Dec. 3
2:47 PM
Three Holiday Suggestions; Or, Things I’ve Recently Read and Loved
Whenever I get around to actually writing a book review (which tends to be only when I really enjoyed something) I post said review over at goodreads, but with these three novels I thought I'd go the extra inch and cross-post them here, as well--tis the season, apparently, to post all about what you want for Christmas, and what I want for Christmas is for more people to read more good books and donate to worthy charities instead of posting about the material possessions they're coveting this holiday season. That and some single malt. Without further ado, then, three wildly disparate books that should make excellent gifts for yourself or others:
It Came From Del Rio by Stephen Graham Jones
I don't know the last time I've been this blindsided by a book--Jones takes a decidedly pulp premise (and title, with accompanying great cover!) and delivers an absolutely heartbreaking, brilliant two act novel. The first half follows accomplished mule Dodd as he attempts to make one last border run with a mysterious cargo, but from the very beginning we know that Dodd is in too deep and we're not in for a storybook ending in the second half, where things take a radical but immensely satisfying turn. Well before any genre elements enter the story we're sucked in by Dodd, a great noir hero if ever there was one, and Jones does a masterful job of juggling timelines and tension even as he casually provides the most intimate world building imaginable. And if all that desert-baked goodness isn't enough for you, we've got chupacabras and something even worse, so get thee to Del Rio but don't forget the silver nitrate.
Oh, and Jones's short story collection The Ones Who That Got Away is dropping in a few days, and, although I haven't read the whole ToC yet, everything I have that's on it hits that sweet spot of dark and wonderful--Jones is one of a kind, and, along with Paul Trembaly's In The Mean Time, this is a must-have collection.
Harmony by Project Itoh
The best SF novel I've read in yonks, this literary reaction to contemporary Japanese (and international) society presents a dystopian future masquerading as a utopian one. Disease and crime are virtually unheard of in the "civilized world" due to society's obsession with health and the implantation of devices that monitor not only the physical well-being of every citizen but also their mental state, and the World Health Organization controls the world with a loving latex fist. We follow a dissatisfied, rebellious agent of the WHO as she becomes embroiled in a case that may mean the downfall of not just the WHO but of all humankind, and the deeper she goes the more personal the case becomes. Itoh, who edited the final manuscript in a hospital bed where he was dying of cancer, delivers a novel that manages to be both dense but incredibly easy to read, beguilingly simple to understand yet complex and whip-smart. The world of Harmony is one of the most topical, plausible futures I've ever encountered in fiction, which makes the seemingly idyllic future--and the novel's resolution--all the more chilling.
And last but certainly not least, Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor
As I said at goodreads: Phenomenal storytelling, absolutely brilliant and ruthless and beautiful. Topical brutality against the backdrop of post-apocalyptic Africa frames the story of the titular heroine, and the bits you see coming from afar seem more inevitable than predictable, if that makes sense. I'm in awe of her casual world-building and nuanced characters; one of the best books I've read all year.
And as I said in a recent interview at Booklife: It’s the definition of fearless storytelling, and she does stuff I don’t know if I’ll ever have the guts to do. Earlier we were talking about people who don’t usually read SF looking into the community, and this work would be an ideal place for non-SF readers to start.
So that's what I've been thrilled by of late--what have you read recently that you'd recommend for gift giving?