Past Tense

A Jack Reacher Novel
Lee Child

Reacher stops off at a small town that has some family history (his dad may have lived there as a child). It so happens that near this small town is an aspiring business where rich people are able to pay lots of money to bow-hunt other people. The hunted (of course) are unwilling. Reacher gets involved in a round about way, so that it almost seems like his involvement is ancillary to main story of him discovering his past. The hunted that he helps are just resilient enough to make you wonder if they needed Reacher at all. But he helps, none-the-less, setting everyone straight and reinforcing that while interested in history, he doesn't really care about or need it. On to the next small town...


2 stars (out of 4)

Red Clocks

Leni Zumas

Set in a future Oregon where the federal government has overturned Roe v Wade and has even outlawed in-vitro fertilization. Basically, this is a semi-realistic portrayal of what life would be like if reproductive rights are managed by government. Including the adoption/foster system disfunction. Zumas is clearly an Oregonian, using her home as setting for a novel. Sometimes this comes across as unimaginative or novice. And this feels that way at the start. But ultimately, the setting adds character to the story. The story follows several residents (school teacher, student, mother, etc.) of the coastal Oregon town, each with their own life drama. But each individual story touches on or circles around reproductive issues to tie everything together. Engaging and well told. Not dystopian enough to scare anyone into changing their mind about anything, but a probable real future.
4 stars (out of 4)

Chrysalis

Brendan Reichs
Book 3 of Project Nemesis

Now it gets weird. The class is surviving on "New Earth". But of course, not all is as it seems. We go from colonizers, to space ships, to AI, back to colonizers. Continually weird, and Reichs redeems the 2nd book with some creativity here. I kept thinking, how is he going to resolve all of this... and then he throws another complete left turn. In this conclusion, the Fire Lake group meets up with a Montana group and are again surprised by where they are and what they are a part of. What starts out as a continuation of the "Lord of the Flies" fight for domination transitions into an us-against-them fight for survival of humanity. We have been turned around so many times that even up until the end, we are not sure about what is real, and what is not (just like the characters). The series overall has some holes in it in terms of continuity (Sophia seems to take responsibility for some decisions that she can't really have been responsible for in the timeline), but they are minor to the overall plot and don't really break the experience.
3 stars (out of 4)

Genesis

Brendan Reichs
Book 2 of Project Nemesis

Min and Noah have been identified as Beta test subjects in a crazy experiment/project. Only the 64 sophomores in Fire Lake, Idaho are alive, and they have been instructed to narrow their number down to move on to the next phase. But since no-one can die (death leads to a reset), what does this mean. The immediate implication is that factions are formed and a "Lord of the Flies" battle for survival begins. This is traumatic, violent and visceral. Maybe it was necessary for Reichs as a plot device, but it goes on too long. Explore the alternative sooner. It seems like he had more fun than necessary writing this section when it could have been shortened to a couple chapters to make the point and move on to the next phase. Just my 2 cents. In the end, the class resolves its narrowing and moves on...
2 stars (out of 4)

Nemesis

Brendan Reichs
Book 1 of Project Nemesis

Raised in small town Fire Lake in Idaho, Min has an existence that is not comparable to anyone else. She is murdered on each of her even numbered birthdays. The reality is that she is not sure about reality. Is she crazy? Hallucinogenic? or... Regardless, she has only one real friend, Tack. And neither of them can stay out of sight of the school bullies. In fact, Tack seems to intentionally incite trouble. The story is told in alternating fashion from the first person perspective of Min, and Noah. He is nominally part of the cool group, but also shares a birthday with Min, they have some connection in this small town. So Min (and Tack, and Noah) are trying to figure out what is going on, trying to live a "normal" teenager life, and hiding this horrific reality at the same time. Probably this could be a psychological metaphor for bullying if it wasn't all too real for these kids.
3 stars (out of 4)

The will to change: Men, Masculinity and Love

Bell Hooks

This is my first introduction to Hooks. The book is an investigation of male feminism (both shortcomings and possibilities) for men in a "imperialist white supremacist capitalist patriarchy". She talks about the development and shortcomings of feminism for men, and of the implications of patriarchy, particularly for black men and for women who profess to fight against it. I found her critique of patriarchy to be on point, but wished she would have given more direction for further action or reading. Maybe in 2004, there were not resources available. She states (again, in 2004)

No significant body of feminist writing addresses boys directly, letting them know how they can construct an identity that is not rooted in sexism. There is no body of feminist children's literature that can serve as an alternative to patriarchal perspectives, which abound in the world of children's books.

and I would add in the world of sci-fi/fantasy. So my question is, in the past 15 years, does this body of work now exist? Are there role models and characters in literature (especially in YA lit) that promote alt-patriarchal thinking?
4 stars (out of 4)

Archenemies

Marissa Meyer
Book 2 of the Renegades Trilogy

In this volume, our protagonists expand their horizons by crossing over into the world of 'the other' (secretly of course). Nova: Nightmare - the Anarchist, continues her double life as Insomnia the Renegade. She is gathering intel, but also learning about the people. She is developing relationships and finding that her preconceptions about Renegades are not all correct. At the same time, she is solidifying her ideology about prodigies doing too much, and believing even more strongly that non-prodigies need to be taught/encouraged to embrace their own heroism.

Adrian: Sketch - the Renegade, continues his double life as The Sentinel, rogue prodigy. In this double life, he is learning how limiting the strict Renegade code of conduct is, but is also personally experiencing what happens when that code is ignored (via his encounters with Frostbites team). He is not seeing yet how the Renegade government structure could be oppressive and abusive. So his outside the box thinking is limited to himself and individual experiences. Maybe he will come around.

We also get introduced to Max: The Bandit. Max is a Renegade prodigy who is in quarantine because his power is to steal power from others. Max may be the smartest prodigy around (even at 10 years old) and is definitely the most powerful. Certainly going to be a major part of any resolution.

Very much an interstitial book, with Nova/Adrian getting closer, and yet entrenching into their secrets more strongly. As a reader, we just say "Tell each other already and this can all be worked out". But I guess we needed another book for that [this sentence should be read with the driest of sarcasm possible].

3 stars (out of 4)

Renegades

Marissa Meyer
Book 1 of the Renegades Trilogy

First, my pet peeve. I got tricked, and it was my own fault. But then it happened again. I just assumed this was a one off. I even saw that Meyer was famous for a 4 part series called the Lunar Chronicles. Why would I assume this was a single book? Don't know, but I specifically thought how nice that a sci-fi/fantasy writer would break the mold and write a single book. I had no evidence pointing me that direction, but that is where I went. With about 50 pages left, I realized my mistake. There is no way this could wrap in 50 pages. At the end, at least there was an ad, "Don't miss the thrilling conclusion to Renegades, coming November 2018". Ah, relief. A 2-book series, and I can get the 2nd already at my library. [Spoiler Alert] False advertising. The same thing happened at the end of the 2nd book, with the "exciting conclusion" coming in Fall 2019. Now this story will rattle around in my head for the next 8 months.

As to the book, it is good. Classic dystopian, young-adult storyline with teen hero/heroine who are exploring who they are as people, and slowly falling in love. The world Meyer has created is one were people with special powers (called prodigies) have finally come out into the open. These people have been around for all of history, but were generally killed as witches, or hid their talents. Nova (our teen heroine) is part of a group called the Anarchists. Her uncle was a powerful leader of prodigies who fought for the right to be openly prodigious, and in the process destroyed government and civil order as part of the fight. Adrian (our teen hero) is part of the Renegades. These prodigies banded together to stop crime and restore order. His dads are two of the five supreme council members who have also fallen into governing since their crimefighting was successful.

The tension (in addition to the normal teen dating) here is about government, freedom and authoritarianism. The Renegades have power, and good intentions. The have strict codes of conduct to ensure Renegade prodigies are abusing power. But they do everything. The result is that normal people have become reliant and do not have a self-sufficient culture (a kid trips and falls in the street, don't help the kid up but call in a Renegade patrol and walk away). The Anarchists promote individual freedom for all. They fear power (even benevolent power) and are sure the Renegade authoritarian structure will lead to disaster. But they also crave and abuse power.

In this context, Nova and Adrian both walk (secretly) in both worlds. This first volume introduces the world, introduces our protagonists and their private dilemma's. I guess I can't say whether this is outstanding until the entire thing is done.
3 stars (out of 4)

Gunslinger Girl

Lyndsay Ely

Set in post 2nd Civil War North America, Serendipity Jones is a 17 year old girl, living in a commune with her father and two brothers. Her mother was a renown sniper for the resistance during the war, but has since died as a disgraced drunk. Serendipity, seeking her freedom, runs away from the commune and into her future as a sharpshooter in her own right. She ends up in Cessation, the lawless Las Vegas of the west that is beyond the control of North American government. In many ways, this is the coming of age story of a young woman who is seeking to know her history and to be someone important. It is classic western, seeking out new opportunities and the raw battle between good and evil. But it isn't hard. Ely presents the human, 17 year old girl version, where Serendipity is alternately experiencing self-doubt and conquering obstacles beyond her means. The hard western ignores the entire self-doubt section. It is fascinating how this portrayal of emotion in a hero is so rare that it seems out of place, makes the book seem targeted to the 'teen audience'. Probably the only way to make character portrayal seem normal is to have lots more books written with emotion as an integral plot element. I liked this book and hope Serendipity Jones becomes a serial character I can follow.
4 stars (out of 4)

Blue Remembered Earth

Alastair Reynolds

Set in the same universe as On the Steel Breeze where life on earth is surveilled by "The Mech", the benevolent AI that has eliminated disease, crime, poverty, etc. It a time when the humans have finally come together, after the Resource and Relocation wars brought on by climate change stress, and global politics is again centered in Africa. And the preeminent family are the Akinyas, of the Akinya Space Fleet fame and wealth, the biggest and most powerful conglomerate in the solar system. When matriarch Eunice dies, it sets in motion a treasure hunt of sorts for grandchildren Geoffrey (elephant biologist) and Sunday (artist in residence on the moon). Cousins and the family business first mentality of Hector and Lucas get involved and at least in the family, the 'good' and 'bad' sides are clearly defined. More subtle are the Panspermians, who have interests in spreading humanity beyond the solar system and who have generational ties to the Akinya family. What their motives are and how helpful they will be is constantly up for interpretation. I enjoy this world, and appreciate Reynolds use of science in creating this world that is near-future. But the good/evil is perhaps too well defined, and the ambiguous is too explicitly ambiguous, and the drama resolves with a bit of a whimper. In short, great world - mediocre story.
3 stars (out of 4)

I'm Still Here

Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness
Austin Channing Brown

For me, this book reminded be of Between the World and Me, but from the female perspective. Brown is not writing a letter, but she is writing explicitly about what it means to be black in a white world. Coates book is offering the reader a peak behind the curtain into a personal conversation about blackness, and it is frank and explicit and direct. Brown is up front about her purpose for writing, to teach about and illuminate blackness. Her tone is softer, but weirdly more direct. As a result is comes across as preachy. While reading, I felt like it was good for me to read and informative. Today, I couldn't tell you a single detail.
2 stars (out of 4)