READING UPDATE: MURAKAMI, KUNDERA, SMITH AND PHILIP K. DICK

It's been a while since my last reading update, hasn't it? If you enjoy book reviews, you are welcome to visit my other book review and reading update posts, for example here. I might not have been updating you about my reads as of late, I didn't stop reading, that's for sure. I have been a bookworm all my life and I see no reason to stop being one. Today I'll review two novels and two collection of short stories, so let's get started. 

MONSOON,  NOVEL BY WILLIAM SMITH  1/5

Usually I have good luck with books but occasionally I do come across I book I dislike or right down hate. Monsoon by Willian Smith was a book that not only disappointed me, but angered me. Feel free to skip reading this review because it is definitely not a book recommendation, more an explanation why I was so horrified with it. I'm tempted not to write about it at all because there is not much to discuss. In my view, this is a low quality book. The writing is sensationalistic and the book is sexist and racist.  It is hard to start your review with positives (or anything really) when all you can think of are the negatives, but I'll give it a try and write what I did like about it. There were a lot of historical details in this book and as someone who enjoys history, I liked that. Whether the author has got all these historical details right or not, I can't be entirely sure, but at least they were interesting and if he did I might have learned something new. At any rate, I learned about King Billy the Dutch ruler of England - I don't think I heard of him before. The irony of England being ruled by a Dutch man, the author pointed it out well. Moreover, there were a few passages in the book that were touching. One African character ( Hal's friend) wasn't portrayed in a bad light. His characterization was a bit stereotypical (the side kick servant) but bearable for most part and then in one instant he does something terrible and there you go. He couldn't even keep that one character positive. Only the protagonist and his sons get to be the heroes. Some of the descriptions of the sea life were well written. The book itself didn't offer much else. The opening of the novel was terrible and it didn't improve much with time. The characters were mostly portrayed in a shallow and a stereotypical way, particularly the female ones that were presented in the worst possible light. The author must have had a very sad life if this novel reflects his opinion of women. All things considered, this strikes me as one of the most racist modern novels I have read. If you have read this novel and liked it... tell me: WHY????HOW????

The novel opens at an English estate where Hall lives with his four sons. His eldest son William (nicknamed Black Billy by his brothers) is of mixed racial ancestry. Hal's oldest son William is his favourite child, from a brief marriage with an Ethiopian princess (who died tragically and seems to have been Hal's great love). I didn't like how this William character was portrayed. William is supposed to be an accomplished and intelligent young man but he is described as not only cruel and violent but also murderous. Not saying that psychopath can't be accomplished or intelligent (sadly they sometimes are), rather it was the racial implication that I found offensive. William abuses his younger brothers despite the fact they pose no treat to him (it is often stressed in the novel that in England the oldest son inherits everything). Like every other character of mixed race in this novel, Hal's oldest son has psychopathic characteristic because 'it is in his blood' apparently. Do I need to explain why I found this offensive? I didn't have the problem with the sibling rivalry but I often it offensive that it is hinted that William has murdering and sadistic tendencies because of his mixed ancestry. More than hinted of, actually. It is clearly written into the book with several passages referring to the 'dark African streak' in him that his father loves and knows can't be changed. If that isn't racist, I don't know what is. 

It is also said that the oldest boy William is Hal's favourite because 'he is a hard men himself'. Hm, there is a difference between being a 'hard man' and being a 'psychopath'. Hal practically saves one of his sons from being killed by William and seems to be alright with it. When Hal is offered a noble rank and fortunes for capturing a pirate that has been bothering His Majesty, Hal decides to take his other sons with him because he is sure that his eldest son would kill them if he didn't. As in really kill his siblings. His favourite son, may I add? Hal doesn't seem surprised by the fact that his oldest son inspires such fear in his younger siblings and when his younger sons beg to be taken along, Hal realizes there is truth in their fears. Hm, what part of this Hal doesn't find strange? I'm pretty sure it was never considered normal for an older brother to actively try to kill his younger brothers- not in colonial England either. At one point in the book, William says to his younger brother that he shall inherit everything, even the noble title- and he does it before his family even has a change of winning the title, before such a request and reward is even made to Hal so how William could have predicted the future like that. A little mistake on the part of the writer. There were a few other mistakes that wouldn't bothered me if the novel had been any good, but this way they did.

SPOILER ALERT! SPOILERS ABOUT THE PLOT ARE ABOUT TO FOLLOW.

Moving on. Besides William, Hal's got two twins, Guy and Tom as well as the youngest boy Dorian. In a way it could be said that this novel follows the adventures of Hal's sons, William, Tom, Guy and Dorian. Hal is there with them, but he is not the star anymore. His character is not consistent. One moment he seems decent, the other he is killing people without a just cause. Hal's sons are all different in character but like him, not one of them is convincing or appealing. They do somewhat develop through the books, though not much. Everything is so stereotypical in this novel, every character and description. It was a rather painful read. Anyhow, Hal sets onto his adventures. There is so much foreshadowing before every event that you don't have to guess what will happen next- you can be fairly certain. Zero surprises and a painfully evident plot are among the main characteristic of this novel. Anyhow, they (Hal and his young sons) sail on in the pursuit of this pirate. Hal actually starts behaving like an honorable man who cares about his crew, this won't last long but at least it is something. We also learn something about his past. Tom and Guy develop a sibling rivalry of their own. Tom has fun with Guy's love interest Catherine and apparently this is enough for Guy (his twin) to decide to kill him at all costs. When they fight for their life, his father doesn't see it fit to make them stop because it is ultimately impossible to do so. So, he watches as his sons try to kill one another- as that is totally normal.

Sure, maybe when you stop a suicidal person from killing themselves, they end up doing it after- but still it is only HUMAN to try to make them stop? When you see two boys fighting to the death, you try to break them apart somehow- because watching one of your sons try to kill another is not something any (normal) parent could stand. Honestly, Hal's actions make no sense. I suppose that doesn't matter for all that you need for book to pass as a novel these days is to put together a third rate adventure story, thrown in a few big words to make one seem eloquent and you're all set. Honestly, it started to feel like their voyage will never end. There are a few graphic description of intercourse between Catherine (if I remember her name right) and Tom that sound more like a rape. Apparently, this young girl says no to Tom while they are making out and stuff, but he forces himself on her because he is obviously stronger and than it is all great because ....? I honestly don't get how that could work. Later on in the novel, when Tom falls in love with Catherine's younger sister Sarah, she is ready to risk all to help them because Catherine LOVES Tom. How could she not? He raped her.  Seriously, I don't know when I read a novel that portrayed women in a worse and more problematic light.

Moving on. Catherine and Tom are forced apart when Guy spies on them and brings his father to watch. Hal, as usual, does nothing because that is what his parenting is about. Tom and Guy don't kill one another in that fight that followed on the ship because the novel needs someone to be after Tom's life, you know for drama and because William is so far away. Eventually Catherine and her family leave the ship and take Guy with them- he doesn't take to the sea and decides to become a clerk or something. We don't really get to know much about him because the author doesn't do characterization but it is obvious Guy will be back and trying to kill Tom because the plot needs it. Meanwhile, Hal has a brilliant idea to lure the pirate ship to attack his ship. He stops at a particular port, feigning his boat needs repairs and then makes it known he is carrying a treasure. Hal prepares for the battle in secret. Very convenient all of it. He also paints his face brown and with the aid of his fluency in Arabic (mentioned about 10 000) times in the novel, he gets information he needs from random Arabs who don't suspect he might be English- because he has painted his face. Eye roll. One of many. Hal's boys wear turbans and can thus pass as Arabs slaves as well. You see they got a tan now so it is ok. Another eye roll. Was this novel really not written centuries ago? Hal then sets to set his trap and capture the Arab pirate everyone is talking about. A sea battle is on horizon and what you know, there is another 'adventure' on its way.

Sweet Dorian is bound for some tragedy followed by a miraculous escape- the author makes endless hints to imply that. Hal takes him to the most dangerous of missions because he cannot resist Dorian's cuteness. Ah, how convenient. Dorian is captures by Islamic pirates but just before they slit his throat, they notice he has red hair and it seems they are suddenly inclined to worship him because in their many centuries of owning and keeping white slaves they have never seen a person with red hair and fair skin? Not one among the many British sailors they killed just a few months ago? Dorian is then adopted by an Arab prince because- cuteness factor. At times, the author does tries to keep us in suspense over Dorian's fate for a white- but he fails miserably. He is obviously too cute for anything bad to happen to him. What else? Oh, it doesn't get more interesting from there. Dorian falls in love and so does Tom. Stuff happens. I roll my eyes over and over again. I wonder countless times: Is this for real? Who reads these kind of books? Finally, the end. The book ends on a romantic note. Needless to say, I probably won't read the next novel to find out more. This book has left me so battled that I honestly don't understand how this writer can have fans. 

1Q84 PART ONE, A NOVEL BY HARUKI MURAMI 3/5

To be honest, the first part of this novel disappointed me to such an extent I'm not sure I will read the sequels. The writing is often beautiful, but so many things about this novel don't make sense. I used to be a huge fan of Murakami until I read this book but now I'm not so sure. I will reserve my judgement until I read the sequels, but I found many things disturbing in this novel. Bellow is my review in Croatian (the one I wrote on Goodreads). If you want a more detailed review, feel free to  

Prva knjiga 1Q84 me razočarala u tolikoj mjeri da nisam sigurna hoću li pročitati drugu i treću knjigu. Gotovo sam se pitala jesam li u nekoj paralelnoj stvarnosti u kojoj Haruki Murakami ne zna pisati i naginje popularnim ali ispraznim modernim filozofijama. Ne kažem da je knjiga izimno loša, ali očekivala sam više. U usporedbi sa njegovim drugim knjigama koje sam čitala, ova je definitivno najslabije djelo. Pisanje je lijeno, puno stereotipa i nepotrebnih ponavljanja. Naglašavam nepotrebnih jer mi ponavljanje kao takvo ne smeta ako ima neku svrhu. Pročitala sam dosta knjiga od Murakamija i nikada mi nije smetala sličnost radnje, ponavljanje motiva i likova. Čak i rekla da volim njegov stil i da ponavljanje i sporost pri pisanju kod njega ima poetičnu notu. No, ne u ovom romanu. Knjigu sam čitala u hrvatskom prijevodu ali mislim da nije nimalo krivnja prevoditelja. Jednostavno, Murakami se ulijenio. Napisao je slabo djelo. Događa se.

Knjiga ima dva glavna lika i pararalne radnje, što je često za Murakamija ali problem ovaj put je bio što se nisam mogla uživiti u likove, dapače bili su mi iritatni. Ženski lik, gospođica Grašak mi je bio posebno besmislen i više nego iritatan. Ona se specijalizirala za ubijanje muškaraca koji tuku svoje supruge. Ubija ih tankom iglom koja ne ostavlja tragove tako da izgleda kao da je riječ o srčanom udaru. Pomaže ju (i plaća) stara i "mudra" bogata udovica. Sve je to je prilično glupo ako se malo bolje pogleda i nema smisla.

Prvo, njihove "plemenite" akcije ne samo da nemaju smisla nego mogu biti i kontraproduktivne. Žene koje muž tuče nisu nužno oslobođene njegovom smrću jer postoji velika vjerojatnost da će se uskoro naći u istoj vezi, možda je čak i vjerojatnije jer nikada neće imati priliku suprostaviti se nasilniku i tako se osloboditi robovanja svojem iskrivljenom viđenju braka. Tim zlostavljanim ženama je potrebna psihološka pomoć, potrebno im je da ih netko pomogne kako bi se suprostavile mužu i kako bi naučile da ih ne privlače takvi muškarci. Potrebno je graditi njihovo sampouzdanje, a jedini način za to je da samostalno donesu odluku za razvod i drže se iste. Udovica očita ima novaca za to, ali nema volje. Spominje kako žene nemaju novaca za odvjetnike i slično, a kada njoj odgovara nema problema i potplatiti nekog pa ne vidim zašto ne bi mogla malo potegnuti veze za kazniti te muškarce. Mislim da njih dvije (udovica i gospođica Grašak) zapravo oduzimaju priliku tim ženama da se zauzmu za sebe. Ubijanje muževa nema nikakvog smisla pogotovo ako se radi tako potajno i bez ičije želje, tek tako jer su one to odlučile, same žrtve nasilja nitko ništa ne pita. Kako bi se one zaista osjećale kada bi saznale istinu? Kako će na njih doista djelovati smrt nasilnika? To nije briga likova u romanu, a izgleda ni samog pisca koji kritizira religije i sekte, ali nema problema veličati problematične ubojice koja boluju od radikalnog feminizma.

Jednostavno mi to ubijanje nema smisla. Muškarci nasilnici su često moćni, navodi se, ali moćna je i udovica koja zanimljivo nije ubila svoga zeta koji je zlostavljao njenu kćer nego ga je poslovno uništila svojim vezama. Zašto ne napravi isto i za ostale zlostavljače? Tko joj daje pravo da odluči koga ubiti? Sada kada bi postojala smrtna kazna za to (ili bilo kakva javna kazna) imalo bi nekom smisla. Nadalje, ako u Japanu zaista postoji toliko učestalo nasilje nad ženama kako ova knjiga sugerira, onda itekako ima smisla pokušati javno posramiti te muškarce, a ne ubijati ih anonimno tako da nitko ništa nezna. Ne znam, sve mi se to čini kao neki debilni feminizam da budem iskrena. Obje (udovita i protagonistica) imaju traume i riješavaju ih se tako da ubijaju ljude. Loše ljude, ali ipak ljude. Nečije očeve, braću i prijatelje. Sve mi je to vrlo čudno, a još mi je čudnije što sam pisac ne zna što želi sa time poručiti. Je li on vjeruje da njihovi potezi imaju smisla ili ne? U jednom trenutku naziva njihovo ponašanje ludilom, ali se ne može osjetiti da ga kritizira.

Nadalje, dijalozi su katastrofalni, drveni i ukočeni. Kao u nekom paralelnom svijetu u kojem je Murikami zaboravio pisati. Negdje na pola romana, sve me je počelo iritirati, a pogotovo nagovještaj ljubavne priče s gospođicom Grašak. Ona spava s kim stigne, a ne traži protagonista romana (u kojeg se zaljubila u djetinstvu) zato jer zna da će se jednom sresti. U zemlji napučenoj kao Japan strašne su šanse da se netko 'sretne', ali dobro. Mogla bi jedostavno pogledati u imenik ili prihvatiti ponudu svoje prijateljice policajke da ga pronađe ali ne..... Gospođica Grašak će se radije opijati, spavati s hrpom muškaraca (ne smeta joj ni najmanje što su oženjeni), rugajući im se i onda se žaliti kako joj je teško biti žena. Mislim u slobodno vrijeme kada ne ubija ljude za novac ili vježba udaranje u jaja. Njen lik mi je stvarno iritatan, a pošto zauzima pola romana, razumije se da mi i sami roman ide na živce. Zanimljivo je i da su mi se preko noći počeli manje sviđati romani ovog pisca. Kao da su mi se svi ti njegovi karakteristični motivi zgadili kada sam ih pročitala u ovom djelu.

Ovoj knjizi dajem trojku isključivo zato jer je roman u nastavcima i nadam se da će postati bolji. Jedino što mi se doista svidjelo u ovom romanu su opisi pisanja romana Kukuljice od zraka te opis malih ljudi. Tu je nagovješteno nešto zanimljivo, zbog čega ću možda i pročitati drugi i treći dio. Možda. Još nešto što mi je bilo dobro je intertekstualnost samog djela koje uključuje i citate Čehova i djela klasične japanske književnosti koji su mi se svidjeli i bili su odlično uklopljeni u radnju.

LAUGHTABLE LOVES, A COLLECTION OF STORIES BY MILAN KUNDERA 4/5

Before I get to reviewing this book, first let me warn you that it is not for very sensible or moralistic people. There are some graphic elements to these stories and even some slightly disturbing ones.  If you are familiar with Kundera's style, you probably won't be surprised by the dark parts but if you aren't, then you might not enjoy it. I can understand how somebody might see this collection as sexist and/or offensive even if I personally don't. Wonderful thing about literature is that we can all experience it differently. Kundera's sense of humour is sometimes quite dark and is never politically correct. I personally like Kundera's writing but he definitely not for everyone. That being said, I do think this is a great collection of stories. 

Laughable Loves is perhaps best described as a collection of short stories that walks the fine line between tragic and funny. I do like Kundera's sense of humour. At times cheeky, at times dark, Kundera does humour in his way. Some of this stories are more explicit venturing slightly into the terrain of erotica, while others are more philosophical and human. Some of them analyze the society and reference politics, while others are just silly and fun. The characters are pretty well developed for the story form and quite memorable as well. There is even some (nicely done) psychological analysis of some of the characters. At any rate, a very impressive collection of stories. For me personally, this book was exactly what I expected it to be. It has cheered me up after a rather disappointing experience I have had with reading 1Q84 #1 by Murakami. At least Kundera didn't disappoint. 

ELECTRIC DREAMS, A COLLECTION OF STORIES BY PHILIP K. DICK, 4/5

This is a lovely collection of stories that served as an inspiration for the series Electric Dreams. Consisting of ten stories, this book is a great insight into Philip K. Dick's shorter prose works. Some of these stories fall more into macabre/horror genre (with a distinct Twilight Zone vibe) than into science fiction (as the title would imply). All the stories are well written, but some have aged better than others. None of these stories was a five star read for me, but altogether they are a fine group of stories and I enjoyed reading them. I will review the stories individually bellow.

1. The Hood Maker (1955) 4/5

One of my favourite stories in this collection, it talks about a future world in which everyone's mind is regularly scanned. Someone comes up with a special 'hoodie' that can put at end to mind reading and sends it to various individuals, including those in the government. Even those loyal to the government feel tempted to wear it- to have one's mind to one's self has become the ultimate luxury. However, hood wearers are typically verbally and physically attacked by the people they come in contact with because the general public resent the hood wearers for 'hiding' their mind. This is one of the stories that really got me thinking as in today's time we have practically given our privacy away by using technology that can easily track (and monitor) our day to day thinking process. A well written story with one or two interesting twists and some food for the mind.

2. The Impossible Planet (1953) 4/5

An old lady that is three and a half century old insists that she is taken to Earth. The captain first denies her, explaining that Earth is a myth, that there never was a base planet the human race emerged from. However, as the old lady is quite stubborn and willing to pay handsomely, he finally agrees to look for Earth and take her there. The captain takes her to a place that is most like Earth (based on his research). This is an interesting story and a view into feature. Will Earth remain our home or it will be something we have left behind? The story maintains is quite atmospheric and convincing. It is filled with nostalgic and sad vibes that I found quite convincing.

3. The Commuter (1953) 3/5

A man comes to buy tickets to a town that doesn't exists. Or does it? Jacobs shows him the map but the man disappears. The protagonist Jacobson decides to find out what this all means. This story is interesting and well written, but ultimately not very memorable.

4. Sales Pitch (1954) 4/5

Another story set in the future, this one follows Ed Morris who returns home exhausted after a hard day work. The commute from Ganimed to Earth takes him two hours as Jupiter is facing Earth and all the way he is tormented by the various visual and audio ads that just won't shot up. Robots bully people into buying things and there is no disputing with their merciless persistence. When a robot who sells himself shows at Morris' door, Morris is completely bewildered. This story comes with a message. It points out how aggressive advertising can be a cause of constant stress for the general population and a violation of one's personal space and peace. It is also a critique of modern society, I believe. It's still relevant today, I'd hasten to add.

5. Exhibit Piece (1954) 4/5

A man from the future who works in a museum creates such a convincing exhibit that he is somehow transported back in time. He appears in the new reality- in the past exhibit he has created. He visits a psychologist there and argues about this reality switch with him- a quite funny conversation. Soon we learn that the future he has left is not such a great place, so he is tempted to stay. I liked the atmosphere of this story and the pessimistic ending was quite brilliant.

6. Human IS (1955) 4/5

A woman is married to a horrible emotionless scientist who doesn't let her own nephew come to visit them because he interferes with his science work. Soon the scientist leaves to conduct research on some planet and the woman realizing how happier she is without him, consider divorcing him when he returns. However, when he returns, the scientist Lester is a changed man. How is that possible? This was a simple and fun story to read. I'm not sure how original the concept is, but since it was written in 1955, it is entirely possible that Philip K. Dick was one of the first to come up with it.

7. The Hanging Stranger (1953) 4/5

A man who has just finished some digging work in his garden goes off to work. Suddenly he noticed that a dead body is hanging. That's certainly odd but the oddest thing is that nobody seems to care about it. Suddenly we get this Twilight Zone vibes and I have to say that some parts of this story are truly terrifying. This was a well written macabre story with elements of pure horror.

8. Autofac (1955) 4/5

Another story set in the future where automatic factories work on their own and their programming is becoming a treat to humans because these factories just keep on working and there is a danger they will exhaust the Earth's resources. The factories are making deliveries to people, but they are automatic in function, not listening to anyone. They were thus programmed during some past war and now they're just running with it. A group of people is trying to sabotage them and cause them to malfunction so they can take over them. This was also a well written and interesting story focusing on the conflict between humanity and technology that got out of hand.

9. Foster, You're Dead (1955) 4/5

A young buy Mike Foster asks to be let home early from school. His teacher Ms Cummings is unsympathetic at first but soon notices the fear in his eyes. As other kids let her on it, she starts to understand why the kid is so afraid. Mike Foster is terrified because his family is the only one without a nuclear shelter and he cannot use the school one because his father didn't donate to buy some defense stuff. This story clearly references the nuclear fears of the sixties, but to me it seems so modern and relevant. Nothing sells better than fear, nothing makes people buy something like convincing them they will die if they don't. It's the rule of terror. This is a story that is still relevant today because it shows how governments use fear and anxiety to control their civil population. The story itself is alright, but more than the plot the and the characters, I liked the message it so clearly delivers.

10. The Father-Thing (1954) 3/5

This story feels like it was written by Stephen King in many ways. For example, like many of King's best known novels, this story features children as protagonists. Together (and without the help of adults), the kids must work against a creature trying to destroy them. The story opens with a kid who learns that his father has been eaten by some kind of creature who now looks like his father. Nobody notices the change expect him (he found his father's skin so he even has some proof). After his father (but really a Father-thing, the creature) decided to discipline him (and who knows what else), the son runs to a neighbouring boy and explains his predicament. After some reassuring (the son shows the neighbouring boy the skin of his father left over by the creature), the boy agrees to help him and even enlist help of another boy- the tracker. Together they must fight and destroy the Father-Thing who might be after them all. This story was well written, plotted and dramatic, but ultimately just not my cup of tea.

Have you per change read any of these? Can you recommend some other books by these authors? Thank you all for reading and commeting.