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Showing posts with label Neil Gaiman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Neil Gaiman. Show all posts
I love pirate stories (as I’ve mentioned before). That is
the main reason I added On Stranger Tides
by Tim Powers to my reading list. I knew nothing about him, and nothing about
the book other than that it was a tale of pirates, magic, and the fountain of
youth. Oh, and that it was the inspiration for the Pirates of the Caribbean
movie titled, unsurprisingly, On Stranger
Tides. Now that I’ve read it, I can’t really
see too much resemblance between the two.
As a somewhat unrelated note, I just learned that Daniel Handler has come out with a book on pirates just this week. Though it doesn't seem like a traditional pirate book (it's set in the present day, for one thing) We Are Pirates is already on my to-read list. I am also going to see Daniel Handler, along with Neil Gaiman, in
just a couple weeks at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and I suspect the new book is part of the reason that a sword fight is on the schedule. I'm happy to be
living so close to Brooklyn (and thus BAM) where Neil Gaiman seems to be making
a habit of appearing (and my husband and I seem to make a habit of seeing him
appear).
Now on to the book.
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| Blackbeard (Edward Teach) Let's face it, this isn't his scariest pose. |
On Stranger Tides had pretty much everything you could want
in a pirate story. Fighting, betrayal, good men turned to piracy, voodoo, obsession, zombies, love, and history's most evil pirate. No marooning happened, but I can
live with that.
The book follows Jack Shandy as he is unwillingly pulled into joining a band of pirates and sucked into a world of voodoo he never knew existed. His sole purpose becomes saving Beth Hurwood from her obsessive father Benjamin Hurwood who, along with his assistant Leo Friend is on a quest for the Fountain of Youth for some inscrutable but deadly serious purpose. As the book goes on we find Blackbeard and Hurwood are in cahoots. Both men are on a path to extreme power, and both seem to be evil personified.
What I loved about this book:
Powers does creepy most excellently. This book had one of the creepiest
scenes I’ve read in a long time—the trip through the Florida swamps to the Fountain of Youth. Fungus-like plants line the way and, the deeper the group (led by Blackbeard's undead boatman) gets into the swamp, the more the plants begin taking on the features of dead faces. Eventually they begin whispering and spouting out evil spirits which attach themselves more or less permanently to anyone they can get close to. The scene builds with more layers of creepiness as the group endures everything from being attacked by an evil presence seen only as shadows, to reliving the memories that most shaped who they are, to nearly becoming part of the swamp as they are turned into plants themselves and begin to take root.
I also love that [spoiler alert] Hurwood carries his wife’s head
in a box throughout the entire book, hoping eventually to resurrect her. So creepy.
Powers creates a world of pirates that is closely linked to magic. While voodoo and piracy aren't a new pairing, I really did feel that he had a different take on it as he made vodun something that even crewmembers can casually use. The parallel of magic fading from the world along with the golden age of piracy coming to an end created a nostalgic air that I really appreciated.
What I didn't like about this book:
The scenes were a bit heavy handed at times, such as the Oedipis complex of Hurwood’s sometime sidekick Leo Friend. It was hinted at first, but then Powers really piled it on and I felt a little insulted as the reader. However, the book doesn’t pretend
to be high literature and it’s not too difficult to move past that the occasional heavy handedness.
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| Bartholomew Roberts' flag This is one of my favorites because of how petty it is He *really* hates Barbadians and Martiniquians |
Despite opening the book with him, I felt Hurwood's backstory and motivation was the least developed of the main characters (excluding Beth). I would have loved to learn more about him as his quest was the one that moved the plot along. It seemed there could have been a whole book on his backstory (I would read that book).
I can easily get past my first two points since the plot moves the story along very well and keeps things interesting, however the main negative point that stuck out to me was that "Book Three" seemed as if it were
written at a completely different time than the rest of the book. Maybe Powers wrote it first, or maybe he put the novel down for a long time before writing the last part ... I have no idea, but it felt very disjointed. The style was
different, perspective shifted, and even some people’s personalities seemed to
change. Strange details were included that were unnecessary as well; for example, including Israel Hands, while perhaps a nod to history, was a weird
digression and didn’t fit the character of Blackbeard that had been built up in
the rest of the book.
All in all I did actually quite enjoy this book and *would* recommend it, despite some cheesiness and strange character development choices. It's not high literature, but it is great fun.
...And unmoor'd souls may drift on stranger tidesThan those men know of, and be overthrownBy winds that would not even stir a hair...
Generally I'm not a re-reader. I know some people have favorite books they read again and again and there are even some (somewhat obsessed) people like Christopher Lee who religiously re-read the same book every year (Lord of the Rings, for the record). It's not that I don't read some awesome books that are well worth re-reading, it's just that if I find myself with time to read, I'd rather embark on a new adventure than one I've already been on.
That said, I do have a few long-time favorites that I have read multiple times and enjoyed just as much each time. I think for someone who is generally not a re-reader, that says something about these books.
I first read this book as part of a Robert Louis Stevenson collection (which included his less-famous but still good Black Arrow) and though I liked it, I think my image of the book was heavily shaped by the various movie adaptations I'd seen (the best of which remains Muppet Treasure Island) and I didn't digest it as well as I could have. However, several years ago I re-read it in preparation to teach it to my high school class. I am convinced there is nothing so good as studying a book to help one to appreciate it like-new. Sitting down and examining to characters, their development, the plot flow, etc. all gave me a completely new view. I've since read it again, and likely will in the future. It is the quintessential pirate book (treasure, adventure on the high seas, mutiny, hostages, ghosts, gun fights, murder, maroonees!) and even more than 120 years later I think the story appeals to adventurous people of all ages.
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
When I was a very young child my dad read these books to me and my older brother. We got them from our church library one at a time, and he would read a couple chapters to us each night. Let me tell you, having to wait until the next day to find out what happens in the next chapter was both agonizing and fun. But I was too young to read them myself and imagining what might happen next was part of the fun. I don't think much of the stories themselves sunk in for long. They took on a specialness due to my dad's excitement as he read them, but I was left with good if fuzzy memories of the books.
It was many years later (I was probably 12 or 13) that I re-discovered the books. A friend gifted me with the whole set and I read through them in record time. They remain some of my favorite books and some of the easiest to re-read when I need something magical in my life.
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Firstly, let's get the travesty that is Miyazaki's interpretation of this book out of the way. The movie took characters and elements from Jones' wonderful book, and, as much as I generally like Miyazaki I have to say, he completely ruined them.
Now the book on the other hand is one of my all-time favorites. I've both read it multiple times as well as listened to it brilliantly read by Jenny Sterlin (great Welsh accent) and enjoyed it just as much each time. Something about Diana Wynne Jones' writing makes me happy. Her stories always have a fun magical atmosphere and keep you reading--I usually finish her books quite quickly because I enjoy the worlds she creates so much that each time I pause my reading (for something mundane like going to bed, or going to work) I want to get back to them as soon as I can.
Dracula by Bram Stoker
I've read other writing by Bram Stoker and have to say that based on his other writing it almost seems that Dracula must have been written by someone else. The other books and stories are rather a mess. The biggest puzzle to me was The Lair of the White Worm which not only appears to have been written by someone with multiple personalities, but also while they were on drugs.
However he did it though, Stoker really struck gold with Dracula. One of the older vampire books (though not the first) Dracula is wonderful at making vampires not only scary but truly evil. Stoker's brilliant use of religious imagery corrupted and distorted into something evil makes for the creepiest and best vampire book I've ever read.
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
I think part of what makes Alice such a re-readable and beloved book is that you can get as much out of it as you like. If you read through quickly and focus on it as a story you get to adventure through some very strange places and meet some truly ridiculous characters. If you read through with a bit more concentration you get to appreciate Carroll's wordplay, puns, and wit. He was rather brilliant and liked to try out words in many different ways as he could. I definitely missed a lot the first time I read through it (I was rather young as well) and the second time I read it I realized how much he was playing with words and phrases linguistically.
The book is great for quotations as well...
"'Take some more tea,' the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.I won a free copy of the audio book at the Brooklyn Book Fair this past September and am in the middle of listening to it. Jim Dale is very good as the narrator, but I do find his Cheshire Cat voice quite creepy.
'I've had nothing yet,' Alice replied in an offended tone, 'so I can't take more.'
'You mean you can't take less,' said the Hatter: 'It's very easy to take more than nothing.'"
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
This book is SO good. Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman are two of my favorite authors and are my hands-down favorite living authors. Each time I read this book it's just as funny as the first time. As with many books in which Pratchett has had a hand, there are so many cultural references and in-jokes you're sure to find new ones each time you read; I've had many "oh, that's what that's from!" moments.
It's currently being made into a radio play (due out this Christmas) and I couldn't be more pleased.
I am a huge fan of audio books. I remember being a child listening to the read-along cassette tapes from the library (the ones
that would come in a little plastic bag with snaps at the top). I have such fond memories of flipping through Owl at Home and Frog and Toad are Friends with my klunky cassette player whirring along next to me.
As I got older and grew too old for read-along books I sort
of forgot they existed. Except for a gift of The Hobbit on cassette tape when I
was around 12, I barely listened to any for most of my teen years. I still read
ravenously, even progressing to the upstairs “grown up” part of the library
where they kept all the classics. Then one day, as a college student, I
suddenly stumbled upon the library’s secret (so it seemed) stash of hundreds of
audio books on CD. I’d been going to this library my whole life and never knew
about them. It was like finding a hidden treasure. I was suddenly able to read twice as many books as before because I could read while driving (not advisable with print books), walking the dog, cleaning, whatever.
Now, I
never go on a long drive without a book to listen to, and often have one to listen
to during my daily commute as well (currently: The Count of Monte Cristo by
Alexandre Dumas).
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| Simon Jones recording The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy |
Some might say listening to an audio book doesn't count as reading, but I think it really depends on what you are aiming to
get out of your books. Listening to a book opens up some new opportunities. It
means that you can “read” more than you otherwise might be able to, because you
can do it while driving, cleaning, doing laundry, exercising, etc. Though you aren't reading the words, you still expand your imagination, improve your
attention span, learn new things, discover new worlds, and identify with
characters perhaps even more than you might if you were reading the words
silently. Audio books can also encourage people who aren't so great at reading
(dyslexic people for instance) to still “read” and expand their imaginations.
I would never suggest that audio books replace print books.
There is a wealth to be gained from reading words on paper, especially for
young people: learning to recognize
correct spelling (seriously, so many people need this), learning to imagine
character voices and attitudes based on description, learning to sound out
unfamiliar words, improving your
comprehension speed, etc. But I think that audio books should definitely have a
place in everyone’s life alongside normal reading.
My favorites and recommendations:
The Bartimaeus books by Jonathan Stroud, read by Simon Jones – I have never had any other book where I would recommend someone with a choice listen to the audio book INSTEAD OF reading the book, but Simon Jones is just amazing. He IS Bartimaeus. I’m currently listening to the trilogy for the third time.
Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman, read by Lenny Henry. Though I love Gaiman, I wasn't a big fan of American Gods, and probably by extension wouldn't have been a fan of Anansi Boys had I not heard it brilliantly brought to life by Lenny Henry. I've listened to this one twice, and probably will again.
Winnie-the-Pooh, by A.A. Milne, read by a full cast including Judi Dench, Geoffrey Palmer, and Stephen Fry. This should be required listening for anyone who needs to lower their blood pressure. One if the loveliest books, read by some of Britain's best actors.
Where to get audio books for free
Audio books are really expensive to buy (and rightly so),
however there are a lot of options for audio book lovers who aren't financially
well endowed (poor people,like me).
Library – Seems like
a no-brainer but I think many people don’t realize that most libraries have an
audio book section. You may be surprised if you start looking into your
library’s collection, many often have not only a large CD selection, but more
and more are offering digital collections to their communities and you may be
able to listen online. If you are in the US you can find your local library here - publiclibraries.com
Librivox.org - All
the books on this site are in the public domain, so you won’t find any new
releases, but there is still an impressive range available – all free. All the
readings are done by volunteers - there is no screening process since each
reader is doing it out of the goodness of their heart and their love of books.
This can lead to varying quality in the readings.
I have a love/hate relationship with Librivox. I have
listened to some truly good readings and also some truly truly awful readings.
One woman ended every sentence with rising inflection, as if
it were a question. Another guy read every sentence like it was a radio
announcement. Impossible to listen to and frustrating as well, because they
were ruining good books. Still, I encourage you to check it out, because for
every bad reader there are several good ones. You can download Librivox books
from their website, or from their channel in the iTunes store.
Spotify - Another
free option is Spotify. I haven’t looked to extensively into this but I have
found a few free books there. I am never sitting still long enough to listen on
my computer, however, so I haven’t checked out the quality of what is
available.
Have any other sources for free books? Email me and I’ll
check them out!
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