Reader's Notebook, 10/28/26
For the first time in ages I’ve hit a reading lull. Some of it is because of my schedule recently. Most of it is because two books that I began just did not work for me. Still, two more additions to the pile of finished books.
Biological War - Annie Jacobsen
The exciting follow-up to her nightmarish Nuclear War: A Scenario. Sarcasm intended.
The format here is a little different. Nuclear War was a second-by-second simulation of how a modern nuclear conflict would play out. In her latest book Jacobsen provides more academic descriptions of the history of biological weapons, which ones exist today, where they are stored, who is responsible for tracking them, and so on. Into that she weaves a story of how an accidental release in Siberia rapidly spreads around the world and, within a few days, destroys society as we know it. In some ways it is more insidious that nuclear war, which unfurls much quicker and with clear indicators it is happening. You can choose to run away from or to where the missiles are going to land. However, you could have a deadly pathogen in your days several days without knowing - and been transmitting it to others - before you have passed the point where you cannot be saved.
You may have read there was a recent death in Russia that was attributed to the pneumonic plague, which is disease at the center of this book. Some friends who had also read this and I immediately got a little nervous. It seems like that was, indeed, an isolated event. But it did occur right where a lot of Russian biological agents are stored…
Frightening stuff. And perhaps further proof humans have evolved too far if we have amassed not only weapons that could wipe our species out in a matter of hours, but also whole categories of genetically modified viruses and germs that can accomplish the same function, if slightly slower.
Over the summer I put a ton of books on reserve at the library. As one point I think I was up to 10. Some had wait lists that were months long. When this one finally came in, my Holds queue was emptied out. Time to start building again!
I’ve heard about Fry’s interpretations of classic Greek and Roman myths for years. Like a lot of people, it took the release of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey to get me to finally read one. It was worth the wait.
Unlike John Wiswell’s Wearing The Lion, which added sarcasm and modern humor to the story of Heracles, this is a much simpler translation into modern, navigable English of Homer’s original epic, along with some serious editing. I forget when I read Homer’s The Odyssey, but I remember being bored with all the repetition and endless asides and back histories. Or at least I think I was. It’s been too long.
Anyway, with Fry’s cuts this became a very lean story. To be honest, it is slightly less enjoyable because it loses its epic feel. Or, perhaps better stated, it loses the historical weight that comes with a story that was handed down orally over centuries. All those asides are the various narrators over the years adding context, or circling back when they think their audience is getting lost. While that can be tedious to read in the 21st Century, it also connects the reader better to the original story.
That slight criticism stated, I enjoyed Fry’s take on Odysseus’ travels through the Mediterranean Sea. It as far preferable than spending a couple weeks slogging through a more traditional, poetic translation of Homer’s original.
Abandoned Books
Black House - Stephen King and Peter Straub
I believe it was the summer of 1993 when I discovered Stephen King’s books. My mom had always been a fan and there were rows of them on her bookshelves. But I was not much for horror, and assumed all of his books were horror, so never had interest. Until earlier that year when a roommate was reading the new, expanded edition of The Stand. I skimmed the back cover blurb and saw it was more of an epic fantasy. So when I got home that May I pulled my mom’s copy of The Stand down and started reading.
I was immediately hooked. Pretty much all I read that summer, and for the next year or so, was King books.
In there was King’s collaboration with Peter Straub, The Talisman. That was one of my mom’s favorites, and mine as well.
About a month ago I read that a third entry in The Talisman trilogy was coming out this month. “Third entry?” I thought. “I never knew there was a second!” I consulted with Brother in Books Sir Dave V and he confirmed that Black House was over 20 years old. How the hell did I miss that? Seemed like time to catch up before the new edition hit.
I tried. But I could not get past the first chapter. It was this endless description of this little town and some of the people in it. I’m all for scene setting but it kept going on-and-on without getting to any actual story. I read for 10-15 minutes, admittedly perhaps not in the highest state of energy or focus, and then gave up. I hit the Return To Library button and was done. So I guess I won’t be reading the new one, either.
The final entry in Sherwood’s very modern James Bond trilogy. I did not love the first two, but I figured I should see how things ended.
Well, my friends, with this book I violated one of my core reading rules. I’ve always said that I can give up on a book any time before I get to page 100, but once I cross that threshold I am committed to finishing it. I made it about halfway through this nearly 400 page novel before it got kicked to the curb.
I could never find a good rhythm with it, that level of interest when I can sit and read for an hour or so. Each chapter felt like a slog. There was too much jumping around amongst characters. I was not fully invested in them, either. I took my Kindle with me on my KC trip but didn’t open it once, even on the night when I was struggling to fall asleep.
Monday I tried to get back into it and decided I hated it. Life is too short to waste on bad books. Or something like that. It went back to the library, too, and a couple replacements were downloaded. I’m already 100+ pages into the next one.