by H.R. Ellis Davidson
Another academic work on the Norse gods (not a storybook retelling at
all), this concentrates more on the Northern people than Dumézil's work,
surveying the practical meaning and historical base for many of the
stories and concepts. Intriguing passages included the similarities
between Freyja and Frigg; the relation between the powers of the volva
or Odin's acquisition of knowledge and shamanism; and the reasons for
Christianity's power over the heathens of the late period. A great
archeologically-based examination of myth.
four stars
Friday, February 17, 1995
Monday, February 13, 1995
Intimacy
by Jean-Paul Sartre
translated by Lloyd Alexander
A volume containing five stories. Each of these is repugnant in its own way, coming a little too close to the characters' personalities for the reader's comfort. The protagonists in the stories all deal with existentialist crises, much like Roquentin in Nausea does (in fact, some passages contain identical phrasing to describe these feelings). The stories:
"Intimacy." A fairly straightforward account of a wife who almost leaves her impotent husband. She suffers in that, like Roquentin, the essence of people is stripped away for her, and she sees nothing but their rather disgusting existence.
"Erostratus." A portrait of a serial killer (predating Henry). He can't handle humans existing all around him either, and fires off a diatribe against humanists, just like you-know-who again.
"The Wall." The agony of men who know they will die (they are to be shot the next day). An amazing excursion into this mindframe, with an oddly rote ironical ending.
"The Childhood of a Leader." How a boy grows disenchanted and turns to anti-semitism, believing he can find the reason for existence in power. Hard to read, the same way Marquez's Chronicle of a Death Foretold is.
"The Room." An insane man, and his wife who wants to live as he does, see what he sees. ...Er, didn't quite get this one.
four stars
translated by Lloyd Alexander
A volume containing five stories. Each of these is repugnant in its own way, coming a little too close to the characters' personalities for the reader's comfort. The protagonists in the stories all deal with existentialist crises, much like Roquentin in Nausea does (in fact, some passages contain identical phrasing to describe these feelings). The stories:
"Intimacy." A fairly straightforward account of a wife who almost leaves her impotent husband. She suffers in that, like Roquentin, the essence of people is stripped away for her, and she sees nothing but their rather disgusting existence.
"Erostratus." A portrait of a serial killer (predating Henry). He can't handle humans existing all around him either, and fires off a diatribe against humanists, just like you-know-who again.
"The Wall." The agony of men who know they will die (they are to be shot the next day). An amazing excursion into this mindframe, with an oddly rote ironical ending.
"The Childhood of a Leader." How a boy grows disenchanted and turns to anti-semitism, believing he can find the reason for existence in power. Hard to read, the same way Marquez's Chronicle of a Death Foretold is.
"The Room." An insane man, and his wife who wants to live as he does, see what he sees. ...Er, didn't quite get this one.
four stars
Wednesday, February 1, 1995
Gods Of the Ancient Northmen
by Georges Dumézil
translated by John Lindow, Alan Toth, Francis Charat, and George Gopen
Not actually a retelling of Norse myths. There's a ten-page intro by G. Scott Littleton outlining Dumézil's thought on Indo-European myth structure and a 26-page intro by Udo Strutynski on the history of scholarship after Dumézil.
The book itself is a revised version of the French version with four additional articles appended to it, eight segments in all. Not aptly named, it was a highly academic work on the connection between Germanic and Vedic myth, with bits of Roman, Celtic, and other folklore thrown in. I have to say that a great deal went over my head, but the arguments and connections that I did understand were quite intriguing and compelling (for example, the Byggvir-Beyla Barley-Bee argument was great, as was the linking of Heimdall's oceanic birth with some extremely obscure Celtic and Welsh folklore). A fascinating work. I just wish the Latin passages had been translated.
three stars
translated by John Lindow, Alan Toth, Francis Charat, and George Gopen
Not actually a retelling of Norse myths. There's a ten-page intro by G. Scott Littleton outlining Dumézil's thought on Indo-European myth structure and a 26-page intro by Udo Strutynski on the history of scholarship after Dumézil.
The book itself is a revised version of the French version with four additional articles appended to it, eight segments in all. Not aptly named, it was a highly academic work on the connection between Germanic and Vedic myth, with bits of Roman, Celtic, and other folklore thrown in. I have to say that a great deal went over my head, but the arguments and connections that I did understand were quite intriguing and compelling (for example, the Byggvir-Beyla Barley-Bee argument was great, as was the linking of Heimdall's oceanic birth with some extremely obscure Celtic and Welsh folklore). A fascinating work. I just wish the Latin passages had been translated.
three stars
Tuesday, January 24, 1995
Nausea
by Jean-Paul Sartre
1938
translated by Lloyd Alexander
An engaging novel of philosophy. The long passages of pure angst and self-examination, where everything is reduced to pure existence, were fairly hard to slog through. But passages wherein Roquentin is dismantling the élite, or arguing against pure humanism, were great. Also, The Autodidact is a great character. And it did have a surprisingly happy ending. A book worth talking about, and well worth revisiting some day.
four stars
1938
translated by Lloyd Alexander
An engaging novel of philosophy. The long passages of pure angst and self-examination, where everything is reduced to pure existence, were fairly hard to slog through. But passages wherein Roquentin is dismantling the élite, or arguing against pure humanism, were great. Also, The Autodidact is a great character. And it did have a surprisingly happy ending. A book worth talking about, and well worth revisiting some day.
four stars
Monday, January 16, 1995
K2: The 1939 Tragedy
by Andrew J. Kauffman and William Lowell Putnam
The apparently infamous story of Fritz Wiessner's expedition to K2 in which climber (and financier) Dudley Wolfe and three Sherpas died. It contains new evidence on the story, notably Jack Durrance's diary. Durrance has heretofore been the scapegoat. The book also contained many appendices, like the official report, climbing charts, and so on. The book's writing style is childish: misused words, jumpy, rambling at times. Near the end it got repetitive, like a schoolchild attempting to meet an essay's length requirement. What annoyed me most was its noncommittal stance on its own argument. The book ends with a series of questions that the text ostensibly provided answers for! However, on the whole, it was an informative and surprisingly engaging book. I for one was convinced that Fritz's oft-proven faulty memory is a poor indicator of what happened, whereas Durrance's diary seems to be straightforward and reliable.
three stars
The apparently infamous story of Fritz Wiessner's expedition to K2 in which climber (and financier) Dudley Wolfe and three Sherpas died. It contains new evidence on the story, notably Jack Durrance's diary. Durrance has heretofore been the scapegoat. The book also contained many appendices, like the official report, climbing charts, and so on. The book's writing style is childish: misused words, jumpy, rambling at times. Near the end it got repetitive, like a schoolchild attempting to meet an essay's length requirement. What annoyed me most was its noncommittal stance on its own argument. The book ends with a series of questions that the text ostensibly provided answers for! However, on the whole, it was an informative and surprisingly engaging book. I for one was convinced that Fritz's oft-proven faulty memory is a poor indicator of what happened, whereas Durrance's diary seems to be straightforward and reliable.
three stars
Sunday, January 8, 1995
More Whatdunits
by various authors, edited by Mike Resnick
The second volume of mystery stories begun by Mike Resnick and solved by various writers - editors this time. The stories therein:
"Worthsayer", Stanley Schmidt. Very well written, with a truly unexpected twist solution (an original explanation of precognition).
"For Love of Juoun", Jane Yolen. Enjoyable, with a different slant on the subject than most of the other stories.
"DragNeuroNet", John Gregory Betancourt. A tight, traditional investigative story, except the detective is a robot, one of the first. Ingenious and clever.
"Bauble", David Gerrold. A 'bittersweet mood piece', just what was asked for, and well-crafted.
"Ashes To Ashes", Beth Meacham. Another intricate detective procedural. Good.
"The Lady Louisiana Toy", Barry N. Malzberg. Written in a flowing, hermetic style, with a dreamy, detached tone, this story stands out from all the others. I liked it, but couldn't quite understand it.
"Alien Influences", Kristine Kathryn Rusch. This story shared the same problem as the one above; it too is dreamy and detached. I liked this one better.
"The Pragmatists Take a Bow", Thomas A. Easton. Good, but the ending left me unsatisfied.
"Sincerity", Patrick Nielsen Hayden. Too rushed to be enjoyable and not all that clever: The Manchurian Candidate in six pages.
"Dark Odds", Josepha Sherman. My favorite story because the hero, though clever, is never in control of the situation.
"Things Not Seen", Martha Soukup. Very clever, very intricate, and satisfactorily played out.
"Windows of the Soul", Susan Casper. Built in a necessarily contrived manner around Resnick's odd problem, but good character interplay makes up for it.
"The Whole Truth", Susan Shwartz. Another story that adds a little too much to the plot asked for, so it ends like the first chapter of a serial rather than a story. Good otherwise.
"Way Out", Jody Lynn Nye & Bill Fawcett. A clever, appealing story about the existence of UFOs and the detective hired to verify it.
"The Killer Wore Spandex", Brian M. Thomsen. Very enjoyable.
"Catachresis", Ginjer Buchanan. Her name is spelled 'Ginjer' and her story is a forced kind of zany surrealism that is neither funny nor informative nor appealing.
"Flight of Reason", Tappan King. A good story with a satisfactory ending.
"She Was Blonde, She Was Dead---And Only Jimmilich Opstromommo Could Find Out Why!!!", Janet Kagan. Fun, doesn't take itself seriously, but justifies the whole plot. Great.
"The Ugly Earthling Murder Case", George Alec Effinger. A standard procedural with a minor twist ending. Also enjoyable.
three stars
The second volume of mystery stories begun by Mike Resnick and solved by various writers - editors this time. The stories therein:
"Worthsayer", Stanley Schmidt. Very well written, with a truly unexpected twist solution (an original explanation of precognition).
"For Love of Juoun", Jane Yolen. Enjoyable, with a different slant on the subject than most of the other stories.
"DragNeuroNet", John Gregory Betancourt. A tight, traditional investigative story, except the detective is a robot, one of the first. Ingenious and clever.
"Bauble", David Gerrold. A 'bittersweet mood piece', just what was asked for, and well-crafted.
"Ashes To Ashes", Beth Meacham. Another intricate detective procedural. Good.
"The Lady Louisiana Toy", Barry N. Malzberg. Written in a flowing, hermetic style, with a dreamy, detached tone, this story stands out from all the others. I liked it, but couldn't quite understand it.
"Alien Influences", Kristine Kathryn Rusch. This story shared the same problem as the one above; it too is dreamy and detached. I liked this one better.
"The Pragmatists Take a Bow", Thomas A. Easton. Good, but the ending left me unsatisfied.
"Sincerity", Patrick Nielsen Hayden. Too rushed to be enjoyable and not all that clever: The Manchurian Candidate in six pages.
"Dark Odds", Josepha Sherman. My favorite story because the hero, though clever, is never in control of the situation.
"Things Not Seen", Martha Soukup. Very clever, very intricate, and satisfactorily played out.
"Windows of the Soul", Susan Casper. Built in a necessarily contrived manner around Resnick's odd problem, but good character interplay makes up for it.
"The Whole Truth", Susan Shwartz. Another story that adds a little too much to the plot asked for, so it ends like the first chapter of a serial rather than a story. Good otherwise.
"Way Out", Jody Lynn Nye & Bill Fawcett. A clever, appealing story about the existence of UFOs and the detective hired to verify it.
"The Killer Wore Spandex", Brian M. Thomsen. Very enjoyable.
"Catachresis", Ginjer Buchanan. Her name is spelled 'Ginjer' and her story is a forced kind of zany surrealism that is neither funny nor informative nor appealing.
"Flight of Reason", Tappan King. A good story with a satisfactory ending.
"She Was Blonde, She Was Dead---And Only Jimmilich Opstromommo Could Find Out Why!!!", Janet Kagan. Fun, doesn't take itself seriously, but justifies the whole plot. Great.
"The Ugly Earthling Murder Case", George Alec Effinger. A standard procedural with a minor twist ending. Also enjoyable.
three stars
Inspector Imanishi Investigates
by Seichō Matsumoto
1961
A post-war Japanese crime novel. Plotwise, it's very complicated and tightly-woven, replete with subtle clues and red herrings. But stylistically, it's plodding. Probably due to the translation, the writing is choppy and repetitive. And perhaps because of the culture, perhaps because of the period, the process of investigation is laughable at times. Examples: the overheard word "Kameda" is instantly assumed - for no apparent reason - to be a person, and the police proceed to look for such a person, assuming he's in Japan; when Imanishi talks to a very guilty-acting suspect, he allows the man to tell the police what he knows the next day, instead of taking him into custody then and there. In short, some of the investigating is carried out as if a retarded and exceptionally naive five-year-old is at the helm. But overall, it comes through with an intricate murder scheme and some subtle police work. And it's also intriguing as a diary of Japanese thought and cultural activity of the time.
three stars
1961
A post-war Japanese crime novel. Plotwise, it's very complicated and tightly-woven, replete with subtle clues and red herrings. But stylistically, it's plodding. Probably due to the translation, the writing is choppy and repetitive. And perhaps because of the culture, perhaps because of the period, the process of investigation is laughable at times. Examples: the overheard word "Kameda" is instantly assumed - for no apparent reason - to be a person, and the police proceed to look for such a person, assuming he's in Japan; when Imanishi talks to a very guilty-acting suspect, he allows the man to tell the police what he knows the next day, instead of taking him into custody then and there. In short, some of the investigating is carried out as if a retarded and exceptionally naive five-year-old is at the helm. But overall, it comes through with an intricate murder scheme and some subtle police work. And it's also intriguing as a diary of Japanese thought and cultural activity of the time.
three stars
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