This isn’t Heinlein’s best work. The faux Russian grammar of the narrator is pretty annoying, and the story shallow. Its an ok read as entertainment, but I think it could do with more plot and fewer long rants about the dangers of big government. I’d like to know more about the cyborgs which seem to…
Books read in April 2010
My worst reading month so far, although it didn’t help that all free time was consumed with a kitchen renovation. A Separate War & Other Stories
A Separate War & Other Stories
This is a short story collection. I like anthologies, and this one was pretty good. The stories are: A Separate War: the end of The Forever War told from the perspective of Marygay. Diminished Chord: love and music on an old harp like instrument. Giza: genetic engineering to enable space mining. Foreclosure: let’s get rid…
Books read in March 2010
Beyond This Horizon Cryptonomicon Altered Carbon Forever Free
Forever Free
This book isn’t as good as The Forever War and Forever Peace, which makes it a pretty big disappointment. The book revolves around disaffected characters from The Forever War living on the planet reserved for them by Man. Almost all of the book is William Mandella complaining about how hard it is to live on…
Altered Carbon
This is a great book… Its a hardboiled detective novel, but with a science fiction twist. The universe its set in is also pretty interesting, and I’m sure the follow up books are good too. The human backup element reminds me of Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, but in a way that’s different…
Cryptonomicon
I read this book on an international trip, and it was a good choice for that. Its long (around 900 pages), but very readable. This is the second time I’ve read the book, and this time its amazing how well the description of Silicon Valley startups matches my experiences there. I love this book. Update…
Beyond This Horizon
This book is only the second book I have failed to finish in the last few years. This is Heinlein’s second novel, and that’s the problem — its clumsily written in a style which moves at a lethargic pace. Its also pretty badly dated, and possesses that creepy EE “Doc” Smith eugenics theme that is…
Books read in February 2010
Dragon’s Egg The Road to Damascus Old Soldiers Burning Chrome
The Colour of Magic
There isn’t much point in writing a review of this book, because it seems that you’d have to have been living under a rock to not have read it. On the other hand, I feel this book isn’t as good as people make out. Its not as funny as Douglas Adams, it jumps around, and…