We just had this author as a guest at Gustavus Adolphus College, so I finally got around to reading this book! Already wrote a review on my blog, so yWe just had this author as a guest at Gustavus Adolphus College, so I finally got around to reading this book! Already wrote a review on my blog, so you can check out my discussion of her visit as well as my review of the book here: ...more
I enjoyed this very much, both as "New Space Opera" and "New Planetary Romance" (though I don't think anyone has used the latter term...) No time for I enjoyed this very much, both as "New Space Opera" and "New Planetary Romance" (though I don't think anyone has used the latter term...) No time for a thorough review right now, but I left some more comments on my blog: ...more
Really liked this--well, the ending was a bit weird, but I found it quite gripping in any case, and am willing to return to it one day to try to reconReally liked this--well, the ending was a bit weird, but I found it quite gripping in any case, and am willing to return to it one day to try to reconsider the ending. More comments on my blog:
Will hopefully come back to this w/ a more thorough review or blog post one of these days. ...more
Still working through this, but enjoying it immensely. Did a quick mini-review along a few other books for my blog: Still working through this, but enjoying it immensely. Did a quick mini-review along a few other books for my blog:
Will hopefully be able to do a more thorough review eventually, but have been a bit busy......more
For those who follow Christian science-fiction, Kathy Tyer's Firebird series is out again, and will be followed up with a couple new books. I've been For those who follow Christian science-fiction, Kathy Tyer's Firebird series is out again, and will be followed up with a couple new books. I've been slowly rereading the whole thing (pretty busy these days, so not done yet!!), so maybe more to come about this.
I've posted my review on my blog, so I'll link to it rather than repeat everything:
A vampire novel which explore race and gender, by one of the great "literary" sci-fi writers. The last of her novels, sadly-- she died shortly after tA vampire novel which explore race and gender, by one of the great "literary" sci-fi writers. The last of her novels, sadly-- she died shortly after this was published. Very interesting so far. I love books that don't read like every other book in the genre (hard to find in sci-fi and fantasy). ...more
Still working through this, but it looks interesting so far. I've got my preliminary review up on my blog: Still working through this, but it looks interesting so far. I've got my preliminary review up on my blog: ...more
I'm really looking forward to finally reading something by Breuggemann again-- he seems to be a quality scholar, at the same time that he is passionatI'm really looking forward to finally reading something by Breuggemann again-- he seems to be a quality scholar, at the same time that he is passionate about his subject. While he and NT Wright seem to disagree on some particular points at least, I find them to be very complementary-- I think my own theological thought (not that I'm ever very systematic about it-- but then again, I don't think either of them would be considered a systematic theologian) these days is largely the product of the bits and pieces I've gotten from these two scholars. Having gone to a Christian high school and grown up in a church and having done confirmation, I've got the basics of systematic theology-- I definitely prefer Wright and Breuggemann, though, or anything that is more about encountering a text and trying to deal with it on its own terms, rather than trying to build a final, perfect box that everything will fit in. Haha, well, not to turn this into an all out criticism of systematic theology-- fans of Wright and Breuggemann may be tempted to do so, but we all build boxes as part of our engagement with the world. It's more a matter of not elevating the boxes to something foundational.
OK, anyway, looking forward to this book. :)...more
I've been looking for commentaries or other books on specific books of the Bible by scholars whom I respect (hard to know who fits that, when you haveI've been looking for commentaries or other books on specific books of the Bible by scholars whom I respect (hard to know who fits that, when you have the high standards of a "professional" but in a different field)-- got NT Wright's on Colossians, and now I have Breuggemann on Genesis. Really interested to see what he has to say, though I just picked up another book by him which I think I will read first......more
I can't believe I haven't written a review for this-- took a couple years to finish it, but I had a lot of fun working through the second half during I can't believe I haven't written a review for this-- took a couple years to finish it, but I had a lot of fun working through the second half during my off-hours in Iceland (I'm guessing I was through with it by April-- last memory of it was reading it in the section of Hjomalind dedicated to Marxist books, haha). Don't have time for anything in depth right now, b/c I would have to go back over it to refresh my memory, but I really liked his deconstruction of the "Royal Consciousness" and his analysis of the role of the "Prophetic Imagination", including the work of hope and the work of mourning, in the Old Testament as well as the Gospels. Not everyone will feel comfortable with this book-- it takes a critical view of the temple, for example (as opposed to the tabernacle)-- but I think it works. But that's probably a very big discussion right there, and you would have to read the book first. I also will not say whether I agree with all of Breuggemann's theology outside this book (also another discussion), but I will say that I am inclined to respect his opinion b/c he shows himself to be a very competent scholar-- and I appreciate how this book holds up much better than most Biblical criticism in the world of post structuralist theory, even though (if I remember correctly) he laments in his introduction that he wrote this book before he became fully aware of the post structuralist turn in Biblical studies. Well, anyway, fascinating book, whether or not you like all the parts. Apparently an early articulation of Breuggemann's theme of a "unsettling God", a God who escapes and even undermines our ideological constructions. Particularly relevant for understanding Moses, the Prophets (esp. Isaiah and Jeremiah, if I remember correctly) and Jesus (from the Christian perspective, obviously, as a sort of culmination of the "Prophetic Imagination"-- Moses again, and for good this time.
Anyway, obviously I recommend this for other Christian readers, but I believe it would hold up as a "reading" of the prophetic thread throughout Biblical literature for anyone interested. Wish I could comment on how it relates to contemporary Biblical crit., though-- I can see connections to NT Wright's work (though I should note that they apparently differ quite dramatically in their stance on homosexuality, at least-- don't know about other things). I have heard a PhD in Near Eastern lit. argue that there are two poles in the Old Testament, the Prophetic pole and the Apocalyptic pole-- I would like to read her dissertation now to catch up on the latter, but it might be too specialist for me......more
Finished this a while back, and just a few weeks ago finished the sequel. This is a cool series! I'm giving it the full 5 stars, though I admit that mFinished this a while back, and just a few weeks ago finished the sequel. This is a cool series! I'm giving it the full 5 stars, though I admit that may be partly b/c I'm just impressed that an "expanded universe franchise" book is this cool. More later-- hopefully I'll be doing a blog post on these books sometime. Original review is below.
Ok, I don't have an x-box, and haven't read any of the books, but if Greg Bear, one of the big names in sci fi since the 80s, is going to add to the saga , then I will plan on reading it. While to a degree it is "just" a first person shooter series, it is also a pretty major point in the development of narrative in video gaming (and it has a few nice allusions to sic-fi classics- Ringworld is the one that first springs to mind.). I'd like to buy an x-box and play through the series too, but I've got way too much going on right now......more
[Edit: You might want to check out my blog post about Gene Wolfe's Wizard-Knight duology. I mention this book there, and got some good comments about [Edit: You might want to check out my blog post about Gene Wolfe's Wizard-Knight duology. I mention this book there, and got some good comments about this book and the others from another fan. ]
Got this book for my pirate loving little sister, and decided to buy a copy for myself too (I almost kept her present, actually). I won't guarantee everyone will like it, but I'm a fan of Gene Wolfe and really wanted to read this. I haven't read too much of his-- most of the Book of the New Sun, the Wizard Knight duology, Fifth Head of Cerberus, and some of his short fiction. Out of all these, I feel like Wizard Knight has most in common with Pirate Freedom-- both have a first person narrator with a very plain, naive-feeling voice (not sure naive is the best way to put it-- and in any case, it at times feels like a duplicitous plainness, though maybe that's me being suspicious b/c of what I've heard about Wolfe's writing), writing a letter to explain what has happened to them to someone else. Wolfe is known for using unreliable narrators-- in these books, that seems to manifest itself in how things are told and what is told, rather than any far reaching duplicity-- at least that's in my reading so far, and I do feel like I'm probably missing something (Fifth Head of Cerberus has a much more extreme bit of duplicity, where one narrator is apparently a shapechanger who believes he is the human whose shape he has taken). Certain things which would take up a lot of room as action-oriented scenes are glossed over in this book, and the narrator often insists that he can't remember certain bits, but other bits are very clear-- whether these count as "unreliable narration" I don't know, but they certainly bring the perspective of the narrator, with all its limitations and biases, to the forefront, rather than taking the idea of the narrator as a barely acknowledged conceit to justify our access to the story-- in other words, the narrator is understood as a real character in the frame narrative. That said, the story doesn't drown in a reflexive focus on the one telling the story, and, with Wizard Knight, this is the Gene Wolfe book I would most recommend to more casual or escapist sci-fi/fantasy readers. Well, you may not like it still-- I think "good" or "productive" books (or "transformative") tend to subvert our escapist tendencies to some degree (see CS Lewis' -Experiment in Criticism- for one take on this phenomenon)-- but still, I think most people will enjoy this, even if Wolfe's books tend to take multiple readings to drain every last drop out of them.
One note about the title-- early in the book the narrator equates Freedom with Money/Gold, so that the title might be interpreted "Pirate Gold"-- a much more standard, swashbuckling title. Considering Wolfe's reputation as a subtle and thoughtful writer, I'm inclined to take this as intentional. At the very least, "Pirate Freedom" is a bit of an odd title, and I'm assuming that the topic/problem of "freedom" will be very pertinent in understanding the book.
I've got to say, this book feels like a perfect one to teach in a Reading and Composition course-- it is a good length, it is fairly accessible, but there is a lot going on and it provides a great opportunity to discuss narratological levels (at the very least the distinction author/narrator/character) etc. I'm always stuck teaching Medieval lit, b/c, oddly enough, it seems easier for the students to figure out what the conditions for an adequate thesis are when they are exploring multiple texts within a relatively alien culture. But if I were to teach the A level again, with no research requirement, I would be tempted to teach a broader range of texts, including this one-- maybe with the overall topic of "Adventure Stories", which would let me cover some sagas, maybe Bernard Foye's Third Castling, and some things by Astrid Lindgren, to cover the Scandinavian side of things, plus some non-Scandi books like... Pirate Freedom. And others-- maybe Treasure Island, to give an earlier pirate story (and of course, any saga that has a lot of Vikings would technically be about Pirates too). The Hobbit would fit this category too.
[Note-- this last part below is a bit of an unfair rant, due to some issues I was dealing with in the Reading and Comp class I was teaching-- if someone doesn't like how a narratological conceit is executed, then they have a perfect right to dislike a book. Ah well.]
I'm looking over other people's reviews of this book-- it seems like the bad reviews are upset over the "writing", meaning, the voice of the narrator-- I think the point would be that the awkward way in which the narrator narrates, or represents himself, is PART of the story. The narrator has his own agenda, and it is because of THAT that all the women are the same character (one person calls the book misogynist)-- b/c for him, they ARE. In other words, it feels like the critiques of the writing are conflating "real author" with "narrator" and blaming Gene Wolfe for what his character says. And I have to admit, this is the sort of problem students have in my R&C courses a lot-- for some reason I just could NOT get some of my students to understand that they were supposed to write about the characters in the story as representations of people, not as REAL people-- you don't treat Beowulf on his own terms as a real person, dammit, you treat him as part of a text with an agenda of its own. One student even talked about Beowulf as the author of the poem. Blegh. >:[...more
Just reread this for the first time in maybe over a decade. Won't say it's perfect, but it's easy to see why it's such a classic.
Very positivist in iJust reread this for the first time in maybe over a decade. Won't say it's perfect, but it's easy to see why it's such a classic.
Very positivist in it's conception of history/psychology (which tend to get conflated, with "psychology" standing in for "future history"), something I find both frustrating and endearing in a retro way-- not hard to believe it was published in '51 (and I believe originally came out in serial form earlier than that). I am told Asimov wrote this after reading "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire", which I will have to read now, b/c I'm curious just what historiographical assumptions were behind that history. I think it is relatively well accepted now that "history" is narrative applied to events to render them meaningful and remember-able-- it is an attempt to understand, true, but very few would consider it a "science" (in the sense of psychohistory) or capable of prediction (as opposed to explanation-- which may seem like they are the same, but aren't). Asimov's "novum", however, consists of an appeal to "science" or "math", with the epistemological capitol of those fields transferred to "history" and "psychology" in a hazy, behind the curtain reification of "historical forces" into off-screen mathematical terms. I think a similar attempt to "scientize" things outside the bounds of the "natural sciences" can be seen in Hardin's use of "symbolic logic" (signed off on by a scientist, with the proper authority) to analyze the letters, treaties and conversations he'd been given. I don't know if this "symbolic logic" is supposed to be the same thing as what we call symbolic logic now (I believe this is first-order logic? I really know nothing about it, but ought to learn...), but the fact that they retreat to this, instead of just doing a close reading (which should give all the same information-- I assume using symbolic logic is just a variety of close reading, in this instance), is interesting-- in the story it is a way of getting the attention of the scientists by "speaking their language", but it also plays the game of Golden Age sci-fi in it's appeal to the ability of "Science" (whether math or otherwise) to reduce everything to such terms.
Other interesting things-- Nuclear power is the real "foundation" here-- it is almost like a magic or religious power in the way it is the key to every futuristic technology. Well, this is just what sci-fi was back then, but it's kinda funny. Reading this now almost makes this variety of sci-fi seems as magico-religious in nature as the "religion of science" which is set up in the book to subjugate the neighboring barbarians-- maybe we could say the book deconstructs itself in that way, or at the very least gives us an opportunity to read it against itself, or as a play on the adolescent positivism which was in full flower in the genre at the time. Though I think it always comes back to that sort of wishfulfillment, the genius nerds somehow succeeding over the big bruisers in the rest of the galaxy, and becoming bullies themselves (see Hardin and Mallow). Hm, and the continual triumph of the new over the old with each successive generation may be intended as a reference to the problem of stagnation (ala Decline of the Roman Empire), but it also opens itself to an Oedipal reading-- the "Fathers" are split into Good and Bad, as the founder of each new movement (Mayors, Spiritualists, Traders) gets to be a viewpoint character in his section, and well thought of, while those who refuse to change and cling to the old way of doing things (even if it's what Hardin originally did, etc...) are properly villainized and overthrown. And of course Seldon remains the daddy in the sky behind it all, unassailable. I feel like it's a Bloomian Anxiety of Influence in the political/economic world, where being true to the spirit of the patriarchal predecessor means misreading or apparently rebelling against the tried-and-true formulae attributed to that spiritual predecessor.
OK, enough notes for now, I've got work to do. Hoping to have my science fiction group read this....more
Bought a copy of this a few years back, but have never gotten around to reading it. Actually... I'm not sure I've read anything of hers yet. This is aBought a copy of this a few years back, but have never gotten around to reading it. Actually... I'm not sure I've read anything of hers yet. This is a very fun and interesting little book so far-- I think we would call this Magical Realism, if the point of MR is that there seems to be a magical element, but you aren't completely certain whether there really is anything magical going on. Been a while since I've heard a definition tho, so whatever. Just my kind of book, in any case-- otherworldly and lots of nature, plus just plain unusual and interesting. I'm enjoying the prose....more
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