Excession

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:

Two and a half millennia ago, the artifact appeared in a remote corner of space, beside a trillion-year-old dying sun from a different universe. It was a perfect black-body sphere, and it did nothing. Then it disappeared.

Now it is back.

Review/Comment:

I admit. I only read this book seriously after the author has passed away by reading the blog of my favourite author. I know it sounds bad but I really did try to read this book once and I put down the book because of the futuristic tone he has set. It is quite taxing to read (for me) and soon it becomes very enjoyable.

I have mentioned BDO before and this is no exception - a trillion-year-old dying sun. We all know our universe started off around 13 to 14 billion years ago, so this sun is definitely not from our universe. So it kicked start a series of event that eventually climaxed into a full-scale military face off because of treason, greed and suspicion. I remembered the part where a drone was being torn apart by the ancient sun and the way it interacted with things it couldn't comprehend.

Did I say it is quite challenging to read? I cannot connect my own self to the way how machines talk. I feel detach. All those lexicons is severely delaying my understanding and halfway through, I quickly understand (quite a paradoxical statement) that you have to read first, as the understanding part will come later - or much later in some context - and you have gotten yourself an answer.

O, I did enjoy the part how the author named the ships. Quite humorous. For example you have Serious Callers Only, Honest Mistake, Not Invented Here and a legendary ship with double meaning - Sleeper Service! I recalled a ship called Grey Area and it actually suits its purpose as it messes with people's mind! And a little reveal: its nickname is none other than the 'Meatfucker'. Holy! And wait till you see how ships having conversation, arguments and excommunications with each other. I just grinned like an idiot reading those parts!

Well, when most of the parts are dealing with ships tackling the issue of the sun, there are indeed quite some life in the book, humans, for example, but to an extreme where they can change gender and got each other pregnant (hermaphrodite?).

The ending is quite a twist though and I wouldn't reveal it here. But I would prefer the climax to be more dramatic, more thick, more intense and more... enjoyable? Well, in case you are a carbon-based lifeform, I would suggest you to read this book slowly. Devour each word and don't spit it out until you really have digested it.

Enjoy!

The Shadow of the Wind

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:

Barcelona, 1945: A city slowly heals in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, and Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer’s son who mourns the loss of his mother, finds solace in a mysterious book entitled The Shadow of the Wind, by one Julián Carax. But when he sets out to find the author’s other works, he makes a shocking discovery: someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written. In fact, Daniel may have the last of Carax’s books in existence. Soon Daniel’s seemingly innocent quest opens a door into one of Barcelona’s darkest secrets--an epic story of murder, madness, and doomed love.

Review/Comment:

Seldom have I come across a book like this. The author, a Spanish, clearly, is able to evoke the scenes in Barcelona, Spain in such vivid that I can feel the artistry of the buildings and cobblestone paths as I walked down the road of words in this book. Although I don't really read translated books, but this - translated by Lucia Graves - is exceptionally well done. Love it!

The story starts by a mysterious visit to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. I love the idea that each book houses the soul of the author, its secrecy in accessing to this place and the rule it imposes. This opening chapter is like a thick fairy storybook being opened up in the beginning scenes of a film. It draws me into the cities of Spain. What follows is that a book taken by Daniel, the main protagonist, by Julian Carax has such mystery that someone is burning/destroying all of Carax's works.

This story is like a Romeo-and-Juliet tale, but with such rich characters that stands out on each page, you cannot stop reading to get down to the real story why Carax's works are being destroyed by a strange man. Oh, and by the way, there are lots of leitmotivs in the story that you find some sense of Deja vu in it and you shudder at the foreshadowing parts.

The story ends in an epic tone, I feel. It justifies a lot of actions and doesn't leave any hanging. Correct me if I'm wrong. But I kind of tear up at the end when the protagonist child is given a name that resonates throughout the pages of the book.

One drawback of this book, I think, is the lengthy descriptions and some parts move slower than other, maybe the author expects us to give ourselves a break so that we won't be submerged into the sea of words concocted by him and the plot that doesn't stop until the end. And another thing is, the author somehow describes women in a uncomfortable way, like the male characters keep noticing "young calves" of the ladies, "bosoms" and other parts of the bodies. But hey, I read the plot not the descriptions of respectable women!

And one more thing, the author 'conveniently', by using letters send from a character, explains the last/remaining and quite significant chunk of plots just to get the mystery solved! I don't know, but I feel this is wrong in a way. I prefer it to be done by how the Daniel unravels by himself rather than by just reading the letter.

So,

Do I recommend this? Yes! I even made a PowerPoint game out of it!

Aurora of the Morningstar

7.00am. The morningstar peeks from the mountains only to be shrouded behind a thin veil of slumbering nimbus.

I once told my teacher I didn't like mornings because the Sun burns the lands as it goes. But now I know even in the tropics we have auroras.

Yes, the morningstar gives us aurora, Nebula and spectacular cloud show of light and shadows.

At this age, I no longer marvel at majestic skyscrapers or architecture. Nature now takes over. Love it, appreciate it or we will lose it completely forever.

Watermelon Cake

That's right.😋😍

Watermelon cake🍰, topped with glazed strawberries🍓, grapes🍇 and rose petals🌹. What makes the layers? See the red stripe? That's a whole chunk of juicy sweet watermelon "steak"🍉, cheese🧀 and crunchy cookie base🍪.

I got this during a time off at one of a magnificent island nearby. Here's a similar but not equivalent video on how to make it. Enjoy your coming summer with this!

Shadow Captain

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:

The gripping sequel to the Locus award winning science fiction adventure, Revenger, tells a story of obsession and betrayal as two sisters hunt for the greatest treasure in the universe.

Adrana and Fura Ness have finally been reunited, but both have changed beyond recognition. Once desperate for adventure, now Adrana is haunted by her enslavement on the feared pirate Bosa Sennen's ship. And rumors of Bosa Sennen's hidden cache of treasure have ensnared her sister, Fura, into single-minded obsession.

Neither is safe; because the galaxy wants Bosa Sennen dead and they don't care if she's already been killed. They'll happily take whoever is flying her ship.

Shadow Captain is a desperate story of cursed ships, vengeful corporations, and alien artifacts, of daring escapes and wealth beyond imagining ... and of betrayal.

Okay, I admit, I am a fierce reader of Alastair Reynolds' works, most probably because my first novel-length book was his and ever since that, I am the predator of his works, often stalking and skulking for his later works. This book is not an exception.

Going to the genre (I'm not sure it can be counted as a genre) of space pirates, Alastair managed to pull off some traditional essence of piracy with a mix and twist of futuristic tech, for example: sail cloth, lookglass, zombies, booby traps and treasures.

I have read many of his (I think all) of his books since 2007 and I think this Revenger series is a whole new facet of his works. He develops characters more than plots now and his usual BDO inclined work still captivates me like "come on, what the hell is this? You better tell me now" and yet left it hanging. For those who don't know what BDOs are, well, they are actually meant by the words "Big Dumb Object". It is a thing that exist in plots that shows up as huge mysterious objects that somehow has none or little use in the storyline. I give you some examples in his work:

Pushing Ice - the functionality of Janus and Spica structure

Century Rain - the multiple copies of Earth

Revelation Space - the computer matrix of a neutron star

Terminal World - the Godscraper

Poseidon's Children - Watchkeeper

and so much more.

This book, Shadow Captain, manages to deal with the rise and fall of a civilisation across the mindboggling years of humanity and *spoiler alert* there exists a BDO that somehow coincides with this rise and fall of civilisations.

Well against this big plot background are the two sisters, Adrana and Fura Ness. These two are quite... remarkable, judging from the fact of their growth from the previous book. You can see both have switched their personality and they make us think - what changes us? Brainwashing and indoctrination, or just trying not to be the one will actually make you be the one?

Read this book. It's fun and delightful, like a multilayer mille crepe. You definitely don't want to miss this siblings 'rivalry' + pirates + high-tech setting + mystery + espionage multifaceted story. Don't worry, it's an easy read.

Highly recommended!

Phoenix in the Sky

Taken near my work place in the morning

Always believe there is a flame in the clouds

where river flows, red blooms.

The sun is fire

but the phoenix is a flame

When it awakens from the new Earth

I hope it rekindle my soul

The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:

From breathtaking stop-action animation to bittersweet modern fairy tales, filmmaker Tim Burton has become known for his unique visual brilliance – witty and macabre at once. Now he gives birth to a cast of gruesomely sympathetic children – misunderstood outcasts who struggle to find love and belonging in their cruel, cruel worlds. His lovingly lurid illustrations evoke both the sweetness and the tragedy of these dark yet simple beings – hopeful, hapless heroes who appeal to the ugly outsider in all of us, and let us laugh at a world we have long left behind (mostly anyway).

Review/Comment:

Tim Burton, I love his character portrayal, often dark and humorous. It gives a feeling that 'aww, that's sadly delightful'. This book is somewhat expensive in my country, and I've bought it because it's Tim, not because of the price. And I didn't regret it.

The illustrations in the book are captivating. I can feel the sorrow and loneliness of the characters and yet the poems are just as fun to read. It makes us laugh and at the same time pity the characters as they try to find a place in the modern world.

It's a quick read if you don't mind, but anyway the characters want me to want them so bad that I wish I can have a puppet that looks like them. The titular character 'Oyster Boy' is one piece of work that makes me wonder whether this mirrors a society we live in where moral killing is socially agreeable or how one would sacrifice the most precious just to get a luxury one.

Worth to read?