Nana by Émile Zola

First published in 1880

You don't have to be a scholar of French literature (I'm not) to appreciate Nana. Set in the late 1860's and early 1870's, Zola's novel (the ninth in his Rougon-Macquart series) follows a talentless but beautiful stage actress whose physical charms (which she generously shares with upscale men) make her the talk of Paris. Nana is soon living well beyond the means of the various men who support her; their desire for her inevitably leads to their downfall, while the smiling Nana simply moves on to the next admirer.

Zola paints beautifully detailed portraits: the theater, the city, Parisian aristocracy and the crowds that clog the streets all come alive in vibrant color. The characters peopling the novel represent all the traits, good and (mostly) bad, that a sharp-eyed writer could hope to put on display: cruelty, lechery, indifference, pompousness, greed and corruption, occasionally offset by kindness and generosity. Zola was apparently saying something about the superficiality and decadence of society (Nana is ultimately doomed, as is the French empire), but from the modern reader's standpoint, the novel works as sort of an entertaining soap opera, a spoof of the upper class, an old school view of the sexual power women wield over men. Above all, it's often very funny. The novel is easy to read and well worth the time.

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The Guards by Ken Bruen

First published in 2001

I bought The Guards while stranded at an airport, knowing nothing about Ken Bruen. I'm glad I did. Bruen's writing style is concise, forceful, sometimes lyrical, and unusual in the sense that he peppers his prose with lists and with quotations from other authors (some of which have led me to discover those authors). Bruen's protagonist, Jack Taylor, is a down-and-out former Guard (i.e., an Irish ex-cop) who is doing his best to cope with pain ... and nobody should have to endure the kind of pain that plagues Taylor in this novel and others in the series. Bruen paints Taylor in dark colors but manages at the same time to make him noble, to make him aspire to decency if not perfection.

Taylor dabbles in private investigations from his seat at the bar run by his friend Sean. A woman who believes her daughter was murdered hires him to prove that she didn't commit suicide. The plot, however, is secondary to the drama of Taylor's life: his attempts to stop drinking, to make peace with his dead father and abusive mother, to forge a relationship with the woman who hired him, and to pursue his dream. The investigation comes to a satisfying end; Taylor's struggle with his life continues in subsequent novels, fortunately for readers like me who want to see more of him.

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The Postman by David Brin

First published in 1985

In a post-apocalyptic future, Gordon Krantz is something of a nomad, drifting from village to village, acting out one-man plays in exchange for food and shelter.  While evading bandits he stumbles upon an old postal truck.  Krantz takes the dead letter carrier's uniform and, helping himself to the mailbag, begins playing a new role:  that of a postman dispatched by the reconstituted government to reestablish delivery routes.  There is no new government but villagers fighting for survival and fending off tribes of marauders are desperate to believe him.  The question is whether Krantz will live up to the illusion he's invented.

I'm a fan of post-apocalyptic fiction in general, but I approached this novel with the thought that it might not live up to its hype. I was mistaken. Brin created a credible future world, and the concept of a survivor feeling compelled to deliver the mail (even if he stumbled onto the idea for reasons that were far from altruistic) is brilliant: mail delivery becomes not only a means of stitching together a torn nation, but a powerful symbol of national unity and pride. Gordon Krantz, the main character, is more than a bit torn himself, a man of less than heroic stature who, by the novel's end, has grown into not just a hero, but an icon of heroism. Krantz is a fully developed character (a rarity in sf), and his personal transformation is inspiring. The supporting characters are also solid and purposeful. The Postman is a strongly plotted, well written novel, in many ways better than another, more celebrated version of a post-apocalyptic future:  The Road.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 

The Debriefing by Robert Littell

First published in 1979

Stone heads a secret intelligence organization operated by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Its function is to infiltrate Russia if the need to do so ever arises. So far, it hasn't. But when Stone debriefs a Russian defector who has offered information about Russia's position at upcoming arms reduction negotiations, he questions the defector's authenticity. Stone infiltrates Russia and impersonates a KGB officer to find the truth, enlisting the help of a prostitute and a Stalin look-alike.

The Debriefing is tightly plotted, Littell's writing style is crisp, and although the characterization is one-dimensional, the story is fun. It isn't as good as his first book, The Defection of A. J. Lewinter, nor is it as enjoyable as my favorite (so far) of the Littell books, The Sisters, but this brief novel is one that fans of espionage fiction should enjoy.

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Shadow of the Wolf by Brent Ghelfi

Published by Henry Holt and Co. on July 8, 2008 (also published under the title Volk's Shadow)

In Volk's Game, Brent Ghelfi created an intriguing character: an emotionally damaged Russian patriot who is filled with contradictions: a ruthless killer who feels compassion for widows and wounded veterans; a thief who dispenses charity; a man who questions his capacity for love while sacrificing himself for the sake of love. The character of Volk develops further in Shadow of the Wolf.

The story takes place six months after the conclusion of Volk's Game, and I suspect a reader would be a bit confused diving into this book without reading the first one. The complex and occasionally confusing plot pits Volk against terrorists and politicians, brings him into contact with American and Russian spies, and takes him back to Chechnya, where he lost his leg and perhaps his soul. All of this (backed by plenty of violence) would be routine stuff in thriller world except that Volk continues a path of personal growth that began in Volk's Game: he begins to question the conflict with Chechnya and the role he played in it; he starts to wonder if the man he has become is the man he wants to be. Like the first novel, the story is a fun read, but the well drawn main character is what really makes it worthwhile.

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