Jun. 18th, 2019 11:50 am
Talking pictures
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muckefuckAt CAKE this year, I picked up a couple of titles for the niblings plus three for me. I've been pacing myself when it comes to reading them because there's something anticlimactic about dropping $20 on a new book only to finish reading it in an hour.
Monkey chef was a good read: a straight guy trying to be honest about his shortcomings and his struggle to be a better person, particularly where women are concerned. What really sells it is the location: a primate sanctuary in South Africa. The people-are-just-like-monkeys parallels aren't really necessary but they don't detract from it either and I liked that some elements (e.g. why some of the other volunteers don't like the narrator) aren't really resolved. He also seems to have avoided score-settling, which is a hazard with memoirs like these.
I had higher hopes for Upgrade soul so naturally it left me somewhat disappointed. It's very high-concept science fiction: an aging couple pay for an experimental procedure to rejuvenate their bodies but it goes wrong leaving them weakened and with horrifying duplicates of themselves. The best thing about this book is the art, which is beautiful and detailed without being slavishly realistic. The author takes some chances with the characters, too, prominently featuring POC and the severely disabled.
Unfortunately, I ultimately felt that he dodged some of the central questions in favour of Grand Guignol twists. The doubles end up making some morally fraught choices (to say the least) and I expected to see more in the way of psychological consequences for the protagonists. How would you react to witnessing a being with the same thoughts and memories as your partner do something unthinkable? How could you feel secure in the relationship with them after that?
A lesser but still important flaw is that much is made of the doubles being not only physically but also intellectually superior to the pair. Yet when one of them takes matters into their own hands in the third act, they seem to act without much of a plan. This feels to be a common flaw in a lot of science fiction--supposedly superintelligent beings which just don't act that way--and it's sad to see Daniels fall into it.
The last comic is the one I have the humblest hopes for. Honestly, I bought it more because the illustrator is a friend than for any other reason, so if it turns out to be good, that'll be a bonus. I'm a frustrated comic book artist myself so I feel like I should do what I can to encourage others.
Monkey chef was a good read: a straight guy trying to be honest about his shortcomings and his struggle to be a better person, particularly where women are concerned. What really sells it is the location: a primate sanctuary in South Africa. The people-are-just-like-monkeys parallels aren't really necessary but they don't detract from it either and I liked that some elements (e.g. why some of the other volunteers don't like the narrator) aren't really resolved. He also seems to have avoided score-settling, which is a hazard with memoirs like these.
I had higher hopes for Upgrade soul so naturally it left me somewhat disappointed. It's very high-concept science fiction: an aging couple pay for an experimental procedure to rejuvenate their bodies but it goes wrong leaving them weakened and with horrifying duplicates of themselves. The best thing about this book is the art, which is beautiful and detailed without being slavishly realistic. The author takes some chances with the characters, too, prominently featuring POC and the severely disabled.
Unfortunately, I ultimately felt that he dodged some of the central questions in favour of Grand Guignol twists. The doubles end up making some morally fraught choices (to say the least) and I expected to see more in the way of psychological consequences for the protagonists. How would you react to witnessing a being with the same thoughts and memories as your partner do something unthinkable? How could you feel secure in the relationship with them after that?
A lesser but still important flaw is that much is made of the doubles being not only physically but also intellectually superior to the pair. Yet when one of them takes matters into their own hands in the third act, they seem to act without much of a plan. This feels to be a common flaw in a lot of science fiction--supposedly superintelligent beings which just don't act that way--and it's sad to see Daniels fall into it.
The last comic is the one I have the humblest hopes for. Honestly, I bought it more because the illustrator is a friend than for any other reason, so if it turns out to be good, that'll be a bonus. I'm a frustrated comic book artist myself so I feel like I should do what I can to encourage others.
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