PissWeakly Reviews: September 2023

Sunday, September 10, 2023

The Book of Phoenix, Nnedi Okorafor

The Book of Phoenix

by Nnedi Okorafor

science fiction

read in September 2023

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

This book has several aspects.

It is science fiction: where the science may as well be magic. As SF the book is good fun.

The book is also fantasy. A special class of fantasy where all problems can be solved by chanting mystical spells while dancing naked in the moonlight. Or, as in this book, by using but not explaining the traditional magic of Africa.

Which leads to the third aspect of this book: It is a rabid racist rant where black and brown are good but all white is evil. It seems that various non-white races have moved on from their centuries of slaughter and slavery. Yet every white person still maintains the ancient master-slave attitude. Perhaps, in America, this is true.

Finally, the heroine learns to use her super-powers. Not for revenge, she says but for justice.

I rather like the justice that she serves to the seven ultra-villains. It's a pity that this "justice" involves killing every other person on Earth. Black, white, brown or brindle. Oh, the seven villains will probably survive... the "justice" is that they will not have anyone else to push around. Oh my.

The book is easy-reading rubbish.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

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Too many people consider themselves open-minded when they're really just empty-headed. (Alfred E. Neuman)

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Friday, September 1, 2023

Frugal Wizard's Handbook / Brandon Sanderson

Frugal Wizard's Handbook

(#1 of probably many)

by Brandon Sanderson

subadult, fantasy

read in August 2023

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

I often take the hero's age as a measure of the expected age of the target audience. In this book the hero is mid-twenties or older? yet the message(*) is aimed at late teens.

It's an enjoyable book. The author has devised time travel without needing to travel through time. How does it work? well... it is all explained. At great length.

Remember those great Heinlein novels? Where the plot is interrupted as a character spends several pages explaining the author's political views? This book uses a similar approach: there are pages of a "marketing brochure" where the "science" is explained.

I'm sure that novelists are told to show not explain. This book tosses that advice out the window. The "brochure" is amusing -- and satirical -- but lazy. Pure exposition. With no attempt to "show".

The book uses several of these lazy tools.

In an afterword the author is glad to have started his hero with amnesia. It allows the reader to learn along with the hero, he writes.

It is also an easy way to solve problems by suddenly providing the hero with a new and unexpected power. No need for an early hint of the power, just spring it on us when all else has failed. Okay, discovery of a new power is not over-used. Yet.

The book is subadult: all the locals are rather nice. Polite, clean and welcoming. Perhaps this is, as the author claims, a valid reflection of the historic era. It seems false.

Then there is the art: modern drawing techniques play an important part in the plot (though the importance is barely followed through). The author explains the "modern" use of shadow and perspective. Either he does not understand perspective or he is unable to explain it.

And then... the book lays on the (*)message: Try hard, do well, do not give up, do not run from the challenge. The tone of this message is aimed at uncertain teens.

Not to worry, the book is enjoyable.

Until it ends -- albeit satisfactorily -- with a clear excuse for a future book series. Clear excuse and very artificial. Another piece of a good author -- being lazy.