Tagged: humour
My Interview with John Heldt (2)
John Heldt is the self-published author of The Mine, The Journey, The Show and now The Fire, all books in his Northwest Passage series about time travel. Every single one of his books has a fascinating combination of history, romance and humour. Read on to see John and I discuss writing emotional scenes, researching and a possible continuation of his originally planned five book series.
1. There are some very emotional scenes in The Fire. How do you as a writer strike a balance between touching and melodramatic?
I enlist the help of others, that’s how. What is just right for one person may be too sappy or too dry for others. By getting the perspectives of beta readers representing both genders and a variety of ages, I’m usually able to determine whether an emotional scene needs to be rewritten or left as is. Continue reading
Old Man’s War by John Scalzi
(Cover picture courtesy of 52 Books 52.)
John Perry did two things on his seventy-fifth birthday. First he visited his wife’s grave. Then he joined the army.
The good news is that humanity finally made it to the stars. The bad news is that, out there, planets fit to live on are scarce—and alien races willing to fight us for them are common. So, we fight. Far from Earth, the war has been going on for decades: brutal, bloody, unyielding.
Earth itself is a backwater. The bulk of our resources are in the hands of the Colonial Defense Forces, and everybody knows that when you reach retirement age, you can join up. The CDF doesn’t want young people; they want people who carry the knowledge and skills of decades of living. You’ll be taken off Earth, never to return. You’ll serve two years in combat. And if you survive, you’ll be given a homestead of your own, on one of our hard-won planets.
John Perry is taking that deal. He thinks he knows what to expect. But the actual fight, light-years from home, is far, far harder than he can imagine—and what he will become is far stranger.
I enjoyed Old Man’s War. Not in the snobby critic “it was an intelligent read with many messages too complicated for you common folk” way. I mean it was thoroughly entertaining: I laughed so hard I cried for a whole minute, read passages aloud to the people around me and read it in one sitting (that’s 3 hours of reading), not even pausing for dinner. Now that, my friends, is the mark of a good book.
Just as a bit of background information, I knew Old Man’s War would be funny yet have deeper messages. I’d been following John Scalzi’s blog Whatever for about three years until I actually picked up one of his books, so I was familiar with his writing style. But that didn’t prepare me in the slightest for his debut novel. It’s science fiction with actual science in it, but it’s explained so well that even someone like me that does not have a strong background in science can understand things perfectly.
This is what science fiction is really about. John Scalzi takes us on a fantastic journey to other worlds, dazzles us with the technology of a possible future, puts us in the skin of an interesting character and, best of all, gives us important questions to ponder while making us laugh. Unlike in a lot of sci-fi, things are not in black and white. We don’t know who the good guys and bad guys are because both sides commit unspeakable atrocities, which is the reality of war. We never really answer the question of who is good and who is bad; it’s left up to the reader to pass judgment, which suits me just fine.
John Perry really is an intriguing character. Since the book is in first person, we get to know him intimately but we never tire of him. He’s well fleshed-out and has a believable background, but also changes as he fights for the CDF. I don’t want to go into too much detail or I’ll spoil things, but John does end up in some pretty tough ethical dilemmas, especially when it comes to the mysterious Ghost Brigades.
Plot twists, science fiction with real science, fantastic settings, realistic characters…you can’t ask for anything else. And that’s why Old Man’s War got the honour of being the book I chose for my 250th review. I absolutely love it and would recommend it to anyone! Seriously, you need to read this book.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
(Cover picture courtesy of That’s 2 For The Books.)
On 12 October 1979 the most remarkable book ever to come out of the great publishing corporations of Ursa Minor (and Earth) was made available to humanity – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
It’s an ordinary Thursday lunchtime for Arthur Dent until his house gets demolished. The Earth follows shortly afterwards, to make way for a new hyperspace bypass. And his best friend just announced that he’s an alien. At this moment, they’re hurtling through space with nothing but their towels and an innocuous-looking book inscribed with the big, friendly words: DON’T PANIC.
The weekend has only just begun…
At first, I hated this book. But then about halfway through, I finally caught on to Douglas Adams’ fantastic sense of humour. Yes, I’m ashamed it took me that long to catch on, but now I can honestly say The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is unlike any other book I have read before. It’s ironic, witty and it subtly pokes fun at a lot of science fiction clichés.
Aside from being laugh-out-loud funny in spots, the plot moves along quite nicely. The book is only a little over 100 pages, yet more happens in those 100 pages than in the over 700 pages of Brisingr. Douglas Adams’ easy to read, pared down style is a truly refreshing break from the exhausting descriptions of most sci-fi/fantasy novels. His dialogue is also what sets him apart; I read it aloud and it actually sounded how real people speak.
Of course my favourite part of the novel was the unforgettable characters. Ford Perfect, Zaphod Beeblebrox, Slartibartifast and many others are very memorable and will never truly leave you. They’re quirky, unique and, at times, utterly hilarious, which is what makes them stand out so much. The characters are just one of the many reasons to read this great novel.
I give this book 5/5 stars.