This review originally appeared on Goodreads on August 25, 2016.

Quest of the Spider (Doc Savage #3)

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

Review by Robin Marx

Despite being marked as #68, Quest of the Spider was originally printed as the third Doc Savage adventure.

I found this story to be a mixed bag. The swampy setting is interesting (albeit not as much as a dinosaur-filled Lost World) and there's plenty of action, but the core premise—the search for a shadowy crime lord who has been disrupting Louisiana's lumber industry—isn't as exciting as the ones presented in the first two stories.

Much of the second half of the story takes place deep in the swamp, where Doc Savage and his companions battle against the titular Grey Spider's henchmen, an isolated Creole voodoo tribe called the Cult of the Moccasin. This portion of the story has a lot of excitement, but readers are also subjected to a lot of dodgy pulp representation of the Cajun dialect and the voodoo cult characters are stereotyped as ignorant savages (mixed race but exhibiting only the worst characteristics of their origins and none of the positive ones, to paraphrase a line from the book) who revel in the idea of sacrificing a white child. That being said, late in the story two of the named swamp folk are given a bit more development; one realizes the error of his evil ways and another's defects are revealed to be the result of a brain injury and cured by Savage.

One interesting aspect of this story is how Doc Savage captures most of his opponents alive, drugs them, and has them shipped to a secret facility Savage has established in upstate New York, where he “corrects” criminal behavior through neurosurgery. This probably seemed both high-tech and humane at the time these stories were written (they're fixed now!), but perhaps seems a little ominous to the modern reader in our more cynical era.

Another interesting part of the story is how little “screen time” Doc Savage himself receives. He's missing and presumed dead for much of the last third of the book, and it's his assistants that feature most heavily. Also starring are a two-fisted lumber baron and his amazingly gorgeous daughter with an amazingly dowdy name: Edna. Both play an active role in helping Doc Savage help them. Once again we see Doc Savage ignore a beautiful woman's attention. This is presented as evidence of his gravely serious nature and lack of time for frivolity, but I like a bit of “spice” (to use the pulp term) and it seems like a missed opportunity for drama to me.

Like the last book, there's a bit of mystery surrounding the identity of the Grey Spider. It's not as blatantly telegraphed as in the second Doc Savage book, but neither is the reader given much of a reason to suspect the true enemy, nor is he given much of a motive than pure greed. The result is that when the Grey Spider is revealed, my reaction was less a gasp than a shrug. OK.

All-in-all this was a brisk, energetic read, but it didn't grab me as much as the stories that precede it.

★★★☆☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #PulpFiction #QuestOfTheSpider #DocSavage #KennethRobeson #LesterDent

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on May 7, 2012.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

By Michael Chabon – Random House – September 19, 2000

Review by Robin Marx

Unfamiliar with Michael Chabon and his work, I began this book with some amount of trepidation. As a geek, I've often found it a negative experience when mainstream literature intersects with genre fiction. You've got Margaret Atwood's prissy denials that she writes science fiction, and J.K. Rowling's irrational resistance to having her work labeled as fantasy. (While I haven't seen much commentary from Cormac McCarthy about the genre of The Road, his fans sure seem quick to disavow any relationship with Skiffy.) Sure, they'll happily play with SF and Fantasy's toys (i.e., themes and tropes), but when they get called out on the playground they deny any association with those two weird outcast kids. So I wasn't sure what to expect when presented with a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about two comic book creators. The back of the book also made it sound like a fictionalized retelling of “two Jewish kids made good” Jerry Spiegel and Joe Shuster's creation of Superman, and that's not a story that's particularly fresh and new to most comics fans.

Fortunately, my skepticism was assuaged early on. Chabon proves right off the bat that not only does he understand comics, he (gasp!) enjoys them. In fact, this book is an ardent love song dedicated to the golden age of comics. While he doesn't hesitate to point out the “sucker born every minute” cynicism and lowest common denominator pandering that went into the creation of many comics (as he should; a lot of comics are dumb), he also never fails to show the lasting value of comics and costumed superheroes, why they resonate so much with fans. He also earns bonus points by specifically calling out the parallels between the experiences of his protagonists Josef Kavalier and Sammy Clay and Superman's Spiegel and Shuster, rather than leaving it an unacknowledged source of inspiration.

While it's always nice to see a facet of geek culture get a fair shake in this mainstream media, this book is much more than just a refreshingly pro-comic story. It ends up being rather epic in scope, covering not only the trials and tribulations experienced by a pair of young men and the evolution of their friendship, but also the first few decades of the comic book industry and America's entry into World War II. There's even a bit of enigmatic magical realism added to the mix, involving the Golem from Jewish folklore. That's a lot to cover in one book, and it can't be denied that this is a long, meandering read. Length and pacing are the only issues I had with this book, but this complaint ends up reminding me of Emperor Joseph II's “too many notes” gripe to Mozart. Everything turns out to be a thread in the greater tapestry, and in retrospect I find it difficult to locate passages that could safely be trimmed.

While the plot and ambition of this book are certainly praiseworthy, it's the characterization that is most remarkable. Clay and Kavalier (and to a slightly lesser extent, Kavalier's surrealist paramour Rosa Saks) are incredibly well-rendered. They feel like real people. We've all had the experience of watching close friends make regrettable decisions while at the same time fully understanding their motives for doing so, and this is something that happens several times over the course of the story.

Foreshadowing is also used to great effect, although it's almost always under sad circumstances. Two characters will have a blissful exchange, luring the reader into a sense that things are finally starting to go well for their fictional friends, and it'll be immediately followed with “This was the last time they saw/heard from each other again.” This caught me off-guard time and again. Well played, Chabon.

There are more agonies than ecstasies over the course of Kavalier and Clay's amazing adventures, but things never become too overly morbid, and in the end it comes to a perfect, immensely satisfying conclusion. (Albeit one tinged with melancholy.)

Just before finishing the book, I did some reading up on Chabon and his approach to writing. He's written that so much of modern literature boils down to “the contemporary, quotidian, plotless, moment-of-truth revelatory story,” and that, first and foremost, his aim is to tell an entertaining story. I think it's a pretty damning sign of how influential (corrupting?) postmodernism has become that this can even be considered a controversial goal. He's gotten some flak from critics about his attraction to genre themes that basically can be summed up as “you're too good for that stuff!”, but so far it looks as if he's staying the course, and that he sees no incompatibility between nuanced literature and plot-driven stories with fantastical elements.

If that's the case, I can see no incompatibility between his particular brand of high-brow lit and myself. I've added all of Chabon's other books to my To Buy list. I think I'll read a shorter, less dense book next, however...

★★★★★

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #Literature #TheAmazingAdventuresOfKavalierAndClay #MichaelChabon

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on May 31, 2011.

The Son of Tarzan

By Edgar Rice Burroughs – A. C. McClurg – 1915

Review by Robin Marx

While The Son of Tarzan gets off to a promising start, the second half was disappointing compared to the previous books in the series. The title character, Jack/Korak, suffers from not being as interesting as his father. The books lacks a compelling antagonist as well, replacing the strong villain Rokoff with a small and continually rotating rogues gallery that appear small time by comparison.

There's a fair amount of jungle adventure to be had in this installment. Jack's adjustment to life in the wilderness and his life with the ape Akut are the highlights of the novel. However, the plot takes a sharp turn halfway in, with almost the entire remainder of the book focusing on the least interesting character in the story. Perhaps a more fitting title would have been The Son of Tarzan's Girlfriend.

Despite the above complaints, the climax and denouement go a long way in redeeming the overall story. While nowhere near as strong as The Beasts of Tarzan, this book is still worth a read.

★★☆☆☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #PulpFiction #Adventure #Tarzan #TheSonOfTarzan #EdgarRiceBurroughs

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on October 17, 2018.

The Czar of Fear (Doc Savage #9)

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

Review by Robin Marx

While this book had some high points, overall it was a pretty tepid entry in the series so far.

The plot felt like it borrowed a great deal from previous installment Quest of the Spider, but with the sinister criminal mastermind attempting to move in on a mining town rather than the lumber industry. I tend to prefer Doc Savage's more globe-trotting expeditions, however, so this small town America-bound story was less engaging for me. Apart from the titular Czar of Fear, the Green Bell, the other antagonists seemed pretty one-dimensional and ineffectual.

On the plus side, the villain makes some interesting use of technology and is also fairly clever in his struggle against Doc Savage. Having Doc on the run from false murder allegations also adds an extra twist to the tale, making this adventure seem like slightly less of a cakewalk than usual for him. And while I missed Ham's absence from most of the narrative, Long Tom has a bit more spotlight time than most episodes and Monk's soft spot for beautiful women is brought up again.

Overall, this book is worth a read for Doc Savage fans, but it's not a particularly distinguished or memorable adventure.

★★☆☆☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #PulpFiction #TheCzarOfFear #DocSavage #KennethRobeson #LesterDent

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on February 26, 2018.

A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy

By William B. Irvine – Oxford University Press – November 4, 2008

Review by Robin Marx

This book is simple and effective, with clear explanations and methodical organization. Irvine argues that, unlike the ancient Greeks and Romans, modern people tend to lack a philosophy for living, and that people can benefit from incorporating philosophical principles into their daily life. He makes the case for Stoicism in particular as a philosophy with special utility in helping people manage negative emotions and attain a greater sense of tranquility.

Throughout the book he introduces the major figures in Stoic history, their teachings, and advises how to apply them to modern life. Dealing with insults, aging, and grief are all topics covered in the book. While Stoicism today is somewhat obscure and misunderstood, many readers will see familiar parallels in Buddhism (which also understands that desire and attachments are a source of frustration and misery) and the literature about mindfulness.

While I discovered and adopted Stoicism on my own two decades ago (I'm what the author terms a “congenital Stoic”), I appreciated the history lesson and the systematic presentation of the philosophy's tenets and their application. While an interest in history is a plus, I'd recommend this book wholeheartedly to anyone seeking more equanimity in their daily life, especially if they're skeptical of religion.

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #Nonfiction #Philosophy #AGuideToTheGoodLife #Stoicism #WilliamBIrvine

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on May 8, 2012.

The Airlords of Han

By Philip Francis Nowlan – Amazing Stories – March 1929

Review by Robin Marx

This is the follow-up volume to Armageddon 2419 A.D., the story that introduced Anthony Rogers—who later became known as Buck Rogers—to the world. While I didn't quite enjoy it as much as the first Rogers story, the second half more than makes up for a lackluster beginning.

The book opens with the continuing struggle of the techno-tribal Americans versus the diabolical Han, technologically advanced Mongolians and the dominant race of 25th century Earth. While there's plenty of action in these early sequences, the war scenes are described in a bloodless, clinical manner that robs them of much of their excitement. This bland description of (invariably successful) tactics is a problem that the later half of the first book shared. Things become even worse when the author takes a mystifying two chapter break right in the middle of an air combat scene to describe “ultron” and “inertron” technology in detail. There's one chapter for the American's technology, and one for the Han's equipment. I doubt most readers are as interested in the author's technobabble as Nowlan himself was, and this digression harms the flow of the story.

Fortunately, things quickly pick up after this sidetrack. In a rare moment of fallibility, Rogers's cockiness leads to him being captured by the Han and taken to their capital city, where he serves as both a prisoner of war and an honored guest to his decadent, soft captors. This portion of the story finally gives a face to the enemy. While Armageddon 2419 A.D. was fairly light on the racism despite a Yellow Peril-era premise, it appears all that was saved up for the sequel. Repeatedly we're told how decadent and soft and corrupt the Mongolians are, unlike the noble and virile (and apparently minority-free) Americans. (Ironically, I'd trade 25th century American life for a Han lifestyle in an instant. They've got luxurious housing, a welfare system, e-commerce, telecommuting, undemanding jobs, and loose women. Where do I sign up?) We even learn that the Han aren't quite real Mongolians, but actually half-alien hybrids resulting from a space ship crashing in Tibet. I guess that makes their eventual genocide at the hands of square-jawed, white-bread Americans OK, then!

Some old-fashioned thinking aside, the second half of the story is fun and exciting. Rogers makes a daring escape from the Han with the assistance of remote-controlled explosive drones. Why these remarkably versatile killer drones weren't used by the Americans in previous battles was unclear to me, but their very presence (along with the telecommuting and e-commerce mentioned previously) is pretty astonishing for a story written in 1929. Rogers's escape is also excitingly rendered and much less dispassionately described than the mass battles from the first half of the book.

The American's eventual victory seems a little too easily won, but the two volume series comes to a satisfying conclusion. Parts of the story will feel—understandably—creaky and outdated to a modern audience, but the pulp action is exciting and the futurism genuinely impressive. Both books are worth a read to pulp fiction fans and those interested in learning more about an classic American icon.

★★★☆☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #ScienceFiction #SwordAndPlanet #TheAirlordsOfHan #BuckRogers #PhilipFrancisNowlan

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on September 3, 2013.

Warm Bodies

By Isaac Marion – Atria Books – April 26, 2011

Review by Robin Marx

Warm Bodies is a zombie romance for young adult readers. I'm not generally interested in love stories—I don't necessarily dislike them either, they're just not something I go out of my way to seek out—and I've never been much of a YA reader (Hardy Boys excluded), but my enthusiasm for zombies led me to pick this book up. It has some issues, but overall it was a worthwhile experience.

My biggest issue was how it patterned itself after Romeo & Juliet. The allusions weren't something I was aware of going into the book, but they're so transparent that I couldn't help but pick up on them right away. While the author probably intended to add some heft and “a tale as old as time” dignitas to his story by drawing parallels between it and one of the most recognized pieces of English literature, Warm Bodies is actually diminished by the association. I bought this book because “zombie love story!” seemed fresh and exciting as a concept, but finding out what I was really holding was “Romeo & Juliet, but with zombies!” was a bit of a let down. It was like the author was telling me to moderate my expectations, saying “Let me level with you, buddy. This is a story you've read many times before, just with a bit of a spin on it.” Romeo & Juliet is such a played out and obvious source of inspiration when writing any kind of romance story that includes obstacles, and the book would've been stronger if Marion had skipped the heavy-handed references and done his own thing. Many plots end up resembling bits of Shakespeare unintentionally, anyway; at this point there's really no need for people to go out of their way to crib from the dead bard.

The romance aspect was so-so. This would've been a very different book had it been written by Clive Barker, but this being a YA novel any squickiness or uncomfortable elements (the interesting stuff) pertaining to a love affair between a human girl and an animated corpse are hand-waved away and/or presented in a sanitized manner. Characterization was likewise a little sleight. It was difficult to understand R's infatuation with Julie, apart from what she symbolized (i.e., vibrant life in a dead, gray world). She was spunky and resilient, but her gal-pal Nora seemed like more fun. Perhaps the attraction can be chalked up to some lingering chemical reaction left over from when R eats Julie's ex-boyfriend's brain. Likewise, it was a little hard to see why she was so interested in R (a dead guy who killed and ate a bunch of her friends), apart from him acting protective and paying over the requisite number of niceness tokens.

While a flimsy, not-quite-believable romance would seem pretty harmful in a book billed as a love story, fortunately the novel shines in other areas. Protagonist “R” and his undead associates are remarkably highly functioning zombies, and their culture is fascinating. While I'm usually a Romero purist when it comes to the presentation of zombies, I liked the idea that zombies could communicate with each other and had their own customs, and that the living were just too preoccupied with fear to notice. The human survivors' post-apocalyptic lifestyle is interesting as well, albeit rendered in less detail. The first person narrative was a high point as well. I enjoyed seeing the world through the eyes of a zombie.

Postscript: Apparently the author is working on both a prequel and a sequel to this novel. While that seems like a wise commercial choice, I'm not quite sure I'll want to pick up either. The zombie/survivor conflict in Warm Bodies was exciting, but given the book's conclusion it's difficult to see what more could be done with it. We'll see.

★★★☆☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #UrbanFantasy #YoungAdult #WarmBodies #IsaacMarion

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on June 18, 2012.

The Waters of Eternity

By Howard Andrew Jones – Thomas Dunne Books – November 22, 2011

Review by Robin Marx

This ebook collects most of the Dabir and Asim short stories by Howard Andrew Jones. Being a fan of both sword & sorcery (a genre Jones has made a valiant effort through articles at Black Gate, etc., to revive) and the Arabian Nights, I picked up this volume so as to learn about the characters before moving onto his debut novel, The Desert of Souls.

Dabir and Asim make an interesting pair of sword & sorcery heroes, very different from the genre's other notable duos, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser and Elric and Moonglum. Dabir is a wise scholar, while expert swordsman Asim acts as the brawn. They're a bit like Holmes and Watson in that respect. Trusted by the caliph, they're called upon by a variety of people in need. In the stories collected, the premise most often involves some supernatural mystery or a threat on an important figure's life.

True to the genre, the stories are fast-paced, with swashbuckling action and strange creatures. The mystery elements are interesting, but Dabir often reaches conclusions with very little evidence, or at least none that's shared with the reader. As a result, these “brilliant deductions” can seem a little contrived. They'd ring a bit more true if Jones took more time placing hints beforehand.

The Arabian Nights atmosphere is a bit low-key, but there's enough flavor to distinguish these stories from standard Western fantasy. It's interesting to note that both Dabir and Asim are good Muslims, so while they encounter a variety of sword & sorcery temptresses, dancing girls, and femme fatales, there's no Conan-style wrenching to be found.

The book concludes with a sizable excerpt from the first Dabir and Asim novel, The Desert of Souls. This seemed superfluous to me, however, as most people likely to pick this book up have either read the novel and want to read Dabir and Asim's previously-published adventures, or those like me, who want to read these stories before moving onto the novel. I'll be buying The Desert of Souls, so I skipped this excerpt entirely.

I look forward to reading more about Dabir and Asim's exploits. While sword & sorcery lends itself well to shorter formats, novel-length might be a better match for Howard's style. Perhaps the extra room will give Howard more time to develop his mystery plots, as well as treat the reader to a bit more Arabian atmosphere.

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #SwordAndSorcery #Fantasy #HowardAndrewJones #TheWatersOfEternity #TheChroniclesOfSwordAndSand #DabirAndAsim

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on May 5, 2014.

The Hammer and the Blade

By Paul S. Kemp – Angry Robot – January 1, 2012

Review by Robin Marx

I've been slightly dissatisfied with many of the books I've read this year, but The Hammer and the Blade turned out to be a welcome end to this unfortunate streak. It's a fun sword & sorcery novel from beginning to end.

The prologue introduces us to hammer-wielding priest Egil and his crafty rogue companion Nix, right in the middle of a raid on a pseudo-Egyptian tomb. The story very quickly establishes that they're in it for thrills, cash, and personal glory, rather than any more elevated goals. What do they do with their ill-gotten gains? On a whim they purchase their favorite scummy tavern/brothel. These are my kind of heroes: sword & sorcery scoundrels, not farm boys destined for greatness.

The story that follows is fast-paced and fun, as the heroes are coerced into doing the dirty work of an unpleasant sorcerer hoping to use his own sisters as breeding stock in a pact with demons.

As is often the case in swords & sorcery fiction, female characters were mostly relegated to the sidelines as potential romance interests and victims, but there's a moment late in the book where the heroes get a very visceral taste of the abuse the sisters have suffered at the hands of their brother, causing our leering, wenching heroes to reconsider the way they treat the women in their lives. The inclusion of this sudden change in perspective was a pleasant surprise.

My only complaint was that the pacing lulled in a couple sections. It took a little long for Egil and Nix to become involved in the main plot, and the finale likewise seemed a little drawn-out and lacking in tension compared to their final tomb raiding expedition. Everything else, however, was golden. Egil and Nix are great characters in the tradition of Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, and I look forward to reading their future adventures.

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #SwordAndSorcery #Fantasy #PaulSKemp #TheHammerAndTheBlade #EgilAndNix

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on August 7, 2014.

Eight Million Gods

By Wen Spencer – Baen Books – May 15, 2013

Review by Robin Marx

There's a saying among expats in Japan: “If you stay here for a week, you write a book. If you stay here for a month, you write an article. If you stay here for a year, you don't write anything.” I suspect Wen Spencer has spent a week in Japan.

I really wanted to like this book. Japan appeals to me enough for me to have made it my home for more than a decade, and I've always been fascinated by Japanese folklore and mythology. The idea of a book dealing with folklore in modern Japan appealed, but unfortunately this book falls down on several fronts.

The Japan presented in this book is a mixed bag. Some aspects (perhaps not coincidentally those that a Western tourist would encounter over the course of a short stay, such as subway station coin lockers, or a description of the Gion festival) are represented authentically, with almost fetishistic detail. Other bits are embarrassingly off. The use of the Japanese language is frequently suspect; Osaka locale “Dōtonbori” is misspelled consistently throughout the book, as is the “jorogumo” monster name. Prices for things tend to off by a factor of ten, and the protagonist shops with bills that don't exist (¥100,000?). It's also a bit strange as someone who has lived in rural Japan to see tanuki (“raccoon dogs,” which basically combine the least threatening aspects of both animals) presented as a dangerous menace. Most of the Japanese mythology was represented accurately, but fairly shallowly. It was blatantly obvious that this was Japan viewed through an anime/manga lens; there's actually a pretty cringe-worthy section where characters remark “This is just like that bit in Inuyasha! Or Naruto!” I guess this is a book you can judge by its katana-wielding schoolgirl cover.

None of the characters really appealed to me. Heroine Nikki has hypographia, a mental disorder characterized by a severe compulsion to write, but this felt like a trivial depiction, as is common for obsessive compulsive disorder. Her hypographia turns out to be more of a supernatural gift than a mental disorder, which could excuse some of this, but it still reminded me of flaky girls using “I'm SO OCD!” as an excuse for minor personality quirks, when the real thing isn't so cute and harmless.

It also bothered me that the only prominent Japanese characters were basically spirits on the periphery. The main character, her friends, the shadowy organization operating in Japan, are all foreign. Leo is half-Japanese, at least, but he was raised in Hawaii by a Brit and serves little purpose in the plot but to beat people up, get beat up, and be sexy for the heroine. The actual Japanese characters are basically all deities, including dead historical—although this strangely isn't played up in the text—figure Taira no Atsumori. It's fun reading about foreigners active in Japan (hell, I AM one), but reducing Japanese people to props, obstacles, and Yoda-like mentors does them a great disservice, especially after borrowing so many of the cool trappings of their culture.

The plot feels fast-paced, but there were so many dead ends and tangents that even with its exuberant tone, this book was a struggle to get through. There's a late plot twist involving protagonist Nikki's mother that feels extremely contrived, and the book's final confrontation is breathtakingly anticlimactic.

If you like Young Adult books, anime, and dream about maybe visiting Japan someday, this may be a good book for you. If you're expecting a more adult book (it wasn't marketed as YA, although it should have been), or if you're more acquainted with Japan and/or less than enthused about the manga Inuyasha, this is probably one to skip.

★★☆☆☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #UrbanFantasy #Japan #EightMillionGods #WenSpencer