Chasm City

Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds is a book set in a future where humanity has already moved to the stars. Tanner Mirabel, is an ex-soldier and now security specialist for a notorious crime boss on a planet called Sky's edge.

But as the book starts off, the boss is dead and Tanner is following the person who did it to get revenge. But the person he is following is leaving Sky's Edge to another system called Yellowstone, and Tanner intends to follow. Along the way Tanner gets infected with a cultist virus that makes him have visions of the long dead infamous founder of Sky's Edge and now pseudo religious figure.

The virus is something that he thinks he can deal with, and can be ignored, but soon it's interfering with his plans, both short term and long.

This was a cool book. I've read the other ones set in this universe and I wasn't planning on reading this, since it is a stand alone story, and not part of the larger Revelation Space trilogy. But I'm glad I gave it a try.

It has some twists in it that sneak up on you, and make you question your loyalty to the main character.

I would definitely recommend it.

And if you haven't read the Revelation Space Trilogy, stop what you're doing and go by all three, it's awesome. (Cautionary note, the first 80 pages of Revelation Space drag, but once you get past them, you will fall in love with the book. And the last book in the series has some weirdness that you really don't want to miss!)

The Drawing of the Three

After being urged for years by my brother to read the Dark Tower series by Stephen King, I finally read the gunslinger about 6 months ago. And now I just read the second book in the series, The Drawing of the Three.

I can't say I'm a big fan of Stephen King, but I have read a few of his books and stories, and of course, seen the movies. Certain things about the way he writes bug me, and certain things he puts in his stories bother me, but I have to admit he's a good story teller, and The Drawing of the Three is no exception.

It is the continuation of the Gunslinger's quest to find the Dark Tower and somehow save his land and people. And the path takes him into our world to gather the people and things he needs. Along with the loss of body parts, sea creatures, and plenty of shooting, just to keep things interesting.

I would recommend the series so far, with the warning that it is Stephen King writing, and the books include all that that implies.

The Ghost Brigades

This is the second book in a trilogy by John Scalzi. He one of those writers that doesn't let his personal views in the real world overtake the story. The story is number one.

And this leads to books that are entertaining, and fun!

This book isn't a typical sequel, as the main character doesn't appear in Old Man's War, but don't let that stop you. Think of this more along the lines of a continuation of an overall plot for this universe and not a continuation of the main character's story from the first book.

Helix - Avoided

I just bought Helix by Eric Brown, today based on the description on the back of the book.

This was going to be about travel through space, and a way to survive a ship malfunction in the middle of nowhere, near a strange spiral formation of planets, with some alien encounters along the way.

Or so it led me to believe.

On the book it talks about how "great" Eric Brown is, and I went against my feelings that that was a bad sign. Also, I didn't recognize the names of the authors who blurbed the book, which I should have taken as another warning but didn't.

In the first few pages I start running across writer cliches, but I still read on since even good writers fall into the trap now and then. Then I find that he has no sense of letting a reader figure things out for themselves, which is really annoying, and smacks of an amateur who never learned to show and not tell. And then I encountered his dialogue that is so contrived, it makes George Lucas look like Shakespeare.

And now 90 pages into the book the only thing about the story I was interested in, has been effectively dashed. And apparently we are going to be subjected to some aliens who act and think and have a society exactly like a parody of the middle ages mixed with the 1930's, except that they are furry and blue, and if I keep saying they are furry and blue, that's all you need to make an alien, right?

I feel cheated and betrayed.

This leads me to ask myself why I would spend the next 500 pages or so reading an author who needs to learn writing basics, when there are a lot better writers out there? And the answer is, I would rather be bored than have to slog my way through this awkward and clumsy book by a writer who I can't believe is actually published.

So, this is the first, and (thanks to all that is good) the last book I will ever read, or partially read, by Eric Brown.

I just hope the book store will take it back and refund my money. I would destroy the book to rid the world of an abomination, but that would mean Mr. Brown would get a royalty for my purchase, and I don't want to encourage him to keep on writing.

Anansi Boys

I read this like 2 weeks ago, maybe finished it about the 3rd or 4th. Anyway it's a really good book. Go read it.

The Dispossessed

The Dispossessed by Ursula K. La Guin is a book with a political agenda straight out of the era it was conceived in, but she does manage to weave her ideas into the framework of a story, so that in the end you can forgive her, or at least appreciate her position, despite a naivete that seems to have originated inside a 1960's commune.

Her version of an anarchist society, if it were a character, would be classified as a Mary Sue. It has the rose colored glasses feel that seem to stem from someone who has not been oppressed, or been an outsider, to the extent that even someone who was your friend yesterday, is secretly against you today, but with just enough of a forgivable fault so that, to the cursory examination, it appears to be well rounded.

It seems to be based on a popular fallacy that people, in general, are naturally good, self sacrificing, and humanitarian. But if you ask any child on a school ground who has been bullied, you soon realize that it is a delusion that the well off and relatively untroubled like to believe is the natural state of affairs. Similar to the tabula rasa movement of the turn of the twentieth century, and earlier, where the natural man was conceived and held up as return to serenity, peace, and cooperation with nature, the era that spawned this book seems to believe that an overriding set of rules will somehow defeat and fundamentally change human nature.

While Mrs. La Guin is an excellent writer, the book is showing its age, except for those who are still living in the mental glory days of their adolescence.

Guerrilla Marketing for the Internet

Finished a couple days ago.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Playing for Keeps

I read Playing for Keeps by Mur lafferty, which you can download for free at her website. It's a funny take on people who aren't quite super enough to be super heroes, but somehow that doesn't stop them from saving the day. There are some great lines in there, but I won't spoil the fun. Go read it!

Lady of Mazes

I finished Lady of Mazes by Karl Schroeder yesterday. It's one of those books that starts off confusing with no explanation to make it less confusing, and then you think you get a grasp on what it's all about in the middle, and then the ending leaves you confused again.

Do authors write like this because they think it lends some sort of mystery to their story, or are they so out of touch with their own story even they don't know what's going on?

Either way I'm going to think really hard before reading any more books by this author.

Spook Country

Just finished Spook Country by William Gibson. He's one of my favorite authors but the way he writes is so full and different, that my brain has to be unscrambled after reading one of his books.

Spook country is set in present day, and technically isn't science fiction, but there is plenty of gadgetry and new ideas that the science fiction buff won't mind.

William Gibson likes to weave together different story lines that don't make sense on their own unless you also read the story lines of other characters, but with Spook Country he takes this to the extreme and you don't really know what the book is about until the last chapter. And then you realize that the name of the book gave it away, and you want to smack yourself on the forehead for not figuring it out sooner. But this doesn't make it boring or less enjoyable since the way he puts sentences together is like savoring dollops of cool.

Breaking Dawn

I finished Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer which I think was the best book of the series. But that's probably because I'm a man.

All the females I know who are reading it don't seem to like it. (And some are finding it hard to finish.) My mom likened it to Lord of the Rings as in that it became more of an adventure story and less of a romance story. And I think she's right.

Edward who is the heart throb, takes a backseat as Bella becomes more than human. And since most females were reading the story for the fantasy of falling in love with Edward, it's understandable that they would lose interest. But as a man it makes me not so ashamed of mentioning that I read it. (Of course this is all in my head since I don't know why I would feel ashamed. Okay, it's the romance thing... Geesh!)

Also, like the rest of the series it has some flaws. The biggest one is turning Bella into a Mary Sue. I would have liked it if after Bella became a vampire some sort of fault or something from her human life would have carried over. At least she could have felt fear at trying to drive fast, or had some sort of problem wrapping her head around her new life, or even had a clumsy moment.

And it would have been cool to have her get her motorcycle back. A vampiress on a bike would've been awesome! You missed an opportunity on that one Mrs. Meyer.

The Andriods Dream

The Android's Dream by John Scalzi is one of the weirdest books I've ever read. Let's just say the Earth's fate depends on a blue sheep, and I won't ruin the first chapter for you, but it's even weirder.

On Combat

I finished reading On Combat by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman on 8/14 but forgot to add it to the list so I'm backtracking this post.

It's a freaking awesome book and changed the way I view how people react to stress and the way it is portrayed in film, TV and fiction.

Storm Front: A Dresden Files book

Storm Front (The Dresden Files, Book 1)by Jim Butcher, is not usually the type of thing I read. I have something similar to a vampire's aversion of garlic about reading commercial/popular fiction. There's just something about the hype that turns me off. Also, I watched the first episode of the (thankfully) short lived SciFi Channel series, and couldn't believe the hackneyed story and characters. So together I really had no desire to read this book.

But I was given a copy by my brother, who used to read very little but recently is reading like an obsessive magical scorpion, (and I didn't have another novel at the time to read) so I dove right in. My first impression is that the writers for the TV series took the name, and that Harry's a wizard, from the book and not much else. My second impression was that it wasn't so awful to close and not finish it.

For those who don't know, Harry Dresden is an openly wizardly wizard, which makes other wizards nervous. He advertises to help people find things, or help with unusual disturbances, and also works as a consultant for the Chicago Police on "strange" cases. In this book he's hired to help the police understand why someone's heart exploded, and also hired by a house wife to find her husband, and at the same time try to avoid pissing off a group of other wizards who are waiting for an excuse to kill him.

Basically I found it to be exactly what it is, commercial fiction. It's a non-challenging, short read (I finished it in under 7 hours) that's best described as a romp. There's really nothing in it that changes your life or the way you think, but then it wasn't designed to do that.

One thing that was annoying, but most readers won't pick up on, are his formulaic chapters. Each one follows the same pattern i.e. a little description, something about what's going on, and a cliffhanger at the end. This was especially obvious in the last fight scene when the chapter is broken in two for no other reason than to add another cliffhanger and to make the first chapter shorter. (Probably at some misguided editor's advice.)

For someone looking for an escape without having to think about what the meaning was afterward, it's a perfect fit. For someone looking for more "meat" to their reading, give it a pass.

I will probably finish the series, since my brother has all of them, but if he didn't, I wouldn't seek the rest out. One thing I did enjoy about it, was it's distinct lack of unintentional cliched lines. Even with writers who's books are considered just short of "serious" fiction, like Neil Gaiman, I find lines that irk me.

( In Neil Gaiman's book American Gods, he has several, but the one that has stuck with me is "hunger was a hollow feeling in his stomach". If you're an author please don't ever use any variation of describing hunger as "hollow". I've read it in about 7,000 books. And no, that isn't an exaggeration.)

P.S. If you're an author needing a line to describe the feeling of being hungry try this. "His stomach was an empty room still waiting for the moving company to show." It's not perfect, but it's better than "hollow".

Fear of Physics.

I just got done reading Fear of Physics by Lawrence M. Krauss. It bills itself as A Guide for the Perplexed, but I find it has one major flaw.

I'm not a physicist, budding or otherwise, but I am a science fiction author and feel it is my duty to keep up on science. While I don't detest math, I find that I don't have that inspirational jump when it comes to math, that I do with other things. So most of my science comes from magazines, the Discover and other channels, and books marketed to the non-scientist.

And that brings us to the major, and almost unforgivable flaw. As an author, the first rule is to know who your audience is, but in writing Fear of Physics, Mr. Krauss seems to have forgotten it.

He starts out with good intentions, but quickly blunders into an ecstasy of the mind where the book comes across as if a know-it-all has finally been given free reign. Reading it, you can feel Mr. Krauss trembling with the sheer joy of expounding forth ideas he's been percolating for years.

He has fallen into the trap that I call intelligent stupidity. It's where someone is obviously smart and knowledgeable in their subject, but gets so wrapped up in it they forget how to communicate to those not so enraptured. Basically, it's like the scientist on The Simpson's, he's speaking truth, but he over complicates the language to the point where no one but himself, or fellow devotees, understand it.

P.S. It did have a redeeming moment. I have a story where a team of scientists are awarded the Nobel prize within a year of their discovery and that is typically not the case, (as one overzealous reader pointed out.) But, at the end of the book Mr. Krauss mentions Chen Ning Yang and Tsung Dao Lee who were awarded the Nobel within a year of their discovery. And, so my story is vindicated and I feel the cost of the book was worth it.

Book List: The Traveller

I just finished reading The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks. It's a story about an underground society and their enemies who are both racing to find a traveler. A traveler has a special gift that allows him to go between dimensions and bring back knowledge. On one side you have a street ninja trying to protect travelers and on the other a group of people trying to kill them so they can control all of humanity. It was a decent book in the cyberpunk genre but it had a few cliches in it that kept throwing me out of the story, but I would have to recommend it. It is a good read especially if you're not sensitive to cliches like me..