Book Review

A Case For Christianity, C.S. Lewis
I've been slack in book reviews lately. I've been rereading old favorites over the holiday season but just before that I was given a Lewis book that I didn't have. This is a very short "book" and what it is actually is the transcript of a radio interview he'd once given laying out the case for choosing Christianity to the atheist or agnostic.
Lewis had the gift for keeping the subject matter plain and simple without dismissing any of the complicated material. Just like I've described Mere Christianity as "Christianity 101" for new believers, under the guidance of a knowledgeable pastor, A Case For Christianity is one of the very best pro-conversion arguments put to paper. Direct and non combative, his dissertation challenges the reader to think, the mark of any great debate technique. Not for people who have no interest on an intellectual level.
It's not only a persuasive discussion for the non believers, but to those who have become disillusioned and backslidden over the years.
Yet another brilliant piece of writing from my favorite author! 

Book Review

Double Indemnity, James M. Cain

A crime noir book, short and quite old. Published as a book in 1943. My first impression was: well, that escalated quickly! Then I found out that it originally ran as a serial in a magazine in 1936, so the pacing was naturally hard and fast without much effort put into serious character development. The love affairs between the characters are largely implied as well to keep the action moving and, I assume, because anything more obvious in the 1930's would've been inappropriate. It's written in first person with a lot of the jargon of the time period laced in, which threw me a little at first. But, surprisingly, it all works. 

An insurance salesman plots with a woman to murder her husband and collect the money from his accident policy. They almost get away with it but,of course, they don't and the lesser used love quadrangle (as opposed to triangle) is employed to complicate the situation. 

I'd heard of this title for years and have seen some of the story parodied, so it was fun to see the source material in its original form. The fast movement of events made it a compelling read. I think it would've done well as a long form novel that went into greater detail.

Book Review

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clark
It took me longer than usual to get through this book because I've been on a mini reading burn-out. But I'm glad I saved it for last out of the stack of books I got last time because it was the best. I became interested when I saw previews for the miniseries it was adapted to for BBCA. I never saw any of that, but I knew this was exactly the sort of thing I'd like. I really loved it and I plan to reread it when I'm feeling more enthusiastic.

It's set at the turn of the 19th century in England and the premise is that English magic and magical influence has run dry since its golden years of the middle ages. All current magicians are theoretical magicians and they behave as academics of all ages, publishing papers on the subject without practical experience or knowhow. Two practicing magicians are foretold to restore English magic, the titular characters, but it doesn't happen like any of them expect of course. The build up is slow and detailed. Norrell and Strange are introduced one at a time and the complexity of their relationship as well as the other characters' dynamics eat up the biggest portion of this lengthy book. The world building is subtle and blends the fictional elements with the actual historical events of the time period, utilizing Lord Wellington and King George along side the invented players and events. It's unique compared to other magical fantasy pieces in that it makes use of the Faerie world, which is something I've not seen much of in modern offerings. I don't know how this depiction of the Faerie compares with its common lore, but I know the impish, faerie antagonist is Satan incarnate and made the book a compelling page-turner. Another thing I loved was the footnotes. Normally footnotes are a headache but because these notes referenced fictitious people, places and books they became characters in the book themselves and a great way to fill in ancillary details without the characters having to give long-winded explanations or disrupting the narrative. I'm also pleased to report that my favorite character doesn't die and actually gets a better ending than the main protagonists who get an unexpectedly bittersweet ending.

I love it and recommend it! It's a grown up, well rounded tale that doesn't have to rely on too many action sequences to hold the reader's interest. 

Book Review

Amphigorey anthology, Edward Gorey and various authors.
I enjoyed looking through these and want to thank Jenny Magidson again for taking me down this delightfully strange rabbit hole. They're a collection of adult comic strips. Adult because the themes tend towards the macabre and disturbing. The grotesque and surreal illustrations put me in the mind of every Tim Burton movie I've seen and they appeal to my warped sense of humor. And they range from a story board with a coherent story to follow written in either prose or verse to a disjointed series of images that aren't necessarily related, or only vaguely so.

It's this strange style that really pulled me in and kept me interested. Especially the seemingly random entries. There were several in which the noun of each panel description corresponded to each letter of the alphabet just like a toddler's book. Or a series of random but not well known words. Or simply vignettes that portray a mood. Mostly melancholy moods, but I understood it on a subconscious level. I used to draw a lot as a kid in story board method and other experiments. It reminds me of how creative I used to be when I was young, with a sinister twist of course. But it inspires me to be creative again.

It's definitely not for everyone. If you're uncomfortable with suicidal inanimate objects, dark and tragic unrequited love stories, or children being eaten by a fictitious beast - I mean, the classic fairy tales in their original forms were equally weird and twisted when you think about it - or if you tend to take such things too seriously then it's probably not for you. I see it as pure entertainment and brain candy for curious minds.

Book Review

The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern
I don't normally read something that could be classified as "romance" but the romance was sufficiently relegated to second place next to the plot. The synopsis actually drew me in on this one. It's the story of two magicians' students pitted against each other to the death who fall in love in spite of this circumstance. But it's not the epic sort of high fantasy battle that it sounds like. The writing focuses more on the characters than the mechanics of magic. The only spell that is detailed is the one that binds everyone to their contracts. After that it's more of vague but elegant backdrop. And it works well since the primary setting is a circus and the time period in which it takes place is the late 19th and early 20th centuries. There's no need for details to the magic, just the mood. You see that each student is trained differently as they grow up - one intellectually and one cruelly. The works they produce later are added to the layers of the circus which serves as the venue for their challenge.
It not only follows the lives of the two competitors, it skips ahead to track the movements of another character that would be important to the resolution at the end. I really liked that diversion from the main story. It was well constructed as the present caught up to the future in which that character is introduced. A nice touch.
It's a relaxing fantasy read without too much depth or intensity to weigh on the brain or exhaust you when it's finished. I'll reread it again some time and I definitely recommend it. 

Book Review

The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho

It's a nice modern day fable. That is, written in the modern day - first published in English in 1993. But the setting of the story takes place sometime between the 16th and 19th centuries in Spain and North Africa which gives it the right ambiance for a classic fable. It follows a young, Spanish shepherd boy, probably in his mid to late teens as he is led by a dream and several people placed in his path by fate to go on a journey to find his "Personal Legend," which in this case is an actual treasure. Like all fables and classic fairy tales it conveys a lot of self-esteem boosting advice and layered life lessons in which not everything is as it seems. And what appears to be a simple straight forward journey turns into over a year of adventure and self discovery for the protagonist. I liked it a lot. It definitely makes you feel good and gives you positive things to ponder. Yes, he finds his Personal Legend but I won't spoil it. It wasn't the kind of ending I was expecting, I'll admit. 

It's a book suitable for all age groups but I can only recommend to those who are already secure in their religious beliefs. It makes use of a lot of biblical stories which I appreciate but it is not solid Christian teachings and could be confusing to a new or immature Christian. Or Muslim for that matter. The author himself is honest about his ecumenical beliefs and the trained eye can spot that sort of vapid new age spiritualism right away.

But that doesn't take away from the quality of a good, engaging story that has a lot of generalized good advice and motivational help. Definitely a keeper and a re-reader for me.

Book Review

Bambi, by Felix Salten
I gotta say.... This book was a total downer. If you enjoy reading books that make you cry, this is for you.

It's not just that Bambi's mother dies. Death seems to be a running theme throughout the book all the way to a random passage a third of the way through of two autumn leaves discussing the ravages of aging before they fall to their deaths from the tree. Obviously this is an anti-hunting book. That doesn't really surprise or bother me. The movie was the same. I love animals and understand the sad nature of the food chain; hunters actually have more respect for it than anyone. I'm just not into feeling guilty for existing. So, again, if you're into crying and assuming guilt trips on behalf of humanity, you'll really like this book. But it doesn't just beat up on mankind. There are also portraits painted of other natural predators in the wild as witness to the cruel lives that animals lead, continuing with the sorrowful tone. Personally, I think it even goes too far in its assessment of dogs and other livestock that serves mankind.
I think the author believed in God because His supremacy is asserted towards the end, but I don't know if he really knew God to have such a depressing outlook on that which is the cycle of life.

That's not to say that I didn't like the book. The prose is absolutely beautiful from beginning to end. The passage of the leaves is very powerful and stands out in my mind. The whole book is like that. And it's also a zoological study of deer. Even though they are anthropomorphic and talk, there's no letter writing or sword waving. Their behavior from being weaned from their mothers to rutting and mating is covered in a manner that adults recognize and that wouldn't confuse children. Although I don't think I'd read it to a kid. It seems too heavy even for children of the 1920s when it was published. I actually do recommend it for its classic value and beautiful writing.