The Lesser Joke: book reviews and more

Book Review: Final Girls by Riley Sager

Book #41 of 2018:

Final Girls by Riley Sager

Although I like the idea of this thriller about women who have survived earlier horror movie / slasher-style attacks, I found most of its major plot twists to be either glaringly obvious or completely unearned from what had previously been established. The psychology of certain characters also seemed unbelievable, with motivations either left murky or boiling down to generic craziness. The end of the story picked up and finally delivered some credible surprises, but I don’t think this is an author I’ll seek out again.

[Trigger warning for scenes of graphic violence as well as sexual content of dubious consent.]

★★★☆☆

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Book Review: The Warrior’s Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold

Book #40 of 2018:

The Warrior’s Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold (Vorkosigan Saga #3)

I’m told that Miles Vorkosigan is the real main character of this series, and after two books about his parents navigating military and political power struggles, he finally takes center stage here. I like our hero: he’s physically weak but tactically brilliant, and it’s a joy to watch him rashly jump in over his head only to manically scramble to think his way back out. The plot isn’t really anything special, but with Miles at the helm, it’s a fun space opera romp.

★★★☆☆

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TV Review: Game of Thrones, season 7

TV #11 of 2018:

Game of Thrones, season 7

I literally just reviewed this season when I watched it last year, and even having rewatched all the earlier seasons since then (with my wife, watching the show through for her first time), I think my reaction remains the same:

All in all, this is probably one of the weakest seasons of Game of Thrones. As cool as it is to see long-anticipated developments finally happening – and it really is cool, don’t get me wrong – it’s a little disappointing how many characters have developed “plot armor,” aka the seeming ability to endlessly escape deadly situations due to narrative importance. This is all the more jarring since GoT first established itself as a show where no one was ever truly safe, no matter their apparent status as a main character. But any time someone escapes from mortal peril now, I have to imagine that their personal story arc must not be done yet, and that there’s something particularly important the writers are saving them for. It’s not like every single character in a cast this massive is going to get a tidy resolution before the end of the show, but with only 6 episodes left at this point, plot armor increasingly feels like the only explanation for some people’s continued survival. Plus, as many other viewers have observed, the travel logistics in this world no longer make any sense, and it definitely weakens the storytelling further when characters can suddenly whiz around all over the map on a whim.
The finale did a lot to rehabilitate some of these concerns, but it took some really shaky storytelling and narrative shortcuts to get there. With a rumored confirmed delay until 2019 for the final season to air, I really hope the writers spend more time ironing out a good story rather than just relying on spectacle to coast through to the finish line as they largely did here.

★★☆☆☆

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TV Review: The West Wing, season 7

TV #10 of 2018:

The West Wing, season 7

This final season of The West Wing focuses mainly on the general election for president (after the Democratic primary in the back half of season 6). It’s a relatively new look for the show, and I appreciate the writers’ efforts to make the Republican candidate as reasonable, honest, and decent as the Democrat. There’s genuine drama here with no easy villains, and the last few episodes especially form a really satisfying conclusion to the series and sendoff for its characters.

This season: ★★★★☆

Overall series: ★★★☆☆

Season ranking: 2 > 4 > 7 > 1 > 3 > 6 > 5

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Book Review: Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Book #39 of 2018:

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

This slim volume by Ta-Nehisi Coates reflects on the author’s experiences growing up as a black American and what he sees for his fifteen-year-old son coming of age in the time of Black Lives Matter. Presented as an open letter to the boy, it engages with the gulf between the professed universality of the American dream and the various ways that our country’s black population has always been left out and left vulnerable. In the writer’s view, the deaths of Eric Garner, Michael Brown, and Trayvon Martin that have so shocked his son are just the latest evidence that violence against black bodies has been hardwired into the structure of our society.

It’s an important read, but not a flawless one; the book’s poetic style can be a tad over the top, and even after reading it twice, I’m at a bit of a loss to articulate just what Coates wants his son or any of his other readers to take away from all this. The text feels as though it should build to a call for action, but in the end it falls short of offering anything constructive.

★★★☆☆

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Book Review: Assassin’s Quest by Robin Hobb

Book #38 of 2018:

Assassin’s Quest by Robin Hobb (Farseer #3)

On the whole I love the Farseer trilogy (and the wider series that it begins), but every time I read this particular book, I find myself losing patience about halfway through. It’s one of those fantasy novels that consist mostly of characters walking across their realm, and the already meager plot often gets further bogged down in mysticism about ancient secrets. There are enough interesting character moments to make me stick with the story even on a reread, but it’s well below the level of the Elderlings saga at its best.

This book: ★★★☆☆

Overall series: ★★★★☆

Book ranking: 1 > 2 > 3

Book Review: Star Wars: The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy by Alexandra Bracken

Book #37 of 2018:

Star Wars: The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy by Alexandra Bracken

This book is better than expected for what’s essentially a glorified junior novelization of the first Star Wars movie. I particularly like the author’s imposed structure of telling the beginning of the story from Leia’s perspective, the middle from Han’s, and the end from Luke’s — although her insights into Leia’s character are so strong (and so unmatched in the other sections) that it might have been better to just keep the princess’s point of view throughout. That initial portion of the story feels fresh and engaging, whereas any reader who’s seen the movie before will find fewer surprises in the sections led by Han and Luke.

There are some weaknesses to the novel that have been unfortunately inherited from the source material — like Luke’s childhood friend Biggs popping up out of nowhere in the third act — but in general this is a capable translation of A New Hope from screen to page.

★★★☆☆

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Movie Review: Black Panther (2018)

Movie #2 of 2018:

Black Panther (2018)

Easily my favorite thing that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has done to date – and I’ve seen all the movies but Spider-Man: Homecoming, as well as every episode of every MCU show. This one tops them all thanks to its rich worldbuilding, complex characterizations & relationships, and the deeply personal narrative arc at its center. (Having a mostly black cast also helps this movie look and feel distinct from a typical Marvel property, although anyone who saw Luke Cage can tell you that that alone is no guarantee of overall quality.) Ultimately Black Panther tells a story like nothing else, and at every step it’s an absolute triumph.

★★★★★

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Book Review: Mind of My Mind by Octavia E. Butler

Book #36 of 2018:

Mind of My Mind by Octavia E. Butler (Patternist #2)

Octavia Butler wrote the Patternist books all out of chronological order (5-2-4-1-3), but I’m reading them as they take place. This book, the second by either measure, shows the creation of the Patternist network of telepaths that gives the series its name and will presumably be of central importance for the remaining novels.

The writing is a bit clunky, though, and it feels like far more of a prequel than Wild Seed (first in chronology but fourth to be written), which tells a captivating central story in its own right despite its status as a series prologue. In contrast, the action in this book seems to consist of pieces being moved into place by authorial fiat to set up the sequels rather than anything arising organically from coherent character choices.

The plot also revolves heavily around mind control, a pet theme of Butler’s that she never seems to interrogate as deeply as I would like. For an author who so ably depicts the horrors of slavery in books like Kindred and Parable of the Talents, she’s rather blasé about telepaths brainwashing people into obedience against their explicit consent. That’s true of Fledgling and the Xenogenesis / Lilith’s Brood trilogy, and it applies again here. As ever, it’s an uncomfortable reading experience to be asked to cheer on a protagonist taking mind slaves.

I’m hoping this book is an aberration for the larger Patternist series, which I do intend to keep reading. But it’s a very strong letdown after Wild Seed.

★★☆☆☆

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Book Review: Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

Book #35 of 2018:

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

This classic man-versus-nature castaway novel has been hugely influential, but it’s pretty rough for a modern reader. 300 years after its initial publication the plot feels threadbare and glacially slow, with little to distract from the author / narrator’s racist views on the inferiority of Africans and Caribbean islanders. It’s far more worthwhile as a historical artifact and cultural touchstone than as an enjoyable story in its own right.

★☆☆☆☆

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