Connie Willis' Oxford Time Travel series is based in the History department of Oxford University in the mid-twenty-first century. In this future time travel was discovered, but when the space-time continuum prevented anyone from making a profit, the whole enterprise was turned over to the academics for study. In the first book of the series, The Doomsday Book, we meet historians who are studying the coming of the Black Death in Europe. Thus is time travel established as a way for researchers to obtain a first-hand account of many of history's most significant eras and events.
We are also told about "slippage," a phenomenon that occurs, ostensibly, to prevent historians from disturbing the flow of the space-time continuum, and changing history (i.e., you can't go back in time and assassinate Hitler). Slippage is the variation between the date and time set for the historian's arrival and the actual arrival. Variation (apparently) is generally minutes or hours, but as we see in the third and fourth book in the series (which make up a sub-series of their own), when slippage becomes weeks and months, it is worrying.
Blackout and All Clear, which really is an 1100-page book divided into two volumes, takes us from 2060, to 1944, to 1940-41, back to 2060, then back to 1941 via 1995 ("wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey" indeed as another time traveler once remarked). The books follow the story of three historians who are studying various aspects of Britain during World War II and their eventually stranding in the past. I found the story of Polly, Eileen, and Mike and the variety of contemps ("contemporaries," those who actually belong in the past) surrounding them to be equally compelling as both science fiction and historical fiction.
As the story jumps back-and-forth among a number of times and settings, the reader gradually sees the connections and the intertwining of both the space-time continuum ("normal" timeline) and the timelines of the characters. Polly's first research assignment was in 1944-45, followed by a jump to 1940-41. Based on this, she knew what would happen because for her it already had happened (see, "wibbly-wobbly"). According to Willis, and her Oxford History Department, historians cannot affect history, but, is that really true? This becomes the central question for Polly, Eileen, and Mike, and the reader is pulled into the question and forced to examine the forces of correlation and causation that may--or may not--exist.
Blackout and All Clear can very well be read on their own, as for the most part very few characters carry over from The Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog, however, all four books are very engaging, and should be enjoyed by fans of science fiction, historical fiction, and (in the case of To Say Nothing of the Dog) mysteries.
03 June 2014
12 April 2014
03 April 2014
Erotic Exchanges by Nina Kushner
In the interest of full disclosure, I feel that I must start by saying that Nina and I went to high school together. When she published Erotic Exchanges: The World of Elite Prostitution in Eighteenth-Century Paris I told her I would give her a review on my blog. This is not, however, just supporting a friend and her career, as I found this book interesting, and fairly accessible to non-historians, as well as non-French speakers (although I did have trouble keeping some of the names straight).
First of all, I want to recognize the amount of research that clearly went into this book. I have great respect for Nina for wading through handwritten police reports from the 1700s, in French, no less. I can only imagine that the handwriting alone was a challenge! This is clearly a topic of great interest to her, and this book will clearly be important to those interested in the history of Paris, of prostitution, and of women's roles. I don't think I would have had the persistence to pursue this sort of work (although folks said that about my dissertation as well, so, to each his own, as they say).
The accessibility of this book comes mainly through the vignettes about the women and their various men that are woven throughout the analysis of their situations. Stories of girls entering the world of high-class sex for sale, of families using this world to advance themselves through their daughters, and the tales of love, wealth, poverty, and death that connected everything together.
In my view, this book gave a lot of positive views of these women. Many of them were clearly in complete control of their lives, and often strung along multiple men, so they really never had to suffer a decline in lifestyle. The connections between the theater, the ballet, and the opera and this world (the demimonde) were well laid out, and ran deep during the time period under study. It seems that the police inspectors in eighteenth-century Paris could probably have made good money as paparazzi and gossip writers in Hollywood today!
Now, this is an academic publication, even with its stories and accessibility to a more general audience. As such, there are some more dense parts to it. Anyone unfamiliar with this style of writing and chapter formatting may find it slow-going in places, but hopefully they will stick with it to really take in the observations made along the way.
If there is one weakness (and I joked with Nina about this on facebook), it is the lack of illustrations. She replied to my comment on that by saying that if there had been, the book might be selling more copies. Alas, readers will have to make do with the pictures in their own minds.
Erotic Exchanges was educational, interesting, with stories that read, in places, like a soap opera. Nina Kushner brought these women, and men, to life and opened up a somewhat hidden world to her readers. Don't just take my word for it, pick up a copy for yourself.
First of all, I want to recognize the amount of research that clearly went into this book. I have great respect for Nina for wading through handwritten police reports from the 1700s, in French, no less. I can only imagine that the handwriting alone was a challenge! This is clearly a topic of great interest to her, and this book will clearly be important to those interested in the history of Paris, of prostitution, and of women's roles. I don't think I would have had the persistence to pursue this sort of work (although folks said that about my dissertation as well, so, to each his own, as they say).
The accessibility of this book comes mainly through the vignettes about the women and their various men that are woven throughout the analysis of their situations. Stories of girls entering the world of high-class sex for sale, of families using this world to advance themselves through their daughters, and the tales of love, wealth, poverty, and death that connected everything together.
In my view, this book gave a lot of positive views of these women. Many of them were clearly in complete control of their lives, and often strung along multiple men, so they really never had to suffer a decline in lifestyle. The connections between the theater, the ballet, and the opera and this world (the demimonde) were well laid out, and ran deep during the time period under study. It seems that the police inspectors in eighteenth-century Paris could probably have made good money as paparazzi and gossip writers in Hollywood today!
Now, this is an academic publication, even with its stories and accessibility to a more general audience. As such, there are some more dense parts to it. Anyone unfamiliar with this style of writing and chapter formatting may find it slow-going in places, but hopefully they will stick with it to really take in the observations made along the way.
If there is one weakness (and I joked with Nina about this on facebook), it is the lack of illustrations. She replied to my comment on that by saying that if there had been, the book might be selling more copies. Alas, readers will have to make do with the pictures in their own minds.
Erotic Exchanges was educational, interesting, with stories that read, in places, like a soap opera. Nina Kushner brought these women, and men, to life and opened up a somewhat hidden world to her readers. Don't just take my word for it, pick up a copy for yourself.
02 April 2014
22 March 2014
The Sanguinists Series - James Rollins and Rebecca Cantrell
Armageddon is coming, but a trio of individuals from prophecy can save us. The Woman of Learning, the Knight of Christ, and the Warrior of Man must save the world from the plotting of the immortal Judas Iscariot. What? And.... there are vampires. On both sides of the battle.
There are two books in this series, so far: Blood Gospel, and Innocent Blood. I have read many of James Rollins' Sigma Force books, which typically involve the search for some kind of mystical, historical, or scientific (if not all three) item that poses a threat to the world and civilization as we know it. I have not read anything else by Rebecca Cantrell, who apparently is best known for her historical-mystery Hannah Vogel series. In reading this I was expecting a blending of mystery, thriller, treasure hunt, and religious undertones (since so many of the great historical-mystical stories seem to involve some kind of religion to some extent). What I wasn't expecting was the undead, yet, they appeared, and were woven deeply into the mythology that Rollins and Cantrell have developed around their heroes.
Without giving too much more away, these good-vs-evil novels bring a new twist on both religious fiction as well as vampire mythology. They are fairly fast reads, and if the thought of an archaeologist, soldier, and priest teaming up to save the world excites you, then pick up Blood Gospel soon, and join the adventure.
There are two books in this series, so far: Blood Gospel, and Innocent Blood. I have read many of James Rollins' Sigma Force books, which typically involve the search for some kind of mystical, historical, or scientific (if not all three) item that poses a threat to the world and civilization as we know it. I have not read anything else by Rebecca Cantrell, who apparently is best known for her historical-mystery Hannah Vogel series. In reading this I was expecting a blending of mystery, thriller, treasure hunt, and religious undertones (since so many of the great historical-mystical stories seem to involve some kind of religion to some extent). What I wasn't expecting was the undead, yet, they appeared, and were woven deeply into the mythology that Rollins and Cantrell have developed around their heroes.
Without giving too much more away, these good-vs-evil novels bring a new twist on both religious fiction as well as vampire mythology. They are fairly fast reads, and if the thought of an archaeologist, soldier, and priest teaming up to save the world excites you, then pick up Blood Gospel soon, and join the adventure.
21 February 2014
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