The Book of Strange New Things

The Book of Strange New Things Michel Faber 5/5	Published October 28th, 2014 First Sentence ""I was going to say something," he said."
Publisher's Description: It begins with Peter, a devoted man of faith, as he is called to the mission of a lifetime, one that takes him galaxies away from his wife, Bea. Peter becomes immersed in the mysteries of an astonishing new environment, overseen by an enigmatic corporation known only as USIC. His work introduces him to a seemingly friendly native population struggling with a dangerous illness and hungry for Peter’s teachings—his Bible is their “book of strange new things.” But Peter is rattled when Bea’s letters from home become increasingly desperate: typhoons and earthquakes are devastating whole countries, and governments are crumbling. Bea’s faith, once the guiding light of their lives, begins to falter. Suddenly, a separation measured by an otherworldly distance, and defined both by one newly discovered world and another in a state of collapse, is threatened by an ever-widening gulf that is much less quantifiable. While Peter is reconciling the needs of his congregation with the desires of his strange employer, Bea is struggling for survival. Their trials lay bare a profound meditation on faith, love tested beyond endurance, and our responsibility to those closest to us. Marked by the same bravura storytelling and precise language that made The Crimson Petal and the White such an international success, The Book of Strange New Things is extraordinary, mesmerizing, and replete with emotional complexity and genuine pathos.
Dear Reader, Another five star book this year! And yet, I was so reluctant to like this book. Why? Because the main character is a Pastor and the whole story follows him to another planet where he preaches the word of God to the inhabitants. I love anything spacey and science fictiony, much of this book screams "read me!" based on that but the other part went into this book with a weary eye due to the religious tones. All I can say is that NOT once did I roll my eyes or get too annoyed with Peter, the Pastor. It probably helped that Michel Faber is an excellent writer who can cover you with a soft 'word-blanket'. I felt so comfortable reading this book, to the point where I didn't want it to end. Most of the time, while reading a book, I find myself thinking of the next one (especially if the book dips into a low/boring section). My guess is that this book didn't have a boring part, can that happen?! I was captured from start to finish. Peter, the Pastor, has agreed (and selected) to undertake a mission on a strange planet leaving his wife Beatrice behind. What I liked about his character was that you saw him evolve during his journey, at first being the typical born-again Christian but developing into a man who opens his eyes a little more, becomes more inquisitive and takes a closer look at the unknown. I really loved that. I'm not sure if the Author is religious, but woah... was he able to write a transformation within a complicated human being. I would think that planetary travel and alien interaction are not usually the plot devices used to discuss a meaty topic such as religion. I think this might have been the only book I've read that took on the controversial topic of religion in a VERY different way, one that actually welcomed me and probably will/would many others who feel comforted by looking at things from a skewed perspective. The Book of Strange New Things brings up so many questions and I kept asking myself how I would deal with being on a planet light years away, far from home and family. The community surrounding Peter, both the humans and the aliens are examined with a very fine comb, with amazing intellect and writing. I know this will be a book I'll be raving about for a very long time. The aliens, dubbed "Oasans" by Peter, are so imaginative and realistic. I truly believe if another planet or aliens exist, this could very well be what they would look and act like. The interaction between the Oasans and the humans is really believable as well, even though I'd hope we'd be more apt to interact with a different intelligent species... I think too many deep fears and questions get in the way. It's not often you get a pairing of philosophy and science fiction combined with fantastic literary writing, this book is just a winner. I have to caution those who don't like weird, strange concepts though... you might not appreciate it as much as I did. I'd hate to send you down a yellow brick road when science fiction and fantasy don't tickle your fancy. Do I think that this could be mildly sci-fi? Yes, and maybe that could be enough to coax some weary folks to test the genre, maybe Faber is the perfect person to take you across that border into fantasy land. Happy Reading, AmberBug P.S. - Faber also thanks Marvel comics in the acknowledgements, which warmed my heart to him quite a bit. Who does that? He thanks an entire community of writers and publishers as a whole? I'll tell you who, Michel Faber and I love him for it.

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The Crimson Petal and the White

The Crimson Petal and the White Michel Faber 4 / 5	Published 2002 First Sentences "Watch your step.  Keep your wits about you; you will need them."
Publisher's Description: Sugar, 19, prostitute in Victorian London, yearns for a better life. From brutal brothel-keeper Mrs Castaway, she ascends in society. Affections of self-involved perfume magnate William Rackham soon smells like love. Her social rise attracts preening socialites, drunken journalists, untrustworthy servants, vile guttersnipes, and whores of all kinds. 2013 TV mini-series.
Dear Reader, My father passed this book on to me years ago (I think it was at least two apartments ago, maybe more) and I have been meaning to read it, but because of its sheer size I kept putting it aside in lieu of other things.  I finally decided it was a good time to tackle a longer book, and I was eager to read this one (besides that I'd been staring at it on my shelves for so long and was intrigued!) because I try to stagger my reading so that I am engaging with books from different time periods and different styles.  Mostly this is so that I can keep the various storylines separate (I have been known to confuse something I heard in an audiobook for a part in the book I am reading), but partly it's because I like the variety.  It's hard not to be in the mood for at least ONE of the several books that I am reading at any given time. As for this book?  It was really good.  I loved the way Faber swept you in immediately by speaking to you as if you were a visitor to this Victorian-era London, introducing you to the lowest in society in order that you (the reader, but also the observer, the fly on the wall) could quickly move through the social ranks and meet the people you needed to meet for the story, the important ones.  The only thing that bothered me about this device was that you only ended up moving through the social ranks a little bit, from dirt-poor to middle-class, I suppose - only really making three jumps in the entire novel.  Still, I thought it was a great way to introduce things and to move the story along.  Plus, it was wonderful to get the feeling that you were truly walking the streets of London, experiencing it as one would have in 1874. The book itself was maybe slightly too long for the story it told, but overall it was definitely chock full and needed 99% of its content to really fulfill its mission.  The characters that you get to know as you continue through the story - Sugar, William, Agnes, Henry, Emmeline, and Sophie are your most important acquaintances - really jump right off the page.  While sometimes they infuriated me, and while sometimes I didn't buy the later changes that came over William in the second half of the book, most of it felt very real.  And the ending of the book, while at first frustrating me, ultimately made me quite content once I'd given it a bit of space. I have to put a plug in here for the BBC miniseries that came out a few years ago, as well - I watched it once I had finished the book, and it was a great & very true-to-the-source interpretation.  Sometimes things I wanted to be changed from the novel were not!  But it's very faithful, and it should be.  I may have particularly loved it because I adore Chris O'Dowd (who played the main Rackham brother), but my favorite performance from that piece was Amanda Hale's portrayal of his wife Agnes - properly insane and believable at once. The eponymous "petals" referred to are Sugar - a low-born prostitute - and Agnes, an ailing and delicate upper-classer, whose mother married into the gentry via a Lord Unwin.  Sugar's fiery red hair and strongly independent (and ambitious) nature make her the "crimson" one - she is the one Rackham goes to for advice as well as physical intimacy.  Agnes is frail, fragile, pale and blonde, making her the complimentary "white."  Both women undergo quite a bit throughout the book, and the irony is that Agnes is often the one coughing up red blood and acting angry and crazy, while she considers Sugar to be her guardian angel - which I imagine as something white, and pure.  Sugar also maintains a very calm and rational demeanor.  It's a very interesting twist on one's immediate conclusion of who is who when it comes to the title's petals. Also interesting is the choice of the word "petals", which does not come up at all in the book.  Is it a reference to William Rackham's inherited perfume dynasty?  Petals of flowers can be crushed to create perfume.  Were the women in the book crushed?  It seems to me they turned out to be rather uncrushable, in the long run.  It might not seem readily apparent, but having given the book time to sink in, I think the females of this book are really the strong and important characters.  They shape their own lives. Yours, Arianna

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