I read across a wide range of genres in both fiction and non-fiction. Reading is the best antidote, I can find, for my ignorance. I have a degree in Library and Information Services and spent too much time working in bookshops. I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got books to read.
I'd heard about this book some time ago and after reading it, I'd have to say that I quite liked it. It begins with a murder and ends with... well, I won't spoil it for you. The language of the book fills the reader's mind with the quaintness of a forgotten time in a forgotten village. It is quite beautiful and charming. The characters, plot, and imagery are worthy of a Samuel Beckett play and the sinister undertones of the central character's plight remain submerged till the very end. This is a strange and beautiful book.
Oryx and Crake is at once an unforgettable love story and a compelling vision of …
A Future Both Wonderous and Terrifying
5 stars
This book sat around in my bookshelf for a couple of years before I finally read it. Wow! Margaret Atwood manages to pack so much into one book. She questions everything from defining human, the use of technology, money and morals, an end-of-the-world scenario and morality in general. And that’s just the start of it!
Atwood explores all of this through three characters. Jimmy/Snowman is your average slacker. He’s someone who could have done better with their life but somehow never quite got there. Then there’s his best friend and counterpart, the brilliant Crake. Crake is no doubt a genius but, is that an excuse for what seems to be a lack of morals? Finally, there’s Oryx; loved by both of them and quite possibly the only one with any knowledge about the true nature of love.
In non-linear fashion, we jump-cut our way through their personal histories to watch …
This book sat around in my bookshelf for a couple of years before I finally read it. Wow! Margaret Atwood manages to pack so much into one book. She questions everything from defining human, the use of technology, money and morals, an end-of-the-world scenario and morality in general. And that’s just the start of it!
Atwood explores all of this through three characters. Jimmy/Snowman is your average slacker. He’s someone who could have done better with their life but somehow never quite got there. Then there’s his best friend and counterpart, the brilliant Crake. Crake is no doubt a genius but, is that an excuse for what seems to be a lack of morals? Finally, there’s Oryx; loved by both of them and quite possibly the only one with any knowledge about the true nature of love.
In non-linear fashion, we jump-cut our way through their personal histories to watch the tapestry of doom become increasingly sullied by humanity’s social, scientific and environmental atrocities until the fabric rips as a solution is found. One of this book’s strengths is the extrapolation of current human activity to partially form the plot, another is the level of research Atwood must have done in order make some of the ideas plausible and darkly humorous.
‘Oh Snowman, tell us a story’. Well, Margret Atwood did and I loved every bit of it.
Solarpunk is a type of optimistic science fiction that imagines a future founded on renewable …
A Reimagined Future
3 stars
Science fiction often predicts human folly with regards to technology. Solarpunk is different. In this collection of short stories the climactic apocalypse has arrived, the world has changed and today's current hegemonies have dissolved along with the ice caps. This anthology does not harp on how humanity has failed, rather it explores possible solutions despite our current lack of vision. The egalitarian use of technology, reimagined social structures, and the new relationships between humans and nature are commonly explored themes. The strength of storytelling varies from author to author. However, as a collective work, this anthology will provide the reader with much to consider.
Adda and Iridian are newly-minted engineers, but in a solar system wracked by economic collapse …
A Bit of Light Entertainment
3 stars
After reading this book, I had only one question. Was I entertained? Yes, I was. This book is more like a film that plays in your head as you read it. At least that's what was happening in my head. But, I have watched a lot of science fiction in my time. If you're looking for deep and meaningful, then this is not your book. However, if you're after an easy read to satisfy your 'inner space-opera nerd' then you could do a lot worse.
Alastair Reynolds is better known for writing galaxy-spanning space operas. So what's he doing writing a time-travelling, climate-change novel? As it turns out, he's done rather well. One of Reynold's consistencies is that he makes the science in his novels believable; even when he's invented parts of it. We follow the desperate attempts of a group of scientists, engineers and physicians to send people back in time so that a disastrous future might be avoided. The technology is, of course, untested and has already claimed the mind of at least one of the travellers. While this may sound like a stock-standard scenario for a science fiction story, and it does, Reynold's skill as a storyteller elevates it from the mundane. Reynold's narrative jumps between different time periods. He makes use of this to dispense breadcrumbs of information which begin making sense the further the novel progresses. As mentioned earlier, Reynolds …
Alastair Reynolds is better known for writing galaxy-spanning space operas. So what's he doing writing a time-travelling, climate-change novel? As it turns out, he's done rather well. One of Reynold's consistencies is that he makes the science in his novels believable; even when he's invented parts of it. We follow the desperate attempts of a group of scientists, engineers and physicians to send people back in time so that a disastrous future might be avoided. The technology is, of course, untested and has already claimed the mind of at least one of the travellers. While this may sound like a stock-standard scenario for a science fiction story, and it does, Reynold's skill as a storyteller elevates it from the mundane. Reynold's narrative jumps between different time periods. He makes use of this to dispense breadcrumbs of information which begin making sense the further the novel progresses. As mentioned earlier, Reynolds makes the science believable. His ideas regarding time travel and the possible outcomes are no exception. Reynolds keeps the story's pace up by telling it through the eyes of his protagonist, Valentina Lidova. As events begin changing in across time periods, Valentina begins to ask questions. My only complaint is that I wish the book had been longer but, only because I was enjoying the ride and did not want it to finish. If you're a fan of Alastair Reynolds, I'm sure you'll like this one. And if you've not read any Reynolds, Permafrost isn't a bad place to start.
When four classmates from a small Massachusetts college move to New York to make their …
Something That's Not For Everyone.
3 stars
I can't say that this book grabbed right from the beginning. In fact, I had to get through the first two-hundred pages before I could really engage with any of the characters. Even then I could only read a few sections in one sitting before having to put the book down and pick it up the following day. I can understand if this book is considered slow and dull. It is not a novel that is bursting with joy. There were times when I considered abandoning this one. That being said, there are moments of beauty and tenderness in the writing that for me, made the effort worthwhile.
It had me hooked. This is a wonderful piece of non-fiction that chronicles the development of the Paris Left-Bank intellectuals. The author explains how the second world war was a prime influence in shaping the minds and attitudes of Parisians and how, in the time after the war, the intellectuals and artists influenced the public and government through publications, demonstrations and debate. All this is played out on the world's political, artistic and intellectual stage. The author's style draws the reader in as she uses source material to extrapolate the personal and emotional events of her subjects. This is an accessible history of a fascinating time.
An imaginative, feminist, and brilliantly relevant-to-today retelling of Orwell’s 1984, from the point of view …
Welcome Back to 1984
4 stars
Welcome back to 1984. Newman does a wonderful job of taking the reader back to the world Orwell created. However, this time it's through the eyes of Julia Worthing. We see more of the political history of Airstrip One and gain insight into the life of a female member of the outer party. In doing so, the reader is shown a broader view of the horrors of Big Brother's dystopian society. However, there are also small pockets of hope. The novel remains true to Orwell's world and stays on track by the use of Ingsoc and the inclusion of key plot points from 1984. If you're keen on dystopian fiction then add this one to your reading list.
Somewhere between Douglas Adams and Harry Harrison, there is Yoss. If you're a fan of either author then you'll most likely enjoy a romp across the galaxy with this Cuban science-fiction writer. The author's style is entertaining and irreverent. Narrated through the eyes of the central character, we experience the world of interspecies galactic trade where every first-contact and trade deal is sealed through a sexual pact. The role of the 'Contact Specialist' is part diplomat, part negotiator and sexual explorer. The storey follows the rise of Josué Valdés from the slums of a futuristic, post-apocalypse Cuba to one of humanity's interstellar emissaries. Underneath the calm facade, Valdés is perpetually worried that his past will catch up with him to destroy a life for which he has worked hard, taken risks, and deceived others. However, the fun really starts when the first extragalactic visitors are detected.
I'm Not a Fan of Espionage Novel, But I loved This.
No rating
I will admit that I'm generally not one to read espionage novels. I chose this book because I am a fan of both science fiction and the author's other works. This is an alternate history where elements of Valvepunk are the basis for a spy story set just after the first world war. Just to keep the reader on their toes, Rajaniemi has created a world where the afterlife is real and the departed are in regular contact, via various devices and methods, with the living. Furthermore, the British empire extends into the afterlife; enter Summerland. The Soviets also have a firm presence in the afterlife and British agent Rachel White believes she has a lead on a Soviet mole. I found this novel entertaining, mostly original and interesting enough to get me to the last page. My main criticism is that there were occasions when I thought the characters, …
I will admit that I'm generally not one to read espionage novels. I chose this book because I am a fan of both science fiction and the author's other works. This is an alternate history where elements of Valvepunk are the basis for a spy story set just after the first world war. Just to keep the reader on their toes, Rajaniemi has created a world where the afterlife is real and the departed are in regular contact, via various devices and methods, with the living. Furthermore, the British empire extends into the afterlife; enter Summerland. The Soviets also have a firm presence in the afterlife and British agent Rachel White believes she has a lead on a Soviet mole. I found this novel entertaining, mostly original and interesting enough to get me to the last page. My main criticism is that there were occasions when I thought the characters, their reactions to events and to each other were slightly stereotypical of a 1920's London and, oh so very British. That being said and having read other works by this author, I would consider this the most accessible of his works and a fun read.
