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| 0385333781
| 9780385333788
| 0385333781
| 3.90
| 59,905
| Aug 18, 1952
| Sep 2006
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liked it
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I have enjoyed every Kurt Vonnegut book I read… until now. Player Piano is Vonnegut’s first novel but his other books that I have read are so very goo I have enjoyed every Kurt Vonnegut book I read… until now. Player Piano is Vonnegut’s first novel but his other books that I have read are so very good that I could not help but have high expectations for this one even though it is his debut. It is set in a future where society has been fully mechanized, humanity is fully served by machines resulting in demarcation among the masses who were formerly of the workforce, and a social divide where the managers and engineers are the elites living luxurious happy lives while the rest are bereft of purpose. The narrative mainly features Dr. Paul Proteus a disillusioned engineer who is beginning to feel that something is wrong with society and is disturbed by the meaningless lives of the masses. He eventually decides to do something about it. What I love about Vonnegut’s books are his wonderful idiosyncratic humour, his snappy, witty prose, the eccentric short chapters, and the recurring refrains he uses in his later works. Player Piano is lacking in these beloved features, while it is not mundane or conventional it is oddly turgid and not compelling. This is one of the few of his books that were labeled as science fiction. If I remember correctly (do let me know if I am mistaken) only this book, The Sirens of Titan and Cat's Cradle were published and marketed as sci-fi. While his other works such as Slaughterhouse-Five and Galápagos use sci-fi elements like aliens, time travel, the far future, and such, they are used as satirical props rather than the main focus; and they are much better than Player Piano. The trouble is Player Piano does not work as sci-fi, we are told society is fully mechanized but it is not supported by any kind of vivid world-building that would give us a sense of what this world looks like. Machines are vaguely described in passing as automated but Vonnegut is not interested in describing any machine in any detail, only the resultant ennui they are causing to the people. Consequently, it is difficult to imagine how it would feel to live in this society. Putting aside the sci-fi issue, the narrative suffers from a lack of focus, Vonnegut goes off on so many tangents that it plays hell with the narrative flow. Looking back at my review for Breakfast of Champions he did something similar there too, but the difference is Breakfast of Champions is often hilarious but Player Piano has a much lower quotient of humour. There is also no pacing to speak of, just when things are getting interesting the author goes off on a dull tangent that stops the flow of the plot, after a while, he resumes the story of Paul Proteus, but soon veers away again. I was interested in Paul’s attempt to change his life and what his wife’s reaction will be given that her values are the polar opposite of his. Unfortunately, Vonnegut keeps moving away from this storyline to introduce numerous other characters that I can not keep track of until I stopped caring. Eventually, I just gritted my teeth to plow through the novel and finish it. I should have abandoned it before the halfway point but Vonnegut keeps enticing me with the Paul side of the narrative. I don't want to be overly critical of this book because I am a fan of Kurt Vonnegut, and this book is loved by many. While I have very little appreciation for it I am sure that its finer points must have escaped me. An author of Kurt Vonnegut’s caliber should always have the benefit of the doubt. Suffice to say that I personally cannot recommend this book but if you want to read it you may want to get opposing opinions elsewhere, or simply dive into it. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 02, 2021
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Jul 12, 2021
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Jul 13, 2021
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Paperback
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| 0140031219
| 9780140031218
| 0140031219
| 3.86
| 11,416
| 1968
| Jan 1970
|
really liked it
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"I don't see why seven is a sillier number than eight." Because seven ate nine? No, that is why six is scared of seven or something… Anyway! Chocky is J "I don't see why seven is a sillier number than eight." Because seven ate nine? No, that is why six is scared of seven or something… Anyway! Chocky is John Wyndham’s 1968 novel about a 12-year-old boy, Matthew Gore, who is in telepathic communication with an alien entity (the eponymous Chocky) from a galaxy far far away. At the beginning of the narrative, Matthew and the alien have been in communication for some time and are already arguing like an old married couple. When Matthew starts asking bizarre questions and frequently talks to himself, even having shouting matches with himself, his parents are understandably concerned that he may be permanently tuned in to Radio Ga Ga. So Dad consulted a psychiatrist friend who is very quick to suspect that Matthew’s “condition” is far more interesting than a phase of an imaginary friend. Matthew’s mother, however, is cursed with being a very badly written female character with zero imagination, so she cannot think of anything beyond the idea of the imaginary friend issue and goes on about it ad nauseam. Like a German sausage, she is the wurst. Soon Matthew goes the extra mile to freak out his parents (mum, especially), swimming like a pro, painting amazing pictures etc. Events begin to snowball until the narrative reaches a climax of sorts. I really like John Wyndham upstanding fellow who gave us the t'riffic Triffids ( The Day of the Triffids) , The Chrysalids, The Midwich Cuckoos etc. Classic sf author Brian Aldiss famously labeled Wyndham's work as “Cozy Catastrophe” in that they tend to feature a middle class white protagonist who is not much inconvenienced by the cosmic catastrophe affecting the general populace. He just holes up somewhere nice, smoking his cigars until it is all over. This seems very unfair as the protagonist of The Day of the Triffids, The Chrysalids and his other books don’t really have an easy time of it, barely escaping sci-fi catastrophes with their lives. However, Chocky is surely Wyndham at his coziest. Mildly intriguing things happen but nothing that astounds, while reading the book I sat firmly in my seat without moving anywhere near the edge of it. Still, it is an easy, breezy read and passes the time nicely, it is not his best work, but then you can’t Wyndham all. [image] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Feb 10, 2021
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Feb 12, 2021
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Feb 11, 2021
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Mass Market Paperback
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| 1416505512
| 9781416505518
| 1416505512
| 3.96
| 14,053
| 1955
| Mar 15, 2005
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it was amazing
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“The extradimensional distortions necessary to match places on two planets many light-years apart were not simply a matter of expenditure of enormous
“The extradimensional distortions necessary to match places on two planets many light-years apart were not simply a matter of expenditure of enormous quantities of energy; they were precision problems fussy beyond belief, involving high mathematics and high art-the math was done by machine but the gate operator always had to adjust the last couple of decimal places by prayer and intuition.” I do love Heinlein’s style of tech-talk, sounds great, and seems to make sense with just about the right amount of handwavium. High mathematics and high art FTW! Tunnel in the Sky is one of Heinlein’s popular Juvenile titles, opinions vary concerning his better-known adults titles like Stranger in a Strange Land and Starship Troopers, they are often regarded as classic sci-fi but also feature a high quotient of the author’s trademark didacticism (some of his later books are so didactic they are unreadable for me). His juvenile titles – on the other hand – are generally well-liked and remembered fondly by veteran SF readers, especially as early exposures to sci-fi lit. They tend to be short, entertaining intergalactic adventures, with some thought-provoking ideas behind them if you care to look. Tunnel in the Sky is a fine example of this. [image] Fun cover, no such scene in the book The main “SFnal” conceit of the book is portals between planets, a very common sci-fi/fantasy trope where you step through a door or gateway and is immediately transported to another location far away. Set in an unspecified future age, the Earth is overpopulated and humanity is expanding to colonize other planets via “Ramsbotham gates”. The young protagonist Rod Walker and other students are being sent to a potential colony planet on an “Advanced Survival” test, armed with some basic survival tools. Unfortunately, something goes wrong with the gateway system and the students are stranded. When it becomes apparent that rescue is not imminent and may never come, the students have to band together to survive and, not knowing why they have lost contact with Earth, perhaps the onus is upon them to ensure the continuity of the human race. [image] Rod Walker is supposed to be black, actually Once Walker’s adventure on the unnamed planet starts in earnest the narrative shifts into a tale of survival, and then when Walker meets other students and begin to form a colony the narrative becomes something a little akin to Lord of the Flies (published a year earlier). Then we have the next step of a gradual formation of a society and even a civilization, with a little bit of Heinleinian didacticism but just the right amount to be interesting and not grinding the storytelling to a halt. The sci-fi element – in term of futuristic tech – is mostly absent from the middle section of the book (the biggest chunk), there are some non-sentient alien creatures for the characters to contend with but nothing particularly outlandish. The teleportation portals are just a plot device to place the characters where they need to be. For the most part, the narrative is more concerned with the development of a colony, leadership, society, politics and baby steps towards civilization. The characters are quite well drawn, something Heinlein has over his legendary contemporaries Asimov and Clarke, this and the occasional sparkles in the dialogue. I really like the ending, not a massive surprise but it feels right. For the most part Tunnel in the Sky is more “spec-fic” than sci-fi, but more importantly, it is a very good, engaging, well-paced read with some depth to it. Well worth the time (and money). [image] Quotes: “Why I had one girl who wanted to- never mind; the thing about the griffin is that it does not really have vital organs. Its nervous system is decentralized, even its assimilation system. To kill it quickly you would have to grind it into hamburger. Shooting merely tickles it. “I know how good a gun feels. It makes you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, three meters tall and covered with hair. You're ready for anything and kind of hoping you'll find it. Which is exactly what is dangerous about it-because you aren't anything of the sort. You are a feeble, hairless embryo, remarkably easy to kill. You could carry an assault gun with two thousand meters precision range and isotope charges that will blow up a hill, but you still would not have eyes in the back of your head like a janus bird, nor be able to see in the dark like the Thetis pygmies. Death can cuddle up behind you while you are drawing a bead on something in front.” [image] Black Rod! ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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May 08, 2019
not set
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May 27, 2019
not set
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May 28, 2019
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Paperback
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| 0060741872
| 9780060741877
| 0060741872
| 4.09
| 47,132
| 1959
| Jul 05, 2005
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really liked it
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“The blast and sound wave covered them, submerging all other sound and feeling. Again the kitchenware and glasses and china danced. A delicate vase of
“The blast and sound wave covered them, submerging all other sound and feeling. Again the kitchenware and glasses and china danced. A delicate vase of Viennese crystal crumpled into powder and shards on the mantle. The glass protecting a meticulous and vivid still life, a water color by Lee Adams, shattered in its frame with a loud report.” [image] This book is a classic of the “post-apocalypse” genre, a granddaddy I suppose. First published in 1959, still in print today, with loads of online study guides for perusal. Not too shabby! The most exciting part of Alas, Babylon is the nuclear attack. Don’t worry, this is not a spoiler, it is the whole basis of the book. The attack happens early in the narrative and the rest of the book concerns the post-apocalypse life after this attack. The novel starts off portraying the mundane lives of the residents of Fort Repose, a small town in Florida. If I had not read the synopsis beforehand I would not have known where the book was going and why it is labeled as sci-fi. This becomes clearer as the main characters struggle to adapt to a post-apocalyptic life. Fortunately for them, Fort Repose was not directly nuked and escapes the worst of the radiation; they even have electricity and plumbing for a few days. [image] I like the believable development of the post-civilization hardship. Money becomes worthless, hunting and fishing become necessary, homemade soap, beverages etc. begin to be concocted, even “stand and deliver” highwaymen become a thing again. Some people even find more meaning and fulfillment in their hitherto uneventful lives after the attack. While this book is categorized as science fiction, there is nothing particularly “sci-fi” about it. No futuristic tech, spaceships, extraterrestrials etc. Science is only used for expositions, how radioactivity can seep into objects, the effect of radioactive poisoning, how an irradiated ring affects the skin etc. The details of post-apocalyptic life here are very well thought out by the author. Life would be hell, but good people can persevere, pick up the pieces and slowly rebuild. It is a very interesting read but if you are looking for a “thriller” this ain’t it. It is more of a realistic exploration of life under such dire circumstances. Some of the main characters are fairly well developed but they do not really come alive off the page for me. Authors like Octavia Butler can breathe life into their characters in just a few paragraphs but I don’t think this is Pat Frank’s forte; this makes the narrative a little less compelling for me. Nevertheless, we should all be grateful to Mr. Frank for penning this cautionary tale and hope that enough people take heed of the caution. [image] Notes: • The pastoral post-apocalyptic landscape reminds me of The Long Tomorrow. • John Lennon was much disturbed by this book and it led to his anti-war fervor (thank you Wikipedia!). He must have imagined all sorts of things… Quotes: “Still, there was no sound quite like a siren wailing its air-raid alarm to spur people to constructive action-or paralyze them in fear.” “With the use of the hydrogen bomb, the Christian era was dead, and with it must die the tradition of the Good Samaritan.” “His theory of challenge and response applies not only to nations, but to individuals. Some nations and some people melt in the heat of crisis and come apart like fat in the pan. Others meet the challenge and harden.” “He swam in a sea of money, and when money was transmuted back into paper he was left gasping and confused, and he died.” “Dozens of people killed themselves for the same reason. They created and lived in an environment of paper profits, and when paper returned to paper they had to kill themselves, not realizing that their environment was unnatural and artificial.” “Treasury in Washington, Wall Street, and Federal Reserve banks everywhere, all were now radioactive ash.” “It was strange, she thought, pedaling steadily, that it should require a holocaust to make her own life worth living.” ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 20, 2018
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Sep 04, 2018
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Sep 05, 2018
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Paperback
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| 1434446174
| 9781434446176
| B00DCIKKY8
| 4.16
| 341
| Jan 01, 2013
| Jun 11, 2013
|
really liked it
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Robert Sheckley has long been my favorite humorous sf author, I read him long before I read Douglas Adams’s classic HHGTG. In fact, Adams said this o
Robert Sheckley has long been my favorite humorous sf author, I read him long before I read Douglas Adams’s classic HHGTG. In fact, Adams said this of Sheckley: “I had no idea the competition was so terrifyingly good.” I wanted to buy/read/review Store of the Worlds: The Stories of Robert Sheckley, unfortunately, but the price tag of USD 11.99 is not very competitive compared to most other Kindle books that I have on my TBR. I mean I am sure it’s a great anthology but basically, I’m just too stingy. This being the case, I plumped for this “Megapack” instead, this Kindle edition costs a mere USD 0.99, leaving 11 Dollars for my dinner and such. This inelegantly named Megapack is pretty good value, the stories are mostly very good, the only snag is that all of them are available to read for free in the public domain! (See download link in the "Notes" section). The only advantage for buying the e-book is to have all the stories bundled together as one e-book. There are also fewer humorous ones than I expected, but the “serious” ones are great yarns, woven into a great anthology (see what I did there?). As usual with anthologies I will just do a quick summary of each story; I am sure there are more elegant ways to review an anthology this brute force style is easier. 1. Watchbird: Robo-birds preventing crime before they happen, similar to PKD’s concept for Minority Report, but without psychics. This is a cautionary tale about delegating human responsibilities to machines. It may have been an inspiration for the Robocop movies (first published in 1953). [image] 2. The Status Civilization: This is actually a short novel of about 132 pages. I have reviewed in separately (and long-windedly) here . [image] 3. Ask a Foolish Question: About a gigantic supercomputer, similar to “Deep Thought” from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, this story (from 1953) predates Adams’ classic. It is rather philosophical with some humour, a profundity and satire combo. 4. Cost of Living: A satire about people who settle for stagnant, meaningless jobs while committing to cross generations debts, living far beyond their means. 5. Bad medicine: LOL! This is my favorite story in the entire book. Classic Sheckley, the story of a man who undergoes psychiatric treatment meant for Martian patients, with hilarious results. That last line cracked me up! [image] 6. Diplomatic Immunity: The alien ambassador has to be killed before he recommends his planet’s military to invade Earth. He is very hard to kill and does not even fight back. Clever and amusing little story. 7. Warrior Race: Hilarious suicidal alien warriors. 8. Hour of Battle: About an impending alien invasion. It is not bad but stopped just when getting really interesting. Anyway, it is very short. 9. Keep Your Shape: Transforming aliens with a taboo about keeping to a favored shape. Amusing. 10. Warm: A weird, surreal and existential story. Interesting but not really my cup of tea. 11. Death Wish: Another supercomputer story. It comes up with an interesting solution to a seemingly insoluble problem. Not great, but then it is very short. 12. Beside Still Waters: A nice (non-humorous) story about a man and his faithful robot. It is interesting that the robot is not really sentient or “alive”. This feels like a Clifford D. Simak story. [image] 13. Forever: About an immortality club and an invention that the world may not be ready for. 14. The Leech: Wonderful alien monster story. The monster is mindless, does not go on a rampage but is a serious threat to humanity for all that. 15. One Man's Poison: This story explores that old adage “One man's meat is another man's poison”. It is OK. [image] This Megapack is a very good anthology, but no need to cough up your hard-earned cash for it. Read the individual stories as separate e-books. If you never read Sheckley before you really should, especially Bad medicine, Watchbird and The Leech. Notes: • All of these stories can be downloaded individually from Project Gutenberg’s Robert Sheckley page (FREE). • Most of the stories in Store of the Worlds: The Stories of Robert Sheckley are not in this Megapack, I suspect they are his upper tier stories. Looks like I will have to fork over the $11.99 one day Quotes: “Well, suppose we make the customary arrangement. If you will just sign over your son’s earnings for the first thirty years of his adult life, we can easily arrange credit for you.” “I am not an alcoholic,” Caswell said, with considerable dignity. “The New York Rapid Transit Corporation does not hire alcoholics.” “Oh,” said the clerk, glancing distrustfully at Caswell’s bloodshot eyes. “You seem a little nervous. Perhaps the portable Bendix Anxiety Reducer—” “Anxiety’s not my ticket, either. What have you got for homicidal mania?” “At that moment Anders was as thoroughly out of love as a man could be. Viewing one’s intended as a depersonalized, sexless piece of machinery is not especially conducive to love. But it is quite stimulating, intellectually.” ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 24, 2018
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Aug 18, 2018
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Aug 20, 2018
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Kindle Edition
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| 1434499995
| 9781434499998
| 1434499995
| 3.97
| 3,104
| Jan 01, 1960
| Apr 09, 2007
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it was amazing
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“It was a society which, in the final analysis, stressed individual endeavor. It was a society in which the lawbreaker was king; a society in which cr
“It was a society which, in the final analysis, stressed individual endeavor. It was a society in which the lawbreaker was king; a society in which crimes were not only condoned but were admired and even rewarded; a society in which deviation from the rules was judged solely on its degree of success. And this resulted in the paradox of a criminal society with absolute laws which were meant to be broken.” In The Status Civilization Robert Sheckley turns the idea of society and morality on its head in his world-building for the planet Omega. This is something Sheckley does very well, usually in a humorous manner. In fact Robert Sheckley has long been my favorite sci-fi humorist, alongside Douglas Adams. However, Sheckley’s output tends to be (often brilliantly funny) short stories and The Status Civilization is one of his few novels. If you have never read Robert Sheckley before, I have very good news, many of his short stories, including this very novel being reviewed, are in the public domain, available for download as e-books (and some as audiobooks). Please refer to the links in the “notes” section after the review (TL;DR fans can just skip to the links). [image] The Status Civilization is mostly set on the planet Omega where mind wiped criminals are exiled by the government of Earth (yes, just the one government) to fend for themselves on a habitable planet that Earth wants nothing to do with, just to use as a dumping ground for undesirables. Though the criminals have no memory of their crimes, by their lack of moral fibre they cannot help but revert to their criminal ways. However, in a world exclusively populated by criminals, a crime is not a crime. Will Barrent has no memory of his crime but he is told that he is guilty of murder. This surprises him because, although murder is condoned and rampant on Omega, he feels averse to the idea of killing anyone. Surviving in the Omegan society is going to be very difficult. Omega is not a dystopia and, in spite of being run by criminals, it is not lawless. They just have some very odd laws and code of conduct. In fact, an Omegan psychiatrist recommends that Will Barrent seeks immediate treatment in a sanitarium for the “criminally non-murderous”. While The Status Civilization is less humorous than a typical Robert Sheckley narrative it is still sharply satirical and made me laugh several times. There is also an old-school sci-fi adventure aspect to this book as Barrent finds himself being hunted for sport and even put into a sort of gladiatorial combat against killer robots and monsters. [image] At a mere 132 pages The Status Civilization moves at a brisk pace, Sheckley somehow manages to squeeze in plenty of plot and world building even within the modest page count. Characterization does fall by the wayside a little as Will Barrent generally just drives the narrative along with his adventures, and while the writing is very good, the dialogue tends to be rather stiff, reminding me of Philip K. Dick’s handling of dialogues a little. The Omegan society, with its weird laws, also seems rather unfeasible. None of these things matters as the novel is an entertaining fast-paced read with room for thoughtful satire and reflection. Highly recommended (especially as you can read it for free). Now I have to get back to reading the rest of the The Robert Sheckley Megapack. [image] Notes: • Download The Status Civilization free e-book here, at Project Gutenberg • Free audiobook version at Librivox. • I read The Status Civilization as part of the The Robert Sheckley Megapack which I will review soon. BTW, this Megapack is not free, it's a cheapo Amazon e-book for Kindle (USD 0.99). • Loads of free Sheckley free e-books. Quotes: “At one time he must have had specific memories of birds, trees, friends, family, status, a wife perhaps. Now he could only theorize about them. Once he had been able to say, this is like, or, that reminds me of. Now nothing reminded him of anything, and things were only like themselves.” “Evil is that force within us which inspires men to acts of strength and endurance. The worship of Evil is essentially the worship of oneself, and therefore the only true worship. The self which one worships is the ideal social being; the man content in his niche in society, yet ready to grasp any opportunity for advancement; the man who meets death with dignity, who kills without the demeaning vice of pity. Evil is cruel, since it is a true reflection of the uncaring and insensate universe. Evil is eternal and unchanging, although it comes to us in the many forms of protean life.” “One might well ask,” Uncle Ingemar droned on, “if Evil is the highest attainment of the nature of man, why then did The Black One allow any Good to exist in the universe? The problem of Good has bothered the unenlightened for ages. I will now answer it for you.” [image] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 25, 2018
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Jul 31, 2018
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Aug 01, 2018
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Paperback
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| 1857988094
| 9781857988093
| 1857988094
| 4.06
| 142,620
| Jul 1954
| Jan 21, 1999
|
it was amazing
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“As he entered the silent store, the smell of rotted food filled his nostrils. Quickly he pushed a metal wagon up and down the silent, dust-thick aisl
“As he entered the silent store, the smell of rotted food filled his nostrils. Quickly he pushed a metal wagon up and down the silent, dust-thick aisles, the heavy smell of decay setting his teeth on edge, making him breathe through his mouth.” This book was adapted into a 1964 film called “The Last Man on Earth” (the first of several adaptations). I have not seen the film yet but the title is very apt, if a little on the nose, perhaps. The above quote is an example of the feeling of loneliness that pervades throughout the narrative. Robert Neville, the protagonist, is indeed “The Last Man on Earth” (as far as he knows), the rest of the planet having turned into vampires. Halt! I Am Legend is not a “supernatural romance”, yet it is not a gore-fest vampire carnage novel either. I would describe it as a “sci-fi vampire novel”. The vampires are created by (view spoiler)[a bacterial infection (hide spoiler)]. All the classic vampire lores are either rationalized or debunked by Neville’s research. This rather short novel (about 175 pages) basically depicts Neville’s solitary day-to-day life, from five months after the vampire apocalypse, to three years (skipping a year or two in the timeline). For most of the book, there is no dialogue to speak of, we just follow Neville around, dispatching vampires in the daytime, doing research, locking himself in and getting blotto after sundown, feeling miserable all the time. Is there a point to such an existence? Neville asks himself that from time to time and there is no obvious answer, he is simply not to suicidal type. I Am Legend is a classic of several genres, sci-fi, horror, vampires, and post-apocalypse. I love the scientific rationalization of the classic vampire lore, the need for blood, the aversion to garlic and the cross, the stake through the heart etc. The overtly supernatural lore like transformation into bats and the lack of reflection are dismissed as superstition. Equally interesting is the contemplation of Neville’s existence and the moral issue. In a world full of vampires with only one human being who is the monster really? The narrative is well paced, without a dull moment, but it is by no means an action-packed thriller. Neville is something of an antihero, some of his actions and behavior are quite questionable and even downright reprehensible but the circumstances do make him quite a tragic and sympathetic figure. There are some dramatic plot developments which I certainly will not elaborate on, and an ending which leaves you thinking about the morality of the tale. I Am Legend is, of course, highly recommended. [image] Notes: Talking about the various film adaptations: [image] Four are listed at Wikipedia: • The Last Man on Earth (1964) • The Omega Man (1971) • I Am Legend (2007) • I Am Omega (2007) I have not seen the 1964 adaptation, I have found a copy now so I will get back to you on that! It does star Vincent Price, and the Price is always right! I have seen the Omega Man decades ago, it stars Charlton Heston, pretty entertaining as I recall. The 2007 Will Smith vehicle which actually uses the novel’s title is a total disappointment. In both the Omega Man and the Will Smith movies the vampires are replaced entirely. The 1971 movie replaced them with light-sensitive goth weirdo hipsters, while the 2007 movie replaced them with big eared monsters. The Will Smith is particularly disappointing because it uses the novel’s title then goes off in a predictable, cliché direction. Richard Matheson’s nuanced, thought provoking ending is entirely jettisoned. At least the Heston movie is a hoot. Quotes “ There were five of them in the basement, hiding in various shadowed places. One of them Neville found inside a display freezer. When he saw the man lying there in this enamel coffin, he had to laugh; it seemed such a funny place to hide. Later, he thought of what a humorless world it was when he could find amusement in such a thing.” “After lunch, he went from house to house and used up all his stakes. He had forty-seven stakes.” “Morality, after all, had fallen with society. He was his own ethic.” ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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May 22, 2018
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May 27, 2018
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May 28, 2018
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Paperback
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| 0060541814
| 9780060541811
| 0060541814
| 3.91
| 263,609
| Sep 01, 1969
| Oct 28, 2003
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it was amazing
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“Recent theoretical considerations suggest that sterilization procedures of returning space probes may be inadequate to guarantee sterile reentry to t
“Recent theoretical considerations suggest that sterilization procedures of returning space probes may be inadequate to guarantee sterile reentry to this planet's atmosphere. The consequence of this is the potential introduction of virulent organisms into the present terrestrial ecologic framework.” That quote represents the basic concept of The Andromeda Strain quite well. A more sensational - and rather crude - short description may be “Bacteria from outer space”, but this makes it seems like a low-brow alien invasion sort of story when, in fact, this book is not strictly sci-fi. It was first published in 1969 and set around the time of writing (late ‘60s). This is the book that puts Crichton on the path of blockbusting bestsellerdom. [image] 1971 movie poster The Andromeda Strain is a medical/techno/thriller though it is also sci-fi in the sense that it involves an organism from outer space, not to mention various gadgets that seem to be ahead of their time. The plot is straightforward. A satellite falls near a small town called Piedmont in Arizona, most of the townsfolk immediately die of mysterious causes, and the ones that do not die immediately soon commit suicide in bizarre manners; except an old man and a baby who are strangely unaffected. A secret government’s team of scientists and doctors called “Wild Fire”, assembled for such a contingency, is activated to investigate and prevent any more deaths. The Wild Fire lab is located deep underground with four levels, the deeper the level the more stringent the level of security and sterilization, including an anal probe by robots and such. As you would expect in a thriller, things eventually go south. Will this be the end of the human race? (view spoiler)[No. (hide spoiler)]. As mentioned earlier, this is the book that put Michael Crichton on the map, by the time he published Jurassic Park he is practically his own continent. The Andromeda Strain is very tautly written, thrilling and even educational! Crichton is very good at explaining scientific details without dumping the info in huge, incomprehensible blocks. If you are looking for lyricism and deep character development you had better look elsewhere. For the general reader, this is an immensely readable and gripping little novel. [image] Quotes: “These considerations lead me to believe that the first human interaction with extraterrestrial life will consist of contact with organisms similar to, if not identical to, earth bacteria or viruses. The consequences of such contact are disturbing when one recalls that 3 per cent of all earth bacteria are capable of exerting some deleterious effect upon man.” “Physics was the first of the natural sciences to become fully modern and highly mathematical. Chemistry followed in the wake of physics, but biology, the retarded child, lagged far behind. Even in the time of Newton and Galileo, men knew more about the moon and other heavenly bodies than they did about their own.” “According to Lewis Bornheim, a crisis is a situation in which a previously tolerable set of circumstances is suddenly, by the addition of another factor, rendered wholly intolerable. Whether the additional factor is political, economic, or scientific hardly matters: the death of a national hero, the instability of prices, or a technological discovery can all set events in motion. In this sense, Gladstone was right: all crises are the same.” [image] Unpopular 2008 TV series adaptation ...more |
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May 10, 2018
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May 21, 2018
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May 21, 2018
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Mass Market Paperback
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| 0441061354
| 9780441061358
| 0441061354
| 3.68
| 2,708
| 1955
| 1962
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really liked it
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“A terrible scourge came onto this world. Those of us who survived it have labored and fought and sweat for two generations to recover from it. Now we
“A terrible scourge came onto this world. Those of us who survived it have labored and fought and sweat for two generations to recover from it. Now we’re prosperous and at peace, and nobody wants that scourge to come back. When we find men who seem to carry the seeds of it, we take steps against them, according to our different ways. And some ways are violent.” That quote explains the basic concept of The Long Tomorrow pretty well. This book, published in 1955, is something of a minor classic, it was a Hugo Award nominee in 1956 (did not win). The excellent Jo Walton describes it as an “American pastoral apocalypse” novel. It is quite an interesting setting. The cities have been bombarded to kingdom come by nuclear bombs, but in the aftermath, the US landscape still seems to be in pretty good shape. Outside the cities farms are thriving, food is plentiful (so no Hunger Games) and humanity seems to be in pretty good shape. The year of the narrative’s setting is not indicated, the events take place about “a generation later” which would be 50 to 80 years I suppose. By this time technology is outlawed and viewed as the evil root cause of the apocalypse. [image] The book begins with this quote from “the Thirtieth Amendment”: “No city, no town, no community of more than one thousand people or two hundred buildings to the square mile, shall be built or permitted to exist anywhere in the United States of America.” So people generally live in little towns or villages, controlled by religious sects like the New Mennonite, the New Ishmaelites, and the Amish (not new for some reason). These are the sects that normally have little to do with technology and live out outside cities, so they flourish in this new world. Unfortunately, all the ruling religious sects seem to have a Luddite-like intolerance for technology and scientific knowledge. Early in the book, a man is stoned to death for being from the mythical Bartorstown, where technology is believed to be in use. The narrative is told entirely from the point of view of Len Colter, who is 14 years old at the beginning of the book and probably around 17 or 18 by the end. Len has a thirst for knowledge and runs away from his hometown, together with his cousin Esau, in search of science and a better way of life. [image] The post-apocalypse world of The Long Tomorrow is refreshingly different from the depressing landscape of other books in this genre, like The Road, The Hunger Games etc. I am not sure what Leigh Brackett’s stance on cities, the modern life and technology is. An older character’s description of cities is eloquently unfavorable: “The cities were sucking all the life of the country into themselves and destroying it. Men were no longer individuals, but units in a vast machine, all cut to one pattern, with the same tastes and ideas, the same mass-produced education that did not educate but only pasted a veneer of catchwords over ignorance.” Life in the pastoral communities, on the other hand, is depicted as peaceful, except for the occasional stoning, arson, and hanging of individuals who try to introduce any form of progress. However, later on in the novel one of the wiser characters admit that progress is inevitable, knowledge cannot be destroyed and cities will eventually return. The best that can be hoped for is that humanity will have learned not to go down the same path toward destruction. Besides being a cautionary tale, The Long Tomorrow is also a bildungsroman, charting the protagonist’s growth from a boy who is dissatisfied with the simple pastoral life, to a man who is very much changed by the things he has seen in his travels. The science in the books is rather dated, especially where computers are concerned. Stylistically the early parts of the book remind me of both Mark Twain and Ray Bradbury, especially in the early chapter where Len and his cousin Esau are sneaking about. However, there is a shift to a darker tone in the second half of the book. The ending seems a little abrupt and inconclusive, I am not sure what Len and us, the readers, are supposed to learn from all that has transpired. In any case The Long Tomorrow is an immensely readable, thought-provoking book without a dull moment. I certainly prefer it to the currently popular YA “teens save the world” dystopian fiction. [image] Quotes: “Megalopolis, drowned in its own sewage, choked with its own waste gases, smothered and crushed by its own population.” “Could you give up all the mystery and wonder of the world? Could you never see it, and never want to see it? Could you stop the waiting, hoping eagerness to hear a voice from nowhere, out of a little square box?” “A thing once known always comes back.” ...more |
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1
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Mar 2018
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Mar 06, 2018
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Mar 07, 2018
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Mass Market Paperback
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| 1434103048
| 9781434103048
| 1434103048
| 3.85
| 129
| unknown
| Nov 23, 2010
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it was amazing
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“It only takes one of them. Once the first one gets in it admits the others. Hundreds of them, all alike. You should have seen them. Identical. Like a
“It only takes one of them. Once the first one gets in it admits the others. Hundreds of them, all alike. You should have seen them. Identical. Like ants.” Second Variety was first published in 1953, but halt! Please stay tuned, this oldie is not moldy! Second Variety, like a lot of PKD’s fiction, still holds up well today, which is why they are still being adapted into movies and TV shows. However, stylistically Second Variety is a little different from PKD's more famous works like Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Ubik, and The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch. Nobody uses or even mention hallucinogenic drugs in this story. Having said that, there are some surreal hallucinatory scenes in this story which depict actual events rather than drug-fueled trips. [image] Second Variety is set in a post-apocalypse Earth that has been mostly reduced to ashes by a war between the US and Russia. Conditions are so terrible on Earth that the US government has relocated to the moon to direct the military action from there. The war was going badly for the US until they turned the tide by introducing robots to the warfare. These robots are constantly developed and improved until they reach the point where they are able to repair and improve themselves, and so true AI is born. The primary function, perhaps the only function, of these robots is simply to destroy all human lives they come across, except American human lives. The Americans can be distinguished by a device they carry, a tab that emits a short hard radiation which neutralises the robots. The robots are developed and assembled in underground factories which are, of course, autonomously operated by the robots themselves. They are so effective in the performance of their job that the Russians eventually contact the Americans to discuss terms of surrender. This would have been great news for the US if not for the fact that the robots have become so sophisticated that they are no longer content to operate within the purview of destroying only Russian humans. [image] 50s Art by Ebel I suspect that Second Variety may be the inspiration for the Terminator movies, certainly, it is the best “robot uprising” story I have ever read, far superior to the clumsily written Robopocalypse. It is also a cautionary tale about letting technology go out of control, not to mention the ultimate futility of war. In fact, this would have been a depressing read if it was not so much fun! I was riveted by Second Variety from beginning to end. While it is not wonderfully trippy and mind-bending like Ubik etc. it is furiously paced and has a humdinger of an ending. Better still, Second Variety is in the public domain and can be read online for free or download as e-books (see links below). So, given that it is great, not long (about 60 pages) and free to read, I can heartily recommend it for everybody (except people who dislike sci-fi but then these people don't read my reviews). [image] Notes : • I have not read (or posesss) the entire Second Variety and Other Stories book, sorry. • Download e-book or read online at Project Gutenberg • Free audiobook version also available from Librivox. • Robot uprising is not as ridiculous as you think, see video clip below. [image] You Boston eggheads, stop it! [image] From Optipress [image] [image] [image] (Click on image for full size) ...more |
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1
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Feb 12, 2018
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Feb 13, 2018
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Feb 13, 2018
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Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
| B0DLT7Y781
| 4.01
| 4,256
| Mar 1953
| Apr 10, 2010
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it was amazing
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“It only takes one of them. Once the first one gets in it admits the others. Hundreds of them, all alike. You should have seen them. Identical. Like a
“It only takes one of them. Once the first one gets in it admits the others. Hundreds of them, all alike. You should have seen them. Identical. Like ants.” Second Variety was first published in 1953, but halt! Please stay tuned, this oldie is not mouldy! Second Variety, like a lot of PKD’s fiction, still holds up well today, which is why they are still being adapted into movies and TV shows. However, stylistically Second Variety is a little different from PKD's more famous works like Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Ubik, and The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch. Nobody uses or even mention hallucinogenic drugs in this story. Having said that, there are some surreal hallucinatory scenes in this story which depict actual events rather than drug-fueled trips. [image] Second Variety is set in a post-apocalypse Earth that has been mostly reduced to ashes by a war between the US and Russia. Conditions are so terrible on Earth that the US government has relocated to the moon to direct the military action from there. The war was going badly for the US until they turned the tide by introducing robots to the warfare. These robots are constantly developed and improved until they reach the point where they are able to repair and improve themselves, and so true AI is born. The primary function, perhaps the only function, of these robots is simply to destroy all human lives they come across, except American human lives. The Americans can be distinguished by a device they carry, a tab that emits a short hard radiation which neutralises the robots. The robots are developed and assembled in underground factories which are, of course, autonomously operated by the robots themselves. They are so effective in the performance of their job that the Russians eventually contact the Americans to discuss terms of surrender. This would have been great news for the US if not for the fact that the robots have become so sophisticated that they are no longer content to operate within the purview of destroying only Russian humans. [image] 50s Art by Ebel I suspect that Second Variety may be the inspiration for the Terminator movies, certainly, it is the best “robot uprising” story I have ever read, far superior to the clumsily written Robopocalypse. It is also a cautionary tale about letting technology go out of control, not to mention the ultimate futility of war. In fact, this would have been a depressing read if it was not so much fun! I was riveted by Second Variety from beginning to end. While it is not wonderfully trippy and mind-bending like Ubik etc. it is furiously paced and has a humdinger of an ending. Better still, Second Variety is in the public domain and can be read online for free or download as e-books (see links below). So, given that it is great, not long (about 60 pages) and free to read, I can heartily recommend it for everybody (except people who dislike sci-fi but then these people don't read my reviews). [image] Notes : • Download e-book or read online at Project Gutenberg • Free audiobook version also available from Librivox. • Robot uprising is not as ridiculous as you think, see video clip below. [image] You Boston eggheads stop it! [image] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Feb 11, 2018
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Feb 12, 2018
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Feb 13, 2018
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Audiobook
| ||||||||||||||||
| 0679742204
| 9780679742203
| 0679742204
| 3.90
| 7,492
| 1966
| Jun 29, 1993
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it was amazing
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“The ethical understructure of medicine, he believed—and it was based on certain very real experiences in his own life—that if a man wanted to die he
“The ethical understructure of medicine, he believed—and it was based on certain very real experiences in his own life—that if a man wanted to die he had the right to die. He did not possess an elaborated rationalization to justify this belief; he had not even tried to construct one. The proposition, to him, seemed self-evident. There was no body of evidence which proved that life in the first place was a boon. Perhaps it was for some persons; obviously it was not for others.” That sounds depressing and funny at the same time. Philip K. Dick, if I remember correctly, was often unhappy but he also had a weird sense of humour that is always evident in his works and never fails to make me laugh. I usually read several PKD books a year, they are short, often mind-blowing and generally fun to read, this is my second one for 2017. Now Wait for Last Year was published in the 60s, a prolific time for him and my personal favorite PKD era. Stylistically he is at his most trippy, weird yet always accessible during this period. The Valis era 80s PKD is just not for me. Now Wait for Last Year is mostly set in 2055 at a time when Earth is embroiled in an interstellar war between two alien species, a war not of our choosing. To make matters worse we seem to have allied with the wrong side, the human-like Lilistar, because of their resemblance to human beings, whereas the insectoid Reegs are actually the good guys. Humanity is led by Supreme Elected Leader Gino Molinari a hypochondriac who has had many artificial organs transplants already and is expected to need more. Dr. Eric Sweetscent is the world's leading artificial organs surgeon with marital problems, he is recruited by the Supreme Leader as his personal “artiforgs” surgeon. Meanwhile, his estranged Kathy makes the mistake of trying a new drug called JJ-180. This drug is immediately addictive, highly toxic and also has a weird reality warping and even time traveling effect. In a moment of mean-spiritedness, she slips some JJ-180 into her husband’s drink and makes him a fellow addict. However, the drug affects him differently and he is able to put its temporary time traveling side effect to good use. Meanwhile, Earth is on the losing side of the war and our own allies are set to invade our planet. [image] A scene depicting the Reegs and Dr. Sweetscent by byona Now Wait for Last Year is vintage PKD, wonderfully weird, wacky and mind-blowing, with serious, thought-provoking themes woven into the narrative. What I love about PKD’s novels is how things usually start off quite normal but soon, for whatever reason, often to do with drugs, reality begins to bend out of shape. I love the idea of the JJ-180 drug which may be alien in origin and designed to be immediately addictive after the first usage. There is also a mystery surrounding the Supreme Elected Leader who may not be what he seems, may not be as sick as he seems, but also possibly much sicker! Now Wait for Last Year actually works well as a sci-fi espionage thriller, poor Dr. Sweetscent is often confounded by the shifting reality and situations around him, not only because of the JJ-180 in his system but also the inconstant identity of the Supreme Leader he is working for. Besides all these intrigues this book is also a tale of marital woes, a subject Dick seems to want to explore fairly extensively here. Dr. Sweetscent’s relationship with his wife is a complex one, what was once love turns into hatred but also with an indestructible element of love intractably buried at the core. Also worth mentioning are the starnge, philosophising—and sometimes avaricious—AI taxis. PKD’s dialogue tends to be amusingly awkward and eccentric, I always find it hard to predict what his characters are going to say next. His characterization is not exactly profound but I like and sympathize with Dr. Sweetscent, the protagonist, I even feel some sympathy for his wife Kathy who does some appalling things and is very selfish, but what she goes through in this book is quite harrowing, even if she brought the misfortune upon herself. As for the title “Now Wait for Last Year” Dick is talking about people who want things to go back to the way they were instead of adapting to change strive for something better. This is the case with Dr. Sweetscent who tends to resist change until he finally learns to adapt. [image] I could not find any cover that is representative of the book, but this one looks nice. I have not done a ranking of the many PKD books I have read but Now Wait for Last Year is definitely top 10 and may well be top 5. If you like PKD, particularly the early classics like Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and Ubik, Now Wait for Last Year is a must read. If you never read PKD before this book is also a good introduction to his wonderfully idiosyncratic brand of sci-fi. [image] Notes: • Last book read in 2017, first review of 2018! Oddly appropriate title for a New Year read! • A movie adaptation of this book has been in development since 2015! Quotes: “For these changes in herself and her world were not beliefs; they were authentic experiences, reported by the normal sensory channels, imposed on her consciousness against her will. As stimuli they could not be avoided. “ “In marriage the greatest hatred that is possible between human beings can be generated, perhaps because of the constant proximity, perhaps because once there was love. The intimacy is still there, even though the love element has disappeared. So a will to power, a struggle for domination, comes into being.” “Your nipples seem to be watching me, or is that just my imagination? In any case it makes me decidedly uncomfortable.” [image] Hilarious Italian cover, featuring a steampunk Dalek! 🤣 ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Dec 25, 2017
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Dec 30, 2017
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Dec 31, 2017
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Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
| 0684852586
| 9780684852584
| 0684852586
| 3.90
| 24,096
| 1955
| Apr 06, 1998
|
really liked it
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“Grey-haired Miss Wyandotte, who twenty years ago had loaned me the first copy of Huckleberry Finn I ever read, looked at me, her face going wooden an
“Grey-haired Miss Wyandotte, who twenty years ago had loaned me the first copy of Huckleberry Finn I ever read, looked at me, her face going wooden and blank, with an utterly cold and pitiless alienness. There was nothing there now, in that gaze, nothing in common with me; a fish in the sea had more kinship with me than this staring thing before me.” *Shivers* Just the thing for Halloween! For my month of spooky reading, it is nice to be able to include a sci-fi horror title among the supernatural shenanigans. Off the top of my head, I can think of very few sci-fi horror books, the recent Bird Box, I Am Legend, Watchers, The Tommyknockers (and several other Stephen King titles), that is about it, please feel free to add more in the comments. The best example of this subgenre is probably Alien which a novelization of Ridley Scott’s movie. The movie adaptations of Invasion of the Body Snatchers are better known than the source material by Jack Finney. More on them later. [image] First published in 1955 (as “The Body Snatchers”), Invasion of the Body Snatchers is set in a fictional town called Santa Mira, California. One day Dr. Miles Bennell has a visit from Wilma, a lady friend who reckons her Uncle Ira is no longer her Uncle Ira, he has gone all weird. The doctor goes to visit Uncle Ira and finds nothing unusual and prescribe a good night sleep for Wilma (or something along that line). Soon, however, multiple patients come in with the same complaint, their wife/father/daughter etc. are not who they are supposed to be. Then a weird blank-faced body with no fingerprints is found at his friend Jack’s house. The next day oozy pods containing what looks like work in progress bodies show up at the doctor’s house. WTF? If I have not seen three movie versions of this book before it I would probably have rated it 5 stars in spite of a couple of issues. The story is just fantastic, eerie, well-paced and thrilling. The idea of people you have known all your life suddenly becoming emotionless weirdoes is all too easy to imagine. The description of the still developing, incomplete pod people is also effectively vivid. The distribution of the pods by the townspeople is also an oddly disquieting scene. Unfortunately, these excellent features are a little offset by a few issues. The writing is unexceptional and even becomes clunky at times, the characterization is rather bland, and the female characters generally have no agency to speak of (except in one scene where Dr. Bennell’s girlfriend uncharacteristically becomes a badass out of the blue). The ending reminds me of The War of The Worlds, one of the greatest sci-fi books ever, almost ruined by a “cop-out” ending. Without going into details Invasion of the Body Snatchers has a similarly disappointing denouement, a bit of a damp squib after all the preceding thrills. Still, if you are unfamiliar with the story I absolutely recommend this book for its vastly entertaining thrills and creepy atmosphere. If you are a fan of some of the (four) movie adaptations you may find that there is no surprise left and that the moviemakers have unusually improved on the story. Even so, I would still recommend it with the reservations I have mentioned so far. [image] Notes: [image] • I absolutely love the 1978 movie version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. It has a great cast and some startling visuals. Better still, it hugely improves on the book’s ending by going into a darker – and more believable - direction. [image] Nimoy, Sutherland and Goldblum. What’s not to love? Not to mention this "dog": [image] • The 1956 adaptation, released just one year after the book’s initial publication, is generally considered a classic. I have seen this on TV a few times and it is indeed excellent and even somewhat scary, but I still like the 1978 remake better. [image] The movie is actually in black & white. • I have not seen the 1993 version so I cannot say anything about it. The 2007 version stars Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, and still manages to be crap. OK, guys, you can stop adapting this book now. • It has been said that Invasion of the Body Snatchers is an allegory for “the dangers facing America for turning a blind eye to McCarthyism”. Make of that what you will, unfortunately, what I know about McCarthyism can be written on a UK postage stamp and still leave the queen’s head unblemished. • Thank you, Cecily, for reminding me of another classic sci-fi horror The Thing, three adaptations made (from the novella Who Goes There?), again the second version (directed by John Carpenter) is the best. [image] Quotes: “I warn you that what you're starting to read is full of loose ends and unanswered questions. It will not be neatly tied up at the end, everything resolved and satisfactorily explained. Not by me it won't, anyway. Because I can't say I really know exactly what happened, or why, or just how it began, how it ended, or if it has ended; and I've been right in the thick of it.” “There was — always — a special look in his eyes that meant he was remembering the wonderful quality of those days for him. Miles, that look, way in back of the eyes, is gone. With this — this Uncle Ira, or whoever or whatever he is, I have the feeling, the absolutely certain knowledge, Miles, that he's talking by rote.” “We're trapped by our own conceptions, Doctor, our necessarily limited notions of what life can be. Actually, we can't really conceive of anything very much different from ourselves, and whatever other life exists on this one little planet. Prove it yourself; what do imaginary men from Mars, in our comic strips and fiction, resemble? Think about it. They resemble grotesque versions of ourselves — we can't imagine anything different! Oh, they may have six legs, three arms, and antennae sprouting from their heads" — he smiled — "like insects we're familiar with. But they are nothing fundamentally different from what we know.” [image] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 22, 2017
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Oct 24, 2017
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Oct 25, 2017
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Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
| 0446361887
| 9780446361880
| 0446361887
| 4.18
| 14,438
| 1977
| Aug 01, 1994
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it was amazing
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“Doro wanted an empire. He didn’t call it that, but that was what he meant. Maybe I was just one more tool he was using to get it. He needed tools, be
“Doro wanted an empire. He didn’t call it that, but that was what he meant. Maybe I was just one more tool he was using to get it. He needed tools, because an empire of ordinary people wasn’t quite what he had in mind. That, to him, would be like an ordinary person making himself emperor over a lot of cattle.” I am reading the omnibus edition of Octavia Butler’s Patternist series, published as Seed to Harvest (Patternist #1-4 ). Mind of My Mind is volume 2 of the series but actually written and published before volume 1, the excellent Wild Seed. This is another excellent Butler book but I wish I had read it before Wild Seed because, to my mind, reading in publication order is always better§, I would have read it as a prequel to Mind of My Mind and appreciate both books more (even though I already appreciate both very much). Mind of My Mind begins with body hopping super-mutant Doro* visiting Anyanwu—who now calls herself Emma—the protagonist of the previous volume. He persuades and coerces Emma to take charge of Mary, a latent telepath who will soon transition† into a functional telepath, able to wield psionic powers. Doro has a life mission to build a race of powerful telepaths by breeding and crossbreeding people with psi abilities like cattle. Mary is expected to transition into a powerful telepath with unusual powers. This turns out to be the case, but the result is more spectacular than anybody expected. It turns out that post-transition Mary has the ability to permanently link herself to other telepaths and form an almost hive mind-like psionic group called “the pattern” of seemingly unlimited size. This seems like the ultimate goal of at Doro’s life mission, but things are happening too fast for his liking and a power struggle becomes unavoidable. [image] Mind of My Mind belongs to the “psychic power” sub-genre of sci-fi, the best known examples of this that I can think of is Alfred Bester’s The Demolished Man, Theodore Sturgeon’s classic More Than Human, and the lesser known but excellent Dying Inside by Robert Silverberg. Now I can add this book to my list of favorite psi sci-fi. Interestingly Wild Seed does not belong in this subgenre because it focuses more on shape changing. The idea of “the pattern” is similar to Sturgeon’s “homo gestalt” where separate individuals can act in tandem as if they are parts of one body. This book is relentlessly entertaining and very fast-paced, I was gripped from beginning to end. It does, however, lack the nuances and elegance of Wild Seed, written later in Butler’s career. I am also mildly disappointed that the wonderful Anyanwu from Wild Seed is barely featured in this book and does not keep her beautifully exotic name. There is a vague theme of slavery and resistance to tyranny through a united effort, but I think this book is mostly a sci-fi thriller, and as such, it works very well. If you like the other psi books I mentioned above, or if you are a fan of movies like Cronenberg’s head exploding Scanners and Brian De Palma's The Fury you are likely to have a great time with this book. I think it is tremendous, and short too! (224 pages). [image] Notes: * Doro is the main antagonist in Wild Seed. He is able transfer his personality (or soul) from one body to another, a sort of hostile takeover that also leaves the previous body dead. He also needs to make these transfers from time to time as he feeds off the soul of the original owner of the body that he is evicting. † Transition is a sudden development process like caterpillar to pupa to butterfly, which a latent needs to go through and survive, in order to usefully manifest their powers. § If you are undecided about the reading order of this series, read the discussion here, it should help. • Yes, the series is more science fantasy than science fiction. ___________________ Quotes: “She’s part of my latest attempt to bring my active telepaths together. I’m going to try to mate her with another telepath without killing either of them myself. And I’m hoping that she and the boy I have in mind are stable enough to stay together without killing each other. That will be a beginning.” “Breed didn’t sound like the kind of word that should be applied to people. The minute he said it, though, I realized it was the right word for what he was doing.” “Before the Pattern, active telepaths had not been able to survive together in groups. They could not tolerate each other, could not accept the mental blending that occurred automatically without the control of the Pattern.” ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Apr 28, 2017
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May 2017
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Apr 28, 2017
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Mass Market Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
| 0575074817
| 9780575074811
| 0575074817
| 3.78
| 10,718
| Sep 1964
| Feb 2005
|
really liked it
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“The masses had egged their leaders on to war in both Wes-Dem and Pac-Peop. But once the masses were out of the way, stuffed down below into antisepti
“The masses had egged their leaders on to war in both Wes-Dem and Pac-Peop. But once the masses were out of the way, stuffed down below into antiseptic tanks, the ruling elite of both East and West were free to conclude a deal . . .” Unfortunately, that does not sound too farfetched. Those neologisms, though. If you noticed the “Wes-Dem and Pac-Peop” in the first sentence and “East and West” in the second you will have probably figured them out. The Penultimate Truth is not one of PKD’s most accessible 60s books, which means it is still much more readable than some of his 80s books, VALIS especially. The main reason why I found this book to be less immediately accessible than most PKDs is the number of neologisms he dropped in the early part of the book, practically from page 1. Don’t let that put you off, though, PKD knew what he was doing, just read on and you will find that the ones who have not already inferred are later explained in the narrative. Set in the (then) far future, after World War III, fought by “leadies” (robots designed to withstand nuclear radiation) representing the military of the east and the west. Using leadies instead of humans may have saved the cost in lives of human soldiers but the war rendered much of the Earth surface uninhabitable and radioactive. Most of the human population flee to live underground in enormous antiseptic tanks, called “ant tanks”. The war on the surface soon ends, however, but the elites above ground decide to keep this information from the “tankers” living underground to ensure that there are more elbow room and resources for them to enjoy. The elite “Yance-men” are soon established in “demesnes”, huge picturesque lands with villas and private parks; while the subterranean tankers continue to eke out a meagre existence and continue production of leadies, now used above ground as butlers and bodyguards. As the rich and powerful begin to scheme against each other, and conditions in the ant tanks become increasingly unbearable, some tankers begin to emerge… I was floundering a bit at the beginning, but once the setting and characters begin to sink in (probably around page 50) I was thinking “Hmm! Socio-political dystopian satire from PKD, that is not something you see every day”. I thought it was going to be something along the line of 1984 or Brave New World, but that is not how Uncle Phil rolled. This book is closer in spirit to Heinlein’s The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, partly socio-political satire, but also a bona fide science fiction novel. There is also an element of locked room murder mystery; a T2000-like melty robot did it, but under whose direction? The case is investigated by a highly competent psychic detective and the details are amusingly convoluted. Underneath it all Dick is making a commentary about the power of propaganda and the kind of people who write them, deception is clearly a central theme. Like all PKD books I have ever read things are not what they seem in The Penultimate Truth. There is a presidential “Protector” called Talbot Yancy, dreamed up by the Yance-men (hence the name) above ground, who gives regular inspirational speeches to the poor tankers, but who is, in fact, a simulacra; not even a robot, a sort of mannequin hooked up to a computer which feeds speeches through it. Later on, it transpires that Yancy can be more than that, a delightful twist you would have to be mad to see coming. The Penultimate Truth is, to my mind, not top tier PKD but a satisfying dose of that addictive PKD weirdness to keep me going until the next time. This is my first PKD book for this year, I expect to read at least one or two more from him later this year, I can’t really stay away from his stuff for long. To paraphrase the late great Robin Williams, "Reality is just a crutch for people who can't cope with PKD." ___________________ Notes: • There is an excellent Afterward by Thomas M. Disch, that clearly analyses the themes of this novel. “The moral of the novel is clear: Government is a conspiracy against the people, and it is maintained by the illusion of a permanent crisis that exists, for the most part, as a media event.” • There is a lot of fun future tech in The Penultimate Truth, the leadies, the simulacra, and my favorite, the “rhetorizer”, a hilarious aid to writing speeches. • The robot assassination scene is a virtuoso piece of writing. • Another crazy PKD conceit. Some people move in to live on radioactive hotspots to claim their stake on a future demesne before the radioactivity disperses and the land becomes valuable. The upshot of this investment is that the owners gradually die of radioactive poisoning and die before they realize their ambitions. • If you need any help with the neologisms in this book check out this page from The World Dick Made. ___________________ Quotes: “They had been born onto the surface of a world and now that surface with its air and sunlight and hills, its oceans, its streams, its colors and textures, its very smells, had been swiped from them and they were left with tin-can submarine—figuratively—dwelling boxes in which they were squeezed, under a false light, to breathe repurified stale air, to listen to wired obligatory music and sit day long at workbenches making leadies.” “The tankers were entitled to something they did not have; they were the victims of robbers. Theft had been committed against all the millions of them, and there had been no moral or legal remedy all these years.” “The man is so close to the forces of death, living there as he does in that hot-spot, seared day after day by the radiation.” “Radiation-burned, Adams realized. The youth, eager to acquire land for a demesne, had gone in too soon; all the rumors, passed back and forth in the idle hours of evening by the worldwide elite, appeared true: it had been far too soon, and physically young David Lantano was suffering.” ...more |
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1
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Feb 21, 2017
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Feb 25, 2017
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Feb 21, 2017
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Paperback
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| 0345431626
| 9780345431622
| 0345431626
| 4.16
| 11,019
| 1980
| Oct 12, 1999
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it was amazing
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“What is it exactly that you do with a book?” “You read it.” “Oh,” she said. And then, “What does ‘read’ mean?” I nodded. Then I began turning the page “What is it exactly that you do with a book?” “You read it.” “Oh,” she said. And then, “What does ‘read’ mean?” I nodded. Then I began turning the pages of the book I was holding and said, “Some of these markings here represent sounds. And the sounds make words. You look at the marks and sounds come into your mind and, after you practice long enough, they begin to sound like hearing a person talking. Talking—but silently.” There are quite a few books or reading related quotes in this book, the above is not the most eloquent one but I love the way something we take for granted is explained as if it is a weird esoteric concept. Mockingbird has been described—somewhat inaccurately—as an unofficial sequel to Fahrenheit 451. An understandable comparison, but in some ways, it is the opposite of “451”. While both books feature the theme of how important books are to civilization and mental development, in “451” the authorities burn books to prevent people from reading them, in Mockingbird the authorities do not need to do that, nobody wants to read the bloody things! Most people do not even know what reading is or what a book looks like. However, the books have not been destroyed, they can be found in storage and shut up libraries, but only two people in the world know how to read them. I knew nothing about Mockingbird prior to reading it, only that it is part of the excellent “SF Masterworks” series and the length (about 250 pages) is just right for me, after finishing the 1000+ pages of Words of Radiance I wanted to read a short sci-fi novel. So I picked this one out almost at random, though the 4.13 average GR rating is the clincher. Mockingbird is set in a grim and decaying America, mostly New York City, in the 25th Century. Though the time of the setting is not clearly indicated in the book, as the year numbers are no longer used in this era (I only found the time period from the book’s “About the Author” section). It is yet another sci-fi dystopia but this time there is no cruel or fascist authorities governing the populace. The human race is on its last legs, winding down and fading away. No children are being born and the populace is constantly doped up and living dull lives without anything to look forward to. Suicide by immolation is commonplace, and it is a painless process due to drugs. Humanity is taken care of and governed by robots, social mores have been developed by some long-dead social engineers to value privacy and inwardness above all else; family, friendship, and love are unknown concepts, and “quick sex is best” is a commonly used slogan. The narrative begins from the point of view of Spofforth, a robot who has been living for centuries and yearns to die but is programmed against committing suicide. Spofforth holds several positions of power and as a Dean of a university, he discovers Paul Bentley who has accidentally discovered a reading tutorial from an old film archive and taught himself to read from there. Later Paul meets Mary Lou, an unusual woman who does not take drugs and is therefore, very clear headed and rebellious. The narrative soon switches to Paul’s first person accounts of his life in the diary form. After living with Mary Lou for a while and teaching her how to read, Paul is arrested by Spofforth and sent to prison. Through his life in prison and subsequent his escape, he learns much about the world he lives in and about himself. [image] Suicidal Spofforth Don’t worry I have not spoiled the book, Mockingbird is not about a prison break, it is a journey of self-discovery. The book defied my expectations several times. At the beginning, I thought it was going to be about Spofforth the paranoid android (the words robot and android are used interchangeably in this book), his disillusion with his life, and his struggle to find the origin of his consciousness which is based off a human. Soon the point of view is shifted to Paul who starts off as dazed and doped up like everybody else, but the discovery of books and reading begin to transform him. Mary Lou also undergoes transformations through reading, though she ahs the advantage of being clearheaded, to begin with. Mockingbird is at its best when the narrative focuses on Paul’s explorations and self-discovery process. He learns the value of human interactions (normally taboo) and the meaning of friendship in prison, after escaping he begin his journey towards New York in search of Mary Lou. On the way he falls in with a Christian community for a while, in an exalted position of The Reader, to read Bible passages to the illiterate members. While he finds much of the Bible interesting, the organized religion of the community is not to his taste. “The God they worship is an abstract and ferociously moral thing, like a computer. And the compelling, mystical rabbi, Jesus, they have turned into some kind of moral Detector.” He then resumes his journey and self-development. Mockingbird was first published in 1980, it is much much more interesting and thought-provoking than the popular (mostly YA) dystopia of today. Walter Tevis vividly portrays a world where humans are living comfortably but without purpose. The robots their ancestors have left in charge are mostly of subhuman intelligence and have no idea or interest in facilitating some kind of meaningful lives for their human charges. One of my favorite scenes is a chapter about a closed system toaster factory where sub-moron robots work. Due to a slight flaw in the process all the toasters are defective and rejected, and the rejects are destroyed then fed back into the production process. An infinitely loop and a “parody of productivity”. Mockingbird is a happy discovery for me, the best dystopian I have read for a long time; thought-provoking, moving, compassionate and even inspiring. A classic of this SF subgenre. __________________ Notes: • “Only the mockingbird sings at the edge of the woods.” is a key phrase in this book. I don't know what it means but I read from online discussions that it is likely to represent some kind of mimicry, though it is unclear who is mimicking whom. Is Spofforth mimicking humans or are Paul and Mary Lou mimicking the people they have seen on the old films? Is the “edge of the woods” the edge of enlightenment but still in the forest of ignorance? Walter Tevis leaves the nomenclature of the novel ambiguous; like a bit of homework for the readers, I suppose. • An almost anachronistic reference to data storage on magnetic tapes is mentioned. Don’t worry about it. Sci-fi is not about predicting technology. • Paul’s relationship with Mary Lou reminds me of Winston Smith and Julia in 1984 a bit, but Big Brother is not watching here, nobody is watching, or giving a damn. Quotes: “All of those books—even the dull and nearly incomprehensible ones—have made me understand more clearly what it means to be a human being. And I have learned from the sense of awe I at times develop when I feel in touch with the mind of another, long-dead person and know that I am not alone on this earth. There have been others who have felt as I feel and who have, at times, been able to say the unsayable.” “There at the other end of the restaurant were three people, seated in a booth, in flames / there was no sign of pain. They might have been playing gin rummy, except there they were, burning to death.” “You know what work is these days. They have to deactivate robots to find things to pay us for doing.” “It was, as the genetic engineers were fond of saying, an improvement upon the work of God. Since none of the engineers believed there was a God, however, their self-praise was unsound.” [image] A great depiction of Spofforth in this French edition ...more |
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Jan 16, 2017
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Jan 20, 2017
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Jan 16, 2017
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| 0312890788
| 9780312890780
| 0312890788
| 3.24
| 4,345
| 1958
| Mar 07, 2001
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really liked it
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In spite of being the Hugo Award winner for 1958 The Big Time is a fairly obscure title. Before proceeding with the review I can give you four reasons
In spite of being the Hugo Award winner for 1958 The Big Time is a fairly obscure title. Before proceeding with the review I can give you four reasons to read it: 1. It won a Hugo (not that all Hugo winners are good, IMO) 2. It is free to read in the public domain (e-book link / audiobook link) 3. The audio book is read by Karen Savage, surely savage by name only, she has such a pretty voice. 4. Fritz Leiber is a well-respected author from sci-fi’s Golden Age [image] The very pulpy and lurid book cover of the above 35 Cents edition belies the true nature of the book. The Big Time is not an action-packed sci-fi adventure with lots of alien liquefactions. The entire novel takes place in a single locale over a single day (or several hours). The setting is called “The Place”, a recuperation station for soldiers of “The Change War”, a war between two factions of time travelers who want to make changes to history for their own ends. “But if you want variety, give a thought to the rotten methods we use in our wonderful Change War. Poisoning Churchill and Cleopatra. Kidnapping Einstein when he's a baby.” “The Place” is where wounded soldiers go to be treated for physical and psychological injuries. It is staffed by medical officers and “Entertainers”. An Entertainer is a woman who functions as a nurse, a therapist, and even a prostitute. The two factions are called The Spiders and The Snakes, our “heroes” work for the Spiders, though this does not mean that they are the good guys in this war. The book’s title “The Big Time” is slang for participation in the Change War. All the participants are plucked from various points in history from their timelines just prior to their moments of death. They are given the choice of joining in the war effort or proceed to their scheduled demise, not many people select the second option. The story takes place within a single day (in so far as a day is a valid concept in a place outside of time). The half of the book introduces the myriad concepts and terms of The Big Time, and the wounded soldiers narrating the story of their lives (in monologs) and discussing the philosophy and morals of The Change War. The narrator of the book is an Entertainer called Greta Forzane, “twenty-nine and a party girl”. The second half of the book concerns the discovery of a time bomb (as in a “ticking time bomb”), and the characters’ struggles to defuse it and find the culprits. [image] A more representative cover, I think. The Big Time is an interesting read that will probably appeal more to regular sci-fi readers than those who are new to the genre. It is more a story of ideas than that of action; partly an allegory for the meaninglessness of war from the participants’ viewpoint. The Big Time people do not know whether they are working on the “right” side. They are only committed to whichever side recruited them. There are several fun sci-fi concepts such as the Maintainer device that keeps “The Place” running outside the cosmos, the Inverter that turns things inside out or transforms them into their mirror image. Given the short length of the book, Fritz Leiber did not have room for much character development and I did not feel like I know them very well. Still, I recommend the book with some reservations for the four reasons mentioned at the beginning of this review. [image] Note Karen savage is one of the best readers on Librivox. However, her voice is not suited to one of the main characters who is a Nazi officer. Her rendition of the German accent does not quite work for me, her voice just sounds too sweet for that character. Not one of her best works but still a pleasure to listen to. Her Jane Austen narrations are wonderful, and I highly recommend those. [image] Quotes “you can't time travel through the time you time travel in when you time travel.” “Have you ever asked yourselves how many operations the fabric of history can stand before it's all stitches, whether too much Change won't one day wear out the past? And the present and the future, too, the whole bleeding business. Is the law of the Conservation of Reality any more than a thin hope given a long name, a prayer of theoreticians? Every operation leaves reality a bit cruder, a bit uglier, a bit more makeshift, and a whole lot less rich in those details and feelings that are our heritage, like the crude penciled sketch on canvas when you've stripped off the paint.” "I accepted Resurrection all right," Bruce said, a glare coming into his eyes. "When they pulled me out of my line at Passchendaele in '17 ten minutes before I died, I grabbed at the offer of life like a drunkard grabs at a drink the morning after. But even then I thought I was also seizing a chance to undo historic wrongs, work for peace. But what did I find the Spiders wanted me for? Only to fight more wars, over and over again, make them crueler and stinkinger, cut the swath of death a little wider with each Big Change, work our way a little closer to the death of the cosmos." “I know the Spiders promise it, but even if they do go back and cut another Doubleganger from my lifeline, is he me?" He slapped his chest with his bare hand. "I don't think so. And even if he is me, with unbroken consciousness, why's he been Resurrected again? Just to refight more wars and face more Change Death for the sake of an almighty power—” “Can we tell the difference between the past and the future? Can we any longer locate the now, the real now of the cosmos? The Places have their own nows, the now of the Big Time we're on, but that's different and it's not made for real living.” ...more |
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Nov 11, 2016
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Nov 16, 2016
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Nov 17, 2016
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| 3.84
| 10,934
| Aug 1952
| Jul 10, 2003
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really liked it
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“I was becoming the kind of consumer we used to love. Think about smoking, think about Starrs, light a Starr. Light a Starr, think about Popsie, get a
“I was becoming the kind of consumer we used to love. Think about smoking, think about Starrs, light a Starr. Light a Starr, think about Popsie, get a squirt. Get a squirt, think about Crunchies, buy a box. Buy a box, think about smoking, light a Starr. And at every step roll out the words of praise that had been dinned into you through your eyes and ears and pores.” The Space Merchants is a different spin on the dystopia subgenre, it posits a near future where society is ruled by mega-corporations and governments play a supporting role. Earth is severely overpopulated, polluted and short on resources, including clean water. Real meat is a rarity and the most common type of meat comes from genetically engineered creatures called “Chicken Little”, which are basically gigantic living meat with no brain or limbs. “Coffiest”, made from yeast, have taken the place of coffee, which appears to be extinct. There are two main social classes, the executives, and the consumers. You can imagine which one is lording over the other. The narrative is told in the first person by Mitchell Courtenay, one of the top advertising executives of Fowler Schocken Associates, an advertising agency and one of the ruling giant corporations. Courtenay is put in charge of a new project to induce the public to emigrate to Venus as colonists. Unfortunately, Venus is an inhospitable planet with very high temperature and uncomfortable climate. Courtenay’s job is to make Venus sound attractive to the masses with promises of a better life, more space to live in, and good career opportunities. Rivalry within the company caused Courtenay to be abducted, his identity stolen and sent to work as a laborer for the United Slime-Mold Protein Workers of Panamerica in Costa Rica. Here he learns how the consumers live, and comes into contact with the notorious underground organization, the World Conservationist Association, generally referred to as “the Consies”. As an executive Courtenay despises the Consies and everything they stand for, but in his predicament, he sees them as a ticket out of the lowly consumer class, back to the executive life. The Space Merchants was first published in 1954. It is something of a minor sci-fi classic, though some of the concepts, science or even characterization may seem a little dated today; but a great story will always stand the test of time. This is a heavily satirical book, often funny but the underlying theme of consumerism gone mad is always near the surface. Unscrupulous advertising agencies manipulating gullible, unsuspecting consumers still exist to this day. Besides the social satire the novel is also a competent espionage thriller, with a few exciting moments. My only complaint is that the book seems to lose steam a little toward the end and the pacing slackens more than it should. The writing is very good, with some sharp irony and satirical bite; the characterization is also done well; the romantic relationship between Courtenay and his fiancé Kathy is quite complex and interesting. The ending is quite satisfying, though not entirely unpredictable. Definitely recommended to readers who want to be well versed in sci-fi history. For basic leisure reading it passes the time nicely, though only seems like a page turner in the middle section (the Costa Rica part). Certainly, I am glad to have read it. ______________________________ Quotes: "Increase of population was always good news to us. More people, more sales. Decrease of IQ was always good news to us. Less brains, more sales." The gap between executive and consumer could not be bridged by anything as abstract and unreal as "friendship." “Reckless exploitation of natural resources has created needless poverty and needless human misery. It believes that continued exploitation will mean the end of human life on Earth.” “It was an appeal to reason, and they're always dangerous. You can't trust reason. We threw it out of the ad profession long ago and have never missed it.” "I swear, the whole damned Government must be infiltrated with Consies! You know what they've done. They outlawed compulsive subsonics in our aural advertising—but we've bounced back with a list of semantic cue words that tie in with every basic trauma and neurosis in American life today. They listened to the safety cranks and stopped us from projecting our messages on aircar windows—but we bouncedback. Lab tells me," he nodded to our Director of Research across the table, "that soon we'll be testing a system that projects directly on the retina of the eye. "Soyaburgers and regenerated steak"—there wasn't a man around the table who didn't shudder at the thought of soyaburgers and regenerated steak—"are packed in containers the same shade of green as the Universal products. But the candy, ice cream, and Kiddiebutt cigarette ration are wrapped in colorful Starrzelius red. When those kids grow up . . ."he lifted his eyes exultantly from his notes. "According to our extrapolation, fifteen years from now Universal products will be broke, bankrupt, and off the market entirely!" ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 31, 2016
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Nov 05, 2016
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Oct 31, 2016
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| 0679752986
| 9780679752981
| 0679752986
| 3.82
| 9,670
| Jul 1970
| Jun 1994
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it was amazing
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"Shall we go to bed?" Susie said. "What?" he said. "I'm interested in going to bed with you. I can't judge a man unless I've been in bed with him." "W "Shall we go to bed?" Susie said. "What?" he said. "I'm interested in going to bed with you. I can't judge a man unless I've been in bed with him." "What about women?" "I can't judge them at all. What, do you think I go to bed with the women, too? That's depraved." Honestly, who talks like that? If you never read any PKD before you would probably think that is some damned awkward dialogue, but PKD veterans are more likely to think “Good to be back in PKDland!”. A Maze of Death is, for me, classic PKD, it has all the unique PKDesque things that I love about reading his fiction; weird, funny, surprising, and never a dull moment. A Maze of Death is apparently set in a universe where the existence of God has somehow been proven. The universally accepted religion is based on a book called “How I Rose From the Dead in My Spare Time and So Can You” by A. J. Specktowsky. The book’s title is good for a giggle, but for some reason, the author’s name also amused me. So in the universe of this book prayers actually work—when they are answered—and you would need to pray through some kind of transmitter, the process requires attaching conduits to the permanent electrodes extending from one's pineal gland; so just kneeling by your bed isn’t going to cut it. The story starts with non-protagonist Ben Tallchief praying for a transfer from his boring job. Almost immediately a transfer order comes in and he is sent to a planet called Delmak-O to join thirteen other people on an unspecified colonization mission. Unfortunately, the communication system at Delmak-O fails so nobody knows what they are supposed to be doing. Soon the colonists start dropping dead one by one, almost And Then There Were None style, but the cause of death is clearly not a single psychopath. Gradually the truth about the planet and the mission dawns on the colonists and the plot takes a bizarre turn. That is enough synopsis I think, but it is worth mentioning that Delmak-O is full of some very strange critters, one species look like a miniaturized building, another is a gelatinous thing that makes copies of objects put in front of it, and several more, including weird flies and bees, that I won’t mention. A Maze of Death literally got me through a very tough time as I was sick as a dog last week and slept poorly but the book kept my spirits up. One online review mentions that this is one of Dick’s darkest books and I find it quite delightful so I must have a warped psyche. The idea of “empirical theology” is quite intriguing; curiously it does not seem to make the characters behave any better toward each other. The book is more action-packed than a lot of PKDs, with aerial dogfights and an apocalyptic climax. There is even a major twist at the end, I won’t spoil it but it reminds me of an episode of Red Dwarf (though this book predates the TV series). Like most of PKD’s books, things are seldom what they seem and reality can take a left turn anytime. The same can be said of the characters, you never know what they are going to do next. As mentioned earlier the dialogue is often stilted and there is little in the way of characters development. However, I read PKD not for his literary art, but for the drug-free trips. Not top tier PKD, I suppose, but I'll high five it! _____________________________ Note: You won't find many 5 stars rating for this book on GR, objectively it's probably not one of his finest, but subjectively I enjoyed the hell out of it. The best PKD for me remains Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, followed by Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said. ...more |
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Sep 03, 2016
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Sep 08, 2016
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Sep 09, 2016
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Paperback
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| 0575074760
| 9780575074767
| 0575074760
| 4.00
| 4,024
| 1977
| Jan 01, 2003
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it was amazing
| "In short," said the alien, trying to make himself heard above a rising babble, "my people have reached the inescapable conclusion that we are livi "In short," said the alien, trying to make himself heard above a rising babble, "my people have reached the inescapable conclusion that we are living at what you might call the End of Time. The universe is about to undergo a reformation of such massive proportions that not an atom of it will remain the same. All life will, effectively, die. All suns and planets will be destroyed as the universe ends one cycle and begins another. We are doomed, fellow intelligences. We are doomed."The above passage encapsulates The Dancers at the End of Time quite nicely. In the extremely far future—you can’t get much further than the end of time—it is already generally known that the end of the universe is imminent. Nobody seems to know exactly how imminent but then nobody really cares. In this very far future—so far nobody bothers to number the years anymore—technology has advanced to a level literally indistinguishable from magic (thereby validating Clarke’s famous third law*). Every denizen of this sparsely populated future Earth has “power rings” which can create, conjure and basically just do anything imaginable (a bit like Green Lantern's I suppose). Nobody knows the scientific principle behind these rings anymore, “they just work”. With such great power comes no responsibility at all. The people of this world are generally entirely decadent, vapid, and have no conception of morality. Life can be enjoyed to the max, the only snag is that they don’t have a lot of time left. The Dancers at the End of Time is the name of Michael Moorcock’s trilogy and also the name of this omnibus volume being reviewed. I have already described the cool setting, but it would not be much of a book without a plot. The first volume, An Alien Heat introduces us to the protagonist Jherek Carnelian who is something of a trendsetter in the decadent society. It occurs to him that falling in love may be cool, and sets off to pursue an involuntary time traveling lady from 1896, Mrs. Amelia Underwood. Much to his astonishment his fun affectation turns into something real. Just when he is about to experience true love, Mrs. Underwood is snatched away and returned to 1896. Jherek pursues in a time machine, and when he lands in Victorian England—a time he knows nothing about—much hilarity ensues. An Alien Heat is the fastest paced and funniest volume of the trilogy. The humour comes from Jherek’s complete ignorance of Victorian culture, money, crime, imprisonment etc. The second volume The Hollow Lands continues Jherek’s attempt to “reclaim” Mrs. Underwood from the Victorian era, and her husband! This book also features a malfunctioning robot nurse and malevolent horny aliens. The final volume The End of All Songs has a somewhat darker tone, and an apocalyptic climax when the much-vaunted end of time actually arrives, and the end of timers find it not to their liking. The styling of the first volume, An Alien Heat, reminds me a little bit of the great Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell but by the third volume it has already morphed into something Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett may have written. I had a blast reading The Dancers at the End of Time (S.F. Masterworks edition). It is wild, anarchic and often hilarious. I love the writing, the faux-Victorian dialog, the stupid aliens with their crappy translation devices, and – most of all – the wacky characters. Jherek Carnelian is very likable, his clueless adventures in Victorian times is a highlight. The love of his life, Mrs. Amelia Underwood from Bromley, is wonderfully nuanced, complex, competent and very believable. There are also myriad other very colorful characters who I won’t even try to describe because I would be here all day. The Dancers at the End of Time is an unalloyed delight, if you are feeling bored or down and need some crazy fun sci-fi (sci-fantasy really) to pick you up. This is just the thing. _____________________________ Notes: * “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic” (from Clarke's three laws). • There are several more sequels subsequent to this original trilogy. Hopefully, I will be able to get my mitts on them soon. • I have been a fan of Michael Moorcock for the longest time. His Elric, Corum, Hawkmoon etc. "Eternal Champion" stuff are terrific entertainment, especially when I read them as a teen. Will they still hold up today? Of course, they will! I have not undergone any noticeable mental development since. • A friend on PrintSF at Reddit ("thewillcar") made this observation about The Dancers at the End of Time on this thread that covers some important things that I neglected to mention in my review. So I would like to quote him directly here: "I'm a big Moorcock fan and that's my favorite of his book series. I loved the comedy of manners between Jherek and Mrs. Underwood combined with the psychedelic imagery and decadence of the End of Time. It kept me up late reading and laughing. Such a contrast to the grim seriousness of other Eternal Champions like Elric. There's a fun novella called Elric at the End of Time that brings the two together, I recommend it!" Thank you! _____________________________ Quotes: "Jherek looked about him, contemplating the enterprise afresh and wondering if it were not becoming too complicated. Too boring even. Perhaps he should invent a simpler affectation. Being in love took up so much time." "I thought you controlled your own fate. This whole love-story business, which so excites the woman, did it not begin as an affectation?" "Madness may be said to be a tendency to simplify, into easily grasped metaphors, the nature of the world. In your own case, you have plainly been confounded by unexpected complexities, therefore you are inclined to retreat into simplification — this talk of Damnation and Hell, for instance — to create a world whose values are unambivalent, unequivocal." "Now," she hissed, "quickly. Mount." "Is this the proper time for such things, do you think?" "Climb onto the horse, and then help me up." "Your heels, Mr. Carnelian. Use your heels!" "I'm sorry, Mrs. Underwood, I'm not sure what you mean!" Jherek was almost helpless with laughter now. "If the ladies will excuse us, I'd like a middle-of-the-leg word with you, sediment-nostril." ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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May 15, 2016
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May 27, 2016
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May 15, 2016
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Paperback
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my rating |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| 3.90
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liked it
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Jul 12, 2021
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Jul 13, 2021
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|||||
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| 3.86
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really liked it
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Feb 12, 2021
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Feb 11, 2021
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|||||
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| 3.96
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it was amazing
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May 27, 2019
not set
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May 28, 2019
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|||||
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| 4.09
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really liked it
|
Sep 04, 2018
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Sep 05, 2018
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|||||
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| 4.16
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really liked it
|
Aug 18, 2018
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Aug 20, 2018
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|||||
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| 3.97
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it was amazing
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Jul 31, 2018
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Aug 01, 2018
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|||||
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| 4.06
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it was amazing
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May 27, 2018
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May 28, 2018
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|||||
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| 3.91
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it was amazing
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May 21, 2018
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May 21, 2018
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|||||
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| 3.68
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really liked it
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Mar 06, 2018
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Mar 07, 2018
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|||||
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| 3.85
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it was amazing
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Feb 13, 2018
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Feb 13, 2018
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|||||
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| 4.01
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it was amazing
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Feb 12, 2018
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Feb 13, 2018
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|||||
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| 3.90
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it was amazing
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Dec 30, 2017
|
Dec 31, 2017
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|||||
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| 3.90
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really liked it
|
Oct 24, 2017
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Oct 25, 2017
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|||||
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| 4.18
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it was amazing
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May 2017
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Apr 28, 2017
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| 3.78
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really liked it
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Feb 25, 2017
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Feb 21, 2017
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| 4.16
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it was amazing
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Jan 20, 2017
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Jan 16, 2017
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|||||
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| 3.24
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really liked it
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Nov 16, 2016
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Nov 17, 2016
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|||||
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| 3.84
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really liked it
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Nov 05, 2016
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Oct 31, 2016
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|||||
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| 3.82
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it was amazing
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Sep 08, 2016
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Sep 09, 2016
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|||||
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| 4.00
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it was amazing
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May 27, 2016
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May 15, 2016
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