Meghan Brehon Ray Bradbury takes a different approach to the science fiction genre than most other authors. There really is very little science in his writing. The novel takes place on Mars in the future, but it really isn’t about the interplanetary travel, the new planet, the aliens, etc. The Martian Chronicles could be taking place in a different country on Earth for all the difference it would make to the narrative. Rather than focussing on the science aspects of the world (technology, aliens, and the particulars of Earth humans living on Mars (which they somehow manage to do without any special equipment to handle the different atmosphere, climate, and gravity?)), Bradbury uses this setting to discuss different issues pertaining to colonization, war, and disparity of the genders. It is interesting to see how Bradbury imagined the future. His future looks very similar to the world as it was in 1950 – the only differences come from the advancements in space exploration (and other technology). The culture of the people seems to be much the same, despite the fact the book is close to 50 years in the future. Men work, and the women tend to the cooking, cleaning, and childrearing. In his future, the civil rights movement of the 1960s and 70s never occurred, and lynching is only beginning to be outlawed in the late 90s. The people are still living much the same in 1999 as they were in 1950, with the only major difference being the fact that we somehow managed to find a way to send manned missions to Mars. From this it becomes clear that the setting of the novel isn’t important (as it is in many works of science fiction), but rather it’s only a device that Bradbury uses to convey his ideas and criticisms. For someone who reads sci-fi for the futurist tech and epic tales, this novel doesn’t quite deliver in those areas. Sure, there are aliens and interplanetary travel, but that element of the novel is secondary. This trip to Mars is really a way to demonstrate the folly of man. In seeing how the “pioneers” of Mars treat the planet, some of the behaviours of modern people reveal themselves in an insidious fashion. Bradbury criticizes people for the way that they will establish themselves wherever they see enterprise, no matter the cost to the environment around them. He does so in a fleeting way, voicing the opinion of one of the men of the third expedition who feels that they must respect Mars, at least at first, for there is plenty of time to litter up the planet with their newspapers and milk tins. There are very few recurring characters in The Martian Chronicles, and no main character. It is composed of 26 standalone short stories. These stories have been published separately, but when put together in the context of the novel at large paint a much larger picture. The events of the novel span from 1999 to 2026, covering the four Mars expeditions and eventual colonization, all the way to the state of the planet after Earth has been ravaged by nuclear war. It is not a traditional novel in its composition, being made up of short stories which tie together as opposed to following a central band of characters. Because it’s written this way, you don’t really get attached to any of the characters. Although I will say I had a bit of an attachment to the first Martian you are introduced to, for the most part all of the different characters only pose to carry the story along and present a different way of looking at the world. I want to give a shout out to my favourite chapter (story?): “April 2005: Usher II”. The main character in this chapter had someone build him an exact replica of the house from Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher”. He then filled it with beasts from other Poe stories, The Wizard of Oz, and other stories. He had the socialites who were bringing law and regulations (like the practise of burning books) to Mars come to this house. He then proceeded to kill them, each a different way, pulling each method from a different horror story (like Poe’s short stories). He did it all to show that had these people read the stories, they would have known what they were walking into when they came to his house. It’s super morbid, but I appreciate the pettiness, as well as all of the allusion within the chapter. All in all, The Martian Chronicles is one to make you think. If you are looking for an action-packed sci-fi novel, look elsewhere (I mean it is a classic, people. Let’s be honest, they usually aren’t the most exciting pieces of writing.). It can be difficult to fully dive into this book, because there are no central characters to invest in. If you can get over this and want to examine the human condition in a world of blue Martian sand, robots, and rockets, then give this novel a whirl.
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Cassidy Serhienko This duology follows Alosa, captain of the pirate ship Ava-lee and the race for the legendary siren treasure on the Isla de Canta. I picked up Daughter of the Pirate King solely because it was about pirates and I’m a sucker for that crap. I think that these books are geared more towards younger readers (about 12-14) but I still really enjoyed them because these books are pure FUN. Introduce me to a person who wouldn’t enjoy a book about an all female pirate crew so that I can promptly punch them in the face. No, it’s not a book you’re going to laud as proof that YA is Real and Valuable Literature™ but if you just want a lighthearted summer/beach read then you can’t go wrong with this series. Something that I really appreciated about this book is the amount of diversity. The story doesn’t explore the side characters very extensively, but it takes the time to acknowledge their different backgrounds and individual histories. Many of Alosa’s crew are trauma survivors and one of the most important and competent members is asexual. While it would’ve been nice if these stories had been explored further, it didn’t feel like the author was pandering to the audience, everything felt natural and added to the narrative. It’s a little inaccurate to describe Alosa as a female Jack Sparrow, that implies a very different kind of character than what she is. Alosa cares about each member of her crew whereas it’s hard to tell if Jack really cares about anyone but himself and the Black Pearl. And it seems like the whole book we’re hearing about what an amazing fighter Alosa is and how she’s so cutthroat and creative and super smart, but it seems like a lot more telling then showing. Until the big battle at the end of the last book she hardly does any actual fighting. She is like Jack in that each escape or ambush seems hella convoluted and semi-ridiculous and is usually accompanied with some kind of snarky comment, which is pretty much all I ask for in a pirate book tbh. For anyone who else who thinks any book is better if you add pirates I encourage you to pick up this duology (seriously, think about it. What would make City of Bones better? Pirates. Harry Potter? Give me wizard pirates or give me death). It’s an easy, light-hearted read perfect for summer. Meghan Brehon This book seems to be all over lists of recommended reads for the summer. A bit of Greek mythology and sorcery sounded good to me, so I picked it up. To say that this book is essentially Snow White without the dwarves is a little misleading (okay, a lot misleading), but I’m going to go there anyway. Lets just take a look at the comparisons for a minute here: Circe spends her days in isolation on her island Aeaea (much like Snow White in the woods); she spends her days gardening, tending to the island and her home; she befriends wild animals; she sings. Snow White in a nutshell. This is where the comparisons end, however. Circe is the witch in this tale, and she doesn’t need a prince to come and rescue her. She holds her own through the use of her sorcery, turning unruly sailors into pigs when they threaten her safety. The novel spans several centuries of Circe’s life, beginning at her birth. I respect that even in the beginning when she is a timid lesser goddess, Circe does what she wants (for the most part). She can be naive and a little annoying at times, but this just goes to show how far her character has come by the end of the novel. She comes to know the cruelties of the world, and becomes more clever as she gains life experience and knowledge of her craft. She never compromises her individual ideas and values, and that is something I think makes for a very strong character. Spanning hundreds of years in a mere 385 pages, there is no time spent on idle details or unimportant storylines. Miller managed to pack many myths into the novel in a way that flows cohesively with Circe’s story. In her long life, Circe crossed paths with many different figures in Greek mythology, and the reader gets to meet each of these characters. This extensive list spans from the narrative of the Titans vs. the Olympians; Prometheus’s punishment; the creation of Charybdis and Scylla; Daedalus, Icarus, and the story of the Minotaur; all the way to Homer’s Odyssey and beyond. It is a good way to become acquainted with some core stories from Greek mythology, however, it can become confusing to follow all of the different characters if you aren’t already familiar with who these people (or gods, or monsters) are. The cast of characters is listed in the back of the book with a description of who they are and what they did. This list is quite helpful, elsewise one could very easily become lost between Telegonus and Telemachus and Perse and Perses and Pyrrhus and … (on and on). There is no urgency to the storytelling in this novel. The voice is rather mellow, and at times feels detached from the narrative. It is written in first person from Circe’s point of view. Her voice, being as it is, gives more the feeling that she is above all that is happening. This makes sense as she is a goddess, as well as it fits with the ambience of Greek mythology and this story in particular. As a result of Circe’s tone, she can be hard to relate to at times. As she seems detached from the story, so does the reader. This only serves to make this story not one that you throw yourself into. It feels more sophisticated, you come for the classical storytelling, as opposed to for a cast of easily relatable characters. For those who are interested in Greek mythology, this is a great read. Covering so many different stories and myths, there is a lot of content within the moderately sized novel. If you’re looking for a strong female lead, and interested in watching as she grows and learns how to navigate the world of gods and men, I recommend this novel. Cassidy Serhienko So I finally picked up this book after my homegirl Lainey Lui’s recommendation because the girl’s got taste I tell ya. I didn’t have very high expectations, I expected it to be cliche, cheesy and sentimental. I wasn’t wrong about that, it is all of those things, but I was wrong that that would make it a bad book. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it and by how it was able to handle deeper subjects like race, sibling relationships and single parenthood in a way that felt natural to the story. It’s like Anna and the French Kiss only less problematic and with a more likable heroine. Is this book going to stay with you years after you read it? No, probably not. But it’s a light, easy and fun read with surprising depth and I highly recommend it. So Lara Jean can be stupid but usually her stupidity is needed to drive along the plot and it isn’t too irksome. It’s things like her not getting that Peter is into her, or figuring out who mailed her letters in the first place. Surprisingly her occasional clueless isn’t irritating, and overall she’s a really likable character. She’s adorable and awkward and kind of a spaz so it’s hard not to root for her. One of the things that I loved the most was how the book dealt with race. It doesn’t feel contrived or forced, and the issues that came with being half Korean popped up in a way that feel natural to the story and Lara Jean’s life. Being half Korean is a large part of her life but she isn’t characterized or defined by it. But I think my most favourite part of the story is the relationship between the sisters. As much as this book is a romance, I think it’s more about sisters and family. The siblings can’t help but mess with each other but almost immediately regret it. They’re able to move on without really needing to hash out their fight, which is a phenomenon I think is only present in relationships between siblings. I loved how Lara Jean feels like she has to take care of her sisters while also feeling completely unequipped to do so. As a younger sister I felt like this book completely aced it. The only real issue that I’m going to rant about with this novel is that near the end it toed the line of becoming slut shaming. It was a lot of “how could anyone think I would ever do that” blah blah blah. How could anyone ever think you’d have SAFE and CONSENSUAL sex with your BOYFRIEND? Lara Jean gets all pissed off because she finds out her sister didn’t agree to the pact they made when they were like 12 that they wouldn’t have sex until they were either married or at least 21 and in love. Let’s just ignore the stupidity of this for a second, I’m pretty sure everyone thinks they’re going to wait when they’re young but then you get a little older and realize that sex is not, in fact, the devil’s recreational activity, and having it will not bring on the apocalypse. Apparently Lara Jean didn’t get the memo because she’s oh so hurt by her sister, not to mention a little judgey of her friend Chris who likes to let her freak flag fly. If Lara Jean wants to wait, cool, I could’ve handled that. But I don’t appreciate the way the book makes sex seem shameful, and I’m hoping the next two books show some growth in Lara Jean’s attitude regarding that. Especially considering her sister’s sex life is NONE OF HER BUSINESS. Is this book going to stay with you years after you read it? No, probably not. But it’s a light, easy and fun read with surprising depth and I highly recommend it. |
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