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June Book Foo!
Jun. 1st, 2016 04:14 pmDon't really have time for a TV wrapup this time, maybe I'll do a separate one later.
But here are the last batch of books read:
Finished: Against A Dark Background by Iain M. Banks (reread)
As the year 10000 approaches, the Lady Sharrow is marked for assassination by religious extremists, who believe her death, for the actions of her ancestors, will allow a religious prophecy to be fulfilled. Only two things, besides her death, will alter things. If she can stay alive until the decamillenia, or if she can return the priceless artifact that sparked the feud... an impossible weapon that has long been lost. Sharrow assembles her old team from when she was a soldier, and sets out to find the last Lazy Gun, a weapon that kills with a sense of humor, even though the clues to its location are tied to other, also lost, artifacts. Unfortunately, others want the gun. ( Read more... )But on the whole, I really liked that book, even the second time around.
Finished: Future Visions: Original Science Fiction Inspired By Microsoft (short story collection)
As the title suggests, this is a set of stories that were inspired by Microsoft... as I understand it, several authors were invited to tour the facilities and see stuff the company was developing, and write stories if they were inspired. ( Read more... )Worth a look, at least.
Finished: Marooned in Realtime by Vernor Vinge (reread)
Wil Brierson is a detective, maybe the last one. Sometime in the twenty-second century, every human on Earth disappeared. The only ones left are those who were, at the time, encased in "bobbles", spheres of absolute stasis that many used to jump ahead through the years... and there are only a few hundred people left, trying to build what society they can by jumping further and further ahead to collect more stragglers. Nobody knows what happened to the rest. But that's not Wil's case. Nor is it his case to find the person who bobbled him for over a hundred years without his consent and separated him from his family forever... although he'd really like to do that, too. No, his case is to solve a murder of one of the few survivors left, who was murdered by being left outside of the bobbles, marooned in realtime, when everyone else jumped a century into the future. Murder by old age. But since the victim is one of the key people trying to keep the human race viable, it's a crime that everyone's got a stake in. ( Read more... )This was my first reread of the book, and I already know I want to reread it again somewhere down the line.
Finished: The Fortunate Fall by Raphael Carter
A reporter in a Russian of the future does more than tell a tale... she sees it, feels it, and the audience is wired into her brain to feel it through her, almost live, ideally with some of the personal or embarrassing bits edited out by a screener. Maya is one such reporter, and she's doing a story about the anniversary of a set of atrocities in a prior war, and working with a new, untested screener. But as she follows the story, she uncovers a lot more than she expected about both the world, and herself.
Wow. This is one of those books I'd only heard of through the occasional, but usually high, recommendation. But it wasn't in print, and I couldn't find a copy in any of the used bookstores I frequent. Eventually, I had to order a copy online from a used bookseller. And I'm glad I did. ( Read more... )This is Raphael Carter's first and only novel, which is a huge shame. They seem to have disappeared from the SF scene, but after reading this, I hope they're still out there and may one day make a return, I think they'd fit in well with some of my favorites of today. Also a huge shame is how this book seems to be one of those ones that made a small splash but then disappeared. It really should be remembered.
Finished: The Harvest by Robert Charles Wilson
Aliens visit the Earth, but at first they're silent, visible in the sky but not engaging. Until finally, in mass dream, they speak to everybody at once with an incredible offer. They will give functional immortality to everyone who wants it. As well as other benefits. The only catch is... once death is no longer a concern to you, or anyone else, you can't help but change your outlook, your priorities... you, in essence. And maybe that means you're no longer going to be what you presently consider human. Still, most people accept the offer. The novel follows a few of the small minority that refuse it, who are left unaffected, except that they're in a world full of people who said "yes." Could this all be a sinister ploy by the aliens and those who accepted the offer are enslaved and need rescuing? And, even if it's not... is it that much better?
This type of book is pretty much Robert Charles Wilson's specialty. A big event that can't help but change the world, and yet the focus is on the personal, how individual, rather normal people react to it, often helpless to change the course of events.( Read more... )Still, on the whole, I enjoyed the book. Wilson may not have shown himself as capable as he has in other works, but it was still interesting and worth a read. And he avoided several pitfalls that I think others might have fallen into and created a story that was far more conventional and much less interesting. The biggest sin is that I think that if he wrote from the same premise today, I think it might be a great book instead of merely good.
Finished: Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel
A giant metal hand is found under the ground, one that defies known science and anthropology. At first dismissed, years later it becomes the focus of intense investigation and top-secret efforts to find more of these artifacts and perhaps lay claim to the power behind them.
Full disclosure: I received a copy of this book free through a Goodreads giveaway. I don't think it affected my review. ( Read more... )The book's part of a series, but I'm not interested in continuing and seeing how it wraps up, I think I'd rather be reading other books. This one, it's just not my thing.
Finished: A Darkling Sea by James L. Cambias
The distant planet Ilmatar is a single ocean with a roof of ice, and almost all of that ocean is without light. But it is the home to intelligent life, and humans have been secretly studying the crab-like beings, following the rules of the Sholen, another alien race, who dictate that there be no contact. When poor judgement causes the death of one of the science team, at the hands of an Ilmatarian, the Sholen come to assess the situation and decide whether the human expedition needs to be shut down... but they might not be willing to go along with the Sholen's rules if it means shutting down research rather than merely inconveniencing it.
This book is a lot of fun and will stick with me for a while, and I'm sure I'll reread it, because while it does have its flaws, it succeeds very well at one of of my favorite things in the genre. ( Read more... )But hey, it's a first novel and a really good one at that. I can't wait to see more.
Finished: Edge of Dark by Brenda Cooper
Long ago, an offshoot of humanity that had embraced technological advancement, transplanting themselves into robot bodies or computer systems, was expelled from the rest of the system. Since then, they've lurked in the dark fringes, occasionally raiding or trading with the stations. But suddenly they launch an attack to show their power and make their demands... they want to be let back in, on their own terms.
This book explores a number of themes that I really like, but it didn't work for me quite as much as I'd hoped.( Read more... )Still, I might read the sequel, see how it all turns out.
Finished: The Diving Bundle: Six Diving Universe Novellas by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Space is really big, and really dangerous. That means there are a lot of wrecks, damaged ships, abandoned stations, and more. Some people, for money, knowledge, or glory, like to explore these wrecks, much like people in bygone eras would put on a diving suit to explore a sunken ship. But in space, it's a lot more dangerous, as the wrecks mght contain technologies that are lost or poorly understood, and still active, or worse, malfunctioning. And sometimes, even weirder things can be found...
This is a set of novellas, loosely connected, set in the same universe. Many of them are also parts of longer novels.( Read more... )I'll merely mark it down as a universe and writer I'm interested in checking out again somewhere down the line.
Finished: The Diamond Age: or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer by Neal Stephenson (reread)
In the future, most basic needs are taken care of, with nanotechnology producing food, clothing, and furniture... but that doesn't mean there aren't the rich and the poor, or conflicts. One rich man commissions an intelligent book for his daughter, to educate her and give her the mindset needed to challenge ideas and become a leader. However, an illegal copy of the book also falls into the hands of Nell, a poor girl in an unstable family situation, and her stories may also change the world.
I read this once, long long ago, probably around the time it first came out (about twenty years ago). ( Read more... )Still the book is awash with cool ideas, many of which are still mind-blowing and relevant (maybe even more relevant) today, and an appealing tale of both the power and risks of technology, without losing sight of the human element. Even in the storylines I wasn't quite feeling as much, I found myself stopping and thinking, "Wow, that's so neat," many times.
And I wish I had a Primer of my own.
Finished: Vicious by V.E. Schwab
Two college students discover how to give people super powers, and try it on themselves. Ten years later, one finally breaks out of prison, bent on revenge against the other. Each finds allies with unique powers of their own. But in this story, the heroes and villains aren't as easy to pick out as they are in the comics.( Read more... )I'd recommend the book to people who like superhero comics or shows or movies, even if they're not huge novel readers in general. The book's enough of a page-turner that if you think you might enjoy a novel but are just not sure where to start, and are afraid of being bogged down in something huge and dense, and the subject matter seems to your liking, this is a pretty good choice, maybe better than any other superhero novel that immediately comes to mind (with the possible exception of the Jumper books).
Finished: Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee
Disclaimer: I recieved an electronic ARC from Netgalley for free. I don't think it affected my review.
In the far future, as part of a ploy to retake control of a space station that has fallen to heresy, a brilliant but disgraced, mass-murdering and long-dead general is bonded to a loyal soldier with a mathematical gift and given command of a group of ships.
I've had a somewhat of a mixed relationship with Yoon Ha Lee's short fiction. A few I've really enjoyed, while some of what he's written has done nothing for me. Still, the ones I liked I liked enough that I was really interested to see what he'd write at novel length.
Unfortunately, the results are also somewhat mixed, for me, at least, although some of that is because of personal distaste for some of the approach and worldbuilding. In fact, for the first third or so, I was convinced I was going to give it two stars at best.( Read more... )And even though my rating is only three stars, I can see certain types of SF readers really liking this first book as it is, craving the complete dislocation that was a bit much for me.
Finished: Glasshouse by Charles Stross (reread)
It's the far future. Earth is a distant memory... most people don't even live on planets anymore, but rather small habitats linked by wormhole gates. And death's difficult to come by, because you can back yourself up as easily as taking a shower. If you want, you can change your body-plan or gender while you're at it. But there are still wars, and in the wake of one, many people have chosen to wipe their memories and start fresh. Some of these people, including Robin, an ex-spy who may have a mission so secret even he isn't aware of it, are recruited into what seems like an innocent three-year experiment, to examine how the society of the 20th century worked, by establishing a community following similar rules as they had to live under. No choosing your body. No instant repair. No ability to leave early if you don't like it. And a lot of expectations for how you behave. And Robin's worried the experiment may be run by war criminals with a nefarious agenda.
I've read this book at least four times now. That alone should tell you that I really enjoy it.( Read more... )
Finished: Permanence by Karl Schroeder (reread)
Rue Cassels steals her inheritance, which includes part-ownership of a ship, in order to escape her older half-brother and forge a new life for herself outside of his control. While in transit, she stumbles upon on unregistered comet, and stakes a claim, making her wealthy... but things only get more complicated when the comet turns out to be a cycler, a starship that runs on a cycle around the dim, chilly worlds that have been colonized between stars, like Rue's. Cyclers haven't been coming by as often as they used to, since the development of FTL that only works near stars, and Rue's society is slowly withering. A single cycler would help, but she soon learns that there's a lot more going on, and the stakes are a lot bigger than one person, one world, or even one species.
I read this book once before, and although it wasn't my favorite of Schroeder's, by far, I still quite enjoyed it.( Read more... )Despite this, I had a lot of fun revisiting the story and ideas, and thinking about some of the issues it brought up. Schroeder remains one of my favorite authors, this simply isn't one of his best works.
Currently reading: Nemesis Games, by James S.A Corey (Expanse #5), Echopraxia by Peter Watts (reread), and A World Out of Time by Larry Niven (honestly I don't even know if it's a reread or not, I found it on my shelf but it inspires no memory in me, not even of when I acquired it).
But here are the last batch of books read:
Finished: Against A Dark Background by Iain M. Banks (reread)
As the year 10000 approaches, the Lady Sharrow is marked for assassination by religious extremists, who believe her death, for the actions of her ancestors, will allow a religious prophecy to be fulfilled. Only two things, besides her death, will alter things. If she can stay alive until the decamillenia, or if she can return the priceless artifact that sparked the feud... an impossible weapon that has long been lost. Sharrow assembles her old team from when she was a soldier, and sets out to find the last Lazy Gun, a weapon that kills with a sense of humor, even though the clues to its location are tied to other, also lost, artifacts. Unfortunately, others want the gun. ( Read more... )But on the whole, I really liked that book, even the second time around.
Finished: Future Visions: Original Science Fiction Inspired By Microsoft (short story collection)
As the title suggests, this is a set of stories that were inspired by Microsoft... as I understand it, several authors were invited to tour the facilities and see stuff the company was developing, and write stories if they were inspired. ( Read more... )Worth a look, at least.
Finished: Marooned in Realtime by Vernor Vinge (reread)
Wil Brierson is a detective, maybe the last one. Sometime in the twenty-second century, every human on Earth disappeared. The only ones left are those who were, at the time, encased in "bobbles", spheres of absolute stasis that many used to jump ahead through the years... and there are only a few hundred people left, trying to build what society they can by jumping further and further ahead to collect more stragglers. Nobody knows what happened to the rest. But that's not Wil's case. Nor is it his case to find the person who bobbled him for over a hundred years without his consent and separated him from his family forever... although he'd really like to do that, too. No, his case is to solve a murder of one of the few survivors left, who was murdered by being left outside of the bobbles, marooned in realtime, when everyone else jumped a century into the future. Murder by old age. But since the victim is one of the key people trying to keep the human race viable, it's a crime that everyone's got a stake in. ( Read more... )This was my first reread of the book, and I already know I want to reread it again somewhere down the line.
Finished: The Fortunate Fall by Raphael Carter
A reporter in a Russian of the future does more than tell a tale... she sees it, feels it, and the audience is wired into her brain to feel it through her, almost live, ideally with some of the personal or embarrassing bits edited out by a screener. Maya is one such reporter, and she's doing a story about the anniversary of a set of atrocities in a prior war, and working with a new, untested screener. But as she follows the story, she uncovers a lot more than she expected about both the world, and herself.
Wow. This is one of those books I'd only heard of through the occasional, but usually high, recommendation. But it wasn't in print, and I couldn't find a copy in any of the used bookstores I frequent. Eventually, I had to order a copy online from a used bookseller. And I'm glad I did. ( Read more... )This is Raphael Carter's first and only novel, which is a huge shame. They seem to have disappeared from the SF scene, but after reading this, I hope they're still out there and may one day make a return, I think they'd fit in well with some of my favorites of today. Also a huge shame is how this book seems to be one of those ones that made a small splash but then disappeared. It really should be remembered.
Finished: The Harvest by Robert Charles Wilson
Aliens visit the Earth, but at first they're silent, visible in the sky but not engaging. Until finally, in mass dream, they speak to everybody at once with an incredible offer. They will give functional immortality to everyone who wants it. As well as other benefits. The only catch is... once death is no longer a concern to you, or anyone else, you can't help but change your outlook, your priorities... you, in essence. And maybe that means you're no longer going to be what you presently consider human. Still, most people accept the offer. The novel follows a few of the small minority that refuse it, who are left unaffected, except that they're in a world full of people who said "yes." Could this all be a sinister ploy by the aliens and those who accepted the offer are enslaved and need rescuing? And, even if it's not... is it that much better?
This type of book is pretty much Robert Charles Wilson's specialty. A big event that can't help but change the world, and yet the focus is on the personal, how individual, rather normal people react to it, often helpless to change the course of events.( Read more... )Still, on the whole, I enjoyed the book. Wilson may not have shown himself as capable as he has in other works, but it was still interesting and worth a read. And he avoided several pitfalls that I think others might have fallen into and created a story that was far more conventional and much less interesting. The biggest sin is that I think that if he wrote from the same premise today, I think it might be a great book instead of merely good.
Finished: Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel
A giant metal hand is found under the ground, one that defies known science and anthropology. At first dismissed, years later it becomes the focus of intense investigation and top-secret efforts to find more of these artifacts and perhaps lay claim to the power behind them.
Full disclosure: I received a copy of this book free through a Goodreads giveaway. I don't think it affected my review. ( Read more... )The book's part of a series, but I'm not interested in continuing and seeing how it wraps up, I think I'd rather be reading other books. This one, it's just not my thing.
Finished: A Darkling Sea by James L. Cambias
The distant planet Ilmatar is a single ocean with a roof of ice, and almost all of that ocean is without light. But it is the home to intelligent life, and humans have been secretly studying the crab-like beings, following the rules of the Sholen, another alien race, who dictate that there be no contact. When poor judgement causes the death of one of the science team, at the hands of an Ilmatarian, the Sholen come to assess the situation and decide whether the human expedition needs to be shut down... but they might not be willing to go along with the Sholen's rules if it means shutting down research rather than merely inconveniencing it.
This book is a lot of fun and will stick with me for a while, and I'm sure I'll reread it, because while it does have its flaws, it succeeds very well at one of of my favorite things in the genre. ( Read more... )But hey, it's a first novel and a really good one at that. I can't wait to see more.
Finished: Edge of Dark by Brenda Cooper
Long ago, an offshoot of humanity that had embraced technological advancement, transplanting themselves into robot bodies or computer systems, was expelled from the rest of the system. Since then, they've lurked in the dark fringes, occasionally raiding or trading with the stations. But suddenly they launch an attack to show their power and make their demands... they want to be let back in, on their own terms.
This book explores a number of themes that I really like, but it didn't work for me quite as much as I'd hoped.( Read more... )Still, I might read the sequel, see how it all turns out.
Finished: The Diving Bundle: Six Diving Universe Novellas by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Space is really big, and really dangerous. That means there are a lot of wrecks, damaged ships, abandoned stations, and more. Some people, for money, knowledge, or glory, like to explore these wrecks, much like people in bygone eras would put on a diving suit to explore a sunken ship. But in space, it's a lot more dangerous, as the wrecks mght contain technologies that are lost or poorly understood, and still active, or worse, malfunctioning. And sometimes, even weirder things can be found...
This is a set of novellas, loosely connected, set in the same universe. Many of them are also parts of longer novels.( Read more... )I'll merely mark it down as a universe and writer I'm interested in checking out again somewhere down the line.
Finished: The Diamond Age: or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer by Neal Stephenson (reread)
In the future, most basic needs are taken care of, with nanotechnology producing food, clothing, and furniture... but that doesn't mean there aren't the rich and the poor, or conflicts. One rich man commissions an intelligent book for his daughter, to educate her and give her the mindset needed to challenge ideas and become a leader. However, an illegal copy of the book also falls into the hands of Nell, a poor girl in an unstable family situation, and her stories may also change the world.
I read this once, long long ago, probably around the time it first came out (about twenty years ago). ( Read more... )Still the book is awash with cool ideas, many of which are still mind-blowing and relevant (maybe even more relevant) today, and an appealing tale of both the power and risks of technology, without losing sight of the human element. Even in the storylines I wasn't quite feeling as much, I found myself stopping and thinking, "Wow, that's so neat," many times.
And I wish I had a Primer of my own.
Finished: Vicious by V.E. Schwab
Two college students discover how to give people super powers, and try it on themselves. Ten years later, one finally breaks out of prison, bent on revenge against the other. Each finds allies with unique powers of their own. But in this story, the heroes and villains aren't as easy to pick out as they are in the comics.( Read more... )I'd recommend the book to people who like superhero comics or shows or movies, even if they're not huge novel readers in general. The book's enough of a page-turner that if you think you might enjoy a novel but are just not sure where to start, and are afraid of being bogged down in something huge and dense, and the subject matter seems to your liking, this is a pretty good choice, maybe better than any other superhero novel that immediately comes to mind (with the possible exception of the Jumper books).
Finished: Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee
Disclaimer: I recieved an electronic ARC from Netgalley for free. I don't think it affected my review.
In the far future, as part of a ploy to retake control of a space station that has fallen to heresy, a brilliant but disgraced, mass-murdering and long-dead general is bonded to a loyal soldier with a mathematical gift and given command of a group of ships.
I've had a somewhat of a mixed relationship with Yoon Ha Lee's short fiction. A few I've really enjoyed, while some of what he's written has done nothing for me. Still, the ones I liked I liked enough that I was really interested to see what he'd write at novel length.
Unfortunately, the results are also somewhat mixed, for me, at least, although some of that is because of personal distaste for some of the approach and worldbuilding. In fact, for the first third or so, I was convinced I was going to give it two stars at best.( Read more... )And even though my rating is only three stars, I can see certain types of SF readers really liking this first book as it is, craving the complete dislocation that was a bit much for me.
Finished: Glasshouse by Charles Stross (reread)
It's the far future. Earth is a distant memory... most people don't even live on planets anymore, but rather small habitats linked by wormhole gates. And death's difficult to come by, because you can back yourself up as easily as taking a shower. If you want, you can change your body-plan or gender while you're at it. But there are still wars, and in the wake of one, many people have chosen to wipe their memories and start fresh. Some of these people, including Robin, an ex-spy who may have a mission so secret even he isn't aware of it, are recruited into what seems like an innocent three-year experiment, to examine how the society of the 20th century worked, by establishing a community following similar rules as they had to live under. No choosing your body. No instant repair. No ability to leave early if you don't like it. And a lot of expectations for how you behave. And Robin's worried the experiment may be run by war criminals with a nefarious agenda.
I've read this book at least four times now. That alone should tell you that I really enjoy it.( Read more... )
Finished: Permanence by Karl Schroeder (reread)
Rue Cassels steals her inheritance, which includes part-ownership of a ship, in order to escape her older half-brother and forge a new life for herself outside of his control. While in transit, she stumbles upon on unregistered comet, and stakes a claim, making her wealthy... but things only get more complicated when the comet turns out to be a cycler, a starship that runs on a cycle around the dim, chilly worlds that have been colonized between stars, like Rue's. Cyclers haven't been coming by as often as they used to, since the development of FTL that only works near stars, and Rue's society is slowly withering. A single cycler would help, but she soon learns that there's a lot more going on, and the stakes are a lot bigger than one person, one world, or even one species.
I read this book once before, and although it wasn't my favorite of Schroeder's, by far, I still quite enjoyed it.( Read more... )Despite this, I had a lot of fun revisiting the story and ideas, and thinking about some of the issues it brought up. Schroeder remains one of my favorite authors, this simply isn't one of his best works.
Currently reading: Nemesis Games, by James S.A Corey (Expanse #5), Echopraxia by Peter Watts (reread), and A World Out of Time by Larry Niven (honestly I don't even know if it's a reread or not, I found it on my shelf but it inspires no memory in me, not even of when I acquired it).
