Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town by Cory Doctorow

"A miraculous novel of secrets, lies, magic--and Internet connectivity" hails the cover. And that's what you have, really. The story can basically be separated into two parts that finally spill over into the third. The storyline isn't always clear and this doesn't always matter. Actually, it works to the author's advantage because he can take bits that perhaps he wanted in, that weren't totally vital to the main story, and wedge them between a cliffhanger and its resolution. You find yourself blazing through this novel to find out the next bit leading to the next and so on.
First, we have the protagonist living in Toronto, trying to find his place in a new neighborhood. He soon makes friends and enemies, and eventually hooks up with a thirty-something punk that is on a quest to install free Wifi across the city, or as far as he can.
Second, we delve into the dark and bizarre past of the main character as he grows into the somewhat normal man he has become, and struggles to maintain. There is a brother feud, one is killed, then he comes back as a shambly zombie type character to seek revenge.
But as the novel progresses, as Doctorow merges the worlds together, the real delight of the novel surfaces. This is a fantasy novel - it has golems, goblins, and talking mountains. However, this side of the story is treated very realistically, even when the author tramples past the limits of some stories, he keeps it toned. Calling this fantasy, and indeed it was published by TOR, presents the story with false impressions. There is a realism that keeps the whole concept together, that other "fantasy creatures invading the world of humans" cannot muster.
It's a thoroughly entertaining novel. I killed the 300 page thing in about two days. Unlike me, a slow reader. His ideas pop, and his homework, well he probably already knew the technical bits about home restoration and wifi. Actually, I know he did. So it all comes off as smooth and wonderful. It's fun. There are dark moments, but they are fun too. You won't get your life changed by the plot, you won't think in new ways, but you will get reminded of this fantastic book often, giggling to yourself.

(p.s. this is the second novel-sized work I've read of Mr.Doctorow's. I liked Down and Out better, but that's just me.)

You can read Cory's writings daily on Boingboing.net and find his stories at craphound.com. His novella, After the Siege, recently won a Locus award.

-jldale

Coffee and Repartee by John Kendrick Bangs

In a boarding house, at the dining table, surrounded by learned men of various fields, the Idiot, our hero, spins verbal traps and parrys the onslaughts of others using his keen wit and assistance from a drinky gentleman. This short novella has no real action, no real character development, and the protagonist's main motivation, and indeed the motivation for the story, is attempting to outwit the other men at the table, as they naturally look down upon him. He is, in fact, only know as the Idiot.
The charm of this piece is in all these things. They work together to form a dialogue driven story that brings the reader into a close intimacy with the characters with little or no precursor. Some of the tricks can be seen coming, and some cannot, but the book never wears thin. Each chapter jumps from one day to another, with no designation, but this is fine.
Because of the length, and the quality of the content, Bangs has created a little fairytale for adults, where wit replaces magic, and an epic battle is spent lounging before a meal.

-jldale

Super Cell Anemia by duncan b. barlow

If you know me, you know I like it bizarro. I haven't read any of Barlow's stuff previously so it was refreshing to dive into a big bizarro work without being familiar with the author's style. Within the first five pages I was struck by an odd revelation. Now, Anemia was released by Afterbirth (one of the big four, tight-knit bizarro publishers). I've never laid hands on one of there's before either, but I took it for granted that there wouldn't exist too much of a difference from one press to the other.
However, from the beginning, you can spot a distinctly different style than the other bizarro writers. Anemia has, from a bizarro point of view, a very conservative narrative. The progression of action is paced out slower, which is by no means the norm. There is a steady character development and evolution of plot. Things unfold more or less naturally, rather than the hyper-rants I've come to expect from the genre. This was, to say the least, unnerving. I was waiting for things to break loose and run rampant across the page. But the story never did. It held back until the right moment, and then let you have what you had earned.
That said, Mr.Barlow holds a PhD in the craft, and you can see this influence heavy in his stroke. He has a patients that most writers in the genre lack. Mellick3 said if he knew where his story was going it became boring to him and he was less likely to enjoy completing the piece. Barlow had a full concept in his mind, perhaps not from the beginning, but before the novel was near completion.
All of this frightened me, and still does to an extent. Though Barlow has seamless fades into hallucinatory dreams that disturb, they are still dreams, and disturb the protagonist far more than the reader. They are devices, though this is not bad. Barlow, unlike most bizarros screaming at the top of their lungs from a tower that the almighty will corrupt us all, seems to contemplate subjects in a serious manner. This all coming from a experienced punk musician.
In the end, the novel really shines a light on the subject of trust. Once all is revealed, the full extent of the intended attacks on the protagonist are not known. We find out who is responsible, but the protagonist lashes out based on his on theories and assumptions. In that lies the messages, when we know the truth, we still operate on our own assumptions, no matter what. It's our nature, but is the right way to operate. With his ending, Barlow lets the reader decide, a refreshing twist within itself.
A good read, especially for those uninitiated.

-jldale