7th September, 2007
In Brief
I’ve been remiss, again, with my posting. What can I say? At least I’m consistent. I’ve plowed through quite a few books since my last posting, none of them particularly good or bad, so I’m grouping them together, here, for simplicity’s sake.
Glasshouse by Charles Stross.
Not as good as Accelerando, but decent. Gives some interesting ideas on the meaning of “self”. Another book that revolves around the idea of backing up/restoring your brain to/from solid-state media. (3.5/5)
Blindsight by Peter Watts.
Watts again creates a group of social misfits, this time in charge of making first contact with an alien object instead of toiling at the bottom of the ocean. Somewhat related to the plot of Glasshouse, it delves into ideas of self-awareness and its evolutionary cost. (4/5).
As an aside, I also polished off Watts’ Rifters Trilogy which began with Starfish. I’m giving the rest of the series a mixed review. Maelstrom, the second book, while not as good as Starfish, was still quite readable and expanded on Watt’s vision of the surface world (3.5/5). However, in the Behemoth books which close out the trilogy, Watts pulls a Goodkind and the story takes a gruesomely sadistic turn. Not for the faint of heart. (2/5).
Ill Wind by Rachel Caine.
Popcorn for the eyes. More easy reading suitable for a lazy weekend. Present day alternate reality where people known as Weather Wardens control the elements. The first book in a series, it’s too bad summer is coming to a close; something to curl up with under a tree on a sunny day. (3.5/5)
Elantris by Brandon Sanderson.
A stand-alone fantasy book? That’s crazy talk. The story starts out slow, but soon sweeps you up and carries you into a fairly decent ending. Elantrans: people with almost god-like powers who suddenly become powerless and undead. Not half bad. (3.5/5)
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