BOOK REVIEW: Deep Survival by Laurence Gonzales (2005)

** Stars

Boy, is Deep Survival an up-and-down ride. There are periods of uninterrupted travelling and the view out the window looks pretty good. The problem is that just as you get comfortable you find yourself in a different vehicle in different terrain and then before you know it you are suddenly thrust into another situation in another mode of transport. It is all over the show and in the end the lack of continuity spoils the trip.

Besides the bumpy journey there is plenty to like about this book. Unpacking the idea of “survival” and looking for universal truths is a great idea. I cannot imagine the world becoming an easier place to live so more of this can only be a good thing. Not only that, the idea of survival – for those of us who have not had to go through that hardship – is very romantic. This is a fun place to escape. Down rivers, through snow and jungles, out to sea and hurtling through the sky in an aeroplane. Gonzales takes us through all of these places and more. And I am not ashamed to acknowledge that the Boy’s Own tone, and the will of Deep Survival’s heroes, is enthralling. No matter how grim things get the author does a great job outlining the odd’s they were facing. These descriptions make you admire them as well as what we as humans can live through. 

BOOK REVIEW: Neuromancer by William Gibson (1984)

**1/2 Stars

It is with zero satisfaction that I have discovered that Neuromancer is not particularly good. I’ll speculate and say that the advent of post-modernism has allowed this book - which is very big on ideas and very short on execution - to be given the attention that is has. The narrative is barely coherent and I found it a slog to get through despite its meagre 320 pages.  A mixture of genius and playful but abstruse musings. Basically, POMO. I say all this in the context of William Gibson’s own acknowledgement that producing this book was barely an enjoyable experience. He felt he was an emerging writer and the life of the book post-production surprised him. It went on to win the Nebula Award, the Philip K. Dick Award and the Hugo Award. 

I appreciate Gibson's thoughts on this book and give him a lot of respect for his honesty. I will also fess up and let you know that I am being a hypocrite by saying this. I have little patience for authors who try to justify themselves after a work is published. Michael Crichton’s defending of Rising Sun is an especially good example of this. The work needs to stand alone and for Crichton and Gibson this is not the case for either of these books. Nonetheless, Gibson’s reflections are imbued with humbleness and a grappling to understand what Neuromancer is and what is has meant to him while Crichton’s responses always seemed strident and didactic.