Margaret Atwood's book was the first in the project, and Scribbler Moon won't be read until 2114. In this interview (two years ago), Atwood says: "It freaks me out a bit when I think that many of these writers aren't born yet."
David Mitchell is the second writer selected. Each year an author is selected to write a book for the future library. None will be read until 2114. A hundred authors will write books for the future when the Norwegian forest will be harvested for limited editions.
I'm currently reading The Darkening Web: The War for Cyberspace by Alexander Klimburg. A little at a time. The influence of the Internet is so pervasive now--for both good and ill. Just a short excerpt from the description reveals why I find it necessary to take this one in small doses:"Not only have hacking and cyber operations fundamentally changed the nature of political conflict—ensnaring states in a struggle to maintain a precarious peace that could rapidly collapse into all-out war—but the rise of covert influencing and information warfare has enabled these same global powers to create and disseminate their own distorted versions of reality in which anything is possible. At stake are not only our personal data or the electrical grid, but the Internet as we know it today—and with it the very existence of open and democratic societies."
Klimburg is certainly respected in the field of cyber security.
In between bouts of reading The Darkening Web, I continue reading my favorite escape genres: mysteries, fantasy, science fiction.
After the death of Megan's parents, Megan and Chloe visit the family cottage in a seaside village, ostensibly to clean it out and put it up for sale. Megan, however, has another reason. She has received a postcard from Whitecliff, signed Z. Megan and Chloe's brother Zac disappeared from the village ten years previously.
This is the first book I've read by Wilkinson, but I'm interested in reading more.
NetGalley/Bookouture
Mystery/Psychological. June 23, 2017. Print length: 350 pages.
Once again, Wheeler intertwines myth and history in the imagined world of Ceredigion, but the key player is no longer Owen Kiskaddon. Trynne, Owen's daughter, tries to subdue her desire to become a knight and become the Wizr her mother expects her to be. It seems, however, that the Kingfountain has plans for Trynne that support her own preference. Or maybe her preference is a result of Kingfountain magic.
I'm eager for the next book in this series.
NetGalley/47 North
Fantasy. June 13, 2017. Print length: 304 pages.
Their Lost Daughters is the second book in Joy Ellis's DI Jackman & DS Evans series. Ellis' Nikki Galena series is one of my favorites, and the Jackman/Evans series, is becoming a favorite as well.
Both series are set in the Fens, the marshy wetlands that extend through Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, and Norfolk. The landscape of the Fens is so important to both series that the Fens becomes a character in its own right.
The title gives a clue to the plot, but it is the characters who provide the cornerstone. DI Rowan Jackman and DS Marie Evans and their crew provide the grounding as the plot twists and the suspense builds.
I look forward to more books in both of Ellis' crime series, but fair warning, these books have some dark elements.
I missed this one on NetGalley, but it was available on Kindle Unlimited!
Police Procedural. 2017. Print length: 331 pages.
I don't think I'll read the internet-themed book, though I do understand the need for us to know how every aspect of our lives has been changed because of it. Kind of bittersweet-- some good, probably mostly for the worse...
ReplyDeleteI liked your reviews-- thanks for them. Haven't tried Ellis yet, though I see through past reviews how much you enjoy her books. I would really like the setting, but am concerned that they might be too dark for me. I would read Two Sisters if given a chance, and didn't know about this new Wheeler series. I didn't read any in the first series, but have considered it in the past. Maybe I can get in on book 1 of this series and see how I enjoy his writing style.
The Ellis books are excellent mysteries with well-drawn characters, but they do tend to be dark. I really liked the first three books in Wheeler's Kingfountain series. :)
DeleteThat Cyberspace book sounds sobering and scary. I'm continually amazed and saddened by how our society has changed due to technology. That 'Future Library' sounds interesting, but since we won't be here, maybe not so exciting. Will they have 'advance copies'?? Ha!
ReplyDeleteI keep meaning to try books by both Kerry Wilkinson and Joy Ellis. Soon, soon...my mantra for all things book.
The Darkening Web is scary. The internet opened up so many ways to make individuals and governments vulnerable. It is really strange to think that Atwood has written a book that won't be read for a hundred years!
DeleteThat Future Library project is wild; I wonder who came up with the idea. It's a little crazy to think of books sitting in that Silent Room they're going to build, waiting 100 years to be read. I hope there's still people around to read them. ;)
ReplyDeleteLark, I hope there are still people around to read them, too!
DeleteWow. The Future Library project sounds really interesting. Oh to know how that turns out . . . The Darkening Web sounds scary in some respects, but like a worthwhile read just the same. How much have we already seen of what he's written about? It's frightening to think about. Both Wilkinson and Ellis's books interest me. I will have to keep a look out for those authors.
ReplyDeleteIt is an interesting idea, isn't it? The Darkening Web talks about things that were happening 20 years ago that I wasn't aware of and certainly the things that we are seeing now have been going on for quite a while. Fascinating, but very uncomfortable to read about.
DeleteThe Future Library project is so cool but at the same time kind of sad that we won't be around to hear about it. Like what do the future readers think of these authors and are the reading tastes in 100 years.
ReplyDelete