2023 in Review

These are the books I read over the last year—and a bit of what I thought about them…

Shadow of the Giant — Orson Scott Card

The main obstacle of Card’s Shadow series is that once you’ve read Ender’s Game, there is no surprise as to where this series ends. Still, Card has a lot of tricks and manages to keep the series fairly engaging much longer than I would have expected. It didn’t help that I read many of the books out of order, so there were even more spoilers to ignore (which is impossible). Another obstacle is that Card is writing about genius children, which means that he must be rather genius in his development of the story, both characters and plot. It’s an impossible order for most, and a very tall order for the best.

Unfortunately, this book sags. The genius of Bean puts him well above the other Battle School graduates, thereby short-circuiting the tension, because there’s never a doubt that Bean will prevail. Indeed, he doesn’t even seem tested, not since Shadow of the Hegemon. Instead, all of the tension is transferred to the lesser students: Alai, Han Tzu, Virlomi, Suriyawong…

In addition to these issues, the politics of Earth are drastically over simplified—but it was always going to end in a benevolent dictatorship anyway. We knew that Peter Wiggin was always going to be the ruler of Earth. It’s stated in the last chapters of Ender’s Game. Still, when the end comes, it seems too easy. And the eventual solution turns out to be the same hard answer that served in Ender’s Game: simply ship the genius battle school children off to colonize the empty bugger worlds.

They say never meet your heroes, because such an encounter can only be a disappointment. I suppose the same goes for reading every effort of your favorite author. The expectations eventually become insurmountable. Still, it was better than most.

Job: A Comedy of Justice — Robert A. Heinlein

After completing a dare—or nearly completing it, if one cares to split hairs—Alec finds himself in an alternate reality where the ship he was on is now much different than the one on which he arrived. He continues to find himself in worlds not quite his own, and not quite the last one he was in, as minor adjustments are made to each new reality.

A religious man, Alec is set upon by temptation, most of which he resists—though one he gives into almost immediately. Buggered and hungry, Alec has one constant companion, Margrethe, as she suffers these temporal shifts with him. Margrethe serves as his lodestone, his muse, his only reason for continuing; as the two are repeatedly moved to alternate realities by some supernatural force. Unfortunately, Margrethe is a non-believer, so when the Rapture comes and Alec finds himself in heaven, his woman is nowhere to be found. Will he risk his spot in heaven in hopes of finding Margrethe in the afterlife? Of course he will!

A quick and enjoyable read, Job et al is an engaging tale of what might have been, had history been slightly different. It calls into question many orthodox ideas about god and the devil, and by the end finds itself safely nested in Heinlein’s hedonistic agnosticism. Yet, it is still an engaging and curious look at man and all his glorious foibles. It is a very human and quite a caring tale, even as it lampoons the cherished beliefs of so many well meaning people. I recommend—but only if one has a sense of humor about god, the devil, and all that jazz.

Cows Save The Planet — Judith D. Schwartz

“Big Ag” and its reliance on chemicals and heavy machinery is slowly destroying itself. The size and value of the harvest is down, while the cost of these shrinking harvests only ever increases. What gives?

Bent on finding solutions, the author meets with a number of experts in the field—literally in the field. They share their experiences and offer up the solutions they’ve used to heal their own lands, reduce costs, and improve harvests. Instead of simply applying macro-nutrients in the form of chemical salts to mono-crop cultures, these mavericks have the audacity to worry over the health of their herds, crops, and the very soil itself; including the worms and micro-organisms that live in it.

Come to find out, mimicking nature is the best course. The cattle they keep is moved often and over a larger area. The herds are larger, but touch each field less often, so the field is thrashed a bit, then given ample time to recover. The fields are wilder, with a greater diversity of life. They are more resilient, capture more carbon, and produce more nutritional food. So it is that these agricultural trendsetters find themselves with increasing harvests of a better quality. The fields also become more tolerant of droughts, floods, and fires.

Of course, all of this is couched in scientific terminology, so the reader knows these people must be serious practitioners of the farming arts. Overall this is a very interesting, though occasionally boggy, read.

Shadow Puppets — Orson Scott Card

Part 3 of Card’s Shadow series, and the 7th installment of the Enderverse, this book follows Bean as he plays cat-and-mouse with his old nemesis, Achilles. Although this book is a fine example of Card’s trademark wit, and reads remarkably easy, it is not as inventive or as surprising as most of his other works. Still, I’d rather read a bad book by Card than the best of so many others.

Eleven Minutes — Paulo Coelho

This is the story of Maria, an innocent young lady that leaves her home and travels to Europe with hopes of becoming a star—only to find herself working in the oldest profession, serving a rich and elite clientele. The money is easy, but is hollowing out the poor girl. Increasingly apathetic, she ponders the complexities of sex and love.

One day, Maria has a chance encounter with an artist that stirs her heart—just as her work takes a darker turn. Will Maria embrace the easy yet nihilistic existence of a lady-for-hire, or will she escape with a healthy bank account and her dignity in tatters? A poetic and unrelenting look at life in the red light district.

Shadows in Flight — Orson Scott Card

The famed Julian Delphiki, lovingly known as “Bean”; has secretly left earth with three of his children. Ender, the oldest child that is named for the legendary war hero, and Bean are working on a way to counter their crippling condition: a form of gigantism that grants increased mental and physical dexterity, but will see them outgrow their own organs and die of heart failure before they are 30. Meanwhile, Sergeant is trying to protect his siblings from every threat he can find. imagined or real; while Carlotta strives to keep them and the ship in tip-top shape. A very paired down story with few characters, Card is still in top form as he expands upon the ever-growing Enderverse. This is a quick read and a welcomed addition.

The Elvenbane — Andre Norton & Mercedes Lackey

Elves rule this world with an iron grip. Humans have been completely subjugated by the superior magic of the pointy ears—but it hasn’t always been this way, and there’s a prophecy floating about that says it won’t always be!

Shana is an orphan, half-elf and half-human, found in the desert by a dragon shaman, and taken to live among the giant lizards. Few among the beasts care for her. It is pretty much her adopting mother and the oldest child that have any sympathy at all—while the others eye her with suspicion, or out-and-out hostility, as the girl starts developing strange powers.

After teaching a young dragon the dangers of being a bully, Shana is exiled. Left at a tiny oasis, she is found by some of her own people, though she knows so little about them. If only they knew she was a half-breed, she would be executed immediately—but her captors are far more interested in the fabric she wears, which is a fragment of dragon skin.

Thankfully, there are allies at hand, and Shana is rescued by other half-breeds that have been hiding in the wilds. Unlike so many of her half-blood kin, Shana decides to do something about the oppression of the humans and causes a war between elves and exiles.

A vey imaginative tale willing to do new things with dragons, elves, and humans; Elvenbane occasionally bogs down in silly dramas that play out a touch juvenile. Thankfully, they don’t slow the story overly much—and there’s always enough clever experimentation in this book that the trite bits are easy enough to overlook. Recommended for any true fantasy nerd.

The War of the Worlds — H. G. Wells

An interesting read, mostly because it was such a big book in the development of science fiction. It is fun and reads fairly quickly—though it gets bogged down in dramatic side plots of personal drama. The story gets caught in fanciful considerations as the protagonist wonders at the strange machinations of the Martians—but without ever coming to satisfactory conclusions as to what they were doing, or why. Despite so many open ended questions, I’m glad I read it, but I don’t know that I would recommend it to anyone without an undying love for the history of sci-fi.

How to Make friends and Influence People — Dale Carnegie

This classic self-help book has sold millions of copies over the decades—and there’s a reason. The book is chalk full of practical advise on how to deal with people in a positive and beneficial manner. The advise is always plain spoken, requiring little more than a dose of courage, or a bit of planning. Very engaging. A quick and delightful read.

The Art of Seduction — Robert Greene

This book is a tome, with a cast of hundreds, strewn over centuries, and across continents. It is full of personal histories and tells of the games and ways that seduction has been practiced throughout written history. Not only does The Art of Seduction tell of love’s history, but it beckons the reader to take on the mantle of the seducer, pushing the reader to stretch their ambitions and question their morals.

Thanks to the everchanging cast, and the specific histories in which they existed, the book reads very slowly—but context is everything when it comes to love! Although ponderous, the pages turn consistently, since they remain forever interesting—and I think the author would agree that one should never rush love!

The Art of Seduction is an astounding piece of literary achievement. Thank you, Robert Greene!

The Prince and the Pauper — Mark Twain

This is a story of mistaken identity, which follows the paths of the title characters as they are stuck in the other’s shoes. It is written in Twain’s approachble style and is quite appropriate for the younger reader—unlike some of my other choices. I really loved the voice of the narrator, as the story is told in 19th century American English, and often does Elizabethan English for dialogue. It was a curious and noteworthy juxtaposition. In the end, I must say this classic of nearly a hundred and fifty years holds up quite nicely. It is a fine proper romp.

Relationships: Gifts of the Spirit — Julie Hutslar

This book is a plain language guide to understanding our part in everyday relationships. It talks about the common ways we sabotage ourselves and offers both encouragement and advise on how to make things better.

Sometimes, these sorts of books can get very boring and abstract—but Julie does a good job of interjecting personal stories to ground the conversation, and manages not to belabor her points. Interesting and witty, I can imagine most people will get quite a bit out of this book. A joy to read, it was well worth the price of admission, and I have taken many of its ideas to heart.

Ghosts of the Desert — Ryan Ireland*

*(I did not read this book this year—I found this review in my personal papers. In other words, I so loved this book, I wrote a review for it back in 2016, lol!)

This book is not for the feint of heart. It’s an acid western that starts with a kidnapping, before rapidly descending into thievery, murder, rape… and that’s just to get started! Yet, the writing is engrossing, gripping, and often quite lyrical—as we’re treated to the broken philosophies of men driving themselves insane, in a ramshackle ghost-town, somewhere in the harsh deserts of Utah.

I’d like to say the book gets better—and as a matter of style and commitment, it most certainly does—but as a matter of plot, it only spirals further and further out of control, as the action devolves into conspiracy and grisly betrayals among a group of low lives following a mad prophet. I kept waiting for redemption for the main character—but it never comes. This is not that kind of book, you see. Instead, Ryan delivers an ending both poetic and just, a finale fitting the degeneracy of the entire cast—and he does it with a golden voice, as the story slinks to its inevitable end—which left me gob-smacked by Ryan’s audacious inventiveness! Bravo! Indeed, I cannot recommend this book highly enough— but only to those with an iron stomach!

Neuromancer — William Gibson

First published in 1984, Neuromancer was a cyberpunk well ahead of its time. Grim and dystopian, the characters tend toward the nihilistic.

Case himself is a junky to an extreme. As the book goes on, as the caper intensifies, its hard to cheer for anything because the costs of losing and gains for winning are strictly selfish and often left rather vague. For the main character, Case either lives or he dies—or maybe he just lives… what is going on here? There’s little redeeming about the main character. He is simply the star, and so I suppose we are to side with him. Not that it matters. The ending is also convoluted and so noncommittal that I’m not entirely sure what happened. Did they succeed? Did they crash Wintermute? Who can say? I, for one, lost the plot.

There are some interesting technologies suggested, such as the simstim, which I can’t imagine will ever be possible—but it was fun to have it in the story. Also, the narration was strong, and a unique menagerie of roguish characters kept the pacing rather tight—considering how uninvested I was in the story. Overall, a mixed bag for this guy.

Due to the fast-pace and confusing language of the book (technical language Gibson invented to describe computing possibilities that either did not emerge, or were called by other names—and also a fair bit of imagined slang) this story would benefit greatly from a second read—but I doubt it will get it.

Red Cell — Scott McKenzie

Neil Johnson is an obscure fiction writer—only his crime thrillers don’t stay fiction—as a terrorist group uses his obscure writings for blueprints to murder innocent Americans! Well, Neil doesn’t stay obscure for long. Almost immediately he is tapped by MI5 and loaned to the FBI in hopes that he can give them insight into the next possible attack.

Like The Boy with ISND, this book is rather straight forward for anyone listening to the No Agenda Show. It offers up a twisted intelligence bureaucracy full of intrigue and double dealing. There are some twists and turns, but no real danger for the main character, as he’s repeatedly saved from impossible situations ironically invented by himself!

Told with McKenzie’s easy voice, the story never stops building to its monolithic ending. Always entertaining, even if it’s often campy. I am a little sour that the book takes the action to such an interesting crescendo, only to end. It moves into a whole new world. Just like The Boy with ISND. Is it possible that we will see a crossover between the two? /fingers-crossed

The Boy With Involuntary Social Network Disorder — Scott McKenzie

The Boy with the Unfortunate Title is another No Agenda novel. It is boy meets girl, and girl opens boy’s eyes to the unknown truths about social media. The story skips along and is quite a bit more entertaining than a lot of what’s out there—but it never quite evolves into the political thriller its threatening to become—as it closes out after a scant 190 pages. I rather enjoyed it—even as it currently stands—but I feel there is quite a bit more to this story. Another 200 pages could easily be written about Paddy and Laura, and I would be happy to read it!

The Hindenburg — Michael M. Mooney

Ever since I heard Kenneth M. Price Jr. on The Higherside Chats, I’ve been fascinated by zeppelins. I picked this book up at an estate sale maybe three years ago simply because of the title.

Presented as a ‘who done it’, The Hindenburg is a detailed and technically interesting novelization of the Hindenburg zeppelin, from before its creation, to its grisly end; and the people associated with the great vehicle, including both passengers and crew. It is well told and full of what appear to be accurate engineering and attendance records. Indeed, the history of the zeppelin and the technical details of how it was constructed and maintained were fascinating, as where the relationships of the people that traveled on it.

Although the book was generally well worth the effort, and taught me a fair deal about zeppelins and the world of the 1930s, I do question the final verdict. In the end, this book smacks of a whitewashing.

The Bellmaker — Brian Jacques

This is the 7th installment of the famous Redwall series. It is yet another rollicking chapter, geared to please the child in all of us. If you like the first one, well, this series just seems to be more and more of that. Enchanting!

In the Garden of Beasts — Erik Larsen

A novelized account of America’s ambassador to Hitler’s Germany, this book draws heavily from accounts of Ambassador Dodd, and his daughter, Martha; along with numerous official reports. It is an absorbing and chilling tale, with the personal dramas of the daughter playing out against a backdrop of the political intrigue suffered by the father.

As Germany becomes creepingly more dictatorial, the worry and warning of Ambassador Dodd is generally ignored—or disparaged—for political gain. Meanwhile, the daughter’s rose-colored accounts of Berlin, and Nazi society, begin to cast a shadowy picture; as the day-to-day tremors of an increasingly fraught social order grow to a major quake that will put the final knife in Germany’s transformation!

This book is generally regarded as a modern classic—and for good reason!