From the book cover:
How do you keep going after the one person you always believed you were meant to be with forever gives their heart to someone else? Bryan Roemer never thought he'd have to answer that question; but after losing the woman he loved to another man, he is faced with a new reality. Meeting Mara - exotic, beautiful, sexy - on the flight back to California provided him with a welcome distraction to take his mind off his pain. Still, days are a blur. His nights are spent drowning in memories. At his lowest moment, his friends, Nick Flaherty and Carrie Mayer, summon him back east to photograph their wedding. Reluctantly, he does. Six months have changed Bryan. And when he arrives, the rest of the Circle find that he hasn't come alone. Something dark and sinister has come with him. Something that is determined to keep him at all costs. But waiting there for Bryan is a second chance. one that just might save his life.
My Review: Redemption is the second novel in LA Kuehlke's Pursuit series. I haven't read the first novel, but that didn't matter as there are plenty of plot catch-ups via conversations about what happened last summer, and the main characters' thoughts and memories.
When I first started reading, I was a bit put off by the angels, demons and circle stuff. From the book's synopsis you don't get any of that, there's only one reference to the circle. I took that to be a circle of friends, which the characters are so it wasn't completely off.
I'm very much in the middle about this novel. It's an interesting, if not a completely original plot - angels and demons among us fighting for our souls trying to destroy us.
I didn't feel anything for any of the characters. They were all a bit too one dimensional for my liking. Bryan the hunky bad boy. Cassidy the beautiful and pure. Nick the happy, go-lucky who loves his cliches. Carrie the beautiful planner. Miranda the beautiful dreamer. And Derek, the hunky super cop.
The premise of the story doesn't add up either. According to Bryan and Miranda (the woman who broke his heart), they were never in a romantic relationship. They were just long time friends, he had feelings for her that she didn't return, instead she fell in love with Derek. That doesn't equal total devastation in my books.At least not enough to travel to the other side of the country and try to forget everything.
From the way this novel ended, I think the third book in the series is going to be about Miranda's little sister Lainey and her fight with demons.
2.5/5
To purchase a copy of this book visit the author's web page on the Outskirts Press website.
Better Living through Plastic Explosives is a collection of short stories by Zsusi Gartner. Better Living through Plastic Explosives is on the 2011 Giller Prize short list.
Summer of the Flesh Eater
The men in this short story remind me of the women of Wisteria Lane a la the popular television show Desperate Housewives. Told through a third-person group narrative, a group of Fraiser Crane-like men living in an upscale Vancouver cul-de-sac suffer through a summer of dealing a new neighbour they deem uncivilized. The new neighbour wears cut-off t-shirts, drinks beer from the can, and fixes cars in his drive way, standard stuff but to these 'evolved' men he's practically a neanderthal. In reality the new neighbour is really just a thinly veiled stereotype of the typical man as depicted in prime time circa 2003 (think According to Jim and King of Queens).
Once, We Were Swedes
Alex is a retired journalist who now teaches a journalism class at a Vancouver community college. She's married to a man who's six years older than her, but as the story progresses their aging processes go into overdrive in opposite directions (sort of like the Brad Pitt movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button). By the end of the story, Alex is an old woman with dentures and mobility issues and her husband is a teenager. The title comes from the IKEA language they use to speak in happier times.
Floating Like a Goat
This long, run-on letter from a mother to her daughter's grade one art teacher is sooo entertaining. I wish I had the courage to write a letter like that to my kids' teachers when they implement classroom rules that don't vibe with my way of thinking. The title comes from one of the the rules the art teacher sets for her students: when drawing animals and people, their feet must touch the ground.
Investment Results May Vary
“Is it so terrible to want what you can’t have?" Dan and Patricia O'Donnell have it all. They are a beautiful, well-off couple who insist on having the best of everything. Nina is an angry basement dweller who works as a Vancouver Olympic mascot. Honey Fortuna is a real estate agent who's worked very hard for her successful, always keeping a stiff upper lip no matter what's dealt her. Homes are being swallowed by the mountain in Vancouver's ritzy north shore (no humans or animals have been harmed). Nina kidnaps the O'Donnells' young son.
The Adopted Chinese Daughters' Rebellion
A majority of the couples on a well-to-do cul-de-sac in Vancouver adopt female babies from China and set out to raise them with Chinese cultural values. They go from the mild to the ridiculous in this satire of what many couples have done over the years. Eventually they cause the Chinese daughters so much misery, they (and the one natural daughter on the cul-de-sac) run away one night.
What are We doing Here?
Deirdre (Didi) is a young twentysomething NOW reporter on an awkward date with a much older, almost-famous photographer she interviewed for a story. The date take places at his 14th floor apartment, where he's grilling steaks and making baked potatoes. Didi is extremely bored; when the photographer invited her over, she thought she'd be attending a party with his famous friends. Her mind keeps running on to the wild party she attended the night before as she tries to muster the courage to ask the photographer "What are we doing here?"
Someone is Killing the Great Motivational Speakers of Amerika
A motivational speaker and mother takes her followers and her kids to the woods to avoid succumbing to the same fate as many of her motivational peers. During the camping trip she observes her control of her flock loosening and contemplates walking barefoot on hot coals to bring them back under her control. She also muses about the various ways the other motivational speakers disappeared or passed on.
Mister Kakami
Patrick Kakami is a filmmaker going through a midlife crisis. During a photo shoot on a remote Vancouver island, Kakami goes missing. Syd, the film's producer and Kakami's only friend, journeys through a dense Vancouver forest in search Kakami.
We Come in Peace
Five angels from biblical times take over the bodies of five Vancouver teenagers (four boys and one girl) so they can experience what it is to be human. Their actions while in the bodies change the course of the kids' lives forever.
Better Living Through Plastic Explosives
The title of the story, Better Living Through Plastic Explosives, is a play on DuPont's advertising slogan "Better Living Through Chemistry." In this story a 'recovering terrorist' is now married, raising a son and attending group sessions with other recovering misfits.
Smaug certainly looked fast asleep, when Bilbo peeped once more from the entrance. He was just about to step out on to the floor when he caught a sudden thin ray of red from under the drooping lid of Smaug's left eye. He was only pretending to sleep! He was watching the tunnel entrance!
Whisked from his comfortable hobbit-hole by Gandalf the wizard and a band of dwarves, Bilbo Baggins finds himself caught up in a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon...
-----------
Bilbo Baggins is living a quiet and respectable life in his cozy hobbit-hole when one day an old acquaintance appears and tricks him into hosting a party for 13 dwarves. At the party, Bilbo is persuaded to join the dwarves on a quest to reclaim treasure stolen from the dwarves' forefathers by a fierce dragon named Smaug.
On the journey, which takes six months, Bilbo, the dwarves and Bilbo's acquaintance, Gandalf the Wizard maneuver through many perilous situations. In the midst of one of their adventures, Bilbo gets separated from his traveling party and finds himself in a tunnel. In the tunnel he finds a magic ring that allows him to disappear when he wears it. Armed with the magic ring, Bilbo finds his friends and they continue to make their way to the mountain to reclaim the dwarves' stolen treasure.
Despite the never-ending adventures I had a hard time getting through The Hobbit. This wasn't my first attempt at reading this book, I read the first chapter as a kid. Now that I've finally read the book in its entirety, I'll admit it's pretty good. It's fantasy and adventures with lots of morals wound in.
The biggest moral comes towards the end of the novel, in the chapter titled "The Return Journey."
"This is a bitter adventure, if it must end so; and not a mountain of gold can amend it. Yet I am glad that I have shared in your perils - that has been more than any Baggins deserves." "No!" said Thorin. "There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West. Some courage and some wisdom, blended in measure. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.
My only criticism surrounds Bilbo's magic ring that allows him to disappear. It feels like a cop-out and a cliche. It seems like every other fantasy character has some kind of tool that makes them invisible. The Hobbit was first published in 1937, so I imagine a lot of authors probably got the idea from J.R.R. Tolkien.
At the end of the day, The Hobbit is a legend in the fantasy genre, and with good reason. I recommend this book to those looking for a fantastic escape.
4/5
------------
Hugh Jackman is producing The Hobbit the movie. It's due for release in 2012, until then here's the link to the official blog - http://www.thehobbitblog.com/
Lyra Belacqua is content to run wild among the scholars of Jordan College, with her daemon familiar, Pantalaimon, always by her side. But the arrival of her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, draws her to the heart of a terrible struggle - a struggle born of Gobblers and stolen children, witch clans and armored bears. And as she hurtles toward danger in the cold far North, Lyra never suspects the shocking truth: she alone is destined to win, or to lose, this more-than-mortal battle. Beautifully crafted and thrillingly told, this first book of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy is now hailed as a modern fantasy classic. Along with The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass, The Golden Compass is a masterwork of storytelling and suspense, beloved by readers of all ages around the world. ---------
The Golden Compass (published as The Northern Lights in the United Kingdom) is the first book in Philip Pullman's trilogy His Dark Materials.
The Golden Compass is fantasy at its best. In this fantasy world, set in another era, every human has a daemon, a animal manifestation of their soul. Before children reach puberty their daemons change constantly to reflect their mood, after puberty the daemon adopts one form that is thought to be reflective of the person's true personality
When Lyra's best friend Roger is kidnapped by Gobblers, a group that's been travelling through England kidnapping poor kids, Lyra and her daemon, Pantalaimon, embark on a quest to rescue him and the other kids. In her journey, Lyra comes into contact with gyptians, talking armored bears, witches and mad scientists, sanctioned by the church to experiment with ways of stopping Dust (original sin) by separating children from their daemons.
This book is marketed as young adult fantasy, but many have expressed concern that it is anti-christian and have even gone so far as to refuse to let their children read it. As a true book lover, I can never advocate banning books. I didn't find this book to be too heavily anti-religion. There are definitely a few areas where the subject matter is focused on christian views, but I think this type of literature serves a purpose in providing a jumping off point for discussion. At the end of the day, this novel is fantasy and should be read with that fact in mind.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. The characters are fascinating and original and the action sequences come off the page. There's just the right amount of foreshadowing so you're constantly wondering if the characters are what they appear to be. This is the type of book that one could easily read in a day or two, schedule permitting. Once you start reading you'll be so riveted you won't want to put it down.
I would recommend this book to just about anyone.
5
Trailer for the major motion picture The Golden Compass.
From the book cover From Del Rey Books and award-winning editor Ellen Datlow, two of the most respected names in science fiction and fantasy, comes a collection of fifteen all-new short stories, plus a science fiction novella, that add up to a virtual "best of the year" anthology. Here you will find slyly twisted alternate histories, fractured fairy tales, topical science fiction, and edgy urban fantasy.
In "Daltharee," World Fantasy Award-winning author Jeffrey Ford spins a chilling take of a city in a bottle - and the demented genius who put it there. In "Sonny Liston Takes the Fall," John W. Campbell Award-winning author Elizabeth Bear pens a poignant and eerie requiem for the heavyweight forever associated with his controversial loss to Cassius Clay. From hot new writer Margo Lanagan comes "The Goosle," a dark, astonishing take on the Hansel and Gretal tale. In the novella "Prisoners of the Action," Paul McAuley and Kim Newman take a trip down a rabbit hole that leads to a Guantanamo-like prison whose inmates are not just illegal but extraterrestrial. Many of the writers you'll recognize. Others you may not. But one thing is certain: These stars of the today and tomorrow demonstrate that the field of speculative fiction is not only alive and well - it's better than ever.
---------------
The Elephant Ironclads by Jason Stoddard
In this short story, two young Dine boys agree to serve as guides to two white men in exchange for $30 US - a large sum of money to the boys. Shortly after setting off through Dinetah, the boys, Niyol and Wallace, learn that the men are not rock hounds, as they've been told but are in fact looking for uranium, which is considered the heart of the Diyin Dine (the god who lives in the earth). The boys are caught in a moral and ethical dilemma. Will they go against all the beliefs they've been taught about honouring the Diyin Dine or will they opt for the power that comes with owning weapons of mass destruction?
Ardent Clouds by Lucy Sussex
Bet is a documentarian and volcano chaser who is on the caldera of a volcano in South America when it erupts. She was with a group of volcano chaser but she's the only one who survives.This short story gets its name from nuee ardente (ardent clouds in French). Ardent clouds describe the fast-moving clouds of hot ash and other materials produced by a volcanic eruption.
Gather by Christopher Rowe
Despite reading this story twice I didn't it. This is what I could make out:
Gather, an autistic? man, finds God in a piece of paper he and his scientist neighbour, Miss. Charlie, were using for an experiment. Set in Virginia, somewhere in the future, only a select few members of the community are allowed to read the bible and 'God' lives across the river on the far bank. To go to the house of God is forbidden, according to the bible. So, when Gather and Miss. Charlie find God they have three choices: take it to the preacher; hide it and never speak of it; or return God to the other side of the river.
Sonny Liston Takes the Fall by Elizabeth Bear
In this alternate history the author suggests that maybe Sonny Liston lost his two fights with Cassius Clay (later known as Mohammad Ali) not because he was threatened by the mob but because he knew that the black community needed a symbol, and he (Sonny Liston) couldn't be that symbol.
North American Lake Monsters by Nathan Ballingrud
This short story is about two monsters: the one that washes up from the lake and the recently paroled father who has rage issues and is unintentionally alienating his wife and daughter. The story spans one day. While contemplating how to dispose of the dead monster's body, Grady downs his sorrows in a bottle of vodka and comes to the realization that he is a monster.
All Washed Up While Looking for a Better World by Carol Emshwiller
After wishing for a fresh start, the protagonist finds herself washed up on a shore inhabited by human-like people who treat her like a pet. She can understand them but they can't understand her.
Special Economics by Maureen F. McHugh
Jieling is a 19-year-old girl who's leaves her home in Northern China to take advantage of the job boom in Shenzhen and ends up working for a company that practice serf-like work conditions. Instead of getting a pay cheque she gets a debt notice. The company charges its workers more for food and board than they make resulting the workers being in constant debt to the company.
Aka St. Mark's Place by Richard Bowes
The lives of three young people intertwine when they find each other on St. Mark's Place in the summer of 1965. All three are able to see visions of the future and realize that they will meet again in 1971. Are the visions self-fulling prophecies?
The Goosle by Margo Lanagan
This controversial retelling of the classic fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel" is not for the faint of heart. Gretel is eaten by the witch and Hansel is repeatedly raped by Grinnan, a thief who rescues him from the witch's cage.
Shira by Lavie Tidhar
Nur, a Damascus University students, finds herself the protagonist of a science fiction short story. Shira is set in the Middle East sometime in the future. A 'small holocaust' has taken place and Jerusalem is no more. The pain and destruction of losing Jerusalem has resulted in peace throughout the Middle East.
The Passion of Azazel by Barry N. Malzberg
This twisted tale explores reincarnation and animal sacrifices. Schmuel, the narrator and protagonist believes that he was a scapegoat in a previous life. In his current life, as a soon-to-be-rabbi and Kabbalist, he creates a golem in the form of a goat. The golem, Azazel, turns out to be Schmuel's brother from his previous. Schmuel's goat brother was sacrificed before Schmuel and is now determined to get his revenge on all rabbis.
The Lagerstatte by Laird Barron
When Danni's husband and son are killed in a plane crash she suffers from depression and eventually starts to see her husband in every man she sees.
Gladiolus Exposed by Anna Tambour
When the protagonist and his wife go to a couples retreat he finds a bone specimen that he calls a gladiolus because it is so perfect. His fondness for the gladiolus drives a deep wedge in the strained relationship he has with his wife, who can't stand the gladiolus.One night he returns from a business trip to find that his wife has thrown the gladiolus away.
Daltharee by Jeffrey Ford
Mando Paige is a mad scientist obsessed with creating miniature life. After serving a prison sentence for creating the town of Daltharee in a bottle, he returns to the lab and shrinks himself!
Jimmy by Pat Cadigan
When Jimmy a troubled boy goes missing, no one cares with the exception of his social worker and his only friend, the story's narrator. The narrator discovers Jimmy in a force field where humans can't see or hear you, even when you are directly in front of them. In the force field strange creatures impart knowledge. To receive their knowledge is to be marked an outsider in the regular world.
Prisoners of the Action by Paul McAuley and Kim Newman
The story takes place on St.James Island, a Guantanamo-like army based that is the centre of a national controversy because alien Prisoners of the Action (POTA) are being held captive and have been abused, and a large portion of the army's officers are suffering from St. James Syndrome (island fever). When the army sends Colonel Dice to investigate, he must go into an Alice in Wonderland type rabbit hole to understand what is going on the island.
2/5
From the book cover: When Ruth Patchett discovers her husband is having a passionate affair with the lovely romantic novelist Mary Fisher, she is so seized by envy she becomes truly diabolic, embarking on a course of destruction which brings those around her their just desserts and herself an amazing reward. This is the fantasy of the wronged woman made real: wild, funny, true. --------------
Fay Weldon got it wrong. This novel ought to be titled 'The Lives and Love of a She Devil', cause a she-devil may have many lives but she will never have more than one love - herself.
I really enjoyed the first half of this novel. Ruth was easy to identify with, being a giantess myself. I'm 5'9.5'' in a country where the average female is 5' 3.5"; I'm use to feeling like a giantess. To be 6'2" would probably be 10 times more isolating.
What's the moral of this story? There is not one virtuous character. Mary Fisher is redeemed, somewhat. She takes care of her mother and Bobbo's children despite their imposition on the life she worked to create for herself. Despite her love for Bobbo, she does eventually realize that love is not justification for bad behaviour. Mary Fisher's redemption is one of many bitter-sweet themes in this novel. It goes to show that people do learn from their indiscretions.
What's disappointing about this novel is that Ruth gets everything she wants but doesn't learn any real lessons about accepting herself. I would have preferred to see her get her revenge and then realize that it's not that sweet, but I guess that would be a clichéd end.
One of the more remarkable things about this novel are the deep, multi-layered characters Weldon creates. With their interaction with Ruth, each character evolves, although not always for the better. Ruth improves the physical and financial circumstances for many of the secondary characters, while leaving them emotionally weaken and in a darker spiritual place. But I suppose that's what she-devils do.
According to online dictionaries, a she-devil is a woman regarded as extremely wicked or cruel. Ruth is a she-devil. She is cold, unfeeling, diabolical and manipulative. Among her greatest acts of cruelty are abandoning her own children despite knowing the pain of being abandoned by her own parents, convincing other women to sell their children, framing her husband for a crime he didn't commit, manipulating the judge into giving her husband a harsh sentence, and seducing a priest into breaking his vow of celibacy.
Ruth breaks at least six of the ten commandments.
The Life and Loves of a She Devil is a nice easy read about a woman scorned and her revenge on her husband and his mistress. It is both chic-lit and fantasy.
3/5
Trailer for the 1989 movie based of Fay Weldon's The Life and Loves of a She Devil. Roseanne Barr stars as Ruth and Meryl Streep stars as Mary Fisher. While entertaining this film is not as good as the novel, it leaves a lot of the story untold.
