Nov 9, 2012

Nötralizör

Kitabın Adı: Nötralizör
Yazar: Dost Körpe
Sayfa Sayısı: 128
Değerlendirmem: 3/5
Ben bu kitabı okurken...: ... genelde ev ve iş arasında seyir halindeydim.

NEDEN BU KİTAP?
İsmine bilim kurgu (özellikle Frank Herbert ve Philip K. Dick romanları) çevirilerinden aşina olduğum bir ismin kendi kitabının olduğunu tesadüfen görünce hemen almıştım bu kitabı. Sonra da unuttum okumayı. Ne zaman ki Margaret Atwood ustanın Antilop ve Flurya'sını okudum, dimağım tazelendi ve 2012 bitmeden okunacaklar listeme aldım Nötralizör'ü.

KONUSU:
Nötralizör, Mars’ın insan yerleşimine açılmasından 106 Mars yılı sonrasında Türk kökenli I Khan Shun Lee’nin kubbeli bir şehirde Nötralizör adlı cihazın peşinde geçirdiği maceralı bir günün kısa romanı. (Nötralizör bir maden kazısında bulunan dünya teknolojisine ait olmayan ve fonksiyonunu öğrenmek için gizli devlet projeleri tasarlanan gizemli bir aygıttır ve içine konuşan şeyi esrarengiz biçimde yok ettiği için bu ismi almıştır).

DEĞERLENDİRMEM:
Bu kısa romanda benim en çok dikkatimi çeken ve aynı zamanda rahatsız eden şey romanın baş kahramanının bir Türk olması ve bunun özellikle vurgulanmasıydı. Özellikle de bir Türk yazar tarafından yazılmış bir bilim kurgu eserinde Türklerin bulunmasına karşı değilim ama Nötralizör'ün ana karakterinin Türk olması bana tamamen gereksiz bir ayrıntı gibi geldi. Belki de Bülent Özden'in Kozmik Tayyare'sinin hemen akabinde bu kitabı okuduğum için oluştu bu sıkıntı bende ve kitaba da biraz haksızlık etmiş oldum ama elden ne gelir?

Okuması kolay, karmaşık teoriler üzerinden kurgulanmaya çalışılmamış, yalın bir distopik dünyada geçen ve tek günde okunabilecek bir tarzda yazılmış bu kitap aslında. Bilim kurgu türüne uzak duranların bile yorulmadan, sıkılmadan okuyabileceği şekilde betimlenmiş bu distopik ortam. Evrensel bilim kurgu alemini düşündüğümüzde çok yaratıcı ve eşi bulunmaz bir olay örgüsü olmasa da, Türk bilim kurgu dünyasına hoş bir katkı Nötralizör.

Sep 11, 2012

Insurgent


Original Title: Insurgent (Divergent, #2)
English Title: Insurgent (Divergent, #2)
Turkish Title: Not available yet
Author: Veronica Roth
Pages: 544
My Rating: 4/5

WHY THIS BOOK?
Easy. Just because I loved the first book of the series, Divergent so much.

THE STORY:
Goodreads summarized it much better than I can ever do.

MY COMMENTS:
I tried hard to control myself so as not to start this time too soon. I liked Divergent so much and I knew the third book wouldn’t be around right away so I tried to keep myself as busy as possible with all those other gorgeous books in my TBR pile.

I was a bit skeptical at first. What if I didn’t like it? What if it wasn’t as good as the first book of the series? Then, I couldn’t wait any longer and let myself get lost in this uniquely described dystopian setting. I read the book on my kindle and I was surprised to find out it was over 500 pages. I mean the book was so well paced.

There was love, action, romance, violence all served at once. The progress of character development was also worth mentioning about. We had the chance to know more about Tris and Four. We learned why they acted that way towards themselves, towards each other and towards life. The setting was still not 100% presented to the reader, which makes me more curious about the third book and the grand finale of this awesome trilogy. I wonder how far Veronica will make the characters go!

Jul 30, 2012

Make Room! Make Room!


Original Title: Make Room! Make Room!
English Title: Make Room! Make Room!
Turkish Title: Yer Açın! Yer Açın!
Author: Harry Harrison
Pages: 218
Rating: 4/5
While I was reading this book…: …we started making plans for a possible trip to Japan in 2013.

WHY THIS BOOK?
I found the book title attractive enough to read. Plus, it’s a dystopian novel.

THE STORY:
It is 1999 and 35 million people living in the city of New York are trying to find their own ways to deal with heat. Our core character, Andy Rusch is a detective, one of the lucky amonst the population to have a job an done of the unlucky in the population to deal with never-ending problems caused by crowds. Andy Rusch is assigned to investigate a murder. While doing his Research, he falls in love and tries to find his own way of enjoyment in a life driven by pressure.

MY COMMENTS:
What I liked most about this book is characterization. Andy, his flatmate, his girlfriend, his coworkers and even the local criminal were characterized such that I was able to get a real sense of living in a overpopulated future where almost everything was scarce. Each character of the book had his own flaws, just like any of us. These flaws were presented so nicely that it facilitated my connection with each character. In addition, the daily life of the characters were so plainly written that I was able to relate with the situations they go through.

I was also pleased with the content. I like easier to imagine sci-fi boks. The probable causes of the future such as overpopulation or all kinds of social problems caused by scarcity of resources maket his book an easy sci-fi read for everyone.

This book was written in 1966 and it was in a way projecting how life would become if birth control is not used. Another important theme of the book is how to manage scarce resources, which will always be a critical issue for humanity. I liked the way Harry Harrison exaggerated things and how he painted his dystopian future. Although some of the material of this book can be considered as valid even today, I wouldn’t name it a a classic as some do.

APPLICABLE CHALLENGES:
It was my first Douglas Adams novel so I can count it for New Author Challenge.
It was dystopian so I can count it for The Dystopia 2012 Challenge.

Jun 29, 2012

A Clockwork Orange

Original Title: A Clockwork Orange
Turkish Title: Otomatik Portakal
English Title: A Clockwork Orange
Author: Anthony Burgess
Pages: 168
My Rating: 5/5

WHY THIS BOOK?
Because it is one of those books that make me think: “Everyone has read this book but me…”

THE STORY:
It is the story of a teenager becoming an adult in a futuristic, criminal world. The teenager, Alex is the lead “droog” in his gang. Alex and his gang do anything violent one can think of ranging from beating people up to killing them, from raping to robbing, etc. Alex and his droogs’ violent nights are the first few chapters. Then, “government intervention” comes into scene. Government claims to find a solution to violence in the society. Alex plays a key role in this intervention. I will leave it to prospective readers to discover themselves how he does this.

MY COMMENTS:
This was the most ultra-violent book I have ever read. There are long descriptions of all sorts of crime. Burgess managed to drag me into the world of Alex where I felt what he had been through. Especially in the second half of the book, I moved with Alex: I cried with him, I felt his horror and pain although he had a really annoying personality. I liked the Turkish translation of the slang used by Alex (My sincerest thanks to the translator).

This is a perfect novel about free will and it is a must read for every lover of modern classic stories. It is not easy to write something new about this book as it has been reviewed by hundreds of readers. It was one of the most enjoyable reads of 2012 for me and I strongly suggest it to all bookworms.

APPLICABLE CHALLENGES:
I finished reading it on June 18 so I can count it for Spring Reading Thing 2012.
It was my first Anthony Burgess novel so I can count it for New Author Challenge.
It was dystopian so I can count it for The Dystopia 2012 Challenge.
This was one of the books I picked up as sci-fi modern classic for WFTM Science Fiction Reader Challenge.
I chose this book for Summer Reading Challenge 2012 as “a book from Modern Library’s 100 Best Novels List”
This book was also in my list for The Classics Club.

Jun 28, 2012

Ender's Game

Original Title: Ender’s Game (Ender’s Saga, #1)
Turkish Title: Ender’in Oyunu (Ender Serisi, #1)
English Title: Ender’s Game (Ender’s Saga, #1)
Author: Orson Scott Card
Pages: 295
My Rating: 3/5

WHY THIS BOOK?
I don’t really remember how many times people suggested this book to me. Being a sci-fi lover, I had to spare some time for Ender.

THE STORY:
Ender’s Game is set somewhere in the future. An alien race attacked Earth twice and almost destroyed mankind. So as to be prepared for a possible new attack, an international battle school was established in which the world’s most talented children are trained for war. Their early trainings are simulated battles in the form of games in a zero gravity area.
Our hero, Andrew “Ender” Wiggin is the most talented, most genius child ever. Ender enters Battle School at the age of six. When everyone is questioning if humanity will win this war against the alien race, Ender grows up fast and develops any skill needed to save humanity.

MY COMMENTS:
The things I liked about this book were fewer than the things I disliked:
The story was told as an internal monologue of Ender himself. This way I was emotionally connected with the main character of the book. I easily followed how Ender dragged himself away from his family and adapted himself to Battle School. The problem for me was I didn’t like Ender.

The author himself stated that he designed the book in such a manner that even those who never read sci-fi feel comfortable reading it. I think Card managed to do this really well. Still, when I checked it with the book lovers around me, I saw that no one was interested in reading it.

The main content of this book focuses on children getting trained for war. The idea of training children for war was so disturbing for me. I didn’t like the conditions in Battle School and the pressure they put on Ender. I was annoyed by the way Battle School students talked, thought and acted like adults although I am well aware of the fact this happens in some parts of the world today. Maybe I was too well connected with the main character that I couldn’t succeed in liking what he went through. I believe those who liked the idea of “adult kids” ended up loving this book. At least, this is what I observed in a good number of reviews in Goodreads.

In short, my failure to like this sci-fi classic was because of the fact that I didn’t manage to read it as a sci-fi book.

APPLICABLE CHALLENGES:
I finished reading it on June 12 so I can count it for Spring Reading Thing 2012.
It was my first Orson Scott Card book so I can count it for New Author Challenge.
It was dystopian so I can count it for The Dystopia 2012 Challenge.
It is a book chosen for the U.S. 2012 World Book Night so I give myself 5 points and count it for Semi-Charmed Summer 2012 Book Challenge.
This is a book I had decided to read for WFTM Science Fiction Reader Challenge.
I chose this book for Summer Reading Challenge 2012 as “a banned or contested book”
This book was also in my list for The Classics Club.

Jun 7, 2012

Starters

Original Title: Starters (Starters, #1)
Turkish Title: Başlayanlar (Başlayanlar, #1)
English Title: Starters (Starters, #1)
Author: Lissa Price
Pages: 338
My Rating: 3/5

WHY THIS BOOK?:
The reason I bought this book is so simple this time: Just because of the cover.

THE STORY:
During a biological war called the Spore Wars, deadly spores were released killing anyone who was not vaccinated. Prior to the war, those under the age of 20 and over the age of 60 get vaccinated. At the age of 16, Callie has to take of her little brother, Tyler and struggle to survive together with her best friend, Michael. Trying to make life better and easier for her brother, Callie goes to “Prime Destinations”, a company that rents out the bodies of teenagers to those over 60. In Callie’s case, something goes wrong and Callie discovers what her renter was actually after.

MY COMMENTS:

When I read the back cover (after getting attracted by the front cover), I thought it’d turn out to be a promising dystopian novel but it turned out to be an average book for me. Having read books of Suzanne Collins and Veronica Roth, it is not easy to love other YA dystopian novels. Still, the concept of the Starters differed. I liked the idea of renting out teenage bodies to old people and body swapping. The plot was interesting but a bit predictable. The boldest move of the author in this book was wiping out the entire population in a society between 20 and 60. However, the character development, especially for Callie, was poor in this book. For example, how can Callie have amazing target-shooting skills and can make perfect use of them without years of practice?

I finished off the book quickly and will read the sequel that will come out at the end of 2012. I think many readers will like this book more than I did as YA dystopian novels are quite popular these days and Lissa Price managed to find a niche in dystopian society.

APPLICABLE CHALLENGES:

I read it in spring so I can count it for Spring Reading Thing 2012.
It is a debut novel and of course, my first book by Lissa Price so I can include it New Author Challenge.
It was a dystopian novel so it can be counted for 2012 Science Fiction Reader Challenge and The Dystopia 2012 Challenge.

May 17, 2012

Divergent

Original Title: Divergent (Divergent, #1)
English Title:  Divergent (Divergent, #1) 
Turkish Title: Uyumsuz (Uyumsuz, #1)
Author: Veronica Roth
Pages: 447
My Rating: 5/5

WHY THIS BOOK?

For a long time I wanted to read this book because,
1. I loved The Hunger Games series and this was said to be another YA dystopian novel similar to The Hunger Games.
2. The publicity was so good and I almost always fall for good publicity.
3. There were hundreds of bloggers out there counting down Insurgent (Divergent, #2) ever since I found about this book.
4. I love anything related with sci-fi so I just couldn’t avoid.

THE STORY:

It is the story of a 16-year-old girl called Tris in future Chicago. In the society Tris lives in, all 16-year-olds have to pick the faction they want to live in for the remaining part of their lives. The factions are Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity and Erudite. Each faction values a characteristic which they believe the opposite of was responsible for the “warring world” of the past. Abnegation, the selfless faction, was formed by those who blamed selfishness. Dauntless, the brave, was formed by people who blamed cowardice. Those who blamed aggression formed Amity, the peaceful. Erudite, the intelligent, was formed by those in society who thought ignorance was responsible. And the remaining faction, Candor, the honest, was formed by people who blamed duplicity.

Tris has to decide if she wants to live in her old faction, Abnegation or Dauntless. As the story progresses and Tris chooses her path, it’s suddenly clear that she doesn’t quite fit in just one faction and that proves threatening for those controlling this perfect society because as a Divergent, she can’t easily be manipulated.

MY COMMENTS:

Since from the very beginning, I knew I would love this book and I was not wrong. I loved the setting, the characters (not only Tris and Four, all of them), the plot turns and twist and the end. It is not easy to write a novel that thousands will find original, popular and enjoyable at the age of 23. Well, Veronica Roth managed to do that elegantly.

During the first few chapters, I caught myself trying to find similarities between Divergent and The Hunger Games or between Tris and Katniss. Then this somehow diasappeared because this was a totally different world. Yes, it was again dystopian but totally different. I loved the desciptions and character development (just a bit annoyed by the name change of Four along the book). I loved the limited taste of romance and lack of a love triangle. I loved the insecurities of Tris. Her weaknesses and her spirit were so easy to relate to. I especially liked the evolution of her character. It was like she didn’t know herself at first so everything was new to her as they were to the reader.

The world Veronica Roth created forces you to think. I was a bit confused at the beginning about the factions. I had to go back to remember what all the different factions consisted of. Maybe because I read the book in English and I am not a native speaker but once I managed to keep in mind everything, I was dragged away.
The pacing of the book was well done and throughout the book my curiosity was never totally disappeared. I was compelled to keep reading from start to end and once I was done, I wanted more. I think that was the reason for my quick read (Please note that I’m Turkish so it takes time for me to read books written in English).

As Divergent is planned to be a trilogy, I have some expectations. I want to learn about,
- Why has the world changed?
- How did humanity decide to live in factions predicated on character traits?
- How is the world outside Chicago?

Lastly, I was lucky enough to read this book as Turkish copy is still not available in the market. I think it is mainly because a good majority of Turkish readers discover The Hunger Games trilogy right after the movie so publishers don’t want to distract people. I wonder how the translation will be?

APPLICABLE CHALLENGES:
It is a debut novel and of course, my first book by Veronica Roth so I can include it New Author Challenge.
I read it in spring so I can count it for Spring Reading Thing 2012.
It was a dystopian novel so it can be counted for 2012 Science Fiction Reader Challenge and The Dystopia 2012 Challenge.
Lastly, not Chicago in specific but USA in general is a place I have never visited but would love to visit so I can include it to Semi-Charmed Book Challenge.