I recently reread Midnight at the Well of Souls by Jack Chalker, which I first read about ten years ago. Its a science fiction novel. I used to read very little other than sci-fi, when I was a teen. Back then it was science fiction & fantasy. Now I find myself wanting to go back and reread many of the books that I have fond memories of. I did enjoy rereading Midnight at the Well of Souls. I'm sure the experience won't be the same, but I still want to revisit many of these books and series of books.
Here's a partial list of some of the books that I want to reread:
Collections
- Well World series by Jack Chalker
- Deryni trilogies by Katherine Kurtz
- Apprentice Adept series by Piers Anthony
- Amber series by Roger Zelazny
- Gap Cycle by Stephen R. Donaldson
- Mordant's Need by Stephen R. Donaldson
Individual Novels
- I am a Barbarian by Edgar Rice Burroughs
- The Outlaw of Torn by Edgar Rice Burroughs
I don't plan on reading nothing but these series. Instead I will layer then in with the other books I am reading for the first time.
Like many entries this one evolved. Originally I was going to write about how I am regressing. Instead of looking forward I am looking backward. This worries me because I don't want to get too set in my ways. I always want to be open to new experiences and new perspectives. Instead I seem to have make a list of books that I want to read, with a little bit of commentary.
05/04/07
I've started rereading Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny. I first read it when I was in high school. I think I am going to need a score card to keep track of the royal family: nine princes and four princesses, at last count. Its a fun light read. One thing that cracks me up about it is some of the descriptions. The scene where Corwin and his sister Flora sit down for a meal is a good example. For some reason I was amused that they had steak and beer. There's something about that combination that reminded me of my days playing Dungeons and Dragons. I'm not sure if it says more about the writer or the time that the book was written.
Anyhow, it is a nice light read. It is the first book in a series of five, which is followed by another series of five. I think I've read all ten books, but I can't remember. I'm sure I read the first five and at least the first couple books in the second series.
05/11/07
In other news I am still reading three books:
~ Jarhead by Anthony Swofford
~ The Hotel Majestic by Georges Simenon
~ Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny
I am steadily making progress in all three. None of them is extremely long. Two are retreads but I am enjoying them all. I wouldn't be rereading if I didn't think I would get something from them.
05/30/07
Out by Natsuo Kirino is a kind of twisted book but I am enjoying it. Then again I am kind of twisted myself so maybe it is logical that I should enjoy it. Plot? Working married mom murders her very irresponsible husband in a fit of rage one night and then turns to her coworkers to help her cover her tracks. So far so good. I can't wait to see where the story goes and what role the Yakuza will play.
06/14/07
Out by Natsuo Kirino - I'm past the halfway point and enjoying this book immensely. I certainly didn't see some of the twists and turns coming. It zigged when I thought it was going to zag, more than once.
Deryni Rising by Katherine Kurtz - All finished. Yes, I enjoyed reading it for the third time in 20 years. It isn't the first book chronologically speaking, but it was the first one written. I am strongly in favor of reading books in the order they were written/published and not the order in order in which they are supposed to take place. When I first started reading the Deryni novels I started with the second trilogy which takes place (about 200 years) before the first trilogy but was written after it.
Exiles at the Well of Souls - Book Two of the Well World series. I just started it today. This is another retread. I first read it about 10 years ago.
Books I plan to buy and read in the very near future:
Men of Tomorrow by Gerard Jones
Boyproof by Cecil Castellucci
and now I am blanking. I know there is more.
06/27/07
I've started reading Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters and the Birth of the Comic Book by Gerard Jones. I only just started reading it but the introduction is pretty heart-wrenching. It is the story of Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster, the creators of Superman.
07/05/07
Don't laugh but I'm reading a teen romance: Boyproof by Cecil Castellucci. So far I like it, probably because it isn't too girly. The main character is a tomboy who always dresses up like her favorite science fiction hero, a woman named Egg. She also insists that everyone call her Egg. Its a fast read, but as with most books I am taking my time. Ten pages here, a dozen there. This is definitely light reading.
I'm also knee deep in Men of Tomorrow by Gerard Jones. Excellent read. I think I'm going to have try and get my father to give this one a try. Its more than just a story about Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the creators of Superman. It is also the story of the origins of the comic book industry. The most interesting thing I have learned about so far is how the Prohibition Era (in the United States) helped to provide bank to the one of the men who would later publish Action Comics, Superman, Detective Comics, Batman, etc. In other words without the money made from smuggling booze there might never have been a comic book industry.
07/22/07
I'm still reading Men of Tomorrow and for the most part I am enjoying it quite a bit. The only thing that really bothers me about it is the way the author, Gerard Jones, keeps making derogatory comments about accountants and accounting. Jack Liebowitz One of the men who swindled Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster out of their share of their biggest creation, Superman, was an accountant. He's the only one in the story and yet because he obviously done them wrong, no argument from me there, Jones seems to think its alright to make comments like "accountancy breeds complicity" (on page 165). WTF?
08/05/07
Exiles at the Well of Souls - ...finished this one on Friday. It isn't a comic book but it is sci-fi. Its the second book of (at least) five in the well world series by Jack Chalker. This series in general is a lot of fun, for me at least. I see it as the ultimate role-playing fantasy series. People find themselves on a strange planet which is subdivided into hexagonal pieces of land. Each hex is governed by different rules of science. Not all technology functions in all hexes. Additionally each hex has its own dominant sentient race. When people arrive on the Well World, which doesn't happen too often, they are required to enter the Well. It selects a new life for them and reassigns them to one of the hexes. Although they retain all their memories, their DNA is restructured so that they become a member of the dominant species of the hex they are sent to. To me that sounds like the ultimate role-playing fantasy.
Plot? Mavra Chang (good gal), Antor Trellig (bad guy), and a few others find themselves unwittingly transported to the Well World. They crash land on the planet in two different space ships. The ships soon become the things to have and a war ensues. Chang and Trellig end up on opposite ends of the war and before it is all over Chang pays a horrible, although not life-ending, price for her efforts. The story begun in this volume concludes in the next volume, Quest for the Well of Souls.
08/11/07
I finished Men of Tomorrow, which I really liked except for some of the comments that the author makes about accountants in general, despite the fact there is only one mentioned by name in the book. If you have any interest in the origins of the comic book industry then I recommend you read this book. It was interesting to see how the birth of the industry tied back into Prohibition and gangsters, among other things.
I've started reading The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster. I've been reading to read this for a long time. I believe some of the material in this collection was used as the basis for the movie Smoke, which Auster also wrote and is - like - one my favorite movies. I should probably watch it again after I finish reading this book. Anyhow, I'm only twenty or so pages into the first story but I really like how he writes.
09/05/07
Today, on the way to work I read what is probably my favorite chapter (# 14) in Deryni Rising, and is possibly the turning point in the Chronicles of the Deryni trilogy. Father Duncan McClain forced to reveal his true nature and the first hint on dissension within the ranks of the bishops of Gwynedd.
Marc Evanier's story about the cruelest thing he ever did (the subject of an essay from Comic Books and Other Necessities of Life) made me laugh out loud, on the bus this afternoon. It involves setting fire to a fake Jack Kirby sketch in front of a fan. I can only imagine how any comic book fanatic would react to such an act if they believed it was an authentic sketch.
09/06/07
One of the more recent essays that I read from Comics and Other Necessities of Life struck me as being rather useless. Of course, that's just my opinion. I think it is useless because I found it very unconvincing. Basically Mr. Evanier was arguing against story lines (in comic books) that involve bad things happening to the heroic characters. He says he reads comic books because he wants to read about supernatural beings doing heroic things, more specifically: saving the day.
I'm chagrined by the author's opinion. I don't share it. I like gritty stories; stories in which things don't turn out for the best. I don't want to read them to the exclusion of all else but I do like them. He on the other hand seems to think (or thought at the time the essay was written) that when in doubt too many authors were writing stories about things going horribly wrong rather than writing "good" stories. Of course it isn't exactly clear to me what elements Mr. Evanier thinks a "good" (comic book) story usually possesses but I think it is safe to say that generally speaking it will have a happy ending. He doesn't completely shut the door on sad or bad endings, but he definitely has a bone to pick with writers who use them as often as not.
OK, my problem with his reasoning, or at least my perception of it, is that he seems to be saying that unless your (comic book) story is well written then it should have a happy ending or at least not have a sad one. There are plenty of badly written (comic book) stories out there with happy endings and considerably more (comic book) stories with happy endings than sad endings. So, why do we need more badly written stories with upbeat endings?
Deep down I think that my problem with Mr. Evanier's argument is that he seems to be defending the status quo. If change is to occur he wants it to occur within very narrow bounds. Innovation means taking risks. Things aren't always going to work out. If you don't give writers and artists latitude to work then will likely stay very close to the status quo. Boring! I don't like every innovation that I see, but I do like to see change and innovation even when I don't like the form it takes.
I don't mean to single out the writer of this essay. He is by no means the only creator, in comic books, who feels this way. I believe John Byrne has expressed similar opinions and I am sure that there are others.
Actually the worst thing about this essay is the way in which he introduces the topic by writing about lawyers. Very close to being a non-sequitur.
OK, that's it. I've said my piece. Good night.
09/08/07
I went to the Wheaton Library today. They have a used book store in the basement. I went looking for science fiction and fantasy novels. I bought four: Camber of Culdi by Katherine Kurtz, The Mirror of Her Dreams and A Man Rides Through both by Stephen R. Donaldson, and Split Infinity by Piers Anthony. All are books that I read as a teenager and plan to reread in the months ahead.
Camber of Culdi is the first book in the second trilogy that Katherine Kurtz wrote about the medieval world of the Deryni. It takes place roughly 200 years before the first series, which I am reading now.
Split Infinity is the first book in the Apprentice Adept series. I've read the first three books but no farther. Aside from the author's name I think what originally drew me to this series was the dual worlds of Phaze and Proton that exist side-by-side. One (Proton) is a world of high technology and the other (Phaze) a world with comparatively primitive technology but where magic works. This series is taking the place of the Amber series which I decided to stop rereading.
09/10/07
I finished Deryni Checkmate on the way to work this morning. Good book. Much better than the previous book, which was also a good book, it is just that this one is more elaborate, has more characters, and does not seemed as rushed as the prior volume. Also this book ends with a cliffhanger of sorts, as Gwynedd is about to erupt in civil war. The first book was much more self contained.
Now I need to decide what to read next:
- Quest for the Well of Souls by Jack Chalker
- Split Infinity by Piers Anthony
- The Mirror of Her Dreams by Stephen R. Donaldson
I plan to read all three, its just a question of which to read next. Hmmmmm.....
Also on the subject of books: I feel a little guilty re-reading all these novels that I enjoyed when I was younger. Guilty because instead of seeking out something new I am rereading books I have read before. I don't like being stagnant, I like growing. I am seeing things that I didn't see before in some of these book but I still feel as though I should be seeking out new SF/F instead of rereading. I tend to look down on people who prefer to re-live the past rather than live in the present so I think that it is understandable that I am torn over this.
On the other hand I am trying new books, new fiction, it is just that it isn't new SF/F. I am also in the midst of reading New York Trilogy by Paul Auster. I've read the first of the three stories. I'll get back to it once I finish off Comic Books and Other Necessities of Life by Marc Evanier. I also have The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril by Paul Malmont to read. None of these are books that I have read before or even authors I have read before.
09/13/07
I started reading Quest for the Well of Souls the other day. This isn't the best written series in terms of the beauty of the language or the composition of the sentences and paragraphs but I do love me the characters and the pace at which at which the story is revealed. At least that's how I feel right now. I honestly cannot remember what is coming in this volume of the Well World saga, other than Mavra Chang eventually being restored to a more dignified physical appearance.
09/21/07
I finished off the second story in New York Trilogy. I'm starting to wonder what is drawing me through this book. It is well written but the style isn't one that I am usually drawn to. There isn't much dialogue although there is much interior monologue. When there is conversation no quotation marks are used. Normally these are the sorts of things that turn me off. Yet I continue to read.
I think it must have something to do with the way the story seems to suggest implicitly that there is more than meets the eye to the story. This one had a very meta feel to it, like the author was writing about writing without explicitly writing about writing. I find that interesting.
I'm planning to give the book a rest now. I want to finish off the Well World book I am currently reading before I dig into the final installment in New York Trilogy. At this point I would say that I am interested in reading more by Paul Auster, but that could change.
09/24/07
Ravage by René Barjavel arrived in the mail today. I think it has been less than a week since I ordered it. Very impressive. I read a few more pages tonight as my dinner was warming up on the stove. I guess this means that I should return the copy I borrowed from the bibliotheque at the Alliance Française. I seem to be looking up fewer words the further I get. Not sure if that is because of the content or if my vocabulary is just expanding exponentially.
10/05/07
I've started reading The Mirror of Her Dreams. First time reading it in over 20 years. Loving it again. I remember being really impressed by the writing the first time I read it. I am impressed again. Stephen R. Donaldson really knows how to write intelligently. His plots aren't always spot on but his composition makes it well worth the read. That probably sounds incredibly geeky, but hey, that's me. It also occurs to me that on a subconscious [level] his writing style may have appealed to me when I was younger because, unlike many sci-fi and fantasy novels, Donaldson's books don't repeat facts over and over in the same language. He also uses a very broad vocabulary.
One aspect of the story that I don't remember and I wonder if I even took note of it the first time I read it is the importance of mirrors to the main character Terisa. I should probably explain a little about the story. Terisa is a young woman (mid 20s?) who lives in New York City in the late 20th century. Her parents had money but did not want to acknowledge her presence. As a result she now surrounds herself with mirrors because seeing her reflection reminds her of her own existence. She ends [up] getting pulled through a mirror one night and ends up in another world. A world that seems much more medieval by today's standards. In this world mirrors are used to view other worlds. There are no reflective surfaces. And the people she meets question whether she even existed before she came through the mirror.
There's more to the story than that but that's the part that intrigues me now: the whole question of existence. What happens now that she is outside of her comfort zone? How does she cope in a world without reflective surfaces, like mirrors?
10/06/07
On a slightly different matter, I've started thinking that I need to try and read some of the books I hear discussed on Bookworm. I've been listening to the show for over a year now and have yet to try one of the books. There are a couple that stick out in my mind. Maybe I'll start by making a list of all the books they have discussed.
10/07/07
Last night I finished reading Quest for the Well of Souls by Jack Chalker. I didn't remember exactly how it ended. The book is less than perfect but there is something or things about it that I like. One thing that I can pinpoint without any trouble is the ideas behind it. I love how Chalker posits this idea about the universe being created by a race of beings with godlike powers, the Markovians. They don't just create the universe they also created a world to experiment with creating various sentient life forms: the Well World. This world is run by a giant computer: the Well of Souls, which is far too complex for any of the races created by the Markovians to control. I like the energy with which the author infuses this idea.
I also like some of the characters, the main character in particular: Mavra Chang. She goes through quite a bit before the story is over. First she is transformed against her will into a human/donkey hybrid creature, then a pig-like creature, then a talking horse and finally back to a donkey/human hybrid. She is very resourceful. A couple other characters in the book are from the first book in the series: Midnight at the Well of Souls. I had forgotten that they were also in these two books or that there was a connection between them and Mavra.
10/11/07
I started reading the third novella in New York Trilogy by Paul Auster. I needed something else to read. I wasn't satisfied with just reading The Mirror of Her Dreams. I needed something else to provide some contrast. I'm not sure if it is fair to judge Auster based on just one book (three stories) but he comes off as very wordy. I like his writing but I don't understand it all the time. This is may be a sign that I should reread NYT in the future.
11/13/07
Still working my way through The Mirror of Her Dreams by Stephen R. Donaldson. I'm around the 3/4 mark in the book. I'm not going to finish it this week, but maybe next week. I need to find something else to read, something other than the sci-fi and fantasy series that I am currently reading, something to balance them out. It doesn't have to be non-fiction, but it needs to be something in a very different vein.
11/17/07
I drove to the Wheaton Public Library after finishing my sandwich. I was looking for something good to read, something not sci-fi or fantasy. I was in the basement where they have their book sale. I looked around a lot and ended up buying a couple of novels (Carousel, Mannequin) about criminal investigations in Paris during World War 2. The author's name is J. Robert Janes. I'm unfamiliar with his books but they looked interesting enough for me to pick them up. They were only asking $1.50 for each of the books. I was about to start reading the second Ripley novel but I think I will read the first of the two novels I bought today and then jump back to the trio of Patricia Highsmith novels that I bought several years ago. I read the first one, The Talented Mr. Ripley, when I first bought the three-volumes-in-one collection but haven't gotten back to read the other two novels since then.
12/05/07
I finally finished The Mirror of Her Dreams by Stephen R. Donaldson. It definitely lived up to my memory of how good it is. I first read it about twenty years ago. I think I appreciated it somewhat differently this time around. I think I was much more taken and focused a lot more on the erotic aspects (which are an important but not overwhelming part) of the story. Of course I was teenager then and much more easily distracted by the subject of sex. Enough of that. It is a great read. Each chapter seems vitally important to me. There's no filler material in this book. It is always on the go, up to the very last chapter. It kept me guessing the whole way, because I couldn't remember how it all turned out. I still have the second part of the Mordant's Need to read, A Man Rides Through. Can't wait to see how it all turns out but I think I will by way of next reading the final book in Katherine Kurtz' Chronicles of the Deryni, High Deryni.
12/06/07
After two attempts I have decided to give up on Carousel by J. Robert Janes. Its a novel about a couple of detectives, one French and the other German, investigating a couple of murders in Paris in December 1942. It sounds like it could be good but the writing is just a little too confusing and muddled for me. The thing that I have the most trouble with is how the perspective of the narration seems to shift frequently and without warning. One minute you are inside the head of one character, then another, then a third. There doesn't seem to be any limit to the number of characters who take turns narrating. Often I couldn't tell who was narrating or that the POV had changed until a paragraph or two after the change. Glad I only paid $1.50 for this one.
12/07/07
High Deryni by Katherine Kurtz is a big improvement over Carousel. As always there is an adjustments period when I start a new book. Each author is different and writes with a different sort of voice. I get used to the voice I am listening to while I read a book. Once I finish it or move on to another book I find that I am still expecting to hear that author's voice, even though I am reading someone else's book now. So I have to take it slow when I start a new book and acclimate myself to the new voice that is speaking to me. Otherwise I tend to become frustrated and not finish the book or not enjoy it.
I'm debating whether to order the biography of Milton Caniff or maybe even the first collection of a comic strip he drew 70 years ago, Terry and the Pirates. I understand that at least one of the Asian characters is drawn and acts in way that makes him seem more of a caricature than a character; yet I'm still curious about this strip which is supposed to have influenced many creators who were of an age at the time it was being produced. Anyhow, I'm definitely thinking I want to read more non-fiction about the comic book business/industry. Not just books about the art of creating comics but also ones that delve into the ideas behind the stories.
12/11/07
On the way home from tutoring tonight I started reading the second of Patricia Highsmith's novels about Tom Ripley, Ripley Under Ground. I'm only a few pages into it. It has to have been at least three years since I read the first one, The Talented Mr. Ripley.
Ripley has been involved in selling forged paintings, some suspects that the paintings are forgeries (the artist committed suicide a couple years earlier but Ripley and friends have told the world he is living in a small town in Mexico) so now Ripley is going to impersonate the artist. That's what I got from the first chapter
12/12/07
I've only read one chapter so far but I'm liking Ripley Under Ground. Can't wait to see what twists and turns it takes. Its kind of fun reading a book about a villain or antihero, like Ripley.
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