Three Book Reviews
Apr. 15th, 2005 07:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sinclair_furieFirst, The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood.
Interesting book, certainly a good character study about three women who befriend a sexy, destructive woman named Zenia. Not at all what I expected after reading Handmaid's Tale, quite feminist as well, though. Maybe it's just me and my like for scifi-esque novels like The Handmaid's Tale, but I think her wit is better used there. Honestly, I think I'll try the Blind Assasin and if it fails to dazzle me like this one did, I'm giving up Atwood. The reviews, however, say it's not her best.
Second, The Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis.
From all the Hugos and Nebula's it's won I would have expected something better. The concept was interesting- time travelling historian gets stuck in a particularly bad time in the Middle Ages, chaos ensues on the otherside, preventing her from being retrieved and what not. But Willis' writing leaves something to be desired, mostly style, characterization and that spark that makes you love it. The history in the novel was gret, though. Overall, it was alright while I read it, but I'm not sure if I want to continue reading her writing.
Finally, Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
I love Clarke. I read this book after initially reading the short story (I'm much more familiar with his short ficition) and it was great. There are a couple of points I would quibble about, such as Clarke's tendency to "tell" technological advances rather than subtly integrate them into the novel, but that's justifiable. Clarke was trying to clearly describe a future society and not litter the book with techno-mania. I loved the short story, and while I like the novel less, it was still a good read.
So, whoever's read these books, please post your thoughts and tell me if I'm missing something!
Interesting book, certainly a good character study about three women who befriend a sexy, destructive woman named Zenia. Not at all what I expected after reading Handmaid's Tale, quite feminist as well, though. Maybe it's just me and my like for scifi-esque novels like The Handmaid's Tale, but I think her wit is better used there. Honestly, I think I'll try the Blind Assasin and if it fails to dazzle me like this one did, I'm giving up Atwood. The reviews, however, say it's not her best.
Second, The Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis.
From all the Hugos and Nebula's it's won I would have expected something better. The concept was interesting- time travelling historian gets stuck in a particularly bad time in the Middle Ages, chaos ensues on the otherside, preventing her from being retrieved and what not. But Willis' writing leaves something to be desired, mostly style, characterization and that spark that makes you love it. The history in the novel was gret, though. Overall, it was alright while I read it, but I'm not sure if I want to continue reading her writing.
Finally, Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
I love Clarke. I read this book after initially reading the short story (I'm much more familiar with his short ficition) and it was great. There are a couple of points I would quibble about, such as Clarke's tendency to "tell" technological advances rather than subtly integrate them into the novel, but that's justifiable. Clarke was trying to clearly describe a future society and not litter the book with techno-mania. I loved the short story, and while I like the novel less, it was still a good read.
So, whoever's read these books, please post your thoughts and tell me if I'm missing something!
