A book report on Peter Rabbit...

The Clarion application FAQ suggests that while waiting for a verdict, you think positive thoughts and read works written by the Clarion instructors. That makes a lot of sense. Knowing the styles of those who crit my work has helped me put their crits in perspective. It's a great way to work out where they're coming from. Since I'm applying to both Clarion and Clarion West, I, in theory, have my work cut out for me. However, I'm skipping anyone whose work I already know. (e.g., part of me wants to plow through the authors I haven't read yet as quickly as possible so that I can get back to reading Elizabeth Bear.) Also, I'm pretty sure I've read a book David Hartwell has edited.

Anyway, so far I've finished three. I'm wondering what it is about the business that lead to all of these multi-volume stories. (This is especially frustrating since I can't get back to any of them until I finish off my Box Of Novels By Clarion [West] Instructors.)

Tithe by Holly Black. Beautifully written. I love her use of language. The "helps with the exposition" bits about the Seelie and Unseelie Courts were a bit slow for me. However, if you don't already know what they are, you'd be horribly lost, and those bits were well motivated. I probably would have liked this book so much more if I were in the book's target audience. As engagingly written and fast paced as it is, I probably will not read the other books in the series. I'm glad I gave Tithe to my nieces, but it's not for me.

One thing that I'm come to appreciate more and more is that while it's the first book of a series, the book definitely has An Ending. Our heroine has resolved her problem and we have reached a point of stability, even if we know that it's only temporary.

Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson. (Yes, I haven't read him until now. Embarrassing, I know...) If I ever write anything that even approaches the perfection that is "Falling into History", the novella at the center of the novel, I will be pleased beyond anything I can imagine. Not every section of Red Mars was as perfect as "Falling into History". That's about the most damnable thing I can say about it. Considering that its the first book of a trilogy, he even manages an ending of sorts. At some point, I may go back to the Mars series. For now, I have a bunch of Clarion instructors to go.

A Princess of Roumania by Paul Park. I really like this book. On the surface, it's an "adolescent girl goes to fantasy world where she's a princess" story. However, he's really thought out issues that sometimes gets hand waved aside. I love the manner of presentation, with the multiple points of view and the story hopscotching around. This is something you can really sink your teeth into. The world and its problems are so deep and detailed, I can understand why it takes four books to get through.

The pace is a little slow for my tastes though. That's very much me and not him. I really want something to pop in every paragraph, and very few novels are written like that. (I suspect it's one of the reasons why I'll read anything Elizabeth Bear writes.) Also, the book doesn't so much end as much as it stops. The last chapter is tense, exciting and thrilling. It's everything I've been waiting the entire book for. (And the book does a good job of sustaining my interesting until I hit this point.) However, the pay off, unsurprisingly, is a Complication that I won't see how he resolves about until I finish the Box Of Books By Clarion [West] Instructors. (Hopefully, I'll still remember all of the plot threads he's left hanging so I won't have to read this book again to read the next one. But I'm wondering if I have the stamina to get through all four books.)

Now, I'm onto Sister Noon by Karen Joy Fowler. I'm pretty sure this it isn't part of a series. (Technically, I can skip her. However, I don't think having read only one short story really counts. Also, it'll be the first book I've read in months that's not genre. Right now, I'm so ready for Not Genre. This is to say, if 19th Century San Francisco actually turns out to be a virtual reality simulation in the 37th Century, I so don't want to know. Let me be surprised. Likewise, if this is really the first volume of a 47 book series, I so don't want to know. Really. Let me be surprised.)

BTW, anyone who's keeping track will notice that I've been tilted towards Clarion instructors, as opposed to Clarion West instructors, so far. Part of that was accidental. Part of that is, until now, I hadn't read anything by any of this year's Clarion instructors. I've read works by half of this year's Clarion West instructors. i.e., I've finally evened things out.

So far, it's been a fascinating experience. Even though I still have a backlog of books to get through, I'm thinking about reading books by the current year's Clarion [West] instructors every year. Yes, this unavoidably biasses me towards living writers. (A big chunk of my backlog are from writers who, unfortunately, will not be writing any more books.) But it also forces me to push some books up to the top of the pile. Holly Black was already in my backlog. Kim Stanley Robinson and Paul Park were authors that I wanted to get to Some Day. However, I'm glad that I read them now.