Open Season, by C. J. Box

Open Season is a pretty good first novel, but I didn't enjoy it as much as C. J. Box's later effort, Blue Heaven.  One problem I had with it is that the hero wasn't heroic enough.  He didn't seem to know what he wanted and for most of the book he just reacted to the actions of the other characters.

Another thing I didn't like was the theme, which is that endangered species should be protected regardless of the consequences to humans, including having their land and homes taken away from them.  This last criticism is political, not literary, so it doesn't count against the book for the purposes of this blog.

C. J. Box has a good style and he did a good job of letting the reader into the characters' minds.  He also excels at the conclusion to ramp up the consequences and tie everything together neatly.  Even though the middle was somewhat boring because of the timidness of the hero, the well-planned and executed ending makes the book worth reading.

Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson

I took a break from reading fiction to read the Steve Jobs biography which is everywhere!  It was a quick and entertaining read, but I was surprised with what a jerk Steve Jobs was.  I blame it on his parents who always gave into his tantrums and allowed him to form his bad habits.  On the bad side, he treated people like crap.  On the good side, he pushed people to be better and was honest about their work which ultimately made his Apple products better.

I've never bought an Apple product, although I have looked into them.  But I could never pull the trigger on one because I hate the closed system.  I don't want to be forced to use iTunes, or the iPhone app store.  I like freedom, even though it's messy.  I make the same argument for capitalism vs. communism.

Steve Jobs is the closest thing to Plato's Philosopher King that I've seen, and it works for Apple.  But I think it works because Apple products are marketed as hip and sexy, and they're sold to people who aren't technically savvy and who don't care about open vs. closed systems.  But now that the Philosopher King is dead, I predict Apple will fall from grace over the next few years.

The Dark Tower I, by Stephen King

I just don't like the fantasy genre.  I couldn't get through The Hobbit, I  didn't get into Wizard's First Rule, and I didn't like The Dark Tower.  My problem is that I can't put the characters and actions into context when they inhabit a world created by the author.

In The Dark Tower, the gunslinger is following The Man in Black and questing for the Dark Tower.  Why?  It's not explained.  Where did the Man in Black come from?  No answer.  The book does give all sorts of details on the gunslinger's past and how he became what he is, but it's some crazy other-world that doesn't makes sense and just raises more questions than it answers.

Some people just love the Fantasy genre, but I still don't get it.