Well well well. I do love a good premise and The Power has that in spades. Imagine if women evolved to have electrical power that made them physically stronger than men. How would society look? This book turns on its head the notion that women are more compassionate and thoughtful leaders because of our nature. How about instead, because we have an intimate knowledge of fear caused by intimidation and oppression, we are more inclined to show compassion. Once that fear is gone, well... maybe we'd just be like every other dictator hell bent on power.And really, is The Power a nod to the actual power of electricity experienced by the women in the book, or the overall balance of power that shifts once women are able to physically overpower men. It's clever. Very clever.The book is full of men railing against the injustice of women who are able to physically dominate them, as they begin to travel in groups or take precautions against sexual assault. It's so unfair they decry. And it is. Because sexual assault is terrible and awful, but does it drive home for men what maybe the experience of a woman has been like all these years?The female news anchor now has a knowing look when her older male colleague makes a snide offensive remark. Is it really not surprising when he's exchanged with a younger male host who's good looks and talent are relegated to the cooking and soft segments of the morning news. The people want to hear the hard news from the stronger anchor.Clever again. I mean, the most clever part of the book is taking a concept which I would typically support, the strengthening of women to the point where they could no longer be victimized and makes it so very unappealing as women begin to commit the very atrocities that are so reprehensible today.A well done look at a very fascinating premise.
4/5 Stars.
I spent 33 hours listening to The Bonfire of the Vanities and three days thinking about it and I'm still not really sure what I want to say. What a big book. What an indictment on the 80s culture. What an examination of selfish agendas. And everyone in this book has an agenda.
Sherman McCoy is a Wall Street bond trader - a self proclaimed "Master of the Universe" who is so filled with conceit and superiority that he flagrantly carries on an affair with a young woman, Maria Ruskin, married to a septuagenarian of dubious income. The two liaise in a rent controlled apartment mere blocks from the home Sherman shares with his wife and child.
After picking Maria up from the airport one evening, Sherman distractedly drives past the exit for Manhattan and ends up deep in the Bronx where he promptly gets lost, freaks out about all the people of color around, and in attempting to make a hasty escape, is involved in a hit and run accident where a young man is injured.
Maria is more than happy to forget the incident ever happened, but it dogs Sherman. And rightfully so it turns out because a drunk newspaper has been is forced to write a story about the injured young man, stretching the facts to make the young man look like a high school valedictorian saint, and well a media circus and a district attorney up for reelection later....
Few of the characters in the book have redeeming qualities in the least and there is much to dislike about many of them and their motives, whether for filling their own pockets at the expense of the mob, or attempting to hold on to money power or influence - Wolf has a mastery of the minutiae which really tells you what you what you need to know about a character. Wolf's writing has a flow and a style all it's own which made this book a joy to read, even if it did get a little long in the tooth in sections.
It's too bad the movie is so universally panned, because I would have enjoyed watching it at this point.
4/5 Stars.
This book was very uneven for me. I like Herbert's exploration of power and possession. In this installment, 9 years have passed since twins were born to Paul Atreides, Muad Dib, emperor, and his wife, Chani. Nine years since Paul walked off into the desert, blind and ready for death. Overwhelmed by all the possible futures he had seen and choosing instead to pass the burden on to his infant children (coward).
His children, Leto II and Ghanima, are not like children at all. They too are filled with all the past lives of their ancestors. They can remember things that have fallen out of knowledge for centuries. And they have a plan for the empire. But, looking like children, they are also surrounded by powerful adults who also have plans for the empire.
The grandson of former Emperor Shaddam plots with his mother to murder the twins and take back the throne. Alia, overcome by a lifetime of attempting to repress the past lives inside her, becomes overtaken by the memory of Vladmir Harkonnen. Under his sway, she plots also to kill the twins and remain in power. And Lady Jessica, Paul's mother, returns to Dune to complete the Bene Gesserit breeding program by mating the twins together (ewwwww).
Thinking they are facing mere 9 years olds, these adults plot and scheme, all the while the twins carry out their own plan. Looks like Leto has also looked into the future and decided to make the necessary changes Paul was unwilling to make, why? Oh because it involves the death and destruction of millions, possibly billions, all in an effort to wipe the slate clean on religion and power in the empire. I didn't really buy all that Leto was selling on this and it left a bitter taste in my mouth about all the interesting facets of the power struggle going on otherwise.
Lastly, Herbert is so damn vague about so many details of the Butlerian Jihad or what is coming under Leto's "Golden Path" that it's difficult to grasp just how dangerous a position in which the players have put themselves.
3.5/5 Stars.
