This review originally appeared on Goodreads on November 7, 2016.

The World Without Us

By Alan Weisman – Thomas Dunne Books – July 10, 2007

Review by Robin Marx

This intriguing book attempts to elaborate on the various ways Earth would be impacted if humankind were to suddenly vanish. The results of this thought experiment are a mixed bag, with some of the environmental damage and visible impact caused by humans fading relatively quickly, while other results of humanity's reign (particularly consequences associated with nuclear waste) having repercussions lasting for geological epochs. The end result is a planet that is not necessarily better or worse off for the lack of human habitation, but one very different from its current state.

Given the vast scope of the topic, the book feels necessarily a bit unfocused. Most chapters introduce a general question (“What happens to X without humans around?”), then the story's “lens” progressively zooms in on narrower details within that topic, going from macro scale to micro. Scientists, conservationists, architects, energy industry professionals, and so forth are introduced along the way, providing insight into their fields of expertise. I especially appreciated that alternate views were often provided, adding nuance when one expert's perspective veered too far towards rosy optimism or unvarnished pessimism.

By positing a scenario in which humans are completely absent the author encourages us to reflect upon humanity's current stewardship of the world. We're reminded that monumental structures and other proud feats of engineering may not be as permanent as they seem, while other more subtle byproducts of humanity's influence can have long-reaching, unintended, and permanent consequences.

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #Nonfiction #TheWorldWithoutUs #AlanWeisman

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on April 11, 2013.

Callisto

By Lin Carter – iBooks – July 14, 2010

Review by Robin Marx

This book collects the first two installments in Lin Carter's eight-volume Callisto series: Jandar of Callisto and Black Legion of Callisto, both originally printed in 1972. They're planetary romance stories specifically written in the vein of Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter of Mars/Barsoom series. This is both a strength and a weakness. Fans of the Barsoom novels will see a lot of fun familiar elements, but the imitation is too slavish, frequently crossing the line from homage to outright fan-fiction (a common complaint regarding the work of Lin Carter).

The hero of the series is Jonathan Dark, and the books are written in first person POV. Like the classic Barsoom stories, there's a goofy metafiction element where Lin Carter directly addresses the reader, insisting that he is not the author of the Callisto stories, he's only acting as editor of a series of mysterious manuscripts delivered to him through unorthodox methods. (This particular collection of the novels goes even further, with a new introduction by publisher John Betancourt that somewhat crassly hints that the late Lin Carter isn't really dead, he's just joined Jonathan Dark on Callisto.)

Jonathan Dark is a helicopter pilot during the Vietnam war who ends up on one of Jupiter's moons—Callisto—after crashing in the jungle and encountering a mysterious portal. Just as John Carter was captured by the four-armed Green Martians, he's taken prisoner by mantis aliens. Like John Carter, he grows to understand their ways, gradually winning the respect of their leader. Like John Carter, he encounters a bodacious alien princess with whom he is immediately smitten. Like John Carter's lady-love Dejah Thoris, she gets kidnapped frequently. This series is like John Carter.

To be fair, things do get shaken up a bit. It's not a straight-up retelling of Edgar Rice Burroughs' A Princess of Mars. Most of the events, aliens, and interactions are different enough to keep things interesting. But while I was pleased to read new (to me, anyway) stories written in the tradition of the Barsoom novels, the Callisto stories would've benefited had Lin Carter taken the basic “stranger in a strange land” premise and done his own thing, rather than directly translate nearly every element found in the Barsoom books. After a while it starts to feel like the author is working from a checklist. Skyships? Check. Romance with a princess? Check. Alien warrior BFF? Check. Despite being a Vietnam War-era American, Jonathan Dark speaks in the same antiquated, slang- and contraction-free manner as Civil War Veteran John Carter. Why?

While not unexpected given what I know about the author, the imitation was a little disappointing. Complaints aside, I did enjoy this volume. It's not as good as the best Edgar Rice Burroughs, but these two stories were better than some of ERB's less-inspired work, and among the better Lin Carter output I've read. I'd like to read the subsequent volumes, but I think I'll work through the last few remaining Barsoom novels before spending any more time on Callisto.

★★★☆☆

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This review originally appeared on Goodreads on February 19, 2016.

The Man of Bronze (Doc Savage #1)

By Kenneth Robeson (House Name)/Lester Dent – Street & Smith – March 1, 1933

Review by Robin Marx

I had heard a bit about the titular “Man of Bronze,” but had never previously had the chance to read one of the stories. As a fan of pulp fiction I read this, the first of the Doc Savage novels, with great interest.

Both the characters and the story lived up to expectations. Doc Savage was, as expected, a paragon of mankind. He's a genius with the physique of an Olympian. His close friends—a lawyer, geologist, chemist, historian, etc.—are equally as remarkable, but I found it interesting that even in their chosen specialties, they're still second to Savage himself. Savage is basically perfect. And while this would grate in many forms of literature, it's easy to accept in pulp fiction from this time period. Savage is JUST that good.

While I had a bit of trouble keeping Savage's five friends straight (some have more of a presence in the story than others), I enjoyed their first adventure. The pace was brisk and it involved both strange assassins and the treasures of a lost Mayan civilization deep in the jungle. Just the kind of thing I was looking for when I picked up this book.

This book is a product of its time, but I was pleasantly surprised with how the Mayans were treated in this book. They weren't all ignorant savages, many of them were shown to be intelligent, civilized, and generous. They worked with the main characters and had agency, rather than being presented as inferior cannon fodder. There's only one named female character in the book, but she too is shown to be bright and resourceful, and is never reduced to a mere victim or damsel in distress.

I found the ending to be a bit abrupt, but the heroics and breakneck pace of the story appealed a great deal. I look forward to reading future installments in the series.

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #PulpFiction #ManOfBronze #DocSavage #KennethRobeson #LesterDent

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on October 31, 2018.

Heart-Shaped Box

By Joe Hill – William Morrow – March 25, 2010

Review by Robin Marx

This extremely entertaining ghost story involves an aging heavy metal musician (I basically pictured him as Danzig with a beard) haunted by the ghost of a dead groupie's stepfather. Simple yet effective, this initial premise develops additional layers over the course of the story.

This was my first Joe Hill book, and I was curious to see how his work compares to that of Stephen King, his father. Their styles are decidedly similar. Most of the story takes place in the kind of rural locales favored by King, but Hill emphasizes the South as opposed to Maine. Hill also excels at characterization, one of his father's strengths. But he also avoids some of King's weaknesses. Stephen King characters often tend to have a catchphrase or tic that inevitably wears out its welcome, but that's not present here. Hill also sticks the landing, and ending the story is something that his father has struggled with. While it'd be doing Hill a disservice to compare him to his father too much—especially since he's carved out his own successful career without relying on the King name—if you like King's work you'll probably like Hill's.

I was especially impressed by the characterization and the pacing of this book. Hill starts off with some fairly stock characters in a rockstar and associated hangers-on, but all of them are humanized and made real as the story progresses. The pace is also breakneck. Events in the story built at such a speed that it seemed like I was reaching the climax at only the one-third point. I had to check and make sure this book wasn't a collection of novellas instead of a full novel.

This was a very satisfying read and something I can wholeheartedly recommend to horror fans.

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #Horror #HeartShapedBox #JoeHill

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on March 9, 2021.

The Angel of Darkness

By Caleb Carr – Ballantine Books – March 25, 2010

Review by Robin Marx

The second Dr. Laszlo Kreizler story, this one involves a kidnapped baby and a disturbed nurse whose youthful charges tend to end up dead.

While this was an enjoyable read, it didn’t equal or surpass The Alienist. The pacing felt a bit off in several sections, with strange detours and an occasional lack of urgency despite the core conflict. While it’s not really a complaint for me, there are a number of action sequences (and one particular supporting character) that cross a bit into pulp territory, which is not something I remember from the first book. Also, Dr. Kreizler seemed to take a back seat to much of the proceedings. Perhaps it was due to the new choice in narrator, but Kreizler spent much of the story off-screen, doing vague psychology stuff while the scrappy kid narrator got into punch-ups with juvenile gang members.

That being said, this book offers an opportunity to spend more time with Carr’s appealing characters, which is what I (and probably many readers) wanted most. There’s not as much mystery or investigation as the previous book, but the characters are solid and the historical figure cameos are fun, if a bit forced at times.

The first thing I did after finishing this book was check when the next book in the series is expected to arrive. I think that can be taken as a solid recommendation.

★★★☆☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #Mystery #CrimeFiction #TheAngelOfDarkness #CalebCarr

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on May 31, 2012.

Siddhartha

By Hermann Hesse – S. Fischer Verlag – 1922

Review by Robin Marx

As an atheist fascinated with religion, I have an especially ambivalent stance towards Buddhism. Sometimes I'm overwhelmed by its complexity and counter intuitiveness, other times—a bit disappointed—I wonder “is that all there is? A lot of cruft surrounding a few basic recommendations?” I've read D. T. Suzuki's writings on Zen, a translation of the Lotus sutra and even Buddhism for Dummies, and still my confidence about “getting” Buddhism wavers. Happily, Siddhartha wasn't just a pleasant, lyrical read, I felt it furthered my understanding of Buddhist concepts as well.

Despite having five translators listed for the Project Gutenberg edition I read, it was a surprisingly smooth read. The story was told in a fairly straightforward fable-like manner that reminded me a bit of Lord Dunsany, of all people.

The characterization was especially deftly handled; there are several places in the narrative where the reader is subtly tipped off that Siddhartha is straying from the path towards enlightenment or becoming a bit sanctimonious, only to have that become a major plot point later on. I also enjoyed that this wasn't a story of one righteous man surrounded by fools and the misguided. Although Siddhartha himself has an ingrained tendency to be skeptical of teachers and condescending towards those he calls “the childlike people” (i.e., you and me), all of the other characters in the novel, from the exalted to the lowly, end up playing a crucial part in his journey.

Although it's never called out directly, the Buddhist precept this book seems to deal with most directly is mindfulness, one facet of the Noble Eightfold Path. Siddhartha sees the most when he's quiet and receptive, willing to pay attention to the small things in life. Like a lot in Buddhism, it's almost childishly simple but sometimes hard to put into practice.

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #PhilosophicalFiction #Literature #Siddhartha #HermannHesse

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on September 24, 2012.

Free: The Future of a Radical Price

By Chris Anderson – Grand Central Publishing – June 22, 2009

Review by Robin Marx

“Business books are basically romance novels for men. Silly fantasies, terrible writing, large type, cheap paper and one good idea per book.” – @BenedictEvans @Twitter.com

It's becoming clear that freemium business models cannot be ignored, and this book heralds those models as the way of the future. For digital content in particular, Anderson argues that the march to free is inevitable. While laudably detailed in some respects, this book is disappointingly glib and superficial in others.

Anderson unleashes a veritable deluge of cases in which free services or content can play a role in a successful business, but while he acknowledges some of the concerns held by skeptics, all too often he dismisses them out of hand without effectively rebutting them. Sheryl Crow is concerned about the increasing difficulty of selling music? Pshaw, says Anderson, you'll make it all back on live performances and merchandise sales! I'm not a particular fan of her music, but I'm willing to bet that she has a more functional knowledge of the music industry than a dude from Wired. But maybe she's just a square and not with the hip new digital economy, man.

Another concern is that many of Anderson's success stories have, in more recent years, turned out to be not so successful. He mentions Digg, which was huge for a while before becoming a shell of its former self. Facebook has had trouble providing value for shareholders. (Facebook's inability to provide a return on investment for advertisers is actually called out in the text, but subsequently glossed over.) Freemium game giant Zynga is seeing huge drops in profit. He cites Radiohead's pay-what-you-want album In Rainbows as a great success, but doesn't mentioned the fact that Radiohead abandoned this model after about three months in favor of CD sales and standard iTunes distribution. If pay-what-you-want was such an unalloyed success, why didn't the band stick with it?

The whole book is written with a wide-eyed, breathless tone that immediately puts this reader on his guard. Free is the way of the future, man, and if you don't get it you're a fossil. (Ignore the burned out husks of countless companies that were unable to turn a profit with freemium.)

Despite what this book says, I think the jury is still out on freemium. There's been a huge die-off of freemium gaming companies over the last year or so, and other companies are struggling. I suspect we're in the middle of another, more low-key, dotcom bubble. In the end, freemium will probably resume its place as just one tool of many, rather than become some dominating trend.

★★☆☆☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #Nonfiction #FreeTheFutureOfARadicalPrice #ChrisAnderson

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on June 11, 2022.

The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart

By Jesse Bullington – Orbit – October 27, 2009

Review by Robin Marx

Natural Born Killers in the 14th century. Grand Theft Wagon. This grimdark picaresque romp through the Holy Roman Empire and points beyond follows two grave-robbing brothers on a grandiose journey to loot the tombs of Egypt.

Hegel and Manfried, the titular Brothers Grossbart, are not good people. They rob from the dead and have zero compunctions about creating new corpses. Shortly after being introduced to them, we see the pair murder a family of farmers with no real provocation. This inciting event plants the seeds for future strife experienced by the brothers as well as marking the start of their medieval international crime spree. Along the way they encounter witches, demons, and brigands every bit as cruel and vicious as themselves.

The brothers are churlish, thuggish, and ignorant. They’re hot-tempered, violent, arbitrary, and petty. They’re also pious in an idiosyncratic way: they’re reverently horny for the Virgin Mary, but they don’t think much of her son. Like most villains, they view themselves as the heroes of their narrative, and despite their repellant natures, they make compelling protagonists.

The Grossbarts are perfectly at home in the medieval Europe portrayed in the book. The people they encounter tend to be every bit as treacherous and untrustworthy as themselves. The supporting cast is vicious, diseased, demented, avaricious, and/or occasionally literally in league with the devil.

This book isn’t for everyone. People who require likable protagonists and happy endings should stay away. The book is full of graphic violence and drenched in various bodily fluids. Children are casually murdered. Blasphemy is present and accounted for. But for those who can enjoy grim and dark tales, this book is exhilarating and slyly humorous.

The dialogue was the highlight of the book for me. The brothers speak in a crass and blunt dialect that never ceases to entertain. Their interactions with other characters pleasantly reminded me of Jack Vance’s Cugel the Clever stories, albeit with Cugel’s highfaluting bloviating replaced with hammer-blunt gutter slang.

My only real complaint with the book is that the pacing lags in some sections. The brothers’ sojourn in Venice seems to go on longer than necessary, and there’s an ocean journey that feels a little slow. That being said, a lot of territory (geographically and spiritually) is covered over the course of the book, and it was sufficiently gripping that I finished the final third of the book in a single sitting.

As I said, this book isn’t for everyone, but I found it a lot of fun. If you have an affinity for grimdark, this is an entertaining and wryly funny read.

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #Grimdark #Fantasy #JesseBullington #TheSadTaleOfTheBrothersGrossbart

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on August 14, 2012.

Wrath of the White Tigress: A Tale of Pawan Kor

By David Alastair Hayden – Typing Cat Press – June 25, 2011

Review by Robin Marx

Billed as a modern sword & sorcery tale in the tradition of Moorcock and Gemmel, this book starts with a compelling premise: an assassin tasked with killing a high priestess manages to shake off decades of mystical brainwashing. Working with Zyrella, the high priestess, he turns against the evil emperor Salahn and attempts to destroy the regime he once helped build.

I enjoyed the book, but it had a few issues. The beginning and conclusion were quite strong, but the middle part seemed to lose focus and meander a bit. I liked the main trio of characters, Jaska, Zyrella, and Ohzi, but the middle third of the book rapidly introduces a number of new faces that failed to leave much of an impression. As a result there are a couple cases of dramatic self-sacrifice that fell flat. I didn't really need the archer twins with their vague prophecy or the desert tribesmen, they were all fairly interchangeable and I would've rather spent more time with the main characters.

The prose was solid, but not particularly ostentatious. Not much time was spent on world-building, but the setting seemed interesting and a pleasant change from pseudo-Europe. The magic presented was interesting, but perhaps a little under-developed (the star-based magic was especially vague). The fast pace and action reminded me a bit of my favorite sword & sorcery stories, but the frequent divine intervention and good versus evil plot are well-trodden epic fantasy tropes and appealed less.

Hayden is a newer author, and I suspect my issues with the book are related to that. It was a fun read, though. I own another Hayden book besides this one and I plan to keep an eye out for future releases as well.

★★★☆☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #SwordAndSorcery #Fantasy #DavidAlastairHayden #WrathOfTheWhiteTigress

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on April 23, 2013.

The Kingdom of Shadows

By K. W. Jeter – Editions Herodiade – June 8, 2011

Review by Robin Marx

I started this book hoping for a decent horror tale, but it turned out to be quite a struggle to get through. Set mainly in Germany during World War II, half of the plot deals with a Nazi doctor's deranged and homicidal investigation into the Lazarene—a Romani-like Christian sect believed to possess the secret to immortality—and (the less interesting) half deals with an actress of Lazarene heritage.

Despite heartbreaking circumstances (forced to act as Joseph Goebbels' mistress, having her child torn away from her), actress Marte is presented as more or less a flat, passive cipher. Concentration camp internee Pavli shows a bit more initiative, but he too is more or less a reactive character until the climax. The plot is as weak as the characters. Events happen and then the book stops. Marte's child is hinted as having some greater importance, but he doesn't really.

Throughout the book Jeter demonstrates technical competence, but I can't remember the last time I read a story this uninteresting and unengaging. It's not poorly written, just tedious and bland. It sparked almost no emotion or surprise in me whatsoever. It was only my dislike of leaving books unfinished that kept me from abandoning it partway. This is the second book I've read by Jeter and assuredly the last.

★★☆☆☆

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