Dutchman living in Sweden, retired hacker, author, software architect.
This link opens in a pop-up window
Handlingen utspelar sig under de sista tio dagarna av år 1946. Kriget är över och …
I know this is book is regarded highly in Dutch literary circles, but I found it utterly boring. Boring and full of unlikable and cruel characters. That probably is the point of the book, but it just did not touch me.
Uppföljaren till förra årets vinnare av Årets bästa svenska deckare »Så här är deckare när de är som bäst: spännande …
Efter en räcka framgångsrika spänningsromaner startar Kristina Ohlsson med ”Stormvakt” en ny deckarserie om den …
A nice read. The prose isn't brilliant, and some of the events feel a bit forced and construed, but the descriptions of the locations evoke a desire for Sweden's west coast, and the murder mystery is delightfully revealed as the book progresses. All in all, believable and engaging, loved it.
Efter en räcka framgångsrika spänningsromaner startar Kristina Ohlsson med ”Stormvakt” en ny deckarserie om den stillsamme före detta finansmannen August …
This classic from 1940 explores a concept that has been an inspiration for many more modern movies: what if you were forced to tell the truth, hold nothing back, reveal your deepest inner secrets? Combine that premise with a totalitarian state and you have Kallocain by Karin Boye.
The tension builds right from the start and doesn’t let off. Through the protagonist, an altogether horrible man, the reader gets an increasingly worrying picture of this dystopian world. Despite the protagonist’s faults, the author has managed to portray the man such that it is easy to find sympathy for his plight, making one stick around for the transformational journey he undergoes.
We know right from the start that the protagonist is in jail, but why or where is left open, adding to the suspense. At every chapter, one wonders whether that is the chapter where the protagonist makes his fatal mistake …
This classic from 1940 explores a concept that has been an inspiration for many more modern movies: what if you were forced to tell the truth, hold nothing back, reveal your deepest inner secrets? Combine that premise with a totalitarian state and you have Kallocain by Karin Boye.
The tension builds right from the start and doesn’t let off. Through the protagonist, an altogether horrible man, the reader gets an increasingly worrying picture of this dystopian world. Despite the protagonist’s faults, the author has managed to portray the man such that it is easy to find sympathy for his plight, making one stick around for the transformational journey he undergoes.
We know right from the start that the protagonist is in jail, but why or where is left open, adding to the suspense. At every chapter, one wonders whether that is the chapter where the protagonist makes his fatal mistake and is apprehended by the officials of the world state.
All together a very good read indeed.
”Vem vågar skilja på dikt och verklighet i ett universum så stort och mystiskt som …
A great collection of short stories. Normally I would say, every collection has a few good ones and a few disappointing ones, but this was good from start to finish. Some of the stories were quite thought-provoking, some were dark and disturbing, some were exciting and thrilling. I wonder if they will ever plan an English translation, the world deserves to read these stories.
Det är tidigt 2100-tal. Konflikter, global uppvärmning och ekonomiska kriser avlöser varandra, men när det …
In my quest to learn Swedish, I am seeking out sci-fi written in the Swedish language. Following a trail from the excellent short story collection Malmö 2048, I came upon this novel. At first it was a bit disappointing. The pace was slow to start with, and the narrative all over the place. But as things progressed, the book grew on me and in the second half the characters really come alive and the story picks up in earnest with the exploration of the titular nomad planet, to the point where I had a hard time putting the book down.
This short story explores the dangers of believing in things that are not real, and the lengths to which religious people will go to enforce their worldview on others, and to cause suffering while doing so. Well written with a main character you'll love to hate right from the start.
I en nära framtid vaknar Kattarina Krasznapolski upp efter fyra år i en läkemedelsframkallad fantasi …
Well written and exciting book, following an amnesiac doctor as she unravels the threads of her past.
"Svart himmel, jag söker mig ut i mörkret och blir bytesdjur igen, adrenalindriven, jag är …
Boy, this is a depressing book. Poignant, though, as well, as it describes the inevitable future of humanity. Or rather, it is, like many good sci-fi, a critique of today's society.
It's long, a tad bit too long perhaps, and ostensibly not much is really happening. We spend most of our time inside the protagonists head, follow his thoughts as he navigates a bleak world.
I found the book quite insightful.
Det råder sedan länge fred i hela den kända världen. Ändå hemsöks Federationens generalsekreterare av …
Usch - as the Swedes say - where to start. The positive: I did enjoy reading this. But, it took a while to get into the book. Everything is very much spelled out right from the start, nothing is hidden between the lines, and the story progresses much like you expect it to. Don't expect a thrill ride, or necessarily a coherent whole, but if you put that aside, it is absolutely a nice light read to wedge in between two heavier set books.
Efter en räcka framgångsrika spänningsromaner startar Kristina Ohlsson med ”Stormvakt” en ny deckarserie om den stillsamme före detta finansmannen August …
A fine piece of epic empire opera, if that’s a thing. I’d call it space opera if it had more space travel. It is said to draw inspiration from the lives of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar, of which this scribe, admi
ttedly, knows not a lot. Equally so, it is clearly inspired by Arkady Martine’s ‘A Memory Called Empire’: political intrigue on a grand scale, interesting characters and a well crafted, believable and compelling back story contrive to make this one fine read that is easily consumable thanks to the solid writing.
It does manage a nod to fluid sexuality, non-binary personalities and same-sex relations. At its core, though, the story is that of the more traditional man-loves-woman, perhaps even going so far as depicting the non-binary and queer characters as cold-hearted side characters at best, plain villains at worst, as is typical for trad-published books.
It is quite long, …
A fine piece of epic empire opera, if that’s a thing. I’d call it space opera if it had more space travel. It is said to draw inspiration from the lives of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar, of which this scribe, admi
ttedly, knows not a lot. Equally so, it is clearly inspired by Arkady Martine’s ‘A Memory Called Empire’: political intrigue on a grand scale, interesting characters and a well crafted, believable and compelling back story contrive to make this one fine read that is easily consumable thanks to the solid writing.
It does manage a nod to fluid sexuality, non-binary personalities and same-sex relations. At its core, though, the story is that of the more traditional man-loves-woman, perhaps even going so far as depicting the non-binary and queer characters as cold-hearted side characters at best, plain villains at worst, as is typical for trad-published books.
It is quite long, full of gratuitous sex scenes, and there were moments where I wanted things to just move along already. On occasion, the story seemed to want to make a point, about poverty or discrimination for example, but only managed to skirt around the issue at hand.
The cast of characters is extensive, and at times it becomes a chore to figure out where each of them fit in, and how they relate to the other characters. The same goes for some of the intrigue, which is, on occasion, only hinted at without resolving the questions that are raised. Most of it does become clear eventually though, but it may lead to some head scratching in a chapter or two.
A skinny four star rating. There is plenty to enjoy in this book, but claiming to be on par with A Memory Called Empire is a risky proposition and raises the bar to a level that is hard to attain.
Consider Phlebas, first published in 1987, is a space opera novel by Scottish writer Iain M. Banks. It is the …
A modern classic, Boris L. Slocum’s Skiathos has all the hallmarks of classic sci-fi adventure but updated to modern expectations. It is also a story of hope, and of reflection, pitting mankind’s malevolent nature against a universe that is much more benign.
Launched haphazardly onto an alien world, the protagonist, a linguist tasked with replacing the missing lead scientist of the survey mission, takes on the intellectual challenge of understanding their alien benefactors. As she learns, questions about her predecessor turn into suspicion. The planet harbours mysteries she has yet to unravel.
The writing is good and solid, the descriptions vivid. At no point was my suspension of disbelieve challenged. The story develops well, gradually revealing more of the world the well-rounded characters find themselves in and the mysteries that unfold.
