This book was shelved in mystery, but it read to me more like a fantasy novel that used the tropes of detective stories as an endlessly malleable playground. The main character, Charles Unwin, is easily likeable, as he moves through the story hopelessly in over his head. The set pieces are beautiful, even haunting. I enjoyed the first two thirds of the book more than the ending, in which the amorphous dreamlike reality Unwin has been cast into solidifies into a literal, structured dreamscape. The plot, while reasonably satisfyingly resolved, just isn’t as compelling as the images and atmosphere. For most of the book the story feels like a dream, in that even when there are moments of danger and uncertainty, there is no sense of menace: in the end, we will wake up safe in bed. As the story moves toward the climax it embraces more traditional forms of narrative tension and suspense, and starts to feel somehow flatter for it. Still, even if the plot seems slight in retrospect, the characters are delightful and each gets his or her moment to shine before the end. This was a highly enjoyable read, and a perfect book to keep on the bedside table, get lost in under the covers, and fall asleep while reading.
Tag: Jedediah Berry
I’m not currently allowing myself to buy any books. I’ve been cataloging my library on LibraryThing (the site that powers the random book widget at the bottom of the sidebar), having a lot of fun with tagging and categorization. In the process I have discovered that I currently have 46 books at home that I’ve bought but not read. So no new books for me until I make a dent in that stack. But there are a few books that I’m quite excited about, any of which would probably jump to the top of my reading stack if it were not for my self-imposed restrictions. Here are five of them.
Black Juice by Margo Lanagan – I’ve read two stories by Lanagan, her Hugo-nominated “Singing My Sister Down,” which was incredible, and “An Honest Day’s Work” from the anthology The Starry Rift. I’m eager to read more. I’ve also heard good things about her novel, Tender Morsels.
It’s Too Late To Say I’m Sorry by Joey Comeau – I first encountered Joey Comeau through his webcomic, A Softer World. Then I read his novel Lockpick Pornography (which is available for free download) and greatly enjoyed it. Some of the stories in this collection were originally published online, including a couple at Strange Horizons, which will be publishing one of my stories soon.
Theory Of Light And Matter by Andrew Porter – Won the Flannery O’Connor award last year. I took two fiction writing classes from Andrew Porter while I was at Trinity University. I might not have ended up going to Clarion if I hadn’t gotten back into writing thereby. I’ve only ever read one of his short stories, though, so I can’t wait to get my hands on this.
Palimpsest by Catherynne M. Valente – I know little about this author, but trusted sources are recommending this book everywhere I turn. As far as high-concept fantasy goes, this book apparently has a city which is also a sexually transmitted disease. I want to read this book on the strength of that concept alone.
The Manual Of Detection by Jedediah Berry – I paged through a copy of this in a bookstore and was intrigued. Add in positive recommendations from both Kelly Link and Megan Kurashige, and I’m sold. I understand that Jedediah Berry works for Small Beer Press, whose entire catalog is on my “want to buy” list at one level or another.