This story unfolds in the aftermath of a global pandemic that kills 99.9% of humans. It was first published in 1947 but, as the cover shows, it is coming soon to streaming services; nevertheless it is grounded in the post-WWII era. The author does a reasonable job of making the story independent of the era. The central character, Ish, witnesses the regeneration of culture but not civilization.

This novel focuses on a graduate student who isn’t a genius, nor is he stupid. In fact he focuses on the intelligence of his fellow survivors continuously. He carries a weight of intellectual solitude throughout his long life, even as The Tribe grows in number. The author interweaves the emotional torment of Ish with the deterioration of the accoutrements of civilization, leading to a not-unexpected finale. The grammar is clumsy, probably because of a lack of writing skill, but the effect is (mostly) positive because of the disintegration of knowledge that can’t be learned outside the classroom , including written language.

Ish continuously contemplates many ideas that plague modern society over the course of this simple and repetitive story. Nevertheless the author does an excellent job of following one person’s interpretation of such a catastrophic event, even if he isn’t as smart as he thinks he is — that may be Stewart’s greatest achievement: no one is as smart as they think they are.

This is a good story that might even bring a tear to your eyes …

This “First Contact” novel was published in 1987. The back cover was intriguing, so I found a used copy at ThriftBooks. It does not have a (very) happy ending; the story unfolds to a backdrop of hopelessness. The author didn’t wait long to introduce the antagonist. The protagonist was more difficult to identify from an ensemble cast of characters; they were pretty similar in their responses to the crisis. Just to add some spice, there are several characters who bring nothing to the plot other than their response to the end of the world. A lot of dead-end threads.

The grammar is simple but effective whereas the sentences are often awkward; I had to reread them too often.

There is too much going on in this story … and not enough. The author carefully described every character, even if they were only fillers. I appreciate what Greg Bear was (probably?) doing: he wrote a literary science fiction novel in the manner of Arthur C. Clarke (e.g. The Martian Chronicles). I never cared for Arthur C. Clarke’s novels, and this one goes even further, often for no obvious reason. It might work for someone else, however, because it is fairly well written.

I always wince when I see an epilogue. They indicate that the author is running too long and has to wrap up the story ASAP. That was the case here, and I was still left with fundamental, unanswered questions …

No entendí este libro hasta que lo terminaba leer. El título lo dice todo. Es la historia de dos niños en el colegio militar. El clase de primer año se llama “perros.” Se exploran sus vidas por recuerdos mientras crecen entre otros estudiantes militares. Ellos se convierten hombres jovenes, aliadas y finalmente enemigos después de una muerte trágica. Sus diferentes vidas civiles enfocan en una nińa que crece una mujer joven como lo ven a través sus ojos. Muy confuso para una lectora española principiante como yo. Sin embargo el autora insinúa la diferencia pero pensé que … no sé … estaba confundido.

Este libro es una obra de ficción literaria. Las dos historias se les dice magistralmente: los descripciones de las escenas de colegio y ciudad, diálogos, pensamientos, sentimientos y lucha son excelentes y muy interesantes. Sin embargo nunca cerrarás el diccionario de inglés y español. El vocabulario es enorme.

El autora se mezcla varias temas suavemente: la vida en Perú durante un periodo preocupante; el contraste entre ricos y pobres; adolescencia; crimen y castigo; disciplina y camaradería; violencia y calmada. La lectora se queda con un final agridulce: algunas cosas cambian pero no mucho.

La lectora no se deja colgada: el último capítulo explica y diferencia los dos vidas. Me reí de mi ignorancia. Lo leería de nuevo … cuando mi español sea mucho mejor.

This was quite a different presentation of philosophy than Bertrand Russell’s historical approach. The wide field of Western philosophy is covered by topic, with references to many philosophical systems and their relevance to each topic. Thus, philosophy is presented as a series of problems that fall between science and religion. No answers are given, but the reader is led to the cusp of the philosophical envelope in a very interesting style.

The overall scholarly writing style is interspersed with literary humor (some of these serious ideas are indeed bizarre). The sentences are too long (again), but well constructed.

The book is almost 500 pages, but most sections are the length of encyclopedia entries. In fact, he is structured very much like an encyclopedia. I plan to keep it on the shelf because you can’t do an internet search if you don’t know where to start.

This is the author’s first novel. I read it because I enjoyed In Cold Blood, but it wasn’t fiction. I wanted to see how he wrote in my genre. This is obviously a first novel. It is both overwritten and underwritten; I will address these bold statements in this review.

First, the grammar and punctuation are excellent, and the writing style is easy to read and quite clear.

The author must have used every metaphor and simile available in English. He was apparently trying to write his “great American novel” so he packed in colorful, often nonsensical, metaphors. Some entire paragraphs are allegory. He must have read Ulysses. However, this is not a literary masterpiece; for one thing it is too short …

Underwritten, what do I mean by that? While written in the style of a nineteenth century English novel (e.g. Pride and Prejudice) this book is incomplete. As written it is 186 pages, much too short for such a writing style, and there’s a reason: the author didn’t have the stamina to complete it. Several interesting threads arose and were built up but, when they occurred, they were either wrapped up in a few sentences, or dropped like a hot potato. As with most novels I’ve reviewed, at about the halfway point, the author lost interest. They started using metaphors with no obvious connection, shutting down side subplots, and (seemingly) just trying to wrap it up.

This is a painful story told from the perspective of an optimistic boy of twelve (or so), although not in the first person. That was one of the disconnects I found in the use of metaphors: many of them were beyond the experience of the protagonist. Perhaps if Capote had gotten closer to his main character, he would have completed the book.

This is the last book by Truman Capote I’ll be reading …

Este libro fue escrito por jovenes. El carácter central tiene quince años y tiene que tratar con la muerte de su hermana mayor. Ella está deprimida y comparte sus pensamientos pero la historia es repetitiva. Entiendo que es muy triste perder una hermana pero ellas no estaban cerca. Julia descubre un secreto sobre su hermana que no puede contar a sus padres. El grande momento de su dolor no es descrito pero solo mencionado más tarde.

Este libro es bueno para lectoras españolas intermedias porque tiene vocabulario simple. Trama sencilla. Personajes simples. Es creíble pero yo no estaba convencido que Julia haría lo que ella hace. La autora nos muestra los pensamientos más oscura de Julia pero ellos no indicaron problemas emocionales tan serios. Sin embargo tal vez así es la depresión. Bueno.

This is a true story written in a masterful dramatic style. It is told by an impersonal narrator but, because so much information was available to the author, the characters carry the story. I didn’t know the details of the grisly murder of the Clutter family in 1959, so reading this book was a surprise; I found it a real page turner, especially the scenes describing the murderers’ actions after the fact.

This could easily have been a fictional crime drama. Apparently the perpetrators were willing to share their experience, probably because they knew how it would end. Maybe their fifteen minutes of fame.

The writing is excellent; in fact, I just ordered the author’s first novel to see how he writes fiction, being constrained as he was by the facts in this book.

One last note, I didn’t notice any writer fatigue at the halfway point; the author never lost focus, and it shows in the final product.

I recommend this book both as a true crime novel and as simply a good read …

The title of this science fiction novel is a bit off-putting, but you can’t judge a book by its cover. This book was written in Japanese, so the English translation has a little of Alfred Birnbaum (the translator) in it as well. Between them they created a very good story. There are some loose ends and irrelevant additions, but I’ve seen those errata in every book I’ve read. And, as with other novels, there is some deterioration after the half-way point, but nothing distracting.

The style is interesting. The first-person narrator alternates between present and past tense in a deliberate manner, a clue to what’s really happening. The book is filled with clues that got my attention but which I was unable to connect. I don’t want to say too much about the plot because, on face value, it’s a story about parallel worlds and a man caught between them. The story reminded me of The Matrix (1999) and Inception (2010), but the truth is that those films were probably inspired by this book, which was published in 1991.

With dozens of clues presented to the reader, Murakami leaves the most important question unanswered, allowing the reader to add their own ending. I have my story and I’m sticking to it.

I recommend this book because it is readable and fun. And when you finish it, you have gained insight into …