The Fakir in Ikea / Romain Puertolas

The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir who got Trapped in an Ikea Wardrobe

by Romain Puertolas

(translated from French by Sam Taylor)

fiction, humour

copyright 2014

read in March 2015

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

Okay, the title of this book is quite funny: "The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir who got Trapped in an Ikea Wardrobe". Or it would be funny, except that the book is, in fact, about an extraordinary journey by a fakir whose journey begins to go extraordinary when he is, briefly, trapped inside a wardrobe in Ikea. For some reason that just makes the humour... less funny.

The book begins with some lightweight social satire. By the end of the book we have been hammered with the message that the world is cruel to illegal immigrants. With a final message, shouted at us, that the world would be a better place if only we were nice to each other.

The messages may be true. Or, at the very least least, worth communicating. The heavy-handed approach spoils much of the potential impact.

The story itself is quite clever, quite enjoyable. Though less clever than I imagined from having read the book's title.

The characters are overdrawn, which is fine. They are generally either likeable or acceptable; none are really nasty. The characters are generally rather foolish... in my opinion. There is no-one who I like enough to want to meet them in another book.

I do like it that this book made me think. It made me think that the author's solutions will make a few individuals happy but that's it. Perhaps it's worth it: be nice to a few people, and it may improve their life. And yours.

Or is that just the warped, wishful thinking of the short-sighted, narrow-minded, incurable optimist...

Read the book, it's easy to read. Then go out and be excellent to each other. It may just save the world.

=======
Dr Nick Lethbridge
Problems ? Solved
(+61) 0419197772
=======

William Wordsworth - "To begin, begin."

Restoree / Anne McCaffrey

Restoree

by Anne McCaffrey

science fiction, romance

copyright 1967

read in March 2015

rated 7/10: well worth reading

A simple book. Easy to read. Light, enjoyable, pure fantasy... Well, strictly speaking, it's science fiction. You know: from Earth to another planet, space ships, aliens, space war... Deep down, though, this book is a romantic fantasy.

And I enjoyed it. Which is the key criterion for my rating.

As I read it I was thinking, Thank goodness, McCaffrey has avoided the family, spiritual, Earth Mother approach that seems to be central to her stories. Then I checked the copyright date... Ah, it's quite old. Written when McCaffrey was, perhaps, interested in romantic love rather than happy families.

Not that I have anything against happy families. But too much sweetness and light tends to rot my teeth and make my eyes water. I like characters who are nice but not saccharine sweet.

Ah, whatever !

This is a light romantic romp on an alien planet. A story of a young woman's dreams come true: sudden beauty, thrilling adventure and a hero who loves her.

If that's what you want, it's worth seven out of ten. By more objective measures... it could be a six. But it's my enjoyment, so it's my rating :-) Seven out of ten.

=======
Dr Nick Lethbridge
Problems ? Solved
(+61) 0419197772
=======

William Wordsworth - "To begin, begin."

The Long War / Pratchett & Baxter

The Long War

(Long Earth 2)

by Terry Pratchett, Stephen Baxter

science fiction

copyright 2013

read in March 2015

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

The Long Earth introduced a series of parallel worlds, all easily accessible. The book explores the "what if" of having an Earth-times-infinity area for humanity to explore and settle. The Long War expands on the way in which humans would deal with the new reality.

Ho hum.

You could say that it's a clever and detailed exploration of humanity's response to a new situation. Yes, a few people travel the worlds and discover ways in which humanity has taken advantage of all that free space. There's a comparison of the American response versus the Chinese response. A visit to a settlement of science nerds using the new possibilities to explore space.

A great analysis of the "what if". A weak attempt to insert a plot for a novel.

A few characters head off -- actually, more than a few, and that's another problem. The head off to explore and to govern. Really, they head off to allow the author (authors?) to describe several settlements in the new worlds.

In reality, though, they are all being stage-managed by a super-computer. Sure, they are allowed to "choose" whether or not to follow the pushes and shoves of the super-computer. Ha ha. I prefer free will.

I also prefer a book where characters are introduced because they have a part to play. A part to play in *this* book. The Long War introduces several characters who do so little, that you hope that they have a more relevant role -- or any role at all -- in the next book in this series.

If you enjoy the multi-novel exploration of an interesting idea -- with only vague action to hold it together -- then read this series.

I read this book to pass the time. If there's no third book, I won't miss it.

Meanwhile, what about the actual response of humanity to the sudden availability of all this new space ?

There are some characters, perhaps a few hundred, we meet just a couple, who pop around the worlds just to see what is there. They may explore, they camp, live off the land, move on. Minimum impact tourists. They see the "long Earth" as a great opportunity for peace and quiet and living without destruction.

Every other one of the billions of humans wants to rape and pillage.

Just one example: In an infinite series of worlds, each with an Earth-sized empty area ready for settlement, one village is set up next to a forest full of noxious plants. Just breathe in this forest and you will suffer from a violent and uncontrollable high. These plants are new, they do not exist anywhere else.

Silly villagers, says the clever leader of a government expedition. You should not live so close to such rare and noxious plants. So what's her clever advice ?

Burn the plants ! she says !

In an infinite series of worlds, each with an Earth-sized empty area ready for settlement, one small village has been set up next to a unique but dangerous plant. Can't they just move ?! No, the clever advice is, destroy all specimens of the plant.

And that's the overall theme of the book: Humanity invades new worlds, destroys as much as possible and breeds like rabbits.

I can hardly wait for the next book in the series, The Long Destruction: One thousand years on and each one of the infinite Earths is packed full of teeming humanity. Each Earth is covered in steel and concrete and smog. Humanity has exterminated every other living organism. Brave scientists are finally exploring space, looking for other planets to exploit.

The Long Earth introduced an interesting "what if" scenario. What a pity that the authors could not imagine a better outcome.

=======
Dr Nick Lethbridge
Problems ? Solved
(+61) 0419197772
=======

Sir Francis Bacon - "If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts he shall end in certainties."

The Quiet Earth / Craig Harrison

The Quiet Earth
by Craig Harrison

science fiction / psychological thriller

copyright 1981
read in March 2015

rated 5/10: readable, but only if there's nothing else

Quiet Earth indeed. So quiet that nothing much happens. Quiet, and boring.

A man wakes up and find that everyone else has disappeared. Every animal, bird and insect has also disappeared. What has happened ? Could it be linked to the man's involvement with DNA research ?

It's a moody, slightly scary story of The Last Man's fight against the inexplicable.

Not that The Last Man is particularly likeable. Not likeable enough for me to care what happens to him. Has he been left behind -- by The mysterious disappearing Effect -- because he's been a very naughty boy ?

And is the secret behind The Effect hidden in the mysterious locked box from the secret Research Centre ? And why does he not bother to open the box until the very end of the book ?!

And so...

[ spoiler alert ]

And so, after nothing much has happened for a few chapters, I begin to think, I hope he's not going to wake up and find that it's all a dream !

Surprise, surprise, I was almost right. It's all a dream. But he doesn't wake up.

All the science fiction wondering is a sham. This book is an exploration of the mind of a weirdo. It's all a dream. So the author has no need to provide further explanation.

The "science fiction" plot is a cheap trick.

Though the exploration of the results of the "what if" are quite well done. Interesting. Perhaps challenging. Just, rather dull.

At chapter 21 I gave up. Skipped to the last chapter. Just to get it over with.

Ho hum.

"I want the satisfaction of achievement without the effort of actually achieving" per Ginger Meggs

====
Problems ? Solved

A Stroke of Midnight / Laurell K Hamilton

A Stroke of Midnight
by Laurell K Hamilton

chick lit, fantasy, porn

copyright 2005
read in March 2015

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

As far as I can tell, this book is chick lit. Do women really want to be violently dominated by as many men (or faeries) as possible ? Shades of unseelie grey... I'm a man and I certainly enjoyed the porn !

On the other hand... I am not at all interested in meeting a real woman who is so drippily submissive. Even beyond the sex, the heroine tends to shrink from threats into the strong arms of her nearest lover. What a drip !

But I still enjoy the book.

I can enjoy the book. Get turned on by the sex. Still have no interest in being involved in a real life version of the various orgies.

It's a book... It's not reality. It's fiction.

Oh... besides the sex...

There's a lot of talk. And very little action. Even in the sex scenes -- there's a lot of talk. Here, hold this, while we discuss the political situation in Faerie...

Most of the action -- other than the sex -- is the sudden discovery of long lost magical powers... Hmmm... Actually, most of the powers are discovered during sex.

Ah, it's dirty, it's sweet, it's violent and it's fun. A fun way to pass a few enjoyable hours. It's a book to be read. Not to be deeply analysed.

"I want the satisfaction of achievement without the effort of actually achieving" per Ginger Meggs

====
Problems ? Solved

Maddaddam / Margaret Atwood

Maddaddam
by Margaret Atwood

fantasy

copyright 2013
not read in March 2015

not rated

Not read ?! Not rated ?! Well...

I read the first few pages.

Thought, what the ?! Nooo... I just can't be bothered reading this.

Is it fantasy ? Is it poetry in prose ? Have I read it before ?

I searched this blog. (I'm rather pleased with the search function. I merged a Google sheet into the blog. Easy to maintain... Though it does tend to be not up-to-date...)

Anyway... The style of this book is familiar. And yes, I have read another Atwood book -- which is now revealed as being book one to this book's three. I read my earlier review.

Okay, I didn't like book one. But its lack of an ending is now explained...

I'm still not interested in this book. Just from the first few pages, it seems silly.

I stop reading.

Put your own rating to that decision.

"I want the satisfaction of achievement without the effort of actually achieving" per Ginger Meggs

====
Problems ? Solved

Marsbound / Joe Haldeman

Marsbound
Starbound
Earthbound
by Joe Haldeman

science fiction

copyright 2008, 2010, 2011
read in February 2015

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

A family heads to Mars. There's already a small settlement, the space travel technology is proven, the journey is quite safe. Nothing much happens...

This is a documentary-style book, a description of travel from Earth to Mars. How it will be once the initial bugs are ironed out. My local newspaper had a story of a commercial venture which plans to get to Mars in the foreseeable future, I can see the similarities.

Marsbound is less "what if" and more, "see how it can be done". With a bit of mild tension, to make it a novel.

Then the Martians arrive ! A burst of excitement ! Followed by more, plodding, "this is how we could deal with first alien contact".

It's not a thrilling book. But it's interesting. The space travel... the living on Mars... the first contact... are all plausible. Which does not make for a blockbuster story. But -- as solid science fiction -- the book is enjoyable.

Then we go Starbound, and track the aliens to their lair. Sounds exciting ? Well, no... it's mostly the same style of plodding description, explaining, this is how it could be done, this is how it would be. With the occasional superior alien intervention.

The aliens are definitely superior. So superior that they are magic... beyond our comprehension. That's a key ingredient of these three books: aliens who are so far beyond us that (a) we can't possibly understand them and (b) they don't care what happens to us.

An interesting what-if scenario. With the unfortunate side effect, that there's nothing humans can do to influence the outcome.

So our heroes go into space. Almost meet the aliens. Are returned in a magic time bubble. And are saved -- for no obvious reason -- when humans are de-civilised for annoying the aliens. Or perhaps for not annoying the aliens...

The aliens are way beyond our understanding. They just cause things to happen... usually bad things. We -- the readers -- are left to guess why.

The third book is about survival on the now de-civilised Earth. The survivalists manual consists of one page, one sentence, large font: "Get big guns, store lots of ammo, kill everyone else." If there's a fourth book, it will be all new characters.

It's a readable book. Less enjoyable than the first two, because of all the closeup violence and death. My favorite part of Earthbound ? The play on words of the title...

These three books are not really boring. Just plodding. A realistic look at getting to Mars. A realistic look at getting to the stars. A realistic but depressing look at the end of human civilisation.

Readable books. Quite enjoyable. Interesting ideas... but not great novels.

"I want the satisfaction of achievement without the effort of actually achieving" per Ginger Meggs

====
Problems ? Solved