Reviews and Comments

I read this series as they came out, back in the 80s. After a few years of classic SF and Fantasy, it was good to come back to Gibson's cyberpunk, and younger me would have rated it 4 stars. For present day me, reading only months later, it rates less.

This story is the same setting at Neuromancer, but basically stands alone. Where the original was a heist plot, this is more of a tapestry - various threads that weave together and eventually meet. Of these threads, the strongest story is the most heist-like - the professional and the extraction team. The other threads were less memorable, even though one of them contained the title character.

Does it work? Yes, but slowly. This one took me far longer to finish than it should have. Will I finish the series? Absolutely, and not just because it is part of a reading challenge. Would I recommend it? Hrmmm... tentatively yes, but only if you enjoyed Neuromancer. This is more of the same with less direction.

Piers Anthony always has some interesting story ideas, and the plot works well in this standalone novel. He combines some outdated technology with ideas that aren't ready yet. Where this quick read breaks down is the characters, rendering it merely ok.

This novel hearkens back to the late 1980s, where stereotype players of computer games were kids and shut-ins. This novel also contains the stereotype hacker, Phreak. These characters are way over the top, and their backstory distracts from the plot, which is pretty good. The protagonists are new to the game, and their novice adventures allow the author to describe the setting well. Their creativity later on really makes the story.

It seems like Anthony leaves the ending up for a sequel (and fans of the author are not shocked), though none has been written to date. A good story, a quick read, and characters that are just too much results in an average rating. I selected this to read because I have read plenty from this author, and also as an early example of LitRPG, a genre I plan to explore this year.

This book won two awards and was nominated for two more, is included on several "best" lists, and was made into a movie. The first half is build from two award winning novellas. Unfortunately, the second half of this book left me with the postage due.

The first half is very good. Gordon is a wandering troubadour, surviving from town-to-town in post-apocalyptic America. After being bushwacked and losing much of his kit, he stumbles on a wrecked mail delivery jeep and adds "postman" to his many roles. This new role grows to define Gordon, and inspires more people than his half-remembered Shakespeare could. He picks up the mantle of hero reluctantly, making for good internal conflict.

Next he encounters a settlement with improved technology, led by "Cyclops", a computer that survived the EMP. This portion is also well done, with good characters and setting.

In the last section of the book, never published separately, Gordon reluctantly agrees to lead the defense of towns against remaining survivalists. I read this nearly in one go during a European flight, and while it was good reading, the plot is lacking. Politics, feminism, and other elements are introduced which really don't fit the rest of the novel, culminating in a lightning-lit multi-page battle.

In summary, two-thirds of a good book, or two Novellas do not a good Novel make. I have never seen the film, but will consider it in the near future. 2 and 2/3 stars.

Part mystery, part political, this is three novellas that are interconnected. They look at a single event from different perspectives of age, and leave the reader to resolve the answer in the end - possibly with another mystery.

In this version of the future, lifespans have been increased far beyond today (500 years is not uncommon), and humanity has populated many places in the solar system, including many bases on Mars. A terraforming project is underway behind the scenes also, because by the end the Martian atmosphere is breathable with slight oxygen assistance.

Politically, the Soviet Union still exists (as we thought it would in 1984), and Russians make up half the colonists. Soviet-American politics aren't the focus, however - it is the Martian colonist versus the "Development Committee" which leads to the Martian civil war of the first novella.

By the end of the book, we also see colonies on other worlds and moons (Titan!), and body surf in a methane wave-pool on an asteroid converted into a wildly orbiting pleasure craft. I enjoyed this survey of Robinson's future vision, which definitely falls into the hopeful category.

It's been many years since I read anything larger than a short story from Kim Stanley Robinson, and his Mars trilogy is still on my to-read list. This book is the authors second published novel, and the first two of the three novellas were previously published also. That said, this novel is unlike many of the books available at the time, and I really enjoyed reading it. 4 stars.

I really enjoyed this near-future tale where corpses are reanimated by microprocessors as "servants", a more cost effective labor solution than building humanoid robots or androids. This is the first book by Kevin J. Anderson, who went on to write many books in the Dune and Star Wars series.

Chapters are told from the perspective of several people, and through each hints are given about the society and religion of this future. The perspective of the main character comes in later, as he is revived to become a "servant" who has some self will and memories of his past. Many things are not as they seem in this book, part mystery and part theology. I thought often of Westworld as I was reading this.

What I enjoyed most was Anderson's grasp of the future. From 1984 he correctly predicts the world wide web delivering entertainment. Dissatisfied "blues" are rioting because they were deprived of jobs by the servants. The only mismatch is that everyone has their own single password which logs them on and gets them everything - and apparently people don't or can't change it.

This book is closely connected to the Rush album "Grace Under Pressure". Anderson has also collaborated with Rush recently and more directly, expanding the story of Clockwork Angels. My search also uncovered a newer 2012 release of this book, referred to as the authors "Preferred Text". I was unable to find a list of differences.

All that said, I enjoyed this multilayered story, and was surprised it wasn't even nominated for an award in 1984. Like Westworld, it would make for a decent television series. 4 stars.

Coming of age story in a well researched setting with a very strong female main character. Africa (Mozambique and Zimbabwe) and the spirits of Shona tribesmen play a strong role in this solid adventure story.

The basic plot is a girl whose parents are both gone, made to labor for her family in a traditional Shona village. When the story of her father killing a man comes out, some other villagers believe the victim's restless spirit curses the village. Their solution is to marry little Nhamo off to the victim's brother, who is described as diseased and ugly. Her grandmother, one of the few characters that is good to her, encourages her to run away to her father's family in Zimbabwe. Of course, a simple few days travel turns into many months adventure when things don't go the way she plans.

Nhamo is a strong character, and the spirits she interacts with help her in the adventure. When anxious or bored, she tells stories - many of them Shona folk tales. This works well, creating many stories within the main tale.

Read this book aloud with my daughter, and my only regret is a decent pronunciation guide. The book contains maps, a list of characters, and a glossary for unfamiliar terms. It concludes with a history of Shona and Mozambique culture and politics, along with a solid bibliography. I concur with my daughter's rating of 4 stars, and enjoyed this few weeks.

Fast read, close to a screen play. This is one of many books I have read recently that have also been made into movies or miniseries. Many I haven't seen.

This is also the first book by Ira Levin that I have read, and look forward to reading more. I went into it with just the short blurb, though I wasn't surprised by the bombshell roughly halfway through. With that mystery solved, action wound down towards the conclusion. I liked the details, the characters, and the pace. There was a little too much discussion between characters to bring plot elements forward. Finally, this dates to a land before cell phones, and what a place that was.

I especially liked this quote, towards the end of the novel. These days television seems to have the opposite effect :( Overall rating - 3.5 stars.


"I say in my talks it takes two things to make it happen again, a new Hitler and social conditions like in the thirties. But that's not true. It takes three things: the Hitler, the conditions, and the people to follow the Hitler."

"And don't you think he'd find them?"

"No, not enough of them. I really think people are better and smarter now, not so much thinking their leaders are God. The television makes a big difference."

Clever and thoughtful time travel story, with a dash of 80s style. When I first read this I didn't realize the chapter titles were related to Time Travel short stories - even though it is one of my favorite genres. I wonder if anyone has put together a collection of these notables?

This tale is mostly told from two perspectives - a current day air crash investigator and a far future rescue team leader. A few twists and a nice pace keep the novel going at a good clip. The ending, with both a culmination of action and a full explanation, felt a bit rushed.

First read more than 15 years ago (as part of a friends short-lived book club), I subsequently watched the movie. The latter had more 80s style but was not as good as the book (natch). None of our brief discussion (at the time) was captured (that I know of). A reread was the best way to write a review. Additionally, I am reading this book as part of an 80s challenge - one book per year. This follows nicely from Heinlein's [b:Friday|17208|Friday|Robert A. Heinlein|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1315410828s/17208.jpg|1415529].

Good topic, but a little dry, fairly dense, and not as good as [b:The Guns of August|11366|The Guns of August|Barbara W. Tuchman|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1431760956s/11366.jpg|1884932]. The author looks at the causes of four historical "folly" events - the Trojan Horse, 6 corrupt Renaissance Popes (leading to the Reformation and a sack of Rome), the lead-up to the American revolution (primarily from the British side), and finally French and American involvement in Vietnam and SE Asia.

These follies are chosen because viable alternatives were available and popularly supported, and the decisions were taken by groups instead of individuals. Her point is that group think and a focus on assumptions despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary leads to a reinforcing spiral of wrong choices. Her hope is that wisdom among leaders could overcome these choices.

Regardless of whether one could argue the alternatives convincingly, I found the topics a little dry and the text dense at times. A lot of the information was new to me, and well presented, there was just a lot of it (including a very complete bibliography). Perhaps more than necessary to make the case for folly. Her lesson is applicable down to the school board or family level also, though we have fewer trusted advisors.

This episodic adventure story moves along at a pretty good clip, and was a fast read. In it, Robert A Heinlein liberally visits his favorite themes of description of government, free love, and breakfast. Friday is a strong character, female of gender and with darker skin than pictured on the cover. She also seems very much what RAH thinks the ideal female would be.

I first read this as a "new" Heinlein novel, after having read Starship Troopers, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and several of the "juveniles". It was the Science Fiction Book Club selection of the month, and for me it was an eye opening introduction to his later books; I think I followed up with Stranger in a Strange Land. Upon rereading, I find this connects well to the juveniles (it tells a good story). It also connects to Gulf, which is one of four short stories in Assignment in Eternity, which I read for the first time in 2014.

Overall rating - 3 stars. I liked it, but definitely wouldn't recommend it as the first RAH to read.

Read originally as a teen, this murder mystery in a live action RPG land is a lot of fun, even if the mystery has flaws.

Set in the near future, this book was a little visionary at the time. Wireless mikes, holograms, and powerful computers. LARP (live action roleplay) at the time was either styrofoam boffers or rock-paper-scissors. In this story, weapons are swung or thrown, making for a very realistic game. Elements of the game (and the game master interaction) are also well done.

Dialog was rough at times, and the mystery itself had flaws. Still, at the time, this book had no equal, and I eagerly awaited the two sequels. Another has been released recently. Also at the time, this created enough of a stir that a Dream Park game group was incorporated, with the intention of making Dream Park a reality. Some 10-15 years later, the same sort of thing was attempted for Battletech, with more success.

In summary, a fairly good read. Not 5 star material, and these days not even really science fiction. Worth reading, and looking forward to rereading the first two sequels.

"No damn cat, and no damn cradle."

What it does have is humor, irreverence, pseudo science, religion, commentary on those, and a banana republic. More than 100 chapters, each concise. Worthy of the praise, awards, and each inclusion on "best reads" list.

I first read this at the house of an acquaintance. Washed out of the poker game early, I found a dusty bookshelf and grabbed something to read. It took me well into the night and the next morning, and I even skipped an invitation to jet skis to finish it. This reading was just as fast - an audio book while traveling from Spokane Valley to Tacoma to Bellevue to Seattle.

What I hadn't done is try to encapsulate this book into a review. I've already used too many words to sum up this recommended work, so I'll leave with one more quote from the novel - "Science is magic that works."