Review - The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

The press release proclaims The 5th Wave [US] [UK] to be the next Hunger Games and though it may yet be so (only $750,000 is going into marketing!), I wasn't fully convinced. My thoughts on this book run the gamut of ratings. Here's why: (and there's no coincidence there are 5 waves and 5 stars)

5 Stars

Wow, great start. I just picked it up for a second to get a feel and 100 pages later, I was hooked. Aliens come to earth only to begin to wipe humanity out? Great, this hasn't been done for a while at least not this way.

The aliens, or Others, start killing off humanity through waves as you may have already guessed from the title. The first, they cut off the power. Next, they wipe out all the coastal cities through tidal waves since most large cities are situated near large bodies of water. Then, pestilence and disease and lastly silencers or assassins. Very cool, I want more!

I was even up all night that first night because my mind wouldn't let go of the concept. I was afraid for the aliens in my room one moment, trying to survive on my own in the wilderness the next. There's no way this book could let me down right? ...erm...

4 Stars

It's a brutal reality, people have to survive by whatever means necessary and we're told over and over - trust no one! It's a great tagline, but it begins to break down because when you, as a reader, don't trust anyone, it gets much harder to be surprised. I will say, I never saw what actually does happen coming.

3 Stars

Things are still going well, but suddenly, some unnecessary discussions of current topics pulled me out of the story. Both times, they got me thinking about things that didn't matter at all in the context of the story and really didn't need to be there.

Also, this says this book is for 12 and up, but you better believe I won't be letting my 12-year-olds read it with the language it has. I'm not so oblivious that I don't think they don't hear it all the time, but I disagree with the marketing that says this is for 12-year-olds when it barely makes the PG-13 standards. This is more a personal pet peeve and doesn't take much away from the book.

2 Stars

Something that might have been the reason this book didn't completely work for me, but was definitely was something I couldn't get over. You see, there are only so many people who survived the plague. Individuals were lucky to have their immune system overcome the plague, but it's rare and whole families surviving is almost unheard of. We're getting into spoiler territory so I'll warn you here:

spoiler: Our main protagonist, Cassie, and her father and brother all survive. All but their mother who succumbs to the plague. Almost a complete family and they almost all survive. Everyone else has to figure things out on their own, but they get to rely on each other and especially their father to help them survive.

Skipping over a couple parts, the father agrees to let the younger brother, Sam, who's five-years-old go with some military guys and stay behind because the guys have said they don't have enough room. The father has a hard time with it of course, be he eventually trusts them.

This just wouldn't happen. There's no way. It's rare enough that an almost-complete family could still be together, but for the military to require them to separate would be a huge enough sign that something fishy's going on.
/spoiler

And thus begins where I started to question if I am not the right market for this book. I have three kids and thinking of this situation from this perspective, makes this such an impossible choice it's not even funny. This is something I actually haven't had to think in any previous YA book I've read, especially The Hunger Games and Harry Potter, and I think that's a testament to why they did so well.

1 Star

The love story. Plain and simple, this fast-paced and entertaining novel gets bogged down for love. There are two rather lengthy sections (of 13) devoted to this and each time, all I wanted to do was read something else.



In addition, there's one big "show up" moment toward the end where everyone happens to be at the same place at the same time, but for which an explanation is sorely lacking. 

Conclusion

It's sad because The 5th Wave started out so well. Aliens take over and start wiping humanity out by waves. First the power, then tidal waves, then pestilence and disease, and then assassins. Now it's the fifth wave and what is it? A boring romance? That will definitely wipe this reader out.

3 out of 5 Stars (cutting it down the middle)

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher.

(Audiobook) Review - The Long Walk by Stephen King writing as Richard Bachman

I've been going through a kind of mild Stephen King binge at the moment. I've mentioned before that I thought I wasn't a fan of the King and had given up on him for a while, but with my high enjoyment of his Dark Tower series, I've given him a second chance. This was not a bad idea.

The Long Walk [US] [UK] [Kindle] intrigued me when I started hearing people say it was like The Hunger Games, but darker. While I can see where this comparison comes from - a televised game of kids competing and ... I don't want to spoil it if you don't already know - it's not really anything close.

It's much more intimate and deep, it's more human, and it's not nearly as ridiculous and over-the-top. It crushed me and made me appreciate what it's like to be alive.

This book details the journey of 100 boys (up to 18) competing in a televised competition called The Long Walk. There's a starting point and an ending destination and really only a few rules to follow. The winner reaches the end first without getting a ticket.

If you don't want things to really be spoiled (these are only mild spoilers if any), you may not want to keep reading. Just thought I'd warn if you want the "pure" experience.

At first, the whole concept of The Long Walk didn't really make sense to me. Who volunteers to join a competition where not only does everyone die but the winner, but everyone joining has also seen the end when the kids are obviously suffering.

The first thing that got me (and by "got me," I mean sucked me in and made this a favorite book of mine) was the kind of secret language that was used. King, I've noticed, likes to make you feel like you're in on something bigger or at least something that not everyone knows. You read his books, you can speak his language along with other "Constant Readers" as he terms it.

The first phrase is "getting a ticket." At first, I was pretty sure what this meant, it's not revealed right away, but very quickly you find out that these kids who get a ticket get shot. Soldiers line the race waiting for the time when a boy will slow down enough, stop, or leave the race area and that's when they get their "ticket."

Essentially, the winner is the sole survivor.

And that's how we get to the next part of this secret language. The "warnings." A boy is warned when he falls under the mandatory 4 miles per hour that all racers must keep up. Each boy gets three warnings and then they get their "ticket."

A warning can be gained back only by time. Each hour you walk without a warning, you gain a warning back. So, you get three warnings, it takes you three hours of walking at 4 miles per hour to get back to having zero warnings again.

While King exceeds at amazing concepts like this one (I still can't stop thinking about this), he's even better with his characters, Ray Garrity especially.

King uses a third-person limited point of view, telling the tale from Garrity's perspective. We learn of and become very close to his group of friends, we find out whatever gossip or information comes down the line from the front-runners, but we really find out what it's like to and means to someone to survive.

It's amazing how little it takes to get your ticket in a situation like this. I mean, think about it, you may be perfectly fine any other day, but what if this is the day your appendix decides to act up? What if today's the day you get a small cold, what could it turn into? What if you get a simple Charlie horse?

In this race, it's almost always deadly.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Ray Garrity contemplates these simple occurrences, but then things just keep getting worse as you can imagine, especially as the the Long Walk carries on and your feet get more than tired, and you haven't slept in days.

The Long Walk is a book I won't soon forget. I don't plan on rereading books very often, but I will definitely reread this one. The fact that this isn't even considered one of King's best works gets me really excited for what's to come.

4.5 out of 5 Stars

Review: State of Decay, by James Knapp

State of Decay [US][UK], by James Knapp is the first installment in a near-future dystopian zombie trilogy aptly named Revivors. Darkly compelling and deviously plotted, State of decay is a mind bending zombie adventure that will please noir crime/thriller and genre fans alike.

My experience with zombie lit is sadly limited. My most notable (and only) foray into the genre was with Max Brooks in World War Z - the opus of zombie literature. All this to say that State of Decay is not your typical smash and bash zombie survival adventure. It aspires to, and achieves more than that. Dark and dystopian, the zombie aspect of the novel is secondary to the human controversy.

State of Decay takes place in an authoritarian future in which it seems that everyone is at war with, well, everyone. Technology, ever the friend of the military, is used to reanimate the dead and send them right back to the front line. Society is highly hierarchical; greater rights and privileges are accorded to those who 'donate' their bodies after death to become "revivors".

The novel is fairly unique in that it takes time to explore some of the murkier waters of the zombie sub-genre. Since becoming a revivor is generally a voluntary process, one in which you retain your memories and identity, the morality of act and its attendant consequences are given a front row seat. The first test-case that readers encounter is that of a black market female revivor sex slave, revived against her will. I wasn't kidding when I said the novel was dark...

Meet the four protagonists: the badass ex-military hero turned FBI superstar; the driven yet tormented cop; the gritty and down on her luck boxer with a personality that resembles a shot of whisky; and the young and frail junky who is more than she seems. All in all a well rounded cast of characters that keep the plot rolling along at a respectable clip.

The major plot arc, which I will not spoiler, is essentially the intersection of hero FBI agent's investigation and the tormented cop's case. Did I mention they have a romantic history? Of further uniqueness in the novel is the intersection of the zombie sub-genre and the psychic sub-genre, if it can even be termed such. The contrast between the purely scientific revivor and the more ephemeral powers of the psychic makes for some dazzling plot twists that are sure to surprise.

As the James Knapp has mentioned, the trilogy is divided into three distinct parts, which fits with my reading of the first book:

The book, and the trilogy as a whole, is what I intended it to be and I don’t think I could ask for anything more. Putting all the world-building and character development aside, it’s a three part tale: The first book uncovers an unpleasant truth, the second is about choosing sides, and the third is about fighting for what you believe in. I’m satisfied with the symmetry of it, I like where my characters ended up, and I feel now that the story has been told.

I enjoyed the fact that Mr. Knapp made the zombie theme his own and chose to make fun of some of the genres preconceptions. Insatiable thirst for human flesh? There's a chip for that - upgrade you zombie today! Well, the fun was a bit more subtle than that, but you get the idea.

State of Decay is recommended for the zombie naive, the noir obsessed, and the genre fan generally. It isn't a perfect book, but it was perfectly enjoyable - take the jump for a concisely precise review of State of Decay that is decidedly more balanced than mine. I am anxious to dig into The Silent Army [US][UK] and see what the fates have in store for our unlikely heroes.

Collected Works: Richard K. Morgan

A new feature of the blog that I have been playing with for a while is going to be author pages, and its hot off the press, so bare with my while I iron the kinks out. I will post these only once I have read all of an authors work, as is the case with Richard (K.) Morgan. The purpose of the author post is two fold. First, it helps you, as a reader, find relevant material quickly and easily. Second, given that I have read all the author's published material, it is a great occasion for me to express my thoughts on how she has progressed, how the author's style has evolved (or not), and illustrate any major shifts that have occurred.

In the case of Mr. Morgan, I feel that this will be a genuinely interesting endeavor, as I have read all of his book in a fairly short period of time, and believe myself to be keenly aware of what he has tried to achieve as an author. I will rely not just on my own understanding of his works, but on everything that is out there. As such, these posts will be a bit longer than most, but also more detailed and researched. If you have any suggestions on anything that you think would add value to this humble endeavor, let me know.

Let us begin.

Published Works of Richard K. Morgan

Takeshi Kovacs novels:
Altered Carbon (2002)
Broken Angels (2003)
Woken Furies (2005)

Standalone novels:
Market Forces (2004)
Thirteen / Black Man (2007)

A Land Fit for Heroes series:
The Steel Remains (2008)
The Dark Commands (forthcoming, 2010)

Graphic Novels:
Black Widow: Homecoming (2005)
Black Widow: The Things They Say About Her (2006)


Vision and Veracity: Beyond the Singularity

Mr. Morgan likes to "draw out the current cultural tendencies and extrapolate," but his vision of current trends can be downright pessimistic, and even fatalistic.¹ These undertones of despair often lead to characterizations of his work as noir and dystopian. The great irony to me is that for a man who sees so little hope in the future for humankind, his characters are unerringly righteous, however much they try to hide it. The tension that Mr. Morgan creates between the bleakness of his future reality and the almost tangible determination of his protagonists is what gives his oeuvre such supercharged momentum.

As an author, Mr. Morgan also cultures a highly personal relationship with his characters, fighting for months on end to make sure that they are doing what they want to do, and often throwing publishing deadlines to the wind because of it.² He admits that his work is character driven, and one would be hard pressed to prove otherwise. And yet, Mr. Morgan also delves deeply into the philosophical and economic by creating highly structured worlds that are governed by exaggerated, yet plausible, socio-economic trends. From the extreme fringe of corporate capitalism in Market Forces to an imperial theocracy in The Steel Remains, Morgan grabs the dark edge of our way of life and proceeds to cut as deep as he can.

Now, it is difficult to judge whether Mr. Morgan takes some of his predictions to heart, as is the case with many authors, or whether they are only entertaining and fanciful visions of the future--although a bibliography heavy in political-economy at the end of Market Forces might shed some light on the question. Additionally, his thoughtful take on the future of marketing³ contrasts sharply with his flippant sense of humor when he links to Cocaine.org from his website.⁴ One constant is that Mr. Morgan remains as candid as ever, and that he is ruthlessly honest with both himself and his audience. In a refreshingly revealing interview in 2008 with I09, the author holds back few punches, if any.⁵

As hinted at previously, Richard Morgan's trademark is "high octane" character driven action. In my first review of his writing, Altered Carbon, I wrote that "the book is so gritty, so in your face that it actually hurts. I'm not even talking about the torture scenes -- just the gratuitous violence sequences are enough to make you clench your teeth and give you a sore jaw."⁶ Far from exaggerating, I probably understated how reading the book made me react; rarely have I had such a visceral physical reaction to the written word. In retrospect, I imagine that the tone of the novel is hammered out in the preface, in which the protagonist is murdered; the reader then follows Takeshi Kovacs along in a lucid post-traumatic stress disorder induced hallucination.

Continued next week in Part II.

Footnotes

1. Pat's Fantasy Hotlist collaborative interview with Richard Morgan.
2. "My characters all ended up where I wanted them to be, they bedded down into the consequences and outcomes of what they'd seen and done with the pleasing clunk of emotional deadbolts falling into place - so rolling them all out of bed again, splashing water on their faces and getting them to open up and let in the morning light has proved a lot more problematic than I'd expected. I started at least twice and then had to tear up what I'd written because it was some weak-assed shit." From Oz and the Dark Delays, on Richard Morgan's website.
3. In What's in the Bottle, Mr. Morgan lays out, Minority Report style, the future of advertising.
4. Morgan's link page sending some love to Cocaine.org. Highly informative I might add.
5. Richard K. Morgan on the Failures of Capitalism and the Success of Science Fiction, over at I09.
6. My review of Altered Carbon. Go easy on me, the blog was fairly new back then.