Thursday, September 25, 2008

Guerrilla Marketing for the Internet

Finished a couple days ago.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Neverwhere

Finished Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, who is becoming one of my favorite authors. He doesn't let his political views get in the way of telling a good yarn.

Monday, September 08, 2008

Sun of Suns

Yeah I know I said I wouldn't read anymore of this guy's books, but it was free. Free, I tell you!
Sun of Suns by Karl Schroeder.

Friday, September 05, 2008

Spin

Finished reading Spin by Charles Robert Wilson.

While I enjoyed it, when I read books like this, it always puts me in a strange state of mind. You have this feeling that behind the story, this is actually a subtle piece of proselytization. The author seems so sure of his view of the universe, it's like reading his personal version of a bible or manifesto.

I wonder how authors like him, and others, can be this sure. At what point did they agree to only look at the universe one way. What made them adopt this way of thinking as their personal truth?

Then I wonder if they are this sure in real life?

I wonder if this is just a desperately grasped at answer for a mind that can't conceive of anything except a mechanical universe in reaction to poorly understood or explained belief. I wonder at what point did they choose to think of themselves and mankind as supreme. I wonder at what point they decided to remove possibilities and narrow their mind.

They put up characters who believe in nothing as heroes, and portray characters who believe in anything as deluded and irrational. Which I think must echo their own lack of understanding, and a desire to do battle against the remnants of belief that they thought they had cut out, only to find it lurking in some hidden trunk of their mind.

I find it sad that they can't conceive of someone with both belief and empirical thought.

I hope that I am wrong. And I hope for a melding.

Monday, September 01, 2008

Old Man's War

I got Old Man's War by John Scalzi free from Tor. com a while back when they were just launching their site, and actually read his short story on their website first. It made me appreciate his writing and I'm glad I read this book. It's like a faster more accessible version of Forever War by Joe Haldemon, with some good characterization thrown in. If I hadn't gotten if for free I would have paid money to read it.