'The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldrich' by Philip K. Dick

The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldrich, Philip K. Dick (3.0)

PKD, as known by his fans, is most famous for ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep’, which was adapted to become the movie ‘Blade Runner’. In most of his short stories and novels, you have the distinct impression that he was using LSD for inspiration. In this case, the main topic actually is drug usage. It is set in the future where there is overcrowding and intense heat due to climate change (oddly ahead of his time as this was written in the early 60’s). Groups of people are conscripted to go to satellites on the moon where they spend much of their boring days using a drug that transports them to a different reality in synch with the other people in their ‘group’. It’s not always clear what it real and what is part of the ‘trip’, which can be frustrating. On a side note, the concept of ‘precogs’, the theme he uses in ‘The Minority Report’ by which certain people have the ability to see possible future actions and consequences, is used in this book too. As most PKD books, this novel is not for everyone. If you are comfortable letting yourself trip along with him and go wherever his crazy mind is going to go – it will be a truly unique experience. If you like plots and characters that are relatively easy to follow, you should probably stay clear.

'Stealing Light' trilogy by Gary Gibson

Stealing Light, Nova Wars, Empire of Light, trilogy by Gary Gibson (3.0)

Given how the first and second books of this trilogy end (i.e. somewhat unresolved and mid-story), if you like these books at all you’ll be compelled to read all three.  I recommend them to anyone who enjoys reading Sci-Fi adventures with the caveat that the last book is the weakest.  As with most, the stories span multiple galaxies, have new alien races and technologies, and the usual good vs bad – though it’s not always clear who is which.  Oddly, only a couple of characters span all three books though the timeline is continuous.  Typical of many Sci-Fi books the plot and technology are relatively strong, but the characters are a bit weaker and monochromatic particularly towards the end.  As opposed to growing and becoming more complex, the main characters became quite predictable. I guess that’s why the few Sci-Fi books that do contain memorable characters become classics.

"Boy's Life' by Robert R. McCammon

Boy’s Life, Robert R. McCammon (4.0)

This book club selection was a unanimous crowd pleaser. As with most highly rated books, the story had mystery, history, humor and a bit something special (in this case, the real or unreal magic of childhood).  The story revolves around a boy growing up in a small town in Alabama. At the beginning he witnesses a possible murder. The rest of the book follows his attempts to understand what happened while managing the everyday challenges of growing up. The book accurately portrays the tumult of the 60’s south with tensions between the black and white communities. We all enjoyed the characters, storytelling and magic. My only complaint was the excessive use of similes – sometimes 4 or 5 in a row. Though that is not much of a complaint – we all felt that this was a book for all to enjoy.

'The Great Gatsby' by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald (4.0)

Given the upcoming release of the new ‘Gatsby’ movie, I decided to re-read this classic. Lucky for me, I must have read this a very long time ago, as it felt like reading it for the first time. Fitzgerald spins a simple tale of love, jealousy and loss amongst the newly rich of Long Island during the roaring twenties. In a relatively short book he creates an atmosphere that is special. He does an amazing job of taking flawed complicated characters and making you want to like them – particularly Gatsby. I believe this is done because it’s told from the point of view of one character, a bit of an outsider who wants to like them all. The writing is quick and powerful throughout. Now we’ll have to see if Mr. DiCaprio does the enigmatic Gatsby justice – Robert Redford sure did!

'Tenth of December' by George Saunders

The Tenth of December, by George Saunders (4.0)

As many of you know, I am not a fan of short story collections. I attribute it to the fact that they are over too quickly. As soon as I get involved, its done and I’m on to the next one. Recently George Saunders was the subject of a New York Times Magazine article in which they discussed his pre-writing life (as a geophysical engineer) and his status as one of the best American writers. The raves about this book were so numerous, I decided to dive back into the short story format and I’m glad I did. While the majority of the 10 stories are depressing, his voice and imagination are remarkable. He obviously gets his inspiration from the dark side of human nature. His themes often focus on the economic divides in society and the broken people on all sides. I don't want to talk specifics - as there are often surprises that should not be spoiled. My only wish is that Mr. Saunders would write equally interesting stories about something good in humanity.