July 9, 2010
Bitter Seeds
A friend recommended Bitter Seeds, and I remember dismissing the recommendation as a "read later." What I don't remember is putting it on my library hold queue, so I was surprised when I got an email from KCLS saying it was waiting for pickup.
I was in the middle of trying again to make it through the first few chapters of Piracy (spoiler: I gave up), and figured some fiction was a great way to cheat on a book that made the Sahara seem positively damp.
Continue reading "Bitter Seeds"
Posted by dberger at 8:27 AM
June 12, 2010
Bitter Angels
I forget why I picked up Bitter Angels, but I started it just before leaving for WWDC, and polished it off on the trip.
I mostly agree with the Amazon aggregate of 3.5 stars - it had some great ideas and some interesting characters and locales, but just never really grabbed me.
Far from the worst SF I've read, but not something I'd read again, or seek out sequels to.
Posted by dberger at 7:50 PM
June 5, 2010
Innumeracy
After reading an article by John Allen Paulos taking BP to task of their inability (or unwillingness) to do middle-school geometry, I put Innumeracy in my library hold queue.
It arrived the other day, and weighing in at only a hundred and eighty pages, it was a pretty quick read.
While I completely agree with the cover quote, from Douglas Hofstadter that "Our society would be unimaginably different if the average person truly understood the ideas in this marvelous and important little book" I can't say that the existence of the book had any real chance to change society, given it's tendency toward innumeracy.
If you've taken probability and statistics, or discrete mathematics, you've almost certainly been exposed to the ideas in the book. And you've almost equally certainly failed - as most of us do - to correctly apply those lessons to day-to-day life.
Worth reading, but difficult to proselytize.
Posted by dberger at 1:41 PM
February 21, 2010
A few days with a nook
My nook arrived Tuesday last week, I've now read a book on it (seemed one of a few fitting
The ergonomics of the device are very good, it's comfortable to use one handed and the e-ink screen lives up to it's promise of readability in various lighting. It's a bit heavier than it seems it should be at first glance, and as much as I resist accessorizing devices, I'll probably end up with a cover once I find one that doesn't add significant thickness or mandate a two-handed grip.
The current software load (1.2) is good, but not perfect.
In particular the touch screen responsiveness leaves much to be desired as compared to an iphone/ipod touch (which, I think, speaks to the cost of running Java on the device, as the CPU is actually clocked faster than the ARM in the iPhone 3G). The artificial split between B&N purchased content (which appears in "My Library") and side-loaded content (which appears in "My Documents") is pretty lame.
Oh, and I'd like the device to have at least a rudimentary browser, and I'd even be happy for that browser to only work over WiFi. (Yea, I know there are options, but I haven't decided to root the device, yet...)
Continue reading "A few days with a nook"
Posted by dberger at 1:59 PM | Comments (2)
February 8, 2010
Recent Reads
Finally got to the top of the hold queue for Boneshaker, which I found enjoyable, though less visually evocative than I had hoped. The world and characters were interesting, and the story was enough to move things along, but it felt like a bit of missed potential.
I ended up only getting about 2/3 through The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science before having to return it to the library. I wanted very much to love this book, but when compared to works like Longitude, or Stiff it just didn't quite hold up to expectations. As a series of semi-connected essays, those I read were interesting, but I never really "got" or connected with Holmes' thesis.
Most recently, I returned The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart and haven't put it back on my hold/buy list. The first few chapters weren't particularly engaging, but that could have been more about other stuff going on rather than the merits of the work, so I may give this one another shot.
Posted by dberger at 10:01 PM
November 13, 2009
The Child Thief
After spotting it at a shop and being intrigued by the cover art and back jacket flap, I got The Child Thief from the library the other day, and finished it on my way out the door this morning.
Four out of five stars. Definitely worth reading - and definitely not suitable for a Disney/kids movie.
Ignore the "reboot" bit of the description - I like Brom's characterization in the epilogue much better. He explains the inspiration for the story by giving some choice passages from Barrie's original, and that's way more creepy than "a reboot."
Posted by dberger at 9:43 AM
November 1, 2009
Sandman Slim
While laid up with my back, I ripped throug Sandman Slim. A rather enjoyable bit of fluff.
I'm uncomfortable (thanks to my back) and sorta loopy (thanks to the muscle relaxant which only seems to be relaxing my grey matter), so rather than write anything - I'll just say "what she said.
Posted by dberger at 12:14 PM
September 21, 2009
The Graveyard Book
Just finished The Graveyard Book.
A wonderful channeling of The Jungle Book, which both outshines richly deserves it's label as "children's literature"
Please Mr. Gaiman, sir, may I have some more?
Posted by dberger at 8:06 PM
September 12, 2009
Replicant Night
I ended up laid up for a good chunk of the day with a headache, and when I wasn't wishing my head would just fall off and stop hurting, I worked my way through the sequel to Edge of Human - Replicant Night.
I found it better than the first (second?) - perhaps because the events were further removed from the film, but it still leaned too much on the visuals and vignettes from the movie for my taste - as if Jeter was afraid to "lose" his audience by painting something they hadn't seen large swathes of before.
In the end it felt a bit like "Blade Runner Meets The Shining" - and the story hinged on something just a bit too far on the fantastic side of the SF spectrum.
Maybe it's just that it was derivative, but I have this sneaking suspicion that I've read it before. A couple passages in the middle of the book evoked strong memories of taking Dawnise to the orthodontist.
Posted by dberger at 10:10 PM
Edge of Human
One of the guys at work responded to an email thread with the following quote:
...are like any other machine, they're either a benefit or a hazard. If they're a benefit it's not my problem.
Which led, ultimately, to my adding The Edge of Human to my library holds list.
It arrived, along with the next Jeter-penned sequel, a few days ago. I can't say I really recommend it - in part 'cause the lynchpin of the story (the 6th replicant) was "fixed" in the latest spin of the film. The story seemed derivative - and not in an "Aliens derived from Alien" sort of way, more in a "Aliens4 derived from Aliens" sorta way.
I'll probably read the next one, unless one of my other holds arrives in the next day or so.
Posted by dberger at 10:57 AM
August 9, 2009
Feasting On Asphalt - The River Run
Perhaps not by accident, about the time I started thinking about selling the motorcycles, I also decided to crack open the copy of Feasting On Asphalt - The River Run that had been sitting by my bed-side since Dawnise gifted it to me some months back.
As a book, it's far from the best travelogue I've read. As a cookbook, the recipes aren't likely to end up on my table. But the combination ended up actually being pretty compelling.
It could have used a bit more, I dunno, "everything" - but let's be honest - if I could convince someone to pay me to ride my motorcycle around the country eating, I don't think I'd worry too much about what to say in the book either.
Posted by dberger at 9:42 PM
August 4, 2009
Implied Spaces
Just finished Walter Jon Williams' Implied Spaces - which I'd say was much better than the last Williams' book I read.
The pacing was good, the story and characters interesting, and the universe(s) worth further exploration. And I both like and am terrified by the idea of a nearly omniscient cat.
Posted by dberger at 9:57 PM
July 28, 2009
Budayeen Nights
Just finished Budayeen Nights, a collection of short stories by the late George Alec Effinger set in the same world as When Gravity Fails and its sequels.
A couple of the stories really grabbed me, one or two left me totally flat, and overall I enjoyed the read. And, to be honest, it's so damn hot right now I can't think about doing anything but laying on the sofa with a good book and a cold drink.
The intros to each story, written by Barbara Hambly were a nice added touch, and helped put some of the material in context.
If you're a fan of the novels, the collection is definitely worth a read.
Posted by dberger at 9:36 PM
July 26, 2009
World War Z
Just finished World War Z. I had trouble, throughout the book, reconciling the factual tone of the story telling with my own suspension of disbelief, but in spite of that, it was a very good read.
The structure of the story telling was very effective - characters I started caring about after only a few pages, and briefly described moments that had surprisingly visceral or emotional impact.
The structure of the book - told as a set of interviews, ranging from less than a page to around 10 pages - makes it perfect for reading in short bursts.
Posted by dberger at 2:36 PM
July 18, 2009
This Is Not a Game
Just finished Walter Jon William's This Is Not a Game. While it had some interesting moments, and a couple novel ideas, it just failed to rise above the level of the mediocre.
I haven't read much Williams lately - though I was a big fan of Hardwired when I read it nearly 20 years ago (!). I think I'll toss a couple more of his newer works on my library queue in the hopes that I find one worth recommending.
Posted by dberger at 7:07 PM
July 5, 2009
The City and The City
Just finished China Mieville's The City and The City.
In some respects it's "just" a police procedural murder mystery - but in another sense, it's very Mieville. The cities the title references are both part of the mystery and a mystery of their own - and a fascinating setting for the story.
It's both more approachable than Perdido St. Station and at the same time more opaque. Like other Mieville works, it has some moments of completely realized imagery that are likely to stick with me for quite a while.
I definitely enjoyed it, though I'm not sure I completely "got" it.
Posted by dberger at 8:45 PM
June 26, 2009
Further Thoughts On The Year of Living Biblically
When I started the introduction to The Year of Living Biblically, I thought I recognized the author's starting point (a skeptical-sounding agnostic Jew, raised in a not-particularly-observant household) and was pretty sure I knew where the book would end up going.
Specifically, I figured I was signing up for a longer, and more carefully constructed, Letter to Dr. Laura. In other words, a farce - pointing out that it was impossible to live the bible literally, as it's language is ambiguous and often self-contradictory.
I was mostly wrong.
Continue reading "Further Thoughts On The Year of Living Biblically"
Posted by dberger at 8:24 PM | Comments (1)
June 24, 2009
Everyone Rises To Their Own Level of Hypocrisy
On Dawnise's recommendation, and 'cause it grabbed my attention at the local library just before our recent trip to SF, I read A.J. Jacob's The Year of Living Biblically. I'm sure I have more to say about it than "it was good," but sitting here, mulling it over, I'm not sure exactly what that would be yet.
So I guess all I can offer at the moment is that it gave me pause - and made me think - which is more than I expected when I sat down to read it.
Posted by dberger at 9:18 PM
June 15, 2009
The World as a Stage
Just before leaving for San Francisco, I stopped at the library so Dawnise could pick up some books that she had on hold, and while perusing the "new and interesting" shelf ended up picking up Shakespeare: The World as Stage mostly 'cause it was by Bill Bryson.
Continue reading "The World as a Stage"
Posted by dberger at 8:48 AM
May 18, 2009
The Anubis Gates
Finished The Anubis Gates this evening. By far the tightest time travel story I've read. Plenty of twists and turns but (as far as I could tell) self-consistent. And the end was not only appropriate, but satisfying as well. Definitely worth reading.
Posted by dberger at 9:07 PM | Comments (1)
April 28, 2009
On Stranger Tides
Over the years, a handful of friends have urged me to give Tim Powers a try, and somehow I never got around to it.
After a reading group at work was put on hiatus owing to other time commitments by the organizer, a handful of us sent 'round suggestions for "must-reads
Continue reading "On Stranger Tides"
Posted by dberger at 8:49 PM
March 29, 2009
The Steel Remains
Finished The Steel Remains, Richard Morgan's first foray into fantasy. "Gritty" doesn't quite capture the feel of the book, which I found myself luke-warm on initially and wholy engrossed in by the middle.
More, please.
Posted by dberger at 7:38 PM
February 15, 2009
The Drunkard's Walk
After languishing on my reading stack for a week or so, while I worked through Nova, I returned my attention to The Drunkard's Walk the other day, only to find that it was due back at the library on Tuesday.
Continue reading "The Drunkard's Walk"
Posted by dberger at 5:31 PM
Kindle 2 - Dangerously Close
I think the second generation Kindle is dangerously close to the first e-reader I'd buy, now that they've addressed a bunch of the fugly industrial design (funny how every portable device is converging toward looking like an ipod...).
As far as I can tell there's only one thing missing. I want to be able to borrow books, just like I can from my local library. I'm even willing to pay some nominal charge (or, better, a monthly fee for "unlimited access" to the collection), but I don't see the point of spending as much, or more, on a digital, DRM'd copy of a book as I could on a paperback.
I don't want to own these books - just check them out from the great library in the sky. Oh, and at $359, it seems like some period of free access should be bundled with the reader - 'cause I can buy a lot of books for $359.
Posted by dberger at 2:02 PM | Comments (1)
February 7, 2009
Nova
A month or so ago Marc floated the idea of a sort of book club at work, in part to help widen the shared base of work we can draw on to discuss story. We started Nova a few weeks back, and are set to discuss it over lunch this coming Thursday.
Continue reading "Nova"
Posted by dberger at 7:23 PM
February 2, 2009
Kludge
The other day I picked up Kludge from the local library. It's a short book, and reasonably well written, but if you've read books like Predictably Irrational, you've read much of the material before, albeit supporting a different thesis.
Posted by dberger at 9:59 PM
January 7, 2009
Trick or Treatment
Just finished Trick or Treatment : The Undeniable Facts about Alternative Medicine - a scathing indictment of alternative medical practice.
I first heard about the book on NPR, before this story broke, and it finally arrived at the library just after the New Year.
The book progresses from a stance of healthy skepticism to, as the evidence mounts, the point here it's hard not to describe it as curmudgeonly, frustrated, and railing. And I mean that in the best way possible.
Continue reading "Trick or Treatment"
Posted by dberger at 9:07 PM
December 22, 2008
Nylon Angel
Just finished the first Parrish Plessis novel - Nylon Angel. I considered a couple times putting it down, but while this may be damning by faint praise, Marianne de Pierres managed to make the plot and setting interesting enough that I stuck with it to the rather unsatisfying end. The characters seemed flat and mostly uninteresting, and I didn't find her particular blend of cyberpunk to be particularly compelling.
I don't think I'll be back for more - if I need a cyberpunk fix I'd rather re-read Neuromancer or Altered Carbon.
Posted by dberger at 9:17 PM
December 21, 2008
The Strategy of Conflict
Years ago, when I was first exposed to Game Theory, I was quickly disillusioned with the state of the art. Certainly there were brilliant contributors, but the games that could be studied seemed completely arbitrary and so far abstracted from "real life" that I doubted anything practical could come from the exercise.
The Logic of Life made mention of Thomas Schelling, and I added his The Strategy of Conflict to my library hold queue. It arrived several days later, and I've been working through it on-and-off since, finishing it last night.
Continue reading "The Strategy of Conflict"
Posted by dberger at 8:39 AM
December 3, 2008
Wanderlust
I may not have been in a rush to read it, but I stumbled across Wanderlust, the sequel to Grimmspace, at the library the other day.
A better book than the first - more nuanced plot, more interesting characters, less predictable.
Perhaps it's just 'cause I'm coming off of a dissapointment, but I liked it. It still has something of a derivative feel to it, but most Sci-Fi does - and the mix was at least entertaining.
Posted by dberger at 10:01 PM
December 2, 2008
Life's Too Short
After giving him a hundred pages to "get somewhere" I've returned Anathem to the library unread.
I gave him a couple hundred pages to convince me before I gave up on the first book in the Baroque Cycle. I think I'm just removing him from my "must read" list.
Posted by dberger at 3:20 PM
October 5, 2008
Grimspace
I've forgotten who recommended Grimspace to me, but I grabbed it from the library the other day and finished it on the ferry home last night (we hopped over to the island for dinner @ the pub and the Edge improv show).
It was reasonably well written, but mostly predictable and archetypical, and none of the characters really "grabbed" me. I certainly didn't hate it, but neither am I rushing out to read the sequel.
Posted by dberger at 8:42 AM
September 12, 2008
Victory of Eagles
Just finished the fifth in the Temerare series - not much to say other than "please madam, may I have some more?"
Posted by dberger at 9:31 PM
August 10, 2008
Anansi Boys
In fits and spurts over the weekend, I finished off Anansi Boys. I wish I could rave about it, but it left me relatively flat. None of the characters really stuck with me, and the plot, though interesting enough, didn't get me all that excited.
Solid fiction, to be sure, but after several Gaiman novels, I think it's time to turn back to non-fiction for a while.
Posted by dberger at 9:26 PM
August 1, 2008
Stardust
A week or so ago, I found myself at the local library picking up some books for Dawnise. While there, I wandered into the stacks and emerged with a Gaiman trifecta - Fragile Things (a short story collection), Stardust, and Anansi Boys.
I worked through Fragile Things over the past week or so (quite liked A Study in Emerald, which I'd read before, and The Monarch of the Glen - a novella-length sequel to American Gods.
Dawnise went out to dinner with a friend this evening - her increasingly busy social calendar being one of the positive upsides of our move back to suburbia - and I found myself with a glass of wine, a book, and a cat on my lap.
Stardust was entertaining - predictable, in a good way, and nicely self-contained. The pacing was good, and while I felt like it was dragging a bit, I read it basically in one sitting, which has been harder and harder in recent years.
I've half a mind to crack open Anansi Boys, though the cat's left, and the wine's nearly gone...
Posted by dberger at 10:25 PM
June 20, 2008
BONK
Just finished the last few pages of Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach.
Ever since reading Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers Mary's been on my "just read it" list.
She's a terrific science writer, with a wicked sharp sense of humor who never steps over the line while making light of the serious subjects she explores.
Just read it.
Posted by dberger at 8:43 PM
April 30, 2008
Confessions of a Part-time Sorceress
I read a couple good reviews for Confessions of a Part-time Sorceress: A Girl's Guide to the D&D Game when it was released, and despite not being it's target audience, I figured I'd give it a whirl so I tossed it on my library hold list.
Continue reading "Confessions of a Part-time Sorceress"
Posted by dberger at 1:24 PM | Comments (1)
April 27, 2008
You Suck: A Love Story
The other day I put holds on a handful of books from the library, including the only one of Chris Moore's works I'd missed to date: You Suck: A Love Story.
Since Dawnise has been dozing most of the day, I sat down and ending up ripping through it in an afternoon.
The end wasn't great (a trend?), and several of the characters carried over from Bloodsucking Fiends blurred together.
So it definitely suffered from "sequel syndrome," but still enjoyable.
Posted by dberger at 5:57 PM
April 14, 2008
A Dirty Job
Dawnise was kind enough to snag me a copy of A Dirty Job from the library before we left, and I turned to it pool-side after polishing off Neuromancer again (summary: it hasn't aged much).
I'm a big fan of Christopher Moore, he's funny, observant, and poingent - and Dirty Job was no exception. I found it's plot a tad predictable, and the ending unsatisfying, but I enjoyed it none-the-less. Not his strongest work (an honor I think goes to Lamb), but a solid showing.
Posted by dberger at 1:19 PM
January 5, 2008
Collapse
I just finished Jared Diamond's Collapse How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. It was entertaining, enlightening, and fairly depressing without being alarmist (Diamond describes himself as a cautious optimist).
I highly recommend reading it. And think carefully about what we can and must learn from the collapse of societies in our collective past.
Modern societies, even first-world ones like the US, are far from immune from the external and internal forces that cause collapse.
The choice is our to make, either by decisive action or by inaction and momentum.
Posted by dberger at 1:13 PM
November 9, 2007
Empire of Ivory
I pretty much tore through the latest Temerare novel, Empire of Ivory over the last few days on the boat. Very enjoyable, though no real "ending" as such - so now I'm chomping at the bit for the next book (Victory of Eagles) which isn't due 'till 2008.
It's been widely reported that Peter Jackson has optioned the film rights. As a personal favor, please audition Jack Davenport. I know, I know, he's "done" the naval officer "thing" - but from the opening pages of the first novel he's been my mental picture of Laurence. And I think he'd be smashing.
Posted by dberger at 10:40 PM
October 25, 2007
High Fidelity
Finished High Fidelity on the boat this morning, and I must say, I very much liked it.
It might even make my top five debut novel list, were I to compile such a thing.
Continue reading "High Fidelity"
Posted by dberger at 8:50 AM | Comments (3)
October 3, 2007
Over the Edge of the World
The other day at Costco I picked up a copy of Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe, and it became my reading on the ferry.
It was good, though at times a bit dryer than I'd have liked - the research was solid, the writing crisp, and the subject matter interesting, though not as fascinating as I'd have hoped. The author (or maybe it was an editing decision) was a bit inconsistent in terms of which side-stories he chose to explore, and there were more than a couple that I would have liked deeper exploration of.
Overall, though, a worthwhile read.
Posted by dberger at 5:09 PM
September 17, 2007
Bloodsucking Fiends
Dawnise found a copy of Bloodsucking Fiends on sale at the library and picked it up for me. It's one of the last Christopher Moore books on my to-read list. (If you haven't read Lamb , you really should.)
It was a fast read, with some very funny moments - not likely to win any literary prizes, but a great break from the other (non-fiction) book I'm reading at the moment.
Posted by dberger at 6:24 AM
September 10, 2007
Spook Country
Got Gibson's latest - Spook Country from the library a week or so back, finished it on the ferry home today.
It wasn't a bad book, but it feels like a stretch to call it a good one - it really didn't have enough meat, in my opinion, to justify being a "full" novel. Conspicuously missing was the "texture" I've come to associate with Gibson's writing. There were lots of characters, but few of them were more than paper thin, and the book sprawled across several locales, yet failed to give me the sense of being in any of them. There were several levels of plot going on, but none aside from the "main" one really kept my interest.
I pretty much agree with the current Amazon ranking of 3/5 stars.
But who knows, I've been pretty distracted lately by the "are-we-moving-or-are-we-not" dance, so maybe it's me.
Posted by dberger at 7:10 PM
August 31, 2007
Deathly Hallows
I finished the last Harry Potter book today. I think the end was handled competently, and the major lose ends tied up neatly.
Regardless of what you may think of the stories, or of the writing, the fact that Rowling managed to write a story that kept the world captivated for 4100 pages is no mean feat.
Posted by dberger at 2:25 PM
August 8, 2007
The Lucifer Effect
Dru mentioned The Lucifer Effect a few weeks ago, and it sounded interesting, so I put it on my library hold list. It arrived a week and a half ago, and I finally gave up on it this morning on my way to work.
Continue reading "The Lucifer Effect"
Posted by dberger at 7:15 PM
July 25, 2007
Th1rte3n
I got Richard Morgan's newest novel - Th1rte3n - from the library while my family was in town. I finished it tonight, having gone back to it at pretty much every opportunity.
Wow.
It's rich, textured, a compelling story with characters you come to care about quickly, and another anti-hero in the tradition of Takashi Kovacs.
I don't, as a rule, re-read books. Life's too short and there are too many good ones - I don't buy the same wine twice either for the same reason - but I suspect I'll re-read this one, so I can get all the stuff I "missed" the first time.
Oh, and while hunting around for stuff I might have missed, I found this interview with Morgan.
Posted by dberger at 8:30 PM
July 17, 2007
Blindsight
I finished Blindsight on the ferry this morning. I really liked Starfish, the first book in Peter Watts Rifters cycle, and Blindsight had some of the same "hard-sf cum cyberpunk" sensibility in a completely different setting.
Reminiscent of some of Greg Egan's work. Plays with the notions of what it means (and why it's valuable from an evolutionary perspective) to be sentient. Interesting characters, tight plot, and Vampires as icing on the cake.
Posted by dberger at 11:13 AM
July 10, 2007
Dark Mondays
Picked up and ripped through Dark Mondays, a collection of shorts and a novella by Kage Baker. They'll all over the (sea)board - from a Marx Brothers routine set in a lighthouse, to a Cuthulu tale in a run-down sea-side town. The novella (The Maid on the Shore) is a well executed and textured pirate tale featuring Henry Morgan.
Nothing Company related, but certainly don't let that stop you.
Posted by dberger at 6:17 AM
June 26, 2007
Breaking The Limit
A few days back, when I was between reading material, Dawnise handed me her copy of Breaking the Limit given to her by a friend (hi, Dana!). I finished it on the boat to work this morning after a detour through Un Lun Dun.
It was a good read - and definitely inspired me to want to get out on the bike and see more of the beautiful countryside we're surrounded by. The first half was better than the second and her mostly neutral description of the Sturgis rally convinced me that I never, ever, need to see it personally, but what really stuck with me was how unprepared she was for the trip...
Continue reading "Breaking The Limit"
Posted by dberger at 9:08 PM | Comments (1)
June 21, 2007
Un Lun Dun
When I went to the library last weekend to pick up Un Lun Dun, I chuckled when they referred me to the children's section downstairs. Mieville, I thought, is not a children's author. And besides, the book was over 400 pages long. Surely not a read intended for kids.
My skepticism was confirmed when I read the acknowledgments, which listed Clive Barker - among others - as inspiration.
I mean, who in their right mind would let their kids read a book by Barker?
Continue reading "Un Lun Dun"
Posted by dberger at 9:27 PM
May 29, 2007
Zenith Angle
One of the books I picked up during our stay in Chico for my brothers graduation was a hardbound copy of The Zenith Angle. Finished it on the ferry home yesterday.
I basically agree with the amazon 2.5 star aggregate - it was far from great fiction, but it wasn't horrible. It's one of the few works of fiction I've managed to read through after the author makes egregious errors when dealing with computing. I can only say that if he was as off about satellites and electronics as he was about computing, he's got the distinction of making all manor of geek cringe.
Still, the story was interesting enough, and a couple of the characters stuck with me, so it was worth the (used) purchase price. If you're a Sterling fan, give it a whirl. If you're not, I can't say it's a must-read.
Posted by dberger at 6:57 AM
May 22, 2007
Some Things Are Better Left Unspoken
I have an audio book version of Neuromancer read by William Gibson. I got it on cassette while I was in college for my undergrad degree, and the sides of the tape were just about perfect for the drive from Anaheim to Riverside.
I got audiobook copies of Richard Morgans Takeshi Kovacs novels (Altered Carbon, Broken Angles, and Woken Furies which join Neuromancer on a very short list of books I re-read on occasion) from the local library, hoping they'd be as compelling and repeatable as Neuromancer.
In fact, the library didn't have Carbon or Angels in their collection, and ordered them at my request.
So I feel a little guilty that I can't sit through them, and am returning them unlistened.
The narrator leaves me completely flat, and managed to turn some of the most evocative intro paragraphs I've read into an endurance trial.
Sure glad I didn't buy them as audiobooks...
Posted by dberger at 8:00 PM
The Difference Engine
One of the books I picked up while in Chico this past weekend was a paperback edition of Doron Swade's The Difference Engine Charles Babbage and the Quest to Build the First Computer.
The cover quotes the Portland Oregonian as saying "In every way a worthy successor to the mantle of Dava Sobel's Longitude". Those of you who've read the latter realize what a tall order that is...
Continue reading "The Difference Engine"
Posted by dberger at 7:28 PM
May 17, 2007
The Devil In Amber
Finished the second Lucifer Box novel - The Devil in Amber this afternoon. Fun reading, just like it's predicessor. A bit of Indiana Jones meets Thursday Next sprinkled with Lovecraft for good measure.
I was a bit surprised at Gatiss' decision to significantly age the main character - it suggests he doesn't plan a long run.
Posted by dberger at 9:13 PM
May 14, 2007
The Vesuvius Club: A Bit of Fluff
Dru mentioned the sequel to The Vesuvius Club in her blog a bit ago, so I grabbed both books from the local library.
I finished Vesuvius club this morning on the ferry, and basically enjoyed it. Good storytelling, entertaining narrator with a great name. Funny, as often overtly as subtly, and all 'round entertaining.
Posted by dberger at 10:06 AM
May 9, 2007
Darkly Dreaming Dexter
Just finished Darkly Dreaming Dexter, and aside from the "gimmick" (a first person narrative told from the perspective of a robin-hood-like serial killer), it sorta left me flat.
The writing was ok, and Dexter was "full" enough as a character to make me curious to know more - but the end was unsatisfying and predictable from very early in the story. Not an "avoid at all costs" but neither a "rush out and read the sequel."
Posted by dberger at 9:02 PM
May 8, 2007
The Victorian Internet
I remember hearing Tom Standage interviewed on NPR several years back about his then-new book that made the argument that the real communications revolution wasn't the Internet, or the web, or anything in the last hundred years but was - in fact - the telegraph. It reduced communications lag from days, or months, to moments and fundamentally changed the way the world works.
I finally got around to getting The Victorian Internet from our local library, and while I wasn't blown away by the writing, the content was solid - and the argument (which he only makes at the very end of the book) pretty well founded.
If only all non-fiction writers were as good as Erick Larson, or Mary Roach...
Posted by dberger at 3:53 PM
April 19, 2007
Isaac's Storm
I just finished Isaac's Storm, another fantastic non-fiction narrative by Erik Larson of Devil in the White City and Thunderstruck.
Having just been in Galveston (albeit briefly) the story was very vivid - Dawnise and I walked along the seawall (built after the hurricane of 1900) looking out into the Gulf of Mexico. It's not hard to imagine the sea reclaiming that tiny spit of land - and taking thousands of lives in the process.
The book was "typical" Larson - well researched and compellingly and vividly told. If you've read his other works, add this to your "to-read" queue. If you haven't read the other works mentioned above - add them all.
Posted by dberger at 8:42 PM
April 12, 2007
Neverwhere
I really like Neil Gaiman - loved the writing in Sandman (generally unimpressed with the art, though), thoroughly enjoyed American Gods, and just finished Neverwhere, which didn't disappoint.
I could describe it, or you could read the Amazon capsule summary - but just go get a copy from your local library and read it.
Posted by dberger at 3:38 PM
March 22, 2007
The Looking Glass Wars
We were at Brad & Kat's place when I saw a poster that Kat had gotten @ a comic con signed by someone somehow involved with The Looking Glass Wars. She loaned me the book, and I finished it this evening.
Continue reading "The Looking Glass Wars"
Posted by dberger at 9:56 PM
January 26, 2007
Harry Potter and The Readable Book
I mentioned a while back being less than enthralled with the previous Harry Potter novel. A few days ago I decided to pick up Half-Blood Prince from our bookshelf and give it a whirl.
I'm happy to report that unlike Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince has a plot that's recognizable at every step in the book, and of all the subplots, only one or two felt superfluous.
Definitely a bit darker - which I think is appropriate as Harry (and Rowling) grow along with their audience. If Order of the Phoenix scared you off, follow our friend Stephanie's advice, get it on CD, listen to the last disc, and move on.
Posted by dberger at 12:37 PM
January 2, 2007
AC/DC: The Savage Tale of the First Standards War
Dawnise came home from the library the other day and presented me a copy of AC/DC: The Savage Tale of the First Standards War. It turned out to be a nice dove-tail into my recent read of Thunderstruck, though not as exhaustive, and not told in the form of a narrative.
The book recounts (as the title suggests) the conflict between DC proponents (most notably Edison) and AC proponents (Tesla and George Westinghouse) at the formative years of the electrical age. The book was well written, and I did learn a few things. A solid four stars. Not a great book, but quite good. And at just under 200 pages, a pretty quick read.
Posted by dberger at 7:09 AM
December 27, 2006
Thunderstruck
I just finished Thunderstruck, by Erik Larson (see also The Devil In The White City), which I received as a gift from the Beltz clan. It relates the stories of Marconi's qwest to achieve reliable trans-contintental wireless transmissions with the Crippen murder.
While not quite as grab-you-by-the-throat-and-won't-let-go as Devil in the White City, it was a great book. Had I not had the aforementioned prediscessor to compare it to, it would be the best work of non-fiction I'd read in years - possibly ever. As things stand, it's the second best work of non-fiction.
Highly recommended.
Posted by dberger at 8:09 AM
December 17, 2006
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
When Titus and Victoria were up here for a visit some months back (ok, a conference, but they stayed at our place, so it sorta counts) Titus left his copy of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. Having just finished the Temeraire series - set in the same time period - I decided to give it a whirl.
Having lugged it back and forth to work, in my back in my messenger bag for the two weeks it took me to work through it, I can see why Titus left it here.
Continue reading "Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell"
Posted by dberger at 12:40 PM | Comments (1)
November 15, 2006
Never Have Your Dog Stuffed
Dawnise came home from the library the other day with a copy of Alan Alda's memoir Never Have Your Dog Stuffed: And Other Things I've Learned. It took me three days of commuting and a half hour at home this evening to reach the back cover, with a small sense of loss for having done so. A quick read, full of poignant and humorous anecdotes. Worth picking up.
Posted by dberger at 8:29 PM
Black Powder War
I neglected to mention that I finished the third Temeraire book - Black Powder War - the other day. Enjoyed it just as much as the other two, and I'm anxiously awaiting the release of the next installment.
Posted by dberger at 1:34 PM
November 2, 2006
Throne of Jade
Just finished the second Temeraire book; Throne of Jade, which I enjoyed just as much as the first.
I find Novik's characters engaging and her sense of pacing excellent. Looking forward to the third one, and to an eventual rendering of them on the big screen.
Posted by dberger at 8:06 PM
October 19, 2006
His Majesty's Dragon
I hadn't heard of Naomi Novik's Temeraire series until reading that Peter Jackson had secured the film rights.
I picked up a hardbound copy of the three book omnibus, and just finished the first book - His Majesties Dragon, which I very much enjoyed.
For some reason (perhaps the fact that one of his crew was named "Mr. Turner") I have a strong mental image of Jack Davenport playing Mr. Laurence.
Posted by dberger at 8:25 AM | Comments (1)
October 6, 2006
Dark Tide
Few people I've spoken to are even aware of the Boston Molasses flood. I first learned of it whilst reading a book on the Rum trade, and since then it had become something of a fascination of mine.
I was only slightly surprised when our neighbors Dave and Marcia, who hail from New England, mentioned it during dinner conversation, and was very pleased when she mentioned she had a book on the subject.
Having now read said book, I'm not sure the event was really documented well enough to support the near 300 pages, but I'm glad the author wrote it regardless. In my opinion, as an engineer, the story would have been better told from the "failure of engineering" angle, rather than from the "world war and anarchist agitation" backdrop the author chose.
If you've got a particular interest in that period of history, read on, otherwise - don't hold your breath for a movie.
Posted by dberger at 6:18 PM
August 31, 2006
Hard-Boiled Cyberpunk Overload
I don't normally re-read books - not 'cause I don't enjoy reading, far from it, but because there are so many books, and so little time. I'm the same about wine, unless I need a bottle to take to a gathering, I'll always buy the one I haven't had over the one I have.
The one standing exception to my "no-re-read" policy is Neuromancer, which I tend to end up reading about every year.
Continue reading "Hard-Boiled Cyberpunk Overload"
Posted by dberger at 8:17 PM | Comments (1)
August 3, 2006
Future Shock
A couple months before I left Real, Alvin Toffler spoke as part of his book tour for his latest book: Revolutionary Wealth. He was an interesting (albeit a bit rambly) speaker, and I bought his new book, as well as a paperback copy of Future Shock.
Continue reading "Future Shock"
Posted by dberger at 11:03 AM
May 16, 2006
Maximum Ride
While we were at Costco the other day I picked up a paperback copy of Maximum Ride, largely on the basis of the cover illustration and the back cover blurb, not realizing it was "teen fiction."
In fact, my conclusion a couple chapters in was that the writing was horribly sophomoric, the story trite and predictable, and the characters completely arch-typical and cliche.
Having finished the 400-odd page novel, I feel confident in saying that I played deeper games of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles while in High School.
Meh.
Posted by dberger at 11:11 AM | Comments (1)
April 16, 2006
V for Vendetta
After seeing the recently released movie, I picked up a copy of the graphic novel and just finished it. It was, as the critics of the movie were fond of pointing out, different from the film, but much like the Lord of the Rings adaptations differed from the novels, not everything different is bad.
Read it, watch it, make up your own mind.
Posted by dberger at 3:24 PM
April 1, 2006
The Evolution of Useful Things
Just finished Henry Petroski's thoughtful refutation of "form follows function" in The Evolution of Useful Things (How everyday artifacts - from forks and pins to paper clips and zippers - came to be as they are).
Petroski's thesis is essentially that advances in design - for even the most seemingly mundane of items, is evolution spurred by (perceived) failure of the status quo. Further, he argues that if a multitude of designs exist for something as seemingly simple as a paper clip, the assertion that "form follows function" (which Petroski interprets strictly as saying that for a given function there is one "correct" solution) is clearly incorrect.
More interesting, though, than debating how many ways there are to skin a proverbial cat, the books examination of the evolution of items we interact with on a daily basis was thought provoking and enlightening to any who have interest in how the things around them came to be the way they are.
Posted by dberger at 12:06 PM | Comments (1)
March 28, 2006
The Planets
Whew. I'm on a roll. Just finished The Planets by Dava Sobel - author of the absolute must-read Longitude.
Much like Spook vs. Stiff, The Planets isn't a bad book, but it didn't grab me by the throat and demand that I complete it in one sitting, as Longitude did. It's a light romp through the discovery of the major bodies in our solar system, and as a tool to get someone interested in reading more, it's probably pretty good.
For someone who's already read more, however, I found little new between it's covers. I did very much like the chapter written from the perspective of "Big Al" the Martian meteorite found several years ago which supports the assertion that life once existed on Mars.
It's worth a read from the library, but I'd pass on the hardcover, myself.
Posted by dberger at 7:42 PM
March 25, 2006
Spook
Just finished Spook, by Mary Roach, author of Stiff.
A good read, very much in the style of Stiff, but less fulfilling overall. The lengths to which people have tried, since the evolution of modern science to prove or disprove the paranormal are fascinating. Of course, the skeptics tend to use science, whereas the believers use assertion, hunch, and anecdote.
If you liked Stiff, read Spook. If you haven't read Stiff, I'd start there.
Posted by dberger at 4:21 PM
March 19, 2006
Wicked
Last night I finally finished Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. I had high hopes for the book, even as I continued to plow through a mostly mediocre delivery, I kept waiting for the hook - the next page that really got the roller-coaster rolling.
I was waiting 'till the very end.
It wasn't that it was a bad book - far from it, it's just that it took a great concept (tell the story of the Wizard of Oz from the perspective of the "bad" guy) and fell a little short in it's delivery. While I liked where Maguire tried to take the character, I have to admit I could never completely reconcile the misunderstood accidental villain with the out-and-out evil from Baum's story (ok, I admit it - when I say story I mean movie).
I've got a couple of his others sitting on a shelf (bought them at Costco a while back), including Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister and Mirror, Mirror, but for the moment, I'm taking a break and starting Spook, by Mary Roach, who wrote the completely engrossing Stiff.
Posted by dberger at 2:52 PM
February 23, 2006
Science Fiction Timeline of Inventions
Science Fiction Timeline of Inventions (Listed by Publication Date)
Too Cool.
Posted by dberger at 6:52 PM
February 18, 2006
The Devil in the White City
I just finished The Devil in the White City, which I mentioned on January 25th, when I read it's first pages.
It doesn't normally take me a month to finish a book, let alone a good one, but in this case, that had nothing to do with the book, and everything to do with the hectic pace of life.
Larson is amazing - he weaves historical fact and primary sources into as compelling a narrative as was ever created, and laces it with amazing moments of poignancy. The counter-point between the transformative events around the Worlds Fair and the tale of the psychopath who lurked just outside kept me constantly off-balance.
I can't recommend it enough.
Continue reading "The Devil in the White City"
Posted by dberger at 10:51 AM
January 25, 2006
Hooked from the Beginning
I don't normally post anything about books until I've finished them - or at least made enough progress to have formed solid opinions, so I was a bit surprised myself when I decided to post this about The Devil in the White City; Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America - a book recommended by a friend some time ago (thanks, Mark).
I'm around 20 (yes, twenty) pages in. And I'm hooked. Actually, I was hooked by the end of page 12 - which sent shivers up my spine; shivers made all the more poignant by the fact that the book - which describes events around the Chicago World's Fair - isn't a work of fiction.
A taste:
Continue reading "Hooked from the Beginning"
Posted by dberger at 9:10 AM
January 24, 2006
Finding Serenity
On the ferry this morning, I finished Finding Serenity - a collection of essays on Firefly, edited by Jane Espenson and including contributions by Jewel Saite, Mercedes Lackey, David Gerrold (the author of The Trouble with Tribbles).
Highly recommended for Firefly fans; not all essays were outstanding, but as a whole, the collection was an entertaining and thought provoking read. I particularly liked "Listening to Firefly," written by Jennifer Goltz - a professor of voice and music theory at Scripps. It thoughtfully teases apart Greg Edmonson's score, pointing out the sub-narrative the music presents.
Not all the essays were overwhelmingly positive - which made the collection even more valuable, and pleasantly upset my expectational apple-cart.
Posted by dberger at 1:06 PM
November 26, 2005
The Children of the Company
Just finished The Children of the Company. It read well, as Baker's prose typically does - but it failed to hang together as much of a story. It almost felt as if it would have been better released as a collection of shorts, without the attempt to glue them together.
It also seems that it came before The Life of the World to Come - so if you're reading the Company novels, I'd suggest reversing the order in which I ended up reading them.
Posted by dberger at 2:12 PM
November 23, 2005
Looking for Jake
I've finished Looking for Jake, a short story collection from China Miéville. There were several stories that I really enjoyed - and if you're a fan of his fiction, it's definitely worth picking up.
Posted by dberger at 9:54 AM
November 10, 2005
Woken Furies
Just finished Woken Furies, Richard Morgan's latest Takeshi Kovacs novel.
Damn was that good.
I loved Altered Carbon - it was like Bladerunner, Neuromancer, (shaddap, Titus, or I'll take your geek club blazer badge away ;)) and The Maltese Falcon, all rolled into one. I basically liked Broken Angels, it added shades of Alien - and did it competently, though it stumbled occasionally.
Furies was excellent - the story was solid, the characters compelling, and the backdrop was at times incredible - he effortlessly invented myths that felt ageless, culture that just was.
Highly recommended.
Posted by dberger at 8:06 PM
October 26, 2005
The Life of the World to Come
Just finished the latest Company novel by Kage Baker. It was good, though not as good as the previous ones. It got a bit weird at the end, and it didn't really end as much as stop - clearly leading into a next book.
I'd recommend reading her short story collections first. One of the characters was "born" there.
It also seems the next one in the series is out, or very nearly so.
I haven't been reading as much as I'd like. I keep making a deal with myself that I'll read on the ferry ride home, and then I end up leaving work in the middle of something and using the ferry ride to finish that something. This morning I cracked the book open during breakfast and only had a chapter left when I had to leave. So I left the computer in the bag and finished the book on the way in.
Next on the list is Woken Furies - on loan from the local library and sitting, untouched, as it's due date draws ever closer.
Posted by dberger at 8:25 AM
September 11, 2005
Market Forces
Finished Market Forces on the ferry ride home from dinner in Seattle. It wasn't as incredible as Morgan's first book (Altered Carbon), but I thought on the whole it was better than the critics made it out to be.
I think the biggest problem with the book was that it required a serious dose of suspension of disbelief to get past the whole Car Wars angle. Morgan did support the evolution of "road raging" (lethally competitive driving) as a means to settle executive advancement - but the support was a bit weak. If you can get past that, though - the story is compelling; told with Morgan's hallmark style, pacing, and character development.
Not the crown jewel in Morgan's collection thus far, but hardly one to hide in the dust bin.
Posted by dberger at 10:57 PM
August 29, 2005
Something Rotten
Just finished the latest novel in Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series; Something Rotten. It had the same off-kilter sensibility as the previous ones, but for some reason didn't grab me. I found myself struggling though it 'till the last third of the book, when things really got started.
Ah well, they can't all be uproariously funny.
Posted by dberger at 8:26 AM
August 12, 2005
Harry Potter and the Run On Novel
When the most recent Harry Potter novel was released, Dawnise and I realized that neither of us had actually ever gotten around to reading the previous one; Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
After finishing my last book, I decided to give it a whirl. "Couldn't take me more than a few days of ferry reading," I thought.
I was wrong.
The bloody book was nearly 900 pages, and more damningly, the story dragged as none of the previous books had. It felt like the narrative was all over the place - there were whole subplots that could have been eliminated right up to the moment Rowling scrambled to pull it all together at the end.
I walked away from it feeling that her editor needed to be more of a hard-ass and say "no" more often.
I had planned to pick up the most recent one straight away, but I think I'll take a breather.
Posted by dberger at 5:43 PM | Comments (1)
July 28, 2005
An aching taste of blue
When packing to leave for PA yesterday I realized I didn't have a book I was currently reading, and nothing checked out from the library. I decided it was time to re-read Neuromancer.
I read it on the flight back from PA to WA today.
If you haven't read it yet, go find a copy and sequester yourself in a room 'till you've finished it.
Damn that's a good book.
Posted by dberger at 10:13 PM
July 26, 2005
In Search of Stupidity
I'm not sure how I missed In Search of Stupidity: Over 20 Years of High-Tech Marketing Disasters when it was first released, but a friend and colleague loaned me a copy and I read it over the last few days.
It was a well written retelling of the evolution of the PC hardware and software industries from the early 80's to the rise of Dell and Microsoft as the dominant powers in their respective niches in the early 00's.
In hindsight, it's easy to pick out the key ill-conceived strategic decisions. The author, who laces the text with personal anecdotes from his time as field engineer and product manager for such one-time luminaries as Ashton-Tate (dBase) and MicroPro (WordStar), often stops frustratingly short of drawing lessons from these decisions, or convincing the reader that the consequences of the decision were even remotely obvious at the time.
None the less, it was a good read, and has some insightful gems about how to lose control of the hardware market you birthed (IBM), drive a productive software business into the ground by ignoring your users clamoring for a GUI (Novell), and get yourself squashed into oblivion by bating the 800lb gorilla of the software world (Netscape).
Well worth the time to read it.
Posted by dberger at 8:07 AM
July 13, 2005
The Party's Over
A colleague loaned me a copy of The Party's Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies some time ago, and I've been working through it on and off.
It's a good book, fairly well written, and mostly balanced though the author doesn't hide his bias, he presents both viewpoints, and arguments that don't support his beliefs or conclusions. It's well annotated (11 pages of end-notes and an 8 page bibliography), and even handed in it's presentation - more of a modern Cassandra than Chicken Little.
It's also horribly depressing, and more than a little terrifying.
Read it.
Think critically.
And most importantly, act accordingly.
Posted by dberger at 3:47 PM
July 6, 2005
Not as Freaky as the Title Might Suggest
A friend recommended I pick up a copy of Freakonomics : A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything, which I did a month or so back. I finally picked it up, and when I put it down three hours later, I had finished it.
It was a good book - the authors are good at two things:
1. identifying the right control group in order to ask meaningful questions of existing data (often using regression analysis), and
2. not confusing correlation with causality
The book doesn't have a much of a theme, really - a fact the authors warn you of up front - but it hangs together well regardless.
With chapters including "What Do Schoolteachers and Sumo Wrestlers Have in Common?" (answer: they both have strong incentives to cheat), "How is the Ku Klux Klan Like a Group of Real-Estate Agents?" (answer: they both depend on an information asymmetry), and "Why Do Drug Dealers Still Live with Their Moms?" (oh read the book, I'm tired of parenthetical answers) there's something there for everyone.
I'd say you should find a copy at the library, but if you want to read it soon, you're better off buying a copy than getting in line with a billion other people waiting for the two copies the library has.
Posted by dberger at 8:59 AM
July 4, 2005
Christopher Moore
A couple years back, a friend of mine (thanks, Clark) recommended I read Christopher Moore's Lamb, which I did, and which made me laugh harder than anything I'd read since Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
I've subsequently read many of his other books, and found most of them to be highly entertaining, albeit not as laugh-out-loud funny as Lamb.
The other day, while killing time in the bookstore before the Serenity sneak-preview, I picked up a hard-cover copy of Fluke for $5.
It fits the pattern - a very quick read, with great characters, a fine dry wit, and a good story. If you haven't read any Moore, I'd start with Lamb, and I'd definitely add Fluke to the list.
Posted by dberger at 9:35 AM
June 13, 2005
The Scar
I finished The Scar by China Mieville the other night (excerpt). I found it very nearly as good as Perdido Street Station.
The concept of Armada - the floating city that most of the books action takes place on, in and under, wasn't original, but he executed it well - the claustrophobia of the place - and it's finite edges surrounded by infinite sea - were ever present.
The end was a bit weak, in my opinion, but not horribly so - and I'm not sure what else I would have done in his position.
I had tried reading Iron Council (also Mieville) and after a hundred pages it hadn't grabbed me. I've found that as I get older, and my leisure time is pulled in several conflicting directions, I have less patience to "plow through" novels that aren't holding my attention. I suspect Iron Council would have been good, and I'll probably give it another try at some point, on the basis of the rest of Mieville's work.
Posted by dberger at 6:32 PM
May 17, 2005
King Rat
Finished China Mieville's King Rat the other morning on the ferry. I enjoyed it - a good story, with good texture. Not as richly imagined as some of his other work, but a good read.
A significant aspect of the story revolves around the Jungle music scene - which I'd no exposure too, so I pulled up a genre sampler in Rhapsody. Some good stuff there, interesting weaves of heavy percussion with loops sampled from just about every other genre imaginable. Not something I'm likely to listen to all day every day, but interesting.
Posted by dberger at 10:12 AM | Comments (2)
May 12, 2005
A Kage Baker hat trick
If you've never read anything by Kage Baker, I highly recommend you check out on of the Novels of the Company. Over the last few weeks I've read two short story collections (Black Projects, White Knights, and Mother Aegypt) and her first fantasy novel (The Anvil of the World) and I give 'em all a hearty thumbs up.
Mother Aegypt actually introduces several of the characters in Anvil, and I recommend reading them in that order.
Good stuff. I'd have more to say on the subject, but my brain has pretty much taken a holiday at the moment.
I'm about half way through China Mieville's King Rat, which is nothing like Perdido Street Station (which I highly enjoyed) but is quite good in it's own right.
Posted by dberger at 12:26 AM