Tag: city of saints and madmen

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books and reading

Shriek and Finch

The first book in this series, City of Saints and Madmen, I reviewed here. City of Saints and Madmen. Hey look at that! I hope the link works. I’ve never done that before. Instead of writing two reviews over two less than stellar books, I thought I would combine them and maybe try to pull some good out of each.

Let me say that these books are not my thing, but still really well written and overall worth looking in to. City is a story collection, of sorts. Very funny, very creative, but I just couldn’t get into it. The second book, Shriek, isn’t a sequel of the first because, well, how do you have a sequel to a story collection? Shriek tells the story of Duncan Shriek, as told by his sister, Janice. Duncan (I won’t explain how) also helps narrate the story. There were some great parts in this book, but overall, I just wasn’t interested in what happened. I gave this one 2 stars.

Finch was definitely better. And you do need to read Shriek to fully understand Finch. The trilogy isn’t one of chronological succession, but rather spin offs and still conjoined in their madness. And I mean madness in a good way. Let’s start with the Gray Caps. These are mushroom-like people who live in Ambergris. Stories about them are woven through all three books, but they are prominently featured in Finch. About another person, Finch, who is a detective trying to solve a murder, goes through an evolution of mind, body, and soul in the process of solving it. I thought this book was much more gripping. I wanted to know what happened to Finch, who was murdered, and ultimately how everything was wrapped up. 3 stars for this one.

The author, Jeff VanderMeer, is still Aok in my book. I plan to reread the Southern Reach trilogy this year. And I NEVER reread books this quickly, but I really need to dig into them and see what Easter eggs I can found. I definitely see how Ambergris and Area X came from the same mind. I just think Area X is more polished of the two regions. And soon to be a movie starring Natalie Portman. Highly recommend Southern Reach and will review when I revisit them.

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books and reading

City of Saints and Madmen

I really do love Jeff VanderMeer. But let’s cut to the chase. I didn’t care for this book. I can absolutely see how some people love it. But, it just isn’t for me.

I’m not a big fan of short story collections, to begin with. So, even though I really did try to like this one because of the author, I just found it boring. I love the concept of all stories being tied together with a common thread (the fictional city of Ambergris), and some stories were really great, but most were tedious to me. This makes me a bit sad, honestly. Because creating an entire city, history, inhabitants, events, etc is supremely creative. And I recognize that this book really is unique and interesting. But it just wasn’t for me. That said, I will be reading the rest of the books in the series. I believe they are more spin-offs rather than direct sequels, so maybe those will grab me.

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City of Saints and Madmen- 2nd story

I really enjoyed the first story (scroll down for review). It left me guessing and I was definitely entertained. This second story wasn’t as good. There are footnotes…. a lot of footnotes. And they are funny, don’t get me wrong. But I found the volume tedious. I kept stopping and starting the story because there were just so many. The story itself was so so. The history of the city just doesn’t intrigue me. Well written and very creative, but just not my thing. The second half got better when we learned about the Silence. And let me tell you, I’m not sure I will eat mushrooms ever again after this book. But I will continue on to the third story, which I have heard is excellent. Here’s hoping so.

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books and reading

About Footnotes

I was never a fan of Choose Your Own Adventure books. They were so tedious. I just wanted to get to the story, no matter what it was. I didn’t really care what happened or how everything turned out. I do appreciate what the books were trying to accomplish, and they certainly were unique, but they just weren’t my thing.

So, when someone told me to read House of Leaves ages ago because the book was creative, unique, horrifying, like nothing she had ever read, I was sold. Sounds great. So, I grab my copy from Half Price Books, settle in, and open the cover. W. T. F. I couldn’t even begin to make sense of the story within the story within the story. I realize this has much more to do with me as a reader, how my brain works, and what my reading desires are. The book was truly like nothing I have ever read. I finished it, but the WTF feeling remained. I had no idea how to explain what the book was even about. However, it’s book I have recommended dozens of times because I knew the reader would love it.

Next, meet Infinite Jest. The book that never ends. I’ve been reading it off and on (mostly off) for 5 years. I recognize that it is a brilliantly written work. David Foster Wallace has no equal. But. This. Book….. I think my tendency to skim will prevent me from ever appreciating a book of this depth. A friend of mine has read it almost 10 times. 10 times!! And it takes him 6 weeks to do it! Maybe one day, when I feel a time crunch, I will try to tackle it again.

So, this leads me back to my current book, City of Saints and Madmen. And alas, to my sadness, footnotes in the second part. So, I’m flipping back and forth, trying to keep up with the story and the footnotes, and my brain just isn’t cooperating. I am a very linear person. But, as I declared yesterday, I love Jeff VanderMeer and will persevere.

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books and reading

City of Saints and Madmen- Pt. 1

Having read only three of his books, I’m a Jeff VanderMeer fan and will read everything he writes, this I vow! Because he wrote the superb Southern Reach trilogy (AKA Area X books) which was easily one of the best trilogies I’ve ever read, I will be a loyal reader. They were in my top 5 of 2014 and I will be rereading them again in 2016. I NEVER reread this quickly. Usually, 5+ years go by before I am ready to revisit a book, and even then, I think the number of books I have actually reread is 10-12 out of the hundreds and hundreds. But I cannot wait to read these again.

I’ve been meaning to get to his other works, but like usual, other stuff gets pushed to the top, so I made this one a priority. I knew absolutely nothing about this book other than the author and a friend (who also read Area X) telling me this series is better. Not possible!! But we shall see….

The book is set up in short segments, all which, as far as I can tell, revolve around a city. So when you come across characters within this city, your mind automatically tries to categorize them into either “saints” or “madmen.” Most characters don’t fit into just one or the other, but like good characters should, have a little bit of both sides existing within.

This blog isn’t about regurgitating plot, so sorry if that’s what you’re looking for. I’d much rather discuss what I’m thinking as I read, or when I am done. So, what struck me from this first segment, Dradin, In Love, was the use of the name Dvorak. I wonder why VanderMeer chose this name. If there is any significance at all. Maybe he just likes the sound of it. Maybe he is a fan of the composer. Or maybe there are similarities between the character and the composer that the reader is supposed to uncover. Having read the Area X books, knowing what I know about how VanderMeer loves to create a nice mystery, I’m leaning toward the latter of the maybes.