I wanted to read Wool (2013) by Hugh Howey after I saw it in an airport bookstore, but I had to read it when it became the next book for my book club. I’ve read what feels like a little too much dystopian fiction lately but this one looked intriguing and I was looking forward to it. The entire population is kept safe from the toxic environment outside by a huge, underground silo, falling 150 floors into the ground below. The population is divided clearly into […]
Diary of a Mad Spacewoman
The Forever Watch by David Ramirez (2014, 326 pages) – This book has several things going against it for me. First, the entire novel is present tense. I feel like I’m falling forward when I read present tense. Secondly, there are very few speaking verbs (said, asked, exclaimed). This is my pet peeve because most authors who avoid such verbs are forced to stick in artificial narrative so we know who is speaking (e.g., She nodded. “I’m going to town.”) I can only take so […]
Good Idea, So-So Execution
The Immortals consists of several linked short stories that James Gunn published in various magazines in the 1950s. The basic premise is that a man named Cartwright has blood that allows him immortality, and a blood transfusion from him every 30 days could keep another person alive indefinitely as well. The stories focus on the rich men who want to find Cartwright, the doctor who wants to synthesize his blood to mass produce, the consequences of Cartwright reproducing and the effects on his ancestors. As […]
I’ve seen so many planets dancing
Poor Cress, man. In “The Lunar Chronicles,” Cress is our Rapunzel — locked away in a satellite orbiting Earth, performing high-tech intelligence operations under coercion by her Lunar mistress, who happens to be the chief aide to the evil Lunar Queen. So it could be said that Cress is the most important VIP whose political influence could never buy her own personal autonomy. Cress and our heroine of the long arc, Cinder, first crossed paths when Cinder intercepted classified data hidden by Cress in a […]
Who let the androids out? Who? Who?
This last year, I finally convinced The Chancellor to watch Blade Runner with me. He absolutely hated the whole experience. He’s definitely more into Modernism than I am. I am entertained and fascinated by postmodernism, so I found lots of food for contemplation in the movie. This led to a discussion about the source material. I’d never read anything by Philip K. Dick, and I finally decided this summer was the time to start catching up. The novel (as with the film) focuses on Rick […]
I’m Gonna Armada Your Face!
Upon deciding to pick up this book because you loved Ready Player One, kindly disregard all hopes and dreams of a Ready Player One Part Deux. It is not a sequel, follow up, or companion piece, and to expect such will leave you disappointed. Plot synopsis: Zack Lightman is a high-school guy with an obsession with all things sci-fi and video-game related. He’s a dreamer, a classic underachiever, and not really one of the cool kids in his class. He spends his days playing Armada and Terra […]
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