Looking for a particular review? Look no further. This directory lists all fiction reviews alphabetically by author’s last name (with series grouped in chronological order), all nonfiction reviews organized in the Dewey Decimal System, and all reviews of film and television adaptations alphabetically by title. Challenges are organized chronologically at the bottom of the page.
FICTION
A
An Old-Fashioned Girl, Louisa May Alcott
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie
Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson
Grey, Jon Armstrong
The Blind Assassin, Margaret Atwood
Emma, Jane Austen
Mansfield Park, Jane Austen
Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen
Persuasion, Jane Austen
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen
B
The Bridge to Neverland, Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
One for Sorrow, Christopher Barzak
The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For, Alison Bechdel
Geektastic, edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci
The Eddie LaCrosse Novels, Alex Bledsoe
—The Sword-Edged Blonde
—Kiss Me Deadly
—Dark Jenny
The Last September, Elizabeth Bowen
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, John Boyne
The Gemma Doyle Trilogy, Libba Bray
—A Great and Terrible Beauty
Batman: Holy Terror, Alan Brennert and Norm Breyfogle
Plastic Jesus, Poppy Z. Brite
Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
Jane Slayre, Charlotte Brontë and Sherri Browning Erwin
World War Z, Max Brooks
Anya’s Ghost, Vera Brosgol
Clotel, or the President’s Daughter, William Wells Brown
The Transformation of Bartholomew Fortuno, Ellen Bryson
Nothing like the Sun, Anthony Burgess
Evelina, Frances Burney
Barsoom, Edgar Rice Burroughs
—A Princess of Mars
—The Gods of Mars
Trinity: Volume One, Kurt Busiek and Fabian Nicieza
C
The Shepherd’s Granddaughter, Anne Laurel Carter
Kushiel’s Legacy, Jacqueline Carey
—Kushiel’s Dart
The Sundering, Jacqueline Carey
—Banewreaker
—Godslayer
The Goddess Test, Aimée Carter
The Shepherd’s Granddaughter, Anne Laurel Carter
Graceling, Kristin Cashore
Fire, Kristin Cashore
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon
Gentlemen of the Road, Michael Chabon
Telegraph Avenue, Michael Chabon
The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, Michael Chabon
Love in a Fallen City, Eileen Chang
Spellwright, Blake Charlton
The Paladin, C. J. Cherryh
Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier
The Lifecycle of Software Objects, Ted Chiang
The Mortal Instruments, Cassandra Clare
—City of Bones
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Susanna Clarke
The Hunger Games Trilogy, Suzanne Collins
—The Hunger Games
Sharpe’s Eagle, Bernard Cornwell
D
The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, Gordon Dahlquist
Avatar: The Last Airbender — The Lost Adventures, Dark Horse Comics
The Gargoyle, Andrew Davidson
Reading in the Dark, Seamus Deane
The Strain Trilogy, Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan
—The Strain
The Starboard Sea, Amber Dermont
The Ethan Gage Adventures, William Dietrich
—Napoleon’s Pyramids
Mad Love and Other Stories, Paul Dini and Bruce Timm
Magic Under Glass, Jaclyn Dolamore
Magic Under Stone, Jaclyn Dolamore
Bog Child, Siobhan Dowd
Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
—A Study in Scarlet
—The Sign of the Four
—The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
—The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
—The Hound of the Baskervilles
—The Return of Sherlock Holmes
—The Valley of Fear
A Resurrection of Magic, Kathleen Duey
—Skin Hunger
The d’Artagnan Romances, Alexandre Dumas
—The Three Musketeers
—Twenty Years After
King Hereafter, Dorothy Dunnett
The King of Elfland’s Daughter, Lord Dunsany
E
Wildthorn, Jane Eagland
Castle Rackrent, Maria Edgeworth
A Visit from the Goon Squad, Jennifer Egan
Parvana’s Journey, Deborah Ellis
Bifocal, Deborah Ellis and Eric Walters
Mr. Toppit, Charles Elton
The Marriage Plot, Jeffrey Eugenides
The Virgin Suicides, Jeffrey Eugenides
F
Evening’s Empire, Bill Flanagan
Thursday Next, Jasper Fforde
—The Eyre Affair
Jane Bites Back, Michael Thomas Ford
The Days of the King, Filip Florian
Nightrunner, Lynn Flewelling
—Luck in the Shadows
Joseph Andrews, Henry Fielding
G
Fragile Things, Neil Gaiman
Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman
The Outlander Series, Diana Gabaldon
—Outlander
Lady into Fox, by David Garnett
Scarlet by A. C. Gaughen
Neuromancer, William Gibson
Blue Beetle: Shellshocked, Keith Giffen, John Rogers, and Cully Hamner
The Luxe, Anna Godbersen
—The Luxe
The Printmaker’s Daughter, Katherine Govier
Black Ships, Jo Graham
The Other Boleyn Girl, Philippa Gregory
Soon I Will Be Invincible, Austin Grossman
The Magicians, Lev Grossman
The Irresistible Henry House, Lisa Grunwald
H
The Goblin Wars, Kersten Hamilton
—Tyger Tyger
A Discovery of Witches, Deborah Harkness
Iola Leroy, Frances Harper
The Southern Vampire Mysteries, Charlaine Harris
—Dead Until Dark
Chocolat, Joanne Harris
How I Became a Famous Novelist, Steve Hely
The White Plague, Frank Herbert
The Lunatic, The Lover, and the Poet, Myrlin A. Hermes
Friends With Boys, Erin Faith Hicks
So Long Been Dreaming, edited by Nalo Hopkinson and Uppinder Mehan
The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian, Robert E. Howard
The Misfits, James Howe
The Abortionist’s Daughter, Elisabeth Hyde
J
The Karen Vail Novels, Alan Jacobson
—Velocity
The Inheritance Trilogy, N. K. Jemisin
—The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
The Spirit Binders, Alaya Dawn Johnson
—Racing the Dark, Alaya Dawn Johnson
—The Burning City, Alaya Dawn Johnson
The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, James Weldon Johnson
Dubliners, James Joyce
K
Russian Winter, Daphne Kalotay
The Fionavar Tapestry, Guy Gavriel Kay
—The Summer Tree
Tigana, Guy Gavriel Kay
Under Heaven, Guy Gavriel Kay
Misery, Stephen King
Ophelia, Lisa Klein
Becoming Jane Eyre, Sheila Kohler
The Historian, Elizabeth Kostova
Shades of Milk and Honey, Mary Robinette Kowal
L
Green, Jay Lake
Passing, Nella Larsen
Keturah and Lord Death, Martine Leavitt
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, John le Carré
Lavinia, Ursula K. Le Guin
Of Blood and Honey, Stina Leicht
Shadowmagic, John Lenahan
The Phantom of the Opera, Gaston Leroux
The Two Princesses of Bamarre, Gail Carson Levine
The Lover’s Dictionary, David Levithan
The Chronicles of Narnia, C. S. Lewis
Out of the Silent Planet, C. S. Lewis
The Flight of Gemma Hardy, Margot Livesey
Ash, Malinda Lo
Huntress, Malinda Lo
Dramarama, E. Lockhart
At the Mountains of Madness, H. P. Lovecraft
The Gaslight Dogs, Karin Lowachee
First Daughter, Eric Van Lustbader
Last Snow, Eric Van Lustbader
M
Phantastes, George MacDonald
The Rock and the River, Kekla Magoon
Mirror Mirror, Gregory Maguire
Out of Oz, Gregory Maguire
A Song of Ice and Fire, George R. R. Martin
—A Game of Thrones
—A Clash of Kings
—A Storm of Swords
—A Feast for Crows
Songs of Love and Death, edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois
Breakfast on Pluto, Patrick McCabe
Atonement, Ian McEwan
Beauty, Robin McKinley
Pegasus, Robin McKinley
Rose Daughter, Robin McKinley
Sunshine, Robin McKinley
Kingmaker, Kingbreaker, Karen Miller
—The Innocent Mage
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, David Mitchell
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Hayao Miyazaki
Adele Grace and Celine, Claire Moïse
Mélusine, Sarah Monette
A Companion to Wolves, Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear
A Breath of Eyre, Eve Marie Mont
Nefertiti, Michelle Moran
Passion, Jude Morgan
Altered Carbon, Richard K. Morgan
All Star Superman: Volume 1, Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely with Jamie Grant
Beloved, Toni Morrison
Bliss, Lauren Myracle
N
Burn My Heart, Beverly Naidoo
Polly and the Pirates, Ted Naifeh
Beast, Donna Jo Napoli
Jane Eyre’s Daughter, Elizabeth Newark
The Firebirds Anthologies
—Firebirds
—Firebirds Rising
Temeraire, Naomi Novik
—His Majesty’s Dragon
O
We Were the Mulvaneys, Joyce Carol Oates
The Resurrectionist, Jack O’Connell
Who Fears Death, Nnedi Okorafor
P
Blood Rights, Kristen Painter
X-Men: Magneto Testament, Greg Pak and Carmine Di Giandomenico
Shadow of the Swords, Kamran Pasha
Sisters Red, Jackson Pearce
Refresh, Refresh, Benjamin Percy
Unicorns, Diana Peterfreund
—Rampant
Far From Xanadu, Julie Anne Peters
The Street, Ann Petry
The Sheen on the Silk, Anne Perry
Nineteen Minutes, Jodi Picoult
The Song of the Lioness, Tamora Pierce
—Alanna: The First Adventure
—In the Hand of the Goddess
Galatea 2.2, Richard Powers
The Long Earth, Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter
The Clockwork Century, Cherie Priest
—Boneshaker
The Prestige, Christopher Priest
The Mistress of Nothing, Kate Pullinger
Lyra’s Oxford, Philip Pullman
R
The Wide Sargasso Sea, Jean Rhys
The Vampire Chronicles, Anne Rice
—Interview with the Vampire
Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded, Samuel Richardson
The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck, Don Rosa
The Kingkiller Chronicle, Patrick Rothfuss
—The Name of the Wind
The Tales of Beedle the Bard, J. K. Rowling
Batwoman: Elegy, Greg Rucka and J. H. Williams III
The Satanic Verses, Salman Rushdie
Sky Chasers, Amy Kathleen Ryan
—Glow
S
The Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger
Mistborn, Brandon Sanderson
—Mistborn: The Final Empire
The Stormlight Archive, Brandon Sanderson
—The Way of Kings
All is Vanity, Christina Schwarz
Ivanhoe, Sir Walter Scott
Where’d You Go Bernadette, Maria Semple
The True Memoirs of Little K, Adrienne Sharp
When The King Comes Home, Caroline Stevermer
The Midnight Guardian, Sarah Jane Stratford
The Riyria Revelations, Michael J. Sullivan
—Theft of Swords
Imaginary Girls, Nova Ren Suma
The Hop-Çiki-Yaya Series, Mehmet Murat Sumer
—The Kiss Murder
The Twentieth Wife, Indu Sundaresan
T
The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan
The Secret History, Donna Tartt
Thornfield Hall, Emma Tennant
The Blacker the Berry, Wallace Thurman
Camera Obscura, Lavie Tidhar
The Good Thief, Hannah Tinti
The Hobbit, J. R. R. Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings, J. R. R. Tolkien
—The Fellowship of the Ring
—The Two Towers
—The Return of the King
The Silmarillion, J. R. R. Tolkien
Crane Spreads Wings, Susan Trott
Angelology, Danielle Trussoni
U
The Lonely Polygamist, Brady Udall
V
Zones of Thought, Vernor Vinge
—A Fire Upon the Deep
—The Children of the Sky
W
Among Others, Jo Walton
Small Change, Jo Walton
—Farthing
—Ha’Penny
Tooth and Claw, Jo Walton
Affinity, Sarah Waters
Fingersmith, Sarah Waters
Tipping the Velvet, Sarah Waters
A Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh
True Confections, Katharine Weber
The Leviathan Trilogy, Scott Westerfeld
—Leviathan
—Behemoth
—Goliath
The Uglies Series, Scott Westerfeld
—Uglies
The Kamil Pasha Novels, Jenny White
—The Sultan’s Seal
The Once and Future King, T. H. White
Benighted, Kit Whitfield
In Great Waters, Kit Whitfield
Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime and Other Stories, Oscar Wilde
The Pink Carnation Series, Lauren Willig
—The Secret History of the Pink Carnation
Fables: Legends in Exile, Willingham et al.
A Tailor-Made Bride, Karen Witemeyer
Why I Let My Hair Grow Out, Maryrose Wood
Mrs. Dalloway, Virginia Woolf
Orlando, Virginia Woolf
Native Son, Richard Wright
Y
American Born Chinese, Gene Luen Yang
Level Up, Gene Luen Yang, illustrated by Thien Pham
Bread Givers, Anzia Yezierska
Briar Rose, Jane Yolen
Buying Time, Pamela Samuels Young
NONFICTION
000
Sixpence House, Paul Collins
The Case for Books, Robert Darnton
This Book is Overdue!, Marilyn Johnson
A History of Reading, Alberto Manguel
200
Jesus, Marcus J. Borg
The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell
300
Conundrum, Jan Morris
Life: The Movie, Neal Gabler
The Influence Machine, Brooke Gladstone
Fans, Bloggers, and Gamers, Henry Jenkins
Boldly Writing, Joan Marie Verba
The Dumbest Generation, Mark Bauerlein
Self-Made Man, Norah Vincent
Radical Sisters, Anne M. Valk
The History of White People, Nell Irvin Painter
I’d Rather We Got Casinos, Larry Wilmore
Textual Poachers, Henry Jenkins
The Purity Myth, Jessica Valenti
Straight, Hanne Blank
Whipping Girl, Julia Serano
The Letter Q, edited by Sarah Moon
Vested Interests, Marjorie Garber
Marriage, a History, Stephanie Coontz
Hard Times, Studs Terkel
Millennial Makeover, Morley Winograd and Michael D. Hais
Illegal People, David Bacon
The Nine, Jeffrey Toobin
The Devil in the White City, Erik Larson
Hope in a Jar, Kathy Peiss
400
Eats, Shoots and Leaves, Lynne Truss
600
Woman, Natalie Angier
The End of Overeating, David A. Kessler
Stuff, Randy O. Frost and Gail Steketee
Animals Make Us Human, Temple Grandin and Catherine Johnson
Fierce Style, Christian Siriano with Rennie Dyball
Typography for Lawyers, Matthew Butterick
700
The Splendid Magic of Penny Arcade, Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins
Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud
Hark! A Vagrant, Kate Beaton
Marvel Comics, Sean Howe
Rock and Roll is Here to Stay, edited by William McKeen
The Encyclopedia of New Wave, Daniel Bukszpan
The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll, edited by Anthony DeCurtis and James Henke with Holly George-Warren
Rolling Stones 50, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, and Ronnie Wood
The Film Book
The Soul of Anime, Ian Condry
Gollum: How We Made Movie Magic, Andy Serkis
I Want My MTV, Craig Marks and Rob Tannenbaum
In the Peanut Gallery with Mystery Science Theater 3000, edited by Robert G. Weiner and Shelley E. Barba
Extra Lives, Tom Bissell
Friday Night Lights, H. G. Bissinger
Pretty Girls in Little Boxes, Joan Ryan
800
Maps and Legends, Michael Chabon
Science Fiction: The Illustrated Encyclopedia, John Clute
In Other Worlds, Margaret Atwood
Manhood for Amateurs, Michael Chabon
On Writing, Stephen King
The Best American Essays 2012, edited by David Brooks
The Ecstasy of Influence, Jonathan Lethem
The Magician’s Book, Laura Miller
Harry, a History, Melissa Anelli
Mapping the World of Harry Potter, edited by Mercedes Lackey
The Hobbits, Lynette Porter
The Brontë Myth, Lucasta Miller
Beowulf, translated by Sean Heaney
Song of the Vikings, Nancy Marie Brown
900
The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World 2010, Julie and Mike Neal
The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2009, Bob Sehlinger with Len Testa
The Lost City of Z, David Grann
Fun Home, Alison Bechdel
My Booky Wook, Russell Brand
Born Round, Frank Bruni
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, Tom Wolfe
The Rose of Martinique, Andrea Stuart
Bossypants, Tina Fey
I Am Not Myself These Days, Josh Kilmer-Purcell
Lost in the Meritocracy, Walter Kirn
The Islandman, Tomás O’Crohan
Zombie Spaceship Wasteland, Patton Oswalt
I Love You Phillip Morris, Steve McVicker
Queen Victoria, Lytton Strachey
Up Till Now, William Shatner with David Fisher
Welcome to my World, Johnny Weir
Maus, Art Speigelman
She-Wolves, Helen Castor
Notes From a Small Island, Bill Bryson
The Maid and the Queen, Nancy Goldstone
The Tigress of Forlì, Elizabeth Lev
The Far Traveler, Nancy Marie Brown
Beloved Sisters and Loving Friends, Farah Jasmine Griffin
AUDIOBOOKS
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides
Anansi Boys, Neil Gaiman
Good Omens, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
Wicked, Gregory Maguire
Sabriel, Garth Nix
Eragon, Christopher Paolini
His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
—The Golden Compass
—The Subtle Knife
—The Amber Spyglass
The Ruby in the Smoke, Philip Pullman
Feed, M. T. Anderson
Harry Potter, J. K. Rowling
—Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone
—Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
—Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
—Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
—Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
—Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
—Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
The Lord of the Rings (BBC Dramatization), J. R. R. Tolkien
Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
FILM AND TELEVISION ADAPTATIONS
The Adventures of Huck Finn (1993)
Atonement (2007)
The Avengers (2012)
Battlefield Earth (2000)
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Breakfast on Pluto (2005)
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Chocolat (2000)
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Dr. No (1962)
Eragon (2006)
From Russia With Love (1963)
Game of Thrones: Season One (2011)
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
The Hobbit (1977)
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
The Hunger Games (2012)
I Love You Phillip Morris (2009)
Iron Man (2008)
Iron Man 2 (2010)
Ivanhoe (1997)
Jane Eyre (2011)
John Carter (2012)
The Last September (1999)
Les Misérables (2012)
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1988)
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
The Little Mermaid (1989)
Little Women (1994)
Lost in Austen (2008)
The Lord of the Rings (Extended Editions)
The Lovely Bones (2009)
Prince Caspian (2008)
The Man in the Iron Mask (1997)
Mirror Mirror (2012)
The Mists of Avalon (2001)
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
Once Upon a Time: Season One (2011)
Restoration (1995)
The Runaways (2010)
The Secret of Roan Inish (1994)
Sherlock: Season One (2010)
Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)
A Single Man (2009)
The Silver Chair (1990)
Skyfall (2012)
The Social Network (2010)
Superman Returns (2006)
Tangled (2010)
Tarzan (1999)
Thor (2011)
The Three Musketeers (1993)
The Three Musketeers (2011)
Troy (2004)
Twilight (2008)
Vertigo (1958)
Virgin Territory (2007)
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)
Where the Truth Lies (2005)
X-Men (2000)
X-2 (2003)
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
X-Men: First Class (2011)
CHALLENGES
The Lord of the Rings Readalong, Spring 2010:
Part #1
Part #2
Part #3
Part #4
Part #5
Narnia Week, November 28 – December 4, 2010:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Tigana Readalong, February 23 – April 27, 2011:
“A Blade in the Soul”
“Dianora”
“Ember to Ember”
“The Price of Blood”
“The Memory of a Flame”
Pingback: The Sunday Salon: My First Blogoversary « The Literary Omnivore
Wow. This is quite impressive. I am reading this instead of finals…ah the miracles of procrastination. I LOVE LEVIATHAN. Where’s your review of Behemoth? Because I think that review should consist of OMGLOVEHEARTACTIONLOVEBADASS!!!111one
One question…why is Beowulf under nonfiction?
Ain’t it grand?
My review of Behemoth is scheduled for the 20th; might be bumped back for a review copy of something I got (those reviews supersede stuff I buy/rent on my own). It basically consists of “One time, Deryn Sharp punched me in the face. It was awesome.”
Because it’s got a Dewey Decimal System classification, and I sort of agree with that–we tend to look at it scholarly instead of as a rip-roaring yarn. I don’t do the same with graphic novels.
I’m afraid I’ve pretty much copied you and put up an alphabetized directory. Credit where credit is due: you get a ton of views and comments because you have it worked out to a science.
I don’t think it’s copying if I’m using library classifications, heh. But a review directory is a must for a book blog, I feel.
I only have perhaps a third of your total reviews, and mine are generally less lengthy, so it’s not been an issue before. I know there’s a whole bookblogging world out there, so I feel I should get involved – although I’m surprised how much time is spent on fantasy, scifi, and genre fiction.
You mean the good stuff?
I actually really loathe the term “genre fiction” (and its botched semantics) and the privileging of “literary fiction” (an equally loathed term, as it’s redundant—most “literary fiction” is actually in the genres of contemporary or historical fiction) over it; I’ve got a whole rant about the subject here.
I imagine it’s more prevalent because we can read whatever we want; while I tend towards omnivorousness, there are other book blogs that focus only on one genre.
Genre fiction is just convenient shorthand for the phenomenon where a great many books of generally poor quality are published for an audience whose expectations are very specific – there’s not really any other good way to express that. I am thinking specifically of romance, scifi, and fantasy in this way, because while other genres exist and have their following, those three are unusually broad and have articulated their own specific set of rules and tropes. This is also why a book can be considered a good work of fantasy, even though it would be considered terrible if critiqued on its own. A good example might be something like Terry Goodkind’s “Sword of Truth” series, which is terrible yet considered to be a very good fantasy book – expectations are lower for general quality in such genre fiction, because the elements of innovation, heroism, and atmosphere are all considered more important than general quality of writing or characterization.
This is not to say, of course, that there aren’t good works of genre fiction. By the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant (fantasy) and Dune (scifi) don’t come around every day, and frankly even the best of these genre works are only middling works of literature. Recognizing their status as genre fiction recognizes that the standards by which they are judged are different – it’s not a bad thing, and ignoring it isn’t a good thing.
It is definitely true that there’s some ghettoization. To some extent, that’s meritorious and based in fact, but it has to be admitted that there are some good works that end up denigrated for their pigeonholing. But that’s true about any category, particularly one as functionally powerful as genre fiction, which indicate a different set of priorities in their label.
I don’t really consider historical fiction to be genre fiction, and so there’s a problem there of the awkwardness of the term and what I perceive as a distinction between “genre” (a broad classification of a book) and “genre fiction” (one of several highly articulated audiences). I think you adequately proved that anyway in your video.
Then why on earth is “genre fiction”—a phrase that, quite technically, refers to all fiction, since no piece of fiction is without genre—the term used to refer to this, rather than a phrase that indicates that this genre is simply prone to formulaic and/or poorly written books? As it stands, “genre fiction” casts a judgment on every book in that genre, which is exactly what I loathe about it. The very term dismisses these genres out of hand, just as you do when you say that “the best of these genre works are only middling works of literature”. (I think I already know your stance on The Lord of the Rings, then, heh.)
By subjecting speculative fiction to different (and much lower) standards, you don’t allow yourself to see them as capable of producing great literature. By subjecting all fiction to the same high standards, you’ll find that these genres are just as capable of producing great literature. We simply have to look harder to find them. It’s Sturgeon’s Law, pure and simple; 90% of everything is crap.
I don’t think the ghettoization of any genre is meritorious; it’s laziness on our parts as readers and as critics. For instance, I personally find the mystery genre dull, predictable, and boring. But that doesn’t mean that I think the genre is incapable of producing a great work of literature—simply that I haven’t encountered it yet.
I agree that “genre fiction” is a confusing term, and I wish there was a better one at hand. But I don’t think you’ll ever escape the problem of blanket condemnation of scifi and fantasy and romance, both because of the partial justness of that condemnation (they’re articulated and insular communities with different expectations) and the basic problem of any label’s tendency to genericize its constituency.
Do you disagree that the best of genre fiction is usually only middling as literature? You give The Lord of the Rings as an example – I’ll agree that this particular book (trilogy? haha!) is superb as literature, in no small part thanks to Tolkien’s erudition and extraordinary research (“Theoden” is Anglo-Saxon for a “leader”) that hearkens back to England’s mythic roots and finds resonances in medieval interpretations of the same to lend verisimilitude to far-flung fantasy, but it is almost alone in this respect. This is just the nature of the beast. With modern fantasy, you have a community that demands certain things and authors that deliver, and their standards are different. This isn’t necessarily “bad,” but because the audience is enormously skewed towards certain demographics, and because the values in literature they prize are different than those prized by the larger cognoscenti, and because it’s a very modern and very insular movement, then the results are going to be very different from mainstream and traditional literature. Recognizing that is not lazy, it’s actually the opposite: any work of art needs to be judged in context!
I generally consider genre fiction under both sets of standards, particularly when recommending it to someone. When my wife asked me about “Game of Thrones” by George R. R. Martin, the current darling of fantasy, then I asked myself (a) is this good fantasy? and (b) is this a good book? The answer was definitely affirmative for the former, but the latter was much more muddled. Ultimately, I recommended it to her, albeit without the enthusiasm with which I had recommended David Foster Wallace or Michael Chabon. If I took your advice about abandoning special consideration for fantasy, I would probably recommend almost none of it – even though I actually love it (good fantasy: Tad Williams, Stephen R. Donaldson, and so on).
Consider The Once and Future King, which I believe I saw you’ve read. This could be considered fantasy. Yet it is widely recognized as good literature (especially for young adults) because of the clever way it works through anachronism as a sort of early magical realism (i.e. the fascist ants) and its handling of Arthurian legend, as well as for a bunch of other reasons it’s probably not necessary to list for you. It’s well-written, interesting, has complex characterization and marvelous dramatic arcs, and so it’s a good work of literature. I would accordingly probably not call it fantasy, or even worry about that aspect of things when recommending it to someone. I would just recommend it, because it wasn’t written and shouldn’t be considered as belonging to that special enclave of expectations that is the fantasy genre.
Now, if I had to classify it, then I guess I probably would slap the “fantasy” label on it. But again this bumps up against the problem of semantics here: there really just needs to be a better term for that special sort of genre fiction qua genre fiction.
By the way, as to mystery books, I would recommend Borges’ Ficciones. It is marvelous.
Oh, we never will; it’s too entrenched. But that doesn’t mean it’s wrong, and the idea that dismissing the genre is just very much rubs me the wrong way. Recognizing that the audiences are specific beasts is fine; thinking that that’s a reason to dismiss the genre is not.
Oh, I absolutely disagree that the best of “genre fiction” is middling when compared to other fiction. The Lord of the Rings and A Song of Ice and Fire absolutely blow works of “non-genre fiction” out of the water.
I don’t disagree that the audiences for these genres have certain expectations and a certain culture, but I think that’s true for any genre. Books need to be judged in context—to each other. What I’m disagreeing with is limiting that context. If I were to apply this attitude towards other works, I would never be able to compare disparate works across time and space, because they come out of different traditions and thus, in this definition, are not part of each other’s contexts.
Your example proves my point here—because you find The Once and Future King a good piece of literature, you don’t want to call it fantasy and thus “insult” it. Incidentally, I found it dull and patronizing; but fantasy is fantasy, and I would never say it’s not part of my most beloved of genres. You’re complicating this by incorporating the audience, I feel. It’s a very valid avenue to explore, of course, but I’m just talking about the genre as descriptive of the setting and the world, not the story and certainly not the quality of literature.
Ultimately, I think we’ll have to agree to disagree or else talk in circles, but I’ve appreciated this chance to see the logic behind the argument, although I certainly don’t agree with it.
I’ll give him a shot!
I guess we will agree to disagree, then.
Thanks again for your admirable willingness to tolerate my copycatting of your blog’s traits. I subscribed to your RSS, so I may bother you again someday.