April Reading

So, this is my April to read list. Odds are I'll finish more than the three below, but these are the novels I'm most looking forward to.

 

River of Stars by Guy Gavriel Kay

Released on the 2nd April, this is the book I'm most excited about this month. Kay is one of my favourite writers, so of course I'd read anything he writes. But River of Stars, like his last book Under Heaven, is also set in Kitai (aka China). And since I call the Middle Kingdom home these days, I'm extra-curious to see his take on it.

 

 

 

 

Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed

I've heard a lot of good things about this book, and I've been meaning to read it for a while. Finding out it got nominated for a Hugo Award just spurred me on. I actually know very little about the plot (although I've heard it described as Arabian epic fantasy) but I'm sure I'll find out soon enough.

 

 

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

Not fantasy, this one. But I try to read outside my genre ghetto occasionally and figured I'd give this one a try - it won the Man Booker Prize last year, and Mantel's prose looks stunning. Also, Anne Boleyn! Who doesn't want to read about the queens of old?

Book Review: The Secret History of Moscow by Ekaterina Sedia

Title: The Secret History of Moscow
Author: Ekaterina Sedia
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Notes: Published by Prime Books in 2007

Why I Read It: 

I love urban fantasy inspired by mythology, so when somebody recommended this book - and I noticed it was only $2.99 for Amazon Kindle! - I had to buy it.

My Thoughts:  

No surprise really - this was a great book. Not excellent, but still very, very good.

The underlying plot is driven by magic. People are being turned into birds, and two people - a girl who wants to save her now-avian sister, and a policeman assigned to the missing person's case - are on a quest to get them back. Their investigation leads underground, to a Moscow populated by outcasts beyond time - some former political dissidents; others, simple misfits who fell through the cracks. It's a powerful setting, made all the more real by the fact that underground, undeveloped Moscow has a rural fringe where the rusalka live. (I'm a geographer. I love that kind of detail.) 

I also liked the Russian backdrop. I've always thought of myself as a mythology nerd, but clearly my education was more Western than I thought. It was a pleasure getting introduced to figures like Koschey the Deathless and Zemun the celestial cow, along with snippets of Russian history. I never felt their lack of familiarity detracted from the story. Other reviewers have commented that the plot starts meandering when many of these figures are introduced, and perhaps that's true. But the story regains focus towards the end, delivering a conclusion that is both powerful and unexpected. Well worth a read.

The Cover:  

The sky is beautiful, the bird is a nice nudge to the core plot, and the crumbling walls echo the run-down and broken realities found in the book. The only thing I don't love is Galina herself - I think we see a bit too much cleavage here, and in any case she looks cold. Isn't this book set at the start of winter?! On the whole though, it's a lovely cover.

Also: 

Ekaterina Sedia's blog is here, for anyone interested. She's got some pretty interesting articles on fashion and feminism. She's also got a few other books out - I'm particularly looking forward to reading Heart of Iron.

Claw Pride

Not a book review, but book related... or more specifically, Harry Potter related. Yes, I finally gave in and joined Pottermore! Flash sites annoy me so I only stayed long enough to get sorted. Turns out I'm a Ravenclaw, which I've pretty much known since age 13. Still, it's nice to have it confirmed by J.K herself.

 

The Hobbit - China Release Date

Books into films. Don't you love them? Anyway, I have good news and bad for all us Hobbit geeks living in China.

• The good: The Hobbit will be released in China. (A friend, looking at this list on IMDB, was terrified it wouldn't be released over here at all.)  

• The bad: According to Variety, we'll have to wait until after Spring Festival. They've named February 15th, 2013 as a probable date. 

Which really sucks for me, as I'll be back home in New Zealand by then! Hopefully the tourist hype will keep in on screen for a while. In the meantime - a video. It looks amazing so far; I can't wait to see the real thing.

Book Review: Storm Front by Jim Butcher

Title: Storm Front
Author: Jim Butcher
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Notes: Published in 2000 by Penguin Putnam.
Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

Why I read it: 
I've lost count of the number of people who have recommended this book to me. I had to check it out eventually.

My review: 

Harry Dresden is the star of “The Dresden Files,” a wizard and private investigator from Chicago with a ridiculous knack for trouble. The book takes place over five days that speed by: in them, Harry basically rushes from place to place, wisecracking while dodging threats from all sides. To me, the plot seemed absurdly rushed, although I think it was done deliberately. Otherwise, it was a well-crafted tale with predictable elements: He’s making a love potion he’ll never have to use! Oh wait... He’s putting an amulet in his desk where it won’t hurt anyone! Oh wait...

But looking back, I realise the only people who recommended this book to me were guys. And that’s not surprising at all.

Harry is repeated described as a cool, hyper masculine character. On the cover, he’s your classic action-hero: chiselled jaw, long dark coat. But he spends a lot of book one scraping together just enough money to pay his rent; it’s clear he can’t afford a gym. He repeatedly describes himself as ‘old-fashioned’ (which clearly translates as sexist) and revels in his ability to treat ladies like the gentle sex they are, even when this pisses them off. Not surprisingly, he also spends a fair while musing over how incomprehensible women are, because this is what cool action wizards do. Sometimes he does this in his man-cave, while making potions with the leering spirit Bob. Otherwise, they talk magic – or sex. Towards the end of the book, Harry even manages to monologue this monstrosity: “A man’s magic demonstrates what sort of person he is, what is held most deeply within him. There is not truer gauge of a man’s character than the way in which he employs his strength, his power.” Right. Do women not do magic then? Constructions like that really piss me off, and in the 21st century, everyone should know better. Even old-fashioned wizards from Chicago.

There are also problems with the female characters throughout this book. Practically all are defined by their gender. There is Susan Rodrigiez, the savvy journalist, who uses “her charm and femininity relentlessly in the pursuit of her stories.” There is Linda Randall, the super-sexualised prostitute, who actually purrs “And I like a man that just won’t stop” in the middle of a serious conversation. There is Bianca, the ‘vampiress’: a powerful player in the underworld, whose main concern in life is being considered beautiful. Riiight. Last up is Lt. Karrin Murphy, the hardened detective.  Admittedly a cool character (although I dislike how often she was described in terms of her ‘cute nose’ and ‘ladylike fingers’), she still had to be rescued by a man at the end of the book.

I daresay this book would appeal to most guys who like fantasy, especially the urban stuff. Still, it is a major gender fail. I certainly wouldn’t buy it for anyone.

Book Review: Dark Currents by Jacqueline Carey

Title: Dark Currents: Agent of Hel

Author: Jacqueline Carey

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Notes: Published by Roc Hardcover

Description

The Midwestern resort town of Pemkowet boasts a diverse population: eccentric locals, wealthy summer people, and tourists by the busload; not to mention fairies, sprites, vampires, naiads, ogres and a whole host of eldritch folk, presided over by Hel, a reclusive Norse goddess.

To Daisy Johanssen, fathered by an incubus and raised by a single mother, it’s home. And as Hel’s enforcer and the designated liaison to the Pemkowet Police Department, it’s up to her to ensure relations between the mundane and eldritch communities run smoothly.

But when a young man from a nearby college drowns—and signs point to eldritch involvement—the town’s booming paranormal tourism trade is at stake. Teamed up with her childhood crush, Officer Cody Fairfax, a sexy werewolf on the down-low, Daisy must solve the crime—and keep a tight rein on the darker side of her nature. For if she’s ever tempted to invoke her demonic birthright, it could accidentally unleash nothing less than Armageddon.

Why I read it

I’m a massive Jacqueline Carey fangirl. I own every single one of her books, mostly in hardback. There was no way I was missing this one.

 

My Review

Urban fantasy is not my favourite genre. It has its gems, certainly; Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman and Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clark are some of my favourite books of all time. My favourite books by Jacqueline Carey, however, are her Sundering and Kushiel’s Legacy Series: both dark, lush fantasies, far removed from the present day. Still, it’s clear Carey has also mastered books set in our world – Saint’s Astray was an amazing read – so I had high hopes for Dark Currents.  

Book Review: Poorly Made in China by Paul Midler

Title: Poorly Made in China
Author: Paul Midler
Genre: Non-fiction (China)
Notes: Published by John Wiley & Sons. Was an Economist Best Book of the Year in 2009.

Why I read it:
I live in Beijing, so an interest in books on China is pretty much a given for me. However, I didn’t seek this one out – it was simply in a pile of books lent to me by a friend.

What it’s about:
The thoughts and frustrations of one American working in Guangzhou, chronicling time spent as a middleman in China’s manufacturing industry. Trust me when I say it’s definitely not as boring as it sounds.

My Review:
Poorly Made in China was marketed as a hard-hitting exposé of manufacturing practices; meaning when I first picked it up, I expected a businessman’s cynical diatribe on Chinese industry. Turns out I was wrong. Most of Midler’s book consists of entertaining anecdotes, and while it occasionally gets cynical, this is done is a very readable, informative way.