Mark
Story is set in a near future that is not all that different to our current world but there have been a number of big steps forward. These future science advances aren't necessarily new ideas and even though they are kept vague in terms of details, they are still interestingly presented. The main appeal of this are the characters reacting to how the new science advances impact their lives, work, opportunities, and the whole world to a certain extent. This book is more about the people than anything else. The characters are approachable and i was able to inhabit them, hope for them. Also this story had some very strong ecological threads and at times reminded me of Vandermeer's Area X, just not as weird as Vandermeer but still an odd vibe is there at times.
Language is the reason to read/listen to this book. Just amazing and frankly it seems Mr. Lynch was just showing off at times but when you can write like this, well go for it. The story and characters are fairly standard. Well if you consider idiots and sadists to be normal parts of rather violent tales set in Ireland and the U.S. in the first half of the 19th century. But again you're not really here for them, though by end I did want to see what happened to the main characters despite the queasy and unsettling start to the book.
This does a great job explaining more than just what happened in the last 5 years but dives into the why, the history. Spoiler: this is more than a rant about Trump.
Enjoyable take on the origins of horror films. Though I feel the argument is a bit of a stretch, it is well argued.
Setting: Space somewhere, not important.
Language: Language is straightforward and there are no fake “future” words that I remember
Character: Main character is a very talented, almost magical young man who is being trained to be a type of law officer. He is going through his “second chance” after some highly wayward life choices. He is learning to filter himself, get along better with colleagues, and is maturing. Becoming a more likable character along the way.
Plot: So the main character must take his “final exam” to complete his personal redemption ark. Of course it all goes pear shaped, it always does. We have action, adventures, mystery, crime and so on. This is all very obvious from the book blurb. Happily Chaney does this sort of story well. It moves quickly, doesn't really challenge and ends well with a satisfying ending. Fun stuff not to be taken too seriously.
Strange, eerie tales. Nostalgic maybe but too dreamlike and with some odd psychosexual elements creeping in, the feeling is more dread. This continues Tsuge's growth away from the youth action orientated comics and towards more adult focused themes. Fantastic essay included. This is the first one I had access to but it is in fact #3 in the series and there will be a 4th upcoming. Still a good starting point
Setting: Space somewhere, it doesn't matter.
Language: Basic language, don't remember any made up “future words” that threw me off.
Characters: The main character has some almost magical powers of observation and no filters at this point in his life. A fair of suspension of belief is required for all the other characters as they are mostly stock characters. Wise mentor, enigmatic older man, street wise best friend and so on. They serve the main characters story and don't distract.
Plot: This is part of an origin story of a character from a larger series. As such we get the smart almost a genius (or maybe on the spectrum?) but socially awkward teenager goes down an wayward trail and ends up with a life altering choice story. It is well done example a space fantasy filled with lots of action and mystery elements.
Don't think about the science in this, just don't. Very rock'em sock'em Saturday morning serial stuff. Fun, enjoyable light entertainment.
Don't think about the science in this, just don't. Very rock'em sock'em Saturday morning serial stuff. Fun, enjoyable light entertainment.
Don't think about the science in this, just don't. Very rock'em sock'em Saturday morning serial stuff. Fun, enjoyable light entertainment.
I enjoyed one man's journey into a better understanding of old landscapes not always visible and their relationships to the present. A study in how to use history, archeology, and geology to enrich the experience of place. Elsewhere this might be called deep time.
Okay, this was one I did as an audiobook with Wil Wheaton performing. Great job Mr. Wheaton, you nailed it. Onward to the story itself and that requires two statements: 1. This is a young adult novel and it has all those tropes, if you don't like young adult novels this will not be for you - I like young adult novels in general but admit this pushed my tolerance; 2. Holy Jumping beans is there a ton of exposition in this novel - I get why it is needed but I just started cliff noting some entire chapters of the middle part of the story because well, I was almost screaming make it stop make it stop stop explaining your story and just tell it. Okay I am better now. There is a lot to recommend in this story - believable characters, well imagined near future world and the bad guys are fully human not just “The Bad Guys”. Story is a coming of age novel and the amount of information about technology in this book well, a post-modernist novelist would be impressed by the info dumping in this one. Overall very good stuff.
Well, that is one the most enjoyable urban fantasy/procedural novels I have read in a good while. Enjoyable, understandable and not over the top human characters. The supernatural characters are well integrated but not used by the author in ways that have them making the humans redundant. The writing is meticulous and the payoffs are will set up.
Wow, powerful. Reading this in 2020 America I can't help but draw comparisons to our current reality both in the USA and elsewhere. Oppression, repression, violent subjugation, and so on of the other - the not us. This book reveals one German's attempt to understand his country's history and legacy but then becomes a rumination on what allows these things to happen in the first place.
Another installment in this fun series. Politics, murder, and magic in the Aztec Empire. Trips into the the realm of Aztec gods and they get creepy, very creepy. Aliette de Bodard continues to build the world she has created making ever more interesting. The characters that have carried over from the first novel grow, become more fleshed out, and they drive the story along. I did the audio book version and the reader, John Teller, does a fantastic job.
Wow, really powerful story of how one character's life gained meaning. I spoil it for you. The method of telling the story by means of multiple endings is not a cheap trick but reinforces that the authors' idea that life is possibilities.
At times funny and at times not funny at all rumination on Moebius' art/life. Line work is loose and given that I am used to Moebius' line being very tight, it takes some getting used to. This volume one and we will see how it goes.
Stunning artwork that combines simple, clear lines and touches of color to reinforce the story.
Yes there are some very serious themes in this but also a ton of Banks showing off his humor.
Story: Basically a revenge tale at heart but also a lot of politics and religion.
Character: Main character and some of ship Minds are excellent, main baddie a bit thin.
Setting: Fantastical Space settings for sentient entities in the “real” while the parts set in a simulation of “hell” are super creepy and violent.
Language: Banks in full flow in this one with great humor.
Overall good stuff but just feels thin or maybe should have been edited down?
Story: Failed spies, washed up and banished to a purgatory of sorts end up caught up in the machinations of others. A a complex thriller type plot that does drive the reading along, a bit of a page turner and the plot points are taken from contemporary news.
Setting: Contemporary London and it is believably presented. At times almost a character itself, enjoyable.
Language: Modern english with some spy type slang, not challenging.
Character: The characters are certainly the strength of the book. Washed up, failed, incompetent, arrogant, overly ambitious and well the list is long as to what ails the main characters but at the core they are looking to get past whatever it is that has led them to be in their current lot. Many of these histories are relatable, apparently spies are human.
This book presents an interesting problem. It is a great book filled with fantastic writing, engaging characters, discussions of things that matter, and so many parts that lead to a great work of speculative fiction - if not the most cheerful (parts of this book are tough reads and intentionally so). It is from 1976 and this is first time I have read it so many of the themes of the book I have run into elsewhere and may well have become tropes based on this book - what came first right? That made it hard for me to evaluate. I recommend it, highly but it also seemed so familiar that at times that familiarity took me out of the story, frustrating. My problems aside this is a great book.
Briliant, Brilliant, Brilliant. This combined with Austerlitz tell stories of 20th century which has many horrible moments. Well, the stories in The Emigrants are beautifully told stories about horrible things. They drift, hazily wandering, stirring up a dreaminess like a narrowboat on an English canal on a perfect summer's day. But it is English weather and it could be bucketing down with rain in a moments notice and you know that, so the tension - when it is going to hit.
Wow, really had no idea about the Comanches. I found this a good entry point into understanding the USA's expansion into the Midwest.
Another one where if 3.5 where possible I would give it. Here the setting is our world but with magic, as all the “River's of London” books are set. But this is not in London but rural Wisconsin USA. No real presence of the London crew and that is okay. This expands and enriches that part of the Rivers of London world and a specific character very well, if it is a bit short. I like all the characters and the story is well written in a straightforward language. I like the characters both the human and the not-human. I think the length is good for this type trip outside the main story line. Recommended for folks who are well into the story so far but not a place to start.