The Age of Will

Reviewer: cga
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William Gibson’s novel [Pattern Recognition][bookdetail] is something of a departure from the norm. Gibson is best known for his futuristic stories such as Neuromancer, which single-handedly started the sub genre of SF known as cyberpunk back in the 1980s. [Pattern Recognition][bookdetail], however, is a contemporary tale, deeply rooted in the real life cyber-culture of today; a culture that did not exist in the 1980s. Gibson’s story does a fantastic job of capturing the feel and style of internet life and the relationships between people who can be very close to one another, yet never have actually met face-to-face.
The novel’s main character is Cayce Pollard, a young woman who makes a living as a coolhunter- someone who tries to determine what the next big fad, trend or style in popular culture will be. She is also a footagehead, an almost obsessive fan of the enigmatic video clips which are being uploaded to the internet in a seeming random manner. Footageheads from around the world communicate via an online forum. While in London on a project, Cayce is offered an irresistible job opportunity- find the origin and meaning of the Footage.
Thus the stage is set for a globe-trotting romp that takes Cayce and her assorted cohorts from London to Tokyo to Moscow, through cyberspace, and through plot upon plot and layer upon delicious layer of mystery, all in the wake of September 11, 2001.
Gibson’s writing is a thing of beauty. His style is terse, but with the economy of words comes a prose which is poetic and an absolute pleasure to read. Gibson also has a good grasp of internet culture which adds a layer of realism to the characters and narrative.
[Pattern Recognition][bookdetail] may well become a classic of the 21st century. This is a book that truly captures the mood and style that is the new millennium.
[bookdetail]: http://books.clubreading.com/book/bookdetail/book_id/867

Reviewer: cga
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Susanna Clarke’s novel, Johnathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, is large both in terms of physical size and epic scope of story. Set in the early 1800s it is a tale of alternate history in which magic is real but almost completely forgotten in practice. The York Society of Magicians meets regularly to discuss English Magic as history and tradition. None of them are practical magicians. They can not actually work magic.

In fact, the only practical magician in all of England is Gilbert Norrell. Discovered by two of the York Society’s members, Norrell is persuaded to move to London to aid the government in the war against Napoleon and to restore the practice of magic to England.

Soon, another magician appears in England- Jonathan Strange, a self-taught magician who has a natural instinct for magic. Strange improvises magic that Norrell has struggled to learn from his vast library of books. Strange becomes Norrell’s pupil, but soon the differences between them pushes them apart, resulting in a rivalry. The two have fundamentally opposed views on the topics of Fairies, fairy magic and the mysterious Raven King. This conflict shifts the novel, resulting in a hauntingly Gothic, dark character.

Johnathan Strange and Mr. Norrell” is filled with fascinating characters, romance, adventure, nefarious villains and wonderful plot turns and twists. There is a rich history of English magic with numerous footnotes, some of which could be complete short stories in and of themselves. The writing is magnificent and stylized such that you almost believe the book had been written in the 1800s.

This is a novel that drew me in completely and made me want to believe in English magic. It is an absolute masterpiece of fantasy literature and a book that I am sure to revisit many, many times over the years.

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This book is a collection of letters from a female writer in New York City to a bookstore in London. She writes for good, inexpensive copies of books which they ship to her in New York. Eventually, she and the man who answers for the bookstore become friends.

The love of books is throughout the collected letters. Helene tries to help her London friends by sending them treats during the rations in London after World War II. She longs to go to London, but doesn’t ever seem to have the funds to go.

I cannot really explain the depth of this book, but it is one of my favorite books. A movie has also been made of it, which I also enjoyed. The lesson I took from this book is one of seizing the day. Helene wants to go to London, and could do so for $360 to see Victoria’s Coronation, but instead she has $2500 in dental work done. Longing for something so badly, but not reordering your priorities to get it, is a sad thing. And a thing many of us do too often.

I think this book deserves 10 stars, rather than 5!