The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

 

Quite literally the chronicles of Martians, this work of fiction creates a lovely and creepy futuristic history of life on Mars. It jumps between different points and places in time, from 1999 to 2026, documenting man’s journey to living on Mars.

Written in the 1940’s, it is always strange to read a futuristic novel that takes place during the present time. Going along with similar themes of Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury paints a strange and scary sci-fi filled future. Progressing through time, from man’s first mission to Mars, to its final, what is discovered is bleak and stunning.

Bradbury’s writing is gorgeous. His descriptions are beautiful and dialogue realistic. Despite the lack of main characters, his writing allows emotion to form around humanity as a whole. The twists throughout the book were shocking and unexpected, with a surprising, though necessary, amount of violence.

This was such a pure sci-fi read. It felt like it could happen in some parallel universe somewhere. Although several aspects of it date it to the 40’s, this classic is one that will stand the test of time. With its perfect, symbolic ending, finishing this book was like traveling to the future and back.

3 Books That Do Alternating Point of Views Right

Alternating POVs can either help or hurt a story. If done right, they can enhance the message, characters and/or plot of the novel. If done wrong, they can leave the reader confused or unfulfilled. It’s important that all of the characters are vital to the story, and that each of them produce a strong voice, which distinguishes them from the others.
Here are three examples of novels that I think do alternating POVs right:


1. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami-
    In 1Q84, the long chapters are split between two main characters, Tengo and Aomame, a man and woman who haven’t seen each other since they were in grade school, but have held onto their feelings for each other. Despite how it sounds, the story is so complex, and indescribable really. Between the alternating POVs, the characters experience strange but important things, which have a great impact on the story. The two characters are very strongly shown, and I found both of them to be likable. Towards the end of the story, it breaks off into a third, unlikely POV, a character introduced earlier in the story. Although the story is rich and complex, the three POVs fit together like links, creating a strong plot and amazing character development.

2. The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi-
    Although other aspects of this book bothered me, the various POVs proved to be very impressive in this sci-fi read. Expressing characters from all different backgrounds, the alternating POVs in this book wove together a beautiful setting. The Windup Girl holds a heavy, rich culture, the most important thing to the story, which made up for some of the things I didn’t like about it.




 3. A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin-
    Lastly, we have the best example of alternating POVs that I have read so far, A Game of Thrones (and the rest of the series). There are a lot of characters in this book, and a total of 8 different POVs. Regardless of the number, it does not make the story confusing. Each of the characters adds something important to the story, and each of them have strong, distinguishable personalities. Though you can easily pick favorites, none of them were unenjoyable to read about. It is refreshing to read the heavy topics of death and war through so many different eyes, varying from lords to children. Overall, the usage of multiple POVs made this book exciting and interesting.

So those are the three adult books that I think do alternating POVs well. I may follow this post up with one of 3 YA books that do it well also (once I start reading more YA books with alt. POVs.)

Let me know what you think of my recommendations. I tried to give a good variety of genres- contemporary (with magical realism??),  sci-fi, and fantasy. I quite enjoy reading books with alternating POVs, so let me know if you've read any good ones recently.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Aside from Bradbury’s stunning ability to portray a realistic future, one which is strikingly similar to the age we’re living in now, the most beautiful aspect of this book, in my opinion, is mood it emits. A mood that returned to me four years after reading this book, to haunt my sleep and make me want to pick it up again. 

Shown through Bradbury’s expressive writing style, this book starts off with an eerie dream-like feel to it. The repetitiveness is used to emphasize people’s lack of original thought in a world where it is practically illegal to think for yourself. But as the protagonist, Guy Montag, starts thinking for himself, the writing itself changes, becoming more descriptive and emotional, as Montag enters an awakening. Through this change, the changing mood is also exposed.

The main part of the book made me feel heavy and sick, as Bradbury describes how this future is- a world where people are constantly plugged into their electronics, much like how it is today. And because it is so similar in that sense, it’s not hard to imagine our world slowly changing into one of no emotion and no intellect, where sports are the only thing prized in school, and entertainment comes before everything else, where family means nothing and ‘happiness’ and conformity mean everything.

However, there is hope in this dreary future. Montag’s discovery of some of the world’s remaining intellects sparked me with the idea of possibility, and a renewed faith in humanity. The idea of writers and books living on through their readers was shocking to me at first, until I realized that it so true to how it is today. Through reading, we’re not only carrying on the stories, but we’re incorporating them into our lives and thoughts so that we can grow as individuals. 

While reading this part, it suddenly made me want to go outside in barefeet and feel the mud between my toes. It made me want to smell the rain and listen to the silence between the noise. And most importantly, it made me want to read every book I could get my hands on. 

I could say so much more about this book, aside from just emphasizing the importance of the mood. Instead, I think it’s important for you to read it and form your own opinions on it. I recommend it to absolutely every reader, and any person who is willing to give it a try. 

The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi

 The Windup Girl is a dark, grimy book, with a very distinctive feeling to it, like a strange science fiction infused third world country. Immediately, you are thrown into a harsh, busy world, a future in the city of Bangkok, full of smoke and sweat, emphasized by Bacigalupi’s stark descriptions. At times, I found this to be overwhelming, but for the most part it was interesting and enjoyable. 

 Along with the two advertised characters- Anderson Lake, a determined business and calorie man, who tends to act as though he’s invincible, and Emiko, a lonely but strong girl, who is also a windup, engineered to serve humans- there are several other important main characters. Among the most significant are Hock Seng, a smart and cautious Chinese ‘yellow card’, taking refuge in a country that looks down on his kind; Jaidee, the ‘Tiger of Bangkok’ who goes to extremes in order to protect his people; and Kanya, a woman torn between her past and future, who goes to follow in Jaidee’s footsteps. 

Each of these characters are essential to the story for the wide variety of perspectives they provide. For many of them, money is the driving force; for others it is freedom. Although at first it was difficult to tell who and what the story is about, it gradually begins jumping fluidly between each of them. I’m surprised they aren’t mentioned in the book’s summary.

As I progressed through the main action of the story, Bacigalupi’s writing became much more exciting. The change in character perspective makes it more potent. Because of it, you are left feeling unsure of who the ‘bad guy’ really is, giving the story and the characters more depth. 

While his writing was enjoyable, Bacigalupi’s strange way of wording things seemed like an ill attempt to give his world more of a sci-fi feel, something it had naturally. From the beginning, we are introduced to a plethora of new words and names, including several Thai words, most of which can only be translated in context. Although the Thai words help emphasize the book’s unique mood, many of Bacigalupi’s made-up words feel more like they belong in Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies series. They contrast against the dark vibe of the story, something I could not get past, and one of the story’s biggest downfalls, in my opinion. Although the abundance of these strange words is confusing at first, some of them become easier to understand as the story goes on. 

To me, this book isn’t simply about Anderson, the Calorie Man and Emiko, the Windup Girl, as the back cover of the book suggests. It reaches beyond the lives of those two characters, but it is through them that we are exposed to a much larger issue- what holds together one of the world’s only remaining countries, in a time when all foreign influences can be both threatening and promising. 

As we learn through the character Jaidee, “all things are transient.” I found that the story does a great job at expressing this. The entire story moves at a constant pace, changing quickly with each transition between characters. As their lives move forward, so does the plot, and the city they live in. I enjoyed it more as things progressed and changed. It became easier to read and navigate through, despite stumbling on some of the words and names. 

This book ended up being nothing like what I expected. It is very heavy, full of greed, sex, violence and death. It is a story that I think will continue to grow each time I pick it up to reread it. Eventually, I might be able to understand what all of the strange words mean.