Under The Skin

Under The Skin
Michel Faber
Canongate Books, 2010

First impression:
I highly trust the taste of the person who recommended this to me, but I was still torn by the mere sight of the cover. It does resemble trash, even though I'm sure that doesn't mean it's all bad. I've got about halfway through it fairly quickly and even though I'm annoyed at knowing less than the narrator, it does keep the pages turning.

Review:
Even though I didn't particularly like the style of writing, I acknowledge that the idea is a good one, and I thought the ending with its intentional ambiguity lifted much of the book. There were certain words, too, that I enjoyed the twists on, but I feel that this could have been more developed. I didn't like being strung along for most of the first half, effective though it was to pull me in, and found much of the second half a bit too open in contrast. But as mentioned, the book did tickle the mind at times and though it is not a new favourite, I don't consider it a waste of anyone's time.

Rating: Good

All My Friends Are Superheroes

All My Friends Are Superheroes
Andrew Kaufman
Telegram, 2010

First impression:
I can tell that I will like this one because it's brief in a good way and doesn't faff about just to use up paper. The style is slightly reminiscent of Kurt Vonnegut, simple and sentimental, but it occasionally feels a bit forced. My main concern however is that I wish some of the superheroes would have wittier names.

Review:
Though not life-changing, I must admit I fell a little bit in love with this one. It contained a number of very astute observations and charming metaphors which, although quite transparent, in their modesty did not annoy me. I liked the idealist images, the way reality was twisted, the melancholy of the characters. I did not so much like the added miniscule details, and I had hoped it would be slightly funnier. But I won't complain; this is definitely one of the better books I have encountered, and I do want to read The Waterproof Bible.

Rating: Impressive

Dreamwords

Dreamwords
Paul Story
Honesty Edition, 2011

First impression:
The most special thing about this book is that it was delivered to the students of my university in large outdoor bunches for people to pick up, read at their leisure, and pay for if they wished to see the sequel in print. This is such a unique and wonderful idea I feel a bit bad about reviewing the book itself, being far from the genre I normally gravitate towards. So I will leave it, I think, until I've finished it.

Review:
Being a book largely concerned with dreams, I was not surprised to find it quite surreal and confusing, however, as my attention span is rather short, I spent a lot of time struggling to remember where I was and how I got there. I did enjoy the science fiction bits, though, and found it a nice twist to a traditional adventure novel. Once into the plot, the book was captivating but I'm afraid it lacked the kind of depth I need to fully submerge myself. Nevertheless I will pass it on and continue to promote the project as I think the attention is definitely deserved.

Rating: Decent

Slaughterhouse-Five

Slaughterhouse-Five
Kurt Vonnegut
Dial Press, 2009

First impression:
I know this author from before and had forgotten how utterly wonderful he is to read. In my first sitting I got through about 50 pages, which is unusual for me, especially since I generally don't think much of war literature. The main theme is reminiscent of one from Svålhålet by Mikael Niemi, so if you enjoyed that as much as I did, this is a recommendation.

Review:
I can't help myself when it comes to this style of writing; there is just something special about the way complex ideas are expressed in such simple terms that the ideas in turn become elementary. Having read two other books by him, too, the intertextuality is stimulating. The plot wasn't very elaborate but more or less a description of various settings, but this did not provide any difficulty for me in getting through the almost 300 pages. There is a sincere, silly sentimentality about Vonnegut which always manages to plant the most wonderful seeds of thought in me.

Rating: Impressive

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins
Scholastic Children's Books, 2009

First impression:
The first warning bell went off when I saw Stephenie Meyer's name on the cover saying this book "is amazing". The sole reason why I opened it in the first place is because I'd heard from a more reliable source that it was, but I'm not won over and doubt that I will be. The idea is interesting enough, but the quality of the text is uneven, the narrative one-sided and the descriptions shallow. It is very noticeably a book for inexperienced or possibly even reluctant readers, requiring little cognitive effort to get through, but for that very reason I'm determined to do it.

Review:
I wasn't charmed, did not find the characters lovable or the portrayal of any of the events very captivating. What kept me reading, I believe, was the fact that cliffhangers were inserted at regular intervals, however I found that the absolution of most of the impossibly critical scenarios tended to rely on variables that the writer just happened to feel like introducing at that point. I will still grant Collins that the underlying concept is a good one, but even the initial choice of a first-person present narrative set the odds against her as the reader is bound to know from sentence one that the main character is going to get away unscathed. I won't be too harsh, however, as I realise the book is aimed at a younger audience, who, I'm sure, would enjoy it.

Rating: Decent

We

We
Yevgeny Zamyatin
Penguin Books, 1993

First impression:
As by many sci-fi novels I was long put off by the fear that the book would become too complicated, especially having read just the first two chapters. A bit in, however, having reached the conclusion that the confusing bits are intentionally such, I am thoroughly enjoying the stream-of-consciousness narrative and the poetic formulas which sometimes sneak into the industrialised world image. This novel is pre-1984, so as far as dystopia goes it should be interesting.

Review:
In the end, this book reminded me in a way of my experience of Proust; the beginning and the end were very good, but although this book was rather short, I found the middle part hard to get through. I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that it was very non-conventional, artistic and had a lot of depth, but I often felt confined in the narrative of the main character, who had a narrow and fragmented world view. I guess that's where the book's potential to be brilliant lies, and I did like it on mind-tickling grounds, even though I found that it was a bit too ambiguous plot-wise to suit my usual taste.

Rating: Impressive

Blind Faith

Blind Faith
Ben Elton
Black Swan, 2008

First impression:
As previously with Ben Elton, I find the writing quite simplistic and not particularly compelling, however High Society still turned out to be an excellent book and I'm hoping, especially with my affinity for portrayed decadence, that this one will measure up eventually.

Review:
I will stick to what I said about the style; it is quite easy on the mind although the theme is thought-provoking. I nonetheless enjoyed Elton's attention to little tell-tale signs and attitudes found in the media stream today which certainly provide good cause for concern. Since 1984, however, it is quite difficult to write a dystopian work without heavily borrowing conceptually as well as plot-wise, and there was stunning similarity between the two that made it much harder for me to enjoy this as a separate achievement. It would probably work very well on film as the graphics would add to the effect of shock, but in book form its impact was not great enough for me to rank it among its sci-fi brethren.

Rating: Good