Literary Mystique

"But it takes courage to complete the explanation, to say that something  instinctive, doubtless inscribed in the genetic heritage of the species, compels the  great masses of humanity to condone that which promises desolation and  carnage.." Review :   A powerful novella set in a fictional world where a variety of characters collide  : a mixture of characters from just released prisoners, to circus performers,  writers and a string quartet all living under the rule of an authoritarian  government and their military heavies, seeking the strange counterbalance of  hope in a viola player, whose stunning music just might save them all, if only  for a moment.    The leader of the Frondists in the novella is typically buffoonish and  interchangeable with his henchmen, willing to use racism to mobilise the masses.  It’s quite an indictment on the behaviour of people in crowds and the need to  chant insulting slogans.  ...

“None of us live without consequence. Our personal preferences are not truly  personal. One person’s needs will deny another’s. Our privileges can harm  ourselves and others.”  Review :   An apocalyptic future tests the bonds of love between sisters.    In this future world, climate change and other disasters have brought people  together from different countries into eco-cities that levitate above their regions.    Sixteen-year-old Kasey Mizuhara disassociates herself from people,  moving through the world like an alien or ghost, observing her human  companions. She prefers the cool comfort of logic, and the only one she loves  and looks to for direction is Celia, her older sister.    Celia Mizuhara, on the other hand, loves too much, continually pushing  boundaries and breaking rules. Yet the sisters admire each other for their  complementary strengths. As the world crumbles around them due to human- made ...

"Most people don't trust people in power, whether it's the government or a big  corporation.."  Review :  Utopia PR, written by Adam Bender, is a political satire set in a  dystopian Washington, DC, that offers a brisk and entertaining sendup of  politics and the media, two machines driven by capitalism and ambition.    Public-relations extraordinaire Blake Hamner (the n is silent) put off his  honeymoon for his big break: joining a major political campaign for president.  Now, the “Hammer” struggles to make time for his marriage as Crisis  Communications Manager for Our Leader, who since taking power has  become increasingly mad and totalitarian.  The Hammer starts to reconsider his career choices when one of Our  Leader’s savage steel hounds attacks the Comms team at a press conference.  When a revolutionary levels grave allegations against Our Leader—and  implicates Blake for the cover-up—the PR rep who though...