1 to 9 of 9
Review Date: 11/12/2013
An entertaining collection of stories inspired by Armor by John Steakley and Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers. Adams has picked some of the best writers in the world and given us a glimpse of their genius. This is a rollercoaster ride that seems only to go up and up. I hope there's another one right around the corner.
Review Date: 11/26/2009
Helpful Score: 4
One of his best works to date, a tour de force look at the world first introduced in Snow Crash with a leap one hundred years ahead. With humanity's basic needs of food, water, and shelter all taken care of by the near miraculous manipulated world made possible by nanotechnology, Stephenson shows us a world were the concepts of culture, morality, and family are even more important and evolving (and devolving)than ever. Thomas Friedman is wrong, not only isn't the world flat, it's as hard as diamond. In such a world, heroes and heroines come from the most unlikely places.
Review Date: 11/24/2009
Helpful Score: 2
"Jacob Burn: pilot, criminal and disgraced son of one of the founding families of the ancient city of Veridon.
When an old friend delivers to him a strange artifact, Jacob's world crashes down around him as he runs not only from the law but also from those who were once friends. But even as the array of machines and strange creatures stalk him through the streets of Veridon, something even more sinister and dangerous makes its move against him, an entity that will make Jacob question everything he thought he knew about himself and the city."
That's the blurb from the back, a decent Steampunk yarn that reminded me quite a bit of Whitechapel Gods (although that's a better read). The action is non-stop, more like the Transporter movies in literary form. The only drawback to this book was the tantalizing hints of the world where Cog is located without enough development outside the city- here's hoping for a sequel and a trip down the river.
When an old friend delivers to him a strange artifact, Jacob's world crashes down around him as he runs not only from the law but also from those who were once friends. But even as the array of machines and strange creatures stalk him through the streets of Veridon, something even more sinister and dangerous makes its move against him, an entity that will make Jacob question everything he thought he knew about himself and the city."
That's the blurb from the back, a decent Steampunk yarn that reminded me quite a bit of Whitechapel Gods (although that's a better read). The action is non-stop, more like the Transporter movies in literary form. The only drawback to this book was the tantalizing hints of the world where Cog is located without enough development outside the city- here's hoping for a sequel and a trip down the river.
Review Date: 1/26/2010
Walter Jon Williams is a fantastic author, so I forgive him for this 'Dread'ful waste of toilet paper by having ink printed on it needlessly before use. Skip this, and go read some of his classics, you'll be glad you did.
Review Date: 12/3/2009
This is one of the all-time classics of time travel, Hogan pulls out all the stops with some of history's greats as his cast. If you ever wondered what would have happened if the Nazis won WWII and America stood alone, this will give you some chilling answers. What would you do to change the outcome- would you sacrifice your family, friends, and the whole world you know to get the chance for a 'do-over'?
Review Date: 12/1/2009
Clemens crafted an incredible and unique fantasy world with an interesting and mysterious backstory that is a great take on the 'gods' and their powers and how they manifest on the mortal plane of existence. Well worth the read.
Review Date: 12/23/2009
An entertaining prequel to 'Startide Rising' and the 'Uplift War'. If you've read those books, two of the greatest sci-fi novels in the last 3 decades, this will be an enjoyable piece of background. And if you haven't read those two novels, this is the perfect place to start the exploration of David Brin's amazing universe. As the title indicates, this novel focuses on mankind's first ship to sail inside the sun itself but that is just the beginning.
Review Date: 11/26/2009
The Uplift War and Startide Rising take place simultaneously but at different locations in the galaxy and so should be read back-to-back or even at the same time alternating the internal chronology from one book to the next (I've done both). This pair of novels ranks as some of the greatest modern science fiction ever written. The characters are placed in impossible situations, massive space battles, a melange of cultures and alien races, centered around a mystery wrapped in an enigma and accompanied by some of the corniest yet most hilarious puns and double entendres to be found. Would you like to engage in a gorilla war in the jungle anyone?
Review Date: 1/25/2010
This is one of the classics of cyberpunk/future punk (along with Hardwired), a tour de force effort that never grows old. After 2 decades, it's still fresh and furious in its scope and action, and not dated at all. It's a quick read, but well worth the brief investment of your time. The parallels to our current times are startling (instead of 'Blackwater/Xe', think 'Coherent Light') and fascinating.
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