Author:: H. M. Hoover
Pages: 217
Setting: Xilan. (It's a planet.)
Means of Aquiration: Borrowed from Home.
Level of Sci-Fi Technogeekoscity: Pretty much nonexistant.
Another Heaven, Another Earth is one of those books that I've always seen around...but I never read it. I saw it at the bookshelf at home when I was there for the weekend, and since it was one of the few books there that I had yet to read, I grabbed it and took it back to the cities with me.
All I can say is: It's about time!
I wish I had read it earlier. Not because I would have enjoyed it more (I enjoyed it perfectly well at age 19), but because the earlier I read it, the more time I would have to enjoy it. It really is a good book. And it's one of those great books where science fiction is the setting, not the whole story. I got the feeling that H.M. Hoover really cared about her characters--they were not just the eyes through which we saw the "gimmick" happen, which was good. (That happens too often in science fiction--the characters (and story) end up secondary to the MacGuffin that the story revolves around. And let's face it: we don't want to care about Macguffins.)
Anyway, it's a very human story, with several pleasant surprises.
Very recommended. I almost want to sit down right now and read it again.
Author:: Karen Romano Young
Pages: 388
Bears slight but startling resemblances to: Anansi Boys. Namely, they both deal with spiders.
Means of Aquiration: Bought it, 20% off (yay coupons!) at Borders.
General Impression: Excellent.
I didn't feel like going straight back to my dorm after arriving in Minneapolis on Sunday, so I took the train to the end of the line and went shopping at Borders (I had a coupon, how could I resist?) I saw several books there that I thought about getting (Note to self: write up a "most wanted" book list), but I eventually settled on this one. I can't comment on how good my choice was, since I still haven't read any of the other potential purchases... but I can say that I am very satisfied with this book.
Cobwebs is creepy, in a very likable way. I hate to fall into puns and clichés here, so to spare myself the shame, I will allow you to insert your own phrase containing some form of "web" and "to weave" here:
Okay, I'm glad that's done with.
Honestly, I really enjoyed this. The main character (Nancy) reminded me of myself when I was in junior high. (I believe Nancy is in high school, but I could be wrong.) Actually, she didn't remind me of myself at all...but I identified with her. That's special, isn't it?
The story, while often fantastic, is somehow also very real. Sometimes dreamlike, sometimes gritty. A book that I want to rub in someone's face while screaming "See?! It is possible to write an original fantasy novel!" (What can I say... some people deserve that.)
Author:: Joe Camp (based on the screenplay by Rod Browning and Joe Camp)
Pages: 139 (plus eight pages of full color photos!)
Setting: London
Means of Aquiration: Picked it up for free at a "bookmobile" (read: library cart full of free books) at the airport.
Literary Merit None whatsoever. It is a good fluff read, though. (Though if you've seen the movie, don't bother trying to find the novelisation. They can hardly be different at all.)
Bizarre visuals: The cover features a cute picture of Benji (the dog) smoking a cigar. Weird.
This book is exactly what I expected it to be--short, easy to read, campy, and from 1980. The cover boasts Now a Major Motion Picture Presentation from Twentieth Century Fox, and I'm not sure what that means. It was cleary published after the "motion picture presentation" came out, because it features stills from the movie. Also, it is based on the script. And what is a "motion picture presentation," anyway?
I can't recommend the book (although I've got nothing against it... I just feel that I would lose my credibility if I did), but the movie's probably decent. Between the two, I would choose to watch the movie, as most of the humor in this comes from the fact that the main character (spoiler! Sort of!) gets turned into a dog. Visual humor, you see. Despite best intentions, it doesn't come across too well on paper.
Even having said that, though, there's no better book to read for forty minutes whilst flying between Milwaukee and Minneapolis. It served its purpose well.