Rapid Review: "Station Eleven" by Emily St. John Mandel

After three previously published crime/mystery novels, author Emily St. John Mandel branched into futurist/sci-fi/post-apocalyptic genre with "Station Eleven", her breakout novel.  "Station Eleven" made the short list for numerous awards, winning several along the way.

Although the story of Earth post-decimation by killer virus has been visited many times by many authors, few have tackled it as well as Ms, Mandel.  In her version, Earth's population has been all but eradicated by the Georgian Flu, leaving only a few survivors who, via cautious wandering and/or quarantine areas have clustered together.  No explanation is given for the new virus, nor is any needed.  Dwelling too much on the science of virology, immunity, and cures can take away from the core of the plot.  Kudos to Ms Mandel for avoiding the unnecessary.

"Station Eleven" threads together multiple stories and timelines, from the origination of the outbreak and the central characters' introductions, to the future where a band of artists travel the land keeping the spirit of humanity alive through productions of Shakespeare's plays.  Another group of survivors has stayed in a quarantined airport terminal for years, hanging on to their sense of being and community be any means possible.

"Station Eleven" deservedly earned all the praise it has received.  It is a refreshing take on the post-killer-virus world, with true heart and soul at its core.  Interestingly, even though "Station Eleven" has been a best seller and multiple award winner, it wasn't until Spring of 2015 during her book tour that Ms. Mandel was able to quit her day job as an executive administrator and devote herself completely to writing.  She announced this during her stop in Kansas City - no more making travel arrangements for her company while she was on book tour.

For a unique and fascinating divergence into a new genre, try "Station Eleven".

"Tenth of December" by George Sauders

I was not familiar with George Saunders until reading "Gumption" by Nick Offerman (previously reviewed in this blog).  Mr. Offerman described George Saunders as one of America's best writers, and perhaps the funniest author of our literary age.  So, I had to give George Saunders a try.  "Tenth of December", Saunders' most recent collection of stories, was my initiation.

From the first few paragraphs (actually, it was the second) of the first story "Victory Lap", I was hooked.  Funny?  Absolutely.  Unpredictable?  Assuredly.  Creative?  Boundlessly.  Every story in this collection has moments of complete hilarity - you find yourself chuckling at a phrase or a thought from one of Saunders' characters.

Somewhere around the third or fourth story I realized that the stories seemed kin in spirit to David Sedaris' work.  I had not yet discovered the interview of George Saunders by David Sedaris to finish out the book.  Obviously others have recognized them both as twin rulers of American Satire.

Highlights?  Heck, every story in the book is a highlight.  "Sticks" totally cracked me up, especially one sentence in particular containing the word "glee" (I don't dare quote the sentence in this review - it would ruin the experience for the reader).  "Escape from Spiderhead" was a bizarre dive into pharma-tech that bordered on sci-fi.  "The Semplica Girl Diaries" was a long 'what-the-heck?' journey through the plot as told be a wanna-be journaling dad.

"Tenth of December" is an outstanding collection of stories that entertains from the first through the last.

"Revival" by Stephen King

I've been reading Stephen King since I was 18 - that would be since 1982, if anyone is counting.  To me,  Mr. King's work has gone through phases over the years.  I loved his early work - "The Dead Zone", "The Shining", "Carrie", "Firestarter", and of course "The Stand" (one of very few books I've read twice).  Then came "Cujo", "Christine", and others from that timeframe that didn't seem to be of the same quality.  Was he trying too hard?  Stretching thin ideas into 400+ pages?   Some of the work of the next period were, for me, unmemorable ("The Talisman", co-authored with Peter Straub) or unfinishable ("The Tommyknockers").

Over the years I kept reading Stephen King's work here and there.  I always enjoyed his story collections.  Several books were great reads for 80% of the book, followed by a flat ending ("It", "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon", "Needful Things").  Some works were good.  Many are still on my shelf still to be read.

With "Doctor Sleep" in 2014, Stephen King returned to top form.  Revisiting the story started decades earlier in "The Shining", "Doctor Sleep" was tight, tense, exciting, and a perfect continuation of the original.  It was hard to put down each night until I finished it.  A great return to form.  But I'm not here to talk about "Doctor Sleep".

"Revival", also released in 2014, is, in my opinion, one of Mr. King's best works, a top 10 selection alongside "The Stand" and "Salem's Lot".   "Revival" spans many years in the life of Jamie Morton and his relationship with enigmatic preacher Charles Jacobs, who conducts bizarre experiments with electricity.  Jacobs' and Morton's paths cross many times through the years, from the earliest when Jacobs comes to town as a local church minister, through a renewal encounter on the carnival circuit, to Jacobs' later years as a television evangelist.

There are two points I want to make about "Revival".  First, the plot is exceptional.  It is fast-paced, it is engaging, it is full of points that make you think you know what is coming next, only to be taken a different direction.  It's a superb, great story.  Second - this is the scariest plot climax King has ever written.  No details from this reviewer - no spoilers - but the unveiling of the secret behind Jacobs' electricity is the most terrifying imagery ever to come from Mr. King.  It ranks alongside Bram Stoker's description of Count Dracula scaling down the side of the castle tower,

"Revival" is one of King's, heck, Top 5, maybe Top 3.  Get it, read it, get scared.