The Broken Bubble. Philip K. Dick

The Broken Bubble.
Philip K. Dick
Arbor House, 1988.

One of Dick's posthumously published non-SF novels. This follows a man who is 30-35 but still refuses to succumb to societal norms. One day, he refuses to read a blaring radio ad on his programme; his refusal speaks clearly to some teenagers who proceed to -- believe it or not -- rebel against authority. More interesting than this guy is his ex-wife (whom he is pursuing again) who has a complete emotional and moral breakdown.

Ultimately, though, the reader is watching these people's lives rather than understanding or participating in them. Dick's writing is good enough that we believe him when the ex-wife seduces the 18 year old fan, or paints the whole apartment black, etc., but the emotional distance remains -- as with his naked woman in a giant ball, we are always watching through a plastic bubble.

Journey Under the Southern Stars. E. L. Grant Watson

Journey Under the Southern Stars.
E. L. Grant Watson.
Abelard-Schumann, 1968

Because his novel Lost Man! is one of my favorites, and because the first part of the book reveals the real life experiences of the author which mirror his novel, I was immediately fascinated by this autobiography.

What I come away most clearly with, however, is the author's experience on a Fijian island in the plantation house of a white man. There are ghosts, a mysterious and horrific volcanic lake, and a magical calling of sea turtles.

The author is a young scientist out for adventure, and he maintains a firm belief in magic -- a belief which is confirmed by his observations.

Grant Watson's narrative prose in this book is beautiful and haunting in many sections. An excellent book to re-read as I find more of his works.

Secrets of Our Spaceship Moon. Don Wilson.

Secrets of Our Spaceship Moon.
Don Wilson.
Dell: 1979.

Sequel to Our Mysterious Spaceship Moon, this book rehashes a lot of the same info, but also presents new "evidence" and expands earlier statements offering proof that the Moon is a hollow vessel from another planet. This book is just as good as the first, and presents strong arguments as to why the other theories of the Moon's origin cannot be true, and why it could be that it is hollow.

The most recent (last 10 years) scientific theory is one that says the Earth, in its early formation, was "whacked" by a HUGE (planet-sized) object which caused the Moon to form out of the fragments. At a glance, this doesn't quite answer a lot of the structural questions Wilson raises (such as mascons), though I plan to look into it, as that theory is more plausible than the spaceship one (though not as exciting.)

Still, there are enough doubts about the moon's structure and composition, NASA's lack of communication to the public about certain things, and those pesky UFO's that will keep me open-minded on this subject for a while! :)

Flowers in the Attic. V. C. Andrews

Flowers in the Attic.
V. C. Andrews.

This book is generally classified as horror, though I don't know why as there's nothing really scary about it. Four kids are locked in the attic for a few years, so that their mom can inherit lots of money. After she does, she tries to poison them slowly.

The whole point of "willing suspension of disbelief" is that you will accept the premise of the book as long as people still act like people. And that is the flaw with this book: it's totally unbelievable. And as such, boring.

People usually say that this book is just about incest and child abuse, but it truly is not overloaded with nasty details -- only a few instances which are actually handled rather well. Indeed, the writing is good throughout, markedly so for this type of book. Character development, though, is its downfall: the narrator is the most believeable, but even she has moments of being too innocent.

Not too interested in the sequels, of which there are many.