Austin Grossman (twin brother to The Magicians author Lev Grossman) might not have the critical acclaim that his brother does, but his novels are interesting and, in many ways, better than his brother. His first novel, Soon I Will Be Invincible(my review), was a wonderful story of a supervillian. For his new book, the confusingly titled You, Grossman takes us behind the scenes in the history of a video game company. Let’s check out what it’s about.
Category Archives: science fiction
The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord
I loved Karen Lord’s Debut novel Redemption In Indigo(my review). It was an exciting story with a completely different perspective than I usually read. Even though I’m not a huge fantasy fan, her story was different and a lot of fun to read. So, when I heard that her next novel was a science fiction story, I knew I had to read it. The Best of All Possible Worlds met and exceeded my hopes. It’s a thoughtful character driven story about the aftereffects of a genocide. Let’s check it out.
Jumper by Steven Gould
I came to this book the long way around. I first saw the movie Jumper and thought it was an interesting premise, marred by bad execution and a ridiculous final half. Not knowing much about the book, I wasn’t in a rush to read it. But I heard good things about the book (and how it was better than the movie), so I finally tracked it down and read Steven Gould’s Jumper. I’m happy to report that it’s much better than the movie, but still has some issues. Let’s go check it out.
Year Zero by Rob Reid
Science fiction is a wonderful medium for satire. The use of aliens as outsiders to poke fun at our foibles are a wonderful mechanism to satirize our world. Rob Reid tried to do this in his novel, Year Zero. The aliens come in to help poke fun at music piracy and its punishments. But Reid’s novel just doesn’t work. His aliens are silly and the premise is weak. It’s a decent idea with very flawed execution and I just couldn’t finish it. Let’s check it out.
Great North Road by Peter Hamilton
I’m not a huge Peter Hamilton fan. I’ve enjoyed some of his books, but they always seem like the editor lost the battle about trimming the book down. His latest doorstop, Great North Road, is my favorite type of book, a science fiction mystery book. But, since Peter Hamilton wrote it, we have an almost 1000 page book with a story that spreads over 20+ years and two cities on separate planets. It’s not a bad book, but it’s very slow in places and has storylines and whole chapters that could have been eliminated or severely chopped down without losing anything in the story.
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson re-read
I’ve previously reviewed Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash (previous review) and decided to re-review it now that I’ve re-read it. It’s still one of my favorite books of all time. It’s dated and timeless at the same time and a fun coda to the entire cyberpunk movement. The book kicked Neal Stephenson’s career into the science fiction stratosphere and has continued selling 20+ years later. It’s a classic science fiction novel, so let’s talk about it.
Tuf Voyaging by George RR Martin
George RR Martin is known widely for his fantasy books, especially his Song of Ice and Fire series (Game of Thrones to you HBO fans). But in the 1970s and early 1980s, prior to his work in TV, Martin dabbled in both fantasy and science fiction. From that period comes Tuf Voyaging. The book is a set of linked novellas all featuring the same main character, Haviland Tuf. Tuf is not your typical hero, but usually ends up on the winning side of whatever contest he enters. Let’s check out what Haviland Tuf is up to.
Get Jiro! by Anthony Bourdain, Joel Rose and Langdon Foss
Anthony Bourdain Get Jiro! is the celebrity chef’s latest excursion in his attempt to take over the entertainment world. First he started with his book, then a TV show, then writing for David Simon’s Treme and now, onto the graphic novel world. Aided in his quest is novelist Joel Rose (who also wrote La Pacifica, a graphic novel from DC’s Paradox Press) and artist Langdon Foss (who’s worked in Heavy Metal previously). So, let’s see how it turned out.
Homeland by Cory Doctorow
Cory Doctorow’s newest book, Homeland, is a sequel to his earlier novel Little Brother(my review). It follows the continuing adventures of Marcus (M1k3y) Yallow, accidental thorn in the side of Homeland Security. The book, like all Doctorow books, reads as part YA love story and part technology essay. And, while I love Doctorow’s stories, his essays sometimes overwhelm the story. So, let’s see what’s happened here.
Catching up on Continuum
So far the Syfy in the US has shown 8 episodes of Continuum as of last night. Episode 8, Playtime, was a wonderful turning point for the series (even while the main story of virtually controlled killers was fairly silly). Let’s take a look at what this turning point is and what it means for the long term series. Warning, there are spoilers ahead. If you don’t want spoilers for the events through episode 8, then don’t go forward.