Month: September 2018

Review – Vox by Christina Dalcher

Posted on by Taking One Step at a Time

I was looking forward to reading this book. The idea of a book actually showing how frequently women’s voices are silenced or unheard was one I was looking forward to reading. Unfortunately, the book I was looking forward to isn’t the one that Dalcher wrote, so that will color my review. You may disagree.

Vox is set in the near future, in a world in which a Pure Movement has gained control of the U.S. government through their relationship with the U.S. President. Their agenda is that of complete separation between men and women, and men will have complete control over the women in their lives. In addition to all women being fired from their jobs, each woman is given a counter to wear around their wrist. Each day, at midnight, that counter is reset to 100. That is the number of words a woman, or girl, is allowed to use throughout the day.

The main character of the story, Jean McClellan, is a cognitive linguist. She has been working with a team working on a treatment for Wernicke’s aphasia. Her husband, Patrick, is a physician, and she has four children, three sons and Sonia, her six-year-old daughter. Dalcher tells the story of how the Pure Movement, and the counters, have come to be. Jean’s oldest son, Steven, is indoctrinated into the philosophy in school and has become a believer in the Pure Movement. Her husband advises her to go along with what’s happening, that something will be worked out.

The beginning is interesting, but the remainder of the book doesn’t really live up to its promise. Instead, it becomes a “fix the problem” book. Due to a skiing accident, the President’s brother has suffered from brain damage that is causing aphasia. It is the same type of aphasia for which Jean had been working on a treatment, so his people have come to her for assistance. And, from there, Jean’s efforts to find the treatment, and then find a way to quiet those who have put this movement in place, continues.

We see some of the effects of the policy throughout the rest of the novel, but I would have preferred a more in-depth look, rather than the “thriller” Dalcher has written. It’s a great idea, but the execution doesn’t do it justice.

Dalcher, Christina. Vox. New York, NY: Berkley, 2018 (August 21). 336 pages. 3 stars.

Review – Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire

Posted on by Taking One Step at a Time

As the first book in the Hugo-nominated series October Daye, I wanted to enjoy this book. Unfortunately, I think I will be putting Ms. McGuire on my “Do Not Bother” list.

This should not, however, stop anyone else. I suspect my issues with McGuire have more to do with my personal tastes than with her ability to write and tell stories. My best guess may be the same reason that I don’t enjoy Jemisin’s works even though I can identify that she’s a good writer and deserves every last Hugo that she has won.

There is very little happiness in Rosemary and Rue. In the very beginning of the book, Toby (October) Daye loses her beloved partner and child, and there’s likely no way for her to get them back. Then, an ally dies, leaving her with the mystery of her killer, and a curse that will kill Toby unless she figures it out.

I enjoy fantasies with Faerie Courts as a supporting character, which this definitely falls into. I enjoy mysteries, especially if I don’t have to figure out “whodunit” before the end. I’m lousy at it; as with this book, I generally figure it out at about the point that the detective should be collecting the final pieces of confirming evidence. (Not my kind of puzzle.)

I don’t require that the books I read be overwhelming cheerful; I don’t even require a happy ending (all of the time). I don’t read for beautiful writing; I enjoy it when I find it, but it isn’t a requirement. I don’t read for intricate plots; again, I enjoy them when found. I read to engage my brain, to visit other “worlds”, and to escape my world for a few hours.

Rosemary and Rue is well-plotted and well-written. The characters are fairly well-drawn, although I’m sure that will become more true as the series progresses. The mystery is a decent one; I figured it out just before Toby did (so I felt smart). But, just as with everything else of McGuire’s that I’ve read, it’s a dreary world with very little to be happy about, at least for Toby.

McGuire, Seanan. Rosemary and Rue. New York, NY: Daw Books, 2009 (September 1). 368 pages. 3 stars.

Review – The Million by Karl Schroeder

Posted on by Taking One Step at a Time

As long as science fiction novels have been written, there have been explorations of different ways of protecting the Earth from humanity. The Million is a somewhat different take on this trope than I’ve seen before. Limiting the population to a specific population, the “million” from the title, is hardly a unique idea, but cryogenically storing the rest of Earth’s population, about ten billion people, who are waiting to

Every thirty years, there is a Jubilee. The ten billion are unfrozen and set loose on Earth and the Million mostly hide for that month. At the same time, it is the time when the reports are given and the grand political trends are set until the next Jubilee. It is also when visitors, people from the ten billion, hide outside for their own purposes. The auditors are those who police the Earth, ensuring that all the agreements are kept to; they are also the ones who do the reporting.

Gavin Penn-of-Chaffee is a member of a family of the Million, but he’s actually a visitor. After an incident at a party that his father and brother give, Gavin finds himself stepping into the shoes of a young man who was trying to become an auditor. Through his training, he slowly becomes aware of the undercurrents in his society that indicate that things aren’t quite what they seem.

It’s an interesting enough book and a quick read, but I found it a slight, forgettable book.

Schroeder, Karl. The Million. New York, NY: Tor.com Books, 2018 (September 1). 160 pages. 3 stars.