Laura Resnick | Robert McGrath's Blog

This installment: plucky females and alternative realities. How can we go wrong?

The Misfortune Cookie by Laura Resnick (Daw, 2013)

The latest in a series featuring Esther Diamond, a hard working, not-yet-famous actress in NYC, who attracts supernatural troubles like a magnet. This particular story involves troubles in Chinatown.

Esther’s life is enlivened by (as far as we can tell) unwitting and unwilling encounters with supernatural events, including irruptions (what a fine word, I don’t get to use it often) of spooks, vampires, and so on. She has good friends including the strange, wizardly Max (several centuries old, due to an unrepeatable alchemical accident) and his pseudo-canine familiar, not to mention elements of the mafia and other city folk.

She also has a tumultuous romance centering on the uberattractive police detective Lopez. This isn’t going so well, through little fault of Esther’s. These hellish adventures are taking a hellish toll on her love life, that is for sure.

Resnick’s stories are well written and humorous—just plain great entertainment. They display what surely must be autobiographical knowledge of the life of wannabe actors in NYC. (I can’t help but think of another very NYC writer, Laura Anne Gilman. Esther could easily be roommates with Bonnie.)

The Doctor and the Dinosaurs by Mike Resnick (Random House, 2013)

Mike Resnick is a great and prolific author of science fiction for many decades. (Obviously, Laura was a useful contribution, too.) His stories often exploring the theme of exploration and frontiers, informed by considerable historical research. I must say, my favorite of his worlds might be Walpurgis III (1982).

This story is the third set in an alternate Wild West, with Doc Holiday teaming up with Tom Edison and Teddy Roosevelt. (He has written a number of “alternative Teddy Roosevelt” stories.) In this case, they must deal with the (historically accurate) lunatic paleontologists Cope and Marsh, who are unwittingly stirring up (not historically accurate in this time line) supernatural troubles. Tom Edison provides some serious Steampunk firepower, and Teddy comes along—just because he’s never done paleontology or hunted dinosaurs before.

Overall, this not one of his best stories. The plot is thin and transparent and I don’t honestly like the characters. The hard-nosed banter may or may not be authentic, but it is repetitive and boring. And Steampunk doesn’t excite me very much.

Still, Mike Resnick on his worst day is better than most, and this is certainly readable.

Ascension: A Tangled Axon Novel by Jacqueline Koyanagi (Masque Books, 2013)

A somewhat odd space opera, set in an economically depressed interstellar society. The action is a bit difficult to follow, with several sudden leaps that are only explained in retrospect. Perhaps this was intended to keep the reader on her toes, knowing that we have not the remotest clue what is coming next. If so, it succeeds.

The future world turns out to have several strange technical twists, including some sort of parapsychological abilities (not really explained) and routine contact with cross-dimensional civilization, i.e, across the multiverse (also not really explained). The future world also features inscrutable political troubles, and quite a variety of family structures.

But this isn’t really a story about the future world, it’s about one woman (Amanda) struggling with a slowly fatal autoimmune disease, a burning love of spacecraft, and dripping desire for love and family. By the way, the dynamics of the families are more complex and dramatic than I’m used to. But family is family.

One gathers that the protagonist is at least a bit autobiographical, which implies much about the author. If you don’t like horny lesbian inner dialog, you won’t like Amanda or this book.

I kind of liked Amanda, myself. And I was very happy for her to find a family in the end.

Best Amanda quote:

“I’d have loved my biggest problem to be whether my suit matched my tentacles or not.” p. 183

(You have to read it in context to fully get it.)

When It’s A Jar by Tom Holt (Orbit, 2013)

The latest in a long line of stories from the multiverse, this is sor of a sequel to The Doughnut (2012).

The “multiverse” affords a lot, indeed, infinite, room for an author to play in. Holt is a doyen of this genre, and his stories take full advantage. They are informed by folklore, wordplay, and only the shallowest knowledge of science or business. His protagonists are sympathetic “ordinary guys and gals”, just trying to get along and find love. Other characters are cartoonish—funny, in their two dimensional ways.

The story, such as it is, develops as Maurice tries to cope with life in London in the face of irruptions (enough, Bob) of supernatural phenomena. It is obvious that something big is happening, though neither Maurice nor the reader have much of a clue. We then pop through quite a few multiverses in an incomprehensible careen. I’m not going to spoil the plot, if only for the very good reason that I don’t understand it.

Generally, I love Tom Holt’s stuff. His works are whimsical archetypal hero stories, with humorous wordplay and wry references to world literature. I mean, I loved Barking (2007) and most of his work from the ‘90s is brilliant.

But really. This one gives no quarter to the poor reader. Far too much whimsy, not nearly enough story. Terrible ending. And the love story sucked.

Robert McGrath's Blog

Tag Archives: Laura Resnick

Book Review: Abracadaver by Laura Resnick

A personal blog.

All Books Reviewed in 2014

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

A personal blog.