Book reviews: Translations | Semiosis | Persuasion

Title: Translations

Author: Brian Friel

Original title: Translations
First published: 1981
Genre: Play, Historical
Series: --
Publisher: Faber Faber
Format: Paperback
Pages: 91
Finished: 20/10/2021
Summary: The time and place is late August 1833 at a hedge-school in the townland of Baile Beag - an Irish speaking community in County Donegal. The 'scholars' are a cross-section of the local community, from a semi-literate young farmer to and elderly polygot autodidact who reads and quotes Homer in the orginal.In a nearby field camps a recently arrived detachment of the Royal Engineers, engaged on behalf of the Britsh Army and Government in making the first Ordnance Survey. For the purposes of cartography, the local Gaelic place names have to be recorded and transliterated - or translated - into English, in examining the effects of this operation on the lives of a small group of people, Irish and English, Brian Friel skillfully reveals the unexperctedly far-reaching personal and cultural effects of an action which is at first sight purely administrative and harmless. 

My thoughts: This was a short play that I was asked to read for a university course about sociolinguistics this semester. It was indeed a very fitting play for the course, as it portrays domains and varieties well, and also gives some good examples of codeswitching (bet I won't know for sure what these terms mean in a year, or even six months from now.... I barely know what they mean right now lol). Anyway, disregarding the connections this had to my studies, I did find it to be a decent play and I did get fairly emotionally invested. I cared for Manus and felt that his relationship to both his father and brother were realistic and engaging. It was interesting to see the colonization of Ireland by Britain from this perspective and presented in this way. I wish I could see the play someday. In the end, though, reading play scripts is not my preferred cup of tea, and Translations did not really change that. I enjoyed it a fair bit, but I can see myself forgetting all about it pretty soon.

Rating: 3/5

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Title: Semiosis

Author: Sue Burke

Original title: Semiosis
First published: 2018
Genre: Sci-fi, Adult
Series: Semiosis #1
Publisher: HarperVoyager
Format: Paperback
Pages: 325
Finished: 13/08/2012
Summary: Only mutual communication can forge an alliance with the planet's sentient species and prove that mammals are more than tools. Forced to land on a planet they aren't prepared for, human colonists rely on their limited resources to survive. The planet provides a lush but inexplicable landscape--trees offer edible, addictive fruit one day and poison the next, while the ruins of an alien race are found entwined in the roots of a strange plant. Conflicts between generations arise as they struggle to understand one another and grapple with an unknowable alien intellect. 

My thoughts: Semiosis was a great novel to end the sci-fi summer course with, as it turned out to be one of my favourites from the reading list. I think it's up there with Solaris and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. In fact, I think I liked this most of all. If I had to pitch this novel to someone, I'd describe it as Spore fanfiction written really well. For real. Following the humans on Pax as they evolve and expand their civilization over the course of many generations was fascinating and I would love to read more about their story. Splitting the novel into several perspectives was a choice well made, as I would probably have been bored following only one character from one generation. With a timeline that encompasses 107 years of history, getting bored was never a problem. Furthermore, Burke's depictions of non-human sentient beings was clever and creative, more so because she describes several such beings which are severely different from each other. An intelligent rainbow bamboo? Giant insect-like creatures, descendants of an ancient advanced civilization? More of this, please! It has been especially engaging to write my final essay for the course about this book and Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer, in which I explore the causes of human conflict upon encounters with foreign environments and non-human beings. I recommend this novel to anyone who wishes to ease themselves into the sci-fi genre without being bombarded with scientific terms, confusing descriptions posing as world building, or too gloomy characters. This novel will entertain you, fascinate you, and have your imagination running wild.

Rating: 4,25/5

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Title: Persuasion
Author: Jane Austen

Original title: Persuasion
First published: 1817
Genre: Classic
Series: --
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 279
Finished: 06/08/2021
Summary: Twenty-seven-year old Anne Elliot is Austen's most adult heroine. Eight years before the story proper begins, she is happily betrothed to a naval officer, Frederick Wentworth, but she precipitously breaks off the engagement when persuaded by her friend Lady Russell that such a match is unworthy. The breakup produces in Anne a deep and long-lasting regret. When later Wentworth returns from sea a rich and successful captain, he finds Anne's family on the brink of financial ruin and his own sister a tenant in Kellynch Hall, the Elliot estate.

My thoughts: Slowly but surely, I work my way through all of Jane Austen's delightful novels. This is the fourth book of hers that I have the pleasure of reading, and it did not disappoint. Persuasion is written in the same elegant prose which Austen never fails to deliver. Her every word is carefully selected, her dialogues thoughtful, and her characters captivating. Anne develops so much in this novel, going from repressed and shy in her character to blossoming and revealing her true traits. It was a joy to follow her unravelling, and no less a pleasure to read of her love for Wentworth.

I am learning of the typical traits of Austen's novels, and it saddens me a bit that they all seem to follow the same patterns. Unlikely romances, class differences, men of deceptive appearance, and love triangles to create drama and suspense. However, as I like to say, why change a successful concept? Austen obviously masters her tropes well and can execute them like no other. Though this, to me, did not live up to the level of Pride and Prejudice, I still liked it a lot and will recommend it with warmth.

Rating: 4/5

Book reviews: Oryx and Crake | All Systems Red | Annihilation

Title: Oryx and Crake

Author: Margaret Atwood

Original title: Oryx and Crake
First published: 2003
Genre: Sci-fi, Adult
Series: MaddAddam
Publisher: Virago
Format: Paperback
Pages: 433
Finished: 20/07/2021
Summary: Pigs might not fly but they are strangely altered. So, for that matter are wolves and raccoons. A man, once named Jimmy, now calls himself Snowman and lives in a tree, wrapped in old bed-sheets. The voice of Oryx, the woman he loved, teasingly haunts him. And the green-eyed Children of Crake are, for some reason, his responsibility.

My thoughts: I read this for my summer studies but also for my own Reading Rush (since there was no official one this year). I used it for the challenge to read a book by an author who's first initial is the same as my own. My name is Maja and this author's first name is Margaret. As for my opinions of the novel, I did like it a fair bit. Watching the development of society and humankind lead to destruction and mass death was interesting and I think Atwood managed to present it in a way that really seemed plausible, which made it all the more horrifying. She creates bizarre creatures and odd social structures that felt alien but might not be far ahead of us on the timeline.

Some details set back my enjoyment of the novel. What really interested me here was the apocalypse and man's decent into chaos and destruction (a destruction based on playing God rather than wars). However, a good chunk of this novel revolved around the protagonist's family drama, love interest, and childhood memories. Not to say this was pointless, as these parts helped build his character. Through these flashbacks to the past, we also catch glimpses of what society was like and can compare it to how Atwood describes the post apocalyptic world that Snowman inhabits. But it became too much for me. This is a rather long book, and it becomes especially evident when one reads it over the course of two days that a lot of pages are dedicated to things that I just didn't care about. Snowman/Jimmy was not a character I cared for, and I don't think that's even the point. I think his role is just to be a vessel from which we can observe Atwood's intricate imaginations. That is why I got tired of learning more about our protagonist, because he wasn't much of a person.

All in all, I enjoyed the novel and would like to continue reading the series at some point in the distant future, preferably within the upcoming five decades or so.

Rating: 3,25/5

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Title: All Systems Red

Author: Martha Wells

Original title: All Systems Red
First published: 2017
Genre: Sci-fi
Series: The Murderbot Diaries #1
Publisher: 
Format: Paperback
Pages: 148
Finished: 23/07/2021
Summary: On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid — a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.” Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is. But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth.

My thoughts: I read this for my summer studies and for my own Reading Rush of 2021, which I insisted on participating in though no official readathon was held. I decided to read this for the challenge to read an entire book outside, and so I did. It was an excellent opportunity to acquaint myself better with the parks around my apartment, and I could not complain about the weather either. Under these perfect conditions, I was happy to enjoy the story of Murderbot. It is a short book and my review will likewise be so, for as is the case with some stories, I liked it well enough but have little to say about it. The story, especially Murderbot's perspective, is charming and entertaining. Compared to earlier sci-fi (this is very modern sci-fi), it contains adrenaline-inducing scenes of action while still posing questions like "what is it to be human?" and "can I feel love/empathy for an alien/robot?" as is common in older works like Solaris and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. It was a fun and quick read which I would recommend for long train rides, flights, or long peaceful days of rain or sunshine.

Rating: 3,75/5

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Title: Annihilation

Author: Jeff VanderMeer

Original title: Annihilation
First published: 2014
Genre: Sci-fi
Series: Southern Reach #1
Publisher: Fourth Estate
Format: Paperback
Pages: 208
Finished: 25/07/2021
Summary: For thirty years, Area X has remained mysterious and remote behind its intangible border - an environmental disaster zone, though to all appearances an abundant wilderness. The Southern Reach, a secretive government agency, has sent eleven expeditions to investigate Area X. One has ended in mass suicide, another in a hail of gunfire, the eleventh in a fatal cancer epidemic. Now four women embark on the twelfth expedition into the unknown.

My thoughts: Like the other two books in this review, I read this for university and the Reading Rush (for the challenge to read a single word title). In hindsight, I should have reviewed this sooner, for I can not recall very few opinions that I had about this novel. I will try to list and many as I can remember, though I apologize in advance for not offering more. I liked that the cast was all female. This was a pleasant break off from most of the sci-fi novels I've read this summer. In fact, this has been the only sci-fi novel so far that has featured a female protagonist. The escalating tension and distrust between the individuals of the expedition could surely put some readers at the edge of their seats. Like I said about All Systems Red, this modern piece of sci-fi literature mixes action with philosophy, though perhaps not as well as in Martha Wells' novel. I was fond of the main character, though not so much that I would have grieved her death. However, she was intriguing enough. Did I love this novel? Did I hate it? No is the answer for both questions. Will I soon forget it? Here, the answers is yes. Though VanderMeer's story and ideas have potential, they seem to be presented to me in a way that doesn't rouse curiosity. And the way the novel ended (spoiler, highlight to view white text: with the almost religious experience the protagonist had with the creature in the tunnel) was just not the way I wanted the story to progress, which makes me hesitant to continue the series.

Rating: 3,25/5