This has been a crazy year for me when it comes to books. I read quite a few books this year and I have to say almost all of them were total duds. I’m sure it had something to do with my selection. I decided to explore and read more contemporary science fiction novels which as you can imagine can be hit and miss. I mostly missed and it was truly a depressing business. It wasn’t until I read the final Harry Potter book that I was reminded of what it felt like to read a book that you just had to finish.
With that dismal preamble I entered the audio book season with a little more caution. For those of you that don’t know, I drive a motorcycle to work during the more balmy months of the year to save on gas. Ok and to look cool too. It’s a great way to relax and forget all about work on the way home, but it’s not very conductive for listening to audio books. I really must keep all my senses about myself in order to prevent from being squished by a car. Come winter however, snugly encased in my the crush zone of my car, I have no qualms about listening to many audio books to and from the office on my commute.
I Am Legend This was the first audio book that I picked up this year. I want to be very clear. I had no idea at all this book was over 50 years old and about to be made into a movie. I have this weird fascination with vampire books now. (Thank you Buffy, Mary and I miss your show so very much) I picked this book up because I thought it looked interesting, not because it was about to become mainstream. I can’t possibly express to you how much I loved this book. In 1954 Richard Matheson wrote this book. Amazing how it still holds up today. If I had not researched the book after I was all done, I would not have ever thought it’s creation was anything but written yesterday. There is something to be said for older science fiction. They tend to not contain technology which can become dated very quickly. I have uncovered several older books that escape this degrading trap. It’s always a pleasure to find these gems.
This book is about a man name Robert Neville. He is the last man alive, or at least from what he can tell. Since the population of his city he lives in is all vampires, he can only travel so far before night fall. From his point of view, he is the last man alive. This story is about how a man struggles to keep his wits while facing extinction and yet still trying to keep a hold of hope for the future.
Beautifully written and very interesting. If you have any interest at all in vampire books, you must read this book. I have not seen the movie that has recently released but I have unfortunately see the trailers on TV and I can tell they have taken some very serious license with the actual story just from that. I’m sure they kept the main story plot and jazzed up the rest. I would hate to have the conclusion of the story ruined by seeing it in the theater before I could have enjoyed the book in it’s original form.
Paladin of Souls This was also a very good book. I fear I might not rave enough about this book just because I listened to it between two other outstanding books. Trying to get back on track with my Hugo Effect, I picked this book because it was a Science Fiction Hugo Award winner in 2004. Lois McMaster Bujold is an amazing writer. The detail and story depth she was able to create was amazing. This story was well worth the Hugo Award it received.
Lois creates a fictional world that feels like it exists in middle age times, but with a more advanced feeling towards everything than what a real middle age would offer. The story is about an older woman that feels trapped in her place in life. She embarks on a sham religious pilgrimage to escape her solitude only to find out that the gods had a plan for her. As the story progresses and more of the plot unfolds, the main character fights not only the unbelievable situation she finds herself in but also against the gods that have chosen her against her will to do their bidding.
This book is a very nice mingle of fantasy, science fiction and even a bit of romance. If you are into detailed worlds and the whole middle age / fantasy mind set, then this is a must read book for you. My only complaint is that the whole time I listened to the book I was left with the impression I had missed something major that happened before this book. Like, oh maybe another book called "The Curse of Chalion". If you are interested in this book, and you should be, you might want to consider reading the other book first. It might make Paladin of Souls more comfortable.
Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang Oh this was a very good book. Keeping with my successful trend of old science fiction is just better, this novel was the Hugo Award winner in 1977 and was written by Kate Wilhelm.
This book is a story about a family of doctors that face the extinction of the human race. The story has nothing to do with how that happens, just that it does. The story is about how a family sees the end coming and the efforts they take to protect there friends and family by creating a compound that contains everything they will need to survive the coming troubles. The troubles are worse than they ever imagined and the large family of doctors must turn to cloning animals to provide food for everyone in the commune. As things get worse they realize that they themselves, the humans, can no longer bare children and must turn to cloning humans as well. The story expands from there to tell the tale of this family over several generations of the family tree as they fight to keep the human race alive and intact.
I love generational stories. I have read several now and I’m just never disappointed. This is a great story and should be on your list of things to read. It is a wonderful exploration of what makes being human so special.
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