Of Playthings and Puppets

I may have previously alluded to only purchasing a handful of books for the remainder of the year. Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol was one of those (as was Stephen King’s Under the Dome, which just got its price slashed across the board–very beautiful). After finishing the book today, I honestly wish I hadn’t bothered with it.

The hotly anticipated books premise is a relatively simple one: Robert Langdon, protagonist of the infamous The Da Vinci Code, is back and this time he’s in D.C. to look for another (surprise!) hidden artifact. Along the way, there are freaky male antagonists (this one has tattoos on top of being pale and hairless), some kind of love interest (sadly, not a descendant of Jesus this time around), a friend to lend a hand (pun intended for those who’ve read the book), and a handful of CIA agents and the like. Yes, this is all quite simple, but unfortunately, it also reads rather simple.

I’m not sure whether or not Da Vinci Code utilized the same tactic, as I haven’t read it in some time, but each chapter of Lost Symbol ends on a what seems like a cliffhanger. This happens regardless of whether the section is three or ten pages long. This technique is usually meant to drive tension and build suspense, yet as I read, the cliffhangers only served to annoy me. Compounding this annoyance was the overuse of not revealing integral parts of the story to readers despite characters reacting to said event. Too many times, I was confronted with Langdon performing a double take or sighing in exclamation at a new development, yet I would have to wait multiple chapters to understand. This didn’t occur with just the mysterious side of the book, either. In fact, one of the final chapters has Brown exclude Langdon asking another character to visit the hospital… a point revealed just a page later.

These may seem enough to annoy any reader, but Brown took it even further by overlaying the text with extensive expository paragraphs that serve only to slow the pace of this “thriller.” I won’t spoil any particular point, but Brown does this in nearly every chapter, and clutters the story’s climax with lengthy dialogue that supposedly serves to explain the book’s “mystery” (not entirely mysterious, nor exciting, actually). Even before this climax, the expository paragraphs served to spoil the final “twist” hundreds of pages before it occurred, though none of the characters seemed to figure it out and are somehow shocked at title’s conclusion.

All of this occurs in a book with the absolutely dullest characters. Langdon is a walking encyclopedia with faulty eidetic memory (he can remember every phone number he’s ever dialed but not a grid of characters seen just a few minutes earlier?) that is either shocked or disbelieving of every fact thrown is way. The antagonist wants to screw everyone over for seemingly no reason (even given his eventual reason, his actions still seem a bit… extreme). Love interest Katherine could be interesting, but is too one-note to be anything worthwhile. The only sympathetic character is Langdon’s friend Peter, who barely appears at all. Even the other supporting characters barely bring anything more to the table but more misdirection and/or explanations.

It all boils down to a paint-by-numbers thriller lacking anything remotely resembling a thrill. Several times throughout the book, I simply wanted to put it down and read something better, but after spending my money, I simply couldn’t do it. I wanted, hoped, it would turn around and be worthwhile. It wasn’t. And I’ll never get those days back. But I did learn to avoid any Dan Brown titles in the future (not like it matters; the man never has to work another day in his life, does he?).

You may remember that, awhile back, I began my marathon of Robert A. Heinlein books. I’m certain most readers haven’t even heard of this sci-fi, so if you haven’t, be sure to at least check out this Wikipedia entry on the man. Besides being extremely talented at conveying even the most indescribable thought, if you look closely at the picture there, you’ll see he bears a striking resemblance to John Locke of Lost fame. Coincidence? I think not.

Anyway, as can be read in the Wikipedia entry, many of Heinlein books dealt with (to put it bluntly) two things: sex and space. Now, the ideas within the books were much more varied, don’t get me wrong, but, essentially, the majority were about sex… and space. Beyond This Horizon isn’t particularly about either of these, though the first does make a few appearances… and is the central point of why the man does what he does… okay, so Beyond this Horizon sticks to the same mold, but in a different way.

It’s not like his later books (I’ll get to those soon), but it’s not like his early short work, either. This book is pure transition, and possibly for that reason, it isn’t all that memorable. In fact, after only a few weeks and 2.5 Heinlein books later, I barely recall the title at all (though enough to write this review).

What I can remember, however, is that the concepts introduced within the pages of Beyond this Horizon very much fed into the later Stranger in a Strange Land, what some may consider his most fantastic novel (I would have to agree). Supermen, revolution (sexual or otherwise), eugenics… it’s all here, right here, in these 240 some odd pages, and all are more explored in such detail that no current author could possibly produce better even if given a thousand pages.

Yet, as I said, a book should be memorable. And despite its merits, this one certainly is not. I’m certain others may argue differently, but Heinlein best period of work was only just beginning….

This title is available for purchase here.

The Past Through Tomorrow (8.3/10)

I’ve given the whole book an 8.3/10, but, really, the stories vary in quality and so I’ve decided to break down the score even further. This is even more appropriate, especially given one story, “Let There Be Light,” was not in this collection but instead in The Man Who Sold the Moon. Many of the stories also appear elsewhere, so this particular collection, which supposedly collects “all” of his future histories (it doesn’t), is not necessary.

“Life-Line”

A great short story and also Heinlein’s first published piece, this story directly ties into the later Lazarus Long saga and is simply a fantastic “what if?” with a Twilight Zone twist exemplifying science fiction’s prowess.

“The Roads Must Roll”

Written before the advent of the freeway, this is Heinlein’s prediction of what mass transit will inevitably be. The story’s entertaining in itself, and unlike some of his others, doesn’t get too bogged down with technical info.

“Blowups Happen”

Definitely one of the more interesting tales of his future histories, as well as one of the longer, Blowups Happen kept me practically on the edge of my seat up until the very end.

“The Man who Sold the Moon”

Well, the title says it all, but while this lengthy story may be considered a sci-fi classic, there are times when the technicalities abound and made me want to shoot myself… though I’m not sure how many other writers could attain his level of detail.

“Delilah and the Space-Rigger”

Another short piece, but one of the more memorable, both because of its levity as well as what it meant to the larger Heinlein-verse. The story also has one of the most logical solutions to a problem I’ve ever seen. Ever.

“Space Jockey”

This is one of those stories that, while short, can be nearly unbearable because of the author’s depth, though here it’s quite easy to push through to reach the tale’s sweet conclusion.

“Requiem”

Basically the conclusion to “The Man Who Sold the Moon,” “Requiem” finally sees our boy Harriman make it to the moon in a manner similar to the 2000 film Space Cowboys. A great ending for a great man.

“The Long Watch”

In my opinion, one of Heinlein’s best pieces ever. Truly heart-rending, this details the lengths a man can go to protect what he loves and the world he lives on. Truly amazing.

“Gentlemen, Be Seated”

Maybe one of his most comedic stories… but in a very sinister manner befitting the other tales in the collection. Actually, if not for the short epilogue (which I’m not entirely certain was there in the first place), this story would be a lot more… disgusting.

“The Black Puts of Luna”

A cute tale of a boys love for his annoying little brother… or is it his love of the moon? Maybe it’s both? Either way, it’s a pretty enjoyable story with none of the nonsense that tangles up other narratives.

“‘It’s Great to be Back!’”

This is an interesting piece because it serves as an analysis of our society, or rather, our future from the point of someone who used to live there but no longer does. We’ve all been there, but this does quite an effective job of recreating the experience and the desires to go back to our roots.

“‘–We Also Walk Dogs’”

I wasn’t particularly fond of this one, but I can’t really pinpoint why. The story is rather unique, it moves at a good enough pace… but it did get bogged down slightly by technical jargon. I don’t know. It does make another appearance later in another story, though, which is definitely neat.

“Searchlight”

How do you find a lost woman on the moon if she’s blind? Well, Heinlein takes a few pages to figure out an interesting, albeit rather personal, solution to the problem. A prompt and satisfying read.

“Ordeal in Space”

This story was interesting because Heinlein basically created a new type of PTSD, one that, should space exploration continue, is likely to actually occur, and then places the affected person in quite a delicate position. Enjoyable.

“The Green Hills of Earth”

My favorite of all the stories in this book, TGHoE is a character exploration of a poet–a theme that has been popular among many sci-fi writers–as he becomes a true hero. Absolutely fantastic and deserves all of its credit.

“Logic of Empire”

Another story laden with extensive jargon, the story is very reminscent of Starship Troopers in that it explores other societies on other planets. It could be entertaining, if you can get past the nonsense.

“The Menace From Earth”

A really, really cute and touching story of teen romance as only Heinlein could create, especially as it pertains to teenagers learning to fly in an underground cave. Yeah, that’s right.

“‘If This Goes On–’”

Kind of a weird story, but really quite original. While it explored some mundane aspects of the world, the text was never overbearing and read quite freely.

“Coventry”

Probably his most “messed up” story in all the future histories, this tale resembles those seen in either Escape From New York or Escape From L.A., as well as a dozen other films and novels.

“Misfit”

Again, a story lost in details the reader simply doesn’t need to know. I wonder just how different readers were then, or maybe this “hard” sci-fi is simply not my cup o’ tea.

“Methuselah’s Children”

The pièce de résistance, this story may be most popular because it introduces readers to Lazarus Long, a character seen in several stories and books and perhaps one of the greatest ever created. The story itself is rather interesting as well, and is a must read for other stories within Heinlein’s world, including The Number of the Beast, Time Enough for Love, etc.

“Let There be Light” [Found in The Man who Sold the Moon]

This short exemplifies precisely what I believe should be done when something life-changing is created. In this case, it is free light, heat, energy… just an amazing thing. Think the power industry would let this happen, though? No, I think not.