Anthill

"Anthill" is a Pulitzer Prize winning first novel by the scientist / naturalist, E.O. Wilson. Mr. Wilson wrote the influential "Sociobiology" back in 1975. In recent years, mathematical models have called into question some of the tenets of his theory. Wilson has embraced these revelations as progress in science. Imagine that, a scientist more interested in the truth than in protecting his legacy. Pretty heroic if you ask me.

So I have known him as a science writer and thinker for more than 30 years. The question is, can he write fiction well. The answer is: sort of. The story revolves around a young boy growing up in rural Alabama with a preternatural interest in the insects of the local woodlands. The story throws in a lot about the conflict between conservation and development. There is an interesting thread about a certain strain in Christian extremism that is against conservation on biblical grounds. I did enjoy the exploration of Southern mores and traditions. Wilson, like his protagonist, was reared in the rural South and attends university at an elite Eastern institution. So he knows what he writes about. He captures the cadence and the worldview of these characters perfectly. My major complaint has to do with his plotting. Without giving too much away, this story has "first novel" written all over it.

The best part of "Anthill" (and the reason I totally recommend this book) is the middle section where he describes, in page-turning detail, the daily lives of ants that live in various anthills throughout the local woods. He ascribes to the ants almost human characteristics when describing their activities, reactions and motivations. This section of the book is not to be missed.

On an unrelated note, in my slow but sure quest to read all of Arthur C. Clarke's stories, I read "The City and the Stars". The writing was not great, but the ideas were mind-blowing. Clarke's imagination was a gift to all of us.

Hyperion/Fall of Hyperion

A couple of weeks ago, I finished reading a collection of two novels referred to as The Hyperion Cantos by author Dan Simmons. This collection is comprised of Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion. I mentioned this book last year in one of my early posts. At the time, I said the following:

This is truly one of the greatest "hard" science fiction stories ever. It borrows from Chaucer in that a group of pilgrims (in space) tell each other their life stories. It includes elements of action, noir mystery, political intrigue, religious mysticism, and psychohistory. It is a mind blowing portrait of humanity's imagined future.

I actually started reading this book in October 2009. It took me the better part of 18 months to finish the nearly 1,000 page story. I kept putting it down, not because it was boring, but rather, because I found it overwhelming at times. The comment above about Chaucer really only applies to the first book. The second book explodes with interstellar war between humans, a cold war between mankind and machines, and heartbreaking political decisions that no leaders would wish to face. There is even reference to a confrontation between god-like entities in the far future. The genius of the writer is that he never loses touch with the characters amidst all these heady concepts and far flung plot developments. I really cared about each of these characters and I wanted to follow their stories until the end. The book's finale is very satisfying and will not disappoint. If you are a fan of Dune, 2001: A Space Odyssey, or the Ender books, I recommend Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion.

Tea in the Sahara

Ok, now I know what that Police song is about. The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles is a wonderful post-war novel set in French North Africa. The protagonists are a small band of American travelers. It can be argued that the characters are searching for meaning or inner peace. Some may see this as an existential or even nihilistic novel, devoid of any quest or sense of purpose. What I love about this novel is that it is all of these things: Romantic love story, travelogue, action/adventure, political drama, comedy of manners. The best novels are never about one thing. The writer has a lot to say about Europeans colonials in the wake of WWII. The relationships among the Americans, the Europeans and the "natives" in this book are well observed. I don't want reveal much (or anything) about the plot because one of the true pleasures of this book is not knowing too much. The only other thing I will say is that it starts off a bit slowly, but there is a payoff if you stick with it. And yes, the title of the Police song is explained in the novel.

Freedom and War of the Worlds

I read two very different books in the last month or so. The first is Freedom by Johnathan Franzen. He was featured on the cover of Time Magazine last year under the caption "Great American Novelist". Not having read any of his other books, I am not in a position to confirm or refute. What I can say is that Freedom is the best book I have read in about two years. The novel tells the story of a Midwestern couple living in St. Paul, and later in Washington, DC. The story is told from differing vantage points, jumping back into their youth and forward into their dissolution and ultimate reunion. What makes this novel great is Franzen's ability to create such three-dimensional, emotionally rich characters. You really get inside the heads of Patty and Walter Berglund. You see them endure challenging (and at least one nightmarish) relationships in high school and college; you see them try to fit into their gentrifying urban neighborhood as a young married couple; you see them struggle to deal with their rebellious son; you see them drift apart through the years; isolation leads to betrayal, which leads to disintegration. Eventually an equilibrium is reestablished. It is all very real and you cannot look away. I was actually sad that the story came to an end, and after nearly 600 pages, that is saying a lot.

The other book I just finished is War of the Worlds by HG Wells. Everyone knows the story thanks to all the movie versions and variations. However, how many of you have ever actually read the original? The language is a bit archaic. However, there is a lot of fast paced action. Did you know that the Martians fed off of human blood? Pretty awesome stuff. The idea that the Martians would be ultimately felled by bacteria is an elegantly simple concept that hasn't lost its power over 100 years later. There are better books out there that deal with apocalyptic scenarios. War of the Worlds is a classic that I recommend only to SciFi completists. The rest of you can rent the Tom Cruise/Steven Spielberg version or watch Cloverfield.

Mr. Peanut and Richard Matheson

I got a little behind on my reading over the past month or so. Over Christmas break I read a new novel by Adam Ross called "Mr. Peanut". This is Ross' first novel. The story (sort of) revolves around the relationship between a dysfunctional married couple, Alice and David. Alice is deathly allergic to peanuts. When she is found dead in her apartment with a throat full of Planters Peanuts, the police take a hard look at her husbands' allegation that his wife committed suicide. The two detectives that are investigating the death are convinced that David killed his wife and one of the detectives enlists the help of a serial killer named Mobius to help him crack the case. The detectives themselves have very complicated (and potentially deadly) relationships with their own wives. The relationship between Dr. Sam Shepherd (the inspiration for the TV show and movie, The Fugitive)and his wife is a central part of this book. I enjoyed reading the book, but, ultimately, I did not feel that the various narrative threads coalesced.

I also read a bunch of short stories by Richard Matheson, the great SF writer best known for his novel "I am Legend" and for his work on The Twilight Zone (he wrote many of the classic episodes). I was inspired to read some of his stories after Amy and I watched the film The Box, which was based on his short story called "Button, Button". The premise of the movie and the story is that a stranger gives a married couple a box. If they push the button, they get a large sum of cash and someone they don't know dies. In both the movie and the story, the woman pushes the button (Amy took exception because women are always portrayed as the bad actors: Eve, Lady Macbeth etc. I think that in this case the woman was simply acting decisively). Of course, nothing good comes of this choice. If she were better read, she would have known this. Anyway, Matheson is really good at creating tension and maintaining it throughout. Sometimes the final twists are lame, but more often than not, the stories are very satisfying. If you are a fan of Steven King's excellent short story collection "Nightshift", you will like Matheson's stories. The stories are not gory, but suspenseful and clever.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

I recently met two different people, who upon seeing me reading The Unbearable Lightness of Being, remarked that it is one of their favorite books. It is a very complex philosophical book with an eliptical plot. I won't try to explain the plot other than to say the events of the story take place during the time of the Prague Spring (the period of cultural liberalization in Czechoslovakia in 1968). The story is quite erotic. The protagonist, who I believe is in his early 40s, has slept with over 200 women in his lifetime. He shags a fair number of these women during the course of the book. Kundera's writing reminded me of Nabakov. As good as this book is, I would not say it is among my favorites. See the movie instead.

Two Dystopian Visions

I recently read Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart. This novel takes place in NY and Europe in the not too distant future and paints a pretty dark picture of where American values are heading. The US is in sharp economic decline and gets bought out (literally) by the new powers, China, Saudi Arabia and Norway (Norway? really?) In Shteyngart's vision, the social networking/information technology trend has gotten to the point where no information about each citizen is private any longer. Everyone has IPhone-like devices called apparats. Information about each person, ranging from credit score to triglyceride levels, is available to anyone and everyone instantaneously. Your credit score flashes from "credit poles" as you walk past them. The enemies of the state are not terrorists or communists, but rather, Low Net Worth Individuals. The book is satire and the premise is over the top. However, it is close enough to the top that you can imagine all these things coming to pass. This is the true brilliance of this book. Shteyngart is making a scathing comment about the surrendering of our privacy and obsession with social status and possessions. It is heavy stuff, but his use of humor keeps things from bogging down and getting sanctimonious. I give this hipper-than-thou tome three out of four stars.

The other book I recently finished is the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. It is a teen novel (with no wizards or vampires). I mentioned this book in a prior entry so I won't say much more about this book except that I highly recommend it to fans of science fiction. If you liked A Wrinkle in Time as a kid (or adult), you will like this book and will want to read the two sequels.

I participated in a book discussion of the Hunger Games with a number of adults and pre-teens. The comments and observations from the children were truly fascinating. They really understood some of the nuances that lay beneath the surface of the story.