/categories/booksfiction/ Recent content in Books>Fiction on Perlkönig Hugo -- gohugo.io Copyright © 2006-{year} Aaron Dalton. All Rights Reserved. Tue, 17 Feb 2015 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/anathem-by-neal-stephenson/ Tue, 17 Feb 2015 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/anathem-by-neal-stephenson/ Rating: 4/5 Neal Stephenson, Anathem (New York, NY: William Morrow, 2008). This is a book that’s all about the journey. It’s quite long (almost a thousand pages), and I’d certainly classify it as a “slow burn.” The story is set in a post-apocalyptic world (but not your run-of-the-mill post-apocalypse) in which theorists are forbidden from contact with actual technology and isolated from the rest of the world in what they call “maths. /posts/spin-by-robert-charles-wilson/ Sun, 31 Aug 2014 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/spin-by-robert-charles-wilson/ Rating: 4/5 Robert Charles Wilson, Spin (New York: Tor Books, 2005). I managed to squeeze in at least one new book this summer. Wilson’s Spin is a sci-fi novel that follows two families (three main protagonists) as the world tries to figure out what happened to the suddenly invisible stars. The narrative alternates between “now” and the recounting of the events that led to it. This approach can be problematic because some tension is removed (you know who survives) and the author runs the risk of telegraphing important points too early or clearly. /posts/riddle-master-trilogy-by-patricia-mckillip/ Thu, 17 Jul 2014 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/riddle-master-trilogy-by-patricia-mckillip/ Rating: 5/5 Patricia A. McKillip, Riddle-Master (New York, NY: Berkely Trade [imprint of Penguin], 1999). The Riddle-Master trilogy is an oldie (1976) but goodie. I read it as a kid and absolutely loved it. I’ve read it a few more times over the years, but it had been quite a while since my last reading. I wanted Adele to read it and was super excited to see they finally released a single-volume edition. /posts/wool-by-hugh-howey/ Fri, 28 Feb 2014 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/wool-by-hugh-howey/ Rating: 5/5 Hugh Howey, Wool (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2013). What a pleasant surprise! I just kept hearing about this book from all sorts of different people, so I finally checked it out from the library. I’m so glad I did! When it comes to speculative fiction, authors are faced with the very difficult challenge of introducing the reader to a new and unfamiliar setting without overloading them with boring expository history or spoiling important plot twists or story beats. /posts/warbreaker-by-brandon-sanderson/ Tue, 25 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/warbreaker-by-brandon-sanderson/ Rating: 4.5/5 Brian Sanderson, Warbreaker (New York: Tor, 2009), 592 p. This book reminded me of why I love (and, yes, in some ways hate) single-volume novels. They’re great in that they completely sidestep the “soap opera” problem so prevalent with massive series such as Wheel of Time and Game of Thrones. The author is forced to get to the point, tell a compelling story, and then get out. The longer the series goes, the more ridiculous they tend to become. /posts/this-book-is-full-of-spiders-by-david-wong/ Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/this-book-is-full-of-spiders-by-david-wong/ Rating: 4/5 David Wong, This Book is Full of Spiders: Seriously, Dude, Don’t Touch It (New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2012). This book is a sequel to the excellent John Dies at the End by the same author. Go read that review first . Essentially the same comments apply. These books are a cross between Lovecraftian “weird fiction,” modern horror, and humour. I found myself laughing out loud very, very often. /posts/the-disciple-of-las-vegas-by-ian-hamilton/ Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/the-disciple-of-las-vegas-by-ian-hamilton/ Rating: 3/5 Ian Hamilton, The Disciple of Las Vegas (Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 2011). This is the second book in Hamilton’s Ava Lee series of novels. As you may recall, I wasn’t a big fan of the first book . I liked this book a little better. Ava Lee is a forensic accountant who works with “Uncle” in retrieving stolen money. She’s Chinese-Canadian and is an accomplished practitioner of Bak Mei . /posts/pandoras-star-by-peter-f-hamilton/ Sat, 04 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/pandoras-star-by-peter-f-hamilton/ Rating: 3/5 Peter F. Hamilton, Pandora’s Star, Commonwealth Saga #1 (New York: Ballantine Books, 2004). This thousand-page tome is the first of two novels in the Commonwealth Saga. It’s apparently popular in Calgary because I had to keep returning it to the library because of holds. It took me three attempts, but I finally got through it. Overall, Hamilton is a good writer. The story is fast moving and even compelling at parts. /posts/water-rat-of-wanchai-by-ian-hamilton/ Fri, 15 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/water-rat-of-wanchai-by-ian-hamilton/ Rating: 2/5 Ian Hamilton, The Water Rat of Wanchai (Toronto: House of Anansi, 2011). Yawn! This has to be one of the most boring “action stories” I’ve ever read. I hate to break it to you, but this story about a forensic accountant is exactly as exciting as it sounds. I get that Ava was conceived as a continuing character, and you have to set her up somehow, but there is literally no tension, no action at all until the halfway point of the book. /posts/john-dies-at-the-end-by-david-wong/ Wed, 10 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/john-dies-at-the-end-by-david-wong/ Rating: 4/5 David Wong, John Dies at the End (New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2010). David Wong is the pen name of Jason Pargin, senior editor at Cracked.com . If you’ve never visited the site, and you’re OK with a little coarse language, check it out. You will laugh out loud. This book is a fascinating cross between the “weird fiction” of H. P. Lovecraft and Cracked.com humour. Parts were so creepy but interspersed with spurt-beverage-out-your-nose moments of laughter. /posts/science-fiction-hall-of-fame-vol-1-edited-by-robert-silverberg/ Tue, 11 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/science-fiction-hall-of-fame-vol-1-edited-by-robert-silverberg/ Rating: 3/5 Robert Silverberg (ed.), Science Fiction Hall of Fame: Volume One, 1929–1964 (New York: Tom Doherty Associates, 1970). I typically really enjoy historic science fiction, and I was really looking forward to reading this collection. I wasn’t totally disappointed. About half the stories were really enjoyable, and a few were truly exceptional. “Microcosmic God” was great and “Nightfall” is a classic. I really enjoyed “The Weapon Shop” and “Huddling Place” was chilling. /posts/echo-burning-by-lee-child/ Fri, 27 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/echo-burning-by-lee-child/ Rating: 3/5 Lee Child, Echo Burning (New York: Jove Books, 2008). This is certainly the most boring of the Reacher books so far. There are really only two action set pieces and the rest is just driving around not sure if Carmen is lying or not. It’s a fine book, don’t get me wrong, but compared the the previous four, it’s very slow. I think I’m going to stop reading Reacher novels for a little bit. /posts/running-blind-by-lee-child/ Sat, 21 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/running-blind-by-lee-child/ Rating: 3/5 Lee Child, Running Blind (New York: Berkley Books, 2005). I’m rating this book highly because I enjoyed it so much, but it is not without its flaws. This is the sort of book you read when you don’t want to think too hard. For me it’s like sitting down and watching CSI: I don’t try to figure it out; I just watch the story unfold. In fact, if I do figure it out, that usually means they really didn’t try very hard, because I’m pretty dense that way. /posts/tripwire-by-lee-child/ Wed, 18 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/tripwire-by-lee-child/ Rating: 4/5 Lee Child, Tripwire (New York: Berkeley Books, 2005). What an improvement! Of the first three books, this is the best. The characters are better rounded, the plot line was much more interesting, and the writing was greatly improved. Finally characters learned to do things other than shrugging! (Though there is still a lot of shrugging going on.) There weren’t as many pithy quips as in the first book. You start to see more of Reacher’s personality. /posts/do-androids-dream-of-electric-sheep-by-philip-k-dick/ Wed, 11 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/do-androids-dream-of-electric-sheep-by-philip-k-dick/ Rating: 4/5 Philip K. Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (New York: Ballantine Books, 1996). There was a lull in the flow of books from the library, so I picked something off my shelf to re-read. I hadn’t read this story for many years. I had forgotten how great it was! Philip K. Dick was as much a philosopher as a sci-fi writer. This book explores themes of posthumanism, empathy, and theology—all in the context of a detective-genre story. /posts/die-trying-by-lee-child/ Tue, 10 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/die-trying-by-lee-child/ Rating: 2/5 Lee Child, Die Trying (New York: Berkeley Books, 1998). I give the first book of a series a lot of leeway, especially if it’s early in an author’s career. But I expect a lot more from the later books. Child disappointed me, I’m afraid. (I suspected as much after reading the cover and fly pages. The “advance praise” blurbs were contrived and non-committal.) He seemed to regress. Gone was the punchy writing style. /posts/zima-blue-by-alastair-reynolds/ Sun, 01 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/zima-blue-by-alastair-reynolds/ Rating: 4/5 Alastair Reynolds, Zima Blue (London: Gollancz, 2009). I had forgotten how much I enjoy Alastair Reynolds’s writing. He is an expert in the “space opera” genre. Short stories give authors a great opportunity to distill a story down to its very essence. Reynolds does not waste words. I really enjoyed this collection. My favourite stories would have to be the Merlin sequence (Hideaway, Minla’s Flowers, and Merlin’s Gun). He covered a lot of ground in those three stories. /posts/killing-floor-by-lee-child/ Fri, 22 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/killing-floor-by-lee-child/ Rating: 4/5 Lee Child, Killing Floor (New York: Jove Books, 1997). Apparently I’m a little late coming to the Jack Reacher party. Both my father and one of my sisters has been talking up these book for a long time, and I’ve just never made the time to read them. Well I finally did, and wow, I’ve been missing out! I do enjoy detective fiction. I even took a summer class in university on that very subject. /posts/ready-player-one-by-ernest-cline/ Tue, 19 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/ready-player-one-by-ernest-cline/ Rating: 4/5 Ernest Cline, Ready Player One (New York: Crown Publishers, 2011). Well the book was a fun read, but saccharine. Like the best Disney and Pixar films, Ready Player One is targetted to younger readers but cannot be fully appreciated except by older ones. Unfortunately, unlike movies like Wall-E (my favourite), Finding Nemo, and Up, Ready Player One lacks the grown-up “hook” that forms the foundation that supports the movies. /posts/against-a-dark-background-by-iain-m-banks/ Fri, 11 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/against-a-dark-background-by-iain-m-banks/ Rating: 3/5 Iain M. Banks, Against a Dark Background (London: Orbit, 1995). Well I’m afraid this is it for me and Iain M. Banks. It’s so frustrating! The first two thirds were the best I’ve read of him yet. I loved the characters, the humour was effective, and the action was awesome. He uses flashbacks very effectively to reveal at just the right moment a character’s motivation. The last third, though, just kind of “jumps the shark ,” if you will. /posts/state-of-the-art-by-iain-m-banks/ Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/state-of-the-art-by-iain-m-banks/ Rating: 3/5 Iain M. Banks, The State of the Art (London: Orbit, 1991). Well this book is more of a novella. It’s grouped with a number of short stories, not of all of which take place in the Culture universe. They do sort of belong together, though. The main story “The State of the Art” is a recounting of the Culture’s encounter with Earth. While I wish Banks wasn’t quite so preoccupied with sex, I do enjoy his take on humanity and culture. /posts/a-scanner-darkly-by-philip-k-dick/ Sat, 21 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/a-scanner-darkly-by-philip-k-dick/ Rating: 4/5 Philip K. Dick, A Scanner Darkly (New York: Doubleday, 2011 [1977]). I studied Philip K. Dick’s (PDK) Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (the inspiration for the movie Blade Runner) in a college English class and just loved it. I went out and read a bunch of PKD’s short stories. I had heard the title A Scanner Darkly many times but didn’t know anything about it. I came across it in the bookstore the other day—in this new edition—and couldn’t resist. /posts/use-of-weapons-by-iain-m-banks/ Wed, 18 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/use-of-weapons-by-iain-m-banks/ Rating: 4/5 Iain M. Banks, Use of Weapons (London: Orbit, 1992). Well this was a huge step up from Player of Games . The characters in this book are very well defined and engaging, the action is visceral, and the whole story just keeps you reading. The structure is challenging and requires careful attention while reading and takes some reflection after reading. Many people just go right back and re-read it once things are more clear. /posts/magician-apprentice-by-raymond-e-feist/ Tue, 03 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/magician-apprentice-by-raymond-e-feist/ Rating: 1/5 Raymond E. Feist, Magician: Apprentice, The author’s preferred edition (New York: Bantam, 2004). This book was profoundly disappointing. I finished it simply because I had started it, and I will not be reading the second installment, Magician: Master. To be fair, this was Feist’s first foray into novel writing (or so he admits in his foreword to this new edition), but why it continues to be published decades later and why all the lavish praise heaped upon it is a mystery to me. /posts/consider-phlebas-by-iain-m-banks/ Sun, 25 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/consider-phlebas-by-iain-m-banks/ Rating: 3/5 Iain M. Banks, Consider Phlebas (London: Orbit, 1988). This is the first of what Banks calls his “Culture Novels.” These consist of standalone novels set in the same essential milieu. The centre of this setting is the society known as the Culture: advanced humans with highly advanced sentient machines and capabilities of genetic manipulation. From the first page to the last, the book really hums. The action is almost non-stop. /posts/player-of-games-by-iain-m-banks/ Sun, 25 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/player-of-games-by-iain-m-banks/ Rating: 2/5 Iain M. Banks, The Player of Games (London: Orbit, 1989). Being a gamer myself, I had high hopes for this book. I was a little disappointed. It was pretty good overall, but the specific game aspects were highly romanticized and frustratingly non-specific. I did find his views on randomness in games interesting. There wasn’t as much coarse language in this book as in the first, but the sexual innuendo was much stronger (bordering on explicit). /posts/the-death-gate-cycle-by-margaret-weis-tracy-hickman/ Fri, 09 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/the-death-gate-cycle-by-margaret-weis-tracy-hickman/ Rating: 4/5 The Death Gate Cycle is a series of seven books. I remember starting it years ago and never finishing. I picked it up again in the new year and yesterday finished the last book. The story is fundamentally about fear—about different manifestations of and reactions to it. It was an enjoyable read with some exciting moments. I think the series falls clearly, though, in the realm of young adult/juvenile fiction. /posts/the-name-of-the-wind-by-patrick-rothfuss/ Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/the-name-of-the-wind-by-patrick-rothfuss/ Rating: 5/5 Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind (New York: DAW, 2008). I have a general rule that forbids me from starting a series of books that’s not already finished. It can take years for a sequel to make it through production, and by that time I’ve read so many other books that I basically have to start over anyway. When I first picked this book up, I wasn’t aware that it was the first of a trilogy. /posts/the-martian-chronicles-by-ray-bradbury/ Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/the-martian-chronicles-by-ray-bradbury/ Rating: 5/5 Ray Bradbury, The Martian Chronicles (New York: Avon, 2011). Originally published in 1950, The Martian Chronicles is another of those classics that I have known about but never taken the time to read. This is a true piece of literary art—poetry. The core story is of the colonization of Mars. It doesn’t sound very poetic, but trust me. Even if you’re not a science fiction fan, you will find something in these stories that moves you. /posts/ringworld-by-larry-niven/ Thu, 08 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/ringworld-by-larry-niven/ Rating: 3/5 Larry Niven, Ringworld (New York: Del Rey, 1985). Before starting the second leg of our trip, I looked up some lists of top sci-fi and fantasy books and picked a few up. Ringworld was the first I finished. It’s a story about an alien race called puppeteers and how they discovered an artifact they call the Ringworld. (The picture to the left gives you the idea.) The puppeteers send one of their own to recruit a team to go and explore it. /posts/guest-post-secret-daughter-by-shilpi-gowda/ Mon, 06 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/guest-post-secret-daughter-by-shilpi-gowda/ This is another guest post by my wife, Adele. Rating: 5/5 Shilpi Somaya Gowda, Secret Daughter (New York: William Morrow, 2010). After I finished this book, when I had let the whole story sink in, I felt I had finished reading a work of art. The author uses the style of jumping from one person’s perspective to another’s from chapter to chapter. Usually I find this kind of book hard to follow, and they usually don’t hold my interest for long. /posts/guest-post-still-alice-by-lisa-genova/ Mon, 06 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/guest-post-still-alice-by-lisa-genova/ This is our first guest post. My wife, Adele, has been doing some reading and wanted to share her thoughts with all of you. Here we go! Rating: 5/5 Lisa Genova, Still Alice (New York: Pocket Books, 2009). A wonderful and educational read! This is a story of how one Alice discovers she has Alzheimer’s and how that affects not only her but those she loves. What makes this book brilliant is how the author manages to truly give a very real first-person glimpse of what someone with a disability (Alzheimer’s or any other) goes through as they watch themselves morph into something foreign and undesirable to them and others. /posts/goethes-the-sorrows-of-young-werther/ Wed, 06 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/goethes-the-sorrows-of-young-werther/ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, The Sorrows of Young Werther (New York: Vintage Classics, 1990). Die Leiden des jungen Werthers [The Sorrows of Young Werther] was published in 1774 and is a quintessential example of early Romanticism and the Sturm und Drang movement. It’s what is called an “epistolary novel”: a novel composed of a series of documents, usually letters. In this case most of the letters are to Werther’s friend Wilhelm as he describes his wanderings and eventual fateful meeting of Lotte. /posts/the-pilgrims-progress-by-john-bunyan/ Mon, 04 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/the-pilgrims-progress-by-john-bunyan/ John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress: From This World to That Which Is to Come, ed. John F. Thornton and Susan B. Varenne (New York: Vintage Books, 2004). This is another of those books you encounter tangentially in any study of the arts or humanities but rarely actually sit down and read. This is another book I have chosen not to rate. It’s art and stands on its own merits. /posts/christopher-marlowes-doctor-faustus/ Tue, 01 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/christopher-marlowes-doctor-faustus/ Rating: 5/5 Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus, ed. John D. Jump (New York: Routledge, 2002). Dr. Faustus was an actual historical figure. He was apparently an itinerant scholar and fortune teller, and there is some documentation on his life during the first quarter of the sixteenth century. (See the Wikipedia article for more information. ) This documentation suggests that he committed immoral acts while a schoolmaster and that he was particularly arrogant and boastful. /posts/goethes-faust/ Mon, 28 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/goethes-faust/ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Faust: A Tragedy, trans. Walter Arndt, ed. Cyrus Hamlin, 2nd edition (NewYork: W. W. Norton & Company, 2001). Goethe’s Faust has been on my reading list for a long time. I finally got through it, and it was nothing like I expected. My exposure to Faust has been through music and music history. I know of the scene “Gretchen am Spinnrade” because of Schubert’s setting of it. /posts/the-redemption-of-althalus-by-david-leigh-eddings/ Tue, 19 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/the-redemption-of-althalus-by-david-leigh-eddings/ Rating: 1/5 David & Leigh Eddings, The Redemption of Althalus (Del Rey, 2001). In short, don’t bother. I finally put the book down about a third of the way through. I found it on a list of fantasy must-reads. Well it sure doesn’t make mine. It’s not that it is written for a young adult audience, it’s just that’s all it was written for. There are so many excellent examples of young adult fiction that is artfully written with engaging and deep stories that engage young and old alike: J. /posts/stories-of-h-p-lovecraft/ Wed, 13 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/stories-of-h-p-lovecraft/ Rating: 5/5 S. Joshi (ed.), The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories (Penguin Classics, 1999). I just finished The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories containing stories of H. P. Lovecraft edited by S. T. Joshi. It does not contain the entirety of Lovecraft’s stories, but it apparently includes the major ones (18 in total). Lovecraft wrote “weird” fiction (horror, supernatural) in the early 20th century, but he wrote primarily in a 19th century style. /posts/neuromancer-by-william-gibson/ Thu, 07 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/neuromancer-by-william-gibson/ Rating: 2/5 William Gibson, Neuromancer (Ace, 1984). I’ve always been a fan of the “cyberpunk” mythos, but I have just never gotten around to reading the archetypal book that really started it all, Neuromancer. I finally did. It’s a pretty quick read (250ish pages in the Ace special edition). It’s written in a gritty, old-school detective type of style. The dialogue alternates back and forth at lightning speed and requires that you actually pay attention if you want to follow it all. /posts/otherland-tetralogy-by-tad-williams/ Mon, 04 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/otherland-tetralogy-by-tad-williams/ Rating: 5/5 Tad Williams, Otherland (4 vols: City of Golden Shadow, River of Blue Fire, Mountain of Black Glass, and Sea of Silver Light) (DAW, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001). An oldie but goodie. Published between 1994 and 2001, Otherland is a massive novel (3000ish pages across 4 volumes). It’s not a series. It really is one large story split up for reasons of practicality across multiple volumes. When I first started it and saw how long it was, I was not sure if Williams would be able to keep the pacing up and keep me interested over so many pages. /posts/revelation-space-trilogy-by-alastair-reynolds/ Wed, 31 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/revelation-space-trilogy-by-alastair-reynolds/ Rating: 4/5 Alastair Reynolds, Revelation Space (Ace/Berkeley Pub., 2000). ———, Redemption Ark (Gollancz, c.2002). ———, Absolution Gap (Gollancz, 2003). I recently finished the Revelation Space trilogy by Alistair Reynolds. The other books are Redemption Ark and Absolution Gap. I have to say, I really enjoyed the books. They did not, however, reach the level of “classic” for me. “Classic” to me means a book I will read multiple times, every year or so. /posts/the-prefect-by-alastair-reynolds/ Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/the-prefect-by-alastair-reynolds/ Rating: 4/5 Alastair Reynolds, The Prefect (Gollancz, 2008). Well I’m on a bit of an Alastair Reynolds kick at the moment. Like music, when I find something I like, I tend to try to listen to/read everything that person did to get the whole picture. Sometimes I am disappointed and stay focused on a few specific works, but so far, Alastair is not disappointing. There is a certain “groundedness” to his scientific approach (as fantastic as he can get) and I recently learned why. /posts/the-six-directions-of-space-by-alastair-reynolds/ Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/the-six-directions-of-space-by-alastair-reynolds/ Rating: 4/5 Alastair Reynolds, The Six Directions of Space (Subterranean Press, 2008). There is a special art to writing a short story, a particular balance you have to maintain between giving the reader too much information about topics you’ll never have room to fully explore, and making sure they have enough to get the sense of a much larger world and story. Character development can be particularly tricky. I just finished the novella “The Six Directions of Space” by Alastair Reynolds, and I have to say I was very satisfied. /posts/house-of-suns-by-alastair-reynolds/ Sun, 31 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/house-of-suns-by-alastair-reynolds/ Rating: 4/5 Alastair Reynolds, House of Suns (Gollancz, 2009). I just finished the book House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds over the weekend. If you enjoy sci-fi, then I heartily recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and found I just could not put it down. It’s a mildly dense read (I dunno, 12 hours if you went straight through?) and it is not for children. There is coarse language and sexual subject matter. /posts/the-lost-symbol-by-dan-brown/ Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/the-lost-symbol-by-dan-brown/ Rating: 1/5 Dan Brown, The Lost Symbol (Random House, 2009). After reading Digital Fortress (which I thought was an awful book) I swore I’d never read any more Dan Brown. That said, his latest book, The Lost Symbol, ended up on my desk, and I was more than a little tired of looking at my thesis. Since it didn’t cost me anything but a few hours (give yourself 6–8), I decided to give it a go. /posts/jennifer-government-by-max-barry/ Thu, 31 Aug 2006 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/jennifer-government-by-max-barry/ Rating: 3/5 Max Barry, Jennifer Government (Vintage, 2004). This is a futuristic look at a fully capitalistic world where citizens are truly defined by what they do. It’s part political commentary and part crime thriller. It’s well written with well defined characters and some interesting ideas. I will warn you, however, that Max’s characters have no qualms about swearing and some quite profusely so you have been warned. If you enjoy crime fiction, and especially if you like a little political satire thrown in, then I recommend this book. /posts/luigi-pirandello/ Thu, 16 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/luigi-pirandello/ Rating: 5/5 I have just finished 2 courses in Italian literature and theatre and wanted to share my most recent discoveries. Luigi Pirandello (1867–1936) was born in Sicily and wrote short stories, novels and plays. His works are very available in translation and I was truly surprised that I had never encountered his work in any of my past English courses. First, his plays. The two I most recommend are Cosí è (se vi pare) [Right you are (If you think you are)] and Sei personaggi in cerca d’autore [Six characters in search of an author].