At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft (Review)

Title: At the Mountains of Madness
Author: H.P. Lovecraft
First published: 1936
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Rating: ★★☆☆☆

This was my first Lovecraft and unfortunately I was not in the least impressed. Tell me, have I started at the wrong place? It seemed a proper place, though. I mean, what can go wrong with the remnants of an old and mysterious civilization found deep in the Antarctic? It's an AWESOME plot! However, the way the story is written robs it of all its awesomeness.

The first problem is that everything is told, not shown. It can be a successful literary device, but in a horror story it's totally anticlimactic. (There are spoilers ahead, but I don't believe they will affect your reading because the story is plain and devoid of suspense anyway) Let me give you an example. Part of the expedition has disappeared. Another part comes to the place where their last camp was and see something HORRIBLE, which the narrator CAN'T SPEAK ABOUT, which HAS RUINED HIS LIFE... Then he proceeds to tell what fake story they have reported, what was done next, and only like 40 pages after, when he is already in some other place, does he give some hint of what was exactly seen. I, as a reader, am already pissed off and ready to through the book out of the window.

Another thing that bothered me is that they never actually SEE those elder creatures, although they do come to life. They see only the traces of their actions and their dead bodies. How do the explorers then know about what was life like for them? From reliefs! They are able to tell the whole story of that old civilization from just looking at the reliefs adorning the walls for a couple of hours. Has Lovecraft ever tried to interpret a relief in his life? As someone who has studied the history of art for three years, I tell you it's not that easy! Unless of course their art is really different from ours, but then they would not be able to understand it anyway.

And, of course, the writing. It's so descriptive that it just makes me sleepy. For more than 50 pages they explore the old city, looking at the reliefs and having some horrible premonitions. No less than 5 times the narrator compares the scenery with that on Roerich's pictures. OK, OK, Lovecraft, calm down! I got it from the first mention already! It's no necessary to emphasize how in awe of Roerich you are...

In my book:
Wonderful premise, but pitiful realization.

A Winter's Respite Read-a-Thon: Wrap-Up

The read-a-thon ended yesterday, and it's time to wrap-up! Let's see how successful I was with my goals, shall we?

1. Read two chapters from Harry Potter y el Prisionero de Azkaban in Spanish to catch up with Hillary - DONE! She was at the end of chapter 8, and I'm already half into chapter 9!
2. Catch up with Paradise Lost Readalong, which basically means to read three more parts - awww, not so good! I read one chapter, so now I'm only two chapters back... It's just soo much work trying to figure out what's happening there!
3. Finish The History of the Kings of Britain by Geoffrey of Monmouth - DONE! I've also read Life of Merlin which was in the same book. The reviews are HERE.
4. Read some more from A Feast for Crows as a reward for doing everything mentioned above :) - DONE! I've read around 270 pages. Unfortunately, it's not half as exciting as the previous book... oh, well, I hope the fifth one is better

And here is additional stuff that I managed to read last week:

1. At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft - finished yesterday
2. Started reading The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl 

All in all, it was a very successful week, reading-wise! Now I hope to keep up the good pace even without a read-a-thon :)


 

Geoffrey of Monmouth's works

Title: The History of the Kings of Britain
Author: Geoffrey of Monmouth
First published Written: 1136
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Rating: ★★★☆☆

Geoffrey of Monmouth is the one who laid the foundation for Arthur's insane popularity, as he was the first to collect all the legends and stories about him, put them into historical context and present as truth. Geoffrey claims that his work is just a translation of some "certain very ancient book written in the British language", but the truth is that he just mixed whatever written sources he has read with some Welsh myths he has heard and spiced the story up with some fictitious adornments to make it exciting. Although The History of the Kings of Britain had been considered a serious historical work for some time, now it should be read more as a historical fiction or fantasy. Nor is it less gripping than the modern books of these genres.

Geoffrey starts the history of Britons with the story of Trojan Aeneas, which he totally ripped off from Virgil. Aeneas's grandson Brutus is banished from Italy where his people now reside and has to colonize Britain. After battling some giants to free the island for settling, he becomes the first of the kings of Britons. Geoffrey tells about all the subsequent kings chronologically, but he has his favorites, and while some of them get two lines, the deeds of others occupy tens of pages. Among the characters most beloved by Geoffrey are: King Lear, Cassibelanus, Vortigern and of course Arthur.

Unlike Nennius, who only lists Arthur's battles, Geoffrey describes his life in detail. There is a totally amazing story of his conception (not without the help of Merlin!), the story of his battles and the conquest of half of Europe and the account of his death and departure to Avalon after a wound inflicted in the battle against his treacherous nephew Mordred. All the basic elements of the subsequent retellings are there, but it is still a legend, not a fully developed story. We don't know much about the character of Arthur of his followers, there is no explanation of Mordred's treason and Guinevere's behavior. There is no sword in the stone as yet, no famous knights surrounding him, no Grail and no real charm in the story. But it's a beginning, and a fascinating beginning for all that.

In my book:
This is a good place to start exploring Arthur story, but it's important to remember that most of the book is Geoffrey's fantasy :)

Title: Life of Merlin
Author: Geoffrey of Monmouth
First published Written: 1150
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Rating: ★★★☆☆

Unlike The History of the Kings of Britain, Life of Merlin is a story in verse, and it doesn't concern Arthur at all. It tells about Merlin as a mad prophet, who went off his head and withdrew to the forests after the death of his two brothers. After that, his wife and sister are constantly trying to drag him back to civilization, but in his short relapses he makes his horrifyingly true but cynical and indiscreet predictions and runs away again. Finally, he trains some apprentice prophets and dies in the forests after foreseeing the future of Britain.

The story would have been amazing, if the second half of it was not filled with the useless information about birds, fishes, geography, physics and what not taken from Etymologiae by Isidore of Seville. These educational passages were really tiresome to read.

In my book:
A lovely poem composed of several fable-like stories. With the omission of the "etymological" parts would be really precious.

Vintage Sci-Fi Month and Sci-Fi Experience Wrap-Up

Those two events go hand-in hand, but as Vintage Sci-Fi Month concentrates on a narrower slice of sci-fi, namely books published before 1979, let's start the wrap-up with it!

For such a wonderful event one month is not nearly enough! With all the holidays and exams I've managed to read only two vintage sci-fi books:

• Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky
• Foundation by Isaac Asimov

The Sci-Fi Experience has a wider scope, as it allows any kind of sci-fi media from any time period. So besides the two already mentioned novels, I read Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and watched quite a lot of Star Trek stuff, of which I speak HERE.

Overall, I think those two events went well for me, although I wish I read much more! But I blame my always busy winter schedule :)

Star Trek: TOS Feature Films

Warning: nerd alert! You may not want to read further of you are normal :)

Since last year I have been discovering Star Trek. I had resisted it for a surprisingly long time, but if you have any idea of how I hate to hear something being referenced and not being able to get it, you know that I had zero chances to not watch it, because references to it are EVERYWHERE! So I decided to start, and to start at the beginning. I was at first scared of the amount of stuff being shot within the franchise, but I've decided that I can just go chronologically and then stop when I'm not enjoying it anymore. Well, needless to say, I haven't stopped yet :)

In December I finished TOS, watched TAS and the six films that feature the original cast. I'm already in the second season of TNG, but I've decided to go back to the films and review them for The 2014 Sci-Fi Experience.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

The only thing I can say about this film is that you should totally skip it if you can! While some nasty formless thing approaches Earth and threatens its existence, the old crew of Enterprise makes concentrated and tragical faces while watching the abundant display of then-cool special effects. Meanwhile, everybody have some weird psychological conflicts, and Spock is straight crazy. Everything is VERY SLOW, the plot is absent, and the ending is of the WTF kind.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

Now this is a very different story! I love Khan's story from the original series, and having him in play again is a great idea! Khan is a genetically engineered tyrant, whom Kirk has left on a lifeless planet with his accomplices, and now HE IS NOT HAPPY with Kirk and the whole situation and wants revenge!! There is also the Genesis project capsule which can create new life while killing the old one, mind control eels that enter people's heads through ears, the famous three-dimensional space thinking and what not. Also, the end... You need to watch it to know what I'm talking about.

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)

The Search for Spock takes off immediately after the events of the previous film, and it's difficult to describe the plot without spoilers. So I'll just say that it's very funny at times, and at times sad, and totally gripping at all times! I watched it immediately after The Wrath of Khan, because the suspense was too much for me :) Needless to say, I wasn't disappointed. Films II, III and IV form a trilogy, and should be watched as as such.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

After the events of The Search for Spock, the crew is left with a ramshackle Klingon ship and a prospective trial after coming back to Earth. However, Earth has other problems than to judge our insubordinate friends. An unknown and hostile object is approaching, which wants to contact whales who by the way have been extinct for many years. So apparently the only possible solution is... you knew it! to go to the past and bring some whales! I really loved all the scenes in the past, they are very funny! The crew looks really awkward in "our time" and produces a lot of unbelievable UFO stories. Also, whales! I love whales! I think I liked this film even more than The Wrath of Khan.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)

After the awesomeness of the previous three films this one fell flat for me. The crew is sent to stifle a rebellion on some far-away planet and instead gets captured by non other than Spock's bad-reputed brother who needs a ship to find some divine planet where supposedly God resides. I'm not a fan of all the religious themes in Star Trek, and this plot left me indifferent.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)

This film is my coeval! Apart from that and maybe also Spock playing Sherlock Holmes, the film is short of being amazing, but it's still much better than the fifth one. The plot revolves around a prospective peace treaty between the Federation and the Klingon Empire, which somebody tries to jeopardize by killing the ambassador. Naturally, Kirk is accused and now has to prove his innocence while surviving on a prison camp planet. I liked how the film is finished with all the crew retiring and musing about the next generations coming after them. And TNG really is coming :)

Overall, I would put them in the following order according to their awesomeness (from the best to the worst):

1. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
2. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
3. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
4. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
5. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
6. Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Have you watched them? What do you think? :)

A Winter's Respite Read-a-Thon: Starting Line

To read the rules and sign up, please go HERE.

This read-a-thon comes at a perfect time for me! I've just finished my exams, and there is still some time until the beginning of the next semester. A perfect time to get some reading done! Although I have a lot of work to do and will also be organizing a party to celebrate my birthday tomorrow, it's still OK, as it's a non-pressure read-a-thon, and my main goal is to spend less time in the Internet and read instead :) Moreover, here are some things I also want to accomplish:

1. Read two chapters from Harry Potter y el Prisionero de Azkaban in Spanish to catch up with Hillary
2. Catch up with Paradise Lost Readalong, which basically means to read three more parts. It's sooo difficult, but I really want to finish it, and if I fall back at the readalong, it'll never happen
3. Finish The History of the Kings of Britain by Geoffrey of Monmouth
4. Read some more from A Feast for Crows as a reward for doing everything mentioned above :) 

I will do some kind of wrap-up post at the end of the event, and we'll see how well I'll do :) Wish me good luck!

Foundation by Isaac Asimov (Review)

Title: Foundation
Author: Isaac Asimov
First published: 1951
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Rating: ★★★☆☆

I was expecting so much from this book after the greatness of I, Robot, but, sadly, it fell flat for me. I mean, OK, it's a space saga with politics, wars, progress, etc, and it sounds rather impressive, but if you look to the core of it it's as if the author has just read about the fall of the Roman Empire and was impressed. He does have a good grasp of European history, but what about inventing something new instead of just interpreting historical tendencies on a cosmic scale?

The book consists of 5 short stories first published separately. Each of them covers an important turn in the history of Foundation - an emerging force in the Galaxy which was once one strong, centralized and technological Empire. This Empire has fallen, as had been predicted, its periphery has become separate kingdoms, and space has become a field for numerous conflicts. There is a prophesy, though, that if a certain course of action is pursued, a new Empire will emerge in 1000 years, and chaos will end; and it's up to Foundation to see to it. 

Although I enjoyed some of the dialogues, which were rather clever, the rest was not very gripping. The book is all about ideas, not adventure or even characters, and the ideas, as I've mentioned, are not new. Interdicts, economic blockades, political maneuvering - all this is rather predictable for anybody who is at least a bit acquainted with the history of the world.

In my book:
It's definitely not the best of Asimov, and I'm surprised it won Hugo. Although if you really love history, this may be your thing.

Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (Review)

Title: Roadside Picnic
Author: Arkady and Boris Strugatsky
First published: 1972
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Rating: ★★★★★

To say that this book is a Sci-Fi classic is to say exactly nothing. Everything Strugatsky brothers wrote has become a classic, but among all their books this is the cult one. Not only has it inspired the famous computer game S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and formed a separate stalker sub-genre of Sci-Fi literature, it has also marked the beginning of the popularity of a new hobby - urban exploration or urban tourism. I've known some guys who define themselves as stalkers - they break into old destroyed plants' territories, explore manifolds with underground rivers... It's dangerous and illegal, and it has been very, very popular in Russia since the 80th when a lot of objects from the Soviet times were abandoned and deteriorating. I guess there are not many books that have had such an impact on popular culture.

Such an influential novel simply has to be awesome, and this one totally is. The world has survived an invasion. It has come and gone, leaving after itself several Zones. They may look normal from afar, but abnormal, inexplicable things happen there and all kinds of curious objects can be found there. While scientists are trying to make sense of it, some people are ready to pay money for the stuff from there, and special people - stalkers - steal to the Zone at night to get these objects for sale, risking their life and health every time they do it. There are legends connected with the Zone, one of them telling about a golden sphere that can give you whatever you ask for, if only you are good enough to get to it...

There are so many fascinating ideas in the book, that I will not even try to talk about them - you simply have to read the novel by yourself. What I will talk about here is writing - I have forgotten how well the Strugatsky brothers can show the way a person is thinking. The main character talks and thinks differently when he's 23 and when he's 31, but it's obviously the same very well recognizable man.

In my book:
It's simply a masterpiece and must be read.

Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks (Review)

Title: Caleb's Crossing
Author: Brooks, Geraldine
First published: 2011
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Rating: ★★★★☆

One astonishing fact inspired this book: in 1665 one Caleb became the first Native American to graduate from Harvard College. 1665! Amazing, right? How did it happen? Well, apparently, back then when religiousness was really crazy, natives were encouraged and bullied to become Christians. To that end, a sponsorship was organised to pay and provide for those Indians who wanted to get education in hope of their help in advancing religion further. They were to have a profound brainwashing in college and then to go preach to their fellow countrymen. Of course, it was very difficult for them, because apart from mastering English, they had to excel in Latin, Greek and Hebrew, they had to endure not only the hardships of living in a poor-provided establishment which was Harvard, but also the contempt of the Englishmen and distrust and sometimes hate of the fellow natives. But some of them willingly pursued this course in hopes of obtaining means to protect their people from the advancing "civilization".

It's an amazingly interesting topic, but not much is known about it, unfortunately. That's why, I reckon, although the novel does tell Caleb's story, it's not in the focus of the narrative. Instead, everything the reader sees is from the point of view of Bethia, a daughter of a missioner, who meets Caleb when they are both children and introduces him to her world. She is the center of the novel, and she is a great character! She is quicker and cleverer than her brother and is eager to learn, but, being a woman, is not allowed to do so. Her father tells her: "I would do you no favor if I were to send you to your husband with a mind honed to find fault in his every argument or to better his in every particular." So she resorts to eavesdropping on her brother's lessons and then agrees to go into service in a prep school just to continue overhearing stuff. Apart from her eagerness to learn, she is also interested in the Indian culture. Instead of shunning from their religion and beliefs as from the "work of Devil", she tries to understand it, and that's why her friendship with Caleb is possible.

Caleb's Crossing is very well researched, and it was very interesting to read about the early settlements, communication with the natives and the towns and universities of that time. The ugliness of the treatment of women and the Indians (and especially Indian women) is not smoothed, and the state of the medicine is really horrifying. Science also leaves much to be desired, as it was very mixed with and dependent on religion, and pretty useless for the most part.

As for the style of the novel, it is written in a form of Bethia's diaries, and I enjoyed the flow of her writing, which draws one into the story and doesn't let go.

In my book:
A very decent historical fiction book, with amazing characters and a captivating story.

P.S.
The book is the first choice for Plagues Witches and War: The World of Historical Fiction Book Club, and I'm really happy I've joined it!

Russian War Literature

After informing you about Russian Children's literature and Russian Sci-Fi, I'm now going to make a list of Russian war literature. Judging by what I see people read about World War II around blogosphere it's as if Russia was not taking part in it, or Russia don't have writers, or people just don't know about all the wonderful books on the topic! Being a clever girl, I ruled out the first two possibilities and was left with a sad fact that readers are not acquainted with Russian war literature enough. (UPD: while searching for translations I realized that it's actually the publishers that are not acquainted with it enough. If you happen to know a publisher, please do everybody a favour and show him this list!)

So I've decided to list all the awesome books that tell first hand about the terrible period of WWII in Russia. But I needed some help myself remembering everything, so I asked my mom during my Christmas trip home, and being a seasoned bookworm, bookhoarder and an expert in Soviet literature, she was eager to help. Then I consulted my very well-read BF, who also added a couple of books. So here is the result of our combined efforts. I've sorted it according to the authors' last names and provided the most common translations of the titles.

1. Abramov, Fyodor Aleksandrovich: Brothers and Sisters (1958) WWII from the point of view of a small village that needs not only to take care of its own needs, but also provide for the war in the absence of all its men.
2. Bondarev, Yuri Vasilyevich: The Battalions Request Fire (1957), The Hot Snow (1969), The Shore (1975) The last one is a bit philosophical and very heartbreaking. The other two are extremely famous and tell about some of the hottest WWII battles in Russia.
3. Chukovsky, Nicolay Korneevich: Baltic Skies (1955) The story of the pilots defending Leningrad during its siege.
4. Fadeyev, Alexander Alexandrovich: The Young Guard (1945) An account of the actions of a youth partisan organization. Idealized, of course, but really engaging.
5. German, Yuri Pavlovich: The Cause You Serve, My Dear Man, I'm Responsible For All (1958-1965) Although only the second book is about war, it’s a trilogy, so you’d better start from the beginning. It’s about a doctor who worked in the East before war and then became a war surgeon.
6. Granin, Daniil Alexandrovich: A Book of the Blockade (1979) A chronicle based on interviews, diaries and personal memoirs of those who survived the siege of Leningrad during 1941-44. It’s very difficult to read because of all the horrors of the time, and I confess I’ve read only parts of it. But I promise I’ll do better, because it’s essential. My Lieutenant (2011) is one of his later works, and I haven’t read it yet, but my mom says it’s good. Basically, grab any book by him if you see it, he’s great.
7. Grossman, Vasily Semyonovich: Life and Fate (1959) An epic novel focusing on the battle of Stalingrad
8. Ilyina, Elena: The Fourth Height (1945) It’s my favourite childhood book which I have re-read several times. It’s a biography of a war hero Gulya Koroleva from her childhood to her heroic death in a battle.
9. Kataev, Valentin Petrovich: Son of the Regiment (1945) About a boy adopted by a regiment. I have wonderful childhood memories of it!
10. Kaverin, Veniamin Alexandrovich: The Two Captains (1944) An awesome novel about polar exploration, love and treason, which ends in the period of WWII.
11. Kurochkin, Viktor Aleksandrovich: At War as at War (1970) How a young war academy graduate gains appreciation from his older and more experienced subordinates and becomes a real commander.
12. Matveev, German Ivanovich: Tarantul trilogy (1945-1957) It’s about boys against saboteurs in a sieged Leningrad! Suspense, adventure, mystery, danger! 
13. Medvedev, Dmitry Nikolaevich: It Happened Near Rovno (1948) A story about a special troop of scouts and saboteurs working in the rear of German army.
14. Nekrasov, Viktor Platonovich: Front-line Stalingrad (In the trenches of Stalingrad) (1946) A first-hand account of one of the most bloody battles of the war - the battle of Stalingrad
15. Panova, Vera Fyodorovna: The Train (1946) About a medical train and its nurses.
16. Pikul, Valentin Savvich: The Requiem for Convoy PQ-17 (1970), Boys with bows (1974) The first is a “documental tragedy” of one of the Arctic convoys, destroyed by German submarines and aviation. The second is autobiographical and tells about a sea cadet’s school.
17. Polevoi, Boris Nikolaevich: Story of a Real Man (1947) The book is about a pilot who started flying again after the amputation of two legs. Mostly about strong character, and very impressive!
18. Semyonov, Yulian Semyonovich: Seventeen Moments of Spring (1969) and all the rest of The “Isaev – Stierlitz” Series. Spy fiction, guys! And watch the mini-series of the same name, it’s awesome.
19. Sholokhov, Mikhail Aleksandrovich: They Fought for Their Country (1969) A novel about the first, the hardest and the bitterest period of war – the period of retreat. Sholokhov won a Nobel prize for literature, so don’t miss on him!
20. Simonov, Konstantin Mikhailovich: The Living and the Dead (1959) Simonov was a war journalist, so not only has he been everywhere and seen everything, he also really can write.
21. Tvardovsky, Aleksandr Trifonovich: A Book About a Soldier (Vasili Tyorkin) (1942-45) A humorous and optimistic poem about an ordinary soldier, resourceful and plain, going resiliently through the everyday hardships of the war. A streak of comedy in all the tragedy!
22. Vasilyev, Boris Lvovich: The Dawns Here Are Quiet (1972), Not on the Active List (1974), Tomorrow There Came War (1984) or really anything you can find by him. He’s awesome. I was crying like mad while reading The Dawns Here Are Quiet.

I hope this list will encourage you to pick some of the books that are not only great sources for learning about the Russian take on WWII, but are also literary and psychological masterpieces.

P.S. Special kudos for those who know what ribbon is used as a bookmark in the picture :) For those who have no idea, here's the link.