Wednesday 30 August 2017

Spirey and the Queen by Alastair Reynolds

I really don't know about this one.

Part of it was interesting in how war is fought in space but then there was this existential exploration of machines developing sentience.

I don't know it's as if Reynolds did not know what to do with this story and it tried to be two things at once.

Who knows.  Maybe it's brilliant.  Maybe I am not.

Alastair Reynolds website - http://www.alastairreynolds.com/


Alastair Reynolds

Monday 28 August 2017

Lost Beneath The Ice by Andrew Cohen - Book Report #197

The thing I like about coffee table books is how they have the power to pique my interest in a subject.

The exploration of the Canadian north and the North West Passage has caused no end of calamity.  Most famous is the Franklin expedition and its disappearance.

In 1850 Captain Robert McClure of the HMS Investigator is sent to find Franklin.  He was unsuccessful in that task but discovered the elusive North West Passage in the process.

But it wasn't as easy as all that.  The ship and crew found themselves trapped in the ice and were forced to winter in Mercy Bay of Banks Island - for three years.

The book was published by Parks Canada and tells two stories; the historical tale of the dire trip of the Investigator and the modern search for the wreck of the ship.

I enjoyed this book very much -  it has expanded my knowledge of Canadian northern history and my desire to learn more.

Andrew Cohen - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Cohen_(journalist)

Andrew Cohen



Wednesday 23 August 2017

Swanwatch by Yoon Ha Lee


This was a strange little piece that I really did not get.

People, who could be criminals or dissidents are sent to these ships, or maybe it's a space station, with the understanding that they will eventually kill themselves by flying a ship into a black hole.

But, while waiting for the ultimate day, they are free to pursue their passions, be it art or music or something else.

Honestly, I did not get this story as it blew right over me.

As always, I feel the weak link in the story was me.  For whatever reason I did not connect with it.  The writing was lovely but the characters did not jump off the page and into my brain here.

Yoon Ha Lee's website - http://www.yoonhalee.com/

Yoon Ha Lee

Monday 21 August 2017

Infomocracy by Malka Older - Book Report #196

The future of politics and elections have evolved.

The people of Earth are no longer represented by elections within their own countries.  Countries as we know them today no longer exist, instead most of the world is divided into ridings of 100,000 people and an independent government is formed to represent them.

The whole planet has one election day to elect all these tiny districts.  It is a giant mess but it is supposed to be a purer way of working with democracy. 

All if this depends on a working and independent internet.  Tasked with keeping the election fair and legal is the corporation that succeeded Google, called Information.

But since this is a book about political elections shenanigans ensue.

The book was well written and I was thankful the author blended the exposition into the narrative of the story.

Sadly, it did not work for me simply because of the subject - politics.  The very thing that I love in fiction are stories about people being people; flawed and self-serving.  It is exactly that quality in humanity that depressed me in this book.

The new system of elections was created to eliminate corruption.  But guess what?  Somebody always finds a way to game the system.  It's one of these stories that made me feel like there is no hope for the future to be much better than today.

If you've ever wondered if there is a better way to govern this book will serve very well as a thought experiment.

I recommend the book even though it was not MY cup of tea.

Malka Older - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malka_Older

Malka Older



Wednesday 16 August 2017

Warship by George R. R. Martin and George Guthridge

This was a quick six page story where, after a successful attack mission, the warship Alecto's crew succumb to an alien virus.

Lone survivor, First Dutyman Lewis Akklar, prepares for an act of self-sacrifice to protect the people of Earth.

There is also a nice twist ending here which gave the story some depth.

I liked it.

George R R Martin's website - http://www.georgerrmartin.com/

George Guthridge - http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?George_Guthridge

George R R Martin

George Guthridge

Monday 14 August 2017

The Colour Of Canada by Roy MacGregor - Book Report #195

I don't usually review coffee table books.  Perhaps it's the size of them but they don't lend themselves to casual reading.  I made the effort with this one and I found that I was taken by MacGregor's quiet undercurrent of love of this country.

This was published to celebrate Canada sesquicentennial (such a fun word to say) the images within are as spectacular as the country.

Through MacGregor's prose I learned to see the red canoe in a completely different way.

Roy MacGregor

Wednesday 9 August 2017

Twilight of the Gods by John C. Wright

This was another cool story that played with an SF trope.

This time it is a multi-generational ark ship.

What if something happens to the ark en route to it's destination?  Here they are attacked and boarded.

Now think of this; the raid is not entirely successful and some of the inhabitants of the ark manage to escape and hide away for a generation.  It's an unbelievably large ship by the way.

Cut off from the technology of the ship, the events of the past fall into legend and the remaining people revert to a medieval society.

I loved how it read like a high fantasy story while being fully aware that the characters are in a ship in space.

It was a nice blending of the two genres.

John C Wright's websited - http://www.scifiwright.com/

John C. Wright


Monday 7 August 2017

Bill Bryson's African Diary by Bill Bryson - Book Report #194

This is a lovely little 50-page book where all the proceeds go to support the Care charity.

CARE invited Bill Bryson to visit Kenya to see what life is like there and how the charity is working to help the people.

I was expecting that it would be dominated by the gloom of deep poverty and it was certainly described.  But then there is the effervescent personality of Bryson himself that can't help but see the quirks of humanity and the good that is all around.

I was happy that he wrote the book in the manner that has won him his dedicated audience.  It is a charming thing to follow a middle-aged and bewildered white guy into a wholly alien situation.

His intelligence, compassion and eye for the humanity of a given situation make this a book to search for and buy.

Recommended.

Bill Bryson's Wiki page - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Bryson

CARE website - http://care.ca/

Bill Bryson

Wednesday 2 August 2017

Different Day by K. Tempest Bradford

A three page story that broke with the SF trope of alien races being depicted as one culture occupying a whole planet.

What if?  And I love stories that ask this question.  What if an alien race makes first contact with us on Earth?  Who says it will be in the United States?

Then another race, from the same planet also arrives to make contact, but they are from a different country?

Race and political questions come to play in this very well thought out little tale.

I loved how it just blew apart the conventions of SF always being focused on the United States.

Nicely done.

K. Tempest Bradford's website - http://tempest.fluidartist.com/


K. Tempest Bradford