The Layered Page
From the pacing not as satisfying as the second one, but it sets up a lot of great material for the fourth entry I can't wait to read. The main Plot of this one introduced a few tropes I've seen before. The ending was well executed.
From the pacing not as satisfying as the second one, but it sets up a lot of great material for the fourth entry I can't wait to read. The main Plot of this one introduced a few tropes I've seen before. The ending was well executed.
This book is everything the other book was not. Will is still stupid but he has guts, something King Lognion also acknowledges and is conflicted about throughout the book. Will is thrown into Hogwards, I mean Worthhaven, where he learns that all the wizards are essentially handicapped because they are learning magic wrong. So he is basically the only competent wizard in there, and that as a War veteran. From there all the things that have been setup in Book 1 derailed into a complete Train Wreck: Between murders, demons, conspiracies, enabled by the sarcastic lingering knowledge of his Grandpa as a speaking Ring, the Fae and the God Damned cat, Will causes one small crisis after another in a hilarious journey to conquer Seline's heart.
This book does many unexpected things for a book of this genre. And I loved every second of it.
This book is everything the other book was not. Will is still stupid but he has guts, something King Lognion also acknowledges and is conflicted about throughout the book. Will is thrown into Hogwards, I mean Worthhaven, where he learns that all the wizards are essentially handicapped because they are learning magic wrong. So he is basically the only competent wizard in there, and that as a War veteran. From there all the things that have been setup in Book 1 derailed into a complete Train Wreck: Between murders, demons, conspiracies, enabled by the sarcastic lingering knowledge of his Grandpa as a speaking Ring, the Fae and the God Damned cat, Will causes one small crisis after another in a hilarious journey to conquer Seline's heart.
This book does many unexpected things for a book of this genre. And I loved every second of it.
Picked this up twice now. I simply can't hold on to it. Reading it feels like a chore. It's not the topic. I write myself on the intersection of logic, language and imagination on my blog. I am an algorithmic affectionato, but the book is too dense in overlapping philosophical and academic ideas that you lose any sense of practicality or point the author is trying to make.
As a foundational survey into cultural impact of the algorithm it is well suited however. Got a lot as a source from it for my Bachelor.
Also in the age of LLM this not so old book has not aged well "the fear of being replaced by the machine" is a consequence of our algorithmic thinking. No it's the reality now. The author simply underestimated how far algorithms with stochastic pattern matching can get us.
Picked this up twice now. I simply can't hold on to it. Reading it feels like a chore. It's not the topic. I write myself on the intersection of logic, language and imagination on my blog. I am an algorithmic affectionato, but the book is too dense in overlapping philosophical and academic ideas that you lose any sense of practicality or point the author is trying to make.
As a foundational survey into cultural impact of the algorithm it is well suited however. Got a lot as a source from it for my Bachelor.
Also in the age of LLM this not so old book has not aged well "the fear of being replaced by the machine" is a consequence of our algorithmic thinking. No it's the reality now. The author simply underestimated how far algorithms with stochastic pattern matching can get us.
It presents a simple four step framework on shaping your habits. It does so by weaving masterfully real academic sources, with narrative sections which exemplify the concepts which are then highlighted as actionable plan, again with more examples.
It is such an insightgul yet entertaining "read" (listening to it as audiobook)
Itturns to a soul less and opinionated tips and tricks manual with generic template suggestions near the end. Adds a bit of noise to the otherwise very clean 4-Step framework.
It presents a simple four step framework on shaping your habits. It does so by weaving masterfully real academic sources, with narrative sections which exemplify the concepts which are then highlighted as actionable plan, again with more examples.
It is such an insightgul yet entertaining "read" (listening to it as audiobook)
Itturns to a soul less and opinionated tips and tricks manual with generic template suggestions near the end. Adds a bit of noise to the otherwise very clean 4-Step framework.
It presents a simple four step framework on shaping your habits. It does so by weaving mastefully real academic sources, with narrative sections which exemplify the concepts which are then highlighted as actionable plan, again with more examples.
It is such an insightgul and entertaining "read" (I am listening to it). Highly recommended.
It presents a simple four step framework on shaping your habits. It does so by weaving mastefully real academic sources, with narrative sections which exemplify the concepts which are then highlighted as actionable plan, again with more examples.
It is such an insightgul and entertaining "read" (I am listening to it). Highly recommended.
It presents a simple four step framework on shaping your habits. It does so by weaving mastefully real academic sources, with narrative sections which exemplify the concepts which are then highlighted as actionable plan, again with more examples.
It is such an insightgul and entertaining "read" (I am listening to it). Highly recommended.
It presents a simple four step framework on shaping your habits. It does so by weaving mastefully real academic sources, with narrative sections which exemplify the concepts which are then highlighted as actionable plan, again with more examples.
It is such an insightgul and entertaining "read" (I am listening to it). Highly recommended.
This one is tough. I should really love the book for its premise: Philosophical in nature, asks question of existence and conciousness through the "eyes" of the main protagonist cloning itself in form of a neular network. The protagonist, like me, is a software developer, a fan of the Art of War from Sun Tzu and sarcastic, full on geek, sprinkling pop culture throughout the Universe. He is relatable but the superficial use of all that material to just justify some decisions turns it a bit cringe.
But my main problem is the way the story is structured and paced. I have listened to the audiobook (Half a start more and a big recommendation for that version), which accounts for some of the problems, and while the talented reader did different voices and impersonations of famous characters, like Homer (Simpson), it is very hard to keep track of all the branching of generations of Bobs. Add to this the huge time jumps between the clones and the distance, spanning multiple light years resulting in asynchronous communication across cryptically named star systems, and the book is too close to science to be enjoyable as fiction. You have to invest so much effort in tracking the individual characters, their personality and goals. Without much pay off.
From what I can synthesize from the multiple branching storylines, there is three main plots. Original Bob discovers a tribal-age race and plays god with it to protect it against extinction. Meanwhile two other bobs return to Earth to find it in a post-apocalyptic Kinder garden, trying to convince everybody to work towards compromises to benefit the human race as a whole instead of prioritizing their local ideologically close grouping and piss into each other's plate. And finally there is an armament race and chase of cat and mouse with one of the aggressive military-minded space probe collective which is threatening the existence of Bob himself. Other than that there is multiple smaller plots like the discovery of an alien race which might vipe out entire planets for nourishment or the mentally broken australian replicant which one of the bobs tries to help. Unfortunately these way more interesting plotlines just served as change of scenery to the Kill or Be Killed, Evacuating a Kinder Garden or Playing God with primates.
Alltough I can understand the choice as all of them explore some form of Existential Preservation.
This one is tough. I should really love the book for its premise: Philosophical in nature, asks question of existence and conciousness through the "eyes" of the main protagonist cloning itself in form of a neular network. The protagonist, like me, is a software developer, a fan of the Art of War from Sun Tzu and sarcastic, full on geek, sprinkling pop culture throughout the Universe. He is relatable but the superficial use of all that material to just justify some decisions turns it a bit cringe.
But my main problem is the way the story is structured and paced. I have listened to the audiobook (Half a start more and a big recommendation for that version), which accounts for some of the problems, and while the talented reader did different voices and impersonations of famous characters, like Homer (Simpson), it is very hard to keep track of all the branching of generations of Bobs. Add to this the huge time jumps between the clones and the distance, spanning multiple light years resulting in asynchronous communication across cryptically named star systems, and the book is too close to science to be enjoyable as fiction. You have to invest so much effort in tracking the individual characters, their personality and goals. Without much pay off.
From what I can synthesize from the multiple branching storylines, there is three main plots. Original Bob discovers a tribal-age race and plays god with it to protect it against extinction. Meanwhile two other bobs return to Earth to find it in a post-apocalyptic Kinder garden, trying to convince everybody to work towards compromises to benefit the human race as a whole instead of prioritizing their local ideologically close grouping and piss into each other's plate. And finally there is an armament race and chase of cat and mouse with one of the aggressive military-minded space probe collective which is threatening the existence of Bob himself. Other than that there is multiple smaller plots like the discovery of an alien race which might vipe out entire planets for nourishment or the mentally broken australian replicant which one of the bobs tries to help. Unfortunately these way more interesting plotlines just served as change of scenery to the Kill or Be Killed, Evacuating a Kinder Garden or Playing God with primates.
Alltough I can understand the choice as all of them explore some form of Existential Preservation.
This one is tough. I should really love the book for its premise. Philosophical in nature asks question of existence and conciousness through the main Protagonist cloning itself in form of a neular network. The protagonist, like me is a Software Developer, a fan of the Art of War from Sun Tzu and sarcastic, and full on geek, sprinkling pop culture throughout the Universe. He is relatable but also a bit cringe.
The main Problem is the way the story is structured and paced. I have listened to the audiobook (A big recommendation for that), which accounts for some of the problems, and while the talented reader did different voices and impersonations of famous characters, like Homer (Simpson), it is very hard to keep track of all the branching off generations of Bobs. Added to this, is the huge time jumps between the clones and their distance, of light years causing asynchronous communication, across cryptically named star systems, and the book is too close to science to be enjoyable as fiction. You have to invest so much effort in tracking the individual characters, their personality and goals.
From what I can synthesize from the multiple branching storylines, there is three main plots. Original Bob discovers a tribal-age race and plays god with it to protect it against extinction. Meanwhile two other bobs return to Earth to find it in a post-apocalyptic Kinder garden, trying to convince everybody to work towards compromises to benefit the human race as a whole instead of prioritizing their local ideologically close grouping and piss into each other's plate. And finally there is an armament and chase with one of the aggressive military minded drone collective which is threatening the existence of bob himself. Other than that there is multiple smaller plots like the discovery of an alien race which might vipe out entire planets for nourishment or the mentally broken australian replicant which one of the bobs tries to help. And interestingly enough those were way more interesting than the whole, Kill or Be Killed, Evacuating a Kinder Garden or Playing God with primate plots the Author decided to follow.
Alltough I can understand the choice as all of them explore some form of Existential Preservation.
This one is tough. I should really love the book for its premise. Philosophical in nature asks question of existence and conciousness through the main Protagonist cloning itself in form of a neular network. The protagonist, like me is a Software Developer, a fan of the Art of War from Sun Tzu and sarcastic, and full on geek, sprinkling pop culture throughout the Universe. He is relatable but also a bit cringe.
The main Problem is the way the story is structured and paced. I have listened to the audiobook (A big recommendation for that), which accounts for some of the problems, and while the talented reader did different voices and impersonations of famous characters, like Homer (Simpson), it is very hard to keep track of all the branching off generations of Bobs. Added to this, is the huge time jumps between the clones and their distance, of light years causing asynchronous communication, across cryptically named star systems, and the book is too close to science to be enjoyable as fiction. You have to invest so much effort in tracking the individual characters, their personality and goals.
From what I can synthesize from the multiple branching storylines, there is three main plots. Original Bob discovers a tribal-age race and plays god with it to protect it against extinction. Meanwhile two other bobs return to Earth to find it in a post-apocalyptic Kinder garden, trying to convince everybody to work towards compromises to benefit the human race as a whole instead of prioritizing their local ideologically close grouping and piss into each other's plate. And finally there is an armament and chase with one of the aggressive military minded drone collective which is threatening the existence of bob himself. Other than that there is multiple smaller plots like the discovery of an alien race which might vipe out entire planets for nourishment or the mentally broken australian replicant which one of the bobs tries to help. And interestingly enough those were way more interesting than the whole, Kill or Be Killed, Evacuating a Kinder Garden or Playing God with primate plots the Author decided to follow.
Alltough I can understand the choice as all of them explore some form of Existential Preservation.
This one is tough. I should really love the book for its premise. Philosophical in nature asks question of existence and conciousness through the main Protagonist cloning itself in form of a neular network. The protagonist, like me is a Software Developer, a fan of the Art of War from Sun Tzu and sarcastic, and full on geek, sprinkling pop culture throughout the Universe. He is relatable but also a bit cringe.
The main Problem is the way the story is structured and paced. I have listened to the audiobook (A big recommendation for that), which accounts for some of the problems, and while the talented reader did different voices and impersonations of famous characters, like Homer (Simpson), it is very hard to keep track of all the branching off generations of Bobs. Added to this, is the huge time jumps between the clones and their distance, of light years causing asynchronous communication, across cryptically named of star systems, and the book is too close to science to be enjoyable as fiction.
From what I can synthesize from the multiple branching storylines, there is three main plots. Original Bob discovers a tribal age race and plays god with it to protect it against extinction. Meanwhile two other bobs return to Earth to find it in a post-apocalyptic Kinder garden, trying to convince everybody to work towards compromises to benefit the human race as a whole instead of prioritizing their local ideologically close grouping and piss into each other's plate. And finally there is an armament and chase with one of the aggressive military minded drone collective which is threatening the existence of bob himself. Other than that there is multiple smaller plots like the discovery of an alien race which might vipe out entire planets for nourishment or the mentally broken australian replicant which one of the bobs tries to help. And interestingly enough those were way more interesting than the whole, Kill or Be Killed, Evacuating a Kinder Garden or Playing God with primate plots the Author decided to follow.
Alltough I can understand the choice as all of them explore some form of Existential Preservation.
This one is tough. I should really love the book for its premise. Philosophical in nature asks question of existence and conciousness through the main Protagonist cloning itself in form of a neular network. The protagonist, like me is a Software Developer, a fan of the Art of War from Sun Tzu and sarcastic, and full on geek, sprinkling pop culture throughout the Universe. He is relatable but also a bit cringe.
The main Problem is the way the story is structured and paced. I have listened to the audiobook (A big recommendation for that), which accounts for some of the problems, and while the talented reader did different voices and impersonations of famous characters, like Homer (Simpson), it is very hard to keep track of all the branching off generations of Bobs. Added to this, is the huge time jumps between the clones and their distance, of light years causing asynchronous communication, across cryptically named of star systems, and the book is too close to science to be enjoyable as fiction.
From what I can synthesize from the multiple branching storylines, there is three main plots. Original Bob discovers a tribal age race and plays god with it to protect it against extinction. Meanwhile two other bobs return to Earth to find it in a post-apocalyptic Kinder garden, trying to convince everybody to work towards compromises to benefit the human race as a whole instead of prioritizing their local ideologically close grouping and piss into each other's plate. And finally there is an armament and chase with one of the aggressive military minded drone collective which is threatening the existence of bob himself. Other than that there is multiple smaller plots like the discovery of an alien race which might vipe out entire planets for nourishment or the mentally broken australian replicant which one of the bobs tries to help. And interestingly enough those were way more interesting than the whole, Kill or Be Killed, Evacuating a Kinder Garden or Playing God with primate plots the Author decided to follow.
Alltough I can understand the choice as all of them explore some form of Existential Preservation.
Piranesi is a hard read at first. Almost like a puzzle, a system you are thrown in to figure out told from the first person perspective of the name's sake Protagonist in form of Journal Entries. You experience a world contained in a House of many halls, filled with various statues depicting characters, animals and many other situations. The house is filled with regular tides and birds. Piranesi is an adventurer and a researcher of this place. You accept the house as a cohesive sensible place. And Piranesi Is a proud and thankful inhabitant of that world.
Later the book reveals more and more of other characters and how those characters change Piranesi's perception of the world. It becomes an intriguing somewhat heartbreaking chase for the truth. But it also becomes more engaging and a real page turner.
The book is a delicate work about Identity, Memories and Perception and how they shape you relationship to the world and your inner happiness of belonging to it.
"The Beauty of the House is immeasurable; its Kindness infinite."
I read the Kindle version of the book. And had no problems with it.
Piranesi is a hard read at first. Almost like a puzzle, a system you are thrown in to figure out told from the first person perspective of the name's sake Protagonist in form of Journal Entries. You experience a world contained in a House of many halls, filled with various statues depicting characters, animals and many other situations. The house is filled with regular tides and birds. Piranesi is an adventurer and a researcher of this place. You accept the house as a cohesive sensible place. And Piranesi Is a proud and thankful inhabitant of that world.
Later the book reveals more and more of other characters and how those characters change Piranesi's perception of the world. It becomes an intriguing somewhat heartbreaking chase for the truth. But it also becomes more engaging and a real page turner.
The book is a delicate work about Identity, Memories and Perception and how they shape you relationship to the world and your inner happiness of belonging to it.
"The Beauty of the House is immeasurable; its Kindness infinite."
I read the Kindle version of the book. And had no problems with it.
