reading (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe)

I finished "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" last week soemtime. It was the first time read for me. After reading it, I am surprised this book gets so much mileage. To me it felt contrived, poorly paced, and not well brought together. I excuse a certain amount of the Mary Sue because it's kid lit, but it seems a little heavier in Sueness than the usual. I suppose it's alright for a young reader, but it would be down on the list of my choices for giving a kid. I will read the rest of the series, because I have them, but it's not a auspicious start.

39. C. S. Lewis "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe"

reading (Asimov's December)

This month's Asimov's was a lot of fun. In "As Women Fight" gender gets bent so much that there are pretzels standing around feeling inadequate and embarassed. "The Bride of Frankenstein" was funny and sweet. I was left flat by the post apocalyptic "Angie's Errand". Angie seemed to be alternately 40 and 12 instead of being a tired survivor at 22. Angie's character didn't ring true to me. "A Large Bucket, and Accidental Godlike Master of Spacetime" was a fine example of looking at things from a different angle. Starting out with an astronaut with an employment problem hooked me. "A Lovely Little Christmas Fire" was fun but a bit gratuitous.

Overall, I quite enjoyed the issue. The mixture was good, tending toward the light fare, but with variety.

40. Asimov's December 2009