[2011] What are you reading?

I finally finished The Five last night. The kids have been a handful the past few weeks or I would have polished this off in a few sittings.

It's typical McCammon brilliance. His writing has a way of sinking its hooks into you, pulling you into the story and characters. McCammon has a true talent for vividly describing scenes and fleshing out characters without making you feel overloaded with words.

This particular novel is about a rock band called The Five embarking on their last tour before they break up. Their final video sets off a mentally unstable Iraq war vet who embarks on a mission to kill them all. The Five is many things. It's a thriller, as the band tries to cope and escape a madman hellbent on destroying them. There's also some supernatural stuff there, but thankfully it's not the meat of the story. Most of all, the novel is a tribute to live music, the bands who create music, and life on the road. I like music, but this book made me want to go to concerts. Hell it made me want to bust out my old guitar, learn to play it, and find a way to go on tour. The afteword contains a list of bands that inspired the author. He listed them in random order that he drew out of a hat. That list runs 2.5 pages.

McCammon lovingly describes the passion of playing live, the technical stuff that makes it possible, the small details that make eeking a living on the road possible, and the delicate balance that a band has to find to avoid imploding or breaking up. The pace of the book is tense and pulls you along. At times, you expect it to ratchet up, but McCammon pulls off the throttle to ease you along with subtle details. Other times, you're leisurely reading a scene, and the story suddenly rockets ahead with an unexpected turn.

A slight spoiler.

Spoiler

I could have done without the supernatural element in this book. I thought the story would have worked just fine without it. There didn't need to be some colossal struggle between light and dark over the fate of this band. It wasn't overly done, but it felt out of place in this beautifully crafted novel and was probably the only thing keeping this book from being an all-time classic for me.

Even with that slight caveat in the spoiler tag above, this is a fun book. There's nothing earth-shattering about the plot, but it's a solid entry in a great author's catalog. If you're a musician, have gone on tour, or really like music, I'd give this book a shot. It's certainly better than How Evan Broke His Head by Garth Stein, which also featured a musician.

Bonus points: The Houston Rockets get a brief mention on page 324. I haven't seen that happen too many times in fiction.

Up next: Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay. I liked but didn't love Kay's Fionavar Tapestry trilogy with some slight issues with the unwelcome Tolkein elements. However, I've heard rave things about some of his other works. Others on this board have raved about Under Heaven for a while, and it's definitely time to check it out.

 

Just a note on what I will NOT be reading.

http://fantasyhotlist.blogspot.com/2011/07/wtf.html

Tyra Banks has a new novel coming out on September 13, and here's the jacket description:

I kept thinking this was a joke, but it's apparently legit. Just, wow! That looks truly terrible.

 

After a good but too Tolkeinish reading experience with Guy Gavriel Kay and his Fionavar Tapestry trilogy, I wasn't quite sure what to expect with Under Heaven. I've heard nothing but rave things from people I know, people on this board, and from Pat's Fantasy Hotlist who gave it a rare 10 out of 10 rating. After finishing it, I have to concur with all the love. This was a pretty amazing novel.

The book sunk its hooks into me during the very first chapter. The first few pages set the world up, but once you meet the main character, Tai, the story sweeps you up and takes you on an epic ride with unexpected turns. Kay's writing has clearly matured since the Fionavar Tapestry. He paints a vivid world, brimming with details that never feels too wordy. The descriptions seem to take place alongside the action, giving a truly immersive experience.

Kay's schtick is to take a historical setting to use as a base for a fantasy world. Under Heaven is modeled after ninth centry Japan. I've read very little set in Japan, especially that era, but I found myself enthralled by the detailed protocols and system of honor that existed in this world. It drove the plot, but never felt overdone or preachy.

The characters in the book were expertly done. Tai was a vivid, complex character who's world is rocked by a very unexpected gift he receives at the beginning of the story. He was clearly the main character of the story, but Kay introduced a dozen or so other main characters who were also deftly woven. There were perhaps 10 different POV's in this book, but I never felt frustrated when the focus left Tai (although he gets 80% of the POV in this book).

The story was quite beautiful as well. Tai's receipt of a very generous gift sets in motion an epic tale with emperors, poets, siblings, assassins, concubines, soldiers, and a beauty for the ages colliding with different agendas in a corrupt empire seething with plotting, tradition, and intrigue. I felt I knew where the story was going, but Kay surprised me a couple of times in going different directions or shooting forward in an expected direction but with unexpected intensity.

The overall tone of this book is one of historians looking back on a memorable time. I'm glad this was single book. Kay probably could have turned this into a two or three book series, but this long but not hefty tale had an epic feel to it. I'd put this up in the top 25 books I've read, but I still need some time to decide just how high I would place it. I like books like this that make you think about them (the story, the characters, and the writing) for days after you finish.

I highly recommend this book.

For all you Kay fans out there, what else would you recommend by him? I've bought just about all of his works, but I'm not sure where to turn next. I like Under Heaven so much more than the Fionavar trilogy. Sailing to Sarantium and Lord of Emperors? The Lions of Al-Rassan? A Song for Arbonne? I definitely want to revisit this author in the very near future and would appreciate your feedback.

Pat's Fantasy Hotlist ranked Under Heaven tied for the best book of 2010, so I figured I would try reading the other book they ranked #1: The Dervish House by Ian McDonald. I know it's set in Turkey and pretty much nothing else.

 

Sounds interesting. I'd be curious to get your feedback when you're done.

 

I haven't read it yet. I have a ridiculously long list of books I own but have not read. It intrigues me a lot, and I look forward to reading it.