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threemonkeysI am usually pretty stubborn when it comes to books. Once I start reading one, I usually read right through it even it it turns out to be a turkey. Occasionally I fail. I know life is too short to spend it reading bad books but I don't like failing in this regard.
So understand that failing to complete Crucible by Nancy Kress is not a small thing. Although some allowance should be made for the final decision to abandon it after a 200 page time investment was made while I wasn't feeling well. Some authors get better over time. Some do the other thing. Kress started her published career in an interesting way - hardish SF with a strong helping of sociology. But this seems to have become stale over time without enough improvement in craft to compensate.
The thing about Crucible is that it contains some not very subtle allegorical elements over the "war on terror" and US involvement in Iraq. This has the potential to be interesting. Pity Kress forgot about writing interesting characters around it. Even when some of these are the same characters as in the previous book - Crucible is the sequel to Crossfire which, while not great, was an OK read.
I had to go read ASIM #3 to compensate and make me want to read again. ASIM always succeeds in this respect but even though I have rationed them, that was the last one I had left from Continuum. Which reminds me - must go see if issue 20 has been mailed out yet - my subscription should have kicked in for this one.
So understand that failing to complete Crucible by Nancy Kress is not a small thing. Although some allowance should be made for the final decision to abandon it after a 200 page time investment was made while I wasn't feeling well. Some authors get better over time. Some do the other thing. Kress started her published career in an interesting way - hardish SF with a strong helping of sociology. But this seems to have become stale over time without enough improvement in craft to compensate.
The thing about Crucible is that it contains some not very subtle allegorical elements over the "war on terror" and US involvement in Iraq. This has the potential to be interesting. Pity Kress forgot about writing interesting characters around it. Even when some of these are the same characters as in the previous book - Crucible is the sequel to Crossfire which, while not great, was an OK read.
I had to go read ASIM #3 to compensate and make me want to read again. ASIM always succeeds in this respect but even though I have rationed them, that was the last one I had left from Continuum. Which reminds me - must go see if issue 20 has been mailed out yet - my subscription should have kicked in for this one.
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Date: 2005-09-28 07:15 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2005-09-28 07:19 am (UTC)