Recently finished up a fair number of books. So let me tell you about them.
Officer-Cadet, by Rick Shelley (1998): A young cadet on his first tour faces a not-very-mysteriously-motivated civil conflict. Slogging ensues. Unlike most military SF, this tale has neither moral quandaries, exciting tech, bloody melodrama, nor philosophical musings. Or, for that matter, interesting characters, compelling plotting, or much reason to finish it, let alone pick up the succeeding editions of the Dirigent Mercenary Corps series. Not bad, just numbingly pedestrian and routine in both tone and story.
Serenity, by Keith R.A. DeCandido (based on the screenplay by, duh, Joss Whedon) (2005): A decent, but almost blandly faithful, rendition of the screenplay in novel form. For three-quarters of the book, the only differences between the two are the insertion here of scenes (from the TV show) of the Battle of Serenity Valley, and Simon trying to convince his parents that something is wrong with River, and even that is played with very straightforwardly.
The problem is, with an adaptation of a movie like this, what the fans (or even the interested) want is something that provides some extra depth, added details, background from Joss translated into novel form, whatever. Instead, we get something that neither adds to nor detracts from the movie — the screenplay without the visuals, which ends up making it fairly ho-hum. Even in the last quarter, when we begin to get some perspective work, the book remains fairly unilluminating.
My recommendation? Purchase …
Serenity: The Official Visual Companion, by Joss Whedon (Intro.) (2005): Ah. Truly sweet. A lengthy intro from Joss about the making of the movie and the Firefly universe, followed by the screenplay (including a few deleted scenes), all interlaced with numerous gorgeous color shots. A wonderful book for anyone with interest in the movie, or the ‘Verse.
Three for the Chair, by Rex Stout (1957): Three “fish out of water” Nero Wolfe tales, each having to do with an occasion that brings Wolfe out of his comfortable brownstone and out to the scene of the (eventual) crime. The individual stories are fine ones, but the combination robs the oddity of … well, its oddity. Still, a decent Wolfe book is always worth it, and I’ve begun rereading my fairly extensive collection of them as “comfort food.” Good stuff.
The Crystal Gryphon, by Andre Norton (1972): One of Norton’s finest fantasy novels, from her Witch World/High Hallack series. Having read this when it was new and I was young, I may have “impressed” on it like a baby chick, but this tale of the war- and magic-crossed protagonists, one a noble maiden who seeks her independence, the other the magically mutated scion of another duchy, still resonates with me. How they face prejudice, betrayal, war, and other Shakespearean-class plot complications continues to appeal.
I recently purchased a second-hand hardcover edition of this, to make up for my worn-to-falling-apart paperback. It’s a pity it’s out of print.
Smoke and Mirrors, by Neil Gaiman (1998): This was a fortuitous “airport bookstore” purchase for me, a fine collection of short and super-short stories by one of today’s best fantasists. Though I could do without the poetry, the prose simply rocks, juxtaposing the normal with the magical (and often the dark) in a gripping fashion. I would seriously consider trading in a limb in order to write as well as Gaiman does. (And I have no doubt that he would write an interesting, charming, creepily delightful tale of someone making such a trade.)
His Excellency George Washington, by Joseph J. Ellis (2004) – Audiobook narrated by Nelson Runger: A methodical and well-crafted biography of Washington, portraying him neither as demigod nor demagogue, but as a strong, heroic man with occasional feet of clay, someone who well deserves to be considered the Hero of the Revolutionary War and the Father of His Country, but who was also possessed of both a temper and an aggrieved sense of sleights from others, as well as a fear of ridicule and poor reputation that drove him as much as any noble commitment to revolution and principle. Headstrong in battle, Washington was still the best and most effective military leader of the Revolution, and his careful style and insistence on stepping aside when the time was right (versus become the military dictator that some feared and many expected) entitle him to much of the admiration that subsequent generations have given him. An excellent review of the Revolutionary period and the First Presidency.
This unabridged 13 CDs (vs. 352pp) audiobook proceeds at a decent pace, and Runger’s narration is clear and even, almost, but never quite, to the point of being soporific.
Adams vs. Jefferson: the Tumultuous Election of 1800, by John Ferling (2004) – Audiobook narrated by Jack Garrett: While the focus is on the critical election (the first truly contested Presidential election that led, eventually, to a peaceful transfer of power in the nascent Republic) this book spends considerable time providing biographies of the principals — Adams, Jefferson, Pinkney, Burr, Hamilton, and others — involved in the contest. It gives extensive and understandable background to the conflict between the Federalists and the new Republicans — a conflict whose rhetoric made the elections of 2000 and 2004 look like the calmest of civil debates (albeit the modern candidates couldn’t hold a candle to those in 1800). Political dirty tricks, statehouse maneuverings, and a flawed electoral process defined in the Constitution ended up sending the election to the House of Representatives, where further furious deal-making and political chicanery barely led to our not ending up with a President Burr …
Again, another fine, clear tale of the Revolutionary Era and the election that served as its “consummation,” both proving that the Republic could endure and setting the grounds for the Jeffersonian Republican dynasty that so profoundly shaped American history.
This unabridged 10 CDs (vs. 260pp) book is well narrated by Jack Garrett, who brings a newscaster’s flare to the conflicted tale he tells.
On one of my periodic rereads of the entire nero Wolfe corpus, it occured to me that, for a man who rarely leaves his home, and “never” on business, we sure see him outside his home a lot! It bugged me until I realized that Archie presents us with Wolfe’s most unusual cases.
Of course. Archie often comments on other, more mundane, unrecorded cases. And it’s still rare enough during the course of the novels and stories to be a clear exception. Only with three stories like this, back to back, does it become a head-scratch.