The Kriptonomicon
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The Kriptonomicon, Dont read everything you believe
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Sun, 24 Aug 2008
The Edge Of Reason
By Melinda Snodgrass
Bought in hardback, amoung much fanfare by the likes of Walter Jon Williams and Tor books, in time to go on holiday, I read this on the last day and on the plane back. Frankly, a bit nonplussed. Many people have said that this will poke the atheist and diest alike. Well, maybe, if they're easily offended and stupid. The plot is basic, and the characters only just two dimensional. The ideas floated in the book are simply nonsense, and wouldn't offend any person of faith with more than two brain cells, IMHO.
A moderm world with magic book, it has has the cental concept that Magic is the tool of the Old ones, and reason, the tool of those fighting them. All well and good so far, interesting start with the police officer and the sorceress, but fails to carry it off. Every time I read something like this, it reminds me how well Jim Butcher does the same genre.
Snodgrass (you'd change your name, surely? I mean..) is part of the same writing circle as Williams, which I fear, has something to explain moth books medoicre impact on me.
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
The Yiddish Policemen's Union
By Michael Chabon
Now this is Literature, with a capital L! By far the best book I read on holiday, the use of language is just wonderful - up there with Tolstoy, Susanna Clarke and Gibson in the ranks of authors who use language so cleverly it delights, amazes and amuses. The book is in turns witty, poignant, insightful and suspenseful - I didn't see several of the plot twists coming.
Thw world that Chabon has created is believable and enthralling, as are his characters - not one rings anything but true, and one of them especially, Zimbalist, the boundary maven, is something that Gibson could have created - a character, and role, so believable and yet fantastic that it could only exist in fiction. As Gibson said, 'the street finds its own uses for things'. Although, I have a suspicion that the role may actually exist - I may have to ask my Jewish friends..
Simply fantastic. I'm looking forward to reading more of his work. If not for Tolstoy, by Book Of The Year so far.
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Sat, 23 Aug 2008
Implied Spaces
By Walter Jon Williams
Billed by the author, as a follow on, in spirit to 'Voice Of The Whirlwind', I was hugely looking forward to this. It didn't live up to my expectations, but I think thats as much my expectations as the author's writing. I was expecting a martial arts book, and yes, it features one, but, in no way is this reflected in the plot or affects the actions of the protagonist.
Williams has loads of good ideas - wormhole worlds created as live action rpg's, as fuel sources, as places to put spare populations, massive benign AI's, one of which accompanies the protagonist in avatar form as a cat, a wormhole sword, biomimetic plagues, and so on, it all goes rather space opera towards the end, and blows what little suspension of belief I had..
The author is part of a writing circle, and while the work has no glaring complaints, its not standing out in anyway. Williams fails to being to life the main protagonist, who is damn near immortal, has some funky superpowers, and responsible in part, for the creation of the world as they know it. Frankly, Williams did elements of this better in his 'Aristoi', and Zelany did MUCH better in 'Lord Of Light'.
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
New Amsterdam
By Elizabeth Bear
The second of the lady's works I've read, not counting her short stories, and another worthy title. More polished than 'Dust', I was initiall distracted by the format, finding it a little disjointed, as its a series of stories. Its only when A read it and remarked how authentic it was to the style of the period - think the novellettes of Conan Doyle, that I realised how well it had been put together.
A lot more to be bought by Eizabeth Bear, I think.
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Google Maps Hacks
By Rich Gibson & Schuyler Erle
I actually bought this by mistake, hurredly, before the start of our holiday, thinking it was 'Mapping Hacks', intending to get more to grips with the Garmin eTrex I'd been bought. It was an interesting set of read anyway, although my lack of knowledge of Javascript means I'll get less use our of it than I might otherwise.. I'll be revisiting bits, hopefully soon to integrate the photot's I took with the GPS track I was recording at the same time. You never know, I may have a location based travelogue up at some point!
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
The Last Days of Old Beijing
By Michael Meyer
I bought this because, for some reason, it came up n the new books list on
the book depository, and I remembered his name from the TV tour of China that Paul Merton did..
The book is a documentation of the author's time spent living in the old neighborhoods of Beijing, before they were razed for the Olympics. Its part travel guide, part urban and rural planning, part cultural treatise, part history, part exposition on modern living.
Meyer definitely has an agenda, but you can't fault him - he's lived in the area for years, in the communities, speaking and living the culture. A very interesting read. I bought it as an 'intelligent' even worthy, book to read on holiday, but it never felt like I was slogging through, and it never seemed repetitive - there's always the danger that the description of the third hutong will be the same as the second, but Meyer does a good job avoiding this, and discussion how the communities provide social communities, and showing the benefits without shying away from the detractions. Thought provoking stuff.
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Sun, 03 Aug 2008
The Blade Itself
By Joe Abercrombie
Another recommendation from Whatever's 'Big Idea', this is non-heroic fantasy, quite the antidote to the optimistic highjinks of 'The Name Of The Wind'. Its a nasty, cynical book full of anti-heroes. The main characters are a vain dandy, a psychopath and a torturer. Well written - its 515 pages, but cracks along. I found myself really getting under the skin of the protagonists, and just when you are getting used to how shallow, or amoral they are, the author develops them, and changes your view slightly.
Obviously part of a series, I'm looking forward to the sequels. Some great understated magic, and some potentially fine villains - a ruthless power mad norse style king, a mad wizard who is teaching his followers to eat human flesh to gain magical power, and others. Is the First Of The Magi as benevolent as he appears? Who is The Maker, and why did the Magi have to destroy him?
The second book, "Before They are Hanged : Book Two of the First Law" is already out in paperback, and the third is coming out soon. I'll have to interleave them with other books, because the cynicism and bloodshed can be a little wearing, but some good reading set for the future, I feel!
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
My Name Is Legend - the film
A and I saw this last night on DVD. Its a better retelling than 'The Omega Man', but hollywood couldn't leave it alone - semi happy ending, and what's with all this 'god told me' rubbish? Quite offensive to the spirit of the book, I felt, which was all rationalism. Some good acting by Will Smith, though. Some plot holes you could drive a bus through, but no more so than in the original novel.
Posted at: [] permanent link
The Winters Tale
Another live outdoor shakespeare performance. This time, it rather broke the mold as the weather was lovely. As it was in Kings, it was fairly well attended - perhaps 50 people all told? Still not a great audience for the price and experience but more respectable than others we've seen.
The performance was OK - nothing outstanding, but for me it had a lot of nostalgia value, as I studied 'The Winters Tale' at A Level, the closest I've come to proper lit. crit. analysis. There were a few masterfully understated moments, though - at the end, when the faithful widow who has kep the king on the straight and narrow until his wife can be returned to him, is rewarded by the hand in marriage of the faithful assistant, the played this as kind of 'er. great. Thanks, King. I think. Who are you again?' rather than the 'all's well that ends well, with all injuries redressed, as is normal in the comedies.
Posted at: [/live] permanent link