Somewhere Beneath Those Waves

Somewhere Beneath Those Waves by Sarah Monette

The first non-themed collection of critically acclaimed author Sarah Monette''s best short fiction. To paraphrase Hugo-award winner Elizabeth Bear's introduction: '"onette's prose is lapidary, her ideas are fantastical and chilling. She has studied the craft of fantastic fiction from the pens of masters and mistresses of the genre. She is a poet of the awkward and the uncertain, exalter of the outcast, the outre, and the downright weird. There is nothing else quite like Sarah Monette's fiction." -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads

Ok, so this isn't YA. I was getting desperate for another post, and I know there are people who may read this blog occasionally who would love this one. Before this one I had read The Bone Key, her collection of short stories about Kyle Murchison Booth, a sort of supernatural detective. She really captured the feel of Lovecraft's horror in some of those stories, without getting bogged down in the prose or offering faceless narrators. She also has the detective story thing down, and I'd love to see a Mystery! production of Booth's stories, in the same vein as Miss Marple or Poirot. 

Both these points, while true, don't do any justice to Monette's own voice as an author, which is distinct, memorable, and masterful. These stories will creep up on you- the language is evocative and conjures up images that will stick with you. The other thing that sets Monette apart, and that many other reviewers have commented on, is the feeling of Otherness embodied by most of her narrators. Her protagonists are, for the most part, outsiders, people who find themselves treading boundaries. To call them quirky would be an insult- they aren't stock characters with a twist, or exploding with irritating eccentricities. They are three-dimensional people, drawn believably but with surprisingly few strokes. Some, like the cops in "A Night in Electric Squidland" and "Impostors," and the aforementioned Booth, are recurring characters. Others, like the courtesan/spy from "Amante Doree" or the heartbroken musician from "Katabasis: Seraphic Trains" (possibly my favorite story), you'll only see for a few brief pages but are unlikely to forget. 

I'd recommend this, and The Bone Key, for fans of Neil Gaiman, Margo Lanagan, Charles DeLint, Catherynne M. Valente (the Seraphic Trains story really reminded me of Palimpsest), Lovecraft, Hellboy, Supernatural (not only are there paranormal cop buddies, there's a naive but tetchy angel), urban fantasy, horror, and magic realism. 

*A caveat: some of these stories are extremely dark, and not just in the sense that they deal with supernatural beings and gothic situations ("The Séance at Chisholm End" is a fantastic period piece about spirit mediums). No, some of these stories deal openly with some heavy stuff, like the loss of an older brother to Vietnam ("Letters from a Teddy Bear on Veterans Day"), surviving conquest ("A Light in Troy") and trauma ("After the Dragon"), and the horrors of war ("No Man's Land"). Serious trigger warnings for these, especially the last.   

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Why the lack of posts?

Poor blog, I haven't been posting much lately. I haven't been reading as many teen books as I did last year- this is partially because I've been away, or there have been adult books I've wanted to read. But, here's a bit of a confession:

Sometimes I get a bit tired of reading young adult books.

*cringes*

Before I go any further, let me say a few things clearly and emphatically.

Not all teen books are the same.

It's not a genre, it's just a target age group.

IT'S NOT A GENRE.

SERIOUSLY. NOT A GENRE. So there aren't set guidelines as to tone, content, setting, violence, characterization, voice, perspective, length, complexity, intelligence, competence or style. There are scads of of important, meaningful, technically skilled works of literature that also happen to be aimed at a teenage audience.

Are we clear?

Ok, good.

With that in mind.... there are certain popular trends in teen lit right now, namely dystopian novels and paranormal romances. As one would expect, publishers are fully aware that these are popular marketable themes, and are flogging the hell out of any book they can get away with claiming might be the next Hunger Games or Twilight. This means that there are soooooooooo many books which, on the surface, appeal to my interests, but were written hastily, accepted for their perceived money-grabbing potential, and add nothing to the already teetering heap. I'm pretty burned out on those, and haven't been reading as many books that don't already have some serious buzz surrounding them (or if I just can't resist the summary). In some ways this is good, as I am becoming more selective, but it also leads to a bit of a rut wherein I find myself mostly picking up sequels or things that seem like pretty sure bets anyway.

There's also a bit of an issue that really is not an issue- teen books are aimed at teens. And I'm not a teen. One way to look at this is in terms of romance. Many teen books are dealing with first loves, and often idealized ones. Big, sweeping, tragic, epic PERFECT romances. Which is perfectly fine. But sometimes I want to read something a bit more complex, or edgier, than fluttery, sweet, will they-won't they soulmatey crap. To put it in vampire terms (as you do), sometimes I want Buffy and Angel making eyes at each other in the Bronze, and sometimes I want Buffy and Spike wrecking house.

Or maybe I want to read about someone else struggling with their job, not math class.

(Again, this is not an issue of genre. Someone could reasonably suggest that I look to, say, modern literary fiction, but I would be just as happy reading about, say, a demon hunter being frustrated with her crappy midlevel position in the research and development department of a paranormal defense organization. It's a stage of life thing, not a setting thing).

None of these are complaints, I'm just putting down some thoughts that have to do with the lack of entries. I still love teen media, and have dozens of young adult books on my to-read pile that I can't wait to get my hands on. Maybe I'll post more about movies here, or branch out? I've been keeping it pretty YA-specific in the name of job-hunting, but I don't know.

Any thoughts, guys?

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Review: Revived

"It started with a bus crash.
Daisy Appleby was a little girl when it happened, and she barely remembers the accident or being brought back to life. At that moment, though, she became one of the first subjects in a covert government program that tests a drug called Revive.

Now fifteen, Daisy has died and been Revived five times. Each death means a new name, a new city, a new identity. The only constant in Daisy's life is constant change.

Then Daisy meets Matt and Audrey McKean, charismatic siblings who quickly become her first real friends. But if she's ever to have a normal life, Daisy must escape from an experiment that's much larger--and more sinister--than she ever imagined.

From its striking first chapter to its emotionally charged ending, Cat Patrick's Revived is a riveting story about what happens when life and death collide." -Goodreads


Stats:
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Release Date: May 8, 2012
Page Count: 336
Would Appeal To: Those who like witness relocation program type stories plus a little mystery

Favorite Quote:
"...instead I zone out, pulled away by thoughts of Matt's hair. Of his tanned arms and the wide, industrial-hip watch that looks like it was made specifically for his arm."

Things I Loved:

• The premise. You can die over and over and have no fear of not coming back to life? What a cool idea to explore. This has elements of sci-fi I can get onboard with. 
• There were at least three twists I can think of through the story. 
• Matt's super cute and says really frustrating things sometimes. He's truly the boy next door plucked right out of real life.
• As Daisy investigates the bus crash victims from so many years ago, she learns more about the Revive project and God, the maker. I enjoyed being a part of her discoveries. It was fun to try to put the pieces together of case file 22. 
• Daisy and Megan's friendship is effortless, even though it's not one of the main focuses of the story. It's always in the background, the one friend Daisy can rely on, who truly understands who she is and where she came from. And that she's died five times. The two have a blog where they take opposing sides on different issues. Reading their texts and hearing about their blog posts added some light energy to the story.
• Mason is such a cool dad. He's not Daisy's real dad, just the agent assigned to her. There are some mushy but genuine father-daughter I really appreciate you moments that pass between them.
• Audrey is so cool. Another one of those friendships that seems to have a life of its own. It's natural and fun. She is down to earth and happy. I was so excited that Daisy had a friend at her new school, since she was usually a loner. It's too dangerous for her to get close to anyone.
• There are some life-is-so-unfair moments I felt as the reader, but Cat Patrick did justice in the writing and telling of the story, otherwise, I wouldn't have been so emotional.

What bugged me:

• Two of the twists were predictable.

I enjoyed this book and read it pretty fast on a plane. It makes me even more excited to read Patrick's Forgotten, which received a lot of praise and was recommended by Jay Asher.

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Unnatural Creatures

Unnatural Creatures edited by Neil Gaiman

Unnatural Creatures is a collection of short stories about the fantastical things that exist only in our minds—collected and introduced by beloved New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman.

The sixteen stories gathered by Gaiman, winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards, range from the whimsical to the terrifying. The magical creatures range from werewolves to sunbirds to beings never before classified. E. Nesbit, Diana Wynne Jones, Gahan Wilson, and other literary luminaries contribute to the anthology.

Sales of Unnatural Creatures benefit 826DC, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting students in their creative and expository writing, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads

It's a good time to be a Gaiman fan. Good Omens might finally get its long awaited adaptation, and HBO is developing a multi-season American Gods Series (I'm actively restraining myself from getting too excited about my own casting choices. "Benedict is too busy, don't get your hopes up" is a new mantra). On top of that, The Ocean at the End of the Lane was better than I had expected- while Gaiman builds on themes he's been exploring his whole career, the book never feels stale and if anything, the pseudo-autobiographical elements add weight to the narrative voice. Check out Tor's excellent review here. Add to that an anthology of stories about mythical creatures and you've got one happy fantasy fan. 

For one thing, how great is the cover design? I love the sketchy antler-tentacle design, and the longer you look the more things you see. I like the font, too, and the contrasty blue text (graphic design people, feel free to weigh in here!). As for the stories themselves, well, most were good, a few were boring, and one or two I loved. Some I had read in other collections, including Gaiman's- which turned out to be one of my favorites. It's not brilliant, but it's got a good variety and plenty of shelf appeal. Plus, the proceeds go to a very cool charity!

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Review: Unravel Me

tick
tick
tick
it's almost
time for war.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life. -Goodreads

Stats:
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: February 5, 2013
Page Count: 461
Would Appeal To: Dystopian fans (Article 5 series, Delirium series)
Favorite Quotes: 
"But then Adam's lips press against my head and my worries put on a fancy dress and pretend to be something else for a while."

"How hollow I feel...Like I'm one of those chocolate rabbits they used to sell around Easter, the ones that were nothing more than a sweet shell encapsulating a world of nothing."

"Synonyms know each other like old colleagues, like a set of friends who've seen the world together. They swap stories, reminisce about their origins and forget that though they are similar, they are entirely different...Because a quiet night is not the same as a silent one, a firm man is not the same as a steady one, and a bright light is not the same as a brilliant one because the way they wedge themselves into a sentence changes everything."

"Castle looks like he's a balloon that fell in love with a pushpin that got too close and ruined him forever."

"I want to study the secrets tucked between his elbows and the whispers caught behind his knees."

I had to leave out some of my favorite quotes a mystery because there is a steamy love scene that I refuse to ruin for you. The stream of consciousness that Juliet sometimes thinks in really works for it. She's so carried away with her feelings that she can't think straight and her sentences go on and she's kissing and touching and the earth is spinning... I will always remember the way Mafi wrote this scene. It's different than anything I've ever read and absolutely perfect, from innocent to less than in minutes.

Anyway, now that Juliet and Adam have escaped Warner's clutches and immediate danger, they have promised to work in Warner's resistance with others who have unique powers. It's hard for them to continue their relationship with such harsh rules as curfew, no opposite sex members in each other's quarters, training, etc...and it's possible that Juliet is wondering things she shouldn't be about someone who actually held her hostage.  

This book rocks because:

• Just like Shatter Me, each sentence is gorgeously turned from a mash up of words to a flowing piece of heaven on a page. 
• Warner. He's so much more developed in this novel. You'll see pieces that make him human, glimpses that make you sad he's a victim of circumstances (it'll make you totally overlook the fact that he's a murderer.) I've fallen in love with him, and I'm actually Team Warner over Team Adam. I'm going to go back and read the novella Destroy Me because it's his side of the story. With the tagline "She will choose me," I can't resist.
• Juliet makes friends! And they are cool friends. And she sits with them at meal times, occasionally jokes with them. 
• Kenji's dialogue constantly cracked me up. He's kind of a hero underground, Juliet realizes. Yet he helps her train and keeps an eye out for him, even when she accidentally uses her strength against him.

A few things that bugged me:

• A few too many grammar/parts of speech analogies.
• Some things were mentioned twice, like for example, the fact that the girls, Juliet's roomies, gave her pajamas to sleep in. 
• I felt like Shatter Me was a little more fast paced, even though I believe there is more action in this book. I kept waiting for the action to happen. But when it did, it was great! 
• Juliet is super mopey, most of the time weak, and very co-dependent. Also, she can't get away from that darn thing called the past. These things do change, thank goodness, by the book's end. 

And my final thoughts...Warner, Warner, Warner...

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