The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore

Published by Random House on August 16, 2016

The Last Days of Night is a fictionalized story of invention, but how much of the story is invented and how much is true to history I cannot say. The bare bones of the story are certainly true, and the inventors — Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, and Nicolai Tesla — are real, as is Paul Cravath, who began a storied legal career by representing Westinghouse. How many of the novel’s details are fabricated is a question for historians. From a reader’s perspective, all that matters is the compelling nature of the story.

Young Cravath, fresh out of law school, has the formidable task of taking on Edison, whose Edison General Electric holds the light bulb patent and intends to be the sole electric company to wire the nation. Westinghouse hires Cravath to defend a lawsuit that Edison filed, claiming Westinghouse infringed his lightbulb patent. Westinghouse, on the other hand, initially relies on the dubious claim that he invented a better bulb.

Edison versus Westinghouse is the clash of two enormous egos, one of the century’s greatest inventors in competition with one of the century’s greatest engineers. According to the book, Cravath was instrumental in introducing Westinghouse to Tesla, one of the few scientists who was smarter than Edison. By inventing a practical way to make use of alternating current, Tesla solved the problem of transmitting electricity over long distances that had bedeviled both Edison and Westinghouse. Ah, but there was still the problem of building a better lightbulb, the only sure way that Westinghouse could avoid infringing Edison’s patent. Until Cravath had a better idea.

The book is a fictional look at one of history’s most engaging legal battles, but it spotlights real-world issues that continue to vex courts and politicians. What does it mean to “invent” something? When does the improvement of an old invention become a new invention? Should it be possible to patent an idea, or only the application of an idea? Isn’t there a risk that patents will stifle competition and innovation, at least if they are applied too broadly?

In the modern world, patent and copyright lawyers are kept fully employed as Google and Oracle and HP and hundreds of other high tech companies sue each other over allegedly misappropriated designs and lines of code. All of that results in money moving back and forth between corporations without doing much good for the public, which foots the bill for judges and court staff to deal with greedy businesses trying to take money from each other. And that’s what a large part of the novel is about.

The book also explores the relationship between big businesses and their allies: politicians and the press. By spreading out his considerable influence, Edison was able to buy editorials condemning Westinghouse’s new innovation (alternating current) while working to persuade legislatures to prohibit its use. Sniping between Edison and Westinghouse even led to the invention of the electric chair, providing a grim interlude in this fascinating story.

The novel is not kind to Edison, who seeks to destroy any invention he does not own, as well as the people who compete against him. Nor is it kind to J.P. Morgan, who places his own profit ahead of the common good. The most decent characters in the novel are two inventors — Tesla and Alexander Graham Bell — who both invent for the joy of inventing. Whether those characterizations are historically accurate I don’t know, but this is a work of fiction so I don’t really care.

In addition to corporate intrigue, the novel melds a crime story and a love story into the narrative. The love story involves Cravath’s second client, a woman of high society who has a surprising backstory. The novel defies categorization, but “literary historical legal thriller” probably describes it best. I’m tempted to call The Last Days of Night electrifying, but I don’t want to ascribe a poor pun to an excellent novel.

RECOMMENDED

The Afterlife of Stars by Joseph Kertes

First published in Canada in 2014; published by Little, Brown and Company on January 10, 2017

Russian soldiers are hanging Hungarian soldiers from lamp posts as young Robert Beck looks on. Russian soldiers loot his home and evict his family from their apartment. Robert, his brother Attila, and the rest of his Jewish family have no choice but to flee. So begins a perilous journey to the Austrian border, dodging Russians and hoping for the best when crossing a minefield.

Their destination is Paris, where an aunt lives, and ultimately New York. The boys encounter an interesting variety of people on their journey, as well as a monkey. Lives intersect briefly, people come and go, an experience that is common to the displaced. The aunt has her own story of atrocities to tell.

Familiar arguments about the merits of racial purity and ethnic cleansing spark the second half, followed by arguments among people who spout nonsense like “You can’t have Handel without Hitler.” Eventually the boys have a far-fetched adventure that seems to have been included only to give the story a contrived ending.

Robert, who narrates the story, is cautious and contemplative. Attila is wild and seemingly intent on living up to his name. Some passages attribute a graduate student’s level of sophistication to Attila (particularly when he discusses opera), which I found hard to accept.

Their father has a mysterious cousin named Paul who is wanted by the police for reasons that are hidden from the children. In fact, a good bit is hidden from the children, but Robert is able to piece together clues about the world’s harsh realities during the long trip to Paris. Attila insists on knowing the dark family secret concerning Paul, but the adults are unwilling to share it. When the dark secret is finally revealed, the remaining question is what the boys will do with the knowledge. The answer is disappointing.

The Afterlife of Stars is filled with interesting scenes and conversations, even if the story as a whole isn’t terribly interesting and not nearly as moving as other stories of oppressed refugees in the Second World War. Dramatic tension is oddly absent from a setting that should be filled with drama and tension. I admired the quality of Joseph Kertes’ prose, but the novel’s humor is forced and the story doesn’t seem to know where it wants to go. It ultimately goes nowhere, although the journey has some compelling moments.

RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS

Ring of Fire by Brad Taylor

Published by Dutton on January 10, 2017

The last two Pike Logan novels went too far over the top. Brad Taylor scaled back Ring of Fire, and as a result wrote a better novel.

A WikiLeaks-type leaker disclosed information from a Panamanian law firm that sets up shell companies. An American who created a shell to do business with Saudi Arabia, inadvertently contributing to 9/11, worries that his complicity will be revealed. Kurt Hale is also worried, since the Taskforce relies heavily on shells to conceal ownership of the companies that provide its support services (as well as the company that is, on paper, owned by Pike and Jennifer).

Pike and Jennifer begin an investigation of leaked information by visiting the Bahamas, but their mission then requires them to drink blackberry mojitos in Madrid. Tough life, hey? Of course, the mission quickly morphs into something more dangerous as they go glob-trotting to hunt down the bad guys.

The plot involves a Moroccan named Tariq who has a plan to launch multiple attacks on America, each using a different method of spreading terror in an effort to undermine the American economy. Tariq expects to succeed because, unlike ISIS and other known terrorist groups, he isn’t on anyone’s radar.

I am always impressed by Brad Taylor’s ability to see the world from the perspective of terrorists (or whatever villain happens to be the novel’s focus). While other writers portray evil characters as unthinking cartoons, Taylor knows that they are motivated by a particular understanding of the world. His fiction reflects their perspectives, making his villains all the more realistic.

And I’m always impressed by Taylor’s ability to recognize the distinction between Islamic terrorists and peaceful Muslims. An interesting debate between a Pike and a Moroccan secret service official effectively presents both sides of the argument while opening Pike’s mind a bit. (Unfortunately, the novel is already a bit dated in that Pike supports his argument by contending that all the killing in the Philippines is done by Muslims, a passage Taylor probably wrote before President Duterte and his roving death squads came into power).

I also appreciated Pike’s relationship with Jennifer, who buries him whenever he steps out of line. Taylor makes clear that Pike’s “tough guy” attitude limits his effectiveness in situations where negotiation is more likely to be successful than intimidation. Of course, Taylor is very effective when it comes to killing terrorists.

Ring of Fire features the return of Carly, who seems likely to become a series regular. Knuckles is the other regular character who shares the spotlight in this one, with Retro and the others playing minor roles. Taylor continues to develop one or two of the characters a bit more in each novel. They’re good at what they do, but like everyone else, they have flaws, making them real people instead of superheroes.

Taylor delivers his usual fine mix of action and morbid humor. The story follows his formula but it’s a good formula, and even if the “good guys foil terrorists” story seems familiar, I appreciated Taylor backing away from the outlandish plots of his last two novels.

RECOMMENDED

Earth for Inspiration by Clifford D. Simak

Published digitally by Open Road Media on July 5, 2016

This is volume 9 of The Complete Short Fiction of Clifford D. Simak. The introduction to this volume focuses on Clifford Simak’s westerns. A western has been included in each of the volumes that I’ve read, but the bulk of this book, like the other volumes, consists of the science fiction stories at which Simak excelled.

“Earth for Inspiration” (1941) doesn’t fit within the cycle of stories that Simak assembled into the book City, but it does feature a robot valet named Jenkins (apparently not the same Jenkins who appears in City). This Jenkins tells a blocked science fiction writer to visit Earth for inspiration. There the writer meets a rusty robot named Philbert who probably would have fit nicely into the City plotline. This isn’t a great story but it’s interesting to see how Simak played with some ideas that he later used to produce great stories.

“Idiot’s Crusade” (1954) is one of Simak’s alien visitor stories, although it is far from his best use of that theme. The alien takes over a human idiot and launches a crusade against people who are unfriendly to idiots.

“Hellhounds of the Cosmos” (1932) is one of Simak’s earliest published stories. Even the volume’s editor admits that it doesn’t make much sense.

“Honorable Opponent” (1956) illustrates a point that Simak made many times -- that aliens and humans are likely to have very different perspectives on almost everything. In this clever story, aliens have a concept of war that humans only come to understand in defeat.

“Green Flight, Out” (1941) is one of Simak’s aviation combat stories. Not my thing.

“Carbon Copy” (1957) takes on a greedy realtor. Greedy or exploitive businessmen never do well in Simak’s stories. This one is pranked by an alien, deservedly so.

“The Asteroid of Gold” (1932) is a science fiction action/adventure story that borrows its themes from westerns. Prospectors exploring new frontiers fight for survival (using wits, science, and overall toughness). The story is better than some of Simak’s other early efforts.

“Good Nesters Are Dead Nesters” (1945) is a western. I am usually entertained by Simak’s westerns and this one was no exception.

“Desertion” (1944) was one of the stories that Simak incorporated into City. It is also one of his best stories. In fact, this story of a man and a dog who move beyond life on Earth remains my favorite Simak story.

“The Golden Bugs” (1960) tells of aliens who try to steal the Earth’s metal, not realizing that humans take it personally when aliens mess with our cars. The story is notable for the narrator’s ambivalent reaction to Earth’s response.

“Full Cycle” (1955) returns to the theme of deserted cities that was integral to City. This take on the theme takes a more optimistic view of humanity’s ability to endure the breakdown of society.

This may not be the best volume in the series, but it contains two of the best stories: "Desertion" and "Honorable Opponent." Several of the rest have retained their entertainment value.

RECOMMENDED

Robota by Orson Scott Card and Doug Chiang

First published in 2003; republished by Dover Books on November 16, 2016

A fair number of science fiction fans wet themselves when they hear the name Orson Scott Card. Yes, he’s done some good work, but it isn’t all special. Case in point: Robota.

Robota is the name given to the Earth after it has been conquered by robots. When the story begins, Caps wakes up inside a machine with no memory of how he got there or what his purpose might be. He finds he is in a world where robots smoke pipes and hunt monsters. Fortunately, he’s befriended by a talking monkey who can explain the world’s dangers.

Caps received a message inside the machine that said something about Font Prime, but he doesn't understand the message. He befriends a monster, Juomes, who blames Font Prime for the persecution of talking animals. Juomes (who looks suspiciously like a Wookie) teaches Caps to fight and they all go wandering about looking for a way to defeat the robots and kill Font Prime so that humans can rise again. Or at least sentient animals can rise, given the scarcity of humans.

The monkey and the monster are sentient because of something called cubing jewels. That leads to some simplistic (masquerading as profound) observations about the difference between sentient creatures, which appreciate beauty, and robots, which appreciate oil. There are good robots and (mostly) bad robots, which leads to some simplistic (masquerading as profound) observations about the difference between good and bad. What it boils down to is, bad robots want to kill humans and good robots don’t.

It’s easy to see prejudice against robots as a metaphor for prejudice against Muslims or gays or immigrants, in the sense that all robots need to be judged individually, including the one who betrays his fellow robots to join forces with Caps and Juomes and the monkey and a woman who dwells in a mushroom city. Like the other messages in this story, it's too obvious to be effective.

Card’s world building seems a bit random (how about a mushroom city and … and a stone city and … and … hmm, I got it … a city that floats in the air!) but the world building shows more imagination than the plot, which is both derivative and predictable.

After the story dogs along for a while, relying largely on unsuccessful attempts at monkey humor, Card reveals a premise that is moderately clever in one sense and predictable in another. Then the story dogs along some more. The good bits (and there are some) are cancelled out by the lame bits, leaving me indifferent to the whole. It certainly didn't make me wet myself.

This is an illustrated story. Doug Chiang's poster-style art is nice but it isn’t spectacular, and other than making it apparent that Juomes looks a lot like a Wookie, it doesn’t add much of value.

NOT RECOMMENDED