I'll just say that I AM a fan of Newitz, generally, and I really DID see a lot of potential for this book. I mean, here we are, far-future, likely So.
I'll just say that I AM a fan of Newitz, generally, and I really DID see a lot of potential for this book. I mean, here we are, far-future, likely all our animal cousins uplifted a-la Brin, and we might have a rollicking adventure with a moose sidekick across another world.
And with that, we DID get something like that.
But then we had to have a book that was more like Becky Chambers's style, with the warm fuzzies and systemic problems solved mostly by sweet-toothing our way through the adventure.
We have horribly invasive Homo Sapiens limiting the communication centers, sometimes the intelligence, of all these other animals. Between the strong-arm tactics, the invasive monitoring, the whole corporate-structure-is-evil feel, we get whole segregated communities exuding enough subtext to choke a moose.
And honestly? Because it's played so straight, without any true nods to just how close it resembles our world and just how closely we can read some of these species as races, it just feels -- icky.
It tries to pull off the feel-good, but instead, I feel like I've been wallowing in creepy animatronics-land. It didn't help with the pole-dancing mole-people.
Anyway, it just didn't work for me. At all. I guess I'm getting tired with write-on-editorial-demand Chambers lookalikes, too. I feel like this could have been pretty great if it was a much harder SF grounded in a harder ecology-fiction mode. Hell, that would have been extremely TOPICAL for today, too.
Instead, it was as soft an SF as you could ever desire. ...more
Like the ones before, we often get a lot of new characters that eventually circle back around to Roger Dogger, and like those others, it sometimes takLike the ones before, we often get a lot of new characters that eventually circle back around to Roger Dogger, and like those others, it sometimes takes me a moment to warm up to the new characters.
It's true for this one as well. Don't get me wrong, I love me some lunar goddesses -- or minor lunar deities -- as much as the next guy, but it really did take me a moment to warm myself up under these moonbeams.
Fortunately, it gets nice and fun and it's very much like the last few novels in the series. My love will always go to the first, of course, but this one also does fan service well.
I actually prefer reading about the City from this angle more than the Baker angle -- but maybe I'm just weird. ...more
Every time I read a Cory Doctorow, I'm almost always freakishly amazed (with most of his books) at how utterly extroverted, socially-conscious, justicEvery time I read a Cory Doctorow, I'm almost always freakishly amazed (with most of his books) at how utterly extroverted, socially-conscious, justice-oriented, almost fatally idealistic his novels can be.
Some more than others, of course, but when we get right down to it, these are some of the absolute far-leftist books I can think of that continues to keep a critical eye on the best possible outcomes as well as fighting the basic injustice that threatens all our lives.
In this case, it's a near-future (30 years) look at living through an ecological horror-show, of having to face right-wing terrorists that just don't get the fact that we all have to find a way to survive, not just being on the winning side of a zero-sum game. MAGAs are old and reactionary, willing to become terrorists, while the young and everyone else is merely DOING the things that NEED to be done. Making room, taking in refugees, feeding and housing each other because the government won't get out of its own way long enough to do the right thing.
It's truly plausible.
This book has to do a fast dance to remain hopeful in the face of so much tragedy -- but the fact is, it does.
Hope-fiction is rare and it's very valuable -- even more so when it's facing world-wide catastrophe.
Keep your heads up, folks. Remember we can do wonderful things if we do it together. Don't believe that we're all naturally f***ed. There is hope. Enough of us will want to do the right thing when it's obvious. I have to believe. ...more
Enjoyable LitRPG that hits hard with a quick no-agility build that ends with a dodge-build ninja tank. It feels like a straight ninja-thief FFXI buildEnjoyable LitRPG that hits hard with a quick no-agility build that ends with a dodge-build ninja tank. It feels like a straight ninja-thief FFXI build turned into a novelization, and I found it quite amusing.
Memories of being a dodge tank was quite fun. The rest of the story was engaging enough and I'll be continuing with enthusiasm. A quick-level story isn't bad. ...more
So, here's the skinny: I hoped I would get a bunch of new stories and essays, timely or otherwise, regarding SF, science, prediction, or just the scooSo, here's the skinny: I hoped I would get a bunch of new stories and essays, timely or otherwise, regarding SF, science, prediction, or just the scoop on all his novels.
And to be sure, there was some talking about the novels, some about prediction, science, and the nature of SF. It was light, nothing deep, and the essays were, on the whole, solid, if not groundbreaking.
The short stories were good, but they were not new. I had read them in other locations. As were, oddly, most of the other essays.
It might be a pretty good book for anyone just getting started with Cixin Liu, or for those who have read at least the trilogy, but I was slightly disappointed that it was mostly all a re-read.
Somewhere in my hindbrain, I remember reading some early Paul Di Filippo in some SF mags, and, among others like Greg Bear and more, my imagination soSomewhere in my hindbrain, I remember reading some early Paul Di Filippo in some SF mags, and, among others like Greg Bear and more, my imagination soared with with I called Biopunk fiction. You know, biology-science heavy imagination, usually flying with wild worldbuilding.
Think Farscape or any subsequent soup of hard-SF focused on much more than simple gene-splicing, going full ribosome hacking, all kinds of animals blending with human genomes, and the weird-ass kind of society that would support -- or exploit -- such a thing.
Ribofunk is one of the best of this sub-genre. This particular collection of short stories are pretty damn amazing. The sentence-level writing is super rich with science-made-common bio terms, and in one particular story, written in RHYME, if you can possibly believe it, was particularly brilliant.
The nineties were particularly great for bio-punk. I don't know why it kinda went away, but I wish I could see so much more of it. I think of Speaker for the Dead, Child Garden, even Darwin's Radio. These kinds of stories are really fascinating to me and have seemed to disappear from the SFnal imagination. Alas. I wish there were so much more....more
Well, this is the first of the whole series where I was actively put off by the language. It was the super short, "Surge. Blah. Blah. Blah," stufYeah.
Well, this is the first of the whole series where I was actively put off by the language. It was the super short, "Surge. Blah. Blah. Blah," stuff. I know it should have given me more descriptive impact, but it went on far too long and I was wondering if I was going through some cerebral infarction.
Getting beyond that, I was just trying to figure out what the importance of being a jungle-captive, which maybe didn't have to be so bad, but then it all boiled down to assumptions and piss-poor communications and then the obvious straw man of the Traders being the baddies, I started zoning out. Yes, it's the aftermath of the war, but these situations are now getting annoying. I may need to call it after this one. ...more
This novella by Robert Sawyer has a bunch of rather interesting, even oddball elements that, for the most part, work very well together.
What happens wThis novella by Robert Sawyer has a bunch of rather interesting, even oddball elements that, for the most part, work very well together.
What happens when you incorporate Mennonites, androids, deep space astronauts, deep simulation, and convicts -- shaken, not stirred -- and make them work out some ethical concerns, both personal and on a huge scale?
Indeed, there's some interesting questions to be resolved and even stranger outcomes. And honestly? I can't quite blame any of their conclusions. Decent story....more
This really hit the spot. I won't say it is the most fantastic Noir I've ever read, or even the best SF Noir, but I had a great time, anyway.
The hookThis really hit the spot. I won't say it is the most fantastic Noir I've ever read, or even the best SF Noir, but I had a great time, anyway.
The hook: I kinda thought it was going to be Titanium as in the metal. I was RATHER amused to find out it is more about TITANS. :) Or rather, about the special immortality treatments that make its users progressively larger and larger people every time they use it. The rich, of course.
So mix it all up with a murder mystery, with sex and violence, and it has all the earmarks of the most familiar and the joys of the unusual.
I'm surprised that this little comedy of SF errors, with boorish family members and boorish ideas of parties ACTUALLY turned out to be an SF XMAS taleI'm surprised that this little comedy of SF errors, with boorish family members and boorish ideas of parties ACTUALLY turned out to be an SF XMAS tale.
*takes note*
An XMAS SF, mildly humorous, customs-humor on a backwater world.
It very much has the feel of better-times and celebrations for no particular reason. Sometimes this is exactly what we might need in these dark days. :)...more
There's something nice to be said about genteel, clever behavior in a light comedy-SF, and it's mostly the fact that we hardly see anything like it inThere's something nice to be said about genteel, clever behavior in a light comedy-SF, and it's mostly the fact that we hardly see anything like it in today's literature.
Why can't we have genteel social commentary anymore?
Oh, right, because that life seems to have moved on. And yet, this IS very nice.
The kind of revolution in this novel is probably not what you think. It's a handful of young men rebelling against a stodgy old general. The revolt is limited to running away, writing articles, and a bare minimum of a bear-trap.
Wow, there was a lot of talk about clothing in this SF. But then, we couldn't have a light comedy of manners, complete with skullduggery and confidencWow, there was a lot of talk about clothing in this SF. But then, we couldn't have a light comedy of manners, complete with skullduggery and confidence games, without a well-turned cut of cloth.
The Star Well is a backwater space station that serves mostly as a watering hole and gambling establishment for the well-to-do of the galaxy.
Honestly? It was pretty fun, if not glorious. Its speed was genteel and dry and the narrator nailed it just fine. I feel like I was watching 60's Bond in space.
I guess that's not too far off, being published in '69. I'll continue. ...more
I was originally thrilled because this is a new book by the author of The Traitor Baru Cormorant and sequels, all of which I loved for their focus on I was originally thrilled because this is a new book by the author of The Traitor Baru Cormorant and sequels, all of which I loved for their focus on the economics and the utter brutality. Yes, I know both can be one and the same, but bear with me.
This book was also brutal, but not in the economics sense.
This one is a frankly amazing alien-invasion novel that starts out like it could have been a BETTER, even funny, first-contact scenario. And yet, it becomes seriously DARK. And not just dark, but intelligently dark, well-grounded in geopolitical history, realistic political ramifications, secrecy, and worse.
The focus of sacrificing a few to save many is all throughout this, and in a very real sense, is one of best portrayals of evil I've ever read.
Sure, it seriously became Mil-Sf early on, and military tales are not usually easy or pleasant to get through, but this one is hardcore tragic and disturbing. Realistic, too. This isn't a silly, light SF war tale where intrepid heroes save the day.
It's savage and heartbreaking. It's also a fascinatingly complex tale grounded in real considerations, maybe even hitting far too close to home. Manufactured consent as a tool of warfare IS damn serious. ...more
I love the Prefect Dreyfus novels. It's a great blend of detective novel matching well with a high-tech belt of many hundreds of orbiting colonies in I love the Prefect Dreyfus novels. It's a great blend of detective novel matching well with a high-tech belt of many hundreds of orbiting colonies in a system in Reynold's overall Revelation Space universe.
It is great because we get to see things at the calmest before the technoplague, but also because we see how they all lived at their so-called awesome SFnal height.
Not that things are all that calm or easy. A lot happened in the first two novels, but it may not be necessary to read those before picking up this one. It's pretty clear that the artificial (and one might say, derived human, advanced) intelligences are the biggest bads, or at some times, just really annoying. It's clear, however, that they are seriously formidable -- and one seems to have it bad for Dreyfus. :)
So very enjoyable. The worldbuilding is vast and complicated, but never a pain. The mystery is always the key, but the reveals are even more delicious.
Highly recommended for all you space-opera, hard-SF mystery fans. ...more
The Glass Box is a timely dystopian SF look at authoritarianism and its modern abuses. Namely, American political prisoners who get locked away in legThe Glass Box is a timely dystopian SF look at authoritarianism and its modern abuses. Namely, American political prisoners who get locked away in legal but thoroughly icky mental health hospitals.
In this case, it's the way for certain government agencies to put away dissenters and protesters on the streets, by giving the ones locked up an option to have the "lesser" punishment in a voluntary intake center, but after they're there, as the MC Riley soon learns, just about any kind of abuse can follow.
The darkness of this tale is very much in line with One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest or the movie Girl, Interrupted. But it's serious to point out that this is a fully modern take on the same subject and it's not hard to see that it could easily be taken this far with us, right now. When certain people need to get rid of protesters, then it all becomes an opportunity to follow N. Korea or China with re-education programs -- be it under other names.
It feels like a surprising twist of a tale to come from J. Michael Straczynski, but upon a little reflection, it's just about perfect.
Farm wife gets ensnared in power-plays between two powerful men, had to deal with rape in one and space-politics wiI just couldn't get into this one.
Farm wife gets ensnared in power-plays between two powerful men, had to deal with rape in one and space-politics with the other.
I guess I was hoping to have a great deal more of the Skolian empire stuff that was smarter on the SF, full of adventure, spaceships -- with just a taste of romance, instead of tons of slightly icky romance that overwhelmed the majority of the tale.
Very decent SF as long as you're all about Space Operas, golden Greek/Mayan telepathic cyborg-gods, a lost war, rough survival, and a trip across all Very decent SF as long as you're all about Space Operas, golden Greek/Mayan telepathic cyborg-gods, a lost war, rough survival, and a trip across all known space to get yourself healed.
This one stepped up to the plate. A lot happens, thank goodness, and between the space battles, the intrigue, the more fleshing out of the royal SkoliThis one stepped up to the plate. A lot happens, thank goodness, and between the space battles, the intrigue, the more fleshing out of the royal Skolian family, including the brothers I've by now read in two other novels as well as the sister, I'm really getting a cool feel for the intrigue.
The tragedies are pretty spot on and entertaining. If anything, I'm rearing to get to the next book in the series.
The reversal of male/female roles, taken to a nicely satirical shine.
The things I didn't like:
The reversal The things I liked, if a little painfully:
The reversal of male/female roles, taken to a nicely satirical shine.
The things I didn't like:
The reversal of male/female roles, with the same old toxic power-relationships as before.
Everything else is the expected Skolian Empire worldbuilding, taken down a notch because this is a pilot crash landing on a backward (supposedly) planet, where he must endure weird romancing.
I won't say this is anywhere near my favorite of the series, but it does have its okay moments -- such as a certain board game.
I don't know what to think about this one. While I do like the SFnal ideas, a bit of time travel, the genetic Mayan bloodlines carrying strong telepatI don't know what to think about this one. While I do like the SFnal ideas, a bit of time travel, the genetic Mayan bloodlines carrying strong telepathy, the cyberspace and Inversion ideas of FTL, the core romance was weird.
We spent more than half the book in 80's gang territory with Starman and the other half back in the future dealing with institutional psychopaths, either of which was okay if it wasn't for romance being tied up in a core apology for inbreeding. It's just weird. They could all be closely related if there's this much time travel going on.
Anyway, it's an okay SF as long as I keep my expectations low-ish at the moment. The first one felt like it was much better. I'm not sold on these two characters.
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