Historical, contemporary, and science fiction are masterfully executed to tell a story beautifully in their exploration of philosophy and physics. AutHistorical, contemporary, and science fiction are masterfully executed to tell a story beautifully in their exploration of philosophy and physics. Auto-biographical influences are clear in the narrative, as are pandemic themes. The plot leaves readers as lost as some characters but that doesn't distract from the storytelling. Ambitious is an understatement for where the author takes the story, each chapter, and each character increases the complexity of the plot with rich flavors of mystery, poignant moments of loss, and welcome assurances of joy.
Mandel may write fiction, but it's really long-form poetry disguised as prose. Highly recommend this book to anyone who reads fiction or is interested in where physics and philosophy intersect with life. It's a book to read, then share. ...more
A heavy, haunting, and beautiful read. Writing sharply divided between poetry and prose, it still catches the reader off guard, lost between both. WriA heavy, haunting, and beautiful read. Writing sharply divided between poetry and prose, it still catches the reader off guard, lost between both. Written in many voices, fonts, styles, and dimensions, the genres of horror, love, academia, poetry, and autobiographical all compete for this book's shelf.
A difficult read, emotionally, mentally, and physically. Unavailable in electronic form, the heavyweight of this book depresses the reader. The dark tones and manic narration further dig the reader deeper. Similar to the author's predicament, the only way out is to finish.
Some readers will find it too much and give up; others will find it too much and continue. This book is not for them. Then there will be those who relish every word, lost in the haze of its pages. This book is not for them. This book is not for you.
I do not recommend this book to anyone, but it is absolutely worth reading....more
Like every cyberpunk story, this is also a detective story. Technology plays a big role, with the internet of things and augmented reality role-playinLike every cyberpunk story, this is also a detective story. Technology plays a big role, with the internet of things and augmented reality role-playing serving as vehicles for plot development. Characters change throughout the story, a few main ones stick around, but the story is the main attraction. This is the continuation and conclusion to the first book in the series, "Daemon." Entertaining and easy to digest if you are into technology.
Highly recommend to people who are early adopters of technology, play RPGs, or enjoyed "Ready Player One."...more
A very emotional narration about a (fictional) teen's decision to end her life. That said, it's also a great story, and keeps the reader very engaged.A very emotional narration about a (fictional) teen's decision to end her life. That said, it's also a great story, and keeps the reader very engaged. The topics discussed are all the stereotypical high school problems normal to this genre, but they do find their extremes in sexual assault and suicide. This is young adult fiction, however most adults will also find this book relatable when looking back on their past.
Rarely do I find a book adaptation better than the book, but in this case, I felt the Netflix's show based off this book is better. It does a better job with characterization and storytelling, and it incorporates today's technology. Highly recommend this book, but support the show over the book. Highly recommend reading/watching with somebody else. ...more
China's cultural revolution does not seem like the normal setting for a science fiction novel, at least not for an American novel. This is a Chinese nChina's cultural revolution does not seem like the normal setting for a science fiction novel, at least not for an American novel. This is a Chinese novel, which I can only assume is expertly translated into English. The author lived through the revolution and is an engineer, so his historical and technical accounts are legitimate and detailed.
If we suppose that the purpose of science fiction is not merely entertainment, but also the pursuit to expand the mind's of those who read it, this book is the definition of science fiction. The existential threat that an alien invasion poses to mankind opens up so many philosophical discussions, and this book deals with them. The author puts a lot of effort into making very advanced theories and technologies understandable to the general reader. His explanation of the digital logic required to create a computer is better than the explanation I received as an electrical engineering student. But beyond historical anecdotes and theorized applications of technology, there is a great story that brings it all together.
After reading it, I kept thinking about it for a few days. It's a book that makes you think. A book that challenges you. A book is destined to become a classic. When this book hits critical mass in America, it will hit it big. Must read for any sci-fi, mystery, or Chinese literature fan....more
Reading this book is like watching the action-thriller movie "Taken," except with a bit more finesse in the story telling. The story puts the reader iReading this book is like watching the action-thriller movie "Taken," except with a bit more finesse in the story telling. The story puts the reader in a noir state of mind; making them imagine everything in black and white... until a sudden splash of red colors their imagination. Short enough to finish in one sitting, long enough to feel substantial, this story is quick, brutal, and satisfying. ...more
It's short story, so here's a short review: It's good; great, if you like any of Chuck's work. It's short story, so here's a short review: It's good; great, if you like any of Chuck's work. ...more
This book is not for the causal reader; it takes place in a world where taboo does not exist, moral absolutist should stay away. The themes this book This book is not for the causal reader; it takes place in a world where taboo does not exist, moral absolutist should stay away. The themes this book explores are so diverse, the word that comes to mind is "cacophony"; how else would the topics of artificial intelligence, sadomasochism, and Asimov's laws of robotics come together? Surprisingly well. This book is as much science fiction as it is fantasy, and the philosophical questions it brings up will probably need to be addressed at some point in our society as we keep moving forward towards a technological singularity. Elements of this story definitely pay homage to classic science fiction, dystopian, and dark fantasy novels, but it remains very original. The ideas explored are challenging, but the narration is not. Highly recommend this book to those looking to challenge themselves by reading something completely outside of their normal reading habits.
The graphic nature of this novel made me wince more than once; one particular scene is burned into my retinas even though I never actually saw anythinThe graphic nature of this novel made me wince more than once; one particular scene is burned into my retinas even though I never actually saw anything; just imagined it with the author's vivid and detailed description. The novel is fast paced as the protagonist is on uppers the entire time and it's evident in the speed of his thinking and narrative. The author, being a medical doctor, describes procedures in an authentic and very illustrative way... like something out of an anatomy and physiology book. The narrative is done in real time, with few gaps in the story. The protagonist does take the time to dissect his past as he goes a long, but he stitches it up pretty well with the rest of the story. Overall, fun and easy read, but hard to swallow sometimes. I still can't stop thinking about that one part... ...more
Usually I am pose, composed, and objective when reviewing a book; the demeanor that the hundreds that read my reviews expect. BUT I CANNOT DO THAT FORUsually I am pose, composed, and objective when reviewing a book; the demeanor that the hundreds that read my reviews expect. BUT I CANNOT DO THAT FOR THIS REVIEW! This book kicks so much ass, I devoured it in three days - like a rabid addict I was either consuming its content or salivated at the next opportunity to do so. This book was written for me, the dude who was socially awkward in adolescence and retreated to the unjudging solace of his mind to escape reality. Programming code, watching cartoons, reading sci-fi novels, playing DOS games, or enjoying cult media... these were all forms of escape, and this books pays tribute to them all+. If you were anything like me growing up, or enjoy playing MMORPGs I think you will relate with a lot in this book. If you were one of the cool kids growing up, there is a lot you won't understand in this book (it is extremely esoteric), BUT it is still an excellent piece of experimental fiction and does a great job merging the genres of love, mystery, fantasy, sci-fi and auto-biograpy together. READ THIS BOOK. Then write a great review for it and never say any thing negative about it. EVER!...more
Pretty simple, right? What do you mean you don't understand entropy? Of course you understand entropy, I assure you. Every time you see a sand castle crumble away in the wind, every time your car breaks down on the road, every time somebody you know dies and is gone forever... you are seeing entropy in motion. Entropy is the measure of disorder in a system... a measure of chaos. The second law of thermodynamics tells us that entropy in a closed system, be it your sand castle, car, or life... never decreases, it will only ever increase to maximum.
But here's the thing, it's not really a law by any means. Nothing in all of actual physics states that this must be, physics actually says it's perfectly possible for random sand molecules to be blown in a way where they land and form a perfect sandcastle (instead of making one crumble away). So why not? Why don't we see things like this happen? Statistics. Yes, the second law of thermodynamics is actually a statistical principle; entropy could indeed decrease in a system (any system like this would be considered a perpetual motion machine), but it's just not statistically likely.
Meaning a sand castle could coincidently form by the winds blowing dust randomly..., but it won't. It won't because the statistical likelihood of the wind and molecules to just happen to be in the right position and velocity for this sand castle to just appear is so slim, I do not have enough memory in my computer to type out all the zeros I need to put behind the odds of it happening (1 in 1,000,000,000,000,000,...).
This statistical principle is so powerful and universal, we call it a law. It explains a lot of things in our universe. Before we knew about the second law of thermodynamics, it used to bother physicist that we could move in any direction in space (up, down, forward, backward) but we could only move in one direction in time. Space and time being so closely linked, why was it we could only move forward in time? It’s because entropy always increases that we move forward in time (and never back in time), in a way time is just a measure of increasing entropy. We only go from one moment to another as entropy increases.
Ahhh, I see what you are thinking. Yes, our universe is a closed system, and yes that does mean it will die, . You think it's a little sad that in the end chaos will always win? I don't think so, after all life is beautiful don't you think? Life is amazing in that it can bring a little bit of order in this chaotic world, but funny enough, without entropy there would be no life. So I don't think it's sad, it's just the natural state of affairs that we will grow old, live our lives fighting entropy, and we will die. it's really quite beautiful.
If you want to read a book that asks the questions: what if we could defeat entropy? What if we could win? What would happen? Read this book. ...more
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