So, as a writer, people often ask me which authors I enjoy reading or ask for book recommendations, as if being a writer gives me some special insight into the talent behind stringing together sequences of words in order to form sentences. I suppose the belief is that I must have a knack for seeing things that the average reader doesn’t see, that if I like a particular author, then said author must really be something special. Well, let me set the record straight:
It’s all true. I do have a special insight into the written word, and I do see things the average reader can’t see. So keep that in mind as I recommend some books and authors that perhaps get overlooked or are not part of the mainstream literary establishment.
I’ll start with a list of my five favorite books:
1) THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO
Not just a sandwich, and forget the inferior movie versions, the original unabridged version of Dumas’s classic is a great, great book. (Yes, two “greats.”) And I say “unabridged” because although there is a shorter version (like, 500 pages shorter), my favorite is the full unexpurgated one with all the various subplots intact. Yes, Dumas could be overly melodramatic and flowery in his writing, but that was the style for the time. And although he is better known for The Three Musketeers and The Man in the Iron Mask, this is still my favorite story from him, and definitely in my top five favorite books of all time. It’s also a great revenge story, one in which the protagonist does not resort to violence (despite what they put in the movie versions). You’d have to read the book to see what I mean.
2) RENDEZVOUS IN BLACK
Another great revenge story. This one was written by Cornell Woolrich, a really good suspense writer of the 40’s and 50’s. He was also kind of a weird dude; he actually dedicated one of his novels to his hotel room, and dedicated another novel to his typewriter. Weird, right? Anyway…
Johnny’s fiancé is killed in a tragic accident and he determines the culprit is one of five men. Johnny decides to get revenge on all of them by finding out who it is each of them loves, then killing that person on the anniversary of the day his fiancé was killed. The book constantly shifts perspectives. Sometimes you’re seeing the story through Johnny’s eyes, sometimes through the eyes of one of his intended victims, sometimes through the eyes of one of the men Johnny suspects was responsible for his fiancé’s death. The reader is torn because on the one hand, you sympathize with Johnny’s pain and desire for revenge, but on the other, you know that he is targeting innocent people.
The story races along to a suspenseful and satisfying conclusion. The biggest surprise? That no one in Hollywood is trying to film this book for a modern audience instead of the endless remakes and rehashed plots we’re getting instead.
3) GREEN EYES
The first novel from science fiction author Lucius Shepard, this was originally a mass market paperback released in 1981 (or maybe ’82) about an experiment to revive the dead. The experiment works, albeit temporarily, but the dead come back with different personalities.
I enjoyed this novel because Shepard managed to work in old school voodoo rituals and beliefs with his modern science tech stuff, and it combines to form a strangely compelling amalgamation of horror and cutting edge (for the time – early 1980’s) sci-fi. It also takes twists and turns in the plot that I didn’t see coming, which, for a jaded reader such as myself, is hard to do. Really good stuff, and it’s one of the few books in my life that I’ve read twice.
4) JONATHAN STRANGE & MR. NORRELL
I’m not a big fan of fantasy novels, especially anything that contains elves, magic, dragons, or anything that resembles a hobbit. But a novel with fantasy elements? Well, that’s something I might be able to get into, depending on the story and the characters. This one fits my criteria, in that it has kind of a cool plot and a long interwoven story that was a lot of fun to follow.
It takes place in early nineteenth century England where a group of magicians (who don’t really practice magic) get together to discuss the fact that, well, no one is practicing magic. They discover that someone is buying up all of the magic tomes and hoarding them, although the reason is a bit strange. Said hoarder is Mr. Norrell, a cranky sort, who believes that no one is entitled to practice the lost art of sorcery (besides himself, of course).
Along comes Jonathan Strange, newly married and determined to become a practicing magician. Strange has a natural talent for the mystic arts and develops an ability on his own without the use of books. Mr. Norrell is intrigued by him and allows him to consult with his vast library. Together, the two men join forces and begin to work for the government…which is a timely development because you see, there’s this guy named Napoleon who’s causing trouble.
The story goes on from there with many side turns and subplots that take a while to gestate. Author Susanna Clarke sets up things early in the novel that sometimes take hundreds of pages before they culminate, but when they do? The author definitely delivers a payoff. She is equally adept at presenting a story as if it is based on actual events, along with footnotes and references to nonexistent historical figures and printed works that interest the reader as much as the story she sets forth here. Really a masterful work. One of these days, I plan to re-read it.
5) AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY
Theodore Dreiser was a newspaper reporter back in the late 1800’s, but he turned to writing novels at the turn of the twentieth century. His first – Sister Carrie – was considered shocking (for the time) and was actually banned for a while until a few supporters demanded that it be republished, after which it gained a wider audience and permitted Dreiser to write novels full time. Of all of his books, An American Tragedy is my favorite.
Based on a real-life sensationalistic murder case, Dreiser crafted both a revealing look at early twentieth century society, and a story of how an ordinary man could be compelled to commit a heinous crime. Much of it owes to books that have come before it (e.g. The Red and the Black and Crime and Punishment), but Dreiser doesn’t shy away from showing not only the darkness of the human soul, but also the claustrophobic sense of being trapped by one’s circumstances. The author achieves a near impossible feat: He creates a main character that the reader both sympathizes with, and loathes at the same time.