Reviews and Comments

A human story (starting with a mystery and ending much larger) in a very clever setting, beginning with the premise that this ship is traveling so fast that the speed of light is visible (10 meters/sec) in some locations. Nominated for a Nebula award, I am surprised this is not well known.

Much time is spent describing the ship, and when they arrive at a particular planet, more time is spent on how the ship is able to "land" and also the main building on this planet. I feel like some illustrations would help this sort of description, which may be a bit much for some readers. The setting is also lovingly described, and the relativistic science used here is pretty interesting. A postscript contains the "passenger guide" for this ship, along with some author's notes on the setting.

For a 90s science fiction challenge, I chose this book to represent 1990, and because this author is new to me. I was impressed by the science aspects of this book, and the capability of a character (the first officer) who lives in this environment. Two other strong female characters bring the plot along, though has significant growth. The story is engaging and flows by quite quickly.

I liked this book, and look forward to reading more from this author.

This new era of duck-and-cover suggested a reading of this classic book, first produced as a magazine serial during the Cuban Missile crisis. The book doesn't start well but ends strong, with a powerful message to beware complete automation. The human element saves the world.

"What if the president went mad?" Black asked abruptly... "Then we would have trouble," Groteschele said with a laugh.

As new characters are introduced in the early chapters, a flashback brings them to the current day. These slow the tension down, and would have been better as a standalone first chapter. The early chapters are also jargon heavy, giving name to the technology of the time. The middle chapters ramp up the tension and work well, and the finish is perfectly revealed at the last moment.

From what I remember of the classic film, the tension is higher and Groteschele (played by a very serious Walter Matthau) was perfect. I did not see the remade film, but have put both on hold to watch and compare. Seattle is one of the closest large mainland cities to North Korea.

Three novellas, one of which lent plot and name to a Brad Pitt film, where the screenplay was also authored by Jim Harrison. The prose is at times poetic; the stories are sweeping, panoramic, and contain a lot of killing.

The Revenge is about two men killing over one woman, and she ends up pretty beat down also. I appreciated the large flashback and the sweeping scenes.

The Man Who Gave Up His Name rambles considerably, and food plays a large part.

Legends of the Fall is the final story, taking place over a large block of time and on various sides of the Canadian border. While it rambles some, this feels like the most thought-out plot. I never saw the movie, but will add it to my list.

Apparently New York Times best-selling author Jim Harrison is one of America’s most beloved writers, according to the blurbs I have read. Will have to chat with someone who finds him so, or read one of his later works, or both.

This is an award-winning book, listed in multiple top 10 and top 100 categories. It is a big story with a lot of small characters, reminding me of [b:Anathem|2845024|Anathem|Neal Stephenson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1488349209s/2845024.jpg|6163095] and [b:Galápagos|9593|Galápagos|Kurt Vonnegut|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1355012643s/9593.jpg|517654], among others. It is also a wild story to read, utilizing a cacophony to deliver a layered plot and environment. Only the ending was unsatisfying.

The three main characters are solidly described, and their interactions make the story. While we seem closer than ever this year to the casual racism and sexism in the novel, it was very much a product of the time - this was originally published in 1968. The Muckers are also a great concept, based on the overpopulation studies of rats. Finally, the feel of overpopulation (including government reproductive interference) was oppressively realistic.

For me, there were way too many background characters, and about two thirds of the way through, the author has a "where are they now" infodump for them - then at the end, obituaries for many. They added to the noise, but didn't make the book unreadable. The new discovery at the very end was unconvincing, and the ending suffered for that. Minor flaws, but enough to drag it off the 5 star pedestal.

Rating: 4 out of 5 (the same as the number of uplifted orangutans that committed suicide in this book).

States on the cover, "The Best Hockey Book Ever Written", and lives up to that - easily one of the better books about all sports. The author was a goalie and law student, and his ideas come across quite clearly. The original subtitle was "a thoughtful and provocative look at a life in hockey", and it is that. Recommended, and for a hockey fan highly recommended.

I picked this up last year in a used book shop in B.C. Having read a fair amount of sports books, mostly baseball related, I was eager to check the claim on the cover.

Ideas and reflections are loosely slotted into chapters. These cover the activities of a week in a season of the later career of Ken Dryden, goalie for the Montreal Canadiens. By the second chapter, he is already philosophical, and that is where the real gems emerge.

He examines playing in the years after being an outstanding team (playing against their own record and the expectations of the fans/media/owners far more than playing the rest of the league), how the game has changed for kids (less play time), violence, superstars, and strategy changes through time. Along the way he also introduces his past, his teammates, trainers and coaches. The terminology when he talks about teammates may prove unfamiliar to non-hockey fans, but the rest of the book is quite accessible.

I read the 20th anniversary edition, which contains an additional chapter covering the end of his last year and a little reflection on how the game changed with Gretzky. Even that additional chapter is now 15 years old. Looking forward to reading more by this author!

Wow. Big plot and major intrigues, way more characters than I can keep straight. SF gone so far as to be indistinguishable from magic. Wry commentary on religion, and a very grounded main character. In short, quite a lot to wrap ones head about.

The main character (Sam) felt like a throwback to the science fiction of his day. He was the everyman, the one who thought of technology and described the weapons of other characters that way, where as they themselves spoke of divine power. He confronts a system of injustice and works to take it down. His comments about religion seem to be intended for both the story and our world, though I would want to compile them to be sure.

The world is revealed slowly through the stories. There are seven of them, making up large "chapters" in the book, and apparently two were published earlier. Each story seems to work within itself, and it would be an interesting experiment to take breaks between them. I did not, reading it as a whole (though not in one sitting). There were a few points left unanswered - Sam's comment that the demons were the original inhabitants, for example - but the main plot makes for a cohesive package.

To me, this book feels like a reread will be most beneficial. According to IO9, this will be made into a television series, so the only question is whether to read again before or after that. This won the Hugo and is listed on several "best of" lists, including the SF Masterworks.

This book took over a month to finish, and in this case that does reflect on the book. I think a good history could be written for this region, but this book is more a muddled memoir and travelogue. While the maps were nice, it certainly didn't live up to the cover blurb.

The first part of the book covers the Romans as the author and his father walked along Hadrian's wall. Stopping after this would have resulted in a better book, though short. In the second (and longest) section, the author walks the borders solo, ruminating primarily on history and geography and politics. Near the end of this rambling walk and rambling narrative, he laments that the people he met didn't really fit the story he was trying to write. The third (and shortest) section is an attempt to salvage the second, ending in the very personal experience of his father's last days. While moving, this portrait of a man feels incomplete.

A good friend pestered me about whether or not this is recommended. I was on the fence during the first part, but in total I must answer, wholeheartedly not. 1½ stars.

Quite a bit of fun, and better than [b:Horrorstör|13129925|Horrorstör|Grady Hendrix|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1414314217s/13129925.jpg|18306052], while a little rough in patches. A decent humor/horror/hell-fiend mix, with bonus points for the cover and frontispiece (done up like a high school yearbook). Yes, I finished it in two days. Grady Hendrix, you got the beat.

The main character and her friend since fifth grade have to get through life at their private school in the late 80s. After trying acid for the first time, things start to go wrong. This slow burn lasts for quite a while until the exorcism makes an appearance.

The 80s setting is perfect, with chapter titles that were song titles. Zits, big hair, Phil Collins and misheard lyrics - it's all there, with a can of classic coke. The humor and horror quotient are just about right, with a bit too much gore. In most horror films, the bad guys get what they deserve, but I definitely think the dog should have been spared.

Looking forward to more from this author, and I plan to check out the non-fiction [b:Paperbacks from Hell: The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction|33670466|Paperbacks from Hell The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction|Grady Hendrix|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1504436657s/33670466.jpg|54542087] also.

"How I need a drink! Alcoholic, of course, after the heavy chapters involving quantum mechanics; but we did estimate some digits by making very bad, not accurate, but so greatly efficient tools!" -Alexander Volokh

This mnemonic covers how I feel about the latter chapters in this book, which are quite heavy. Before that are histories and biographies of telegraphs, codes, and mathematicians. These are good, but not great. The chapters on Shannon are excellent, but I would refer readers to [b:A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age|32919530|A Mind at Play How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age|Jimmy Soni|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1495386506s/32919530.jpg|53537272] for even better coverage. After that, the quantum discussions of information loss (black holes) and quantum entanglement. This starts off well, but soon goes to depths that would leave the average reader gasping for air. Much rereading was necessary. After this, the ending comes perhaps too quickly.

As good as the (now dated) [b:Chaos: Making a New Science|64582|Chaos Making a New Science|James Gleick|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327941595s/64582.jpg|62690], as interesting (and thorough) as [b:Time Travel: A History|28587584|Time Travel A History|James Gleick|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1472314681s/28587584.jpg|48754828], but not rising above either of those works. 4 solid stars.

I was glad to read the completely restored and annotated edition, but the frequent paragraphs cataloging underwater flora and fauna really detracted from the story. The annotation notes that even Verne warned readers away from these at times!

The story (and it's political undertones) are excellent, and Verne is a master storyteller. The annotations add context to some sections, noting what readers of the time would see in fiction and also current events. This edition also adds an appendix with the history of Nemo, drawn from [b:The Mysterious Island|32831|The Mysterious Island (Extraordinary Voyages, #12)|Jules Verne|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388278046s/32831.jpg|1167706] - and that book had far fewer of these ponderous infodumps. Another great feature of this annotation are pointers to the many locations the original translator really butchered this story - it's 20,000 leagues under the seas!

While the plot is good and at times hard to put down, the characters are all fairly flat. Only Nemo has solid motivations, hidden for most of the story. None of the characters change, and the near-future history, while interesting, is never followed up. Events carry the day in other Verne novels, and I look forward to reading other proper translations in the future.