The book begins with the tale of an unhappy marriage in the isolated shtetl of Kreskol. Gross lovingly depicts the tiny community with all its faults and blessings. Readers will know the "reveal" is coming. In all respects Kreskol is an ordinary 19th century community, but in reality it has simply been cut off from the modern world and bypassed by the horrors and (perhaps dubious) wonders of the 20th century.

Three individuals, the unhappy Lindauers escaping their unhappy marriage and the judgement of the village respectively, and the worthy, but unloved, Yankel is sent after them, or at least to find a magistrate to deal with the unprecedented crisis. They discover a very different world from the one they've known, but filled with many of the same dangers. Modern civilization is a thin veneer over what the Jews of Kreskol have been taught to expect from gentiles.

Modern Poland, and the world, does not know what to do with such a community. The novel in discussing how Kreskol was spared for a hundred years talks of the deprivations of war, racism, and progress that swept up their peers in the years before and after the Holocaust. The Holocaust itself is a terror of such great magnitude, how can it be explained to one who had never heard of it before? How can Kreskol survive when faced with the pressures and temptations of the modern world?

Gross has created a wonderful novel here that reminds us of the past, but also forces us to think about the lies we ourselves can prefer over the truth.

Suzanne Collins returns to the world of 'The Hunger Games' to tell the story of young Coriolanus Snow. For those who don't remember, that's Donald Sutherland. The original trilogy captivated me when I first read it, but I had my doubts about a prequel after all these years. This is partly because these books don't continue to resonate with me the way some other YA powerhouses have. Nostalgia is a powerful thing, however, so expect this one to be on the bestseller list for some time.

This was a fast read, even at 500+ pages, and there was some pleasure in seeing the world that had only been viewed through Katniss' limited gaze with greater clarity. The problem I ultimately had with this is the problem that hits a lot of prequels: this story had a foregone conclusion. The story has to have an interesting journey on top of the plot. Was the goal to humanize Snow? To reinforce the message of the original trilogy? To provide an alternative to the increasingly lampooned Katniss model of YA heroine in Lucy Gray? Having finished this...I still can't give you those answers.

I'm rating this as only OK because we didn't see any transformation of Snow. Cunning sociopathic person wins the day may be realistic, but it wasn't riveting as presented here. Lucy Gray is only a cypher because we never hear her perspective, and what we do see is from Snow's eyes, so.... Most importantly, I didn't buy the moral complications presented to the reader. Right and wrong were pretty clear and there was little or no real internal struggle on the part of the characters. That was a defining highlight of the original books. 'Ballad' succeeds only in being a return to a familiar world and by filling in gaps in the timeline of the series. If you liked the original trilogy, you'll find something in this book. Just don't expect the moon.

On the plus side, many bookstores got Mockingjay/Snake iron-on patches so if you pre-ordered a copy with them you get one for free. Check with your local - they may have extra patches that are first come/first served if you didn't preorder!

The Hunger Games

Previous: 'Mockingjay'

A side project from the creator of 'Questionable Content', 'Alice Grove' is a complete science fiction story set in the future thousands of years after a technological "blink" leaves the Earth without A.i. or any other advanced technology. Alice is a person with a certain skill set and her capabilities are revealed to the reader slowly after two young members of a human space colony are stranded on Earth and become her problem.

This was great and can be read in a single sitting. I'd invest in a physical copy if one were available, but instead I'll indulge in some of the physical volumes of his other comic he has available.

'Parable of the Talents' is a very different book than 'Sower', but I felt it was just a good. The first novel was made up of selected early journals of Lauren Olamina, who "discovered" Earthseed and led her group of survivors to safe land owned by her lover Bankole after her home and family were destroyed.

Joining Olamina's voice is commentary from her daughter some years after Olamina's death. There are shorter fragments from the journals of Bankole and passages from Olamina's brother's book 'Warrior' as well.

I loved the tension that the voices of Olamina and her daughter added to the narrative. Olamina's journals pick up ten years or so after the end of 'Sower' with Acorn almost thriving. Over a hundred people form a part of the settlement and they've established good relationships with their neighbors and have started to sell excess goods they produce. Olamina's daughter, named Larkin by her mother, expresses bitter resentment towards her mother and references a tragedy. 

America is still struggling, but the worst of the chaos appears to be over. Unfortunately a reactionary government is rising to power in what's left of the United States. A preacher is running for President, deplores the loss of American character and values in the recent chaos years and promises to "make America great again". 

The issues I had with Lauren Olamina's flat voice persisted, but in many other ways this novel is superior to 'Sower'. The book is about tragedy and grave injustice. I couldn't stop reading it until I knew what happened.

Earthseed

Previous: 'Parable of the Sower'

Written in 1993 and set in 2024, Butler's vision of a future America in decline at the mercy of climate change, corporate greed, government corruption and unchecked poverty, still seems very possible. I especially liked the restraint with which this was written and Butler's emphasis on race, gender and economics.

Lauren Olamina grows up in her community, a cluster of 11 houses protected, like many others, by a wall that keeps out predators and the growing number of desperate poor. Robledo, a former bedroom community of L.A., is much changed. America still exists, and there is a modern world out there, but it is harder to reach and dangerous for those without money. The adults bemoan the changes to the world and wish for the good days to come back, but for Lauren and her peers a life restricted to their cul-de-sac is normal. 

Additionally, Lauren has a weakness that is kept hidden outside her immediate family. Her deceased mother had been an addict of a smart drug that permanently altered body chemistry. Lauren inherited hyper-empathy - she feels the pain and pleasure of others when she witnesses it. In their world on the brink of chaos this is a dangerous trait to have.

Though their life is normal and privileged compared to many, Lauren can't help but notice the decay around her. Pressures outside are harder, more and more within their close-knit community can't find work and the prospects of her generation are bleak indeed. Lauren becomes obsessed with change at a young age and tries to prepare for the inevitable collapse and "discovering" the new religion of Earthseed.

Half of the novel is spent in Robledo, the other half follows Lauren and some companions on the road to a better life up North. The novel is bleak and the reader is shielded from it in part by Lauren's often flat narration. This may be a byproduct of her conditioning to show no emotion, but it works in a way. The novel gets a bit preachy, and Lauren is totally a cult leader, but her philosophy of accepting and preparing for change works a hell of a lot better than traditional thinking. 

This was good, the open ending paves the way for the sequel, but a sequel isn't strictly necessary.

Earthseed

Next: 'Parable of the Talents'