This review originally appeared on Goodreads on May 28, 2012.

The Master Mind of Mars

By Edgar Rice Burroughs – A. C. McClurg – 1928

Review by Robin Marx

Despite being the 6th novel in the series, in this story Burroughs proves that there are plenty of stories left to tell on Barsoom, and that John Carter or Carthoris don't need to be present to have a compelling story.

Our protagonist is a World War I soldier with the incredibly badass name Ulysses Paxton. When he gets blown in half by an artillery shell, he finds himself on Barsoom, a planet he knows well from Edgar Rice Burrough's stories. I like that—as with John Carter's original teleportation to Mars—Burroughs doesn't go into detail about how the journey takes places. Paxton himself has no time to care, he immediately gets attacked by an angry local. I also like that there aren't any An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge hints that Paxton's adventures are dying hallucinations. Paxton's adventures are genuine.

Like many of the Barsoom stories to date, the plot involves a dashing man's quest to rescue a damsel in distress. While this is familiar territory, Burroughs gives it a twist in this story by having the body of Paxton's love interest be spirited away, while (due to a brain transplant at the hands of a fun mad scientist character) her mind remains prisoner in the used-up body of a rich harridan.

Through charisma and respect-earning manliness Paxton quickly assembles a team of trusted comrades, including a master assassin and an experimental gorilla/human hybrid. The pace of the book is brisk and there's plenty of swashbuckling action to be had. Burroughs is clearly sticking to an established recipe, but the meal is satisfying.

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #ScienceFiction #SwordAndPlanet #Barsoom #TheMasterMindOfMars #EdgarRiceBurroughs

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on May 30, 2018.

The Sargasso Ogre (Doc Savage #8)

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

Review by Robin Marx

Returning from their last adventure, upon leaving Egypt Doc Savage and his companions have their ocean liner hijacked by modern day pirates and taken to the Sargasso Sea. Doc Savage finds himself working to protect both the passengers of his ocean liner and a shipful of beautiful castaways while dealing with well-entrenched enemies led by the titular “Sargasso Ogre.”

This was one of the better entries in the Doc Savage series so far. It felt a bit more grounded than some previous installments (i.e., no giant poisonous bats this time), but it included exotic locations, an interesting antagonist, and plenty of action.

Doc's companions didn't seem especially effective this time, so Doc is left to do most of the heavy lifting. The women presented in the story were surprisingly well-rendered for the time. Their leader instantly falls for “woman-proof” Savage, of course, but she and her crew prove to be brave and resourceful.

Bruze, the “Sargasso Ogre,” is one of the more interesting opponents portrayed in the series so far. He's physically intimidating, but in his one hand-to-hand combat with Doc he immediately realizes he is outmatched, and spends rest of the book actively avoiding another fight, instead relying on animal cunning to put Savage in danger. The moment in which he receives his comeuppance is rather abrupt, but it makes for an exciting scene of poetic justice.

★★★☆☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #PulpFiction #TheSargassoOgre #DocSavage #KennethRobeson #LesterDent

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on September 21, 2014.

At Drake's Command

By David Wesley Hill – Temurlone Press – November 16, 2013

Review by Robin Marx

This nautical adventure is the first chronicle of Peregrine James's adventures as a part of Sir Francis Drake's crew. The book reads like one of the early Horatio Hornblower novels, with an earnest and resourceful young man proving his worth to his superiors, but rather than a promising young midshipman, James acts as the ship's cook. This provides an interesting perspective on the events to follow.

This book is well-grounded in history, taking place on a historical expedition full of real, named historical characters. This feeling of authenticity extends to every corner of the book. The details of seagoing life and the dialogue all feel realistic and colorful. I particularly appreciated how the author didn't shy away from the bawdier aspects of the sailor's language and lifestyle like many nautical fiction authors; this earthiness added a level of realism that is often lacking in more “PG-rated” ocean adventures.

My only complaint about this book is that I wish there was more of it. I wasn't aware going into the book that it was to be part of a series, I expected a stand-alone novel and because of my misperception the pacing felt a bit off throughout the book. Nearly a quarter of the book is done before the ship actually ventures out to sea, and rather than circumnavigating the globe, the events described here hover around Africa's Barbary Coast, a fact that made me a bit nervous as the end of the book approached. Not only does the book only cover a portion of the journey, it also ends on a right bastard of a cliffhanger. While I was pleased to see that more adventures are to follow, and pacing is less of a concern if the reader is aware going in that more books are forthcoming, I still can't shake the feeling that—instead of a complete book with a beginning, middle, and end—this book is simply a bloodily truncated section of a larger work. That's one aspect that compares unfavorably with something like the Hornblower series, which managed to deliver satisfyingly self-contained stories within the framework of a larger saga.

That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I'm very eager to see what comes next.

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #HistoricalFiction #NauticalFiction #AtDrakesCommand #DavidWesleyHill

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on May 29, 2012.

Winterfair Gifts

By Lois McMaster Bujold – Spectrum Literary Agency – January 5, 2011

Review by Robin Marx

Winterfair Gifts first debuted in a genre romance anthology called Irresistible Forces, but I'd only recommend it to those already familiar with the Vorkosigan stories, as it doesn't stand on its own very well. While not an indispensable entry in Bujold's long-running Vorkosigan series, this novella was a very satisfying read, one of those rare stories that left me with warm fuzzies after the story's conclusion.

Taking place between A Civil Affair and Diplomatic Immunity, plot is secondary in this story. This is a trait shared with some of the other recent Vorkosigan books, but this isn't a gripe. People read Bujold for her characters, which are second to none. With more than two dozen Vorkosigan stories available, Miles Vorkosigan, his family, and comrades have all become like friends to this reader. Every new Vorkosigan story is a welcome chance to visit with these longtime friends again.

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #ScienceFiction #WinterfairGifts #VorkosiganSaga #LoisMcMasterBujold

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on August 9, 2017.

The Red Skull (Doc Savage #6)

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

Review by Robin Marx

Doc Savage is hired to investigate a criminal conspiracy and incidents of sabotage involving a dam being built by the Desert Mining Construction Company.

While not without merit, this is probably the blandest entry in the Doc Savage series so far. There are some nice action scenes and Monk's secretary Lea Aster, the sole female character, shows a great deal of ingenuity in getting word out to Doc Savage after she is kidnapped by hoods. This volume was also completely absent of dated racist stereotyping, but this is probably because the book takes place entirely within America's borders. Exotic locations are a big draw for me when it comes to pulp fiction, so their absence in this story was a definite negative. While physically present for most of the story, another weakness is the fact that Savage's five companions also do not have much dialogue.

The criminal conspiracy at the heart of the story is interesting, as is the fact that Doc Savage spends a great deal of time surrounded by people who may or be secret saboteurs. However, once again the masked mastermind is dramatically revealed to be...a minor, unobtrusive supporting character who we are given no prior reason to suspect. This seems to happen frequently in the Doc Savage stories. A little foreshadowing would go a long way when it comes to adding some impact to the final reveal. All in all a C effort.

★★☆☆☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #PulpFiction #TheRedSkull #DocSavage #KennethRobeson #LesterDent

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on October 6, 2012.

The Pirate's Dilemma: How Youth Culture Is Reinventing Capitalism

By Matt Mason – Free Press – January 8, 2008

Review by Robin Marx

This was a fun read with some interesting points, but taken as a whole Mason's argument is a little facile.

Most of the book consists of examples of (generally youth-oriented) subcultures that developed into major commercial or cultural successes. Mason's examples include punk (focusing on its D.I.Y. ethos as an example of the pirate spirit), hip-hop, early disco, etc. All of these subcultures were created and expanded outside of the mainstream before being absorbed or incorporated (some would say co-opted) by it. Mason argues that existing commercial interests ignore or marginalize these movements at their own peril.

Mason's “pirate's dilemma” extends from this, stating that rather than wasting effort trying to stamp out piracy, companies are better off competing with pirates. (“Pirate's Dilemma” is a bit of a misnomer; pirates experience no such dilemma, it's the entrenched commercial interests that have to adapt) When that happens, society has a whole benefits. Sounds good on the surface.

The problem is that Mason's definition of a “pirate” is incredibly broad. His pirates aren't just those who infringe upon copyright (i.e., how the term is most commonly used today), they're basically anyone who operates outside the established system, or anyone who participates in youth culture. This definition wasn't especially convincing. Mash-up artists and other remix culture participants use existing work to create new material; defining them as “pirates” seems reasonable. However, the early punks described in this book were explicitly about rejecting existing work and building something new. Both mash-up artists and punks are pirates according to Mason, but it seems doubtful that most people would agree with him.

In the end, this is an interesting look about how, as noted in the book's subtitle, youth culture can have a cultural impact and serve as a source of revenue to savvy marketers. It's not, however, a particularly deep or convincing look at piracy. The use of the word piracy acts as a red herring, and deleting the few brief references to copyright infringement would result in a stronger book.

★★☆☆☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #Nonfiction #ThePiratesDilemma #MattMason

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on December 11, 2012.

The Mysteries of Pittsburgh

By Michael Chabon – Open Road Media – December 20, 2011

Review by Robin Marx

I'm not a huge fan of lit fic, and if this was by any other author I never would have picked it up. The book is about a diffident, sexually-confused youth and the tragically hip, too-cool-for-school circle of friends he's drawn into during his last summer of post-college, pre-career freedom. It's a coming of age story and a journey of self-discovery. Definitely not my usual thing, but Chabon impressed me with The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, and his willingness to admit his love for genre work has earned him a spot on my shelf as the “acceptable” lit-fic author.

As expected, the whole book was extremely beautifully written. The fact that this was Chabon's creative writing graduate project and his first novel is intimidating to aspiring writers, as he's incredibly skilled right out of the gate.

Unfortunately, the plot doesn't quite live up to the prose. There are two main plot threads here—the narrator learns about himself through interacting with his colorful new friends, and his uneasiness over his gangster father's criminal dealings—and they don't mesh as perfectly as they could. Chabon links them by having one of the narrator's friends, Cleveland, become drawn into Mafia-related dealings, but the connection between the two worlds comes late in the story and is rather tenuous, as it happens after Cleveland's interaction with the group of friends has dwindled considerably. As a result, the “clashing of worlds” the book describes is a little understated.

The bisexual love triangle at the heart of the story is more interesting (I never thought I'd find romantic troubles more captivating than an organized crime story) and sensitively rendered, and it seems that's where Chabon concentrated the bulk of his efforts. Some reviewers complain that the narrator is unsympathetic. I don't entirely agree, but I did find him to be a little fragile and theatrical for a twenty-something man, apt to turn on the waterworks at the drop of a hat. His friends are simultaneously interesting people I'd like to meet AND overwrought, tiresome hipster phonies. People like this aren't uncommon at universities, so I'm willing to chalk this up as super-realistic characterization rather than Chabon creating people that aren't as appealing as he imagined.

The ending was a bit abrupt but satisfying. Without giving anything away, I think the narrator made the best possible choice under the circumstances.

★★★☆☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #Literature #TheMysteriesOfPittsburgh #MichaelChabon

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on November 16, 2013.

Starfish

By Peter Watts – Tor Books – July 1999

Review by Robin Marx

Starfish tells the story of the rifters, a group of misfits surgically altered and equipped to work deep undersea on a geothermal power plant. It takes a special breed to cope with the psychological extremes of such a habitat, and it turns out that those best suited to the environment are abuse survivors and sociopaths. The Juan de Fuca Ridge station ends up populated by an unusual crew that includes an incest victim, a wife beater, and even a serial child molester.

While the plot is fairly low-key for the first three quarters of the book, the setting and characters were so compelling that I raced through this book. Already set apart from the bulk of humanity by their violent and traumatic pasts, it was interesting to watch how the rifters, altered by both their implants and their living conditions, gradually became post-human. While some may find the characters unsympathetic and hard to relate to, those readers would be missing the point. They start off damaged humans and end up even more alien.

The climax was exciting and interesting, if a little cryptic in parts. This is the first book of a trilogy, and while I'm excited to see what happens next, I hope that even with the drastic changes introduced at the end of Starfish the series continues to stick with the deep sea setting.

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #ScienceFiction #Starfish #RiftersTrilogy #PeterWatts

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on August 6, 2011.

My Life as a White Trash Zombie

By Diana Rowland – DAW – July 5, 2011

Review by Robin Marx

This was a good book, but not a great one. It was a quick, pleasant read but one hindered by a few issues.

Much of the book reads like someone had taken a vampire novel and did a find-and-replace, swapping out “vampire” for “zombie” and “blood” for “brains”. That wasn't a major issue for me, since I like newbie vampire stories almost as much as I like zombies, but I can't help feeling more could've been done with zombie tropes to set this book apart from well-trodden vampire ground.

There are a couple other under-developed elements to the story as well. There are some hints about a nascent zombie society, trafficking in cadaver brains, but not much is done with it. There's a half-hearted mystery about a zombie killer, but this is only really brought to the forefront and, somewhat awkwardly, wrapped up in the last twenty pages of the book.

The most nagging issue has to do with the title. The narrator, Angel, is presented as white trash, but there's not much to support that, apart from some superficial set dressing (she drinks too much and does pills, she has a foul mouth). Part of the story is about how she discovers self worth, and how she isn't as trashy as other people and she herself believed, but even with that her voice comes off as too articulate and self-reflective, too suburban mom to sell the “white trash” element promised in the title (and the fantastic cover).

Even with the issues mentioned above, this was still an entertaining read, easily recommended to zombie fans. Whether or not a sequel is coming is left ambiguous, but I think I'd have to think about it before picking up any further installments. The itch has been scratched.

★★★☆☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #UrbanFantasy #MyLifeAsAWhiteTrashZombie #DianaRowland

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on September 11, 2011.

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet

By David Mitchell – Random House – June 23, 2010

Review by Robin Marx

This book turned out quite differently than I expected. I'm not familiar with Mitchell's other output, but articles led me to expect capital-L Literature. The New York Times Book Review blurb on the back cover promised “an achingly romantic story of forbidden love.” The book starts out with way, with the first 175 pages chronicling a Dutch clerk's first few days in the Japanese port of Dejima and his fleeting encounters with an enigmatic local woman, but the historical romance plot is sidelined pretty quickly. The book soon turns into an almost C.S. Forrester-style adventure story—you know, the “rollicking” type—with a despicable bad guy leading an evil cult right out of a Fu Manchu yarn.

Betrayed expectations might lead some to put the book down, but if you can keep up with the sudden changes in tone, the book is consistently good throughout. I couldn't find many faults with the Japanese historical details (something that has been a frequent disappointment when reading English language books set in Japan), and Mitchell's occasionally purple capital L Literary stylings are balanced out by an earthy sense of humor. Worth a read if you like historical fiction as a genre or have an interest in Japan.

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #Literature #HistoricalFiction #Japan #TheThousandAutumnsOfJacobDeZoet #DavidMitchell