Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel is an apocalyptic tale about the fall of human civilisation and the struggle of the survivors after a pandemic wipes out 99% of the population. It follows several characters as they attempt to survive in this new world and come to terms with what has happened to their civilisation. I Iistened to this in audiobook format and enjoyed it very much. What I liked Interesting narrative structure. Rather than have a straightforward linear narrative, Mandel tells her story through a series of non sequential vignettes taking place before, during and after the Collapse as it is called. These snapshots are loosely connected through the character of Arthur Leander. Although Arthur dies in the very beginning, shortly before the Collapse, his presence is felt throughout the book. These snippets of life give more of an impression than a comprehensive narrative, but it is very effective at conveying the idea of a society after a collapse. Interesting characters. Mandel has a wide cast of characters with each given his or her moment in the spotlight. The points of view covered include characters who remember society before the Collapse, some who have only vague memories of…
This week I have been reading shorter books so I feel I have been making excellent progress compared to the epic fantasy behemoths I’ve been reading lately. I finished the cutesy contemporary romance Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. I will be doing a full review next week, so I won’t say too much now. I have also been dipping in and out of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander. OK, at 640 pages or 33 hours audiobook, that’s not exactly short… I’ve been listening mainly to Davina Porter’s excellent audiobook narration. As I am Scottish born, I appreciate her rendition of the Scots accent. I was reading the series, but I became stuck in the middle of book three. The major TV adaption by Starz has inspired me to start rereading. I’ll probably just keep dipping in and out rather than reading it in a block. Since I’m talking about the series, I would just like to say how much I’m enjoying it. We in Canada are a couple of weeks behind our US cousins. I knew the series was in safe hands with Ronald D. Moore who helmed the wonderful Battlestar Galactica. He is very skilled at creating worlds…