'Gone Girl' by Gillian Flynn

Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn (3.0)

This is a very difficult book to rate. While the writing is compelling and the plot is riveting, the characters are so abhorrent one can hardly get past them. The story is also extremely manipulative. It starts as a first person narrative alternating between a husband whose wife has gone missing and that wife’s diary from the years before. They both describe their lives in completely different ways. Half of the book seemed exactly like the Scott Peterson story (even with a Nancy Grace figure), then you realize that all is not as it seems. This is particularly jarring with a first person story, as you feel more invested. I will say that it was hard to put the book down and there were parts of the writing, that were very creative – which I am coming to appreciate more and more – but it is not a ‘feel good’ book. Ms. Flynn has taken quite a few literary gambles that seem to have paid off; given how many months this book has stayed on the best seller’s lists. I decided to give this book a ‘3’ as an average of the writing (4) and subject (2).

'Spin State' by Chris Moriarty

Spin State, Chris Moriarty (3.5)

This book falls under the sub-category of Hard Science Fiction. It is filled with current and futuristic physics. The story follows a genetically modified military Major as she is assigned to investigate a death of a famous physicist who was researching the material used for their quantum travel in the dangerous mines of the Major’s home planet. The main themes of the book are anthropological – such as the independence and civil rights of artificial intelligence beings, and the social hierarchy of societies with various levels of genetic modifications. This will not an easy Sci-Fi book to read for some due to the detailed hard science, but the social questions add a good balance.

'The Dovekeepers' by Alice Hoffman

The Dovekeepers, Alice Hoffman (4.0)

This historical fiction became even more meaningful to me when I read the detail in the afterword. Ms. Hoffman explains that the story came to her after visiting the ancient site, the Masada, where in 73 C.E. 900 Jews held out for months against armies of Romans. She visited the museum that had descriptions and bones from the site and she wrote stories around those bones from the point of view of 4 fictional women. The book started off quite slowly, but eventually I was enthralled with each of the intertwining stories and eager to understand what happens to each of the main characters (according to one ancient historian 2 women and a group of children survived). Each woman has an interesting tale of where she is from and whom she has become – all with the complexity of being independent during that era and fighting to survive without the typical family structure.

'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.