Recent books -- Alys, Dhalgren, Neuhaus, Teleportation Accident, Fade to Black
21 March 2013
- Alys, Always by Harriet Lane. A young woman witnesses a tragic accident and is then drawn into the family of the victim. Or insinuates herself into the family. I thought the tale was a little underdeveloped as either a suspense novel or as a character study, so just ok.
- Dhalgren by Samuel Delany. I read this years ago on my first sweep through the SF canon. I was probably too young and didn’t understand it. Now I am older and I still am at sea, it is just weird shit. I am just too linear I think. Or too linear at this moment in my life.
- Snow White Must Die by Nele Neuhaus. Purportedly one of Germany’s most popular mystery writers – but I suspect Germans have better taste than this. Stilted dialogue, choppy language – a product of bad translation? Whatever, I gave up 40% of the way in. Blech.
- The Teleportation Accident by Ned Beauman. Strong reviews, but just seems kind of pointless. The lives of wastrels in the mid1900s, as they bounce around but never quite engage with the events of the day. If the message is “most of us will live pointless lives and leave no footprint on the world”, well, ok. But who needs to read this?
- Fade to Black by Francis Knight. Blade runner-inspired fantasy set in a noirish city, with of course plots and corruption mixed in. Solid.
