Malik Minert – Google

The Intuitionist is a great novel by Colson Whitehead, who at the time (in 1999) was emerging into the Literary community. And this entry no doubt is one that does not fail to please. Inspired apparently by a PBS documentary about elevator inspectors, this novel straddles the line between literary fiction and speculative fiction, becoming a work of great scope. Set in the near future, (a sci fi element no doubt) in a city much like New York whose infrastructure is comprised mainly of elevators zipping every which way, the novel begins with our main character, Lila Mae Watson, the first Black Female Elevator Inspector. An admirer of James Fulton's work (Fulton is like the Karl Marx of Intuitionism, the newfangled way of inspecting elevators that includes a psychic intuition that informs intuitionists if there is a problem in the elevator, yet another sci fi element), Lila Mae Watson comes into the industry, where she is greeted by unpleasant Empiricists (fatcat-like, posh, pompous traditionalists). In the end, this novel is a great one, and is deserved of greater recognition. Five/Five

This book is something both new and old. It is psychedelic, almost, veering far from reality in its descriptions of places and people, and it is magical in its character development. It is both unfamiliar and familiar. It blends elements of the old with fragments of humor and witty dialogue, each sentence carrying a moral. Some may say it is 'too fantastical for a literary author,' but this is as literary as fantasy gets. Drawing from multiple African epics, Marlon James brilliantly weaves them together to create the fictional Africa on which the account takes place. No book have I read that has been more enthralling and intricate than this one, nor has any other book had me read it through in one sitting, without stop. Marlon James has created the book that I was waiting for. I cannot sum up my love for this book in a mere review, so I must resort to understating that it is a 5/5 review.

Um, this book is interesting... Not Ms. Butler's most powerful novel, this is the story of an amnesiac vampire called Shori and how she tries to reclaim her memory and find the person who left her where she began, in a cave, burnt. She developed a friendship with a man called Wright. Nonetheless, as the novel progresses, it gets good. Later in the book she discovers that she is the product of a genetic experimentation by the Ina (the vampires) to create a vampire that can walk in the day (like Blade). But it is written allegorically, presenting the Ina as cold, white vampires who distance themselves from Shori, their failed genetic experiment. This was Butler's last novel, which was written during some hard times, in which she could not continue her Parable series (pity, I'd like to see that progress rather than Fledgling), and I totally understand why she wrote the novel. Even though Xenogenesis and Seed to Harvest are both better series, Fledgling holds its place among vampiric, gothic speculative fiction. It could be placed alongside Jewelle Gomez's "The Gilda Stories," Bram Stoker's "Dracula," and Guillermo Del Toro's "Blade II." (But I liked Blade just a tad bit more.)

An alien micro-organism has hitched a ride on a probe and descended upon earth... In Arizona people are dying, their blood clotting, leaving a myriad of corpses in most unusual places... A team of scientists gathers to stop the virus... A page-turner, while at the same time a scientific meditation. Written in 1969, the year in which Apollo 11 landed on the moon, The Andromeda Strain is undoubtedly a speculative commentary on current events at the time. When an alien micro-organism goes down to earth, the novel sets itself in motion. What follows is part-science, part fiction, part thriller, all stitched together to create an amazing novel 5/5

A riveting take on the Zombie/Post-Apocalyptic genre: A man called "Mark Spitz" (his real name is not revealed) is part of a "sweeper" team that proceeds to put the remaining "stragglers" (immobile "Skels") into bodybags and neutralize the remaining "Skels," short for skeletons. During this assignment, the effects of PASD (Post-Apocalyptic Stress Disorder, pronounced "Past") begin resurfacing, and he remembers the time in which he hid in a toy-store during the apocalypse. Flashbacks occur often throughout the book, and it may be annoying to some, but not to me. Colson Whitehead offers a wholly different take on the genre, presenting the lives of the people who have to clean up after the zombie apocalypse. He also offers darkly comedic elements, which also do not fail to please. Mr. Whitehead goes out of his way to create the most basic and stereotypical ensemble of characters, including the Mark Spitz, your run-of-the-mill apocalypse survivor, and a couple others. Mark Spitz is a charming, solemn, self deprecative person, a perfect fit for the role of a sweeper. Much to my surprise, Whitehead does not focus on describing the gore, as most authors of zombie fiction do, and instead added a much-needed literary edge to it. He masterfully crafts his sentences, deftly weaving together sly lyricism with exemplary prose. In conclusion, Zone One is an excellent entry into the zombie genre, but it may not be the best introduction to the vast topic of the apocalypse. For that, I'd recommend George A. Romero's "Night of the Living dead," (for cinema,) a film that was apparently a source of inspiration for Mr. Whitehead, and (for literature,) also I'd recommend Richard Matheson's "I Am legend." I give this novel a five/five star review. Love Colson's work.

An excellent book, filled with beautifully written prose and lyrical passages that are both enthralling and informative. Recounting Mr. Obama's early years in senate campaigning and his first years of presidency, the book lives up to the previous two — Dreams From My Father and The Audacity of Hope — offering interesting looks into the emotions of being the commander of the U.S. and the most passionate man in the white house. Truly the greatest Presidential Memoir, I give this book a 5/5

All that you touch, You change. All that you change changes you. The only lasting truth Is change. God is change. This verse from the Earthseed: Book of the Living, starts a post-apocalyptic novel that will not be forgotten. Set in a blasted neighborhood in a blasted California, a Black family comes under fire (literally) when gang members fueled on the drug 'Pyro' (which basically makes its user a pyromaniac and induces an impulse to set fires) and they must flee. Lauren Olamina's parents do not survive and she, and her siblings, must exit from the house and set off to the dangerous freeway on which crazies roam and anyone is willing to kill for resources. In this novel, Ms. Butler offers a spectacular take on race, class and gender, like she does in almost all of her books. She also, is incredibly prescient, for global warming has overtaken our planet, and in this book, the same can be said. Corporate greed and capitalism run unchecked in 2020's California (in the novel and in real life,) and no one is safe. And between all these politics and apocalyptic truths, our protagonist, Lauren Olamina, has been writing in her bible called "The Book of Earthseed," in which she weaves together a religion comprised parables and verses that revolve around the power of change, as stated in the verse at the beginning of the review. Octavia Butler, through the Earthseed religion, shows us her unparalleled wisdom and insight, and spreads the doctrine of change to all readers who will listen. To sum her up in five words, I would call her 'The Sci-Fi Toni Morrison.' Sadly, she passed away in 2006 due to a stroke, so in honor of her unforgettable legacy, I shall recite perhaps her most relevant quote today: Kindness eases change. —Octavia E. Butler