Martin Roth's Prophets and Loss is a deep character study wrapped in an intriguing mystery. Who can you trust? is the question that runs through the story, with twists and turns on the question in every chapter. Even Johnny Ravine isn't quite sure he can trust himself, leading him into the deep pits of his character and the hard choices he had to make in his hardscrabble background. If you're not familiar with Asia-Pacific geopolitics -- as I'm not -- you'll find the story of the East Timorese … [Read more...]
Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
Time travel to the 14th century and a 21st-century flu outbreak test the resourcefulness of people in both locales in Connie Willis's Doomsday Book. Kivrin is a young time traveler sent to explore 14th century England at the same time a fatal flu outbreak back in her "present" combines with the chaos of the Christmas season to make her return uncertain. Willis alternates between two different time periods and two different disease outbreaks. We're immersed in the daily life of the 14th century … [Read more...]
Anathem by Neal Stephenson
In Neal Stephenson's Anathem, young members of a mathematical community (that looks a lot like a monastic community on earth) simply want to live out their bookish lives in the quiet, calm seclusion of the community. But when the once-a-decade Apert celebration comes around, they find themselves pulled into the hubbub and confusion of the outside world. They, along with other members of their communities, as well as the separated "extras" must respond to a threat that endangers not only their … [Read more...]
Stakes in Fiction-Writing: The End of the World
In fiction, stakes are always about the end of the world. I’ve been resistant to that because I think oncoming asteroids and alien invasions are boring (even though I like science fiction). But that’s because I’ve defined the “end of the world” too narrowly. The end of the world can happen on every level, from universal (Star Wars) to global (War of the Worlds) to geopolitical (Lord of the Rings), to the community (It’s a Wonderful Life), to the individual (impending death, life changes, … [Read more...]
Stealing Time
I creep through the house in the dark morning And find time lying abandoned in pools of night: Tossed into corners, scattered on the floor, jumbled on the chairs. I take an hour, maybe two, and use them for my own purposes. Who will know? I will. My conscience nags. “Sleep,” it says. “Or talk. Make coffee smells. These hours belong to someone else.” “No,” I say. “They are mine. Because I took them.” … [Read more...]