the best for me. They draw vivid pictures of convincing characters in dire situations and create a fascinating world of paleontology, anthropology and history in which the creature (bigfoot) can exist, along with the cover-up. But then the story bogs down even as the pace picks up. The middle of the book, filled with thrilling scenes, turns into a muddle -- a seemingly endless chase through the dark (underground and in the forest), filled with nasty people, malevolent beasts and a rising body count. This was not at all what I expected or wanted. And then the end wraps it all up (just like that).

That being said, I found the book hard to put down. The prose is clear and compelling. The dialog is true. Events follow each other pretty logically (though I did find I lost track of a few things). I hope my story turns out at least this well.

Tyrannosaur Canyon (Douglas Preston)

[**] ISBN: 0765311046

I thought this would have everything I could want in a thriller: a mysteriously missing moon rock sample (which is ignored between the prologue and the last few chapters), an indecipherable treasure map, a murder, a trail of mystery with more questions than answers, men and women at odds with nature and each other - plus dinosaurs and a moon landing (!). Based on his track record, I guess the author should have been able to pull this off. He didn't.

Much of the story is admirable enough and full of suspense. The first few chapters had me really going. And for a while the mystery was somewhat interesting. But then it turned into a simple kidnapping story on the one hand and an oversimplified "CSI:Cretaceous" on the other. Followed up by the return of the moon rock by way of a rogue NSA black op.

On top of that, the storytelling was not up to my expectations of a best-selling author. I do not expect a potboiler like this to also be a piece of fine literature But I would like the story to move forward by means other than structure and inertia. I don't want the story constantly chopped up with irrelevant detail, description and storytelling (rather than showing). And I'd like chapters to be more than a half a scene, chopped up just for the sake of creating suspense.

While the characters were more than cardboard cutouts, they were fraught with cliché (the murderer is an ex-con, his boss is a fop, the ex-CIA monk is grizzled, etc.) and convenient coincidences (the wife knows how to handle guns as well as horses, the ex-CIA monk is a cryptographer, the geologist is also skilled at paleontology).

This is not a complete disaster. In many ways it was a fun read (er... listen). But I learned just as much about how not to tell a story than how to do it.

Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom (Cory Doctorow)

[***] ISBN: 0765304368

It was interesting reading this book right on the heals of Rainbow's End by Vernor Vinge. Both books cover some of the same territory: in the not too distant future (a century or two) on Earth, medical technology is extending and enhancing life (indefinitely, in the case of Doctorow's Bitchun Society), computing and networking has become even more ubiquitous (to the point that most or all folks 'wear' or have implanted devices). But the two books are quite different. I liked them both.

Whereas Mr. Vinge went for depth and detail and epic sweep, Cory went for outrageousness, fun and personal intrigue. This is emphasized by the first-person perspective and locating most of the story in and around Disney World. Cory's rendering is much more approachable and fun to read, as well. I was able to jump right into the story and enjoyed almost every single page. Then again, I'm also a Disney-phile and probably have at least as much knowledge about the park (well, at least Disneyland) as the author. It's likely that those without such background or leanings would not be able to fill in as much detail and not enjoy it as much. For them, perhaps Mr. Doctorow could have spent a bit more time coloring in the whole picture. But that might have slowed things down to much.

I am looking forward to reading more stories by Cory Doctorow.

Rainbow's End (Vernor Vinge)

[***] ISBN: 0312856849

I'm torn about this book.

On the one hand, the ideas presented about the cyberfuture and medical utopia are compelling, truly futuristic, solidly grounded in the present and completely developed. Mr. Vinge has extrapolated a networked near future full of technological miracles and complications. Anyone working or playing in the field of computers, gaming and networks, as I do, can easily start to believe in the inevitability of the vision. The reader loses track of the here and now, living entirely in that other world. Several main characters are full of life and motivation, I found myself yearning to learn what they would do next and why. They often surprised me.

On the other hand, getting there was somewhat laborious. The novelty and virtuality of the invented future, the mystery surrounding several characters and their motivations, and the obscure nature of many fantasies within the fantasy made some scenes difficult to wade through. Even at the end of the book, not everything or everyone is explained. On the one hand, I believe this is intentional. Hats off to Mr. Vinge for not spoon feeding the reader and allowing us to fill in the blanks with our own imaginations. On the other hand, I know there are potential readers that will be left completely at sea.

This is thought-provoking, challenging science fiction at its finest. If you want to know where our technology and entertainment choices are taking us, this might be it.

Callahan's Con (Spider Robinson)

[**] ISBN: 0786183470

I had some fun listening to this book. But I have to hold back on giving it a very high rating. Even knowing that one has to suspend disbelief for this sort of book and that this book is meant to be over the top, I thought the characters, situation and plot were a bit too contrived. The denizens of "The Place" are too varied, too goofy and too understanding to be remotely believable. It's hard enough to get four or five people to agree on anything, much less a hundred or more. The whole mob plot was much too stereotyped. And Mr. Robinson violated some of his own rules of time traveling when it came right down to carrying out the con.

To top it off, I found the prose to be somewhat forced. And the humor was off the mark. I will probably try another Callahan book. Perhaps the earlier volumes that actually include Mike Callahan, where the story is just getting started are better.

Great Sky River (Gregory Benford)

[***] ISBN: 0553273183

Well, now I'm hooked. This is the third book in Benford's "Galactic Center" series, but the first one set this far in the future. I liked it. I will have to see what happens in the next book, too.

The author has created a rich world of the future where mankind is on the run from intelligent machines that dominate his world. Centuries of human advancement have seemingly been lost in the years of war. The story is about the struggle of a last few hundred on one planet.

Mr. Benford heightens the interest by allowing the characters to speak in a language that is both familiar and different. The world they inhabit is alien to both them and the reader and the author's descriptions keep it that way, without getting burdensome.

This is one of the most satisfying SF novels I've read in a while.

Men In Black (Steve Perry)

[**]

I often like film novelizations. Done well, they open up the interior life of the characters that is largely invisible on film. Like most things, the quality can be hit or miss. This is a miss. Rather than use the opportunity of the written words to drive deeper into the characters, revealing their thoughts and capturing their motivations (well, he does try), the author mostly attempts to capture the humor of the movie. The trouble is, much of the movie humor was visual. That does not often translate well into prose.

A few things work. I liked some of what he did with the inner life of the bug (Edgar). But much of the alien vocabulary was too obviously just throw away. He captures a little of the playful banter between Jay and Kay. Even this sometimes comes off a little forced.

It's not like I wish I had a flashy thing to erase my memories of the book. I will have to watch the movie a couple of times, though, to write over those memories with the better stuff.

Harvest of Stars (Poul Anderson)

[*]

The one star rating is as low as I'll go. I did not finish this book. Maybe it's because I don't feel like investing the time it in (it's 531 pages long). Maybe it's because it's filled with crazy dialect-ridden dialog. Maybe it's because it comes across as a hyperbolic rant against religion and government. I think it's all of that and because it just wasn't very interesting. The premise appears to be that there is some future where governments are mostly puppets of huge corporations and special interest groups. One of the more powerful and benign corporations finds itself in conflict with a somewhat fascist special interest that is currently running one of the larger governments. There is intrigue. There is an AI. There are special agents. Yawn. I could put it down and did. I don't know if I'll ever pick it up again.