The Black Marble

It's harder to do a book review of a book that you read almost 30 years ago. The Black Marble by Joseph Wambaugh was written in 1978. I probably read it within 5 years after it was written, I don't remember. I probably reread it 2 or 3 times.

It's a story about fate. The main character, Homicide Detective Sgt. Valnikov had recently lost his detective partner who had died. He was quickly drinking himself to death. He was assigned a new partner, Sgt. Natalie Zimmerman, who thinks he is going nuts. He's of Russian descent and so he drinks vodka. His new partner keeps coming this close to turning him in, but something always intervenes. Natalie gets him really drunk one night to pump him for information. She only finds that he enjoys Russian classical music and has a poetic streak. You can see her heart softening to the guy.

The story revolves around a dog groomer named Philo Skinner. This guy is down on luck, owes a lot of money to the mob for bad gambling debts. In order to get money to pay back his debt, he kidnaps a prizewinning purebred dog to ransom him back to the rich owner. The dog's owner, Madeline Whitfield, is actually not rich, she is practically broke, but maintaining a facade and holding out, waiting until she loses it all. She loves the dog like it is her child, but she is very unstable because she drinks excessively. Detective Valnikov finds a case he can really get into in this dog kidnapping, and even begins to sober up. In the course of helping her, they end up having sex, even though they are both over the hill lushes.

The icon of the Black Marble is from a saying, "Why do I always get the black marble?" That means why am I always getting the bad choices, why do I have such bad luck? The story is a black comedy. None of the characters is noble, perfect, or even completely respectable. The funny things that happen are usually painful or tragic to the people that experience them. Somehow, rather than becoming distressed and dragged down by the characters' pathetic lives, you find sympathy and humor for them.

Valnikov's problem ends up being that he has been slowly losing it over seeing too much death. Most cases he studies are actually suicides. His old partner seemed to be following a similar path before Valnikov. He was slowly getting more and more depressed by what he saw, people doing themselves in. He became an expert at recognizing it and eventually committed suicide himself. Many of Valnikov's random memories thoughtout the book are a series of flashbacks of the horrific ways that people did themselves in.

In the end, he solves the crime, saves the dog, saves his own life, and gets the girl. Strangely, the happy ending is not what you remember most about this story over the years, only the struggle to persevere when life hands you the Black Marble.

The Ghost Brigades

Book Review: WARNING! WITH SPOILERS

You've been warned. I mowed through the last of the second book in the series by John Scalzi. It was also very good. Not quite as good as the first, but that one was up in the stratosphere, so we're still talking much better than most.

You got to the point where you really liked John Perry by the time the first book finished, so for those John Perry fans out there, there is no John here.

There is a nod to other science fiction stories. Scalzi has a group of people reading war fiction, and it's really a reading list of influences on his development. Interestingly, we've read most of the same material.

This version really got into how the Special Forces troops were made. It gets into the awakening and integration of the troops as well as their training. The computer brain interface allows them to have consciousness, even as they are first awakened. They talked about how they were able to clone a full grown adult in 16 weeks by accelerated development, which was cool. They talked about consciousness transfer, which was an interesting concept.

The main character is a clone that is made to house the consciousness, stored in a device, by a mad scientist that defected from the humans and was trying to serve his own goals, which unfortunately involved the slaughter of the human race.

He has the memories or personality of the defecting scientist downloaded onto him, but it doesn't take. So he is trained as a Special Forces soldier, only to have some of the memories and emotions of the bad guy come out gradually and incompletely.

They did another space drop in this one, and they had only one really active battle scene, although it focused more one the main character than the blood & guts you come to see.

In the end, the story was more about morals and honor, conceptual ideas, rather than the mechanics of how all this works. You find that the person that is accused of having no morals or sense of humor has the best of both of these. The way he kills the bad guy in the end is a very interesting twist.

There is a third book in the series, which I think I will wait a while to read. Perhaps when it comes out in paperback. I look forward to seeing more good things from John Scalzi in the future.

Old Man's War

WARNING: THIS BOOK REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS:

I found this book by John Scalzi by accident. I was looking for a book called The Forever War in a newly reissued version around Christmas and was told casually by the person at Barnes and Noble, who had read the Forever War, that this book was a little like it and also good. So I bought it and put it on a shelf for a month.

Then I read it in 3 days.

Absorbed is kind of a light word for my reaction to the book. I might also say entranced or enthralled, but that doesn't quite cover it either. Let's just say that I have not one critism of the book, it's excellent in every respect.

Probably my favorite aspect of the book, after the concept, is the dialog. Probably my favorite dialog is the part where John Perry talks with the Consu, a superior alien species, in order to find out information about humanity's enemies. It's not a negotiation, but a one sided conversation with a species that hates humans and doesn't care much what they say. The funny part is that John Perry has nothing to lose, so he talks with the irreverence of a high school kid with an attitude. It's fun.

The character development is very good. You really feel like you are getting to know John Perry well, and you really get to like him and feel some strange pride in his accomplishments.

The technology is very interesting. Cloning, consciousness transfer, integrated personal computers in your brain, the Skip Drive to get you around the cosmos without having to slog along in a straight line, nanobots, and advanced weapons spice up the story nicely. The space drop onto a planet is a cool touch, similar to a halo drop by our combat forces in real life.

The story builds nicely, because you know of some important things without knowing about them. The whole mystery of what is going to happen to them as their age is reversed is a wonderful mystery until it happens. Another favorite thing about the book is their time in basic training. The drill sergeant character is another high point in the book.

Threading through the book is the love story of John and his dead wife. It's poignant, believable, and interesting without weighing the book down with melancholy. I like the way the believability of the book is enhanced by this aspect of the story. You know that the character understands why things have to happen, and even understands what it is that he is feeling without being rendered useless by his feelings. That in itself makes John Perry a hero, but his matter of fact way of dealing with each new twist, shock, or surprise is what you really come to like.

I'm half way through the sequel, The Ghost Brigades. Not as compelling as the first book, but still head and shoulders over most books I've read. I'll write about it when I'm done.

Dune Series

CAUTION: Book Review with spoilers:

I can finally say I've finished the Dune series.

I read the original some time in High School. My brother and I read the original 3 books (Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune), as well as all the later ones done by Frank Herbert's son, at roughly the same time. I had read the continuation of the classic line (God Emperor of Dune, Heretics of Dune, and Chapterhouse) by Frank Herbert years ago, and my brother read them more recently. I remember thinking that it was becoming more and more incomprehensible as Frank Herbert put out his last three sequels.

But that didn't stop the story from being intriguing and interesting. I like the way that the son stepped in and backfilled the original story, as well as taking the old storyline forward.

The continuation of the series was a collaborative effort between Brian Herbert, Frank's son, and Kevin J. Anderson. I just found out, after finishing the series, that Kevin J. Anderson did a lot of the Star Wars books. I'm glad I didn't know that. Most Dune purists probably think of Dune as being an intellectual exercise, and the Star Wars series is more like the pulp fiction branch of science fiction. Heavy on the action and adventure, light on the science and philosophy.

There was a different flavor to the continued series. The original series made the characters seem too complex to completely understand, while at the same time, more respectable and less human. The new series had the characters feeling more human, but also more shallow and superficial. It wasn't a major flaw, just a minor distraction.

The major draw of the continued series, both the backstory and the continued thread of the main story was all the background and explanation as to why things were the way they were. What was the real motivation of people and peoples - this is what made the whole saga more detailed, coherent, and complete.

That said, there were a couple of annoyances. The Deus Ex Machina of having the Oracle of Time simply fly in and solve the problem with the machine invasion and Omnius at the last second was a little too convenient to be satisfying. The fact that everyone simply stopped struggling and got along once Duncan Idaho merged with the machines and was found to be the ultimate Kwizatz Hadderach was not very interesting (it was satisfying, but not interesting). The entire conflict went from coming to a head to being resolved so quickly that you get literary whiplash.

So, in truth, what does the completion of the series accomplish? There were no loose ends left to tie up that I can think of. There is no reason to write more backstory or continued narrative. I have no curiousity about things, it's all been explained. I'm glad I read the series, it was interesting and an epic saga with many interesting characters and concepts. I'm left not feeling sad or nostalgic about the book, as the original three books of Dune left you feeling sympathy for the tragedy of Paul Atreides life. This one leaves you feeling like things will go on, only better now.

The conflict and messiness of the original core of the series is what made it interesting. Like a splinter in your brain, there's always some pressure and a little bit of pain, the issue never goes away completely. I think that I would have always felt that way if I hadn't read the series to the end, but now I find that I miss that feeling.

I hope that's not a comment on life in general. You think you are striving toward completion and contentment, but what does it mean when you're not satisfied being satisfied?

Ill Wind

Book Review WITH SPOILERS

I was loaned Ill Wind by Kevin J. Anderson and Doug Beason by my brother, who recommended it. I'd read Anderson before, particularly his collaborations with Brian Herbert in the extended Dune series. A quick search shows that he was also the author of "The League of Extroidinary Gentlemen" which was made into a movie. He also wrote a lot of Star Wars books.

This book has a great premise, but it falls flat. There was something both unbelievable and incredibly irritating about the characters. I kept waiting for something very dramatic or very heroic to happen, and it didn't. Some characters had fatal flaws, but kept mucking around. Other characters were full of honor and purpose, but couldn't get their act together. While you could argue that this is a fair description of real life, the result here is a story you can't believe.

The premise is an interesting. I remember hearing about oil eating bacteria years ago as a solution to oil spills years ago. The intersting premise here is what if it gets out of control. They manage to make this very extreme, unbelievable, and not very interesting. Connoisseurs of the end of the world genre know that society breaks down pretty fast. They just sort of gloss over this effect. In all, I didn't care if the noble scientists trying to save the world succeeded, and I didn't believe either their triumphs or setbacks. Too bad. It's worth exploring in better detail later.

Ironically, there was an oil spill in the San Francisco Bay the week I started reading this book, and another in the Black Sea the next week, as well as a minor spill off of Israel, if I remember that last one properly. So it was a timely read, but not at all satisfying.

The Bushes: Portrait of a Dynasty

I made myself "read" this book, The Bushes: Portrait of a Dynasty, which I finished this last weekend. Do you get to say "read" when you listen to an audiobook on your ipod? I say that I made myself read it because it wasn't very interesting, you just have to force yourself to keep plowing through it.

This was a favorable, but not blatantly biased (until that last chapter) portrait of the Bush family and their history. I don't know anything about the authors, Peter and Rochelle Schweizer, or what their connection or motivation for the book was, but they had access to family members.

In the interest of fair disclosure, I have to admit that last summer I read Kitty Kelley's The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty. That book was distractingly biased. After reading it, I assumed that the details were probably not accurate, as it felt too much like a smear job. One thing that Ms. Kelley made clear was that the Bushes were very secretive and that none of them would talk to her. That was one of the few things that stuck in my head.

In this book, the authors had some access, but still, it's not like they got to sit down with 41 or 43 and actually chat.

And it wasn't all flattering, I guess. They kept emphasizing how the Bushes would weep whenever anything emotional happened. I'm not sure that's necessarily a good thing, I'm not sure I'd want that known about me, even if it was true.

I don't like George W. Bush, either personally or how he has run his campaigns or the country. I think he's the worst President this country has ever seen, and maybe will ever see. I think he's against science and dangerous to our security and standing in the world. I've wondered how in the hell anyone could still be driving around with "W '04" bumper stickers on their cars, you'd think they would be embarrassed. However, this book has done more to make me understand where Bush supporters are coming from than anything else.

I can see how they would think that the media is biased against them, but that is also somewhat sour grapes and thin skin. I do appreciate, on one hand, that each member of the family has gone out and made their own money, through their own efforts, but they did get a lot of investment capital from the family, too. So either side can be said to be right, the "It was all handed to them" vs. the "They made all their own money".

The thing that leaves me bothered is that 41 & 43 wanted to be President for no real reason. They didn't have some great vision for the country or understand what direction they wanted the country to go in, they just wanted to be President. Like it was their right. That's not good for the country. We need people that have a real vision, not a "vision thing".

The other thing that really irritates me is the emphasis on connections and friends. On one hand, that's great. I can see how they forge tight relationships and have and extend a lot of loyalty, but on the other hand, it's a peerage system. Not merit, but friendships. That's no way to run a country.

Dark Tower by Stephen King

(SPOILER WARNING!)

I finished the Dark Tower series.

I thought it was really well written. I read in the paper the day after I finished it that they are going to have a "Graphic Novel" (can anyone just say Comic Book) come out about it. The article said that many fans were disappointed in the ending of the Dark Tower Series.

I wasn't. I didn't see it coming and I was really hoping Roland could finally rest, but it made sense when you thought about it. How else could Roland know so much about what was going to happen? They always said that Ka was a wheel. I like the little twist at the end where this time around he has the horn that Cuthbert had dropped the day at the battle of Jericho Hill. It's like reincarnation, a zen buddist thing, where each life you get to improve a little until you finally got it right. I told a co-worker about it and he said, "It's like Ground Hog Day (the movie)". I guess he's right.

I have to say that I probably liked Oy better than any character. I did like Jake a lot, and I was surprised to find that I really liked Eddie by the time he died - I couldn't stand him at first.

I was wondering why they didn't have the magical artist character draw legs back on Susannah, fingers back on Roland, and a tongue back on himself. As long as you've got magical powers, you might as well use them. I know I would.

King really does borrow a lot from other stories, doesn't he? I remember the premise of the guy that made them laugh. I've seen that story or something really close to it before.

Well, you're not supposed to walk away from a Stephen King story feeling all happily ever after, are you? It does make you want to go back and re-read the older ones, doesn't it?