Web-Exclusive Reviews: Week of 5/21/2007
-- Publishers Weekly, 5/21/2007
NONFICTION
2033: The Future of Misbehavior
Editors of Nerve.com. Chronicle, $22.95 (200p) ISBN 97808111859400
It's hardly surprising that Nerve.com, an award-winning erotic web site for the literary set, would compile a group of short stories and essays about sex, love and marriage 25 years down the road; the surprise is how well it works. Studded with contemporary lit luminaries like Rick Moody, with a proposal to return Times Square to its former salacious glory, and Jay McInerney, who predicts the rise of the matriarchy in executive culture, these speculative pieces often appear light and funny on the surface, but carry sharp satirical bite and an undercurrent of foreboding. Lisa Gabriele's vision of a 100-percent divorce rate, for instance, sounds both absurd and plausible. Taking the glorification of youth, celebrity, self-improvement and personal technology to their extremes, Rachel Shukert imagines a "Paris Hilton International Fellowship" that goes to candidates showing special promise "in the field of clubbing," Margot Berwin envisions government-subsidized plastic surgery and Tom Lombardi sees a future of tooth-sized personal computers and an "iPod Hemorrhoid" you keep in your tush. That the book proves more cautionary than erotic may disappoint some readers, but its look at modern excesses and insecurities proves entertaining, thought-provoking and darkly funny. (June)
BLESSED UNREST: How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming
Paul Hawken. Viking, $24.95 (288p) ISBN 9780670038527
Hawken (Natural Capitalism) traces the formation of the environmental and social justice movement from the beginnings of natural science across years and continents in this rousing and "inadvertently optimistic" call to action. Though it's argued that globalization; extinction of species, languages and cultures; and economic policies advantageous to the rich have degraded quality of life worldwide and engendered large scale feelings of fear, resentment and powerlessness, Hawken remains surprisingly hopeful. Strength, he contends, lies in the many thousands (if not millions) of nonprofits and community organizations dedicated to environmental protection and social justice that collectively form a worldwide movement geared toward humanity's betterment. A combination of history, current events, motivation and vision for the future, Hawken's book does a lot of work in its relatively few pages, though his perspective comes across in some passages as naïve (the thousands of protestors at the 1999 Seattle World Trade Organization meeting merely wanted to "hold WTO accountable"). The book isn't likely to convert members of the World Bank, but readers already sympathetic to Hawken's position will find much here to chew on. (May)
COOLHUNTING: Chasing Down the Next Big Thing
Peter A. Gloor and Scott M. Cooper. Amacom, $24.95 (240p) ISBN 9780814473863
MIT Sloan School of Management vets Gloor and Cooper strip "cool" of its cool in this half-baked introductory lesson to trendspotting. Beginning with a definition of "cool" that includes "excellent," "fun" and "make[s] the world a better place, in some way," the authors show how the excellent, fun iPod is truly cool because it's "keeping [kids] out of trouble." Strung together with the thinnest of strings, this textbook-style read covers a double-handful of basic new media concepts, including the "swarm," a future-predicting, trendsetting collectivity; the "coolhunters" who get down in the trenches, uncovering those swarms; and the "coolfarmers," nurturing know-it-alls who encourage the fruition of nascent creativity. Redundancy creeps in early, as the repetition of these terms-along with the mantra, "don't be a star, be a galaxy"-may lead readers to question whether Gloor and Cooper have a grasp on the latest trends in trendspotting. The authors' advice-brainstorm with others, the best ideas come from unlikely places, etc.-is mostly familiar, having been put to use by everyone from Ben Franklin to Google, but at least it's reliable. (May)
DEBUNKING 9/11 DEBUNKING: An Answer to Popular Mechanics and Other Defenders of the Official Conspiracy Theory
David Ray Griffin. Interlink/Olive Branch, $20 (400p) ISBN 9781566566865
An emeritus professor of theology with no previous interest in conspiracy theories, Griffin has dedicated himself since 2003 to the "9/11 truth" movement, a group committed to "exposing the falsity of the official theory about 9/11," and this book is a thorough, highly detailed attempt to do just that. As Griffin aptly notes, "the assumption that conspiracy theories are inherently irrational" has recently taken root in American culture, making any attack on the official government record instantly dismissible, but Griffin takes to the difficult task with solid reasoning and true zeal. All but the most dogmatic readers will find Griffin's evidence-from the inconsistencies between NORAD tapes and the 9/11 Commission Report to rigorous exploration into the physics of the collapse-detailed and deeply unnerving. For instance, Griffin considers the fact that firefighters were told, five hours before the fact, that building WTC 7 was going to collapse, despite "the fact that WTC 7 was not hit by a plane, that the available photographs show no large fires, and that fire had never caused a steel-frame high-rise to collapse." Another chilling passage looks at the Pennsylvania crash site of United Airlines Flight 93 through the testimony of those first to arrive, who were unanimous in finding "no recognizable plane parts, no body parts." For anyone who doubts the government's truthfulness regarding the WTC terrorist attack, this well-researched volume will give you a trough full of ideas to chew on. (June)
DON'T HASSEL THE HOFF: The Autobiography
David Hasselhoff. Thomas Dunne, $24.95 (304p) ISBN 9780312371296
At first, this autobiography's sometimes hokey, over-detailed style seems the right fit for the larger-than-life actor-singer-international star best known for lead roles on television shows Knight Rider and Baywatch. Before long, however, the self-satisfied celeb's voice proves about as engaging as his little-watched prime-time spinoff, Baywatch Nights. Hasselhoff's narrative is heavy on unhelpful description (for those who missed it, he recaps the death of Princess Diana) and plodding anecdotes (after one story, he muses unconvincingly, "It had been a very surreal experience"). One can forgive Hasselhoff (though perhaps not his editor) for being a less-than-stellar writer, but what makes this book such a slog is Hasselhoff's unrelenting ego, a wholly unflattering characteristic that pervades the narrative. Among overlong tales of his professional projects, Hasselhoff credits himself with changing the lives of thousands of terminally-ill children; inspiring Sammy Davis Jr., Paul McCartney, Liberace and Mel Brooks; preventing a girl from committing suicide by saying "hello" to her in an elevator; and much more. Though he swallows some humble pie when relating his struggle with alcoholism at Betty Ford, it does little to redeem him. Anyone who'd like to hold onto their fond feelings toward the Hoff should avoid his autobiography; it's a telling document, but for reasons its author probably didn't intend. (May)
FAUX REAL: Genuine Leather and 200 Years of Inspired Fakes
Robert Kanigel. Joseph Henry, $27.95 (296p) ISBN 9780309102360
Kanigel, a professor of science writing at MIT, whose biography of the Indian mathematician Ramanujan was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle and L.A. Times Book awards, offers a study of leather-its history, chemistry and place in human culture-and the corollary story of the effort to develop a synthetic substitute. Despite its millennia-long presence in human history, and the many substitutes that have been tried-Fabrikoid, Corfam and Naugahyde among them-the subject doesn't sustain interest. Kanigel is a sound researcher and an engaging writer, offering an abundance of facts, for example, the Smithsonian's leather boots made of human skin (their origin is not nefarious and they are not on display) and the availability of vegan condoms. And Kanigel brings drama to Du Pont's decadelong search for a synthetic leather; the resulting Corfam-hailed as being as revolutionary as nylon-was a failure as infamous as the Edsel. The author falters, however, with dull descriptions of the chemical processes used to create various synthetic products. PETA gets some attention, and Kanigel intelligently takes time to address the philosophical question of the importance of faux versus real. (May)
I'LL SLEEP WHEN I'M DEAD: The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon
Crystal Zevon, foreword by Carl Hiaasen. HarperCollins, $26.95 (480p) ISBN 9780060763459
For those who know them, the brilliant, dark songs of Warren Zevon (1947-2003) inspire nothing short of adoration; for those who don't, this stunning biography of the irrepressible rock 'n' roll singer/songwriter should send them sprinting to the nearest record store. By taking an unexpurgated, oral-history approach to Warren's life, his former wife and lifelong friend Crystal has crafted a sharp, funny, jaw-dropping rock biography that's among the best of the sub-genre. Provocative and unflinching, her account distills Warren's journal entries and the author's exhaustive interviews with 87 family members, business associates, band mates, fellow musicians and former lovers into a chronology ranging from Warren's ancestry to his death, at age 56, from lung cancer. The impetus for the book was Warren himself-he implored Crystal to tell his story and to "promise you'll tell 'em the whole truth, even the awful, ugly parts." The awful, ugly parts turn up often: Warren's addictions (to alcohol, drugs and sex), personal demons (intense obsessive-compulsion and commitment-phobia) and paternal shortcomings (to him, kids were nuisances) all get plenty of play here. But so does Warren's music, for which peers like Jackson Browne, Bruce Springsteen and Paul Schaffer offer plenty of insight. This top-notch biography is a must-read for fans, and a highly rewarding read for anyone interested in a close look at the life of a modern rock icon. (May)
LEAVING DIRTY JERSEY: A Crystal Meth Memoir
James Salant. Simon Spotlight Entertainment, $21 (352p) ISBN 9781416936299
In its first pages, this disturbing memoir sees upper middle-class New Jersey 18-year-old Salant plopped in a California drug recovery center by his parents, where he attempts "kicking heroin among strangers" some 3,000 miles from home. Before long, Salant has ditched the recovery center and embarked on a chaotic, crime-riddled year addicted to crystal meth and the whopping sex life that's part of its allure. Supported by both his well-meaning parents and by selling drugs, Salant deals with a cast of dysfunctional junkies at turns caring, comical and highly unsettling. Though he never addresses the big picture-the so-called epidemic of meth use in America-there's plenty of gory details about life as a drug addict, from a dealer shooting meth into her neck while her daughter watches TV in the next room, to an uncomfortable, drug-fueled threesome with a violent paranoiac. The tale of Salant's recovery, however, is remarkably abrupt; Savant explains he "didn't decide to turn my life around. I just stopped trying so hard to ruin it." Savant's story is a depressing, at times disgusting, and largely demoralizing tale; as such, it offers an unrelentingly bleak account of one man's encounter with America's crystal meth culture, for readers who have the stomach for it. (May)
NEPTUNE'S ARK: From Ichthyosaurs to Orcas
David Rains Wallace. Univ. of Calif., $27.50 (304p) ISBN 9780520243224
Author and naturalist Wallace follows up Beasts of Eden, which tackled mammalian evolution, with this in-depth look at the evolution of marine tetrapods (four-limbed creatures), from the earliest proto-reptilians through present-day seals, whales and walruses. Using Georg Wilhelm Steller's still-unidentified 1741 discovery of a "very unusual and new animal" as a symbol for all we don't know about marine life, Wallace delves into a shrouded living environment that has likely hidden many more species than paleontologists will ever uncover. Unfortunately, the most interesting parts of the book-concerning the 18th, 19th and 20th century trailblazers in the field-is marred by Wallace's inability to keep himself out of the narrative (at one point, he describes a dream he had). Later chapters explore the attempts of eccentric John Lilly to communicate with dolphins and whales, the first migration of humans to the Americas, animal myths of Northwest Coast Natives and the destructive influence of Europeans. Though Wallace's voice can grate and the text gets bogged down in difficult-to-follow taxonomy discussions (a glossary would have been of immense help), those with a grounding in biology or science history will find Wallace's fascinating vignettes worth the effort. (May)
THIRD COAST: Outkast, Timbaland, and How Hip Hop Became a Southern Thing
Roni Sarig. Da Capo, $16.95 paper (384p) ISBN 9780306814303
Though most casual fans know the story of hip-hop's birth in the ashes of the South Bronx, the story of the South's entry into the modern rap scene remains relatively unknown. Here, author and music writer Sarig (The Secret History of Rock) provides the "Dirty South" its first complete history, an ambitious tale featuring Southern industry luminaries like Pharrell Williams and Jermaine Dupri, as well as the acts mentioned in the subtitle. Sarig's chronicle boasts remarkable depth and breadth, covering every aspect of Southern hip-hop, including dozens-if not hundreds-of acts. Moving away from historical documentation to analysis can lead Sarig to make some questionable generalizations ("it's easy to observe that, today, the blues is almost entirely the province of middle-aged white people"), but his attention to the music itself reaches some dizzying pinnacles-as in deconstructing crunk lyrics to reveal connections to 11th century working-class Saxons. Throughout, Sarig is informative and entertaining, keeping an eye on the big picture while managing this huge swath of uncollected music history; though the necessary surfeit of details may wear out casual readers, Sarig ably connects the stories of record shops, roller discos and street corners from Houston to Miami to Virginia Beach. (May)
THE WALK
William deBuys. Trinity Univ., $22.95 (166p) ISBN 9781595340276
Author and professor deBuys has been repeating the same journey "up one arroyo, down another, back by the river…and up through the farm," every day for the past 27 years. In chronicling that daily walk and the contemplation it stirs, deBuys (River of Traps) has created another eloquent document of life in the mountain valleys of New Mexico. Bringing the Southwestern countryside to brilliant life, deBuys provides history of the wildlife that roam it, the inhabitants who claimed it and the current residents deBuys lives among, as well as more personal stories like the end of his long marriage and his friend's death from lung cancer. Each walk is a play between solitude and communion that "lubricate[s] the connections of thought" and leads to unexpected insights: "The walk is like a piece of music that I partly play and partly listen to…still trying to understand my part and how to play it." As he ponders, mountain peaks become prayers, forests become dreams and the whole of it becomes an unfolding mystery that deBuys scours for signs of meaning, hope and the elusive connection between mankind and the wilderness around them: "The landscape abounds with flaws, like those who walk it." Anyone who enjoys a saunter in the great outdoors will find this memoir brimming with rich pleasures. (May)
LIFESTYLE
THE HEALTHY SOUTHWEST TABLE
Janet Taylor. Rio Nuevo, $24.95 (224p) ISBN 9781933855011
Taylor's companion to her 1999 Healthy Table Cookbook proves that flavorful southwestern cooking can also be healthy, provided you live near a well-stocked grocery or health food store. Her offerings include standards such as hummus and guacamole in addition to mouthwatering, healthy takes on dishes like Spinach-Filled Quesadillas with a Black Bean Sauce, Portobello Mushroom Enchiladas and a Quinoa Pilaf in place of traditional Spanish rice. The accompanying photographs are gorgeous, and the dishes carry a great deal of flavor despite the exclusion of sour cream, butter and other artery-clogging, waistline-expanding ingredients. Unfortunately, what the book lacks in calories it more than makes up for in preparation time: Black Bean Soup, while flavorful, has 22 ingredients, with another seven required for the garnish; the Pinon-Crusted Chile Rellenos employ a staggering 37 ingredients. Not all dishes require that much measuring, chopping and dicing (she also offers suggestions for leftover chicken and salmon) but the prep time can be considerable, as can the shopping-virtually all the recipes employ a less-than-common ingredient such as key lime juice (which she uses like Emeril uses garlic), umeboshi pickled plum paste or Stevia extract. That said, those looking for a healthier take on southwestern cuisine who don't mind a bit of effort are sure to find some new favorites here. (June)
THE MANUAL: A True Bad Boy Explains How Men Think, Date, and Mate-and what Women Can Do to Come Out on Top
Steve Santagati. Crown, $21.95 (304p) ISBN 9780307345691
Santagati, a former model and admitted bad boy who has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and The View, has expanded on his relationship advice enterprise, AskSteveSantagati.com, to make this guidebook to dating and taming the wild male. Dissecting all aspects of the bad boy lifestyle, including lessons like "How Bad Boys Bring Out the Best in Women" and "Porn Explained," Santagati takes women through every step of the bad boy's process, from hunt to sex to relationship to "endgame." Despite some tough love ("The Myth of the Nice Guy") and blatant boorishness ("How to Clothe Your Chest"), Santagati doesn't grate or insult, coming off as no more than an experienced, confident man who loves women. Indeed, he's the guy "who you won't even know [is] trying to pick you up until you're leaving his apartment the next morning," and he provides brief lessons in spotting and avoiding the players and misogynists among the populace. Often direct, but never above goofy humor or cheesy sentiment, Santagi may not "reveal everything that you need to know to successfully date and have relationships with men," but his short, easy-to-digest chapters make a perfect way to browse away an afternoon, gain some perspective and try narrowing the age-old gap between the sexes. (May)
TIM GUNN: A Guide to Quality, Taste & Style
Tim Gunn and Kate Moloney. Abrams Image, $17.95 (208p) ISBN 9780810992849
Plucked straight from Parsons's New School for Design, television network Bravo found a surprising hero in Project Runway style mentor Gunn, whose catch phrase "make it work" has inspired an undeniable following of armchair fashionistas. Though he'll admit that book writing isn't easy, this venture marks another feather in his tasteful cap. A precursor of sorts to his new series on Bravo, Tim Gunn's Guide to Style, this accessible guidebook covers it all, including the "hunt," "stalk" and "pounce" of "shopping at its most instinctual" (inspired by cheap, forward-looking clothiers H&M), what to ask yourself before taking advantage of a bargain (is it season-appropriate?), the difference between a fashion icon and a mentor (Gunn's the former, Coco Chanel the latter) and full-on closet reconstruction. Gunn's friendly, conversational prose will give readers the feeling of a face-to-face encounter, and Runway fans will be happy to find Gunn hasn't abandoned his colorful metaphors (shopping as "safari") and 50-cent words ("insouciant"). Whether revealing the secrets of "The Under Arsenal" or ruminating on the "tone" and "diction" of a handbag, Gunn's text is clever, a touch waggish, and highly practical for both ensemble mavens and fashion criminals. (May)
ILLUSTRATED
GRAFFITI LA
Steve Grody. Abrams, $35 (304p) ISBN 9780810992986
The culmination of author and photographer Grody's 17-year obsession, this stunning examination of Los Angeles street art should prove to be a definitive work on the subject. Beginning in the 1930s, when stylized calligraphic writing (often called "Old English") was first used by Latino gangs to mark territories, Grody quickly moves on to the art form's explosion in the '80s, when four distinct forms were spreading throughout the city: tags, a name in stylized script; throw-ups, one-color designs quickly applied; pieces, more elaborate and colorful efforts; and productions, a collection of pieces. The book truly takes off among the hundreds of beautifully photographed pieces Grody offers, along with testimony from the artists and "crews" who created them. Grody describes the anatomy of a piece, crew dynamics and the politics of what is still an illegal art form, but knows when to step back and let the artists speak for themselves; he elicits comments on everything from overcoming early technical obstacles to close calls-both with cops and injury-to the history and meaning behind their art. The importance of Grody's work-as in any other street art roundup-is in capturing these short-lived pieces before they're inevitably defaced by rivals or painted over by the authorities; what makes this beautiful book stand out is the way Grody completes his vibrant picture with the voices of the street artists themselves. CD-ROM included. (May)
WHERE THE BIRDS ARE: A Travel Guide to Over 1,000 Parks, Preserves, and Sanctuaries
Robert J. Dolezal with the editors of Birds & Blooms. Reader's Digest Books, $28.95 (288p) ISBN 9780762108602
Profiling a series of birdwatching excursions within reach of 35 major cities and population centers, Dolezal presents a practical rundown of road trips for bird-loving city-dwellers and those who may be visiting. Following a cleverly-designed table of contents that presents each jumping-off point (San Francisco, the Winnepeg Area, Boston to Cape Cod, etc.) on a regional map, Dolezal focuses in on urban centers across the U.S. and southern Canada with a similarly user-friendly approach. Scenic photographs and well-prepared maps accompany each stop-though anyone unfamiliar with a given area will want a supplementary road atlas-and descriptions of each excursion are both informative and mercifully brief. Certain cities in particular (e.g., Seattle) can be extremely confusing for travelers, but Dolezal includes the websites and street addresses of visitors' bureaus, park offices and information sources. The traveling birder will find this book very helpful when seeking sites in unfamiliar areas, though the volume's large size may make it too unwieldy to bring with. (May)
FICTION
THE ALTON GIFT
Marion Zimmer Bradley and Deborah J. Ross. DAW, $25.95 (480p) ISBN 9780756400194
The late Marion Zimmer Bradley's influence can still be detected in her posthumous Darkover "collaborations" with Ross. This opener to the Children of Kings trilogy (after 2004's A Flame in Hali, which concluded the Clingfire trilogy) focuses on a chilling threat: the resurgence of trailman's fever, a disease that could wipe out Darkover's population. The key to a cure is Jeremiah Reed, a Terran battle survivor whose memories were wiped by Lewis-Kennard Alton via the Alton Gift of forced rapport. As the medical crisis worsens, Mikhail Lanart-Hastur, Lew's son-in-law and Regent of Darkover, must fend off a political takeover by his power-hungry rival, Francisco Ridenow. Meanwhile, Mikhail's son, Domenic, finds himself torn between romances with Alanna, his unstable cousin, and lovely Illona, a Gifted under-Keeper. Though a slow start and arcane historical references might dissuade new readers, the teasing resolution will excite anticipation in those familiar with the memorable land of the Bloody Sun. (June)
BETWEEN THE TIDES
Patti Callahan Henry. NAL, $14 paper (352p) ISBN 9780451221148
Until age 12, Catherine "Cappy" Leary lives, grows and plays with the neighboring Loughlin family in the South Carolina lowcountry town of Seaboro. After the accidental death of the Loughlins' youngest son, a tragedy for which Catherine blames herself, her father moves the family across the state. Fast forward to Catherine's 30th birthday, when she reluctantly returns to Seaboro for the first time in 18 years to scatter her father's ashes. As she reconnects, she uncovers new information about her father's ties to the area that help her release her guilt and learn to love freely. Henry's warm, smoothly paced novel explores well-traveled themes of reconciliation and rebirth with fresh energy. (June)
DARKHOUSE
Alex Barclay. Delacorte, $23 (336p) ISBN 9780385338790
A bestseller in the U.K. and Ireland, Irish author Barclay's somewhat predictable debut is unlikely to meet similar success in the States, where it will struggle to stand out among many similarly themed books. Det. Joe Lucchesi has left his position with the NYPD after witnessing a botched rescue attempt that claimed the life of a little girl and her mother. In an effort to recover, Joe, his wife and their teenage son, Shaun, begin a new life in a quiet Irish backwater, but the tranquility is short-lived; Shaun's girlfriend is abducted and murdered in a manner suggesting a link to a serial killer, the local cops suspect Shaun and disdain Joe's help, and clues turn up that point to a connection to Joe's last case with the NYPD. The serviceable writing does little to elevate this above the dozens of other cop vs. grudge-holding serial killer stories. (June)
FRENEMIES
Megan Crane. Warner/5 Spot, $13.99 paper (304p) ISBN 9780446698559
Augusta "Gus" Curtis is happy-she has one of the busiest social calendars in Boston, loves her job as a librarian, and is looking forward to turning 30-until she discovers that her boyfriend Nate is cheating on her with one of her oldest friends. Although angry with Nate, Gus feels even more betrayed by Helen, who doesn't seem to get Gus's indignation. The remainder of the novel is the minute-by-minute account of Gus's obsessive thoughts on the love triangle, which irritates her sidekicks, Amy Lee and Georgia, in all probability as much as it will the reader. Crane (English as a Second Language) tries to make a statement about the complications of mature relationships (whereby Gus must face the facts that maybe she hasn't been the best friend she could be, either), but ends up delivering a clunky story that's as shallow as its lead. (June)
HARD MAN
Allan Guthrie. Harcourt, $23 (272p) ISBN 9780151012985
Acerbic wit leavens over-the-top violence in Scottish author Guthrie's third "tartan noir" (after Edgar-finalist Kiss Her Goodbye). Jacob Baxter's married 16-year-old daughter, May, is pregnant with another man's baby; May's 26-year-old husband, Wallace, is a karate expert and in a seething jealous rage. To protect May, Jacob, along with grown sons Rog and Flash, confront Wallace, and none of the Baxters emerges unscathed. Their next idea is to enlist the aid of a local "hard man," and they reach out to loner ex-con Pearce (who appeared in Guthrie's first novel, Two-Way Split). After inflicting still more injuries on the Baxter clan, Pearce refuses to help, and the Baxters continue to wage a decidedly inept war against Wallace. The violence is nonstop and intense (Wallace crucifies a man-literally), but Guthrie makes the macabre funny. When Pearce finally gets involved, the story goes off the rails, but Guthrie contrives to make the hapless, hopeless Baxters into something more than mere cartoons, and their bungled blood feud is grotesquely fascinating. (June)
HARM
Brian W. Aldiss. Del Rey, $21.95 (224p) ISBN 9780345496713
British SF legend Aldiss offers a hard-hitting view of the global war on terror in this cautionary tale of the near future. Paul Fadhil Abbas Ali winds up in custody after a repressive British regime takes a dim view of his novel, which contains a passing reference to the assassination of the prime minister. Tortured unmercifully, Ali finds refuge only in his imagination, conjuring up an alternate universe in which humans have fled Earth and attempted to start anew on the planet Stygia. On Stygia, Ali inhabits the body and mind of Fremant, a bodyguard for that world's dictatorial ruler, Astaroth. Fremant is recruited by rebels seeking his master's overthrow, but he finds himself warped by the brutal landscape and society in which he lives. The parallels to George Orwell's dystopian works are obvious, and while this book is unlikely to resonate as much as Nineteen Eighty-Four, Aldiss deserves credit for continuing his long tradition of using the genre to explore current hot-button political issues. (June)
LIKE ALWAYS
Robert Elmer. WaterBrook, $12.99 paper (320p) ISBN 9781400071654
In this sentimental Christian novel, the Sullivan family faces a variety of trials both timeless and timely: mid-life career dissatisfaction, reentry into civilian life after military service in Iraq, unexpected pregnancy and terminal illness. As they cope with these challenges, parents Merit and Will, as well as their adult son Michael, find themselves drawing closer to God and to each other. Set against the beautiful backdrop of rural northern Idaho, the narrative unfolds in brief vignettes in which the Sullivans and their friends renovate a dilapidated resort, go fishing and camping, and hunker down companionably during dramatic weather. While these bucolic scenes are likely to appeal to fans of light Christian fiction, Elmer's heavy-handed treatment of the plot's central crisis nearly transforms the novel into a political screed. Rather than acknowledging that Christians of good conscience could come to different conclusions regarding the heartbreaking moral dilemma his main characters face, Elmer rushes to paint characters who endorse one point of view as shrill and godless, and those who hold the other as holy and heroic. While socially conservative readers looking for fiction that affirms their values may appreciate this book, those hoping for multidimensional characters who grapple genuinely with hard questions will probably be disappointed. (June)
OUTCAST
Shimon Ballas, trans. from the Hebrew by Ammiel Alcalay and Oz Shelach. City Lights, $13.95 paper (216p) ISBN 9780872864818
Aseptuagenarian Israeli novelist who emigrated from Baghdad in 1951, Ballas fictionalizes the life of Ahmad Soussa, an Iraqi Jew who converted to Islam in the 1930s. Soussa ended up writing works used in anti-Jewish propaganda by Saddam Hussein's regime, and Ballas begins during the Iran-Iraq War of the mid-1980s, with his character, Ahmad Haroun Saussan, writing a memoir (this book) in which he tries to explain why he wrote The Jews in History, an enormous work taken up by the regime. What unfolds is Saussan's life story, the primal scene being his marriage to a non-Jewish American woman, Jane, when he's a visiting engineering grad student in the U.S. in the 1930s. The marriage results in Saussan's elder brother and acting family patriarch, Daniel, disowning Saussan and having him excommunicated from his hometown Jewish enclave at al-Hila. That trauma sets off a chain of events that ruins Saussan's marriage and makes for a too-pat justification for all of his subsequent actions. Ballas also assumes a familiarity with Iraqi history that most American readers won't have, but his writing in Saussan's unreliable voice is immediate, vivid and richly elusive. As a case study in the rationalization of personal and political contradiction, the novel is entirely clear. (June)
THE RESTORER
Sharon Hinck. NavPress, $14.99 paper (480p) ISBN 9781600061318
Susan Mitchell seems like any other depressed housewife and mother of four needy children. But devout novelist Hinck (also a wife and mother) has destined Susan for a life of fantastic adventure: like the Biblical Deborah, she is a "Restorer," a prophet. She is fated to help Kieran, Tristan, their family, and the people of Braide Wood-a town in the parallel universe where Susan mysteriously finds herself. It is her task to bring the heathens of Shamgar and other warring territories "back to the Verses." Basically, Susan must show how Jesus saves-even in parallel fantasy worlds. Why Hinck didn't situate her protagonist within the parallel universe from the very start is mystifying. This could have saved her audience from overcoming the book's unbelievable premise-that a middle-aged, down-and-out soccer mom lands herself in a parallel world (where she must suddenly carry and use a sword) by opening up a cardboard box labeled "Dress Up" stored in the attic. Hinck only makes the reader's task more difficult with constant, pedestrian references to the world that Susan left, comparing events to popular television shows like Crime Stoppers, scenery to "Play-Doh Villages," and local food to Cheerios. This disappointing and over-long first installment in the Sword of Lyric series adds little imagination to the growing genre of Christian fantasy. (June)
THE SONG OF KAHUNSHA
Anosh Irani. Milkweed, $22 (320p) ISBN 9781571310620
Novelist/playwright Irani (The Cripple and his Talismans, 2005) [back cover] sets his grim second novel, an Indian twist on Oliver Twist, in his native Bombay in 1993, just after the Hindu/Muslim riots sparked by the destruction of the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya. Ten-year-old dreamer Chamdi [3] runs away from the orphanage that has been his only home in search of his father [44]. His fate is telegraphed by his mode of transport--the back of a garbage truck [45]. "Adopted" by street-urchins Guddi and her brother Sumdi [75-83], the innocent Chamdi is inexorably drawn into the criminal underworld of Anand Bhai [138] and ultimately forced to participate in the revenge killing of an innocent Muslim family [280-89] after the local Hindu temple is bombed [218]. Somewhere along the way, Chamdi's half-hearted quest for his real family falls by the wayside, undercutting the impetus that plunged him into this nightmare realm in the first place. Irani attempts to meld the magic of Chamdi's dreams and stories with the cruelty of life among the poorest of Bombay's poor; however, the plot is thin and the main character, while decent and loyal, is powerless and frighteningly naive. The novel ends on a note of apparent hope, but it is hard to believe, under the circumstances, that Chamdi's vision of Bombay as a city of "no sadness" (the meaning of his made-up term "kahunsha") [12] is anything other than a dangerous delusion. (May)
TRIPLE HOMICIDE
Charles J. Hynes. St. Martin's/Dunne, $24.95 (288p) ISBN 9780312338602
UNDEAD AND UNEASY
MaryJanice Davidson. Berkley Sensation, $23.95 (288p) ISBN 9780425213766
Wishes come true with unforeseen consequences in bestseller Davidson's anemic sixth Undead paranormal romance (after 2006's Undead and Unpopular). Vampire Queen Betsy Taylor discovers that even weddings with a $3 million budget can be a killer to plan, especially when cursed diamonds, a missing bridegroom, an unexpected funeral and sudden motherhood complicate things. Sixteen months earlier, Betsy was a secretary dreading her 30th birthday. Now she's a bad-ass vampire queen betrothed to Eric Sinclair, wealthy 70-something Vampire King. Then her father and stepmother are killed in an accident, and Eric and several friends go missing. Betsy must care for her orphaned baby brother, BabyJon, and worry about Jessica, her seriously ill best friend, while trying to find the guests and groom before the wedding date is past. Marred by a sometimes too-cute narrative, this novel lacks the substance of the work of Charlaine Harris or Marta Acosta, hurtling to a "feel good" resolution that may please Davidson's fans but will leave others wondering why this series continues to thrive. (June)
