Review of "To Sleep in a Sea of Stars: A Science Fiction Novel" by Christopher Paolini

 

Xenobiologist Kira Navárez is part of a survey crew studying a moon called Adrasteia, many light years from Earth.



When Kira was a child, humans found the first known alien artefact, called The Great Beacon. Kira, who was thrilled by the discovery, decided the study of alien life forms would be her future occupation.

Kira and the rest of the survey crew is about to finish its work, after which its members will be assigned to separate projects elsewhere in space. In an effort to stay together Kira and her geologist boyfriend Alan have become engaged, and Kira is deeply in love and very happy.

Thus when Kira is doing a final survey on Adrasteia, and comes across an unusual columnar formation, she decides to take a closer look.....for Alan.



Kira climbs up, falls into a cave, and though Kira doesn't know it yet, her life will be changed forever.

Black dust from a basin in the cave climbs onto Kira's foot and creeps up her leg. Kira faints and is rescued, but things aren't fine. A skintight black suit soon covers Kira's entire body, and is impossible to remove.



It turns out the black suit, which is called the 'Soft Blade', is a kind of symbiont with intelligence, memories, and remarkable abilities.

Kira's merging with the Soft Blade is followed by a series of disasters, including vicious attacks by an alien species called the 'Jellies', who have various body types, but generally look like mutant squids with tentacles sprouting everywhere. The Jellies are after the Soft Blade, which they'd hidden on Adrasteia for safekeeping.





In time Kira ends up on a salvage vessel called the Wallfish....



.....and comes to bond with the crew members, who up until now have spent most of their time making questionable deals for profit.



However now that the Jellies have declared war on humans, the Wallfish embarks on a mission to save humanity from the Jellies and another - even more barbarous - alien species called the "Nightmares', which have myriad hideous body forms.







As the story unfolds Kira taps into the Soft Blade's memories, and discoveries the incredible things it can do. The Soft Blade is especially useful when Kira is threatened, as it can form deadly weapons to protect her.

The book is a kind of combination science fiction and fantasy, since the Wallfish crew goes on a quest for the 'Staff of Blue', which is the most powerful weapon in the galaxy. The Jellies and Nightmares are also after the Staff of Blue, and it's a race to see who gets there first. The Staff of Blue, in turn, is guarded by a MEGA evil being called the 'Seeker' - who inadvertently gets loose.



There are many space battles in the book, between humans, Jellies, and Nightmares, fought with all manner of futuristic weapons.







The book also has other science fiction tropes like FTL (faster than light) travel; cryosleep; genetic manipulation and nano-enhancements to produce super humans; a spaceship cat (and pig); antimatter fuel; and more.



The books has a large cast of characters, and Kira forms friendships and alliances that add a warm comradely feel to the story. One of my favorite characters is "Gregorovich", the Ship Mind (essentially a giant human brain) that runs the systems on the Wallfish. He's a hoot!! Paolini also infuses the narrative with a good bit of humor, which is a nice break from the fighting and scheming.

The story spans almost 900 pages, but moves along at a good clip and held my attention. I was especially intrigued by the Kira-Soft Blade melding, which turns out to have fascinating ramifications.

I'd recommend the book to science fiction fans.

Rating: 4 stars

Review of "Broken (In The Best Possible Way)" by Jenny Lawson

 

Jenny Lawson

Jenny Lawson - born and raised in Texas - is a journalist, blogger, author, and humorist who suffers from mental illness, attention deficit disorder, clinical depression, anxiety attacks, rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune problems, and more. This makes Lawson's life challenging, but her medication - as well as her husband and daughter - help Jenny cope.

Jenny tries to see the 'funny' in life, and shares her observations with her readers.

I'll give some examples of Jenny's anecdotes, to provide a feel for her humor.

Jenny tells a story about constantly losing a shoe, because one foot is slightly larger than the other. So Jenny walked out of a shoe in a hotel elevator, waited for the elevator to return.....and no shoe! Turns out someone reported it to security. Jenny vowed to stop losing a shoe, but proceeded to do it again and again. Thus Jenny once had to pretend wearing one shoe was an Avant-garde fashion choice, once lost a shoe in a public toilet, once lost a shoe in a storm drain, and so on. (I'd advise fashionable sneakers. 😃)



***

Jenny writes about being so uncomfortable at parties that she gets verbal diarrhea and makes terrible small talk, like comparing dog poop and human poop. Ick!!



*****

After repeatedly mentioning genitals in a chapter about a cockchafer maggot, Jenny looked to Twitter for gender-neutral words for private parts. Hundreds of responses poured in, some of Jenny's favorites being niblets, no-no zone, Area 51, the south 40, the Department of the Interior, my hoopty, my chamber of secrets, my bidness, fandanglies, and the good china.



*****

In a chapter about editing her books - which Jenny does with a gallery of professionals - Jenny acknowledges that the process is awful and painful and hilarious and mortifying...but not boring. For fun, Jenny describes conversations she had about her books with a variety of editors.

Some examples:

◙ Jenny confuses the pirates Blackbeard and Bluebeard because they have the same last name. Editor: I don't think "Beard" was their last name.

◙ Jenny: Let's change "butt" to "buttonhole." Editor: Are you sure you want to do that? Jenny: Oops, that was autocorrect. I meant let's change "butt" to "butthole."

◙ Jenny: Can I just leave a poop emoticon to say sorry for being shitty at words. Editor: The poop image is an "emoji." An emoticon is a typographical display of facial representation using text only. Jenny: Jesus, I can't even use poop correctly.



*****

Jenny has a knack for fun animal names. Her dog is called Dorothy Barker; her suggested monikers for a neighborhood owl are Owl Roker and Owlexander Hamilton; a yard rat is dubbed Boo Ratley; and a squirrel who steals peanut butter crackers is named Squirrelly Temple.


Dorothy Barker





*****

Jenny also tells stories about her husband Victor, her daughter Hailey, and her parents and grandparents. Much of this is amusing, though stories about pulling off chicken heads, eating goats roasted in ground pits, and snacking on gerbil jerky can be stomach-churning.


Ground Pit Oven

*****

In a serious vein, Jenny excoriates her insurance company, which avoids paying for her medication and treatments....a phenomenon that's probably familiar to much of the general public.

Jenny also talks about contracting tuberculosis because she takes immunosuppressant drugs for her rheumatoid arthritis; getting panic attacks; having childhood anxiety attacks that were so frequent her mother had to change jobs to work in her school; having regular suicidal thoughts; and experiencing extended periods of depression. Jenny goes on to describe the transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) she received to relieve her psychiatric symptoms - treatments that are extensive and painful, but which helped.


Jenny getting TMS treatment

Jenny's books do good by helping others who suffer from mental illness. Jenny writes about being on a book tour and meeting wonderful people who dealt with some of the same issues she had. Many folks shakily told her that it was the first time they'd left their house in weeks. Jenny was proud to be able to talk to each person, though it was VERY draining for HER, because she gets anxious being around people. A difficult conundrum indeed.


Jenny signing books

I like Jenny's humor, and there are some REALLY amusing chapters in the book. However, many sections feel forced, like the author was trying too hard to be funny.

Still, the book demonstrates that mentally ill individuals can have good times and enjoy life, which is a lesson worth learning.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Jenny Lawson), and the publisher (Henry Holt and Company) for a copy of the book.

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "Take It Back: A Novel of Suspense" by Kia Abdullah

If youths in your minority ethnoreligious group are accused of raping a girl, do you support the boys no matter what? That's the problem faced by Zara Kaleel.....



.....a Muslim lawyer who volunteers as a rape victim advocate at a London rape crisis center.



Zara is assigned the case of 16-year-old Jodie Wolfe, a girl with a severely deformed face.....



.....who accuses four Muslim schoolmates of raping her.



Jodie and the boys agree that they were together in an abandoned warehouse after a party, but how they all came to be there, and what happened in the building, is in dispute.



Jodie says the boys violently assaulted her; the boys say they didn't.

Zara chooses to believe Jodie, helps the girl report the incident to the police, and advises her afterwards. Jodie REALLY needs Zara because her own mother is a lazy alcoholic who can't be bothered with her daughter's problems.



And Jodie's best friend - who has a crush on one of the boys - refuses to believe her.



The incident incites furor on both sides of the ethnic divide: the Caucasian community raises hell about Muslim boys raping a disabled white girl;



and Muslims claim the girl is lying.



As for Zara, she's between a rock and a hard place. The advocate feels obligated to help Jodie - who's come to rely on her - but the Muslim community calls Zara a traitor. Moreover, Zara's own mother advises her to drop the case and let someone else handle it.



Zara's already on the outs with her family for flouting Muslim traditions about women being subservient to men, and for leaving her arranged marriage after a couple of weeks.



Unfortunately, Zara furthering Jodie's case just makes things worse.

The book highlights the culture clash between the Muslim and non-Muslim community. The Muslims, who already face discrimination because of their religion and skin color, are livid about 'good Muslim boys' - from hard-working immigrant families - being accused of a heinous sexual crime.



And Jodie's supporters, who cite a newspaper article about a gang rape of a Bolton woman by Asian men - claim Muslim perpetrators purposely target white women.

On top of all that, the issue of Jodie being 'ugly' adds fuel to the fire. The boys' advocates insist the teenagers wouldn't have relations with 'a dog' and rape experts assert that sexual assault is a crime of violence, not sex.



The hoopla surrounding the accusations, stoked by online agitators and poster-carrying demonstrators, eventually leads to violence.

The book is compelling and suspenseful, and though the subject matter is disturbing, well worth reading.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Kia Abdullah), and the publisher (HarperCollins Publishers) for a copy of the book.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "Stop The Presses: A Nero Wolfe Mystery" by Robert Goldsborough

 

Rex Stout's "Nero Wolfe" books - set in the middle years of the 20th century - are among my favorite light mysteries. Wolfe is an eccentric, obese private detective who lives in a brownstone in New York City; almost never leaves his house; spends four hours a day tending his orchids; has a chef who prepares delicious gourmet meals; loves beer; and employs Archie Goodwin as his assistant, legman, and gadfly. 

Nero Wolfe


Archie Goodwin

Stout's last Nero Wolfe book was published over 40 years ago, so - when I saw this 2016 pastiche by Robert Goldsborough available as an audiobook on Hoopla - I decided to give it a try. 

The plot: It's the 1970s and Cameron Clay - who writes the "Stop the Presses" gossip column for the New York Gazette - has been getting death threats. This isn't surprising since Clay makes it his mission to insult and embarrass New York's better known citizens - and to expose what he thinks are illegal and immoral acts.



"Stop the Presses" is the most popular feature in The Gazette, so Lon Cohen - the paper's editor - asks Nero Wolfe if he would speak to Clay, assess the level of danger, and make appropriate suggestions. Wolfe gets Saul Panzer - the best free-lance operative in New York - to provide an in-depth profile of Clay, after which Wolfe agrees to see the journalist. 

When Clay shows up at Wolfe's house - looking and sounding ill - he explains that he's been getting menacing phone calls, but can't identify the speaker from the muffled voice. The columnist does, however, provide a list of five 'suspects' who wish him dead: 

- Mike Tobin - a cop who lost his job and went to prison after Clay tagged him for beating up suspects. 



- Kerwin Andrews - a builder and developer who lost a big project after Clay revealed his shoddy construction methods. 



- Millard Beardsley - A Harlem city councilman whom Clay has accused of taking bribes and putting the 'financial squeeze' on his constituents. 



- Roswell Stokes - a shifty lawyer who's been pilloried repeatedly in Clay's column.



- Serena Sanchez - an opera singer who was married to Clay. She's publicly declared that she'd like to kill her ex-husband. 



Wolfe tells Clay he can't help him, and suggests the columnist get private security or contact the police - but Clay refuses to do either. Cut to the chase, and Clay is found shot dead in his apartment. The cops quickly rule it a suicide, but the publishers of The Gazette think Clay was murdered, and hire Wolfe to expose the killer. 



The story slows down at this point as Archie schemes to get each of the five 'suspects' to Wolfe's house for an interview - one at a time, over a series of evenings. Wolfe has a rule about hospitality under his roof, so there's a lot of blather about Archie taking hats and coats, making everyone drinks, seeing people in and out, etc. Of course every 'suspect' complains about Clay doing them wrong, and each one proclaims their innocence (naturally). Wolfe's 'frenemy' in the police department, Inspector Cramer, also shows up - 
to warn Wolfe not to embarrass the cops. 

In between Wolfe's interviews, Archie attends a weekend soirée at the country estate of his wealthy girlfriend, Lily Rowan. The party includes playing cards, dining, and dancing, and Serena Sanchez - who's a guest - does some serious flirting with Archie. 



After Wolfe speaks to all the persons of interest he mulls things over.....and eventually resolves the case. Now Archie has to, once again, persuade all the relevant people to come to Wolfe's house for the big reveal. Thus, there's more politeness and drink-making and so on. All this cajoling and cordiality serves to pad a rather thin plot and minimal mystery. 

This book isn't a great addition to the Nero Wolfe collection, but it's fun to visit with some favorite characters. For that reason, I'd recommend the book to fans of the series. 

I don't think you have to start with book one to enjoy these stories. You can just jump in anywhere, and the author will catch you up very quickly.

I do have one HUGE problem with the book. All the Nero Wolfe books are narrated in the first person by Archie Goodwin - a Midwestern boy whose accent would be 'neutral.' However, "Stop the Presses!" is read by Peter Berkrot, a New Englander who has a refined, rather poncy accent (he almost sounds British). This is absolutely inauthentic (I'd say terrible) for Archie, and kept pulling me right out of the story. I think a different narrator should be found for future Nero Wolfe audiobooks.

Rating: 3 stars