historical fiction- gothic style

The Terror
Dan Simmons
Started September 5, 2007
Finished September 25, 2007

This is a compelling historical novel, with a touch of psychological sci-fi intrigue. There are all the gritty details of a 19th Century arctic exploration gone terribly wrong, in addition to the "thing." Indeed, Simmons picked a compelling real life story to put his own twist on. The Terror uses the real-life failed expedition of Sir John Franklin. Many of the characters in the book were real people. However, since no one really knows what happened to the expedition, Simmons takes some artistic license and goes in unexpected directions with the story. I have a feeling historians may feel somewhat dismayed with his work, but it makes for some compelling fiction.

I spent a good deal of the novel wondering if the "thing" is actually real or not. I'm not saying, because I don't want to ruin it, but I will say that I wasn't expecting the ending. I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about the end, although I did enjoy the book overall. I suppose the ending is apt, in a way- the death of a period of time, anticipating more Western influence in the Arctic regions.

I liked that the chapters follow the perspective of one character at a time, showing the reader what some characters know that others don't. However, I did notice that the reader pretty much only gets the British explorer perspective- no chapters from the natives, or what would have been even more interesting- from the "thing." Overall though, the book was exceptionally well done, especially for its genre- whatever genre you might want to call this.

feminist dystopia.

The Handmaid's Tale
Margaret Atwood
Started August 23, 2007
Finished September 5, 2007

I can see why this novel is so often required reading in high school and college English classes. Margaret Atwood offers a richly contextual novel with no easy answers. While some of the major themes include feminism, misogyny, totalitarianism, religious extremism, and theocracy, the novel deals in ambivalence. In other words, there are no easy answers. While the futuristic dystopia that Offred, the narrator, describes is terrifying, the past that Offred reminisces about has plenty of its own flaws. In addition to forcing the reader to consider some difficult questions about feminism and religious extremism, I should also point out that I found this novel an incredibly compelling read. Offred, the narrator, is a "handmaid"- used basically as a breeder for the elite in the new totalitarian society. The novel jumps around in time from before the overthrow, to Offred's time being conditioned into a handmaid, to her present posting with Fred, her Commander. (Her name is Of-Fred because she belongs to Fred at her current posting...). I like to think that things have turned out somewhat better for women than Atwood imagines in this novel. I hope that's true. I like to believe that I'll be able to have a career that I'm good at and enjoy and also be able to have a meaningful relationship and a family. I guess it's important not to take the efforts for change from the past for granted. I can't imagine not being allowed to read like most of the women in The Handmaid's Tale!