Book Reviews

[shipperx]

Book Reviews, not written by me because I am lazy.  But I enjoyed the books and the reviews sum up why.

Review of 'Redshirts' by A.V. Club :

The cleverest part of John Scalzi's Redshirts occurs roughly halfway through the novel. The characters and story have been working toward a revelation that pushes the narrative in a specific direction. Yet once it arrives, the story opens up. It can go anywhere. Redshirts takes advantage of that freedom, swiftly changing from an amusing-but-predictable parody into a more complex and affecting book.

Redshirts opens with a group of new ensigns on board the Universal Union’s flagship, the Intrepid. They quickly discover something is wrong: The crew hides in terror whenever the senior officers search for anyone to accompany them on away missions. The new ensigns, after a few bizarre, bloody away missions of their own, quickly discover why—the shirking crew members know they’re likely to die when the senior officers (who always survive) do dangerous things.

This is all expected, given the novel’s title and the role of the “red shirt” character in television history. The ensigns exist only to create a sense of danger when they die or get wounded; otherwise, they’re expendable. This initial section of the book is an easy-to-read, amusing Terry Pratchett-esque parody of the trope.

That changes as the ensigns meet Jenkins, a longer-serving member of the Intrepid’s crew who has figured out why things on the ship are the way they are: They're creations of a fictional television show. And that show isn’t very good. The dialogue is cheesy, the logic is nonsensical, and the constant redshirt deaths are the show’s only reliable mechanism for creating drama. This is initially funny, but it eventually becomes the novel’s emotional core.

Redshirts’ story becomes especially compelling once the characters decide to take action against their cruel fate. The quest to escape apparent destiny is a common, but Scalzi takes a sudden turn toward ambition. The goofy, winking parody becomes a grand meta-narrative {...} From there, Redshirts becomes a criticism of—and explanation for—the narrative shortcuts of genre television. It touches on the value of fiction in terms of dealing with grief and loss. It’s a love letter to the in-depth universes created by the producers and fans of even the least innovative television shows. It’s somewhat overambitious, and the narrative dissolves well before the end of the novel, but that never stops the book’s momentum.

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A partial of A.V.Club's review of 'The Fault In Our Stars' :

It’s hard to explain why John Green’s latest young-adult novel, The Fault In Our Stars, is so great, because any attempts to outline the plot or characters make it sound like one of the worst books ever written. Green has always excelled at writing the sorts of  books where the characters learn important things about themselves, which is already dangerous territory for writing anything that’s not unrepentant treacle. And Stars’ primary characters are teenagers with cancer. He’s in the territory of Lifetime original movies.

Remarkably, Stars might be Green’s best novel yet. (His previous titles include Looking For Alaska and An Abundance Of Katherines.) It’s a funny, ultimately moving tale of what it means to face impending death at a young age. The book is being pitched as Green’s breakthrough out of the young-adult ghetto and to a wider audience, and it’s easy to see why. There’s more wisdom about life and death here than in a dozen similarly themed, more “literary” novels, and Green’s protagonist is a wonderful creation.

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Also The Guardian's review of 'The Fault In Our Stars':

I am not one to cry when reading books. I didn't cry when Dobby died in Harry Potter, when Callum in Noughts & Crosses, or when

Prim in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay

The Fault In Our Stars however, reduced me to tears.

This is a novel from 16 year old Hazel Grace Lancaster's point of view, a girl who has terminal lung cancer and has been battling cancer since she was thirteen. She has an oxygen tank attached to her via the tubes through her nose because in Hazels' words "My lungs suck at being lungs". When she attends a Cancer Children Support Meeting and encounters Augustus Waters, her life changes dramatically.

Augustus provided much needed companionship, humour, and reminded Hazel not to let the cancer consume her; to not let it take away her hopes, dreams and social life. He also showed her what it felt like to be unconditionally loved. His bravado and swagger was very much like how a young male might handle situations, but he was also not afraid to let Hazel (and the reader) see his vulnerable side. The witty and thought-provoking conversation between the two really helped the flow, and lightened the mood of a novel surrounding a rather serious topic. They ask the questions that relates to all of us: Will I be loved? Will I be remembered? Will I leave a mark?

Green has the ability to handle the pace of a novel well and appropriately, and can create characters with a voice that will touch the reader. He very believably portrayed a young female teenager's thoughts and issues to the point where I felt that Hazel was one of my best friends. He created characters that the audience grows to love and care for; Hazel, Augustus and his friend Isaac are wonderfully constructed, and are very realistic.

What I loved about The Fault In Our Stars is that the journey that Hazel went on wasn't acceptance of death -she'd completed that before the novel began- but on the acceptance of life. How life isn't always fair, but life just is. The Fault In Our Stars isn't a depressing read, then again, it isn't an uplifting novel either. It is simply a truthful depiction of love, loss, and the life of a young girl who has cancer.

The Fault In Our Stars is an insightful and moving novel that will leave you with a lump in your throat, but with a more optimistic understanding of life.

Comments

[cindergal.livejournal.com]

I loved The Fault in Our Stars as well. Hazel and Gus! ♥

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Strongly agree with the Guardian's review.

Especially:

What I loved about The Fault In Our Stars is that the journey that Hazel went on wasn't acceptance of death -she'd completed that before the novel began- but on the acceptance of life. How life isn't always fair, but life just is. The Fault In Our Stars isn't a depressing read, then again, it isn't an uplifting novel either. It is simply a truthful depiction of love, loss, and the life of a young girl who has cancer.

Exactly. Just that. And still the best book I've read in five years, and yes that includes George RR Martin.