77 Books
See allA Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again - 4 stars:
After my third book by David Foster Wallace, I’ve come to a few conclusions:
On the essays:
Summer of Night – 4 stars
Every sci-fi fan owes Dan Simmons for the Hyperion books, so I was curious to see how he handles horror—and the answer is: mostly well. Comparisons to IT (and The Body/ Stand By Me) are absolutely warranted. The first half is the weakest: Simmons spends too much time meticulously setting the stage, and it starts to feel like it’s getting out of hand. Unlike Stephen King—who often hooks you in the first few pages even if then goes to write very long books—Simmons takes a slow, roundabout approach that doesn’t fully pay off, IMHO. But once the second half kicks in, the pacing improves dramatically. The story picks up, characters act as rationally as horror allows, and it’s just a lot of fun. Solid book overall—it just needed tighter editing.
Pirate Latitudes – Did Not Finish
I’ve always been a huge admirer of Michael Crichton—I still remember reading Jurassic Park in a single afternoon back in 1990. Unfortunately, Pirate Latitudes felt weak and a slog, lacking the tension and engagement of his best work. The plot just wasn’t interesting enough, and I had to let it go midway. One less book from a great writer for me to read.