Snowflake

Paul Gallico

Doubleday, 1953

much like the novellas Snow and Silk that I very much enjoyed – actually this one is not as lyrical as the others, not as “soft” I would say. It’s hard to describe, but it seems as though it has been written originally in German and just translated into English, but maybe I’m projecting – thinking that the somewhat stiff style is Germanic (that’s just my take on the language itself) and the fact that his IS obviously set in Germany, or at least the Alps, might contribute to my little conceit.

The story follows the lifetime of a snowflake, from falling in the winter through the warmth of the summer to the travels to the ocean and eventual return to the sky – along the way Snowflake watching humanity from a compassionate distance, contemplates the glory of God and our purpose here in this world, marries (in the truest sense), has children, suffers loss, and eventually, dies.

It is a wonderful little Christian parable that gives a different perspective on the world – the minute things take on grand importance. While not as “poetically lyrical” as some of the other books of which I am more fond, this is still a charming little read.

VG

George Tice: Selected Photographs 1953-1999

Pocket Paragon, David R Godine Publisher – Boston, 2001

Excellent photographs, allowing me to again use one of my favourite words (see if you can spot it in the upcoming sentence. . .)

These photographs show that George Tice is a master of chiaroscuro.

(did you see it? You guessed it, dear reader – it’s “chiaroscuro” !! Well done!)

Basically, this book is a great introduction – after you glance through it, go directly to the web to find all these pics and more and see for yourself – in addition to my aforementioned favourite word, he also has a fantastic view of America: in complete rugged clarity, even through the worn out buildings and happily worn workers – he has a great grasp of how we view ourselves as America.

and, if I haven’t stated already – some great pics!!

VG

Beyond Flesh

Ed by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois

Ace Books (a division of Berkley, which is a division of Penguin) © 2002

Stories by Poul Anderson and a whole crop of “new” (meaning 1990’s SciFi writers)

Personally, I think they just had the Poul Anderson story in there to give it that "homage" to clasic sci-fi, because all the other stories were from the 1990's to early double-aughts. Which was good for me to read, because I hadn't read much sci-fi since my college days kicked it out of my system, and I haven't really been keeping up with the genre . . .

which is a shame, becuase if this collection is any indication, some really interesting things have been happening. It always fascinates me how sci-fi takes the science of the time and extrapolates it into any possibly various outcome - for better or worse - usually for "darker"

Can't go over the stories right now, but I will suggest that you read them - even if you don't like sci-fi, read them with an eye to a warning as to what will happen to us if we allow our technology to surpass our need for our physical bodies, which is the theme for each of these stories.

And, since I can't resist putting a book into a personal context: I read this while on a weekend retreat with my wife a few months ago - we had planned a "together" getaway to a romantic bed and breakfast, and she, the poor dear, comes down with a stomach virus the first two days there - and me, having neglected to pack books (not thinking I'd need them!), picked this little paperback up at the dollar store, thinking "for a buck you can't go wrong" and while I whiled away the afternoon and the evening, while my darling wife lay sleeping, I burned through these stories almost in one sitting, they were so intriguing. And in some way, it was a very romantic time for me - watching over her, bringing her juice or a towel when she stirred from the flu-induced stupor, and in between times reading some well-written sci-fi.

So, (and don't tell my wife this!) it was actually a very romantic getaway for me . . . although I'm sure it wasn't for her!

VG

Jupiter

ed. by Frederick and Carol Pohl

Speculative Fiction by Science Fiction’s Master Prognosticators

introduction by Isaac Asimov

Ballantine Books, 1973

Collection of short stories by Asimov, Pohl, Clifford D Simack, Arthur C Clarke, James Blish, Poul Anderson, and others.

Reading this book took me back to all the SF books I read when I was growing up. My mother had tons of SF paperbacks all over the house. I devoured them all, and so reading this collection was nostalgic for me, and so I can’t be truly objective. But I’ll try:

Basically, it’s a collection of stories whose one theme is the planet Jupiter, and the stories were written at different times (individual copyrights range from 1934 to 1971), and so were influenced by what was known about the planet at those given times. The stories themselves had different themes: some are adventure fiction, some are speculative, some are more psychological in scope. In some the planet is the central focus and in others it’s simply the background.

I like the idea of this theme, and the variety that it allows, and I would actually like to see more collections such as this.

Personally, my favourite part of the book was in the foreward by Pohl, in which he described a cruise to the Bahamas that he took with Carl Sagan, Robert Heinlein, Arthur Clarke, Isaac Asimov, and their wives, in 1972 or 73, when the idea for this collection took shape, and it suddenly gave me the most wonderful sensation (as I’m certain any other purveyor of SF would given this setup) – what wonderful conversations must have happened upon that cruise? Can you imagine those intelligent, creative, wonderful intelligences, all together in that one space? What brilliant ideas must have been discussed? All matters of science simply rolling off the cuff.

Now THAT would be a story worth reading!

As I said, only other SF fans like myself and my mom would truly have the same spinal thrill thinking about that.

For the rest of you, read the book – and introduce yourself to the wonderful world of classic SF!!!!

VG

Heart of a Dog

Mikhail Bulgakov
Translated by Mirra Ginsburg

this edition
Grove Press Inc, New York
(c) 1968

Originally written in 1925, this book was banned in the Soviet Union (big surprise! I think it would be much shorter to have a list of books that WEREN'T banned in the USSR) - I suppose for no other reason than it shows that a dog turned human could get a government post, because frankly I don't see anything in here that is anti-government. The only enemy really is the weasal that runs the renters association in the building, and he's a little tinpot tyrant who wants to kick out the good doctor/mad scientist.

The most interesting aspect of the book is Sharik, the dog, especially before he's turned human, the thoughts and impressions that he has are remarkable, and you're left wondering if THIS particular dog is a special character in himself, that is, if Sharik himself made the operation a success simply because of his intelligence.

That, and choosing the "brain" of a criminal, also led to the question of what truly gave Sharikov (the dog-turned-human) his baser characteristics: the dog or the criminal? The book only speculates.

And yes, yes, you can't resist the comparison to Young Frankenstein, hearing EYE-gor say hesitantly, "Abby . . . Normal?"

Other comparisons (beside all the "mad scientist" gothic novels that came before):Flowers for Algernon - but that novel had a much different theme. However, both can be read definitively in relation to their times (Dog in USSR 1920's and Algernon in US 1960's) - in fact, that might be a good comparison/contrast paper for all you English majors out there. If I were still in college, I might attempt it myself.

All in all - a good read, although the major themes were not worked to their full extent (for which lazy readers will be thankful), and the ending was a little too . . . "easy" to be truly fulfilling.

VG

Betcha Can't Read Just One

ed by Alan Dean Foster

ed by Alan Dean Foster

Thank God for airline flights! That’s what forced me to take the time to read this compendium of humourous Sci-Fi; otherwise, this book would have simply languished in my drawer along with all its other compatriots who haven’t seen light of day in two or three years.

But I did, and here’s a quick n dirty review: pick it up, read it in an afternoon, or on breaks/lunches, and simply enjoy. Every tale is good, except for one story that I couldn’t seem to “get into” – another of the Conan-type genre that I usually enjoy.

However, for a quick rundown of the others

George Alec Effinger’s “The Wicked Old Witch” plays upon the “business” of
eating travelers and the accompanying social graces.

R.A. Lafferty’s “Rainy Day in Halicarnassus” introduces us to Socrates, over a
millennium old and still pretty spry for his age (kind of reminds me of an old Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks routine, the 2,000 year old man? Anybody remember that one?)

Laura Resnick’s “When the Ego Alters” would have been a good Twilight Zone,
if lengthened to a thirty-minute script. (Actually, I was thinking that several of
these stories would make for good TZ episodes, with their plays on genre and
twist endings)

There was a story about a Golem which relied heavily on Jewish humour, which
for my money, has been played so much and become so strongly ingrained in
American culture that the words “Jewish humour” are almost inseparable.

My personal favourite, however, is Margaret Ball’s “Sikander Khan” which
blends fantasy with real history and even plays with linguistics, and the etymological corruption of words and names as cultures blend. Also, it’s written in first-person from the POV of a British soldier, mid-1800’s (actually in the literary style of the time) – rather stuffy, somewhat verbose, and we, the readers, actually understand more of what is really happening than the narrator who is telling us the story – an excellently written piece of work

Have to go now, so can’t describe all the others, except to say Foster’s title story about an anti-junk food scientist and the culmination of his research – in the junk food aisle of the supermarket – (pretty sweet! pun intended), and the story of the radio call-in show, which is rather bizarre and probably requires a second reading, the feminist retelling of a Red Sonja-esque barbarian and the crafty but not-as-bold earthwoman in this dimension, and how together they make a stand for women’s rights – all the stories well-crafted and imminently readable,

and as I finished the last one, the plane landed at the airport in some island in the Caribbean, and I was well-charged and put in the proper mood to start my wonderful vacation!

(I was so glad I hadn’t decided to read Kafka’s The Castle on the flight down there!)

VG