Quatermass
I believe the appropriate phrase is, 'Boo-yah'.
Joined: Apr 28, 2006
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 Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 4:45 am Post subject: |
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Book 44...
REVIEW: Intern: A Doctor's Initiation by Sandeep Jauhar
What is with me and medical books lately? I've noticed that a good chunk of the books that I have read are either medical or physician-centric fiction (Monster, Ode to Kirihito, Black Jack) or else books of medical stories and anecdotes. Intern falls into the latter category, and while not as good as Making The Cut, it still is a quite intriguing and even horrifying look at the medical profession.
I find it interesting that both Making the Cut and Intern are written from the point of view of immigrants to the country where they became doctors. Making the Cut was written by Mohamed Khadra, a Lebanese Muslim who grew up in Ghana before emigrating to Australia. Intern was written by Sandeep Jauhar, an Indian who emigrated to the US. These works have a number of similarities, including compassion for the patient and showing how the system seems to fail both patients and doctors (particularly interns and residents). Is this just coincidence, or might there be something to a certain amount of being a cultural outsider in at least one way that contributed to these men writing these books?
Jauhar, interestingly, was studying to become a physicist before finally deciding to become a physician, following his brother, and there seems to be more of Jauhar's personal and family life than there was of Mohamed Khadra's (and Khadra explained that some of the anecdotes in his book weren't even his). How the stress of his residency and internship impact on his personal life is shown in explicit detail, and I find it amazing that more medical students don't go insane from all the pressures they undergo.
Inevitably, I'm going to have to make comparisons between Making the Cut and Intern, and to be honest, I actually prefer Making the Cut. Mohamed Khadra is better at making medicine and its effects on doctors and patients alike come alive with verve and veracity, whereas Sandeep Jauhar is a little flatter, and needs to be just a tad more laconic. Maybe it is also preference for an Australian voice to an American one as well.
That being said, Intern is still a very good book that brings the madness, mess, travails and politics of learning medicine come to life. Try reading it if you're interested.
8/10
First words: The cardiac monitors are whistling like blowpipes and the ventilators are playing the kazoo.
Last words: The real learning was going to happen someplace else.
_________________
Yami: Wait, did you just summon a bunch of monsters in one turn?
Kaiba: Yeah, so?
Yami: That's against the rules!
Seto Kaiba: Screw the Rules, I Have Money!!
-Yu-Gi-Oh The Abridged Series
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Quatermass
I believe the appropriate phrase is, 'Boo-yah'.
Joined: Apr 28, 2006
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| Posted: Sat May 01, 2010 12:14 am Post subject: |
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Book 45...
REVIEW: Direct Red: A Surgeon's Tale by Gabriel Weston
This is the fourth medical anecdote book that I have read in this review blog. Although in my previous entry, I mentioned Making the Cut, and compared Intern to Making the Cut, I also had read Every Patient Tells a Story, by Dr Lisa Sanders, who was a medical consultant for House. With two American and one Australian books read on medical anecdotes, I now embark on a British book, written by Gabriel Weston.
Direct Red, in many ways, has a lyrical style not unlike Making the Cut, and is laid out in much the same way, as being, to a certain degree, the memoirs of the doctor involved, but contained in various short anecdotes. The title comes from a histological stain (that is, a chemical used to help make cells and tissue more visible under the microscope), which, in the opening chapter, is used as part of a litany to help Weston focus.
Although interesting, and with some startlingly new anecdotes, I was expecting Direct Red to be as hard hitting about the medical system as Making the Cut and Intern was. This does not appear to be the case, unfortunately. There is some criticism about how some doctors can make themselves uncaring, but almost all of the pathos in the story is related to patients and Weston herself.
This is still a good book for those interested in medicine and surgery, and I still recommend it. But I personally have read better.
8/10
First words: I am about to faint.
Last words: And beyond these walls, my real home awaits me.
Although my reading has slowed down, I have a few new potential ones. The Invisible Man by HG Wells, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and perhaps even...*shudder*, Twilight.
_________________
Yami: Wait, did you just summon a bunch of monsters in one turn?
Kaiba: Yeah, so?
Yami: That's against the rules!
Seto Kaiba: Screw the Rules, I Have Money!!
-Yu-Gi-Oh The Abridged Series
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Quatermass
I believe the appropriate phrase is, 'Boo-yah'.
Joined: Apr 28, 2006
Posts: 21092
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| Posted: Sun May 02, 2010 1:09 am Post subject: |
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Book 46, an old sci-fi classic...
REVIEW: The Invisible Man by HG Wells
When I was young, I inevitably read HG Wells' two most famous works. The Time Machine was an obvious choice, given that, by that point, I was a fan of Doctor Who and Back to the Future, and thanks to Doctor Who's stories of alien conquests, I also read The War of the Worlds. Now, many years later, I come to read another of Wells' science-fiction books, The Invisible Man.
A mysterious man demands lodgings at a country town inn in late 1800s England. Swathed in bandages, and intent on some sort of scienctific experiment, the man is also irascible and even psychotic. And then, burglaries, where no burglar is found, start occurring around the village. When a series of incidents make the newcomer look suspicious, they find out, to their horror, that, when the man has no clothes, he is completely invisible. And, more than that, he has become a psychopath...
I tend not to enjoy books written before the 1950s, and especially from before the 1900s. The formality of the language does not always sit well. And yet, Wells is able to make it compelling even today, despite the fact that half the science would be hard to swallow nowadays. He writes with such pace and verve that you overlook the fact that there is very little plot and complexity behind it all. The characters are pretty damned thin, and so is the plot, which is basically the whole pursuit of a fugitive.
And yet, Wells, as much as he could for the time, explores the moral implications of how someone who was invisible. Griffin is portrayed to have been a megalomaniac long before his transformation (and, unfortunately, also takes after the 'evil albino' stereotype, as is revealed when he is discussing events with a colleague), but what would happen if you or I suddenly had the ability to become invisible? There is the suggestion that there may not be much difference.
HG Wells' language has dated, as had some of the settings, but this novel still can thrill and chill you. It's a quick read, but you might enjoy it.
8/10
First words: The stranger came early in February, one wintry day, through a biting wind and driving snow, the last snowfall of the year, over the down, walking from Bramblehurst railway station and carrying a little black portmanteau in his thickly gloved hand.
Last words: And none other will know of them until he dies.
_________________
Yami: Wait, did you just summon a bunch of monsters in one turn?
Kaiba: Yeah, so?
Yami: That's against the rules!
Seto Kaiba: Screw the Rules, I Have Money!!
-Yu-Gi-Oh The Abridged Series
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Quatermass
I believe the appropriate phrase is, 'Boo-yah'.
Joined: Apr 28, 2006
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| Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 2:03 am Post subject: |
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Book 47, and the most excellent end of a series. Warning, spoilers for The Half-Blood Prince...
REVIEW: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling
As I mentioned in my review of The Half-Blood Prince, my enjoyment of the Harry Potter series was derailed severely by the atmosphere of The Order of the Phoenix, and only recently have I plucked up the courage to start reading the series again. However, The Half-Blood Prince renewed my enjoyment of the series, and I looked forward to The Deathly Hallows, the denoument of the series, despite the fact that I already knew what would happen. But even knowing what would happen did little to disappoint me...
Dumbledore is dead, murdered by Snape. Harry is in greater danger than ever, with the protection the Dursley's home provided soon to expire. A dangerous extraction to a safe place goes wrong, but this is merely the beginning of the end. The Ministry of Magic falls to Voldemort, and while the wizarding world either quakes with fear, or sides with Voldemort, Harry, Ron, and Hermione set out on a dangerous quest to destroy the Horcruxes containing fragments of Voldemort's soul. Hunted while they hunt the Horcruxes, this intrepid trio will find evidence that challenges everything they believe in. Including the past of Dumbledore himself...
I think Rowling's biggest innovation was to take the action almost completely away from Hogwarts, and it opens the story up far more to become something that reminds me strongly of the Star One arc of Blake's 7. This is by no means a bad thing. The main characters are shown to be flawed, even Harry, and yes, even Dumbledore is shown to be very human indeed. If Snape actually was present with Harry and the others, then the resemblance to Blake's 7 would be stronger, given that Snape reminds me of Avon (or, given that I read the first 5 Harry Potter books before watching Blake's 7, it really is the other way around).
This is a dark book. People die. Characters beloved and unloved die. Some heroically, others, less than so. Some making last requests, others, in mid-joke. Senseless and meaningful. People die in this book, left, right, and centre. And it is darker in many other areas. It resembles, as I said, the world of Blake's 7, where the main character's only crime was to stand up to injustice and evil, and now it is biting him in the arse, big time. And, like Roj Blake, there is a time where Harry must acknowledge what he is doing, and find a way to stop himself from succumbing to temptation.
We now see so many plot threads which have hung around for so long finally coalescing together. For example, we learn exactly who sent Harry the Invisibility Cloak during his first year at Hogwarts, why Dumbledore's hand was dying during the previous book, and where Snape's allegiances lie, and why.
To read this requires that you have read, at the very least, the previous book. That might make it difficult to anyone new to the series to appreciate it. But this is a perfect finale to the series. My only complaint about it was that Draco wasn't given as much character development as seemed to have been promised in The Half-Blood Prince, but that is a minor quibble. The last Harry Potter novel is the best, hands down.
10/10
First words: The two men appeared out of nowhere, a few yards apart in the narrow, moonlit lane.
Last words: (Censored for spoilers)
_________________
Yami: Wait, did you just summon a bunch of monsters in one turn?
Kaiba: Yeah, so?
Yami: That's against the rules!
Seto Kaiba: Screw the Rules, I Have Money!!
-Yu-Gi-Oh The Abridged Series
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Quatermass
I believe the appropriate phrase is, 'Boo-yah'.
Joined: Apr 28, 2006
Posts: 21092
Location: Right behind you...
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| Posted: Sat May 08, 2010 2:44 am Post subject: |
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I very nearly gave up on this thing, but now, I have managed to finish one more book. Whether book 48 is definitely the last, I dunno, but it's a good one to go out on...
REVIEW: The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman
I first heard about Philip Pullman, rather unsurprisingly, because of the adaptation of the book Northern Lights as The Golden Compass (the first book of the His Dark Materials trilogy). But not long after that, I also saw in bits and pieces the TV adaptation of the Sally Lockhart mysteries, starring Billie 'Rose Tyler' Piper as Sally Lockhart, and future Doctor Who Matt Smith in the role of Jim Taylor. Thus, when searching around for books to further my horizons, I decided to choose the first Sally Lockhart novel, The Ruby in the Smoke.
Sally Lockhart's father has died. And now this sixteen-year old girl, an independent woman in Victorian times, must live under the roof of a vicious relative, but there were mysteries relating to her father's death that are yet to be cleared up. Heading to her late father's shipping firm, she mentions strange words found on a note her father sent her, 'the Seven Blessings', to an employee, only to have him die of fright. Aided by a photographer and his relatives, an office boy, and a surprisingly pugilistic pastor, Sally Lockhart soon learns that her past is related to the Indian Mutiny, and that what eventuated from it led to murder on the sea. And someone is willing to kill all who stands in their way, for riches untold and ill-gotten gains...
Victoriana, to a certain degree, fascinates me. A number of excellent Doctor Who stories (Evil of the Daleks, The Talons of Weng-Chiang, Ghost Light) take place in Victorian times, as did the excellen Doctor Who/Sherlock Holmes crossover novel, All-Consuming Fire. The first Lucifer Box story, The Vesuvius Club, takes place a little later, but still has many trappings. And although The Ruby in the Smoke hasn't got a strong fantasy element, unlike the previous books, it still conveys a strong sense of them.
The characters, for the most part, are fairly interesting. Sally Lockhart is a young woman not of her time, mature and independent, despite her young age of 16. I'd say that there were probably people like that in Victorian times (Esther Summerson from Bleak House is a quieter, more self-deprecating version of what Sally Lockhart is, but both women, for their time, and separated by well over a century of authorship, have an inner strength and conviction that is admirable), but it would be rare to find one like Sally. Not that I am truly complaining, mind. I like the character, although she needs maybe just a few more character flaws.
The characters of Frederick Garland and his family (sister Rosa and helper Trembler), are characterised fairly well, as is cockney office boy Jim Taylor, but the main villain of Mrs Holland seems rather superficial and shallow. Learning about her motivations at least explains this aspect about her, but reading her is basically reading a cardboard villain. Mr Berry is far more interesting, a vicious thug who nonetheless advocates alcohol temperance, and it is a pity that this area isn't developed more. The same goes for the enigmatic Ah Ling.
I think that one of the problems with this book was that it seemed a tad too filled with incident and coincidence, and not a little more intent on exploring Sally Lockhart's problems within society. There is plenty of Sally's troubles being a woman in Victorian London, but I think not quite enough. And I would have thought it better to make the main villain upper-class in some way, rather than the stereotypical drudge of Mrs Holland.
Still, it was an entertaining romp, and I recommend it. It's a solid mystery with a good ending and plenty of thrills. Maybe Pullman's other books will turn out to be good, you never know.
8.5/10
First words: On a cold, fretful afternoon in early October, 1872, a hansom cab drew up outside the offices of Lockhart and Selby, Shipping Agents, in the financial heart of London, and a young girl got out and paid the driver.
Last words: She gathered up letter and box and left for the train.
What will be next? Your guess is as good as mine...
_________________
Yami: Wait, did you just summon a bunch of monsters in one turn?
Kaiba: Yeah, so?
Yami: That's against the rules!
Seto Kaiba: Screw the Rules, I Have Money!!
-Yu-Gi-Oh The Abridged Series
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Quatermass
I believe the appropriate phrase is, 'Boo-yah'.
Joined: Apr 28, 2006
Posts: 21092
Location: Right behind you...
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| Posted: Sun May 09, 2010 7:13 am Post subject: |
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Book 49...
REVIEW: Doctor Who: Spiral Scratch by Gary Russell
Doctor Who didn't end when it was taken off the television screen. From 1991, new stories featuring the Seventh (and at the time, latest) Doctor, in the New Adventures range. Three years later, the Missing Adventures, featuring previous Doctors, debuted. I have read many of them, ranging from the brilliant Sherlock Holmes crossover All-Consuming Fire, to the atmospheric and revelatory Lungbarrow, from the darkly comic The Romance of Crime, to the bizarrely comic Sky Pirates!, from the darkness of Interference, to the vampire epic Goth Opera. Now, I have read one of the last Missing Adventures (or Past Doctor Adventures, as BBC Books insist on calling them after taking the licence away from Virgin Publishing) ever to be published, during the beginning of the new series. It serves as not only the last Sixth Doctor Missing Adventure to be published, but Spiral Scratch is also the last Sixth Doctor adventure, charity publication Time's Champion notwithstanding...
The Sixth Doctor and Mel meet an old Time Lord friend of the Doctor's, Rummas, who is in charge of the gigantic library of Carsus. Problem is, someone is murdering Rummas, and sometimes even the Doctor, in other alternative realities. The Doctor and Mel, in various alternative realities, must contend with the plans of a creature that intends to consume all of time, and all of reality, but how can you stop something so powerful that it can manipulate time and space on a whim, and make people blink out of existence? The cost will be dear, not only to the Doctor in this reality and many others, but also the various incarnations of Melanie Bush...
The Sixth Doctor was something of an acquired taste in the TV show, being a loudmouthed braggart with less dress sense than a colour blind clown, but there were a few gems from Colin Baker's era as the Doctor, and the spin-off media, in the audios and books, have all sought to rectify this, showing what would happen if this form of the Doctor was given time to develop. This story, I will not apologise for spoilers, is the last Sixth Doctor story, the aforementioned Time's Champion notwithstanding. And it is a most excellent finale.
How do you go out with a bang in the finale of a Doctor? In Logopolis and The End of Time, you threaten all creation, and with the villainous Lamprey, we have a very big threat. This is a creature that rivals the similar Chronovores, as the Chronovores are simply amoral, while the Lamprey, or rather, the main villain Lamprey, is completely evil. It manipulates time and people ruthlessly, and its end goal is truly shocking when the implications set in, although the Lamprey villain does come across as being rather one-dimensional.
Many of the other characters are either rather flat, or else uninteresting, but they serve their role in the plot well. The most interesting characters, however, are the Doctor, and Mel, and, to elucidate further, their alternative selves. Mel, as a character, has received a lot of stick for being one-dimensional, being peppy and with a loud scream, and computer programming skills, but this novel does a lot to redeem her. We see various Mels from other realities, including a half-Silurian Mel, and an apathetic Melina from an Earth where Rome never fell. And we find out an extremely traumatic secret about Mel that, when she finds out about it, not only throws her personality into relief, but when she is told about it, has what TV Tropes would call a 'crowning moment of awesome'.
Spiral Scratch would be hard for non-Doctor Who fans to get and read, but if you're a fan and want to read a book that redeems the Sixth Doctor era, this is it. It is epic, albeit in a contained way, and will enthrall you from start to finish.
8.5/10
First words: [i'I need you to go the planet Earth in 1958 and save the universe.'[/i]
Last words: 'Leave the girl. It's the man I want.'
_________________
Yami: Wait, did you just summon a bunch of monsters in one turn?
Kaiba: Yeah, so?
Yami: That's against the rules!
Seto Kaiba: Screw the Rules, I Have Money!!
-Yu-Gi-Oh The Abridged Series
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Quatermass
I believe the appropriate phrase is, 'Boo-yah'.
Joined: Apr 28, 2006
Posts: 21092
Location: Right behind you...
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| Posted: Mon May 10, 2010 7:57 pm Post subject: |
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Book 50 is something of a milestone in more ways than one...
REVIEW: Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
I have to admit, I'm not really one for vampire stories. Sure, I've read them, but mostly those related to Doctor Who, like the novelisations of the stories State of Decay and The Curse of Fenric (the latter being one of my favourite Doctor Who stories) and the original novel Goth Opera. But there is one phenomenon that I have watched on with bemusement, and that is the phenomenon of the Twilight series. After an abortive attempt to read it a couple of years back, I have come back to the divisive first novel.
Isabella 'Bella' Swan finds it hard to fit in at times. Moving in to the Pacific Northwest town of Forks to be with her father, she finds it gloomy and dead. What's worse, starting at a new high school means that she has the unwanted attention of several teenage boys. But shy and clumsy Bella finds it curious that Edward Cullen seems to be repulsed by her very presence. However, after a series of events, Edward seems to warm to her. However, Bella begins to realise that there is more to Edward than first meets the eye. For Edward is a vampire, a dangerous creature indeed. But perhaps more dangerous is the fact that they are falling in love with each other...
I've noticed that those who have read Twilight, or at least those who offer opinions, are either absolute fanatics who want an Edward Cullen or a Bella Swan for themselves, or else sneerily contemptuous and wishing that the whole series, along with the author, Stephanie Meyer, should be killed with fire (I'm exaggerating for comic effect, of course). I have to be honest and say that, upon reading it, I fall into neither camp. High school romances bore me, and even adding vampires into the mix doesn't exactly spice things up. The story would be average, until fridge logic starts kicking in.
For example, Edward Cullen starts acting like a stalker towards Bella, when you think about it. I'm not so sure about whether the control freak angles some people throw out are actually there per se, although their relationship seems to be somewhat masochistic on both sides. Edward even admits as such.
What does this story add to vampire mythology, on the bedrock that was Bram Stoker's Dracula? Well, that vampires can't go out in sunlight not because they burn, but that they sparkle. Most people are frustrated by this, but I am just bemused, although that is probably the one original contribution Stephanie Meyers makes to haemophagic continuity. That, and vampire baseball, which was one of the more interesting set pieces of the book.
I personally think that the subplot of the trio of vampiric hunters (not hunters of vampires, but vampire hunters...let me rephrase that, human hunters who are vampires) came in too late and with even less characterisation than the rest of the book's characters. Less teenage romance and more peril, that's what I say.
I think the main problem is that of characterisation. Bella and Edward, despite the incogruity of the relationship, do have a sense of complexity to them, even if their actual compatability is slightly in question, and Carlisle Cullen and Charles Swan are interesting characters in their own right. But most of the rest of the characters, with the exception of Alice and Esme Cullen, along with Billy and Jacob Black, are uninteresting and flat.
Is Twilight actually bad? I have to say no, but that doesn't mean it is good. It is below average (my average score for books, you might have noticed, is about 7.5/10). It is tedious (I gave up my first reading of it out of boredom about a third of the way through) and soppy. However, it is still a readable book. It's mildly masochistic, rather like Edward and Bella's relationship, but it is nowhere near the pile of excrement that was Atlas Shrugged.
6.5/10
First words: I'd never given much thought to how I would die- though I'd had reason enough in the last few months- but even if I had, I would not have imagined it like this.
Last words: And he leaned down to press his cold lips once more to my throat.
_________________
Yami: Wait, did you just summon a bunch of monsters in one turn?
Kaiba: Yeah, so?
Yami: That's against the rules!
Seto Kaiba: Screw the Rules, I Have Money!!
-Yu-Gi-Oh The Abridged Series
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Quatermass
I believe the appropriate phrase is, 'Boo-yah'.
Joined: Apr 28, 2006
Posts: 21092
Location: Right behind you...
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| Posted: Sun May 16, 2010 12:46 am Post subject: |
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Book 51...
REVIEW: Negima! Magister Negi Magi: Volume 1 by Ken Akamatsu
What is it with the Japanese and panty jokes? I mean, one of the important characters in Dragonball is named Bulma, which is a corruption of 'bloomers'. And in many stories involving heavy fanservice or titillation, you have jokes involving panties. If I facepalmed every time I saw a panty joke or shot in Negima, I would be suffering from concussion by now...
Negi Springfield is a Welsh wizard in training. At ten years old, he graduates from a magic academy and, as part of a test, is sent to an all-girl high school in Japan to teach English. Many are delighted with the cute new teacher, but one girl, Asuna, resents Negi for replacing a teacher she had a crush on. While Negi must learn to control his magic and become an authoritative teacher, Asuna learns of his abilities, but will she cause him trouble? You bet!
Negima! is basically what you would get if you combined a genius child version of Harry Potter with a harem comedy like Love Hina, which is not a coincidence, given that Negima! and Love Hina were done by the same person. I have only skimmed through Love Hina, and enjoyed a little of Ken Akamatsu's previous work, A.I Love You.
I have to say, I'm not a fan of Japanese comedy manga and anime, although Dragonball and Azumanga Daioh are major exceptions. And harem comedies just make me shake my head in bemused disbelief, just like farces and some episodes of, say, Fawlty Towers does. The only one that I have enjoyed to any great degree was Ken Fujishima's Oh My Goddess, which is a high art form compared to Negma! This one seems to be built around titillation and precious little storyline, save for Negi's ambition to become a master wizard.
I think that there is something mildly disturbing about the fact that a ten-year old boy (only a year younger than Harry Potter at the start of his own series) is fawned over by so many female students about five years his senior, including at least one example who wants to...well, groom into her boyfriend and lover. And with a few exceptions, the characters are fairly cardboard, with only a few (Negi himself, Asuna, bookworm Nodoka, and Negi's supervising teacher Shizuna) meriting any interest.
That being said, there are quite a few strong points to the series. The concept of a ten-year old teaching English to high school students is both a funny concept and an interesting one, and how he struggles to learn to be a teacher is done quite well if you strip away the titillation. And Asuna, while a bit of a b***h, does have enough of a heart of gold for you to start pining for her.
That being said, if you want something that is deeper than titillation, go read another manga. Negima! is not deep at all, and seems to be just an excuse for panty jokes in a Harry Potter-like setting.
5/10
First words: When I call your name, my sorcerous graduates...
Last words: No, I don't wanna be dodge-ball mascot!
_________________
Yami: Wait, did you just summon a bunch of monsters in one turn?
Kaiba: Yeah, so?
Yami: That's against the rules!
Seto Kaiba: Screw the Rules, I Have Money!!
-Yu-Gi-Oh The Abridged Series
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Quatermass
I believe the appropriate phrase is, 'Boo-yah'.
Joined: Apr 28, 2006
Posts: 21092
Location: Right behind you...
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| Posted: Fri May 21, 2010 9:25 am Post subject: |
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In case anyone's still following this, I am still reading. I am currently reading Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, and Doctor Who: Business Unusual by Gary Russell. I also hope to start on You're Him, Aren't You?, the autobiography of Paul Darrow, and the graphic novel Doctor Who: Oblivion.
_________________
Yami: Wait, did you just summon a bunch of monsters in one turn?
Kaiba: Yeah, so?
Yami: That's against the rules!
Seto Kaiba: Screw the Rules, I Have Money!!
-Yu-Gi-Oh The Abridged Series
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Quatermass
I believe the appropriate phrase is, 'Boo-yah'.
Joined: Apr 28, 2006
Posts: 21092
Location: Right behind you...
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| Posted: Sat May 22, 2010 2:23 am Post subject: |
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Book 52, meh...
REVIEW: Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
I guess that one of the reasons that I don't usually read that many books written before 1950, and particularly before 1900, is that the language is far from immersive. The language doesn't quite evoke the same response that it would have at the time of its original release. Not to mention not living at the same times as the events that occurred, which is why Heart of Darkness didn't really do much for me...
Charles Marlow accepts a job as the captain of a steam boat in Africa, but finds the job more difficult than he thought. After a long time spent repairing the sunken steam boat, he and his colleagues head up river, to find the enigmatic Kurtz, a rogue ivory collector who has established himself as a god over a local group of natives...
The reason why I first heard about this book was that it was the inspiration for the film Apocalypse Now. I decided to read the source material (I am yet to actually watch the movie) to see if it was any good, but I have to admit, I found it rather hard to read. There is very little plot, and the language and terminology of the time obfuscates the real message.
Heart of Darkness was a commentary, as far as I can make out, on Imperialism. Imperialism, or at least in the form that gave birth to the British Empire, not to mention the other African colonies, Dutch, Portuguese, Belgian, etc that gave birth to the setting of this story, is now more or less dead, or at least camouflaged behind new political doctrines. I guess not living in an overtly Imperialistic society distances myself somewhat from the nature of the story, although it is still there to see.
That being said, I don't really like the story. Too simple, it's more flavour and style and theme over characterisation and substance.
5.5/10
First words: The Nellie, a cruising yawl, swung to her anchor without a flutter of the sails, and was at rest.
Last words: The offing was barred by a black bank of clouds, and the tranquil waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed sombre under an overcast sky—seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness.
_________________
Yami: Wait, did you just summon a bunch of monsters in one turn?
Kaiba: Yeah, so?
Yami: That's against the rules!
Seto Kaiba: Screw the Rules, I Have Money!!
-Yu-Gi-Oh The Abridged Series
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melbi
Phoenix
Joined: Apr 17, 2010
Age: 25
Posts: 614
Location: Australia
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| Posted: Sat May 22, 2010 4:03 am Post subject: |
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This is amazing! Nice blog!
I used to read like crazy when I was 13-18yo, but relapsed for reasons I still don't know lol Dad's a crazy reader too, but he never relapsed lol In my old house (my parents house), we have a whole living room converted into a home library. It is so awesome. I miss it so much.
Actually, I'm reading a book at the moment... not the most exciting book in the world but certainly useful... "A Complete Guide to Asperger Syndrome" by Tony Attwood  And I got Dad a copy too  |
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Quatermass
I believe the appropriate phrase is, 'Boo-yah'.
Joined: Apr 28, 2006
Posts: 21092
Location: Right behind you...
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| Posted: Sat May 22, 2010 4:47 am Post subject: |
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| melbi wrote: | | Actually, I'm reading a book at the moment... not the most exciting book in the world but certainly useful... "A Complete Guide to Asperger Syndrome" by Tony Attwood And I got Dad a copy too |
Have it, but never read it...
_________________
Yami: Wait, did you just summon a bunch of monsters in one turn?
Kaiba: Yeah, so?
Yami: That's against the rules!
Seto Kaiba: Screw the Rules, I Have Money!!
-Yu-Gi-Oh The Abridged Series
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Quatermass
I believe the appropriate phrase is, 'Boo-yah'.
Joined: Apr 28, 2006
Posts: 21092
Location: Right behind you...
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| Posted: Mon May 24, 2010 4:53 am Post subject: |
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To anyone still bothering to read this thread, I have finally got Doctor Who: Oblivion and You're Him, Aren't You? from the bookstore. It's a toss-up as to which one I will finish first, but I'll say Doctor Who: Oblivion will be first, as it is a graphic novel. After those, well, I am reading Doctor Who: Business Unusual, not to mention that I have other books to read...
_________________
Yami: Wait, did you just summon a bunch of monsters in one turn?
Kaiba: Yeah, so?
Yami: That's against the rules!
Seto Kaiba: Screw the Rules, I Have Money!!
-Yu-Gi-Oh The Abridged Series
(No longer a mod) |
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Ambivalence
The Obvious Factor
Joined: Nov 09, 2008
Posts: 3638
Location: Peterlee (for Industry)
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| Posted: Mon May 24, 2010 6:34 am Post subject: |
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| Quatermass wrote: | | To anyone still bothering to read this thread |
I'm bothering. So's ya know. 
_________________
No one has gone missing or died.
The year is still young. |
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Quatermass
I believe the appropriate phrase is, 'Boo-yah'.
Joined: Apr 28, 2006
Posts: 21092
Location: Right behind you...
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| Posted: Mon May 24, 2010 6:55 am Post subject: |
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| Ambivalence wrote: | | Quatermass wrote: | | To anyone still bothering to read this thread |
I'm bothering. So's ya know. |
Good to hear. Any interest in the books I've reviewed? Any dissenting opinions?
_________________
Yami: Wait, did you just summon a bunch of monsters in one turn?
Kaiba: Yeah, so?
Yami: That's against the rules!
Seto Kaiba: Screw the Rules, I Have Money!!
-Yu-Gi-Oh The Abridged Series
(No longer a mod) |
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