Review: Slaughterhouse-Five

Purchase Slaughterhouse-Five here.

Synopsis:

Slaughterhouse-Five, an American classic, is one of the world’s great antiwar books. Centering on the infamous firebombing of Dresden, Billy Pilgrim’s odyssey through time reflects the mythic journey of our own fractured lives as we search for meaning in what we fear most.

Review:

This one has been sitting in my to-read pile for a while; I'd occasionally read a few pages, then get distracted by schoolwork.  However, I think I finally got to Slaughterhouse-Five at exactly the right time.  I'm currently in a course on Science Fiction, so the mixture of Trafalmadore with a brilliant antiwar novel was intriguing to me.  First of all, I love the discussion of time as something all happening simultaneously, and that Billy Pilgrim has just become "unstuck".  In addition, Billy is incredibly interesting as an unreliable narrator.  Is he a time traveler, a crazy old man, or just suffering from PTSD, using his favourite novels to cope with unspeakable atrocities?  Either way, this was an interesting read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Review: Fahrenheit 451

Purchase Fahrenheit 451 here.

Synopsis:

Guy Montag is a fireman. In his world, where television rules and literature is on the brink of extinction, firemen start fires rather than put them out. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden.
Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television “family.” But then he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people didn’t live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television.
When Mildred attempts suicide and Clarisse suddenly disappears, Montag begins to question everything he has ever known. He starts hiding books in his home, and when his pilfering is discovered, the fireman has to run for his life.

Review:

I've been kind of devouring dystopian novels lately (many more reviews to come, so brace yourselves), and I thought it high time to read one of the classics.  I've been told I would enjoy Fahrenheit 451 multiple times, and I've owned a copy for some time now.  The set-up for this book is intriguing, and it's recently become more and more of a cautionary tale as authors battle censorship and book bans for the smallest of reasons.  In addition,  as someone who's often absorbed in Tumblr and has spent the majority of the past 6 or so years immersed in social media, Mildred's character is incredibly relevant.  In addition, this novel had some of the most poetic prose out of any dystopians I've ever read.  To be fair, I did occasionally get lost in it, and I was left hoping for much more at the end of the novel.  And Clarisse!  I was expecting her to be such a big character, and I wanted her to be so badly!  Despite a few misgivings, this is an incredibly important book and I'm glad I included it in my list of dystopian novels to read.

Until next time, happy reading!
-Amanda

Review: I, Robot

Purchase I, Robot here.

Synopsis:

The three laws of Robotics:
1) A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm
2) A robot must obey orders givein to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

With these three, simple directives, Isaac Asimov changed our perception of robots forever when he formulated the laws governing their behavior. In I, Robot, Asimov chronicles the development of the robot through a series of interlinked stories: from its primitive origins in the present to its ultimate perfection in the not-so-distant future--a future in which humanity itself may be rendered obsolete.

Here are stories of robots gone mad, of mind-read robots, and robots with a sense of humor. Of robot politicians, and robots who secretly run the world--all told with the dramatic blend of science fact and science fiction that has become Asmiov's trademark.

(from the hardcover edition)

Review:

This book manages to set up intriguing stories that stand as brilliant logical puzzles on their own, then seamlessly weaves them together into one overarching tale commenting on technology, culture, and human nature as a whole.  Each story on its own presents a different case that challenges the Three Laws in a unique, innovative way, with unexpected solutions.  Asimov asks readers to reconsider what we consider human nature, as well as to challenge our preconceived notions of robotics.  The stories are interesting and challenging, but their episodic nature makes the book a quick read.  This was my first foray into Asimov's writing style, and I will definitely be coming back for more.

Until next time, happy reading!
-Amanda

Hello World!

I am back!  I know it's been a while; I took a hiatus from YouTube and Blogspot for a little while for my own sanity and to focus on school, but I'm here now!  In addition, I've added a Tumblr to my book blogging internet presence, which can be found at http://childofalibrarian.tumblr.com.  That will give me an opportunity to post more personal, frequent responses to books, as well as just pretty pictures of piles of books.  You'll get a peek into what I'm currently reading and what I'm thinking about it before I finish.

I've queued up a few reviews of books I've read recently, so those will be posting soon!  There are also several posts already queued for the tumblr.

Until next time, happy reading!
-Amanda