09-19-13:Ian Tregillis Does Not Eschew 'Necessary Evil'
Running Circles Around Yourself
The problem for the writer of any series is of one-upsmanship. It's built into the nature of the books; each successive book is n+1. With 'Bitter Seeds' and 'The Coldest War,' Ian Tregillis successfully managed to work around his own creation. In creating a character who by definition knew almost as much at the author, Tregillis could easily have painted himself into a corner. Instead, he turned that corner into a tesseract. But by the end of 'The Coldest War' he had also crafted a multi-dimensional version of the story corner. Strap in, and prepare for the sense-of-wonder conclusion that shows just how clever an author can be with careful planning and a willingness to build rules upon rules.
To even begin to talk obliquely about 'Necessary Evil' is to reveal major plot points for the first two books in the series. Suffice it to say that they're all worth reading and re-reading. Shifting between third and first person perspectives, in 'Necessary Evil,' we find Raybould timeline-hopping in an attempt to prevent the elimination of any reality that includes humans. The Eidolons, shadowy Lovecraftian entities whose existence is anathema to humans, were the source of the British warlocks' power. As humans have to reductively understand it, they're not happy, and they can do something about it.
The power of 'Necessary Evil' comes largely from the intensely personal characterizations that Tregillis has created over his three books. His protagonist, Raybould Marsh is no hero. He's a ball of agony, self-doubt and anger who is all too comprehensible to the readers in this timeline. In 'Necessary Evil' he has the opportunity to see himself in a rather unique manner. The rest of the cast feels equalloy deep and weary.
On the other side of the equation we have Gretl, the German seer who is willing to do anything to avoid the untender mercies of the Eidolon. Recognizing her appeal, Tregillis has made her an ever-more important lynchpin of the plot. Every time we are with her, it is literally a peek into the mind of a mad goddess. And that's mad in both senses of the word; she's angry and she's insane. On the other hand, perhaps she's just well beyond human sanity. In any event, she's a delight for the reader even, in fact especially when she is scaring the heaven, hell and earth out from under our fragile minds.
And here's where the author's planning and plotting craft come in. In the world of self one-upsmanship, Tregillis has pulled off a major coup in these books, intertwining real-world spy craft, alternate history, time travel, science fiction and psychic superpowers in an ever-increasing upward spiral. Given the complexity and the fragility of the plot and character pieces here, a less imaginative author, an author less brave, might not have made the sort of bold moves the Tregillis takes. His success is bracing and entertaining and though-provoking, in the tradition of the best science fiction.
The Milkweed Triptych; 'Bitter Seeds,' 'The Coldest War' and 'Necessary Evil' — comprise a new and high standard in the world of serial science fiction. Tregillis has created more than one world of depth and resonance with grace and economy. His characters have real heart and a world-weary sense of reality. Plus, the books are a mind-boggling blast to read and re-read. However, reading them might give one a sense of urgency. As I write this, they are very firmly in existence in this timeline. As you read them, you'll have good reason to hope that they remain so, set against bitter seeds of doubt that nothing, not this world or the next, is certain or stable. Put them in a place where you won't forget them. Check them regularly. Hope that this day is in fact, followed by another.
09-16-13:Margot Leitman, No Longer 'Gawky'
Memory Serves Well
Any tale well told is worth reading. Audience capture is essentially an on / off switch. Margot Leitman proves this with a grand smile and a big heart in 'Gawky: Tales of an Extra Long Awkward Phase.' It's a coming-and-going-of-age collection of stories that reads a bit like a novel, a lot like a memoir and is hard to put down. It really doesn't matter what sort of book you think you like. 'Gawky' grabs you with a wonderfully likable voice and insights into average life that are themselves anything but average.
The setup here is not apparently complex. Leitman underwent an early growth spurt. She was much taller and to a degree more mature-looking than her counterparts at school. In a straightforward, you're-sitting-in-the-room-with-her manner she tells her story through the age of nineteen. She grows up in American suburbia. Her family's not rich and they're not famous. She's immersed in pop culture and has friends but doesn't in general fit in. She embarrasses herself regularly and is not always aware of doing so.
The stories that unfold as Leitman tells her tales are consistently hilarious. She's honed her skills as a stand-up storyteller, but managed to toss all that away and learned to write the stories in manner that they can be read in and experienced in much the same way they might feel if she were telling them to you in person. Leitman manages a real coup here, putting us in the same room with her while she's writing away. There's an overheard quality to the prose that makes the humor work all the more effectively.
Make no mistake about it; this book is quite funny, and masterfully written as a comedic work. Leitman knows that written comedy is as much a matter of pacing as is the spoken variant, and she works this with such precision that we're never really aware. As readers, we're just there with her in her quirky, funny, but somehow everyday and average life. Bringing off this union of opposites is the source of a lot of humor, of course, but she also generates a fair amount of narrative tension. 'Gawky' is not just a series of anecdotes strung together. It's a smart, well-told story about an all-American girl growing up funny.
'Gawky' is an interesting example of evaded expectations for the reader. No matter what you think you are looking for, you're going to find something that is entirely enjoyable about Margot Leitman's book. It's deceptively simple to pick up, but quite compelling to read. It will make you laugh a lot yes, but more importantly, it will make you care. When you start the book, take care. The switch will be thrown, and you, the audience of one for Leitman's story, will be captured and remain so even when you've finished reading.
New to the Agony Column
09-18-15: Commentary : William T. Vollman Amidst 'The Dying Grass' : An Epic Exploration of Simultaneity
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with William T. Vollman : "...a lot of long words that in our language are sentences..."
09-05-15: Commentary : Susan Casey Listens to 'Voices in the Ocean' : Science, Empathy and Self
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Susan Casey : "...the reporting for this book was emotionally difficult at times..."
08-21-15: Agony Column Podcast News Report : Senator Claire McCaskill is 'Plenty Ladylike' : Internalizing Determination to Overcome Sexism [Incudes Time to Read EP 211: Claire McCaskill, Plenty Ladylike, plus A 2015 Interview with Senator Claire McCaskill]
Agony Column Podcast News Report : Emily Schultz Unleashes 'The Blondes' : A Cure by Color [Incudes Time to Read EP 210: Emily Schultz, The Blondes, plus A 2015 Interview with Emily Schultz]
07-05-15: Commentary : Dr. Michael Gazzaniga Tells Tales from Both Sides of the Brain : A Life in Neuroscience Reveals the Life of Science
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Michael Gazzaniga : "We made the first observation and BAM there was the disconnection effect..."
04-21-15: Commentary : Kazuo Ishiguro Unearths 'The Buried Giant' : The Mist of Myth and Memory
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Kazuo Ishiguro : ".... by the time I was writing this novel, the lines between what was fantasy and what was real had blurred for me..."
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Marc Goodman : "...every physical object around us is being transformed, one way or another, into an information technology..."
Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 199: Marc Goodman : Future Crimes: Everything Is Connected, Everyone Is Vulnerable and What We Can Do About It
