The Literary Reflection, V

Once again, it's time to take a quick look at the books that have made if off the book piles recently, but don't fit having whole posts to themselves. It's a defiantly mixed bag!

'The Ship Who Won' by Anne McCaffrey and Jody Lynn Nye (1994) and 'The Ship Errant' by Jody Lynn Nye (1996)
These two were read in the wrong order, but is my liking the second one more a result of that or is it just down to the qualities of the two novels? 'The Ship Errant' seemed a lot more interesting and less hacky than 'The Ship Who Won', although they both have good ideas. The first has the living scout ship Carialle and her crewman Keff discover a world where sorcerors and magicians apparently rule the roost, while the second sees the spacefaring duo escort some newly discovered aliens (see first book) back to their homeworld for technical assistance, but end up in a piratical conflict en-route. If you're interested at all, read 'The Ship Errant'. It feels more original and less drawn-out, thanks to the absence of the ambiguous force that was Anne McCaffrey at the time. Also, there's a Frog Prince. Who's not going to like that?

'Murder Must Advertise' by Dorothy L Sayers (1933)
I'm just not sure. The best mysteries are ones you want to read again, despite knowing the solution to the puzzle. 'Murder Must Advertise' just about manages on that level, but that's mainly due to the exposé of advertising. It's a mild-mannered exposé, but it is one, nonetheless, and is still relevant. The 'Lord Peter Wimsey' series is very uneven, sometimes being wonderful and romantic and at other times rather tedious, but 'Murder Must Advertise' is very solid. I wonder, though, how confusing it would be to read the book without any knowledge of the rest of the Wimsey stories? Would it be perplexing to wonder just why we're spending so much thime with this 'Death Bredon' as he probes the goings on at Pym's advertising company after an accidental death that must have been murder? What does it all have to do with drug running, and how does a cricket match fit into it all? Pretty solid, but it's not going to contend with 'Gaudy Night' for best in the series. There are some finely written sequences during the illicit parties, though.

'The Ascent Of Rum Doodle' by WE Bowman (1956)
This is a classic comedy, a well-sustained parody about an inept and oblivious expedition leader's ordeals while leading a group of misfit moutaineers on an ascent of the legendary tallest mountain Rum Doodle. It would be about as famous as Jerome K Jerome's 'Three Men In A Boat', but for its higher levels of parody and satire. Comedies are hard to write about, so we shall move on to some questions instead. Can you resist the lure of the mountain? Do you want to be mystified by the missing Camp One? Can you stand being perplexed by Binder's obsession with fiancées, pushed to the edge of doom by Pong's diabolical cuisine, or taunted by the evils of butter beans? And what about the medical supplies? If so, you should head straight for Rum Doodle, and join in the first-person cluelessness. It's really very good, although you might have to make allowances for the Asian stereotypes of the time, even as applied to a completely made up nationality.

'Jokes And Their Relation To The Unconscious' by Sigmund Freud (German 1940, English 1960)

If it hadn't taken years to read the Standard Edition of this volume of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud, it would probably get a weblog post all of its own. However, it has taken such a long time, that it's impossible to talk about it in any kind of depth. The genius and brilliance are clearly apparent, however, and the writing is surprisingly clear and easy to understand. Perhaps, and this is meant with humility, an enlarged vocabulary is advantageous in reading the translations of Freud. You don't want to go into these things without some experience in reading articles and textbooks. This text comes somewhere in the middle of the set chronologically, and was chosen as it seemed that an analysis of jokes might make it the most accessible of the bunch. It was indeed very easy to get into, and then went in a few unexpected directions. It was fascinating, especially in considering just what makes a joke a joke. Innocent jokes, tendentious jokes, the differences between jokes, the comic and humour. It's all in there. Next time, it won't take several years to read! And it will get a post all of its own! I just need to get through this Jung textbook first...

O.