Category: Books

Rewinder by Brett Battles

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another Kindle Owners’ Lending Library selection, and possibly my favorite so far, Rewinder is a new time-travel adventure by thriller author Brett Battles. I haven’t read any of the author’s previous works, but that is sure to change as I absolutely loved Rewinder.

The story is set in an alternate version of the present time in which the British Empire has lost none of its potency and continued to expand further across the globe. The American colonies are just that – colonies. The American Revolution never occurred in any meaningful way and our protagonist Denny Younger lives in the Shallows, a lower-class area in the western part of New Cardiff (our Los Angeles). The class system is hugely important at this time in history, enough so that Parliament has replaced traditional titles such as labor class or gentry with a numbering system. Denny is on the lower end, an Eight, and likely to remain so for the rest of his life.

But when he takes the Operational Placement Examination he is not placed in the power plant alongside his father as expected but instead flagged as a promising candidate for the Upjohn Institute. Within a day he has been elevated to a higher class and whisked off to the institute where he will learn to be a Rewinder – a time travelling researcher. Rewinders verify family lineage – firsthand. Their mission: “to observe and record. It’s not just what we do. It’s all we do”. They observe events and never interfere. At least those are the rules…

Rewinder is a fascinating and exciting book. The plot is tight and the story written by a clearly skilled hand. It moves along at a quick pace and is easy to follow. I’m sure that if I spent more time picking apart the intricacies of the time travel elements I’d find some problems – there nearly always are in stories that feature such foundations, but the novel is so enjoyable that I didn’t bother myself with looking for problems.

The dialogue is good, the characters better. It has the unique distinction of making both the original and altered histories interesting. If the author had written a tale in either timeline that didn’t involve time travel it still would have made a good setting.

It’s sometimes hard to find great books that aren’t part of a larger series. Rewinder is the sort of book that you appreciate for being a great standalone novel, but would be equally happy to see expanded into a series because the author has done such a fine job of realizing a great setting. Highly recommended.

[schema type=”book” url=”http://www.brettbattles.com/” name=”Rewinder” description=”You will never read Denny Younger’s name in any history book, will never know what he’s done. But even if you did, you’d never believe it. The world as you know it wouldn’t be the same without him. Denny was born into one of the lowest rungs of society, but his bleak fortunes abruptly change when the mysterious Upjohn Institute recruits him to be a Rewinder, a verifier of personal histories. The job at first sounds like it involves researching old books and records, but Denny soon learns it’s far from it. A Rewinder’s job is to observe history. In person. Embracing his new duties with enthusiasm, Denny witnesses things he could never even imagine before. But as exciting as the adventures into the past are, there are dangers, too. For even the smallest error can have consequences. Life-altering consequences. Time, after all, is merely a reference point.” author=”Brett Battles” publisher=”Createspace” pubdate=”2014-08-17″ isbn=”1500766941″ ebook=”yes” paperback=”yes” ]

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir by Bill Bryson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A memoir from a non-fiction writer may seem sort of an odd idea. And it is. Doesn’t mean it’s not wonderful.

Author Bill Bryson uses tales of his childhood alter-ego “The Thunderbolt Kid” as a dramatic device to tell long, rich and wonderful anecdotes about growing up in Iowa in the 1950’s. Not a bad conceit, really, and if it helped him to collect these thoughts into a narrative – great. But I found these interludes a little distracting, taking the book away from what is a very detailed and entertaining time capsule.

One of the things I appreciate the most about Bryson’s writing is that it doesn’t really matter what he’s talking about; his ability to humanize situations and provide perspective is the glue that holds his books together. There’s a personal touch to his work even when he’s discussing technical material, but it really shines through in this one. Highly recommended.

[schema type=”book” url=”http://www.billbryson.co.uk/” name=”The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid” description=”From one of the most beloved and bestselling authors in the English language, a vivid, nostalgic and utterly hilarious memoir of growing up in the middle of the United States in the middle of the last century. A book that delivers on the promise that it is “laugh-out-loud funny.” Some say that the first hints that Bill Bryson was not of Planet Earth came from his discovery, at the age of six, of a woollen jersey of rare fineness. Across the moth-holed chest was a golden thunderbolt. It may have looked like an old college football sweater, but young Bryson knew better. It was obviously the Sacred Jersey of Zap, and proved that he had been placed with this innocuous family in the middle of America to fly, become invisible, shoot guns out of people’s hands from a distance, and wear his underpants over his jeans in the manner of Superman. Bill Bryson’s first travel book opened with the immortal line, “I come from Des Moines. Somebody had to.” In this hilarious new memoir, he travels back to explore the kid he once was and the weird and wonderful world of 1950s America. He modestly claims that this is a book about not very much: about being small and getting much larger slowly. But for the rest of us, it is a laugh-out-loud book that will speak volumes – especially to anyone who has ever been young.” author=”Bill Bryson” publisher=”Broadway Books” pubdate=”2006-10-17″ isbn=”0739315234″ ebook=”yes” paperback=”yes” hardcover=”yes” ]

Bossypants by Tina Fey

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I don’t really have a ton to say about this book. It was wonderfully funny, which was an absolute certainty coming from such a funny comedienne & writer. It was also completely unsubstantial and probably longer than a book about an active person needs to be. Going through the book, I felt like I did when I heard Tina Fey was being honored with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor; it’s not that it was unjustified – far from it. It just seemed a bit premature. As talented as Fey is, I suspect that her best work is still ahead of her (or at least that her best isn’t behind her). It’s a little early for career retrospectives, isn’t it?

Like all autobiographies, it is most enjoyable the further the narrative stays from the present time. The stories of growing up and discovering her voice are absolutely hysterical. Once the story starts to catch up to current events it feels more like a journal. I’m not that interested in reading an author’s thoughts on things that just happened – I was there – I got the gist of it. More detail starts to feel like justification and over-explanation of events – I’m already reading your side of the story – it’s your book. Tell me more about your theatre camp – that was a riot…

The exception to this criticism is the newer material on parenting. Because that is providing access to things I didn’t previously know about. And because it is side-splitting funny.

I actually listened to the author narrate this story as opposed to reading it. I’m sure I would have enjoyed the book without Tina Fey’s voice but I can’t imagine I would have enjoyed it as much. She has such a fantastic delivery. Recommended.

[schema type=”book” url=”http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/tina-fey/bossypants/9780316056861/” name=”Bossypants” description=”Tina Fey, one of the most powerful and beloved women in entertainment, brings sharp wit and uncanny observational skill to everything she does, from television to major motion pictures. She’s managed to be known as both the thinking man’s sex symbol, and every woman’s alter-ego/imaginary best friend. Now, for the first time, Fey takes her writing talent off-screen and into the pages of a audiobook. From her disastrous honeymoon cruise to the oversold joys of breastfeeding, from how to assemble the perfect female body to the working mom’s inner thoughts (when cleaning under the couch: eat the Cheerio, pocket the penny. Unless your sweatpants don’t have pockets…), Tina Fey puts her unique and endlessly funny mark on modern life, love, marriage, and motherhood.” author=”Tina Fey” publisher=”Reagan Arthur Books” pubdate=”2011-04-05″ isbn=”0316056863″ ebook=”yes” paperback=”yes” hardcover=”yes” ]

A Better World by Marcus Sakey

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you read my review of  Brilliance (Brilliance Saga, #1), you know that I appreciated the novel but was very interested to see what author Marcus Sakey would be able to achieve with the story once he’d got all the exposition out of the way. I’m very pleased that my hunch that the second novel would be more rewarding was correct.

A Better World examines the ramifications of former FBI agent Nick Cooper’s actions at the climax of Brilliance. Our world has been turned upside down, with the Brilliant-led terrorist group the Children of Darwin able to operate almost without impunity in the absence of the Department of Analysis and Response (DAR).

There is a lot of political intrigue in this series, but it succeeds best with its feet on the ground, up close with those dealing with the effects of the world-shaking actions in this chaotic time. The Children of Darwin are able to completely isolate 3 major American cities, starving them of supplies and aid. Mob rule & martial law vie for control, both seeming worse than the actions of the terrorists. The maxim about civilization being twenty-four hours and two meals away from barbarism is perfectly illustrated here.

The story works because of its terrifying plausibility. In fact, the Brilliants don’t really even have much to do. The real story of this novel has much less to do with superhuman abilities than it does with all too human weakness.

It’s not all positive; the writing is still very screenplay-esque and the author makes the unforgivable sin of not finishing the story. It’s understood when you’re in the middle book of a trilogy that everything isn’t going to be wrapped up neatly, but there is no excuse for releasing a story that feels this unfinished. There’s an expectation on the part of the reader that each installment of a series has to feel like a complete story, even when the overall tale is not done.

My annoyance at this lapse is due in large part to my desire to find out what happens next. It just could have been much more elegantly tied off if not tied up.

I really enjoyed A Better World – a good story got much better in the second installment. Recommended – with the caveat that you may want to wait until the series is complete before starting…

[schema type=”book” url=”http://marcussakey.com/” name=”A Better World” description=”The brilliants changed everything. Since 1980, 1% of the world has been born with gifts we’d only dreamed of. The ability to sense a person’s most intimate secrets, or predict the stock market, or move virtually unseen. For thirty years the world has struggled with a growing divide between the exceptional…and the rest of us. Now a terrorist network led by brilliants has crippled three cities. Supermarket shelves stand empty. 911 calls go unanswered. Fanatics are burning people alive. Nick Cooper has always fought to make the world better for his children. As both a brilliant and an advisor to the president of the United States, he’s against everything the terrorists represent. But as America slides toward a devastating civil war, Cooper is forced to play a game he dares not lose—because his opponents have their own vision of a better world. And to reach it, they’re willing to burn this one down. From Marcus Sakey, “the master of the mindful page turner” (Gillian Flynn) and “one of our best storytellers” (Michael Connelly), Book Two of the Brilliance Saga is a relentless thrill ride that will change the way you look at your world—and the people around you.” author=”Marcus Sakey” publisher=”Thomas & Mercer” pubdate=”2014-06-17″ isbn=”1477823948″ ebook=”yes” paperback=”yes” ]

Brilliance by Marcus Sakey

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Less science fiction than a thriller with a “what if” premise, Marcus Sakey’s Brilliance is a well-written and engaging novel that nevertheless makes you eager to get on to the next book in the series.
The concept is as simple as it is good: since 1980 1% of new children are born “brilliant” or “abnorm” – they have unique talents and abilities, almost superhuman in nature. The story, set in an alternate history, picks up during the current time, when this first generation of abnorm children have grown up and are impacting daily life.

The book cover prominently features a quote from Lee Child that boasts, “The Kind of Story You’ve Never Read Before”. Nonsense. The story completely echoes the X-Men series of comics and novels. Even if you’re not a reader you can’t have failed to notice they’ve made like 10 movies about them. And there are plenty of other stories that have trod on this ground. The quote doesn’t do the novel any favors. But if you put aside this pre-conceived idea of the incredible originality that was thrust upon you, you can appreciate the book for what it is – a very solid thriller that examines the real-life issues that would necessarily arise from such a seismic shift in the makeup of the human race.

Despite the obvious parallels to X-Men and other superhuman fare, the brilliants of Sakey’s series don’t vary in appearance from the “norms”. Their gifts don’t allow them to fly or change the weather or shape-shift or anything like that. Many of them have natural abilities supernaturally enhanced: being able to “read” thoughts by body language; recognizing intent in other so as to see the areas where one can move undetected; accurately interpreting the patterns of the stock market to the extent that they have to shut it down.

A most common trait is pattern recognition and this is the one possessed by protagonist Nick Cooper, a brilliant who has chosen to become a federal agent uniquely skilled at finding the more dangerous abnorms. He has dedicated his life to hunting terrorists and his gift has helped him to become very good at it. But predictably the narrative will find him seeing things from the other side and question which side he’s on, yada yada…

As I said, it’s not groundbreaking stuff, but that doesn’t detract from the enjoyment of it. The quality of the book lies in the telling. Sakey does a great job positing the necessary changes that these gifted individuals have affected upon the world and placing realistic human characters (whether brilliant or norm) in believable situations. The political realities, the social and personal elements are all well represented and examined here and it makes for good storytelling.

I enjoyed the author’s style. It does read a bit like a movie – it comes as absolutely no surprise whatsoever that this story has already been optioned for film – but I accept that as a reality of thrillers, which often feel aimed for the screen. The adjective cinematic is not supposed to be a criticism – I want to feel swept away. Brilliance mostly achieves this.

The book suffers a touch from being the first in a series – just in that you’re sort of anxious to get on with it – but I think that speaks more to the quality of the overall story than it suggests dissatisfaction with the novel itself. I’m writing this review after reading the first two books, so my perspective is necessarily skewed; I enjoyed the second novel heaps more and so I may be downgrading my assessment of Brilliance accordingly. It was a great book and obviously made me snap up the second in the series, so mission accomplished.

[schema type=”book” url=”http://marcussakey.com/bk_brilliance.php” name=”Brilliance” description=”In Wyoming, a little girl reads people’s darkest secrets by the way they fold their arms. In New York, a man sensing patterns in the stock market racks up $300 billion. In Chicago, a woman can go invisible by being where no one is looking. They’re called “brilliants,” and since 1980, one percent of people have been born this way. Nick Cooper is among them; a federal agent, Cooper has gifts rendering him exceptional at hunting terrorists. His latest target may be the most dangerous man alive, a brilliant drenched in blood and intent on provoking civil war. But to catch him, Cooper will have to violate everything he believes in – and betray his own kind. From Marcus Sakey, “a modern master of suspense” (Chicago Sun-Times) and “one of our best storytellers” (Michael Connelly), comes an adventure that’s at once breakneck thriller and shrewd social commentary; a gripping tale of a world fundamentally different and yet horrifyingly similar to our own, where being born gifted can be a terrible curse.(” author=”Marcus Sakey” publisher=”Thomas & Mercer” pubdate=”2013-07-16″ isbn=”1611099692″ ebook=”yes” paperback=”yes” ]