Reviews and Comments

This book has exploration of past alien remnants, and like Rendezvous with Rama, they feel alien. Unlike that work, the characters here are prospectors, trying to escape the dystopian hell of an overpopulated earth where shale oil algae is mined for basic foodstuffs.

Like the wild west, most characters have their own stories. Robinette (or Bob) has two, one history and one current day. At first, the current day Bob comes across as a sex obsessed whiner, but his story does converge nicely with the flashbacks by the end.

This novel won four major awards - the Hugo, the Nebula, the Locus and the John W. Campbell memorial award. The universe described here was much bigger, and further novels follow. There was also a PC game (completely fits the historical story) and there is even a TV series in development. I read this for a 70s challenge, and now plan to read more about the Heechee soon.

A quick and accessible graphic novel, this parallels John Lewis' early career with the first inauguration of President Obama. This third and final volume covers Selma and Bloody Sunday, along with the subsequent marches. I really can't recommend these enough.

The first book was an excellent history of Lewis and SNCC, along with the deplorable conditions in the south.

Book two continues to cover the Freedom Riders and becomes considerably more violent. The nonviolent movement must compare to Malcolm X.

Most frightening are the parallels to some current government figures. Book three has a quote which particularly moved me - "Malcolm (X) talked about the need to shift our focus from race to class, both among one another and between ourselves and the white community. He said he believed that was the root of our problems, not just in America, but all over the world. Malcolm was saying, in effect, that it is a struggle for the poor -- for those who have been left out and left behind -- and that it transcends race."

A quick and accessible graphic novel, this parallels John Lewis' early career with the first inauguration of President Obama. Volume two continues to cover the Freedom Riders and becomes considerably more violent. The nonviolent movement must compare to Malcolm X.

The first book was an excellent history of Lewis and SNCC, along with the deplorable conditions in the south.

The third and final volume covers Selma and Bloody Sunday.

Most frightening are the parallels to some current government figures. Book three has a quote which particularly moved me - "Malcolm (X) talked about the need to shift our focus from race to class, both among one another and between ourselves and the white community. He said he believed that was the root of our problems, not just in America, but all over the world. Malcolm was saying, in effect, that it is a struggle for the poor -- for those who have been left out and left behind -- and that it transcends race."

The original premise and collection of stories were quite good, leading the editors to seek submissions for a sequel. All tolled, 1958 new stories (and 151 art folios) were submitted. This new volume represents the best of those, and is also very good.

Authors branched a little further from the original theme - a machine which can tell you how (but not when) you are going to die. My favorites were “ZEPHYR” by George Page III (Space marines form into fighting units coordinated by the times of their impending deaths) and “CANCER” by editor Ryan North (A terminal patient discovers that her prediction may not be as straightforward as it seems at first). Perhaps one of the most clever stories was “TWO ONE SIX” by Marleigh Norton (A woman struggles to unravel the relevance of her numerical prediction).

My favorite from the first collection was also authored by [a:Ryan North|45763|Ryan North|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1281073709p2/45763.jpg] - I will have to seek out more of his stories to read - including Dinosaur Comics, which I confess I have never read.

Interesting and relevant, Reid writes about some alternatives for a tax system that is due for an overhaul. He explores history, ways to measure the effects, and how various ideas (flat tax, VAT, progressive and simple) have worked in other countries around the world. He also examines various schemes to avoid taxes, some for individuals but mostly for companies (Apple, Starbucks).

For a (relatively) dry subject, the author injects humor at times, and the history is very well done. His approach isn't partisan, and uses clear measures to see the impacts of various taxes on different earners and spenders. The best system is known as BBLR - broad base, low rate - and any exemptions or credits just narrow the base (and therefore increase the rate).

Some of the most interesting ideas are automated taxes (just check a postcard or email to see if they are right - 99+% are) and a combination broad base low rate tax and VAT. The anecdotes are also great reading. The audio book is read by the author, but lacks some of the graphics and footnotes. While this falls short of 5 stars, it is clearly more than 4. Check it out!

Very quick read, apocalypse in three steps. Good story, well written, but female characters depressingly weak. Strongly reminds me of [b:The Death of Grass|941731|The Death of Grass|John Christopher|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1486838846s/941731.jpg|797220] by John Christopher (also 4 star, also a quick read). Won the Hugo, the Locus, and is on a dozen "best SF" lists; I read it for a 70s Science Fiction challenge.

Told in three parts, each following a generation of a family perfectly placed to deal with the collapse of society. In the first part, resources are gathered and a hospital built before a plague heralds societal collapse. The second looks at the clones, created because biological reproduction has failed. The third part is the story of individuality rising again.

I enjoyed both the adventure aspects and the future planning (and inevitable breakdown). The same events after today's society would be even tougher to survive - paper is of great use to these people. Something about clone consciousness and communication was somewhat concealed in the story, told mostly through the eyes of individuals.

Looking at [a:Kate Wilhelm|48885|Kate Wilhelm|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1488054669p2/48885.jpg]'s large bibliography, I think this is the first novel I have read. Doubtless I have encountered one or more of her short stories. I plan to read more from this author of science fiction, fantasy, mysteries and radio plays.

This wonderful story starts in the middle, then alternates chapters looking at history leading up to the middle and events after the mid point. While the story would work well in a linear fashion, the alternating chapters can reference some of the same ideas, one past and one present. Subtle (and smart).

Briefly (and linearly) this story concerns Shevek, resident of a planet whose inhabitants left the main group 170 years before. They were protesting the policies and politics of that group, roughly socialism (or anarchy) vs capitalism. The main character returns to the main group and his point of view allows the author to explore the differences in outlook - and means.

In this profit based society, Shevek has access to the materials to finish and test his work on temporal physics. This aspect of the story is important for the the Ansible, a device that provides instantaneous communication across the galaxy - imagine any space opera without it! This device really isn't the main focus of the story, but fits nicely hand-in-glove with other plot. Shevek the outsider is compared, contrasted, and compartmentalized at first.

This is not the first story written in Le Guin's Hainish universe, though it is the first in timeline order. It is not the first I have read either. I enjoyed this story slightly more than the Left Hand of Darkness, and plan to read more soon.

I love books by John Green, but didn't love this. The main character has major anxieties and this comes across very well; the internal voices and comparison to external world (friends) was great.Those few friends were okay, though fairly 2D. The main buddy, Daisy, has motivations that I still don't understand. Then there's the mystery, which feels very flat to me. I'm not sure if it even rises to the level of MacGuffin.

Outside of the mystery, the major story catalyst happens more than 3/4 of the way through the book, which feels very late. The changes from this feel a little rushed, but realistic. Also well done was the spiral, and title comparison to turtles all the way down. We really inhabit this character's uncomfortable world.

It may take a reread to really enjoy this book, but I doubt it will rise to the heights his other books have for me. For now, 2.5 stars - halfway between "I liked it" and "It was OK".