Out

Out

By Natsuo Kirino
published 1997 in Japan, first English language edition 2003
Vintage International
Reviewed by Carl V.

"A gutsy, unflinching foray into the darkest, most dangerous recesses of the human soul...Riveting, hair-raising...definitely not for the faint-of-heart". So says the Minneapolis Star Tribune of Natsuo Kirino's crime fiction novel Out, winner of Japan's Grand Prix for Crime Fiction and Edgar Award Finalist from its 2003 release here in the states. I can personally attest to the fact that this is an accurate description of this page-turner of a novel.

Natsuo Kirino slowly but surely draws you into the oppressive despair of four Japanese women, workers on a night-shift factory line, and by the time she lets you go you feel that you've been shaken by the scruff of the neck like an unfortunate cat in the jaws of a rabid dog. Out is an exhausting, unnerving novel that not only works as commentary on the social status of a number of women in Japanese society but also works as a first-rate, dark and grimy crime novel, a testament to the depths man, or woman, can sink to.

I have only recently ventured into the world of Japanese fiction thanks to the encouragement of a local friend as well as online friends who turned me on to the works of Huraki Murakami. In perusing fellow book blogger's reading lists I noticed several mentions of the novel, Out, and the eye-catching cover design alone had me longing to give this book a try. I am so glad I did. I picked it up and in essence read the first 200 pages in one (very busy) day and then finished the final 200 pages, without stopping, on Monday morning as I celebrated Labor Day. I am not exaggerating when I deem Out a "page-turner". It is that and more.

I would be the first to admit that dark, tortuous crime fiction is not my forte. The last time I read a book of this nature was over 10 years ago when I read Stephen Dobyns' novel, The Church of Dead Girls. I felt tangled up inside for days after reading that. I am just not into realistic crime fiction that portrays the more evil nature of man. While Out certainly has that side to it, it is written in such a way that I feel compelled to recommend it despite my qualms. Natsuo Kirino has talent and it shows on every page.

For those of you who have worked an overnight job at some point in your life (I have on a couple of occasions), you know just how much it throws off your internal balance and truly distorts your view of life and the world around you. From my own personal experience, nothing depresses a person more quickly than trying to adjust to a life of overnight work while everyone else around you functions on a more 'normal' schedule. While my past work situations pale in comparison to that of Kirino's female protagonists, she captures the essence of that kind of sleep-deprived despair so well that I literally felt myself transported back to those less-than-ideal days of early employment. It was not that, however, which first made me aware of how good a writer Natsuo Kirino is, though that part was impressive. It was when I realized that I was rooting very strongly for certain characters who were doing very, very bad things, and when I found myself wishing evil on characters who were no more or less guilty than the characters I was rooting for, that I had that "Wow! This woman can really write!" moment. There are no pure and innocent heroes or heroines in Out. Instead there are very real people driven to do very questionable, sometimes deplorable, things based on the circumstances they put themselves in.

I am probably not doing a great job of selling this novel as a must read, but other than one's own personal taste regarding murder and torture, that is exactly what Out is. I cannot say that it is a feel-good novel nor does the character I like the most make all the decisions that I had hoped for as I was reading this novel, but it is gripping and intense, and sometimes very scary. At times I felt very dirty and conflicted about how engrossed I was in this tale. But in my mind, that is the kind of story Natsuo Kirino set out to tell. To feel any other way is to ignore the spirit of the story. It is a book to add to your list if you are looking for something a bit more realistic, more visceral, to satisfy your urges for dark autumnal reading. To say anything specific about the plot would ruin the experience.

Beautiful in its brutality and surprising in the emotions it engenders, Out is a novel that I must confess to enjoying very much. I look forward to exploring more of Natsuo Kirino's work in the future.

The Teacher's Funeral: A Comedy in Three Parts

The Teacher's Funeral: A Comedy in Three Parts
Written by Richard Peck
Dial Books
Reviewed by Carl V.


This month's issue of Estella's Revenge is about growth and what better time to review one of prolific young adult author Richard Peck's outstanding books. I don't know about you, but it appears to me that there are three stages to one's relationship with children's literature. As a child you can open these books and experience worlds of wonder that stay with you throughout your adult life. Later on you may hit an adolescent period of reading in which books shelved in the YA section of the bookstore have little or no appeal. But as you grow and mature and the demands of every day life weigh heavily upon you, it seems that many an adult reader returns to the YA bookshelf only to discover that there is a new sort of magic present in these books. A magic that comes from a foundation of knowledge gleaned from living life. If you are one of those folks, a grown up who enjoys reading books for 'kids', then Richard Peck is the author for you.

If you are unaware of who Richard Peck is, you are not alone. Despite the fact that this Newbery Award winning author has written over 30 stories in the past 3 decades, I had never heard of him before I stumbled across a few of his books this past Christmas while shopping for my wife. Amazon.com describes Richard Peck as a 'master of middle-grade historical fiction' and based upon my recent experience with his work I concur.

On a trip up north this past weekend I had the pleasure of listening to an unabridged audio presentation of Richard Peck's novel, The Teacher's Funeral: A Comedy in Three Parts. To say that this novel is delightful, whimsical, nostalgic, funny, heart-warming and satisfying would be to short-change the experience of this book. The list of adjectives would need to extend well beyond these choice few.

The Teacher's Funeral: A Comedy in Three Parts tells the story of 15 year old Russell Culver and the adventures he experiences in the countryside of Indiana in 1904: the year his teacher dies and school is no more. Or so Russell hopes. Those schoolboy dreams are soon dashed when his high school age sister accepts the job and turns Russell's home and school life into one long lesson. Peck introduces a cast of characters who are uproariously funny and all-too-human. His writing has a witty conversational style that makes you feel as if you are sitting on an old front porch somewhere, glass of lemonade in hand, listening to your granddad or your favorite uncle telling tales about how things used to be. Adding an immense deal of pleasure to this experience is the phenomenal, Emmy-nominated performance of Dylan Baker. Baker reads with the sort of ease one stereotypically associates with an old-timey tale and yet does so with such life that you smile and laugh and get choked up along with these characters as if they were people you had known your whole life. For most of the reading I sported a grin from ear to ear. The Teacher's Funeral is a laugh-out-loud funny story wrapped around a touching tale of family love and the power of community. The message is not heavy handed, but when it gets to you it warms the heart.

Based on this first experience I myself am ready to crown Richard Peck a Master. There is not a wasted word or wasted moment in this book. At 4.5 hours for the audio, 224 pages for the book, Peck creates a tight narrative with a pacing that keeps you interested from start to finish. The Teacher's Funeral: A Comedy in Three Parts is the kind of story that can be shared with the whole family. If you cannot get a copy of the audio version (we found ours at the local library) then I recommend this one as a read aloud family event. If, like me, you are a kid at heart you will no doubt find some deeper humor seen through the eyes of one who has grown up.

Growth is important. To stagnate or to travel backwards is never a good thing. But to revisit youth, through our memories or through the rewarding act of experiencing quality young adult fiction, is an action that I believe propels us forward despite how contrary that may sound. To be able to share that growing experience with your entire family cultivates the kind of connection that will last a lifetime. Go and experience Richard Peck. You'll be glad that you did.

Lint

Lint
Written by Steve Aylett
Snowbooks
Reviewed by Carl V.

Pulp fiction, especially pulp science fiction, flourished during the early to mid part of the twentieth century and its influences are still being felt today in the work of authors, scientists, film makers, etc. Many of the very best pulp science fiction writers of their day maintain a great deal of obscurity outside of the insular world of genre fiction fandom. One such author was the unpredictable, cavalier author Jeff Lint. Through painstaking research author Steve Aylett has put together a brief, yet raucously entertaining biography of one of the most bizarre though influential pulp writers of the twentieth century.

In both his fiction and his real life Jeff Lint was a walking enigma. The author of such works as The Man Who Gave Birth to His Arse and The Stupid Conversation had a life-long habit of turning up at the publisher dressed in women's clothing to present completed manuscripts. He frequently upset friends and acquaintances by babbling nonsense, much of which was no different than the kind of language found in his novels, and his feuds with various authors and publishers were legendary. Author Cameo Herzog and publisher Dean Rodence were once rumored to have attempted to kill Lint with a truck. The story goes that they killed a different person by mistake and had to make reparations to the mob. Another story has it that Rodence and Lint once stared at each other quietly for seven hours in a freezing parking lot, each holding a different colored piece of velvet in their hands.

Despite flourishing in the pulp fiction market, Jeff Lint was not an author content to succeed in only one area. Lint branched out working in comics, writing Hollywood screenplays, and is probably best known outside of his short stories, plays and novels for his animated television show Catty and the Major. Originally optioned as a replacement for the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, Catty and the Major was cancelled after just four episodes when its bizarre and brutal content provoked episodes of violence among younger viewers. These four 1965 cartoon episodes have attained a large cult status over the years and have provoked much dissection and discussion over the possible meanings that can be interpreted from each show. Lint was commissioned to write a Star Trek episode that was found to be so strange that Gene Roddenberry exclaimed, "This isn't prose, it's gnats in formation!".

There was absolutely nothing normal about Jeff Lint's life. It was purported that his first wife, Madeleine, was initially attracted to him because of a large knife scar that went from his left eye down to his mouth. Unfortunately for Lint the "scar" was actually a sleep crease. Initially Lint, a frequent napper, had no difficulty maintaining the rouse. After five months an onset of insomnia spelled the marriage's doom. Even death was abnormal in the life of Jeff Lint, as rumors of his death abounded long before the actual date of departure. Jeff Lint, ever the clever wordsmith, is interred under a tombstone bearing the phrase "Don't think of it as a problem, but as a challenge which has defeated you."

Steve Aylett has put together a wild and entertaining biography of Jeff Lint that includes color plate images of the covers of his various books and an appendix containing many of Lint's more well-known quotations. Yes, this little book is a gem. And even if you have never heard of Jeff Lint, this book is highly entertaining. Why? Well quite frankly because Jeff Lint didn't exist. What Steve Aylett has done is put together a very odd, sometimes nonsensical, but often laugh-out-loud funny mock biography of a pulp fiction writer who only exists in the author's imagination. Being a fan of pulp science fiction and yet knowing very little about that actual time period, I suspect that there are thinly veiled references to actual persons and works scattered throughout this book that would reward a bit of research and a second read.

When Andi and Heather offered this book for review I jumped at the chance, and I am so glad that I did. Lint is certainly an experimental work and not one that I can see appealing to a very broad crowd. That being said, there was never a time when I was tempted to put it down as Steve Aylett proves himself a very clever writer in his own right. The section on Lint's failed Star Trek script had me in tears I was laughing so hard. The best and most uproarious sections of the book come in the form of Lint's quotes and philosophy. For example, in a 1970 interview Lint opines, "Every ten seconds somewhere in the world, someone is realizing I am right." Other favorites include "Employment is atrophy speeded up" and "Of course the government wants us to kick heroin. And they're not asking us to do anything they haven't done themselves." In addition to Lint's odd statements, silly phrases like "...he took to review work like a chimp to a centrifuge" abound. Turning the final page I can only say that it is a true shame that Jeff Lint did not actually exist, but despite that fact, this is the next best thing.

InterWorld

InterWorld

By Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves

Eos

Reviewed by Carl V.

I would like to start out by saying I did not have high expectations for the novel Interworld, a collaboration by my favorite author, Neil Gaiman, and Emmy-award winning Michael Reaves. For an author of Neil Gaiman's caliber, this book really flew under the radar, which is normally not a good sign. I mention this to tell you that my impressions of the story do not come out of an 'Oh yeah! Neil wrote a new book. It is gonna rock!' mindset, only to find those hopes dashed upon the rocks of an average story. As I say, my expectations were low. I did, however, have an open mind. After all, this is Neil Gaiman!

Interworld tells the story of one Joey Harker, an average high school kid with a poor sense of direction. So poor, in fact, that Joey is essentially defined by this disability. During what appears to be another wacky, though typical, class project assigned by his Social Studies teacher Joey gets lost...simply by walking. But this is no ordinary walk. Joey Harker discovers that he is a Walker, he has the ability to walk between dimensions into a place of infinitely possible worlds. What he does not know, is how he got there, why people are trying to capture him, or if he will ever get home again.

It is a nice, though unoriginal, premise and overall it works pretty well. Joey Harker is a very likeable character, written in such a way that I felt an instant connection with him. Joey Harker is a nicely written, unconventional hero. I found the first 100+ pages to be standard Young Adult fare. There were some very enjoyable moments, but at times the narrative seemed to grind to a halt. This was especially true during one passage in which a main character explains the dynamics of the interdimensional world. It felt like a very long, technical info dump that took me out of the story and made me want to skip ahead to get back into the action. The same information could have been conveyed in a more creative, interesting fashion.

As the story continued, however, it began to get more and more interesting. It felt as if the pair of writers had finally hit their stride. The turning point for me, in my decision on whether or not I was ultimately going to enjoy the book, came on page 143. The story took a turn that I had not expected, one that was surprising for the character and surprising to me as the reader. It was a moment that really made me feel for and connect with Joey Harker. From that point I read through without stopping, thoroughly engrossed in the tale. The ending, while exciting, was the kind of ending you would expect from a book that wants to become a series of books...or perhaps a television show, which is how this book came about.

Back in 1995 Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves pitched this idea for a television program. It never sparked any interest and so the authors got together to put it into novel form. It then sat around for years before being published. Neil Gaiman has multiple movies coming out in the next year and Michael Reaves has what looks to be a very interesting Star Wars book coming out in the fall. The timing was obviously right to get this one out to the stores. I don't mean that as cynically as it reads, I only mention it to say that this is not a grand work of fiction. It is an entertaining, slightly above average adventure story for young adults. There are some really fun concepts in this book, a few nicely written characters, and a side-kick for Joey Harker who, in my opinion, really makes the book worth reading.

Is it great? No, but it is good. It never once felt like a Neil Gaiman book to me, which doesn't mean that it is bad. I am simply used to more clever word usage and turns of phrase in a book with Neil's name on it. His other collaboration, Good Omens, felt like a Neil book. This one did not. It certainly doesn't affect my admiration and devotion to Neil Gaiman nor has it stemmed my enthusiasm for Michael Reaves' upcoming book, Star Wars: Death Star.

If you are in the mood for a quick, entertaining romp through multi-dimensional worlds with a very likeable hero, then give it a read. I enjoyed it, but would not recommend a person lay aside whatever book they are currently reading to snatch it up. I consider this as an enjoy-it-once book, and for a hardcore re-reader and a hardcore Neil Gaiman fan, that is an unusual way to feel.

The Last Colony

The Last Colony
Written by John Scalzi
Tor Books
Reviewed by Carl V.

It is the moment of truth, that third film in a cinematic trinity, that third installment in a literary trilogy...will the culmination of all the time spent getting the characters to this point have been worth it all in the end? That moment of truth weighed heavily on my mind as I opened the cover to The Last Colony, the final chapter in John Scalzi's ode to some of the masterworks of science fiction.

I fell hard for the work of John Scalzi for one simple reason: his books, beginning with the John W. Campbell Award-winning book, Old Man's War, were the embodiment in both spirit and sense of humor of the works of Harry Harrison that I fell in love with as a kid and the works of Robert A. Heinlein that I learned to cherish as a young man. Fast paced action, a likeable hero-and later heroine, entertaining dialogue, and the wonder of outer space combined to prove that, in the hands of a craftsman, the time-worn tropes of science fiction can be as fresh and exciting as they were in the golden age of the genre.

Old Man's War was fantastic and fun, The Ghost Brigades was even better. Add to those the unique and thought-provoking novella, The Sagan Diary, and John Scalzi had his work cut out for him. As I said, it was the moment of truth: would Scalzi be able to deliver?

The short answer: Success!!!

I really did not know what to think going into The Last Colony. The events of the previous two novels, in which we got to know and love John Perry and Jane Sagan, left readers with the idea that this third novel would see the characters reunited post-military service. For a series of books predicated on humanity's ongoing wars with multiple alien races, the idea of these two characters living a tranquil life of 'happily ever after', though appealing, did not seem like it would make for a book that fit in with the previous two. I need not have been worried.

The Last Colony admittedly starts a bit slow, with Perry and Sagan adjusting to their lives as civil servants in an agricultural village on the planet Huckleberry. In this case, slow turns out not to be a bad thing. Early on in the story John Perry lets on to you, the reader, that this planet is the next one that he is about to leave behind. Events plod along, as you would expect in a farming community, until Perry and Sagan are given an offer they cannot refuse: they are asked to be the leaders of a seed colony on a brand new world. After all that they have been through this sounds simple enough. Plans are made, colonists are chosen, supplies are packed, and the moment of take off arrives with much pomp and circumstance. The count down commences...and then things get very, very interesting.

As in Old Man's War and The Ghost Brigades, political intrigue and deception are at the heart of the action in The Last Colony. Despite there being more time devoted to the characters in this book, there is no shortage of action and suspense. John Scalzi times the beats perfectly once again, with twists and turns in the plot arriving just in the nick of time to keep the reader turning page after page to find out just what will happen. After working slowly through the first 70 pages (mostly because of multiple reading/life commitments), I literally tore through the last 200+ pages in a reading frenzy...I was so hooked into what was happening with Perry and Sagan that I could not bear to put the book down.

John Scalzi freely admits that these books are not meant to be deep philosophical works of science fiction. They are adventure stories set in space, homages to some of the more well-known works of sci-fi. They are meant to be fun and entertaining. And they succeed at this marvelously. What gives them resonance for me is that, despite their humble mission of entertaining, there is something deeper stirring under the surface, something tangible that tells me that these books, like the Stainless Steel Rat books of Harry Harrison, will be ones that I treasure for years to come.

I really, really enjoyed this science fiction trilogy. As I suspected, once I turned that last page, I was not only thrilled with the way that John Scalzi ended this series, I was very sad that it was over. In the very touching acknowlegements at the end of the book John Scalzi confirms "with this book we've reached the end of our journeys with John Perry and Jane Sagan. I like to think they go on. But they go on without us."

I closed the book last night, walked out onto my back porch and gazed at a cloud free sky, the sliver of the moon shining so brightly that you could see the whole of the disk outlined against the darkness. Venus was glowing brightly just below and to the right of the moon. I stood there in the warm spring air and just smiled and wondered...thank you, John Scalzi, for bringing a fresh sense of awe into my space-geek heart.