antiloquax

Audrey's Door - Sarah Langan

Apologies for the long gap. I have been reading - and sticking to my female writers only approach, honest!

I had never read anything by Sarah Langan before, and so I went for this. I enjoyed it, but it didn't blow me away exactly.

For those that do not know, it is basically a haunted house story. The main character (Audrey) suffers from OCD and the emotional aftermath of growing up with a mother who suffered from bipolar disorder.

I found this interesting as I have bipolar disorder (as do two other members of my immediate family). I enjoyed the way she portrayed the mental health parts of the book.

However, the story did not really grip me. I felt the sub-plot about Audrey's boyfriend and the film he was working on just didn't work. I don't think I will read another of this author's books.


The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

After that, I read the "Hunger Games" trilogy. I have to confess that I watched the films of "The Hunger Games" and "Catching Fire" first. I enjoyed these so much that I wanted to read the final book before the film came out.

Reading the first two books soon after watching the two films was a slightly odd experience, but I enjoyed the extra insight into the characters that I gleaned from the novels.

I am sorry to say that I didn't enjoy the third book as much. I remember saying to my wife how cruel I found Collins' vision of Panem. I get that Collins is writing a dystopian work, but at times I felt the things that happen just seemed too awful for any population to accept. I felt that Katniss just would not behave in the way she does in "Mockingjay". And I was disappointed with the way Gayle's character was treated. It felt to me as if the author just didn't know what to do and so dispensed with him in a couple of sentences.

Don't get me wrong, I love the series for having strong female characters and I am looking forward to the third film.

That brings me almost up to date (I have read some other C. L. Moore stories, but I think I've written enough about her for now). I'll just add a brief comment on the book I am reading now.

Unquenchable Fire - Rachael Pollack


This is one of the Gollanz SF masterworks series and, going on what I have read so far, it very much deserves to be on that list.

For those who have not read it, it is set in a wonderfully-imagined future.

The main character has an amazing dream as she sleeps while all her town is attending an important visit from a "Teller".

The Tellers are high-ranking representatives of the religion that all the citizens seem to live by in this version of the future. They teach by telling stories (or "Pictures") that were "found" by the founding members of this new religion.

The story takes place in a period of decline. The miraculous events that surrounded the Founders don't seem to happen with any frequency any more and some people are dissatisfied with the Tellers and the way the religion is administrated.

I am very pleased to be reading this. I love how Pollack builds the Pictures into the novel. The main character, Jennie Mazdan, is very interesting and I am looking forward to seeing how she copes with the consequences of her dream.

Update
I have now finished Unquenchable Fire, I really enjoyed this. I know that Pollack has written on the Tarot and, while she doesn't draw much on that for this book, she obviously has a deep understanding of myth, symbol and spirituality. I will be recommending this a lot!