Alexei Maxim Russell -- Night Table Recommendations
Friday, May 04, 2012 at 12:57pmMost reviews are given from a literary perspective--that is, from the perspective of an individual who has some knowledge of what qualifies as "good" and what is relegated to the dreaded nether-regions of "bad" writing. Whilst I acknowledge the superior knowledge and education of some people--concerning literature--I have never myself been able to take on this role with any degree of comfort. A lot of my creative energy springs from a general state of open-mindedness, concerning what I see and what I read. If you are of such a temperament, all judgement of good and bad appear extremely subjective--to the point that speculations of quality can seem academic, to say the least.
As a result of this inherent self-doubt, concerning my place in the world of literary criticism, I prefer to write my recommendations purely from the perspective of an author. I may not have found an adequate yard-stick to measure literary quality, as yet, but I have my own private yard-stick to estimate how much fun an author may have had, writing a given work. I can usually guess how much fun an author had by how original and fresh the writing or the concept is. When an author is having fun, it shows in their writing. Not only are other writers intrigued--innately detecting the sense of fun which spurs the author on--but any serious reader will likely be able to catch on to the fun and be carried away on that tide, along with the writer. I recommend these books based entirely on that sense of fun.
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The result is a set of night-table recommendations, which are disparate in nature, style and treatment. They run the gamut from the highly popular, to the underappreciated; from the self-published, to titles from the major publishers. They are unified only in their genre. I am a fan of science fiction. And nothing brings me greater pleasure than to discover a new title, which pushes past the clichéd approaches and the conventions and gives an old science-fiction lover, like myself, a chance to re-discover the genre from a fresh direction. In spite of what some say, the old genres can be reinvented and given new life by a creative author who knows how to have fun with their writing. The following recommendations are simply the four most recent titles that found their way to my night-table and struck me as fantastically fun and original, from the perspective of an author.

Embassytown by China Miéville (Del Ray Books, 2011).
Perhaps the most mainstream of my recommendations, Embassytown is the most recent offering of critically acclaimed author, China Miéville. Not only is Del Ray an industry leader and perhaps the most "traditional" of all traditional science fiction publishers, but the author, himself, has been heaped with awards and nods from the literary establishment. When Ursula Le Guin gushes over a book, you can be certain it will be a hit. Whilst every indication is that Embassytown is a literary triumph, these recommendations are based solely on originality and how much fun an author could have with the concept. From that angle, as from all others, Embassytown is astoundingly lush--it is an author's brain candy. Miéville demonstrates how an old genre and veritably ancient literary setting can be re-invigorated.
Imagine, if you will, a mysterious planet, inhabited by humans and aliens. This is perhaps the oldest concept in science fiction. But then imagine the intrigue and intellectual departure of your first reading of Asimov's robot series: the complex, yet believable societies; the positronic pathways; the robotic laws of conduct; the psychological intricacy--the sheer complexity. Asimov inserted originality into a locale which, even then, was old hat and clearly had a lot of fun reinventing it. China Miéville is a modern contemporary in that his story of alien worlds offers original ideas and an engaging intellectual complexity, of a nature not yet put to words: aliens with a language beyond the genetic capabilities of humans; a genetically-engineered "ambassador" class, capable of negotiating with the aliens; the complex social interactions and diplomacy this entails; a new and exciting definition of an "alien" which makes you peek from behind the rock of the next page as one may do when encountering a mysterious animal in the woods--everything believable, different and entirely new to the genre. Miéville's aliens provide the rare opportunity to relive the exploratory stimulation I first felt when reading of Asimov's robots and have never felt, since then. The robot series always made me feel like a tourist, exploring a new and exotic holiday destination. Never for a moment did the level of narrative allow me to perceive his world as anything but real and complete. Miéville's work is the same, and it amounts to a new tourist destination popping up on the star map of science fiction history. This is why, for me and all other would-be science fiction tourists out there, Embassytown should be on the itinerary, at some point.

The Company Man by Robert Jackson Bennet (Orbit Books, 2011).
I am generally a fan of Orbit Books, as they are not afraid to take a chance on a new and original science fiction idea. The Company Man is set in 1919, but a different 1919 from the one we all we know. In this 1919, the First World War was quickly averted by a major arms producer, which cracked a lot of our modern technological achievements long before the rest of the world--with the help of the eccentric genius on their payroll. This mega-company then proceeded to make an ultra-modern mega-city, where its very 1919-style company set up shop and created a worker state reminiscent of Fritz Lang's Metropolis. As is historically accurate, the companies and the unions bucked head to head, with bloody result--the only difference being the addition of high technology, 1919 style.
There is something very steam-punk about The Company Man, but it has none of the clichés of flying galleons and bafflingly complex Victorian ray guns. To my mind, the whole alternate history/steam punk/bygone-days-with-modern-technology genres belong under the rubric of science fiction--just as legitimately as the old Buck Rogers type shows of the 50s, which predicted 1990s technology with tragic inaccuracy. This book places a mystery and a believable protagonist into this world and draws out the mystery in such a way as to provide the curious reader with the full voyeuristic pleasure of exploring this new, more interesting 1919. By its cross-genre approach and slightly divergent time-frame, this novel allows me to relive the pleasure steam punk gave me, back when it was new and unusual. For that reason, The Company Man ranks right up there with the most original science fiction works, of recent years, and one of the most interesting of literary experiments, from a writer's perspective.

Kea's Flight by Erika Hammerschmidt and John C. Ricker (Self-Published, 2011).
If you like space ships, artificial intelligence and projected future realities, then you are likely craving something original. Not since the hallowed coming of the Star Trek franchise have I noticed any particular opportunity to relive the pleasure of these concepts in any kind of original way. Kea's Flight is a big and, currently, underappreciated exception. A lot of books are self-published because they lack the quality to be picked up by a traditional publishing house and a few are self-published simply because there are more good and original authors out there than the traditional publishers can pick up. Erika Hammerschmidt's self-published work falls squarely and firmly into that second category.
I have stated that I am a fan of Isaac Asimov and Hammerschmidt's first foray into science fiction appeals to me, partly, by its marked resemblance to Asimov's writing style: a clear, innovative approach to story-telling; an original universe of tourist-quality believability; a willingness to broach the controversial; psychological depth--these are all things Asimov and Hammerschmidt share. Kea's Flight has more genre-expanding traits than this, however. The basic premise is how, in a future space age, children who are Autistic or otherwise deemed in some way genetically flawed are sent away on a massive ship called the "flying dustbin". They are supposedly sent to a reasonably inhabitable planet as a "humane" way to prevent them from mixing with the rest of human society. Hammerschmidt and her co-author are both diagnosed Asperger's Syndrome and so the crux of their story is lent an authenticity that few other Autism-related works of fiction can attest. This angle of a creative treatment of "Autism prejudice"--a prevalent and often ignored societal ill--is something brand new to the field of science fiction writing. In addition to this massive ground-breaker of a premise, Hammerschmidt and Ricker have a knack for coming up with original twists and whole chunks of plot that are just entirely impossible to predict. If you are seeking a new kind of spaceship to board and dislike the predictable, then a journey on the flying dustbin with Kea and her friends is definitely a flight you will never forget.

Emperor Mollusk Versus the Sinister Brain by A. Lee Martinez (Orbit Books, 2012).
I acknowledge it has a ridiculously cartoonish title, but I consider this novel to be yet another example of Orbit Book's characteristic boldness and originality. It was, of course, that very outlandish title which first caught my attention. As an author, it invokes all kinds of fun space age folly and generally having a jolly time with the whole lovable field of science fiction: aliens and villains; ray guns and dilapidated space jalopies. And, in fact, A. Lee Martinez does not disappoint in delivering just that. I bought this expecting to be offered a juicy resurrection of all the funnest frivolities of the genre and that is precisely what I got. If you can abandon pretense and embrace how the book refuses to take itself seriously, then you can expect a few days of reading bliss.
Some may see this as a whimsical choice, when put beside the Le Guin-endorsed calibre of Embassytown. And yet, for an author, writing a book like Emperor Mollusk just may be the most fun you could possibly have in front of a computer screen. The premise and the entire theme of the book is one hundred percent cliché--but that is the draw of the work. I stated earlier that I sought those works which avoid the worn out tropes, but Emperor Mollusk takes them so far, and recolors them so brilliantly, that one could almost say the excessive blatantness of the cliché is--in a funny way--a refreshingly original approach. This one is a celebration of clichés, done with a thoroughness and unabashedness that most are not brave enough to do. As a result, it fills our empty bellies with the lush, delicious fruits of science fiction legacy. The protagonist is a super villain, of a race similar to the humble earthly mollusk. This intergalactic villain has successfully conquered Earth and must now tackle the sheer boredom of an anti-climactic retirement. That is, until the disembodied malevolence known as the Sinister Brain rears its incorporeal head to threaten Emperor Mollusk's hegemony. As a result, the Emperor must "dust off the ray gun" and come out of retirement, guns a-blazing.
For the sternly devoted esthete, of course, this synopsis is more than adequate to turn them away. But for a writer who understands that particular delight of creation, which first made these lush and lively genres, and for the type of light-hearted, pleasure-loving readers who first made these genres popular, Emperor Mollusk is an unapologetic headlong rush into pure hedonistic enjoyment--a deliciously guilty pleasure to the power of googolplex. This one may be full of clichés, but I stamp it as original because Martinez is the first, in my estimate, to have the courage to selectively marshal all the genre's best clichés and load them into a plasma-gun-blasting us all with the biggest infusion of pure science fiction I've experienced for quite some time. For that reason, I recommend this one to anyone who has ever appreciated science fiction on a gut level.
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Alexei Maxim Russell is an advocate for building awareness concerning autism and Asperger?s syndrome. His interest in AS inspired him to create the character of Trueman Bradley, as featured in the recently published book Trueman Bradley: Aspie Detective. Alexei lives in Winnipeg. Visit him online here.
Categories: Reviews, Discussions, Authors, SciFi & Fantasy, Winnipeg, Night Table Recommendations |
See:
Trueman Bradley
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Trueman leaves his hometown of Heartville, Illinois, and arrives in New York City, hoping to fulfill his dream of becoming a private detective, like his comic-book heroes. He is soon told that a guy with AS could not possibly succeed as a detective. Undeterred, Trueman uses his exceptional mathematical skills to invent a crime-fighting equation, and with the help of his new friends and some amazing inventions, sets out to test his skills against the criminal world of New York. He is determined to show the police, his friends, and himself that a guy with AS can become as good a detective as anyone else - maybe, even, one of the best.
Embassytown
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In the far future, humans have colonized a distant planet, home to the enigmatic Ariekei, sentient beings famed for a language unique in the universe, one that only a few altered human ambassadors can speak. Avice Benner Cho, a human colonist, has returned to Embassytown after years of deep-space adventure. She cannot speak the Ariekei tongue, but she is an indelible part of it, having long ago been made a figure of speech, a living simile in their language. When distant political machinations deliver a new ambassador to Arieka, the fragile equilibrium between humans and aliens is violently upset. Catastrophe looms, and Avice is torn between competing loyalties: to a husband she no longer loves, to a system she no longer trusts, and to her place in a language she cannot speak--but which speaks through her, whether she likes it or not.
The Company Man
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The year is 1919.
The McNaughton Corporation is the pinnacle of American industry. They built the guns that won the Great War before it even began. They built the airships that tie the world together. And, above all, they built Evesden-a shining metropolis, the best that the world has to offer.
But something is rotten at the heart of the city. Deep underground, a trolley car pulls into a station with eleven dead bodies inside. Four minutes before, the victims were seen boarding at the previous station. Eleven men butchered by hand in the blink of an eye. All are dead. And all are union.
Now, one man, Cyril Hayes, must fix this. There is a dark secret behind the inventions of McNaughton and with a war brewing between the executives and the workers, the truth must be discovered before the whole city burns. Caught between the union and the company, between the police and the victims, Hayes must uncover the mystery before it kills him.