image from http://www.sfsite.com/gra/0512/gplg.jpghttp://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/ is the website I am giving you to go check out, and I hope you see what the buzz is about, because this guy is like the Douglas Adams/Kurt Vonnegut of Fantasy. Although I cannot say many compete with Douglas Adams, nor with Kurt Vonnegut when it comes to amazing satire, this man surely tries hard to make you see how serious he is about satire.
Ok, next novel is: Middlesex. A 2002 hit, I was shocked to find the same author of "The Virgin Suicides", a 1993 classic, had written this book as well. When I first dived into this novel, I found it was difficult to follow, but after I got past the first hundred pages, it all went easy. The story follows young Calliope Stephenaides, a psuedohermaphrodite born through an incestous family of Greek immigrants. Calliope becomes Cal later on in the story, as Calliope spends one half of her life as a girl, and the other half as a boy. Raised to be a girl in the household of a loving family, her father, a well-off, self-made success, becomes one of the key characters during the Detroit riots of the seventies. The story itself has a history of stories inside, wich it tells well. Just, it's hard to really stay in it unless you're dedicated to the book.
image from http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~dominiquebeutick/middlesex.jpgThis book is for hardcore readers of drama, and notsomuch those interested in oddities in nature, because this novel is just not about that, but it is deep, compassionate, and full of human emotions unparallel to many of the dramas this year. If you can get past the first hundred pages, you're good, and you know you're going to see the novel to the end. This book is an Oprah's Book Club read, but despite that sticker on the front, I do recommend trying this one, but borrow fromt he library, cause you might not make it all the way through.
I buy books constantly, they are like my drugs, but I do know when the average reader is on a budget, so starting next week, I am going to compile a list of new, noteworthy book worth getting for sale that wont break you.
Back on topic here, this book is not worth buying at first read. If you want to try it again, then you should buy the book, but if you read it through once, and struggled through it, then don't buy it, just borrow from a library, or from poor fool who bought the book beforehand. The critics will tell you that this novel was excellent, and give it some high regard, but all I am going to say is, that much better novels have come out that year, and since it's not the book I would say that defines Jeffery Jeffrey Eugenides (I say The Virgin Suicides did that for him) It did go on to win the Pulizter Prize, which these days probably is the equivalent of wiping your ass without getting shit on your hand. Sadly, this man is obviously a great writer, a pity he prints novels so far apart from each other, but they do turn out to be masterworks. I will give his next book a chance, if he so does choose to make one.
This book does follow Cal throughout three generations on the Stephaniades bloodline, and even gives us insights on current events in the real world, that coincide with what is happening in Callie's/Cal's life. The whole novel is pretty much Callie's history, and every theme that you pretty much find in great literature including: comin-of-age, loss of innocence, tragedy on a massive scale, etc. Again, I do not recommend buying this novel, but if you still choose to, I always recommend buying through Amazon.com, since you have the ability to save on free shipping.
Finally, I come to the most important review yet: but the thing is, I'm not suppose to talk about it. That's the first rule, same as the second rule. That's right, about ten years ago, a novel came out that may have been the most hysterical dark satire for the 90's. Many see Chuck Palahniuk as the writer to sum up the nihilistic culture of my generation. Fight Club, in whole, is a satire. The book is hilarious, sick, and the perfect blend of everything unwholesome in literature. Even the writing itself is painful, like a blow to literature; but in a good way.
The narrator, who remains namless throughout the entire novel, speaks with no quotes at all, as if mocking his existience. I could sit here and put theories and meaphors towards all the reasons behind the lack of quotes on the narrator's behalf, or why the jumbling/repetion of lines repeat throughout the novel, but it would take at least triple the size of this post. That's right, if you've seent he movie, the novel is pretty much the same thing, just told in different orders, and pretty much gives you an idea of what the ending will be less than fifty pages into the book. Still, since it's the tenth anniversary of the novel, and you've played the DVD of the movie till it scrached the circumference of the disc, why not give the book a try?
To sum it up, I have yet to really deal with a shitty or non-noteworthy novel, but I am looking out for you guys in hopes of what is worth your time, and what of course, is not. I really try hard to like everything I read, but alas, it never happens, and I wind up reviewing a Hemingway which i know will suck, but it's a painful matter of getting through it to warn you of what the story is, and what it will further lead towards. To all those out there, thanks again for supporting Malacast Editorial, and be sure to vote on the upcoming polls, e-mail me @ my new yahoo mail account: mcasteditorial@yahoo.com, or to reject848@yahoo.com.
Also in other news, Short Story weekly was ceased for a bit to make sure nothing was faulty with the blog, and should be up and running shortly, stay updated either here, or check on Short Story Weekly occasionally to see new short stories by yours truly, plus other members as well. I try to warn people if they so choose to place their work up for FREE on Short Story Weekly, they must own all the copyright material, and I am not responsible for stolen work. Again, enjoy the rest of the weekend, and have a great afternoon/evening. Thanks again for the support of Malacast Editorial!
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