Written in the early 70's as a satire on the Lensman books, taking many of the ludicrous plot elements from EE Doc Smith's groundbreaking but not so wWritten in the early 70's as a satire on the Lensman books, taking many of the ludicrous plot elements from EE Doc Smith's groundbreaking but not so well written series and weaving a humorous space opera around them.
Easy quick read and reasonably funny, much more so if you have struggled through the Lensman books and get some of the in jokes....more
Audio book, read by Ethan Hawke, who did a nice job though was not so good with doing different voices.
One of my favorite Vonnegut books, though I likAudio book, read by Ethan Hawke, who did a nice job though was not so good with doing different voices.
One of my favorite Vonnegut books, though I like Cats Cradle (for really incisive cynicism) and Sirens of Titan (for a wee bit of hope and frivolity) better.
Mostly of interest to me for real life biographical material about WW2 POWs and the Dresden raid, and the lovely view of non-linear time, both of which are brilliant....more
Audio book version, nicely read by Paul Giamatti if memory serves.
Wow, what a hard hitting experience, more consitently powerful than consistently pleAudio book version, nicely read by Paul Giamatti if memory serves.
Wow, what a hard hitting experience, more consitently powerful than consistently pleasant. This is a thin veneer of science fiction laid on top of Dick's very real experience (as he says at the end)in the culture of drug use.
If you are not squeaky clean, as I am not, some of this while hopefully being more extreme than your experience will hit uncomfortably close to home.
At the same time it cross-fertilized brilliantly with my current personal growth area of buddhist-ish practice.
And it's the perfect vehicle for Dick's trademark paranoia.
Amazing 6 star book. Bisson manages to combine wry humor and satire, post shock doctrine capitalist dystopia, and ye olde play within the play. From tAmazing 6 star book. Bisson manages to combine wry humor and satire, post shock doctrine capitalist dystopia, and ye olde play within the play. From this you would think it bleak, but no, it is warm and full of love and humanity.
The writing is impeccable. It's a real page turner, never a dull moment, but there is still time for heart opening sentences and beautiful descriptions, just sitting there in plain site.
Also, really really good ending.
There are like 4 pages of endorsements in the front of this from a variety of authors and publications. It's really good, I'm not kidding.
Is it a bit dated in terms of geopolitics? Yes and no. The breakup of the soviet union and america's 3rd world wars occuring in different countries than they actually did is inconsequential to the story. But it was just as implausible when it was written as it is now. ...more
This book is almost perfect. Despite being written in the early 1950's it is as topical as ever. The writing is crisp, tight, concise. The satire is sThis book is almost perfect. Despite being written in the early 1950's it is as topical as ever. The writing is crisp, tight, concise. The satire is sharp, funny, and yet not too overbearing. It manages to depict a rather sad future world with a light hand. It also manages to be a real page turner.
I found the last sixth of the book a bit weaker as the protagonist slowly unwinds his dilemmas and moves towards... the end. But it still moves quickly and represents only a relatively slim chunk of the book at the end.
I see that this book is somehow the first in a 9 book series? Have no fear,it was written as a standalone novel and has complete closure at the end. ...more
Disch is a master of highlighting the foibles (and much worse) of humanity. Here his target is the catholic church, with some swipes at Whitley StreibDisch is a master of highlighting the foibles (and much worse) of humanity. Here his target is the catholic church, with some swipes at Whitley Streiber along the way. His prose is top notch as usual. The ending is a bit odd, maybe too clever or not as well executed as the rest, as he reframes, twice, the events of the novel.
I would say a lot of bad things happen to good people in this book, but it's hard to find anyone truly good here....more
Audiobook this time around, though I read it when it first came out.
On one hand Swanwick is a great writer and a very smart guy. Complex, flawed, noblAudiobook this time around, though I read it when it first came out.
On one hand Swanwick is a great writer and a very smart guy. Complex, flawed, noble characters, some sophisticated musings on time travel and interesting multiple world lines as plot threads, a bit of unobtrusive metafictional perspective at the end.
On the other hand lots of stuff about dinosaurs from a solid paleontology perspective. If you like that it's great, if not you may like me find the first half of the book and much of the descriptive filler to be rather dull.
I have heard people complain about the endless descriptions of geology in Robinson's Mars books. Not a problem for me, I love them to pieces, but perhaps this is how I feel about what seems to me tedium about different sorts of dinosaurs or no, those giant animals over there aren't dinosaurs, they are something else... yawn. Appropriate with the novel as most of the characters are scientists, but for me boring.
This is specifically about the audio book. I read Dune in the 1980's and thought it was amazing, then read national lampoon's Doon and liked that-- unThis is specifically about the audio book. I read Dune in the 1980's and thought it was amazing, then read national lampoon's Doon and liked that-- unfortunately the satire was so spot on that I could not go back and enjoy the original Dune without seeing all the flaws of which Doon had made such good fun.
Fast forward to 2013-- Listening the the audio book has brought home to me again the amazing power of this book. Very happy to be able to enjoy this again, even if it's 22 hours or so of listening :-)...more
This book is an intriguing mix of: badly dated computer hardware ideas, university bullsh*t session superficial questions about existence, and some moThis book is an intriguing mix of: badly dated computer hardware ideas, university bullsh*t session superficial questions about existence, and some more sophisticated exploration of those same ideas.
Oh yeah, and all of the conversations with the computer are in ALL CAPS!...more
A real page turner, kept me up until 3am. Interesting to see the seeds of some of his later work here-- get naked to fight the aliens! Or was that a jA real page turner, kept me up until 3am. Interesting to see the seeds of some of his later work here-- get naked to fight the aliens! Or was that a justification for a lurid magazine cover? The weird abstractish art for this edition actually makes sense......more
I'm a big RAW fan. This didn't do it for me, though. I found it: dated in a tawdry 70s sort of way; too much like Ulysses; too surreal; too disjointedI'm a big RAW fan. This didn't do it for me, though. I found it: dated in a tawdry 70s sort of way; too much like Ulysses; too surreal; too disjointed. Maybe those last 3 are redundant.
It is well soaked in RAW's 8-circuit model of human behaviour, but it's better to read about that model in his non fiction books like Quantum Psychology or Prometheus Rising.
On this re-read, after reading it maybe 15 years ago with no clear memory of it, I read about 60 pages of book 1, then skimmed a bit of book 2 which I liked better because it was at least happening in a things go well universe instead of a things go badly universe. Was not motivated to skim book 3. Getting put on the "books to sell or donate" pile.
Good book. The conflict is very much western philosophy, which is push forward linearly, change things, make your dreams come true VS eastern philosopGood book. The conflict is very much western philosophy, which is push forward linearly, change things, make your dreams come true VS eastern philosophy as exemplified by Taoism: everything is connected, we must recognize that we are part of larger systems, just being is good and reverence for nature is best. Lots of quotes from the Tao Te Ching: the hero is literally referred to as a block of uncut wood. If you like this approach Le Guin has a nice version of the Tao Te Ching she later published....more
Not terribly dated for something written 1951. One of Kornbluth's clever utopias. So well told you don't notice it's a coming of age story, amongst otNot terribly dated for something written 1951. One of Kornbluth's clever utopias. So well told you don't notice it's a coming of age story, amongst other things. Brilliant ending. Very readable, brilliant mind: We tell ourselves stories about the world and then make the mistake of acting as if the stories were true. (i paraphrase)
Hyperealistic background detail on the operation of 50 caliber machine guns without getting in the way of the story.
A bit mushy in the middle when the protagonist goes off into the Australian outback......more
Audiobook review. Very nice production with a full cast., some sections read by Neil Gaiman. Text is of the 10th anniversary edition which is longer aAudiobook review. Very nice production with a full cast., some sections read by Neil Gaiman. Text is of the 10th anniversary edition which is longer and Gaiman's author's preferred version over the original published version I read some years ago.
It's still a great book and much deserving of all the awards it won. True to his strengths both deeply mythically evocative as well as firmly footed in the modern world. I'm glad some years passed between my readings as full memory of the plot twists would have taken something away from it the second time around.
Maybe dragged just a tiny bit in places? Not sure if this was the audiobook or the longer text. Does the written version have the apocraphal scene where Shadow meets Jesus in an appendix? If not that's a nice extra treat on the audio.
Great book. Probably you've already read it if you like this sort of thing, or if you haven't, by all means do so....more
I've read this book a number of times. It is the very exemplar of "page-turner." More than once I have stayed up to 3am to finish it, unable to put itI've read this book a number of times. It is the very exemplar of "page-turner." More than once I have stayed up to 3am to finish it, unable to put it down.
Clever time travel stuff, bit of transcendence at the end, just moves like greased lightning.
Love the many different metaphors used to describe the physical sensation of each time jump.
One of those books I read and then went looking for more from the same author, only to be disappointed. His best as far as I can tell....more
I have a mixture of reactions to this book, mostly contextualized by my long history with this author.
Definitely a major improvement over Galileo's DI have a mixture of reactions to this book, mostly contextualized by my long history with this author.
Definitely a major improvement over Galileo's Dream and its weird detachment. But a bit of that flavor of detachment remains.
Something like Mars trilogy light-- very concise and well explained analysis of earthly problems and alternative economic solutions, beautiful space scenery without the constitutional conventions or long drives through the martian landscape.
Definitely some very vivid exciting and CREATIVE moments when protagonists are in danger or engaging in their clever schemes.
Very interesting main character, very minimal plot. A long long way from the idealistic and dystopian writing of his early career, seen mostly in his short stories. But also a bit disconnected from the characters by comparison.
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