I keep waffling on whether I'd rate this a 4-star book or a 3-star book. Light and quick, this was everything that I expected Leviathan Wakes to be (wI keep waffling on whether I'd rate this a 4-star book or a 3-star book. Light and quick, this was everything that I expected Leviathan Wakes to be (which I just looked and I gave THAT 3 stars, too, but I definitely enjoyed Old Man's War more than Leviathan Wakes). I guess that LW was more of a low "3" and this is more of a 3.5-4 star book. In particular, I found some parts of Leviathan Wakes tediously boring--I never really found that in OMW.
The book takes the interesting concept of recruiting geriatrics for a special, interstellar war. Once the 75 year-olds report for duty, they leave their Earth existence behind to get new bodies and get trained for war. Who among us, as we age, wouldn't want to be back to the fitness of our 20 year-old selves? I know I would, for a wide variety of reasons. Scalzi spends a lot of time not really advancing the plot, but world-building and introducing tech concepts. Normally, that drives me nuts, but Scalzi's writing was good enough that I found these passages enjoyable. The only parts I "glossed over" were the descriptions of the weapons. Those still don't interest me. Finally, the geezers made young again go to war, and Scalzi does try to get a little deeper about war, having characters question why they're going to war and not trying to compromise or make treaties. There never really is a satisfactory answer to this other than, "aliens don't care about treaties," but the main character, John Perry (an "everyman" type guy) continually questions the use of this fighting, especially in part 2. In part 3, there are two more major battles and this is where Scalzi really opens the plot for further books. I can't say much without spoiling it except to say that Perry meets somebody surprising, and at the end, though he has an option to never have to fight again, ends up electing to do just that.
All in all, this was light and quick and enjoyable. It wasn't particularly deep (see previous comments about ethics questions brought up but never really answered) and sometimes had more description than plot, but I still liked it. Funny, I went in figuring I wouldn't care for the book, that it was going to be "yet another" war book. Luckily, it didn't turn out that way....more
I got this book for free for Audible's 2012 "holiday gift" to members. A 45-minute story, this seemed like it was pretty classic Sherlock (from the liI got this book for free for Audible's 2012 "holiday gift" to members. A 45-minute story, this seemed like it was pretty classic Sherlock (from the little I know of Sherlock). The story was cute and revolved around a holiday goose. One thing about Sherlock stories...it seems that you (the reader) can't necessarily solve the mystery with just the information given. Instead, you have the mystery unfold as Sherlock tells you how he's solved it. Sometimes, that's fun. But sometimes, you also want to see if you can solve it for yourself. That said, I liked the story. If you're an Audible member and haven't gotten your gift, you really should....more
Yet again, Sanderson has created a nifty magic system, this time involving "forgery." A "forger" can create stamps that imprint on peoples' souls..canYet again, Sanderson has created a nifty magic system, this time involving "forgery." A "forger" can create stamps that imprint on peoples' souls..can become part of their soul, to change a person...or object. This is a story of an emperor who became injured and more or less lost everything in his mind but basic human function, and the story of the forger who had to re-create his soul so that the kingdom (empire?) would never know. There are other magic systems involved, too, such as "skeletals" whose power is literally in their bones; their bones are sharp, and if their bones are removed/damaged, they lose their power.
A quick (less than 4 hour) audiobook, this story was pretty neat. I'd like to see more from this world....more
Nothing to say that I haven't said about the other PA books. Love 'em, guess I've gotta get the rest...Nothing to say that I haven't said about the other PA books. Love 'em, guess I've gotta get the rest......more
Audiobook from Angry Robot on Brilliance Audio Narrated by Emily Beresford Length: 8 hours
I feel bad giving Blackbirds 1 star, but that's just how it isAudiobook from Angry Robot on Brilliance Audio Narrated by Emily Beresford Length: 8 hours
I feel bad giving Blackbirds 1 star, but that's just how it is. Let's be clear, I get that some people will adore this book and chastise me for my 1-star rating. I get it. Chuck Wendig uses interesting literary techniques with a good bit of metaphor to spin a yarn and some people like that kind of book.
I did not. I can't decide what irritates me more about the book: that I figured out the "twist" with more than 90 minutes left in the audiobook, or that the book really wasn't a story. I mean, sure, stuff happens. But there are all kinds of things left unexplained and in the end, I was left wanting to know the why of what was going on, the character motivations. There were some "story lines" that went on for a good length of the book only to abruptly end, seemingly serving no purpose. This is "Miriam Black #1" so it seems that there will be more in the future; I presume these things will be explained in subsequent books, but I won't be reading them.
Even if I could get over how "meh" the "story" was and how distracting the use of language was (note: some authors, like David Foster Wallace use language to supplement and augment their story; Chuck Wendig seems to use it to distract the reader from the fact that there is no real story), I couldn't get over the violence. It was like listening to a Quentin Tarantino flick without the plot of a Kill Bill or a Pulp Fiction (random aside: I've never seen pictures of QT before; wow he's one odd-looking dude in that IMDB shot). I almost stopped reading a few times because the violence was starting to bother me. It's interesting how violence can affect reading, and how violence can be interpreted differently in different genres. I've read any number of graphic violence and sex scenes in George R.R. Martin books and had no issue. Violence is common in many fantasy books and even some science fiction. The mystery/thriller genre I like so much has TONS of violence, and it doesn't seem to bother me. But here...it was too much.
So, if you're still reading this you're probably bored. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Emily Beresford. She did an OK job, though I don't think I'd look for books narrated specifically by her. The voice she used for the "background narration" and for the main character (Miriam Black) was good, but when she did men's voices or dream voices, it felt like she was overplaying it; I found it annoying....more
I found this book when the author posted about it in the Sword and Laser book club "Author Promo" section. It was available as a free Kindle book one I found this book when the author posted about it in the Sword and Laser book club "Author Promo" section. It was available as a free Kindle book one weekend, so I grabbed it (note, it can still be "borrowed" via the Amazon Prime lending system for free, if you're a Prime member).
All in all, it was a good, not great, book. The book was desperately in need of an editor: there were parts that were rushed, parts that plodded along, and a variety of typos and mis-spellings. That said, I can't really fault the book for these issues...it looks like it was one of those books where the author self-published, and you don't get the fancy editors until you go with a publisher...and let's face it, most Kindle books have typos. I also think that the author is either from the UK or some other British-influenced country; there were many turns of phrase and colloquialisms that you just don't find in American English. As for the plot, it was somewhat basic and predictable, but at least it was fun. If I had a major gripe with the plot, it's that it didn't take enough turns and that the main characters were all too safe. For everything that was going on, it never felt like any of the major characters were in any real danger. I suppose that not every author can be George R.R. Martin, but really, you always got the impression that the main characters would be OK. And, as I noted, the pacing in this book was off.
That all said, I enjoyed it well enough. It was a quick and easy read and I probably wouldn't feel gyp'd even if I had paid the U$3 for it. One slight note, in case you decide to read it, though, is that though the book has a definite end to the main story arc, it's obviously the "first in series of X" thing and some rather major aspects of character development and action will be coming in future tomes......more
I got this from the ebook Humble Bundle. I had thought that I had been reading Penny Arcade more or less from the beginning. After reading this book, I got this from the ebook Humble Bundle. I had thought that I had been reading Penny Arcade more or less from the beginning. After reading this book, I have realized that this is obviously not true. This book, similar to the others in the PA volumes, includes the strips from 1998-2000, along with some commentary from "Tycho" about each strip. If you're a fan of the Penny Arcade Comic, then this book is a nice addition to your bookshelf, and it shows the PA guys your support of their product. Toward the end of this book, I started seeing some strips I recognized, so I'm looking forward to volume 2. I'll admit, I had forgotten how the strip used to look, the evolution of their art. Good stuff....more
Randall Munroe got his degree in physics and went to work with the fine folks at NASA for a bit. He gave it all up to draw stick-figure webstrips threRandall Munroe got his degree in physics and went to work with the fine folks at NASA for a bit. He gave it all up to draw stick-figure webstrips three times a week. It was probably the best decision he could have made for himself and for geekdom. Seriously, if you haven't read xkcd and are reading this review, there's something wrong with you.
xkcd: volume 0 is a collection of most of his strips through 2008, along with some notes and puzzles he's written to go with. I got it as a part of the ebook Humble Bundle and enjoyed it immensely, even though I've read most of the strips before. Smart, geeky, and fun. http://xkcd.com/...more
I'm not going to give the book a rating, since I didn't finish. I got through the first 9 chapters (96 pages) and decided that I was done. It's a shamI'm not going to give the book a rating, since I didn't finish. I got through the first 9 chapters (96 pages) and decided that I was done. It's a shame, I've heard such great things about Tad Williams and it was a Sword and Laser pick...
I had the book in audio and in Kindle forms. I tried at first to listen to the audio, but the narrator (George Newbern) wasn't doing it for me. The narration reminded me a bit of Wil Wheaton in that it was somewhat slow...it might have gone better if I had gone to double-speed, but I opted to go for the "printed" version instead.
I really wanted to like the book, but had issues with the first-person voice. I didn't care for Bobby Dollar's tongue-in-cheek and "I'll get to that later" internal monologue, and there was just too much of it. Bobby Dollar as a character was flat, and Williams' descriptions were as wordy as those of Jordan, Tolkien, or Martin but without the depth.
I'm actually giving up on this one, lemming it as it were, as opposed to Tigana which I may one day get back to. In short, I've read far better urban fantasy and mystery-thrillers....more
A cute short story, provided free for a good cause. Written and narrated by Neil Gaiman, it tells the story of getting scared by telling a scary storyA cute short story, provided free for a good cause. Written and narrated by Neil Gaiman, it tells the story of getting scared by telling a scary story. And really, who doesn't enjoy a little scare now and then? Get it free at http://www.audible.com/ScareUs...more
Audiobook from Blackstone Audio, Inc. Narrated by Grover Gardner Length: 10.5 hours
The SFFaudio crew pegged me to read this book because the descriptionAudiobook from Blackstone Audio, Inc. Narrated by Grover Gardner Length: 10.5 hours
The SFFaudio crew pegged me to read this book because the description says that one of the main characters is a NASA engineer. I always think it's funny when people specify "NASA" engineer. It's like on TV shows when you see people working near the space shuttle, they're all wearing NASA hats. Nobody does that. The description could just as easily said "aerospace engineer" and the meaning would be the same...but less sexy, somehow. I admit, I was weary of reading this one at first. My experience with people who write about "NASA engineers" is that they have no idea what they're talking about excepting cursory research. I'm happy to report that Edward M. Lernerdoes know what he's talking about with regards to the space and satellite stuff (looking at his bio, it's no surprise). That said, I went into this thinking it was going to be a science fiction book. It's much more a mystery/thriller with science fiction elements. It's as much "science fiction" as Daemon is (which is to say, not much).
In the interest of full disclosure, it's probably worth mentioning that I am currently employed by a company that (among other things) designs and builds satellites, both for the government and the commercial sector. I currently work on the commercial side of things and have never worked on a NASA contract. There are definite holes and inaccuracies with the science and engineering in this book. But most people won't recognize them, and they don't impact the overall enjoyment of the story.
That disclaimer done with, Energized was pretty entertaining. Set in the near-future United States, the world has gone through a "crude-tastrophe" and the price of oil has skyrocketed to the tune of $20+/gallon to fill up a car. There is a fixed market, controlled mostly by Russian interests, for oil, so naturally the US explores alternate energy sources. Unfortunately, Rome wasn't built in a day and it's virtually impossible to produce enough energy via alternate sources overnight. NASA has been working on a large-scale satellite that can beam solar energy to earth from space.
The first third of the book (maybe closer to the first half) deals with the public (and private sector) reactions to this kind of a satellite and introduces the reader (listener?) to the concept and its risks. Admittedly, this section could have been shorter without sacrificing much of the story; it did seem to drag on a bit.
The second section of the book introduces the "thriller" aspect. As anybody in the aerospace industry is aware, the stuff built "for the powers of good" in/for space can usually be used to do evil. Sure enough, terrorists find a way to take over the satellite and use its harnessed energy to destroy ground-based and air-based targets. As is typical for thrillers, there are some good guys in the area, capable of stopping the terrorists. In this case it's Marcus Judson, NASA engineer, one of the lead consultants for the power satellite project, along with some of his colleagues. Yet again, this section seemed overly long and drawn out.
However, the length of the first two sections may only seem long in relation to the final section--the part where the final "battle" occurs and either good or evil triumphs. This part felt a bit rushed, comparatively. In retrospect, I think it was probably the right length and that the other two parts were just a bit too long. I won't spoil it for you, but the final "battle" involves maneuvering (literally and metaphorically) on the ground and on the 2 mile-on-a-side power satellite. It stretches the belief but still left me interested and wanting to listen to see what happened next.
As I stated previously, the book was enjoyable. It was a bit far-fetched but not so far-fetched as to be completely unbelievable. The science fiction elements are there and create an atypical setting for most mystery/thriller type books, and I'd recommend this to anybody that enjoys the mystery/thriller genre.
I believe I've said it before, but Grover Gardner is one of my favorite narrators and he shines in this type of book. He also narrates the Andy Carpenter books, another mystery/thriller series, so it feels natural for him to read Energized. The only "weirdness" I had is that the Andy Carpenter books have a character named Marcus as well, so hearing of two very different "Marcus" characters read by the same narrator was a bit jarring at times.
All in all, this is a popcorn-type book, easily consumed and digested. It does have its flaws (with the technical side of things as well as story length), but they're not so big as to ruin the fun. If you're in the market for a hard science fiction book with far-reaching themes, this isn't the book for you. But if you're in the mood for a thriller with science fiction elements, you'll probably enjoy Energized well enough....more
I picked up this book on a whim after reading a blurb about it in an Amazon mailing. The book was cute, combining aspects of different book genres thaI picked up this book on a whim after reading a blurb about it in an Amazon mailing. The book was cute, combining aspects of different book genres that I'm into. At the crux, the book is about a guy named Clay who works at a bookstore. You remember those things, the boxy buildings with windows with actual physical books inside? But this is sort of a special bookstore. It has a small section that is "normal," with books like Steve Jobs and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but the vast majority of the store is taken up with books that don't have ISBN's. These "special" books are in a sense checked out (like a library--remember those?) by members. In a bit of boredom one night (Clay works the night shift in this all-day and night book store), Clay decides to create a visualization of the bookstore, its special books, and who borrows each book. Seeing a pattern in this visualization, and with the help of his artist roommate and his Google'r girlfriend, Clay uncovers a bigger secret in the bookstore, a secret that ends up taking him to NYC and Vegas as he puts it all together.
The book was cute. I'll be the first to say that I realized what the "message" that Clay was seeking to uncover was pretty obvious from the first time it was introduced, but that didn't hamper my enjoyment of the book. In addition to combining fantastical/mystical-seeming elements with modern day technology elements, the book had memorable characters (including some of the more...interesting patrons of the store) and a fun progression to get to the inevitable final point. For the "mystery" aspect, while its ultimate message was obvious, the way it got there wasn't, and the way it got there was fun. I even learned a bit. This book looks like it was Mr. Sloan's first major release and was a good enough read that I'll see what else comes from him.
The audiobook itself was also really well done. Narrated by Ari Fliakos, the voice is perfect. Clay is a 30-ish year old dude, and Ari Fliakos sounds like he is, as well, so it fit really well. It was like listening to one of my friends tell me about a bookstore that they worked at and the mystery he uncovered....more
Yep, still my favorite play. Cumming did a fantastic job playing all of the roles in Macbeth. If I had one criticism, it's that sometimes, with the acYep, still my favorite play. Cumming did a fantastic job playing all of the roles in Macbeth. If I had one criticism, it's that sometimes, with the accents, it felt like he spoke too quickly and it was hard to understand some of the words. This is a great "one-man show" production, done for the National Theater of Scotland. If you like Macbeth, you should check this production out....more
I love The Oatmeal. When I saw that Matthew Inman wrote this book, I pre-ordered it instantly. The book is a collection of cat-related comic strips (aI love The Oatmeal. When I saw that Matthew Inman wrote this book, I pre-ordered it instantly. The book is a collection of cat-related comic strips (are they really strips when he publishes things on the web?). It's funny. And I do think Oz is trying to kill most humans. I doubt that anyone who's met him would disagree....more
This was a short audiobook (about 2 hours) available for free on Audible for the rest of 2012 in the US.
It was pretty decent. It reminded me of SherloThis was a short audiobook (about 2 hours) available for free on Audible for the rest of 2012 in the US.
It was pretty decent. It reminded me of Sherlock Holmes. I liked the intrigue and the main character's use of his "multiple personalities" as a vehicle for somewhat super powers. I wasn't sold on the narrator, but I've also been taking a lot of medications lately, so maybe I was falling asleep because of those. I didn't care much for the "thriller" part of the story. It was sort of pedestrian and far-fetched, not as "believable" as books more squarely in the mystery/thriller genre.
I'd be interested in reading more stories in this world with this main character...maybe fleshed out into a full-length book. I know this review is choppy...I'm still medicated. Sorry....more
Audiobook from Penguin Audio Narrated by Mariel Stern, Steven Kaplan Length: 7 and 3/4 hours
A dystopian novel set in a future where The United States ofAudiobook from Penguin Audio Narrated by Mariel Stern, Steven Kaplan Length: 7 and 3/4 hours
A dystopian novel set in a future where The United States of America is a forgotten memory, Legend is part science fiction, part thriller, and part romance aimed at young adults.
The story is set sometime in the future in what is now California. The USA is apparently long-gone and instead, North America is divided into The Republic and The Colonies, which seem to be at odds. Generally it seems that The Republic is the western part of the US while The Colonies are the eastern part. From clues in the text, the reader is also lead to believe that The Colonies have more technology than does The Republic, at least in terms of weapons and possibly medicine. The reader doesn't learn much else about The Colonies in this book, since the story is centered on two youth in The Republic. However, it is the first in a planned trilogy and it's possible that future books will explore The Colonies more.
The Republic seems to be a militaristic state. The poor are looked down upon and the "rich" seem to be the ones running the police/militia. Through context clues, we find that nobody--not even the "rich"--are safe from government snooping. There is a plague that seems to mostly impact the poor; the rich get vaccines every year for protection. As a result of the plague, there are regular inspections and "plague checks" of those in the poor areas of town. There are also a lot of natural disasters. Hurricanes occur quite frequently, with co-commitant flooding. Earthquakes are also somewhat regular happenings. Most of this, though, forms the background for the main story.
The bulk of the story surrounds two youths, Dey and June, who are on opposite ends of the class spectrum. Relatively early, we learn that all youths have to go through "The Trials" at age 10. These trials affect ones position in society. Those who do well are allowed to go on to high school and a sort of college, to become leaders in politics and the military. Those who do average are given blue-collar jobs. Those who fail become wards of the state, destined to do menial tasks for their government. Dey failed his trials. June is the only one known to have aced them. Rather than be resigned to his fate, Dey has escaped from the government and spends his time as a bit of a loner, working to help the poor--in particular, his family--by stealing from the military/government. He's particularly good at this and is actually the most wanted criminal in The Republic.
The story itself builds in a rather predictable fashion from there. Dey's family is marked as one that gets the plague. Realizing this, Dey decides to steal the necessary antidote from the hospital. As he escapes, he ends up killing June's brother, Metteaus. June, a top student in the militaristic school, is graduated early and put on the case to try to catch her brother's killer. While trying to find the murderer, June goes undercover and ends up getting rescued from a fight by Dey. At this point, she doesn't realize that Dey is who he is, and they strike up a sort of friendship. Eventually, June figures out Dey's identity and aids in his capture by the police. However, having spent time with him, she has a hard time believing that Dey killed Metteaus. She ends up doing more investigation and learning many uncomfortable truths about The Republic and many of her long-held beliefs are called into question. I won't spoil any more plot details here...
Legend is a fairly typical dystopian novel. It centers on an oppressed lower-class in society and a privileged upper class that mostly is kept in the dark about how the society works and what is really going on. As with many books like it, the protagonists (June and Dey) are resourceful and intelligent...and to some extent, rebellious. Lu doesn't explain all of the mysteries in this book. At one point, a character calls "The United States" a legend of the past, and the reader isn't told how society has gotten to the state its in. It seems reasonable, though, to assume that most of the society doesn't know its own history, since they barely know the reality of the current state of affairs.
Fans of The Hunger Games will recognize key elements common to both books/series. That's not necessarily a bad thing...while Legend is fairly predictable, it was still enjoyable enough. This is a science fiction novel aimed at the young adult crowd and isn't particularly deep on ideas. Lu wraps themes common to the genre in a fast-paced plot. There's nothing groundbreaking, but fans of the genre probably won't mind. That said, I'm not sure I need to read the rest of the trilogy. It will be interesting to see where Lu takes it.
I listened to the audio version of this book. There were two narrators. The book is written from the viewpoints of Dey and June and alternates between these viewpoints. Mariel Stern read the parts from June's point of view, Steven Kaplan read the parts for Dey's. The reading was fine, though nothing particular stood out. Where some narrators do a bit of voice acting, trying to put more emotion into the voices and use different voices for each character, neither Stern nor Kaplan seemed to do that here; it was a more flat rather than dramatic reading. The only "excitement" in the narration came during the climax, where it seemed that Stern read more quickly, as if her reading speed was trying to keep pace with the story. The "flatness" of the reading doesn't detract from the story, though. In fact, it can be far better than the alternative, as sometimes narration can be distracting if too much acting is done.
All in all, this wasn't a bad book. Sure, it could have gone more deeply into the ideas instead of focusing so much on the plot...but that's OK. Not every book needs to be deep. This one was decent and an enjoyable enough quick read. Young adults (and not-so-young adults) who enjoyed The Hunger Games will probably enjoy this one, too....more
I don't really understand why Mindy Kaling felt she needed to write an autobiography. I mean, she seems like a smart enough girl who has some funny moI don't really understand why Mindy Kaling felt she needed to write an autobiography. I mean, she seems like a smart enough girl who has some funny moments, but she's not much of an icon. I think she was trying to write a book like Tina Fey's Bossypants without the clout that Tina Fey has. That said, the book was entertaining enough. There were definitely some rather funny parts (and a fair few "meh" moments). Kaling is my age, so there were definitely experiences she wrote of that I sympathized with, that could have been moments from my life. And, to be honest, and though I know better, I always assumed Kaling was as dumb and shallow as her Office character...so it was refreshing to find out that she's not quite that bad. The book was alright...but if you're looking for "something like Bossypants," you're probably better off re-reading Bossypants....more
I love Penny Arcade. This is a collection of the strips from 2003, along with commentary from Jerry Holkins ("Tycho"). I bought it to pass the time onI love Penny Arcade. This is a collection of the strips from 2003, along with commentary from Jerry Holkins ("Tycho"). I bought it to pass the time on the plane when I couldn't read my Kindle. Even though I've probably read most of these strips before, I had a good time re-visiting them....more
S.J. Sebellin-Ross is a journalist by trade, but like so many of us, is also a foodie. She decided that she wanted to go to culinary school and write S.J. Sebellin-Ross is a journalist by trade, but like so many of us, is also a foodie. She decided that she wanted to go to culinary school and write a blog (and subsequently this book) about her experience. I followed her blog while she was going and enjoyed it, so I picked up the book for the Kindle.
Sebellin-Ross approached a wide variety of culinary schools with her plan, finally settling on a small regional school. The plan was that she'd do the culinary school for the traditional 3 semesters (40 days per semester) and the baking school for 1. At the end of her time in the culinary portion, it seems obvious (from what she says in the book, anyway) that the school was having issues. It also seems that some of her classmates found out that she was blogging about the entire experience, and the offer to do the baking curriculum was rescinded.
I enjoyed this book, though I'd read many of the stories before on the blog. I think I was most surprised by how much "common" culinary schools don't teach...I guess it goes to show that in the industry, real world experience probably is best...or maybe a CIA education. The book doesn't talk about how some of the well-known schools differ from the one she went to, though it does say that most people who go to culinary school go to one like she did. All in all, while it sounds like Sebellin-Ross had some valuable experiences, it seems that nothing was what she...or I...expected. Guess I'll stick to being a home cook and baker and going out to eat at fancy restaurants. ;)...more
I liked this short story and the questions it posed on religion in general. I'll write more (maybe) when I'm not completely wiped out from travel. It I liked this short story and the questions it posed on religion in general. I'll write more (maybe) when I'm not completely wiped out from travel. It was worth the hour or so spent listening....more
terpkristin
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2012
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