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Review of B.J. Cyprian’s Shadow Resistance

October 5, 2018

BJ Cyprian, book, injustice, literature, review, society

Shadow Resistance: The Basics

Debut novels are something that intrigues me, on a personal level. There is something unique about examining the first published novel of an author. Shadow Resistance is B.J. Cyprian’s authorial debut, though of course – as the reader discovers in the introductory noteParenthetically, if you are the kind of reader that skips introductory notes, do not skip this one, especially if you are an author yourself. It is replete with interesting elements related to the writing process. – other attempts came before it.

Shadow Resistance operates on multiple levels and involves a large variety of characters, but if I had to describe it in a few sentences, it’s the story of a group of individuals who (half-accidentally, as it usually happens with true heroes) combat institutionalized injustice.

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Review of The Heart Goes Last

October 1, 2018

Book Review, Criticism

Atwood, book, literature, review, science fiction

The Heart Goes Last, by Margaret Atwood, is a quasi-science-fiction story set in the modern United States. Technically, it could be in the near future, but there is nothing to suggest it isn’t set in the present time.

The setup is (post-)apocalyptic alright, but in an individual way. Jobs disappear, social cohesion collapses, people live in the streets. However, the focus is on Stan and Charmaine, who are unwilling to live in their car anymore, and so sign up for Positron. It is a place promising security, safety, bliss; ad infinitum. That is the catch, however. Just like Hotel California, you can check ~~out~~ in any time you want, but you can never leave.

Let me start by saying this: I like Margaret Atwood’s style.Check the Critical Reception section in the article about The Other Side of Dreams to get a hintI like the way she introduces a deeply introspective narrative style, giving her characters life. As a result, I really had high hopes about The Heart Goes Last. Disappointingly, my expectations were shattered.

I have read countless books, both as a casual reader and from the perspective of literary criticism. Honestly, I never remember a narrative disintegrating so completely. Let’s see the details.

Nominally, *The Heart Goes Last* is about freedom versus security. But, sadly, things fall apart pretty rapidly

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House Arrest by Francis Mont

September 25, 2018

Literature

author, book, Francis Mont, review

A slightly different article for today. It’s not a review and it’s not an author interview. Yet in some deeper, symbolic way it is both, and it is neither; like the double-slit experiment of quantum mechanics – a simile that would perhaps make Francis Mont, a physicist, smile.

We’re not here to talk about physics however, but about literature. House Arrest, by Francis Mont, is a science-fiction novel taking place in a post-nuclear-war America in 2098. Let’s take a look at the description, as it’s given on Amazon:

The country is in ruin. Three cities in the Sacramento Valley, with relatively intact infrastructure, are trying to survive in drastically different ways. One is organized by its AI quantum computer and its sophisticated robots. It automates everything for maximum efficiency and human beings are left with no role in their city’s welfare. That leads to problems – without jobs to keep them occupied, people get bored, restless and destructive. Omega 1500, their computer, has to temporarily lock them up to protect them from each other. Once their problems are solved, they’ll have to deal with the other two cities. The big question is whether they learned from the past and understand what human happiness depends on.

As it becomes apparent, there are a lot of interesting elements here. Let’s take a closer look.

Francis Mont, House Arrest — Not all post-apocalyptic novels are the same

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