Above the Dreamless Dead

Above the Dreamless Dead: World War I in Poetry and Comics by Chris Duffy

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I admit that I don't read a lot of poetry: I usually have to read it aloud or in my head, so it's slow going. Also, I have a fear of not getting The Point based on years of missing the fact that the tree in Stanza 11 represented the writer's angst about his lover's shoes during literature courses. Thus, I was a little reticent going into Above the Dreamless Dead (FYI, I received an e-galley from the publisher for free). But the combination of the graphics and the poetry, instead of adding a layer of obfuscation and interpretation, helped clarify the authors' intent and bring it to lifhee for me.

The verse here comes from the "trench poets" of World War I, with a few popular songs of the era thrown in. Appearing in time for the 100th anniversary of the formal start of the war, the book depicts the horror of what many consider the first modern war: the squalor in the trenches, the horror of gas attacks, the gallows humor of the troops, and the lasting aftermath for those who survived. The black-and-white artwork complements the poetry well rather than drawing too much attention; it's simultaneously beautiful and horrible. Artists' notes at the end of the book provide insight into why certain design elements were incorporated or why a particular style was chosen. (I missed these until after I'd gone through the poems, so I'll have to re-read the book; I'll probably get the print version so I can move back and forth between the notes and the poems more easily.)

AtDD is a great example of how graphic art and words can be paired to create a work that is greater than the sum of its parts.






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Ark Storm, by Linda Davies

Ark Storm by Linda Davies

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Ark Storm isn't your average disaster book, where the focus is on the event and the horror it unleashes. The titular storm only occurs in, maybe, the last fifth of the book. Instead, the book is more of a thriller focused on the events leading up to the storm. These involve a confluence of activities and events that include suspicious car crashes, dead prostitutes, traumatized scientists, financial shenanigans, mysterious ex-military types, venture capitalists with a god complex, international terrorists hiding behind the mantel of wealth, and El Nino. Threading between all of these other factors is a scientific scenario that is, indeed, based in fact. Put it all together and you've got a whirlwind of a story that flows like an atmospheric river. (Yeah, I had to throw in some meteorological puns.)

And that flow is what may be one of Ark Storm's main flaws: Everything is too easy, and the conflicts seem to be resolved too quickly. The coincidences are too convenient (eg, a financial law enforcement task force happens to be investigating the same sleazeball getting tips from an aunt in California who knows more than she's supposed to). Not to mention that one of the most fantastical (as in not real, as opposed to gnomes and knights) elements of the novel is the ease with which various federal law enforcement agencies cooperate and partner to bring down the bad guys. There are no interagency pissing contests and no upper-level dick swinging. A once-in-a-millennium storm may be a longshot, but feds playing well together? Now that's some science fiction.

Still, Ark Storm is a fun read, and you'll learn something along the way.

Disclosure: I received an electronic version of the book via NetGalley.



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Book review: Hounded

Hounded by Kevin Hearne

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Hounded was a nice travel read, combining action, some mystery, humor, and even a little sentiment. The story of the last living Druid, the novel places various mythologies, focusing on the Celtic of course, in the present day. Remarkably, the author incorporates them so easily that it almost doesn't read like fantasy. The plot includes twists and turns to keep you guessing, and certain characters were written ambiguously enough that I couldn't predict what their next move would be in the conflict that makes up the plot. Additionally, how can you not love a book with a sausage-obsessed Irish wolfhound and well-written text that includes phrases like "hellish Creamsicle." I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next to our handsome baseball-loving elder Druid.



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The prodigal returns

After a 6-month hiatus, I've decided to play around with the blog again.

The interim has been fairly active. I've started writing for an education blog (right now, just a weekly news roundup). I taught my first semester-long class, which has been a lot of stress and quite the learning experience. I got settled in to the new job. I've gone back and forth a thousand times over whether I want to stay in Louisiana. I ranted about the political situation and became engaged in local activist projects. I did lots of volunteer work. I have been working on my Deutsch more regularly. I attended to my personal life. Generally, life is picking up. I leave tomorrow for a visit to a good friend, the first trip I've had in 5 years that did not involve a funeral or family obligations.

Well world, here I am.

A Small Town Near Auschwitz, by Mary Fulbrook

A Small Town Near Auschwitz: Ordinary Nazis and the Holocaust by Mary Fulbrook

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I liked this book but just didn't love it. The author provides a great deal of good historical information about the role of local government officials in clearing a town -- just miles from the gates of Auschwitz -- of its Jewish population. Of course, the process didn't begin with the cattle cars, but with restrictions on movement and employment, the requisition of Jewish-owned homes for ethnic German families, and ghettoization. And I think here lies one of the book's central strengths: portraying how a gradual process based on antisemitism allowed minor functionaries to serve as the cogs in the wheels of the Final Solution while being barely aware of what the Reich's endgame would be. Not only were Hitler and company thus able to use, as the author calls them, "ordinary Nazis" who might have been a little more squeamish about genocide, but later on, the frog-boiling nature of the events made it easier for these ordinary Nazis to lie to investigators, to their families, and to themselves about the roles they played and what they knew about the Holocaust at what point in the timeline of events.



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Finally, a breath

In the past month and a half, I have put my casa on the market, moved into a second-floor apartment, and sold said casa. I have done almost no reading, because most of my books are still in boxes, and I didn't want to risk losing a library book in the confusion (still looking for our potholders). But on the happy side, I have cash to spare again, which resolves all sorts of other tensions, so the world is looking up for the first time in ages.

Dark Matter, by Michelle Paver

Dark Matter: A Ghost Story by Michelle Paver

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


One of my favorite settings for horror is the Arctic (or Antarctica, I suppose) when the sun sets for months. When the light of day usually brings some measure of safety, what do you do when day won't come for a very long time? Paver uses it well for this book about several young men performing scientific research and seeking adventure in the islands at the top of the world just before the outbreak of the Second World War. Among the book's strengths is the ambiguity of the happenings: The actors are well aware of how the Arctic can affect men's minds, so until almost the very end they're not sure how to react to their experiences. Is it all in their heads, or did they see what they think they saw? A good read for a cold winter night.




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