The Dazzle of Day by Molly Gloss

"What began as an intriguing piece of speculative fiction about finding a new world and attempting to inhabit it, soon turned into a long, drawn out, cycle of characters refusing to confide in one another, holding onto secrets, which inevitably led to hurt feelings, dishonesty and resentment. The end left me feeling unfulfilled and wanting, since, everything that happened is kind of skipped over and left unanswered."

2 Stars

Pros: Gloss has a subtle but straightforward voice that was a little jarring at first but it kind of grew on me.

Cons: Since the Dusty Miller is basically a Quaker ship, there are long passages of Meetings and many thoughts about God and what it means to see God, be in his presence and understand him, this grew a bit tiresome after awhile/The few glimpses of real depth that we see in the characters are short and fleeting/There didn't feel like there was any resolution between the characters at the end.

Full Review

People are leaving the toxic wasteland that is Earth and are heading towards hopefully, another habitable planet in a large generational ship called the Dusty Miller. The story follows Juko, a sail mender, her husband, Bjoro, who's left on the Lark, a scouting ship to explore the new world, Bjoro's mother, Kristina, a shrewd, sometimes harsh old woman and Juko's grown son, Cejo, from her first marriage. Also Juko's first husband, Humberto.

The Lark, the scouting ship that Bjoro is on, crashes. News of the crash reaches the Dusty Miller and everyone hopes for a rescue. When the two remaining survivors of the Lark return, Bjoro being one of them, he's a changed man, haunted by what he saw down on the planet. Instead of confiding in his wife and mother, Bjoro instead becomes distant, irrational and even violent, thus creating a schism in his marriage with Juko.

Humberto suffers a stroke and is found by his son Cejo. Though he's paralyzed, he eventually manages to speak at a Meeting and offers profound wisdom about what it means to be on this ship and have this planet there, at their fingertips. A Committee comes to Juko and Bjoro's house to try and mend their relationship but there doesn't seem to be much hope in patching things up.

By the end, generations have passed and they've inhabited the world and life goes on, as it always does.

This was an interesting piece of speculative fiction but at the same time it was lost in the quagmire of distant family relations and how the Dusty Miller was setup. I wanted to know more about the characters but what I got were fleeting glimpses and I was left feeling unfulfilled. By the end, Gloss' long, sweeping passages about nature and God became tiresome and I was glad to be done with the book.

Comments

Fantastic Voyage by Isaac Asimov

"When a scientist, Benes, who has integral and world changing information attempts to defect and join our Side, he's injured. A blood clot forms in his brain and the only way to save his life is to miniaturize the crew of the Proteus and inject them into Benes' body, so they can break up the blood clot from the inside. Of course, one thing after another goes wrong and every chapter is a new catastrophe but it was definitely a fantastic voyage. 2 Stars Pros: Grant is one dry character but he's a welcome bit of amusement in an otherwise serious and scientific novel. Cons: Grant is also SUCH a man that he spends most of the mission staring at saving the one woman board, Cora./Definitely ripe with anatomical lessons and what part of the body they were in. Since I've never been great at anatomy, a lot of it was lost on me and became burdensome near the end. Full Review: As in all things, there is a good side and a bad side. This book is very vague as...

Animal Farm by George Orwell

"A blithe and scathing commentary on equality, power, corruption and how everyone is created equal, but...some are more equal than others. Orwell hit the nail right on the head with this novel and it's no wonder it's a staple for most high school curriculums. " 3 Stars. Pros: Benjamin the Donkey is the smartest animal on the farm and it would have done all the others a world of good if they had listened to him in the first place. Cons: The fact that societies like this actually do exist is nauseating and terrible. It's not a con, per se, it's just a gut wrenching fact. Full Review: When the overworked and mistreated Animals on Manor Farm decide to rise up and overthrow their cruel master, they're successful. They rebel and now find themselves with an entire Farm to run. They rename it Animal Farm and are intent on creating a paradise, where work and play are equal, where productivity is key but relaxation is a must and all the lives of all the animal...

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie.

"Arnold Spirit, Jr, or "Junior" as he's known on the Rez, does something no Spokane Indian has ever done. He enrolls in Reardon High School and begins the long and often painful process off navigating not only high school and adolescence but also being an outsider. Alexie handles it all with grace, humor and honesty. This was a great read. I would recommend it to anyone." 5 Stars Pros: Alexie handles the ups and downs of not only adolescence, but tragedy and loss in a stark, honest but gut wrenchingly relatable way. Cons: Some of Junior's all-consuming guilt, though understandable was a little repetitive but it's all part of being a teenager. Full Review: It all starts when Arnold Spirit Jr, or Junior, throws a textbook across the classroom. When he opened the book he saw his mother's name, her maiden name and it enrages him. He's furious that the reservation is so poor that they're learning from thirty-year old textbooks. He doesn't...

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