Novelish

ISBN: 0375509321 | Pages: 422 (hardcover)
Author: Charles Frazier

I imagine a lot of authors know of this as the book that landed Charles Frazier (of Cold Mountain fame) an eight-million-dollar advance - which may just be the largest ever for a novel.

And maybe I shouldn’t want to read something for that reason alone. The numbers weren’t even supposed to be released, apparently - his editor Kate Medina told Entertainment Weekly she hopes “what people talk about is the book.” Still, it’s awfully hard for any writer to ignore, and when the first chapter arrived unexpectedly as an expensive-looking insert in Publisher’s Weekly I looked it over with some interest.

Then my local bookstore had a signed copy in stock. It’s a well-known fact that I’m completely unable to resist an autographed book.

Thirteen Moons follows protagonist Will Cooper over a period of around ninety years. I’m going to refrain from giving a detailed plot analysis this time, but basically:

• Will is forced to leave home at the age of twelve, in late-18th-century America, to work at a trading post.
• In time, he befriends the Cherokee chief knows as Bear.
• I’d say the book’s larger conflict is unwavering love for Claire.

One of the more interesting descriptions I’ve heard for this book is “frightfully literary.” It did do some unconventional things (like using dashes instead of quotation marks to indicate speech), but I didn’t find anything about it frightful - or even dull, as plenty of people have suggested.

No; the only flaw, from my point of view - if you consider it a flaw - is that this is a very sad novel.

I’m not talking about the end and I’m not talking about a tearful scene or two. I’m talking about the whole damn book, from page one. Even in those brief moments of bliss when Will and Claire are together and all is well in the world, it’s bittersweet. There’s always this shadow hanging over it, this sense that none of it will last.

Don’t understand me? See this excerpt:

Decades later in life, deep into aching middle age, I held deeds to most of the land I then saw, all the way to the longest horizon, stacks of papers saying all that summer country was mine. But of course, all the paper in the world was nothing in comparison to those three days.

That’s one of the better examples, but the paragraphs around it had a similar tone - and there are plenty of similar passages elsewhere in the book, too.

See also:

• Thirteen Moons on One-Minute Book Reviews
• ReadingAdventure’s review

Agree with me? Don’t? Leave a comment if you’ve read Thirteen Moons - I’d love to hear what you thought of it.

It’s been a few days now since I’ve updated Novelish, and that definitely wasn’t intended.

• Besides the age-old excuse of being busy, the lack of updates is due to my having been stuck on a few of the reviews I’m putting together. Writing for an audience (however small) does make me want to get it right, and I’m not quite satisfied with them yet. Reviewing something I read earlier this year, as opposed to something I just finished, is also harder in some ways.
• But, they’re in progress and hopefully one will arrive tomorrow.
• While you wait, Fantasy Book Critic reviewed The Court of Air by Stephen Hunt on June 8th, and the comparisons to Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrel immediately caught my attention. You may want to look into it further, if that interests you - I plan to.

In unrelated news, Apple’s WWDC event was yesterday.

• I watched a recorded video of it, as an interested Mac user - but the only really unexpected announcement was a public beta of Apple’s web browser for Windows, and some nice things I did expect never materialized.
• I need a new computer sometime soon, too. My current machine, though trusty, is now five years old.

Also yesterday, a new Publisher’s Weekly issue came out. There was an interesting article on upcoming Young Adult books. Some highlights:

• The final Harry Potter book is out in July - or 38 days from today. I’ve been following the series for a long time and I’m dying to see how it turns out, so don’t be surprised if I go to one of those midnight parties.
• Insomnomania posted a blog entry about the sixth Potter book today, which reminds me that I’d like to re-read it over the next month. Assuming there’s time, which there may not be.
• Stephenie Meyer’s Eclipse will be released on August 7 with a 700,000 copy printing - I’ve read the first two in the series earlier this year. It’s not something I plan to buy, but I’ve reserved a copy from the library.
• And then there’s the sequel to Stargirl coming up - Love, Stargirl - with a 250,000 copy printing. I haven’t read the first one yet, but it’s been on my list for a while and the level of interest in its sequel makes me interested.

In closing, there’s this bit of information:

• Dean Koontz’s The Good Guy debuted #2 on the PW list due to continued strong sales of A Thousand Splendid Suns. PW says “The Good Guy is doing very well, with more than 6000,000 copies in print after two press runs.” 6000,000 copies? Hmmmm. Very well indeed.

George Clooney’s new movie - uh, I mean, Ocean’s Thirteen (YouTube: Teaser | Trailer) - is out today.

Which would mean absolutely nothing to me, normally. I didn’t know the storyline or genre of any of the Ocean’s movies until a few months ago - I’d barely even heard of them - and I still haven’t seen any.

What, then, is this post doing on Novelish? Well. It’s Miss Snark’s fault, of course.

Back in mid-April, Miss Snark declared June 8th a national holiday:

Miss Snark does not attend the cinema.
Miss Snark has not been inside a movie theatre for some years.
Too many yapping audience members who are not poodles.
Too many refreshments smuggled in from SisterLucille’s Smoky BBQ

This will change.

Miss Snark the literary agent retired her blog last month (as you most assuredly know). I was dismayed. I still am, sort of - I’m sure I’m not the only snarkling who has found their daily feed-browsing routine to be oddly lacking of late.

So even though I probably shouldn’t care what an anonymous ex-blogger may be doing right now, I like to remember Miss Snark - and fortunately, she won’t be easy to forget so long as George Clooney is making new movies.

Related Links:

• Wikipedia: Ocean’s Thirteen | George Clooney
• IMDb: Ocean’s Thirteen | George Clooney
• Box Office Mojo
• Rotten Tomatoes
• Posts labeled “Clooney Love” on Miss Snark’s blog

ISBN: 978-1416534570 Pages: 320 (hardcover)
Author: Susan Hubbard

Some novels have parts I love, but also contain things I’d do differently. Some novels make me think “Ugh, I can do better than this.” And some make me think “that was perfect, and I don’t think I can possibly write something so good, but if I do I’ll be happy forever.”

It’s that last type which makes me continue to search for new books despite having a To Read list that could last for years. There are far too few of them in the world, and I don’t often find one. But, for the most part, The Society of S meets all the requirements.

The Society of S is the story of thirteen-year-old Ariella, who narrates. It’s not a YA novel by any means, despite her youth, but I’m sure there are plenty of teens who would enjoy it. It feels like an adult book not so much due to any inappropriate content (there’s little if any) or length (it’s quite fast-paced) but because of its general, well, feeling.

Ariella lives with her father, his assistant Dennis, and their housekeeper Mrs McGarrit; she knows next to nothing of her mother, who vanished the same day she was born. Her father homeschools her, and she has little contact with the outside world prior to visiting Mrs McGarrit’s house and finding a friend in the housekeeper’s daughter.

It becomes evident over the next months that everything may not be as it seems, and Ariella starts to consider the possibility that her father may be a vampire. She diligently works to unravel the mysteries surrounding him, her missing mother, and - perhaps most of all - herself.

Forgetting the intricate plot for a moment, though, the writing was beautiful. In the majority of novels, I find at least several passages that just don’t sound right to my ear, like the flow of words is chunky or ungraceful somehow. Labyrinth, which I’m currently reading, has these bits in almost every chapter. But The Society of S is one of the few books that seemed perfect the whole way through.

The pacing was superb, too. More than any other book, this one showed me how engaging a story can be when you cut everything that’s not absolutely necessary, from one-line snippets of dialogue to whole scenes - uninteresting or unimportant events, or even conversations, were often summarized in a paragraph or two. At the same time, it manages to avoid feeling rushed.

I’d give this book 5 out of 5 stars, though you’ve probably guessed that by now. I’d give it more, if I could. Amazon reviewers agree with me so far - out of ten customer reviews, all ten gave it the highest possible rating.

Publisher’s Weekly wrote that “the novel’s open ending suggests inevitable sequels.” While the ending seemed plenty solid to me, I can only hope they know what they’re talking about.

EDIT: So, it would seem there will definitely be a sequel. From a recent interview with the author:

Yes, I’m beginning work on the sequel to The SOCIETY OF S now. Ariella’s voice still is with me, and the next book will be darker and more political, I think.

I can’t wait.

Edit #2: My signed copy of this arrived in the mail today. Click picture for larger version.

They’re still in stock at Mysterious Galaxy Books (as of June 9th 07) if you’d like one for yourself - just type “SIGNED” in the Ordering and Shipping Reminder box during the checkout process.

See also:

• Fantasy Book Critic review
• Bookshelves of Doom review
• Excerpt of The Society of S - note that though the actual book is done in first-person past-tense, the preface is first-person present-tense
• Susan Hubbard’s official site

The Scholar’s Blog book group is currently discussing Philip Pullman’s The Ruby in the Smoke. If you’ve read the book and would like to join in, you can head on over and do so - see comment #1 on that site for my own thoughts.

ISBN: 978-0689868207 | Pages: 336 (hardcover)
Author: Holly Black

Ironside continues the story of pixie and changeling Kaye that started in Tithe. Once again there’s plenty of faerie politics, beginning with with Kaye “declaring herself” to love interest Roiben and receiving a seemingly impossible quest. But that’s barely touching the surface of everything going on. The complicated chain of events that follows isn’t easy to summarize.

I’ve heard differing opinions on whether Ironside lives up to its predecessor, and - though it’s been more than a year since I read Tithe - I tend to agree with those who say it’s even better. The characters and pacing are both good. The extremely short sentences can seem inelegant at times, but the writing style is far from bad. It was neither too long nor too short - as much as I love long and heavy books, for Ironside, 65,000 words felt right.

Most of all, the plot is great. It often turns in unexpected ways while remaining utterly believable, and by the final page, everything fits together with a “perfectness” that reminds me of traditional fairy-tales. Every scene in the book has not one but two or more distinct purposes.

Conclusion: 4.5 / 5. If you’re interested in the teen fantasy genre and haven’t read this yet, get yourself a copy.

See also:

• Ironside review at Twisted Kingdoms
• Ironside review at Teen Book Review
• Ironside review at Green Man Review
• Holly Black’s website

Patrick Rothfuss posted a blog entry on productive shame and procrastination. (”Now anyone can put off a paper by watching TV or playing a video game, that’s a cakewalk. I, however, was watching snow melt on the sidewalk and occasionally poking at things with a stick.”) Patrick Rothfuss is the author of one of my favorite fantasy books, The Name of the Wind; the sequel is tentatively set to hit shelves March 2008.

Neil Gaiman’s Stardust is another of my favorite books, and the film adaption is coming out this summer. Martyn at The Friends of English Magic posted his review from a private screening he attended - it’s a bit jumbled, but there’s no shortage of great information. (The Friends of English Magic is a blog dedicated to the worlds of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell and Stardust that I’ve been watching for a while.)

Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns is #1 on the Publisher’s Weekly and New York Times bestseller lists this week. Today’s issue of PW notes that “first-week sales at the three national chains totaled just over 79,000 copies,” with the #2 bestseller (The Overlook) selling 22,500. I enjoyed The Kite Runner when I read it earlier this year, so, though I haven’t rushed out to get this book yet, it’s going on my “To Read” list.

And speaking of To Read lists, The New York Times asked seventeen authors - Stephen King, Nora Ephron, Dave Eggers, Michael Crichton, Elizabeth Gilbert, Ursula K. Le Guin, Jonathan Safran Foer, Jane Smiley, Colm Toibin, Garry Wills, Edwidge Danticat, Gary Shteyngart, Kathryn Harrison, Eric Foner, Nicole Krauss, Mary Gordon, and Jeffrey Eugenides - what books they’ve enjoyed lately. Might be worth a look if you need something to read. EDIT: You actually need a free NYTimes.com account to view this article. If you’d rather not bother, leave a comment with the author(s) you’re interested in and I’ll get the titles for you.

ISBN: 978-0425215180 | Pages: 400 (hardcover)
Editors: Jack Dann & Gardner Dozois

I’ve been reading more short stories recently, in preparation for writing some of my own, but I could still count the collections I’ve read on one hand. I prefer novels. So, I’m not sure if I’m the best person to judge stories.

Having said that, these eighteen stories on the topic of wizards were very enjoyable indeed. My favorites:

• Neil Gaiman’s The Witch’s Headstone (part of his novel-in-progress)
• Peter S. Beagle’s Barrens Dance (and I still haven’t read The Last Unicorn)
• Orson Scott Card’s Stonefather

But there were plenty of other good ones, too. In fact, Eoin Colfer’s A Fowl Tale was the only one I didn’t like, and since he’s apparently popular enough to merit a mention on the front cover, I may be alone in my opinion.

See also:

• Review of Dark Alchemy (the UK title for Wizards) at the Susan Hated Literature blog
• Slightly less positive review on Alone and Unobserved

(And last of all, I’ll sneak a question for Novelish readers into my review: are there any books of short stories, of any genre, that you’d recommend? I’m trying to find some good ones.)