Reviews, Top N lists, and other sundry literary stuff.
Among other recommendations, A Fire Upon the Deep appeared on io9’s “Twenty Science Fiction Novels that Will Change Your Life” post and after Newton’s Wake 1, I thought it would be a chance for that list to redeem itself a little. Though far from life-changing, this story is strong and plays with a number of […]
“What took you so long to pick it up?” I did not believe the hype. Before The Windup Girl, my exposure to Bacigalupi’s work was through two short stories: “The People of Sand and Slag”–which seemed to pop-up everywhere 1 for a while; and then “Yellow Card Man”–which was in the same milieu as this […]
Fogus and I 1 decided that July would be a great month to co-re-read House of Leaves. So that’s what we’re doing. As you can see, my copy has made the rounds a few times. But I’m equipped: one (1) well-worn copy of the novel; one (1) notepad for notes/quotes/@todo items; one (1) Pilot Precise […]
If you happen to be unfamiliar with Haruki Murakami: he writes these delightfully weird, surrealist 1 novels that are somehow simultaneously indecisive yet utterly certain of their subjects. Declaratively ambiguous dreamscapes that are half-hatched out of unimaginable futures. So with that in mind: Kafka on the Shore is like a bizarrely Oedipal Catcher in the […]
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. Excellent. Almost perfect. To all of those that say that this is Heinlein’s best work: I agree, and would go so far as to say “by far”. A few thoughts (in no particular order 1): (1) Chapter twenty-six is probably one of the best single chapters in science fiction […]
Before we begin in earnest, a quote: If much in the world were mystery the limits of that world were not, for it was without measure or bound and there were contained within it creatures more horrible yet and men of other colors and beings which no man has looked upon and yet not alien […]
Rob’s favorite books » Share book reviews and ratings with Rob, and even join a book club on Goodreads. One year, twenty-six books, 10,902 pages. Not including however many dozens of articles and short stories read in Wired, The New Yorker, and online…
In many ways, I’ve started to come to believe that you can’t go wrong with a John Joseph Adams’ collection. Wastelands was incredible, The Living Dead was great, and Federations…? Also very very good. The “dust jacket description” of this anthology pretty much sums it up… It collects a few different modern takes on the […]
SCENE: Samuel R. Delany, sitting at his writing desk, surrounded by books (some on shelves, but most piled on the floor), circa 1973; a man walks into the room. – Delany and the man stare at each other. They both stroke their beards. Delany: “Who are you?” The Man: “Don’t you know? They sent me.” […]
A number of reviews that got posted to Goodreads.com earlier this year but never made it to here: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil; Ficciones; Stranger in a Strange Land; In Persuasion Nation; Plays Well With Others; An Obedient Father; and Theodore Rex We regret this error.