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Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted author
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Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to release new works. Something had to be done.
On the spur of the moment I set myself a challenge, to read every book to have won the Locus Sci-Fi award. That’s 35 books, 6 of which I’d previously read, leaving 29 titles by 14 authors who were new to me.
While working through this reading list I got married, went on my honeymoon, switched career and became a father. As such these stories became imprinted on my memory as the soundtrack to the happiest period in my life (so far).
In 2004, Ilium won the Locus Sci-Fi award. In my opinion, if the award had been a motor race, the other contenders would have got their asses lapped. That’s not to say there weren’t some good books in the running that year, Quicksilver is epic and I’ve heard good things about Pattern Recognition, The Speed of Dark and Singularity Sky – but Ilium is so far up my alley that it’s sitting on my lap and fiercely tonguing my tonsils.
When I embarked upon my Locus Quest, I picked the Locus Sci-Fi Award over other more highly regarded genre awards (Hugo, Nebula, BSFA, Arthur C. Clarke) for one simple reason: Ilium. I looked at my bookcase, saw this book and thought “I want to read more books like that”. Glittering on the cover was a little silver sticker ‘Winner of the Locus Award for best Sci-Fi novel’. I looked online and discovered that none of the more prestigious awards had recognised and rewarded Mr Simmons' mind-blowing madcap genius. “If the good people at Locus share my sensibilities regarding Señor Simmons,” I thought to myself, “then perhaps I’ll share theirs regarding other books.” Just like that, the decision was made and I committed myself to reading every winner of the Locus Sci-Fi award – a reading list that has taken me best part of two years to complete.
My introduction to Ilium set my spider-sense a-tingling. My Mum popped her head round the door and said ‘I’ve got one for you, I couldn’t get into it – it was all a bit much’. Now, that may not sound like an encouraging description, but where my Mum’s tolerance for high-concept sci-fi drops off a cliff my personal sweet-spot begins. Previous authors to elicit this response that it was ‘all a bit much’ included Stephen Baxter, Greg Egan, and Alistair Reynolds – a warm welcome to the new chairman of the 'bit much' club, Dan Simmons!
Jayaprakash Satyamurthy has already done a superb job of summarising the story-strands so I advise you to pop over to his review to wrap your head around them.
This mash-up of classic literature with razor sharp sci-fi is audacious and inspirational. It’s the kind of book that I wish I could write. It’s the kind of book I wish I could trace back to the creative spark that initiated it to try and spin in a new direction. I read the book with a delighted grin stretching my cheeks throughout. The kind of book I’d risk walking into lampposts for because I simply could not tear it away from my face. I’ve read it multiple times and it never fails to delight me. I suppose you could call me a fan?
It’s fair to say I’ve become a big fan of his work – he consistently pushes my buttons.
I am happy to acknowledge that Ilium wont be for everyone (like my Mum) but whenever anyone asks me if it’s worth a read I can’t help but gush. If you have even a passing interest in sparkling, original, intelligent, playful sci-fi – give it a try!
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Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted author
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Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to release new works. Something had to be done.
On the spur of the moment I set myself a challenge, to read every book to have won the Locus Sci-Fi award. That’s 35 books, 6 of which I’d previously read, leaving 29 titles by 14 authors who were new to me.
While working through this reading list I got married, went on my honeymoon, switched career and became a father. As such these stories became imprinted on my memory as the soundtrack to the happiest period in my life (so far).
To Say Nothing of the Dog arrived in the post shortly afterwards, and I wasn’t exactly bouncing off the walls in excitement. I looked at the book. The book looked at me. I shoved in on a shelf and went back to reading Cyteen. I read another half-dozen books before I worked up the courage to even consider it.
I was packing books for my honeymoon. I wasn’t sure how much reading I’d get done because we were planning an action packed holiday (wink-wink-nudge-nudge!) so I lobbed in a couple of books I’d been putting off – ‘The Dog, and Years of Rice & Salt. As it turned out, I nearly broke my ankle on our second day in Malta so we spent our time hobbling around the pool (and restaurants!) instead of all the mountain climbing and scuba-diving we had intended. Lots more time for reading than expected!
My darling wife actually nabbed 'The Dog before I’d looked at it. I was still grinding my way through the latter half of Cryptonomicon when she started flicking through the first chapter.
Isn’t this by the same writer you called ‘bloody miserable’? Yeah. It’s funny! Really? Yeah. ...Really? I’m borrowing it. ‘Kay.
It turned out she really enjoyed it and recommended it highly. Which came as something of a surprise.
My point (and I understand if you’d given up all hope of me reaching it) is that stories take you on a journey – and how you connect with and take enjoyment from that journey can be hugely influenced by what you expect from the book and what’s going on in your life at that time. Had I read ‘The Dog the moment it came through the letterbox (ignoring the fact that I would have been interrupting Cyteen midway through which is most out of character for me) I don’t think it would have had the same effect on the post-Passage, pre-Wedding, collapsing quantum wave-front that we call my sentient consciousness. But this was the right book at the right time, and I loved it!
With humour, it’s all subjective – it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea but I found it very funny. It’s not exactly laugh-out-loud funny, but definitely dry-tickle-in-your-cheeks funny and stick-in-your-head funny. Particularly the effects of time lag in ‘difficulty distinguishing sounds’ – this has become a long running gag in our house ever since. Pretending to have difficulty distinguishing what your wife has said when she’s asking you to do chores – it’s hilarious… to me anyway.
The cats. The dog. The goldfish. The chaos theory. The Alice-in-Wonderland conversations. The Bishop’s bloody bird-stump! Oh yes, please! More?
Never before has an author pulled a U-turn in my estimations with such panache; you wily bird, Willis! The Oxford Time-Travel series is an odd and scatter-shot series. This book made me smile, Doomsday tried hard to make me cry and Blackout / All Clear had me tearing out my hair with anxiety. Why couldn’t she just write a direct sequel to this?
Ned gets the girl… “And kissed her for a hundred and sixty-nine years.” … but what happened next, hmmm!?
There should be a whole series of Victorian adventures with Ned and Verity. And kittens.
A happy 5-stars. Definitely check it out. You might not click – I’ll admit, it doesn’t work for a decent percentage of readers – but…but… you might just discover a new book for your favourites shelf. It’s worth the risk, read it!...more
Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to releasChristmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to release new works. Something had to be done.
On the spur of the moment I set myself a challenge, to read every book to have won the Locus Sci-Fi award. That’s 35 books, 6 of which I’d previously read, leaving 29 titles by 14 authors who were new to me.
While working through this reading list I got married, went on my honeymoon, switched career and became a father. As such these stories became imprinted on my memory as the soundtrack to the happiest period in my life (so far).
Doomsday Book won the Locus Sci-Fi award in 1993. It won the Nebula the same year and had to share the Hugo as joint winner with A Fire Upon the Deep.
It was the third book I’d read by Connie Willis (after Passage and then To Say Nothing of the Dog) and it shares many of the Willis trademarks but the tone (and emotional response) is completely unlike either of them.
Generally, this is a well-loved book, as you would expect from a multi-award winner. The GR votes look something like: 41% 5-star 36% 4-star 17% 3-star 04% 2-star 02% 1-star
And yet the most popular individual reviews I can spot on here fall into that bottom six percent of one or two star reviews, which suggests to me that those who dislike this book feel strongly about their position. So what’s their position?
“bored to the point I almost wish I had the plague” – Ala (7 likes) “it supremely boring” – Mike P (12 likes) “a monument to the gods of boredom” – Conrad (13 likes) “a monotonous road” - Tracey (14 liked) “250 pages of tiresome running about with no real purpose” – Joel (68 likes)
While I wouldn’t go as far as to say I agree with this sentiment, I can at least see where they are coming from. The opening half of Doomsday Book takes its own sweet time getting to the point and contains numerous repetitive elements. This could have been done better, and that knocked the top star off my rating.
So yes – it’s not perfect – but it’s not a million miles away, either!
I love the fact that this isn’t a heroic quest. Doomsday Book starts out as quiet academic investigation mission which gets fubar from both ends. It becomes a story about endurance, survival and the nature of hope. Kivrin is a… good person. The kind of person who you’d like to call a friend, a real friend - not like saying “I wish I was friends with Tony Stark” – but I could imagine having Kivrin over for coffee and a game of scrabble while my cats nuzzled her legs for fuss. Because she felt real, because I loved her just a little bit, watching her heart get shredded by the tragedy of unstoppable plague inflicted a tiny echo of that pain on me. I couldn’t block it. I couldn’t distance myself. It felt raw.
This is a powerful book, which pretends to be whimsical. It chatters and banters then hits you with a sucker-punch, right in the gut.
Following on from To Say Nothing of the Dog, which is an upbeat and rather delightful little treasure; Doomsday Book is profoundly sad. The ending salvages what it can from the mess but it’s like inflating the airbag as the car goes off a bridge – too little, too late.
For those who find the constantly missed messages infuriating – this is a regular theme of Willis’ which I’ve been pondering. I believe it’s meant to impart the feeling that drama is caused just as much by the things that don’t happen, as the things that do. That tragedy and salvation are only ever two sides of the same coin, being buffeted in the winds of a chaotic system – it only needs a strong gust to collapse the precarious situation. Willis' greatest skill is perhaps in generating a sense of genuine uncertainty that this will resolve with a positive outcome – she’s already shown she’s not afraid to kill her characters – why should Kivrin be any different?
With the axe looming prominent, I found myself sharing Dunworthy’s parental instincts, wanting to protect poor, brilliant, innocent Kivrin. I felt like my daughter had been missing for a day, and the policeman enters the room looking grim… oh god, oh god, don’t let it be true. Time stops. Am I even still breathing?
Like that.
I can’t say with all of my heart that I 'enjoyed' reading Doomsday Book it's not that kind of story – but writing this review has definitely made me want to read it again.
If you can brace yourself for a slow start and aching heart - highly recommend....more
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Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted author
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Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to release new works. Something had to be done.
On the spur of the moment I set myself a challenge, to read every book to have won the Locus Sci-Fi award. That’s 35 books, 6 of which I’d previously read, leaving 29 titles by 14 authors who were new to me.
While working through this reading list I got married, went on my honeymoon, switched career and became a father. As such these stories became imprinted on my memory as the soundtrack to the happiest period in my life (so far).
The Fall of Hyperion was one of the six award winners I had read before starting my Glorious Locus Quest (along with 3 other Simmons books, an Asimov and a May).
“Mr. Kemper had read Simmons before and knew he likes to put a lot of big ideas in his books. But this time, apparently Simmons broke into his house and managed to directly implant much of the book directly into Mr. Kemper’s brain via some kind of crude funnel device.”
“His wife said she found him having convulsions and leaking brain matter out his nose and ears.”
“He had told several people that Hyperion was just so good that he had to know how it ended, even if it killed him.”
But Fall of Hyperion is so Shrike-damned good that I must, out of overwhelming respect, at least try to express my admiration and awe at this accomplishment.
It’s a bit of cliché to describe a complex plot in terms of a circus ‘plate-spinning’ act but it’s the most appropriate metaphor that’s coming to my sleep-deprived mind this morning. It’s the familiar slack-jawed feeling of hypnotic wonder at an artist who knows exactly how long he’s got left on each plate before it starts to wobble, exactly how to stabilise that wobble, and exactly how much impetus to impart to allow him to work his way around all the plates before returning again. It’s the skill of a juggler with all the balls in the air, but with more calm-control and less frantic energy.
To stretch the analogy even further, Simmons seems to work with plates of different sizes, colours, materials and shape – on sticks of different heights and widths. He takes a difficult job, integrating an intergalactic multidimensional time-travelling space-opera narrative, and makes it even more difficult by populating his universe with intelligent, diverse and contrary characters.
Some of his ideas articulate my deepest held ideals about far-future hi-tech becoming indistinguishable (to us, now) from magic – much as modern tech would be incomprehensible to early man. I already mentioned the awesomeness incarnate that is the Shrike, the Poet and the Cruciform in my review of the first book, but here I’m particularly referring to the Keats cybrids, the treeships and the TechnoCore.
It’s a book I would dearly love to re-read, but it looks like I’m going to have to re-buy first because I leant the whole Cantos to a friend who’s since moved house and taken it to the other side of the country... (I'm looking at you, Mark)
Fall of Hyperion won the Locus Sci-Fi award in 1991. I’m flabbergasted that the Hugo that year went to The Vor Game! I’ve since read The Vor Game , and I also 5-starred that, but good as that was, this is better. What’s even more peculiar, is that the Nebula that year went to Tehanu – a mid-series fantasy novel? Clearly I'll need to read it to understand that decision! Ah well, at least my trusty Locus Sci-Fi award recognised and rewarded Sir Simmons' creative genius.
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Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted author
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Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to release new works. Something had to be done.
On the spur of the moment I set myself a challenge, to read every book to have won the Locus Sci-Fi award. That’s 35 books, 6 of which I’d previously read, leaving 29 titles by 14 authors who were new to me.
While working through this reading list I got married, went on my honeymoon, switched career and became a father. As such these stories became imprinted on my memory as the soundtrack to the happiest period in my life (so far).
Of the six award winning novels that I had already read before I began my Locus Quest, four were written by the maestro, Dan Simmons.
It was the 2004 winner, Ilium, which converted me into a Simmons fan-boy (and ultimately inspired the Locus Quest itself), but the other three winners (1990 – Hyperion, 1991 – The Fall of Hyperion, 1998 – The Rise of Endymion) are all parts of his Hyperion Cantos, a masterwork which cemented his place in the sci-fi Pantheon over a decade earlier.
I’m going to pluck a few choice phrases from other reviews to give you sense of what lurks inside these pages:
“The sheer number of awesome science fiction ideas touched on in this book is mind boggling.” – Ed
”It is an intense read, and I found the 500 pages fairly flew by” - Nicholas Whyte
“What in the world did I just read, and why didn't I read it sooner?” - Kay
“I'm frankly terrified to review Dan Simmons' masterpiece Hyperion. It is too good and too big for me to do this right.” – Jonathan Cullen
It’s that last quote from JC that rings truest – this is a complex, inspired and unique vision of a sci-fi epic. Mashing structure and tropes from Chaucer and Keats into a universe of galaxy-spanning, time-travelling, visceral conflict takes an imagination and literary love above and beyond the call of normal storytelling duty.
There are characters and images here that have been reverberating within the walls of my skull ever since I encountered them. The brain damaged poet. The cruciform adorned priest. The utterly badass shrike monster him/her/itself!
Simmons does it all by turns – adventure, mystery, thriller, horror, romance, erotica, philosophy, high-concept, etc. It’s a tour-de-force that pounds you into submission.
There are two complaints regularly levelled at this book, so let’s get them out the way, shall we?
1)The book ends abruptly.
To call it a cliff-hanger would be generous. Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion were written as a single volume and split into two for the sake of publishing. Honestly, it reads like the editor just found the mid point and took a cleaver to the original manuscript – there is no effort made to make the first instalment stand alone.
The simple solution? Read the two halves together and judge them as a single unit. How hard it that? It makes me rather irate when people moan about the ending, because it’s not an ending! It’s a mid-point! Get to the end of Fall and THEN try and tell me that the ending didn’t blow your mind surer than sucking on the business end of a bazooka. I dares ya!
2)There’s too much jargon and not enough explaining.
I don’t argue this one – it’s a fair complaint (if this is an issue for you). This is high-brow space-opera, so there’s a lot of tech, a lot of acronyms, a lot of made-up words and not a whole bunch of layman’s-terms.
For me, this is part of the appeal of what’s often called ‘hard sci-fi’. Everything is dropped on you ‘as-is’, and the audience is credited with enough wits (and genre experience) to pick it up and run with it. Simmons doesn’t waste any words making it easier for you.
I don’t mind this in the slightest. But if you’ve found it to be a turn-off in the past, then take due warning: this may not be the series for you!
but IF you can a)endure a bit of hard sci-fi jargon AND b)are willing to put in the effort to read part-two before you reach a conclusion THEN – order a copy immediately
And begin your own pilgrimage to meet The Shrike! You owe it to yourself. (happy hunting)
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Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted author
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Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to release new works. Something had to be done.
On the spur of the moment I set myself a challenge, to read every book to have won the Locus Sci-Fi award. That’s 35 books, 6 of which I’d previously read, leaving 29 titles by 14 authors who were new to me.
While working through this reading list I got married, went on my honeymoon, switched career and became a father. As such these stories became imprinted on my memory as the soundtrack to the happiest period in my life (so far).
Brin’s work in the Uplift universe continues with another trilogy, The Uplift Storm, but this marks the end of the original trio – and it’s a pretty mixed bunch. Book One, Sundiver, is a rather forgettable affair, altogether too simplistic in its outlook. Book Two, Startide Rising is a much better offering, with haiku-spitting space-dolphins in an intergalactic chase and prison-break scenario – an adventure to get your teeth into!
Which brings us to Book Three, The Uplift War: from the title I was expecting a full-on Earth (and allies) vs Nasty Aliens, but that’s not quite what we get. Garth is an out of the way planet, settled primarily by Earth’s client-race – chimpanzees. Yes folks, this is a bona fide planet of the apes – complete with original monkey culture and politics. Following the events of Startide Rising, the galactics are pissed with Earth-Clan – but there are a lot of galactic races and not enough Earth-butt to kick – so one particular race of aggressive avian aliens (Evil Space Chickens) decides to conquer Garth and hold it hostage to try and make Earth-Clan play ball. So the chimps are massively outgunned by the Evil Space Chickens and must resort to gorilla (punny!) warfare. And to add a last bit spice to the mix, the naughty chimps have been (view spoiler)[covertly conducting Uplift work of their own – trying to help Gorillas reach full sentience – which is a big crime without galactic approval (hide spoiler)]. If this is discovered it will retrospectively justify the Evil Space Chicken invasion and be a major headache for Earth-Clan!
Our heroes involve a plucky daughter of a galactic ambassador, a cheeky chimp pilot and a local rebel girl (as love-interest). It’s fun. It’s not quite as good as Startide Rising, but it’s still pretty damn fun.
My favourite moments include: - the otter species uplift ceremony - the thunder dance / rave - the crazy three-way Evil Space Chicken courtship process - ‘rillas!
If you're looking for a reliable on-the-money reviewer to follow, you wouldn't go far wrong with Nicholas Whyte who sums up the negatives of this book rather perfectly when he says:
“humans (and their allies) rarely lose a battle or an argument; we are rather compelled to cheer for our boys. But more seriously, I think the novel's take on race issues is naïve and complacent. The intelligent chimpanzee characters are not allowed to rebel from the human agenda, yet disply no resentment of the control exerted over them, including their reproductive rights. Those who do make common cause with humanity's enemies get their come-uppance. (The only Bad Human who displays racial and gender prejudice is explicitly South Asian.) I think I would have been happier if the book had explored colonialism and race a little more profoundly.”
I still thought the book was fun, but it takes fairly serious themes and then just sort of flirts with them coyly. I kept wanting Brin to get more feisty – get in there and really make a point with his monkey-man-metaphor! But he doesn’t. He just enjoys telling his tale.
New book? Yeah Good? Yeah What’s it about? Planet of the Apes being invaded by Evil Space Chickens. You read weird books. I know. Can I borrow it when you’re finished? Of course!
If you've not read any of the Uplift Saga yet - start with Startide Rising. If you liked that, read this. Simple, no? ...more
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Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted author
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Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to release new works. Something had to be done.
On the spur of the moment I set myself a challenge, to read every book to have won the Locus Sci-Fi award. That’s 35 books, 6 of which I’d previously read, leaving 29 titles by 14 authors who were new to me.
While working through this reading list I got married, went on my honeymoon, switched career and became a father. As such these stories became imprinted on my memory as the soundtrack to the happiest period in my life (so far).
I really liked this book. I’ve never read Ender’s Game. I’ve never read any other Orson Scott Card. But I will, because I really liked this book.
The overall premise is superb – mankind’s dark history with the buggers, their potential for redemption with the piggies, the mysterious Descolada plague, the precautions taken to protect the xenobiology making understanding the evolutionary leaps impossible... it’s fascinating stuff.
But it's the individuals who populate this world – Ender who is the very epitome of his race, the killer seeking redemption, the last Hive Queen, Jane, the insecure AI, Ender’s genius sister, Valentine, Novinho, the brilliant but bitter xenobiologist who Ender is determined to make accept his love – her dysfunctional family! and finally, there are the stars of the show – the piggies themselves – an alien race who rank up their with Hamilton’s Kiint as my personal favourites. Lots of sci-fi starts with a good idea or two – but very few have a cast like this.
It’s awkward, anguished personal stuff, wrapped up as a murder-mystery inside a scientific enigma, driven along relentlessly by a humble messiah.
My only complaint is the choice of names, the ‘buggers’ and the ‘piggies’. Let’s face it – these are bloody ridiculous names for well-crafted alien races.
One of the ways I judge a book is by how many moments remain behind afterwards, resonating with my understanding of the world. For Speaker, there are dozens – and they’ve lingered in vibrant, sparkling form.
The one I’ll never forget is the moment that gives Ender his purpose (and the book it’s title) – when he Speaks the Death of Marcão. It’s a scene that I knew was coming from the get-go, – a scene I tried to guess and second guess, and still found surprising, still found emotional and couldn’t have broken away from had my wife gone into labour while the house was on fire.
Speaker for the Dead is the kind of book I was looking for when I started my Locus Quest and I’ve found it hard to resist buying Ender’s Game and Xenocide immediately. But those are the bad old ways – to find a new author I like and then devour their catalogue before moving on - that’s a habit I’m trying to break. So I’ll space out the Ender's Saga books – enjoy them over a few months (or maybe years?) – but I will definitely be reading them at some point.
(I've now read Ender's Game and Xenocide too and loved them both, so we're still going strong with one more in the core series to go)...more
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Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted author
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Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to release new works. Something had to be done.
On the spur of the moment I set myself a challenge, to read every book to have won the Locus Sci-Fi award. That’s 35 books, 6 of which I’d previously read, leaving 29 titles by 14 authors who were new to me.
While working through this reading list I got married, went on my honeymoon, switched career and became a father. As such these stories became imprinted on my memory as the soundtrack to the happiest period in my life (so far).
New book? Yeah Good? Yeah What’s it about? Space dolphins What, like dolphins swimming in space? Don’t be silly. Dolphins flying spaceships filled with water. Oh. Sounds cool. I know!
Sometimes it’s easy to make me happy.
Startide Rising is the second book in David Brin’s Uplift Saga. The first, Sundiver, is nothing to write home about, but this one was a runaway critical success – taking the Locus, Hugo and Nebula awards in 1984 (the year I was born).
The Uplift concept offers a superb backstory and a galactic framework with a huge amount of potential (see Sundiver review). I’m not sure Brin takes full dramatic advantage of what he’s created (can you imagine the Uplift universe in the hands of Peter Hamilton or Dan Simmons?) – but what Brin does create is a tremendously enjoyable adventure (if you’re not too cynical).
Mankind has uplifted chimps and dolphins to sentience. The Streaker is an exploration ship, crewed and captained for the first time, primarily with dolphins. They discover something (big coincidence time, shhh) ancient, valuable and powerful. Word gets out and suddenly every bug-eyed alien wants a piece of Streaker. They run, hide and crash on a water world. While they try to repair and escape, the different ET factions scrap it out in orbit for the right to capture Captain Flipper and his arcane treasure.
It’s a bit ‘sci-fi light’, but golly-gee it made me smile. The writing isn’t amazing, but the characters are likeable, the action fast paced and gripping, the scenario imaginative and the book skips along in quick, tasty little chapters.
Brin does use a lot of perspectives, both within the crew and between the various hostiles in orbit – some people may find this off-putting – but it wasn’t a problem for me. I loved the little snapshots of the different alien ships. I loved the different dolphin crewmembers. I wasn’t half as fond of the human crew (been there, done that – give me more dolphins!).
Startide Rising is my favourite book of The Uplift Saga – it’s probably a 3.5 affectionately rounded up to a 4 – but definitely worth checking out. Just keep your expectations in check – this is a fun book, but not a brilliantly written book....more
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Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted author
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Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to release new works. Something had to be done.
On the spur of the moment I set myself a challenge, to read every book to have won the Locus Sci-Fi award. That’s 35 books, 6 of which I’d previously read, leaving 29 titles by 14 authors who were new to me.
While working through this reading list I got married, went on my honeymoon, switched career and became a father. As such these stories became imprinted on my memory as the soundtrack to the happiest period in my life (so far).
I’ve read the Foundation series twice in my life, and Foundation’s Edge was one of the six winning books I had previously read before I began my Locus Quest.
The first time I read the Foundation series as an awe-struck pre-teen, I’d have instantly given the whole series a 5-star review: it was a story that became a foundation stone (excuse the pun) of my love for sci-fi.
Let's get this out of the way: Asimov's Foundation series is required reading for anyone with more than a passing interest in science fiction. If you've not read it yet, put it on your list!
Returning to Asimov in my mid twenties I was expecting to be disappointed. Some issues are unavoidable – much of the characterisation is shallow and doesn’t develop far and there series as a whole tends to repeat plot devices with surface variations – but overall I was pleasantly surprised.
Asimov tends to remind me H.G. Wells. That may sound extreme considering The Time Machine was written in the 1890s while Foundation’s Edge was released in the 1980s, but the Foundation series was conceived back in the 50s. Wells and Asimov may represent the best of pre-WW1 and post-WW2 sci-fi, but their formative cultures have more in common with each other than post-2012 audiences.
To me, their stories are now are charming combination of dated ideals and visionary speculation.
This is one of the few Foundation novels which can stand alone, so I can heartily recommend it to all - not just fans of the series.
I’m no longer blown away as I once was, but it’s still a very enjoyable read!
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Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted author
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Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to release new works. Something had to be done.
On the spur of the moment I set myself a challenge, to read every book to have won the Locus Sci-Fi award. That’s 35 books, 6 of which I’d previously read, leaving 29 titles by 14 authors who were new to me.
While working through this reading list I got married, went on my honeymoon, switched career and became a father. As such these stories became imprinted on my memory as the soundtrack to the happiest period in my life (so far).
The Many Coloured Land beat Downbelow Station and God Emperor of Dune to win the 1982 Locus Sci-Fi award. It’s one of the six award winners I’d already read before starting this reading list and the opening novel in one of my all-time favourite series.
The Galactic Milieu Trilogy and the Saga of the Pliocine Exile are (for some reason) usually viewed as two separate series, even though they contain significant shared characters and are set in the same universe within one continuous timeline (albeit a sort of figure-8 line what with the time-travel). Personally, I’ve always viewed the whole shebang (including Intervention) as one eight book mega-works.
As you can tell by my 5-star rating, I’m a big fan. I must have first read this series back when I was about twelve or thirteen, fallen in love the way only a teenager can and returned to it half a dozen times since – often nostalgic but never disappointed.
Before I start to wax lyrical about the whys and wherefores, it seems only reasonable to throw up a few warning flags for those with inflated expectations: • May’s writing style is nothing special, so don’t expect a Miévillian wordsmith. • The sci-fi element doesn’t stand-up to close examination, so don’t expect Asimovian rigour. • The concept isn’t razor sharp, so don’t expect a Simmons-esque mind-blowing. • The themes aren’t powerful and/or meaningful, so don’t expect a Robinson life-lesson. • The characters aren’t overly deep or psychologically rounded, so don’t expect Le Guin-ish insight.
Now that we’ve got all that out of the way, there’s one big reason to read these books: They are great FUN!
The premise is a sci-fi fantasy cross-over: psychic powers evolving among humans, a galactic society of psychic aliens, thinly veiled faerie references, time-travel, pre-historic animals, outcasts, criminals, slaves and family empires! There are plenty of elements for May to play around with and she creates some excellent characters to explore her world(s).
In terms of scope and style we’re talking about the same sort of ballpark as David Brin’s Uplift series (although I much prefer this scenario).
Because I’m so familiar with the entire series, it’s hard to separate out the events of Book 1 in particular. There are a lot of characters to introduce and a fairly complex universe to get set-up, so I remember it being a touch heavy on the exposition and getting-to-know-you dialogue. But it’s also the origin-story for each of the characters as they move into their Pliocene adventure, and as they’re only just starting out into the great unknown it’s full of varying levels of hope and mystery.
My personal favourites (by a long way) are Aiken and Felice. Go Trickster! Go Mad-Rhino-Riding-Psycho! WooooOoooOooOOoo!
[image]
Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted author
[image]
Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to release new works. Something had to be done.
On the spur of the moment I set myself a challenge, to read every book to have won the Locus Sci-Fi award. That’s 35 books, 6 of which I’d previously read, leaving 29 titles by 14 authors who were new to me.
While working through this reading list I got married, went on my honeymoon, switched career and became a father. As such these stories became imprinted on my memory as the soundtrack to the happiest period in my life (so far).
* Published as two books, Blackout and All Clear do not work as two separate stories. This is one tale spread over two volumes. As such I am writing one extra long review and spreading it between the two books.
** As this is a time-travel book with events reported in a non-linear manner, I am writing this review as a ‘non-linear’ ‘time-travel’ review. I’ve labelled the paragraphs and then jumbled them up between the two reviews. You poor schmucks have to make sense of my drivel (if such a thing is possible) – think of it like a puzzle, or a game, yeah?
*** Sometimes I wonder; is my brilliance perhaps outshone only by my modesty?
Begin your journey by going through THE BROWN DOOR WITH THE BRASS HANDLE
### THE OLD SUBWAY So let’s have a look at some of the regular complaints…
1) I read the first book and it just ends without any sort of resolution or even a proper cliff-hanger… it just ends! I’m very unsatisfied.
- Dear reader, read both books together and judge them as one story. She could have published as one book – it would have been thick enough to stand on when you need to reach on top of the wardrobe – but from a narrative perspective, it would have made sense. Be grateful that she split it into two portable tomes! CONTINUE ACROSS THE QUAD
### FORM WTF/83/CC Overall, I’d give it 3.5 stars, and I thought the second half was slightly stronger, hence the 3|4 split. It didn’t need to be so long. It could have slimmed down to a thousand pages in one novel and not lost a huge amount of its impact – that wasn’t a massive issue for me, but would have pulled it up that half-star to a 4. A more quirky protagonist would have given it a little extra spark – Polly, Mike and Eileen are all lovely people, but they’re all fairly middle-of-the-road types – the most memorable characters are the Hodbin children. A bit of a curveball on one of the leads would have pumped it up to 4.5 for me. Finally, a better explanation of Dunworthy’s behaviour – switching all the assignments around (but letting them go ahead, unprepared) seemed negligent and inept. I know the incompetence of bureaucracy is one of Willis’ regular themes – but here I felt it wasn’t supported or justified adequately. Correcting this would have seen me 5-star the story with a giddy grin on my funny little face. CONTINUE BY TAKING YOUR FORM TO COUNTER 6F
### THE BROWN DOOR WITH THE BRASS HANDLE I know they get a weaker version (made by a different manufacturer) in New Zealand, and the Aussies have an equivalent called Vegemite – but can you buy Marmite in the States? If you’ve never heard of Marmite, it’s a thick, black, salty syrup – a kind of gloopy yeast extract – which is eaten spread on toast. It’s got a strong and distinctive flavour. I don’t think Connie Willis mentions Marmite at any point in Blackout or All Clear, but the whole production reeks of Marmite to me. For as long as I can remember, Marmite’s advertising slogan has been “love it or hate it”. If you offer a stranger some Marmite on toast, either their eyes light up in delight or their face screws up in disgust. There’s no middle ground with Marmite – it’s a polarising product – and in the UK anything which produces an equivalent, strongly polarised response can be branded as eliciting ‘a Marmite response’. Connie Willis is something of a Marmite author, and with this duology she’s reached a new peak of Marmiteyness. Vintage Marmite – aged for an even stronger reaction. CONTINUE DOWN THE LONG CORRIDOR
### DUTY OFFICE It’s not the first time I’ve noticed this sort of response to Willis’ work. Her ’93 novel, (and fellow Locus/Hugo winner, Doomsday Book, prompted similar wails of praise as well as angry gnashings of teeth. I find this curious. So what is up with the Willis? CONTINUE BY TAKING THE OLD LIFT
### THE LONG CORRIDOR How are these for some polarised review quotes…
The lovers:
“This is a very impressive novel, and obviously a labor of love for Willis. I expect one of these books will win her another Hugo.” – Jamie
“This is a beautifully crafted book,” “It’s ingenious and a great deal of fun. It’s funny, tragic, romantic, heartwarming, and completely engrossing.” – Lisa Vegan
“Willis manages something transcendent,” “these volumes are the greatest work of science fiction ever written.” – Kaethe
### THE OLD LIFT Blackout/All Clear is part of the Oxford Time Travel series. Future Oxford historians go back in time to live in WW2 and study various aspects of life at that time. Something goes wrong with their ‘drops’, the portals they use to travel through time, and they are stranded in the past and must survive in wartime Britain. It’s a solid premise that doesn’t vary too far from the successful template of Doomsday Book (where a single historian is stranded in the middle ages). CONTINUE BY TAKING THE OLD SUBWAY
[image]
Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted author
[image]
Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to release new works. Something had to be done.
On the spur of the moment I set myself a challenge, to read every book to have won the Locus Sci-Fi award. That’s 35 books, 6 of which I’d previously read, leaving 29 titles by 14 authors who were new to me.
While working through this reading list I got married, went on my honeymoon, switched career and became a father. As such these stories became imprinted on my memory as the soundtrack to the happiest period in my life (so far).
* Published as two books, Blackout and All Clear do not work as two separate stories. This is one tale spread over two volumes. As such I am writing one extra long review and spreading it between the two books.
** As this is a time-travel book with events reported in a non-linear manner, I am writing this review as a ‘non-linear’ ‘time-travel’ review. I’ve labelled the paragraphs and then jumbled them up between the two reviews. You poor schmucks have to make sense of my drivel (if such a thing is possible) – think of it like a puzzle, or a game, yeah?
*** Sometimes I wonder; is my brilliance perhaps outshone only by my modesty?
“I suppose the good news is that it will probably take Willis another six years to publish her next book; the bad news is that it too will probably win awards it doesn't deserve.” – Nicholas Whyte
“Blithering idiots. Read rage. That is all.” – Stacey
“Warning: This review will be lengthy due to pure hatred.” – Kemper
### DEPARTMENT OF B&AC 3) There were historical and setting fact errors.
- Dear reader, your Mum is a “historical and setting” fact error. Yes, I’m juvenile enough to find that funny. I’ve spent a lot of time in London and nothing jumped out at me as being stretched beyond the limits of narrative credibility. I’m not a blitz expert, but I feel the books offer a convincing and engrossing vision of blitz-time London. CONTINUE BY JOINING QUEUE 14H
### SMOKING AREA I have to go… I think I just spotted my retrieval team! I hope you enjoyed my review
### COUNTER 83 So. Here we are. I see some of you looking at me askance (isn’t that a lovely word, askance?) because I’ve flattered and defended these books, this story, and yet only given Blackout 3-stars and All Clear 4-stars. Well, yes. It’s true; the story does have flaws, I cannot deny it any longer! CONTINUE BY TAKING A FORM WTF/83/CC
### ACROSS THE QUAD 2) These characters are stupid. They do stupid things. They don’t think. I hate them.
- Dear reader, sometimes smart people can be stupid. I have a friend who is an Oxford grad. He’s a brilliant computer scientist. But I’ve seen him get baffled by a manual can opener. These characters are historians, anthropologists and actors – but they are still, at heart, Oxford academics. When things go wrong, they panic – they seize on odd hopes and worry endlessly about things outside their control. They’re fallible, error-prone, and human. I quite liked them all. CONTINUE INTO THE DEPARTMENT OF B&AC
### PIDGEONHOLES My own experience of Blackout was delayed several months as my wife stole my newly arrived copy (she’s a bigger Willis fan than me – perhaps because she worries more?). Darling Wifelet then wedged the book under the baby’s pram with all her shopping while she was out and about it town… and lost the book. Which she then worried about telling me… Do you suppose there’s a direct correlation between Willis fans and worriers? END YOUR JOURNEY IN THE SMOKING AREA
### QUEUE 14H 4) The entire book consists of inner dialogues of them fretting about stupid, trivial crap! - Dear reader, now we’re cooking with gas!
The emotion which permeates this story is anxiety. Worry, stress, angst, dread, call it what you will. I have some experience with anxiety disorders and Willis does such a good job at replicating the constant, wearying, nagging sense of restless unease that at times I found it acutely discomforting. It’s easy to name stories of love, lust, greed, fear, vengeance, guilt, faith, ambition, pride, etc. But ‘worry’ – that unglamorous emotion which stalks us when we try to sleep – worry is rarely the headline act. I can understand why this insidious sense of anxiety would disappoint so many readers – who likes to read about people getting stressed-out? It might not be entertaining, but this endless circling of the problem (like a cork in a draining bathtub) had an echo of Truth (yes, with a capital T) that made it far more valuable to me than an escapist adventure. CONTINUE BY APPROACHING COUNTER 83
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