Grumpy Scottish late career librarian living in Dublin and working in Further Education. Open scholarship enthusiast. Shill for Big Library. Power-hungry gatekeeper. King of infinite space. He/him/his. I read a lot. I "like" (some) sport, politics, walking and my family. Happy to be here and eager to see what happens next ...with everything.
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When Daniel Blackland was six, he ingested his first bone fragment, a bit of kraken spine plucked out of the …
When Daniel Blackland was six, he ingested his first bone fragment, a bit of kraken …
Every year, on my summer holiday, I read a lot of books; there are days where I do nothing but read. Reading so many books in such a short space of time, you get a real feel for author styles and ability to turn a phrase. Therefore I might have enjoyed this more if I'd read it more in isolation, but it suffered by being read immediately after the Connolly and Kadrey books. There's nothing particularly wrong with it, but it doesn't stand it out. It chugs along at a decent pace but is all a bit meh - doesn't transcend its tropes.
A lone astronaut must save the earth from disaster in this incredible new science-based thriller from the Sunday Times bestselling …
A lone astronaut must save the earth from disaster in this incredible new science-based thriller …
The hype over The Martian passed me by. If it hadn't, then I wouldn't have read this. Having read this, I shan't be reading any other Andy Weir books in the immediate future. There is the kernel of a good book in here, but it's ruined - for me - by firstly, excessive attention to detail. It's the textual equivalent of one of those less interesting Star Trek TNG episodes where the crew encounter a Problem which is eventually solved by the appliance of science. Sadly, the Enterprise crew were far more engaging than the underdeveloped protagonist here who is merely seems a frame on which to hang calculations. Secondly, Weir's problem solving is at his strongest when examining physical & engineering problems, but the biological nature of the Problem I found a bit silly. Thirdly and this is a problem that extends to a lot of science fiction, Weir's …
The hype over The Martian passed me by. If it hadn't, then I wouldn't have read this. Having read this, I shan't be reading any other Andy Weir books in the immediate future. There is the kernel of a good book in here, but it's ruined - for me - by firstly, excessive attention to detail. It's the textual equivalent of one of those less interesting Star Trek TNG episodes where the crew encounter a Problem which is eventually solved by the appliance of science. Sadly, the Enterprise crew were far more engaging than the underdeveloped protagonist here who is merely seems a frame on which to hang calculations. Secondly, Weir's problem solving is at his strongest when examining physical & engineering problems, but the biological nature of the Problem I found a bit silly. Thirdly and this is a problem that extends to a lot of science fiction, Weir's aliens are not particularly alien and the shared techbro sense of humour is risible. Not my cup of tea, but I can appreciate how other readers might find this very enjoyable.
James Stark has met his share of demons and angels, on earth and beyond. Now, he's come face to face …
James Stark has met his share of demons and angels, on earth and beyond. Now, …
To me the Sandman Slim was slow to get going, but Kadrey effectively ramped up the existential/ontological threats. They reached their peak in the previous instalment and here we have a ...reduced Sandman Slim who's no more than a glorified private eye. However, his first case is to find who's responsible for murdering Death, so there's still a while to go before his cases involve missing heirs and blackmailed businessmen Kadrey still pulls it off, largely because of the supporting cast, but one gets the sense that the series is running out of steam. Miles better than Harry Dresden, but.
As a wealthy few gather to bid on a predator capable of destroying all life …
Harry Connolly, and the Twenty Palaces series merit wider recognition; the series being among the best of that particular flavour of urban fantasy. Good world-building, excellent pacing (more so the series than this entry), warts and all characters and a memorable, mind-fucking big bad here. What's not to like? Perhaps a little too long, but a cut above most of its rivals.
As a wealthy few gather to bid on a predator capable of destroying all life on earth, the sorcerers of …
When last seen, the singularly inept wizard Rincewind had fallen off the edge of the …
A very long time ago I was given the loan of five Terry Pratchett books by an acquaintance (now running a lab at the University of Manchester where they investigate protein synthesis). I made the mistake of reading three, one after the other and was unable to read another Pratchett for over 30 years. He was a great writer and a decent human being by all accounts, but I just find him far too whimsical (when I hear the likes of "Cohen the barbarian" I reach for my sick bag). Sourcery's fine: if you like this sort of book, this is the sort of book you'll like. Otherwise, meh and I'll be able to read the next one in a year's time maybe.
Terry Pratchett: Sourcery : (Discworld Novel 5) (2009, Transworld Publishers Limited)
When last seen, the singularly inept wizard Rincewind had fallen off the edge of the world. Now magically, he's turned …
Andrew Yancy, late of the Miami Police, soon-to-be-late of the Key West Police, has a human arm in his freezer. …
This is an utterly charming story about twelve families and their tightly knit street in 1950s Maryhill. Following the end …
He may not have a TARDIS or an X-Wing Fighter, but Bob Fischer is boldly going where, um, lots of …
