Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted author Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to release new works. Something had to be done.
On the spur of the moment I set myself a challenge, to read every book to have won the Locus Sci-Fi award. That’s 35 books, 6 of which I’d previously read, leaving 29 titles by 14 authors who were new to me.
While working through this reading list I got married, went on my honeymoon, switched career and became a father. As such these stories became imprinted on my memory as the soundtrack to the happiest period in my life (so far).
1998 was a year without consensus. Every significant sci-fi and fantasy award (that I follow) went to a different novel.
...(It was specifically 'Rise' which won the award, but I've posted this review as the Omnibus, as that's the version I own)
Rise of Endymion is, of course, the final instalment of Simmons brain-melting space-opera epic, The Hyperion Cantos. I’m going to nail my colours to the mast right from the get-go; I’m a Dan Simmons fan and I loved this book.
...(Split and published as four books, the Cantos was written as two and I tend to refer to them as two, simply Hyperion and Endymion)
I’m happy to admit this is a very different book from Hyperion; a much simpler book. Hyperion builds a rich, complex universe and tells a strange and difficult tale from the multiple perspectives of a diverse cast. It is, without a doubt, a stunning achievement.
I have the feeling that a lot of readers follow the story to Endymion expecting a similar experience and as a result end up sorely disappointed.
Having put so much time and energy into building his Hyperion Cantos universe, Endymion is about Simmons (and us) having some fun exploring it!
The first book is road-story / chase-story where our heroes bimble along and leap through many worlds via farcaster portals, negotiating episodic dangers and gradually building their relationship. The second book takes us a little deeper, exploring our heroes� reconfigured relationship as the time-debt of space travel brings their ages close enough for romance to blossom, the spirituality/philosophy of the maturing messiah, and the eye-water potential of the beautiful, vivid settings.
Objectively, Hyperion is the ‘better� book � but subjectively Endymion is (for me at least) a more pleasurable experience. It’s better escapism. It doesn’t make my brain hurt. It had that blend of high-tech sci-fi that I love, that feels magical. It was more uplifting. More emotive. Hyperion felt like an exhibit, Endymion like an embrace.
I know I’m in the minority, but I don’t care! I feel like I’m back in the playground, holding hands with the piggy-nosed girl. I think she’s pretty and the rest of you can just go away and stop calling her names!
Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted author Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to release new works. Something had to be done.
On the spur of the moment I set myself a challenge, to read every book to have won the Locus Sci-Fi award. That’s 35 books, 6 of which I’d previously read, leaving 29 titles by 14 authors who were new to me.
While working through this reading list I got married, went on my honeymoon, switched career and became a father. As such these stories became imprinted on my memory as the soundtrack to the happiest period in my life (so far).
I wasn’t sure what to do about the Vorkosigan Saga. There were three trilogies on my Locus Quest reading list � Mars Trilogy, The Baroque Cycle and The Uplift Saga � where books two and three had won the Locus Sci-Fi Award, so I’d convinced myself that I should read the whole trilogy in each case to understand the award winners in context. At the other end of the spectrum was The Telling, which is part of the Hainish Cycle, but stands alone � so I didn’t read any other books in the series before I picked it up. The Vorkosigan Saga is definitely a traditional series � and should therefore ideally be read in chronological order, but the award winners on my list were books two and nine in a fourteen (and still growing) book series. There was no way I was going to read twelve other books to understand these two in full context. Harsh as it felt I was going to have to sample those two books out of order and hope they stood up.
Such were my thoughts beginning Mirror Dance. “It’s been such a wonderful run of books, but it had to end at some point.� “You can’t just jump in at book nine, it will make no sense!�
Oh, how little did I know!
Mirror Dance is superb! Really, truly, hand on my heart, right up there with my favourite books. Pure sci-fi adventure, with wit and drama and action and heartache and everything! Wonderful characters, a brilliant scenario � just an awful lot of fun!
Every sentence I write to describe this book ends with an exclamation mark!
I highly recommend this book as an entry point to the series. As I understand it, it marks the beginning of a four-book arc within the larger series, involving Marc. It also introduces Miles through a more vulnerable lens than some of the other books, and there are plenty more Miles books to get your teeth into once your curiosity is piqued. Cordelia may only be a minor character here, but she’s still a powerful presence and it was exciting to learn that she has her own books too! Finally, this story does a whistle-stop tour of the various local worlds used in the saga, so in that sense it works as a brilliant orientation.
I’ve since read two more Vorkosigan Saga novels: Barrayar (the other Locus winner, focused on Cordelia) and The Vor Game (a Hugo winner focused on Miles). Both of them were also excellent, (and will be reviewed soon) � and I am definitely a Vorkosigan Saga convert. I am now determined to read the whole series (albeit probably all jumbled out of order!). Of the three I’ve read, Mirror Dance is definitely still my favourite.
I like long running series. I like characters you get to spend a dozen books with. I’m a big fan of Discworld and the Dresden Files � and I’ve always wanted a sci-fi equivalent to follow as eagerly. With the Vorkosigan Saga I feel I’ve found that missing puzzle piece � and it makes me very happy. Thank-you, Madame Bujold, thank-you.
Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to releasChristmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to release new works. Something had to be done.
On the spur of the moment I set myself a challenge, to read every book to have won the Locus Sci-Fi award. That’s 35 books, 6 of which I’d previously read, leaving 29 titles by 14 authors who were new to me.
While working through this reading list I got married, went on my honeymoon, switched career and became a father. As such these stories became imprinted on my memory as the soundtrack to the happiest period in my life (so far).
2003 was a wonderfully rich and diverse year for Sci-Fi and Fantasy!
Eight awards � eight different winners. How often does that happen?
I was pretty cautious before starting The Years of Rice and Salt. I’d only read one other Robinson before � Red Mars, many years before � and found it tough going at the time (but that’s another review).
I chucked this into my suitcase for my honeymoon, content that if it was too much of a grind for around-the-pool reading, my wife was packing plenty of lighter fantasy fare I could borrow.
My fears were all for naught � this is totally different kettle of fish to the Mars Trilogy.
Alternative history premise: the black plague obliterated Europe and the Eastern civilizations scrap over global conquest.
Story lens: reincarnation! A small family (?) of souls reincarnate in different forms and relationships with each other over ten novellas covering seven hundred years in a great karmic cycle.
I like Buddhism. I like alternative histories. I like the interlinked novella approach.
For holiday reading, this was perfect. I devoured a novella every time we took one of Malta’s quirky buses to a tourist trap. I sipped at them leisurely while lounging on the beach. I chatted about the wonderful ideas with my new wife while we enjoyed room service on our balcony. I loved the little between-life moments of the reincarnation.
By turns this book made me excited and tranquil. It reminded me a little of David Mitchell’s brilliant Ghostwritten with a touch of Wilbur Smith in each little adventure. It was one of those books I didn’t want to end. Surely there could be one more reincarnation? One more story? I’m surprised by the number of negative reviews I’ve found, I guess it helps that I’ve always held Buddhist inclinations.
I give this five-stars without hesitation.
Not long after we returned from our honeymoon one our cats, Callie, escaped and was killed on the road near our flat. She was the prettiest, most affectionate kitty I’ve ever met � adored by all who met her (even dog people). When I found out that she had died, it was this book that came to mind. One of the stories involves a soul 'demoted' to a life as a tiger for one cycle.
I told my wife that Callie “was just too good to be a cat and they had to call her spirit back so she could be reincarnated as a person�. The idea was comforting. Those words were still in my head when, very shortly after, I discovered we were having a child. When I look into my baby son's eyes now, I wonder if, just maybe, there’s a bit of Callie's endless curiosity looking back. That makes me happy....more
Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to releasChristmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to release new works. Something had to be done.
On the spur of the moment I set myself a challenge, to read every book to have won the Locus Sci-Fi award. That’s 35 books, 6 of which I’d previously read, leaving 29 titles by 14 authors who were new to me.
While working through this reading list I got married, went on my honeymoon, switched career and became a father. As such these stories became imprinted on my memory as the soundtrack to the happiest period in my life (so far).
There are some books that deserve 6 stars. For me, Anathem is one.
Anathem won the Locus Sci-Fi award in 2009. There were other books up for the award that year, but nothing worth mentioning in the same breath. The Hugo award went to Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book � which is a wonderfully poignant little story � but to say it’s better than this? Laughable.
I love this book so much that I named one of my cats Erasmas after the hero. (We just call him Razzie unless he gets a full-name telling-off for humping his little brother.)
It’s a story about a tight-knit group of highly academic friends (who happen to be monks who worship maths and science) in a post-post apocalyptic world, being tossed out into the wider, wilder society on a quest to make contact with dimension-hopping aliens. What more could you ask for?
Jason Pettus has done a superb job of explaining quite why this is such a perfectly constructed concept (check it out) so I won’t go into that.
Skimming other reviews I’ve seen that a lot of people got bogged down my the math-love, or found the characters hard to relate to, or straight-up found it dull. I’m flabbergasted at this! Normally I understand that some books just don’t gel with some people, but I refuse to bow down on this one � it’s not the book’s fault, the book is perfect � you people are broken in some deeply intrinsic way!
It’s not just geeky, it’s got a lot of heart and humour too. How’s this for a quote?
“Our opponent is an alien starship packed with atomic bombs," I said. "We have a protractor.�
My personal favourite moment would be the sudden arrival of the martial-arts monks - I haven't grinned that much at a book since the mimes went all kung-fu at the end of The Gone Away World.
I spent the whole read wittering about how much I loved it to the extent that I’d barely sighed my contented little sigh at THE END before my wife snatched the tome from my grip to see what all the fuss was all about.
Somehow I’d never heard of the marvellous Mr Stephenson before I began my Locus Quest � but that was the whole point of the quest! I’d gotten incredibly lazy and wasn’t trying out new authors. This was exactly what I’d been hoping to discover.
It was the third book I read in my Locus Sci-Fi reading list � following Accelerando and Rainbows End � and the first to float my boat to the rafters. 5 stars, no hesitation.
I expect I shall read everything he cares to write.
�... when I saw any of those kinds of beauty I knew I was alive, and not just in the sense that when I hit my thumb with a hammer I knew I was alive, but rather in the sense that I was partaking of something--something was passing through me that it was in my nature to be a part of.�
Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted author Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to release new works. Something had to be done.
On the spur of the moment I set myself a challenge, to read every book to have won the Locus Sci-Fi award. That’s 35 books, 6 of which I’d previously read, leaving 29 titles by 14 authors who were new to me.
While working through this reading list I got married, went on my honeymoon, switched career and became a father. As such these stories became imprinted on my memory as the soundtrack to the happiest period in my life (so far).
Have you ever thought that you were in love, only to realise, surprised in the middle of some mundane moment (such as pouring a cup of tea or hanging up your coat) that you are not in love at all? You were only ever, briefly, excited and infatuated � and that tantalising, mesmerising infatuation has now lifted from your eyes.
I thought, for a while, that I was in love with Michael Chabon. His use of language is so seductive � such sensuous sentences and playful, poetic paragraphs! The man is a natural wordsmith. The inspiration for this alternative reality is both wacky and deadpan, the noir homage both familiar and refreshing. I swooned!
I remember posting a status update on Facebook:
I kept stroking the book and bimbling around with a skip in my step.
This was only a couple of weeks away from my wedding day � love was in the air and I had more than enough to share with Mister Chabon!
And then... I remember it so clearly. I was in the pub, getting some lunch. I picked a comfy corner with a bench, hooked my feet up beside me and cut up all my sausages so I could eat with just one hand. I was all cosy, curled into the wall, book in one hand, fork in the other, pint of beer waiting, delectable in front of me� it was a perfect moment� Then I started to read and the magic that had captivated me beforehand just wasn’t there any more. It felt flat; facetious, smug and smarmy. From hanging off every word, I found myself struggling to stay focused. My eyes were repelled from the page. I had to fight to finish what I’d started. By the end, it was a matter or pride, but I wasn’t enjoying it any more.
I did a bi-polar flip over this book. It was an emotional and exhausting experience.
The idea of reading another Chabon makes me feel ill � I can’t handle that kind of heart-ache � I read for pleasure, man!
Somewhere between those giddy highs and dizzy lows, I’ll give the book a 3-star rating.
Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted author Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to release new works. Something had to be done.
On the spur of the moment I set myself a challenge, to read every book to have won the Locus Sci-Fi award. That’s 35 books, 6 of which I’d previously read, leaving 29 titles by 14 authors who were new to me.
While working through this reading list I got married, went on my honeymoon, switched career and became a father. As such these stories became imprinted on my memory as the soundtrack to the happiest period in my life (so far).
Rainbows End won the Locus Sci-Fi (as well as the Hugo) in 2007. I first heard about it on the blog where Vinge is somewhat revered.
When I started my Locus quest I made this my second port of call (after Accelerando) because it sounded like my cup of tea. I think I would have enjoyed the book which came second that year (Glasshouse) more.
I wanted to like Rainbows End. I really did try to like it. I thought for the first half of the book that I might just actually end up liking it. But I didn’t.
What frustrates me most about Rainbows End is that I’m not even certain why we didn’t gel.
The world building is top-notch � plausible and convincing, thoroughly detailed, interesting and original, memorable, etc � all qualities I normally laud.
I know it can’t be just because the protagonist is a grating grouch. I’ll admit that I spent most my read hoping he’d fall down an open manhole, but I’ve enjoyed other books with even less likeable leads (Donaldson - Thomas Covenant?).
And it’s not that the protagonist was old � I’m not ageist � I love a good silver-haired sleuth! (King - Insomnia?)
Could it be that the plot sort of fizzled and drifted into a faux-thriller mystery with a bunny? Maybe.
Or that the supporting cast are utterly forgettable? Perhaps.
Was it because the story lacks anything close to a true emotional hook? Could be.
None of these factors on their own would be enough to put me off a book, but all of them together stopped me from enjoying the wonderful ideas that kicked this book off.
The only reason I can’t outright 1-star the book is that I’m not sure it’s entirely Rainbows End’s fault. Have you ever had that feeling, when you take an instant dislike to somebody? It’s out of character and you’re probably just having a bad day, but you can’t shake your first impression that this guy is a thoroughbred douche? And you feel bad for being so judgemental, so you end-up being nicer to this douche than you probably should be? Yeah. This is like that.
I think my favorite idea here (and it's one that completely irrelevant to the plot) is the notion of fiction inspired augmented reality overlays of real locations. Minus the tech-speak - that means glasses which make all of London look like Ankh-Morpork, or turn Windsor Castle into Hogwarts, etc. So the grouchy old poet - that was an image my mind could run with!
I've since read The Snow Queen by Vernor's ex-wife, Joan Vinge. I didn't get along with that either. Ah well... my search for a good sci-fi author beginning with V goes on... now where did I put that Verne omnibus..?
Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted author Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to release new works. Something had to be done.
On the spur of the moment I set myself a challenge, to read every book to have won the Locus Sci-Fi award. That’s 35 books, 6 of which I’d previously read, leaving 29 titles by 14 authors who were new to me.
While working through this reading list I got married, went on my honeymoon, switched career and became a father. As such these stories became imprinted on my memory as the soundtrack to the happiest period in my life (so far).
2006 � Accelerando won the Locus Sci-Fi award, beating the Hugo winner, Spin.
Personally, I would have given the award to Simmons� Olympus, the sequel to 2004’s winner, Ilium (one of my all-time favourite books). But I’m very glad the guys and gals voting for the Locus gave it to Accelerando � because that way it got onto my reading list.
After making the decision to read every Locus Sci-Fi winner, this is the book I started my quest with. It was recent, sounded interesting, was a new author for me, and was available from Amazon second hand for just 1p (plus delivery).
This book made me feel: Christ-On-A-Bike-Doing-Bunnyhops-Through-Bethlehem!
I would describe it as: A charismatic geekazoid ideagasming into my optic nerves.
What I said at the time to my wife: The main guy I was telling you about, well he’s now a flock of pigeons living in his grandson’s space habitat (orbiting Saturn) which is controlled by the AI who used to be an orangutan, his daughter’s ship and his cat.
It’s that kind of book. Like riding a rollercoaster through a technology museum then being quizzed about the exhibits.
It throws a lot of information at you, opens up a lot of different angles and doesn’t explain much. Then it lurches off down one of these angles into the future and does it again. While you’re trying to figure out what’s happening this time, you’re also trying to figure out which details were relevant from the last chapter to get you here. Then we lurch forward again and a pattern emerges � we’re trying to look at the present, then at the past for how the hell we got here, then to the future for where we’re going next. Each lurch gets more extreme, accelerating the profound post-singularity changes on individuals and society.
It’s a fascinating experience with a wonderful, free-wheeling spirit.
But it lacks heart. By surfing the wave of progress, the characters in Accelerando are moving further and further away from traditional norms, and as such the emotional hooks they exert upon the reader are increasingly abstract and tenuous. It’s a brilliant thought-experiment, but lacking in soul.
Delighted to give it 4 stars � but quite firm that it doesn’t deserve 5.
Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted author Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to release new works. Something had to be done.
On the spur of the moment I set myself a challenge, to read every book to have won the Locus Sci-Fi award. That’s 35 books, 6 of which I’d previously read, leaving 29 titles by 14 authors who were new to me.
While working through this reading list I got married, went on my honeymoon, switched career and became a father. As such these stories became imprinted on my memory as the soundtrack to the happiest period in my life (so far).
In 2004, Ilium won the Locus Sci-Fi award. In my opinion, if the award had been a motor race, the other contenders would have got their asses lapped. That’s not to say there weren’t some good books in the running that year, Quicksilver is epic and I’ve heard good things about Pattern Recognition, The Speed of Dark and Singularity Sky � but Ilium is so far up my alley that it’s sitting on my lap and fiercely tonguing my tonsils.
When I embarked upon my Locus Quest, I picked the Locus Sci-Fi Award over other more highly regarded genre awards (Hugo, Nebula, BSFA, Arthur C. Clarke) for one simple reason: Ilium. I looked at my bookcase, saw this book and thought “I want to read more books like that�. Glittering on the cover was a little silver sticker ‘Winner of the Locus Award for best Sci-Fi novel�. I looked online and discovered that none of the more prestigious awards had recognised and rewarded Mr Simmons' mind-blowing madcap genius. “If the good people at Locus share my sensibilities regarding Señor Simmons,� I thought to myself, “then perhaps I’ll share theirs regarding other books.� Just like that, the decision was made and I committed myself to reading every winner of the Locus Sci-Fi award � a reading list that has taken me best part of two years to complete.
My introduction to Ilium set my spider-sense a-tingling. My Mum popped her head round the door and said ‘I’ve got one for you, I couldn’t get into it � it was all a bit much�. Now, that may not sound like an encouraging description, but where my Mum’s tolerance for high-concept sci-fi drops off a cliff my personal sweet-spot begins. Previous authors to elicit this response that it was ‘all a bit much� included Stephen Baxter, Greg Egan, and Alistair Reynolds � a warm welcome to the new chairman of the 'bit much' club, Dan Simmons!
Jayaprakash Satyamurthy has already done a superb job of summarising the story-strands so I advise you to pop over to his review to wrap your head around them.
This mash-up of classic literature with razor sharp sci-fi is audacious and inspirational. It’s the kind of book that I wish I could write. It’s the kind of book I wish I could trace back to the creative spark that initiated it to try and spin in a new direction. I read the book with a delighted grin stretching my cheeks throughout. The kind of book I’d risk walking into lampposts for because I simply could not tear it away from my face. I’ve read it multiple times and it never fails to delight me. I suppose you could call me a fan?
It’s fair to say I’ve become a big fan of his work � he consistently pushes my buttons.
I am happy to acknowledge that Ilium wont be for everyone (like my Mum) but whenever anyone asks me if it’s worth a read I can’t help but gush. If you have even a passing interest in sparkling, original, intelligent, playful sci-fi � give it a try!
Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted author Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to release new works. Something had to be done.
On the spur of the moment I set myself a challenge, to read every book to have won the Locus Sci-Fi award. That’s 35 books, 6 of which I’d previously read, leaving 29 titles by 14 authors who were new to me.
While working through this reading list I got married, went on my honeymoon, switched career and became a father. As such these stories became imprinted on my memory as the soundtrack to the happiest period in my life (so far).
If you’ve never read any Connie Willis before � Passage probably isn’t the best place to start. And I say that as a fan.
I’ve since read To Say Nothing of The Dog and Doomsday Book (and loved them both) but if I hadn’t been working my way through a specific reading list, I’m not sure I’d have given Willis another chance after Passage.
It’s not that it’s a bad book: - The characters are likeable - It plays on the heartstrings - There are amusing moments - Some interesting discussions - Memorable use of location - Powerful thematic resonance - Brave plot development
So why only two stars? I promise, I’m not naturally stingy with my stars. I wanted to like it.
To me, those common elements of Willis� writing style which work so effectively in her Oxford Time-Travel books (bureaucracy, late messages, tragic death, meandering mystery) act in those stories as a sort of grounding mechanism and counterpoint for the danger or romance of the time-travel adventure. In Passage, the ‘adventure� is a scientific investigation into markedly morbid terrain and, in my opinion, applying the same techniques just doesn’t work.
This time around I found the bureaucracy grating, the late messages petty and the meandering mystery not particularly mysterious and mostly just frustrating.
For a sci-fi award winner, there really wasn’t much (any?) in the way of classic sci-fi elements. The ending was vague, symbolic, but ultimately unsatisfying. And for significant periods progress became a sort of grit-your-teeth and trudge.
Masie Nellis, the sick 9-yr old girl, is such a loveable and memorable character that she practically earns that second star on her own.
But I won’t read this one again. If anybody would like to see if they fare any better, let me know and (for a couple of quid donation to a good cause of your choice) this book can be yours, otherwise Passage is looking at a one-way ticket to the local charity shop....more
Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted author Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to release new works. Something had to be done.
On the spur of the moment I set myself a challenge, to read every book to have won the Locus Sci-Fi award. That’s 35 books, 6 of which I’d previously read, leaving 29 titles by 14 authors who were new to me.
While working through this reading list I got married, went on my honeymoon, switched career and became a father. As such these stories became imprinted on my memory as the soundtrack to the happiest period in my life (so far).
Like two desperate wretches clinging to opposite sides of the Wheel of Fate, it sometimes seems, to me, like Fantasy and Sci-Fi, the two heirs of Speculative Fiction, must always suffer from opposing fortunes. When one rises up the other must be forced down.
Sci-Fi, on the other hand, went through a lull. I’m sure that’s doing many fine sci-fi novels a disservice, but the genre certainly wasn’t reaching comparable heights to its sword and wand wielding kin.
The Locus Sci-Fi, 2001 winner, was Ursula Le Guin’s The Telling, part of her Hainish Cycle which, at time of writing, stands at 13 works (none of which I had previously read). Her best known work is the Earthsea Cycle (which I also hadn’t read), and the only book of Le Guin’s which I had read was Lavinia (which didn’t exactly grabbed me).
So I had low expectation when I started.
You might think I must have really hated this book to give it 1-star. I didn’t hate it.
You might be wondering when (if ever) I’m going to get around to saying something about this book in particular. I’m wondering that too.
Now, let me tell you, my friend: I have a good memory for books. I may not remember your girlfriends name until I’ve met her a dozen times and she’s called me a jackass for asking who she is (again) but I can tell you about plots and characters from a book I read, once, 15 years ago.
I read The Telling last year, in the run-up to my wedding. Maybe I was distracted. I certainly had bigger things on my mind, but still � I’d expect to remember more about it than I do. I read it between Cyteen and The Integral Trees and I remember both of them crystal clear.
I did actually wonder if I even read this book � or just thought I did � but my wife reassures me that she saw me reading it, that definitely did happen�
I remember the cover of the book. I’m two-thirds sure that the protagonist was a lesbian. I think she was of Indian descent. I’ve got one mental image of a helicopter crashing in the desert. And I’ve got a feeling � a hypnotic sort of Taoist staring-at-water feeling. Aside from that, I’ve got nothing.
You might be outraged at such a low score for a book many people regard highly. The interweb tells me this is a delicate and subtle investigation of how traditional cultures survive underground in headstrong progressive times (such as Mao’s China). But for me � this book isn’t just forgettable, The Telling is forgotten � and that is a crime I find hard to forgive.
ps. On further reflection another image which I think is from this book came back to me... old people standing around in a hall doing a kind of yoga dance. Exciting, no?...more
Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted author Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to release new works. Something had to be done.
On the spur of the moment I set myself a challenge, to read every book to have won the Locus Sci-Fi award. That’s 35 books, 6 of which I’d previously read, leaving 29 titles by 14 authors who were new to me.
While working through this reading list I got married, went on my honeymoon, switched career and became a father. As such these stories became imprinted on my memory as the soundtrack to the happiest period in my life (so far).
Cryptonomicon is a difficult book for me to review. In many ways it’s amazing � so why not the give it the fifth star? In many ways it’s infuriating � so how did it get the first four stars?
Simple answer? It’s too long!
Crypto clocks in between 900-1100 pages, depending on which copy you get � and the story is a rambling beast, full of whimsical tangents, studious digressions, chatty dialogue and endearing anecdotes.
It’s an absolute pleasure to read � I find Stephenson’s writing a joy � but it goes in so many directions at once that it’s too often becalmed in the midst of the telling; any sense of forward momentum is diluted by the all-encompassing approach. Often you’re not sure which way is forward!
For me, this book is the perfect example of the ethos that� “The journey is more important than the destination.�
I learned from this book. I learned about cryptography, maths, military tactics, history, engineering, business tactics, phreaking, currency, mining, academia, etc. But I also learned how to kick-back and enjoy the journey of a book � to stop waiting for the next plot development point to come along like clockwork.
Months after reading Crypto I came back to Stephenson’s Baroque Cycle, the sequel/prequel trilogy to Crypto and I loved it! To enjoy a book properly, I need to be in the right headspace � I need to know what I’m getting into and adjust my expectations accordingly. I didn’t have the right hat on for Crypto � so I really enjoyed it, but still kept having little tantrums that it wasn’t doing what I felt it should. My experience with Crypto helped me develop the right mindset to fully enjoy The Baroque Cycle, and if I didn’t have so many other books on my list, I’d be tempted to go back to Crypto a second time and see if I can now appreciate it more on the second go-around.
This is the book I was mid-way through when I got married. Some people sit up nervously on the night before their wedding � I just read a couple of chapters of Crypto and sparked out. I read this on the flight for my honeymoon (between rounds of mushy newly-wed kisses). I finished it around the pool and on the beach.
In much the same way that Blue Mars will forever be linked with the birth of my son, Cryptonomicon will always bring to mind, for me, wedding bells and a feeling of glorious happiness.
Bobby Shaftoe, Randy Waterhouse, Lawrence Waterhouse and Enoch Root are all excellent characters � and the affection I feel for each of them is further enhanced by their association in my mind with the love I feel for my darling, bookworm wife.
P.S. Don't mention the lizard.
P.P.S. My only gripe with this book - and it's not even a gripe so much as an observation: Is this actually sci-fi? At all? No? Good. Just so we're all in agreement then. ...more
Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted author Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to release new works. Something had to be done.
On the spur of the moment I set myself a challenge, to read every book to have won the Locus Sci-Fi award. That’s 35 books, 6 of which I’d previously read, leaving 29 titles by 14 authors who were new to me.
While working through this reading list I got married, went on my honeymoon, switched career and became a father. As such these stories became imprinted on my memory as the soundtrack to the happiest period in my life (so far).
To Say Nothing of the Dog arrived in the post shortly afterwards, and I wasn’t exactly bouncing off the walls in excitement. I looked at the book. The book looked at me. I shoved in on a shelf and went back to reading Cyteen. I read another half-dozen books before I worked up the courage to even consider it.
I was packing books for my honeymoon. I wasn’t sure how much reading I’d get done because we were planning an action packed holiday (wink-wink-nudge-nudge!) so I lobbed in a couple of books I’d been putting off � �The Dog, and Years of Rice & Salt. As it turned out, I nearly broke my ankle on our second day in Malta so we spent our time hobbling around the pool (and restaurants!) instead of all the mountain climbing and scuba-diving we had intended. Lots more time for reading than expected!
My darling wife actually nabbed 'The Dog before I’d looked at it. I was still grinding my way through the latter half of Cryptonomicon when she started flicking through the first chapter.
Isn’t this by the same writer you called ‘bloody miserableâ€�? Yeah. It’s funny! Really? Yeah. ...Really? I’m borrowing it. ‘K²¹²â.
It turned out she really enjoyed it and recommended it highly. Which came as something of a surprise.
My point (and I understand if you’d given up all hope of me reaching it) is that stories take you on a journey � and how you connect with and take enjoyment from that journey can be hugely influenced by what you expect from the book and what’s going on in your life at that time. Had I read �The Dog the moment it came through the letterbox (ignoring the fact that I would have been interrupting Cyteen midway through which is most out of character for me) I don’t think it would have had the same effect on the post-Passage, pre-Wedding, collapsing quantum wave-front that we call my sentient consciousness. But this was the right book at the right time, and I loved it!
With humour, it’s all subjective � it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea but I found it very funny. It’s not exactly laugh-out-loud funny, but definitely dry-tickle-in-your-cheeks funny and stick-in-your-head funny. Particularly the effects of time lag in ‘difficulty distinguishing sounds� � this has become a long running gag in our house ever since. Pretending to have difficulty distinguishing what your wife has said when she’s asking you to do chores � it’s hilarious� to me anyway.
The cats. The dog. The goldfish. The chaos theory. The Alice-in-Wonderland conversations. The Bishop’s bloody bird-stump! Oh yes, please! More?
Never before has an author pulled a U-turn in my estimations with such panache; you wily bird, Willis! The Oxford Time-Travel series is an odd and scatter-shot series. This book made me smile, Doomsday tried hard to make me cry and Blackout / All Clear had me tearing out my hair with anxiety. Why couldn’t she just write a direct sequel to this?
Ned gets the girl� “And kissed her for a hundred and sixty-nine years.� � but what happened next, hmmm!?
There should be a whole series of Victorian adventures with Ned and Verity. And kittens.
A happy 5-stars. Definitely check it out. You might not click � I’ll admit, it doesn’t work for a decent percentage of readers � but…but� you might just discover a new book for your favourites shelf. It’s worth the risk, read it!...more
Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted author Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to release new works. Something had to be done.
On the spur of the moment I set myself a challenge, to read every book to have won the Locus Sci-Fi award. That’s 35 books, 6 of which I’d previously read, leaving 29 titles by 14 authors who were new to me.
While working through this reading list I got married, went on my honeymoon, switched career and became a father. As such these stories became imprinted on my memory as the soundtrack to the happiest period in my life (so far).
Not long after starting my Locus Quest, I crossed paths with a fascinating purple brick of a book, by the name of Anathem. We hit it off � spent many happy hours together � and I sealed our love affair by naming a kitten after Anathem’s protagonist, Erasmas.
Then along came Cryptonomicon � a different kind of beast. Initially, I was less convinced; where is the sci-fi element? But that fat historical war novel grew on me slowly (and as it was so long it had plenty of time to work its magic) so I found myself a fan by the end.
Third (but by no means final) Stephenson to step up to the plate is the steampunk-nanotech extraordinaire, The Diamond Age. Weighing in at a dinky 500 pages compared to its heavyweight kin, The Diamond Age hits the ground running and had me grinning from the get-go.
There’s no point bushing-around-the-beat, it’s time to put-my-table-on-the-cards and wear-my-sleeve-on-my-heart: I loved this book! As with Anathem, this book deserves a sixth star from me. It makes me want to downgrade other books to 4-star just to make it stand out further.
Anathem is a book with substance � the kind of girl your grandmother calls a ‘keeper�. The Diamond Age is a book with flair � the kind of girl your grandmother calls a ‘bad influence�. What your Grandmother isn’t telling you, is that sometimes ‘bad influences� grow up to be ‘keepers�. The same soul runs through these books, but Anathem is just a little older and wiser � The Diamond Age more naive and impulsive.
You can easily find a list of major characters in this book � Nell, the Hackworths, the Finkle-McGraws, Judge Fang, Miranda � but odds-on they wont mention the star of the show: The Primer. Oh, the Primer! Oh, sweet bejesus, the Primer! I wish I had a Primer as a child. I wish I had a Primer now, to give to my son. The Primer is perfect. It’s like a fully formed idea you were already aware of, that hadn’t been articulated yet. It was on the tip of my tongue � now I know what it’s called: the Primer! The Primer is perfect. It is what everyone who’s banged their head on the desk through educational software wishes it was, and then some.
I could read a whole encyclopaedia about Nell’s lessons with the Primer � then go back in time, finish my AI design degree and devote my life to making the Primer a reality. Everything else in this book is window dressing (fascinating, imaginative, playful, funny, adventurous and evocative window dressing, for sure).
A lot of people get frustrated by the second half of the book and the ending. I am apparently in the minority. When Nell’s (view spoiler)[Mouse Army come to rescue (hide spoiler)] her I wanted to jump up and down on the bed. I told my wife about it in rushed, excited, babbling sentences which made her stare at me funny and pat me on the head.
And the drummers? Yes � the drummers are silly. But so was Bud’s skull gun back at the start. Remember how I said this book was playful and funny in places? Yeah � the drummers are part of that. Drummer orgy?! It’s a nice counterpoint to the Vicky ethos.
Buzzzz. Buzzzz. Buuzzzzzzzz! What’s that noise? The Diamond Age pushing my buttons.
Locus Sci-Fi and Hugo joint winner from �96. BUZZZZZZZ!...more
Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to releasChristmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to release new works. Something had to be done.
On the spur of the moment I set myself a challenge, to read every book to have won the Locus Sci-Fi award. That’s 35 books, 6 of which I’d previously read, leaving 29 titles by 14 authors who were new to me.
While working through this reading list I got married, went on my honeymoon, switched career and became a father. As such these stories became imprinted on my memory as the soundtrack to the happiest period in my life (so far).
Doomsday Book won the Locus Sci-Fi award in 1993. It won the Nebula the same year and had to share the Hugo as joint winner with A Fire Upon the Deep.
It was the third book I’d read by Connie Willis (after Passage and then To Say Nothing of the Dog) and it shares many of the Willis trademarks but the tone (and emotional response) is completely unlike either of them.
Generally, this is a well-loved book, as you would expect from a multi-award winner. The GR votes look something like: 41% 5-star 36% 4-star 17% 3-star 04% 2-star 02% 1-star
And yet the most popular individual reviews I can spot on here fall into that bottom six percent of one or two star reviews, which suggests to me that those who dislike this book feel strongly about their position. So what’s their position?
“bored to the point I almost wish I had the plague� � Ala (7 likes) “it supremely boring� � Mike P (12 likes) “a monument to the gods of boredom� � Conrad (13 likes) “a monotonous road� - Tracey (14 liked) �250 pages of tiresome running about with no real purpose� � Joel (68 likes)
While I wouldn’t go as far as to say I agree with this sentiment, I can at least see where they are coming from. The opening half of Doomsday Book takes its own sweet time getting to the point and contains numerous repetitive elements. This could have been done better, and that knocked the top star off my rating.
So yes � it’s not perfect � but it’s not a million miles away, either!
I love the fact that this isn’t a heroic quest. Doomsday Book starts out as quiet academic investigation mission which gets fubar from both ends. It becomes a story about endurance, survival and the nature of hope. Kivrin is a� good person. The kind of person who you’d like to call a friend, a real friend - not like saying “I wish I was friends with Tony Stark� � but I could imagine having Kivrin over for coffee and a game of scrabble while my cats nuzzled her legs for fuss. Because she felt real, because I loved her just a little bit, watching her heart get shredded by the tragedy of unstoppable plague inflicted a tiny echo of that pain on me. I couldn’t block it. I couldn’t distance myself. It felt raw.
This is a powerful book, which pretends to be whimsical. It chatters and banters then hits you with a sucker-punch, right in the gut.
Following on from To Say Nothing of the Dog, which is an upbeat and rather delightful little treasure; Doomsday Book is profoundly sad. The ending salvages what it can from the mess but it’s like inflating the airbag as the car goes off a bridge � too little, too late.
For those who find the constantly missed messages infuriating � this is a regular theme of Willis� which I’ve been pondering. I believe it’s meant to impart the feeling that drama is caused just as much by the things that don’t happen, as the things that do. That tragedy and salvation are only ever two sides of the same coin, being buffeted in the winds of a chaotic system � it only needs a strong gust to collapse the precarious situation. Willis' greatest skill is perhaps in generating a sense of genuine uncertainty that this will resolve with a positive outcome � she’s already shown she’s not afraid to kill her characters � why should Kivrin be any different?
With the axe looming prominent, I found myself sharing Dunworthy’s parental instincts, wanting to protect poor, brilliant, innocent Kivrin. I felt like my daughter had been missing for a day, and the policeman enters the room looking grim� oh god, oh god, don’t let it be true. Time stops. Am I even still breathing?
Like that.
I can’t say with all of my heart that I 'enjoyed' reading Doomsday Book it's not that kind of story � but writing this review has definitely made me want to read it again.
If you can brace yourself for a slow start and aching heart - highly recommend....more
Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted author Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to release new works. Something had to be done.
On the spur of the moment I set myself a challenge, to read every book to have won the Locus Sci-Fi award. That’s 35 books, 6 of which I’d previously read, leaving 29 titles by 14 authors who were new to me.
While working through this reading list I got married, went on my honeymoon, switched career and became a father. As such these stories became imprinted on my memory as the soundtrack to the happiest period in my life (so far).
Two books from Bujold’s epic sci-fi series, The Vorkosigan Saga, won the Locus Sci-Fi Award in the mid-90s. Barrayar in �92 and Mirror Dance in �95. Despite being published just a few years apart, within the chronology of The Vorkosigan Saga, the two stories fall at opposite ends of the spectrum � Barrayar is (chronologically) book two of the series, and Mirror Dance is book nine: Barrayar focuses on Cordelia at the time of Miles� birth, and Mirror Dance focuses on Marc (Miles� clone-brother) as a grown man.
I think it was the names that made me initially sceptical. Vorkosigosioisi-whatsit, doesn’t exactly trip off your tongue, nor does Bararayarra. The covers looked so cheesy I thought they’d attract mice quicker than bookworms�
Oh, I was such a fool! I loved Mirror Dance. It was heaps of fun! As I mentioned in my review of that book � I love long series (big fan of Discworld and Dresden Files) � so the idea of quality sci-fi series had major appeal to me. I got excited. I would’ve gladly ploughed straight into Barrayar next, but I’d already ordered my next batch of books beforehand, so I had to blitz through Brin’s Uplift Saga trilogy first. Then I faced a dilemma � Barrayar or Speaker for the Dead? I felt confident that Bujold would deliver, but I hadn’t yet given Card a chance � oh what a pickle!
I read Speaker first, and it was good enough to stop me itching for Barrayar. But I had my happy-face on when we eventually got our time together!
Someone should have warned me though � this is the story of how Cordelia, pregnant with Miles, gets hit with a ‘Soltoxin� bio-warfare grenade in the midst of a civil war. Her and Aral (her husband) get the antidote and are fine � but not the baby. This is the book that explains Miles� stunted growth and ‘mutie� appearance in later books. This is not the ideal book to read when your own wife is heavily pregnant with your first child!
Or maybe it is. Bujold has a couple of kids and from her writing I feel confident that she’s a great Mum � Cordelia certainly is. I think I empathised with Cordelia more than I could have before facing parenthood myself. I was trying to push my life in a new direction, to build for a family and future - and Cordelia is struggling to adapt to a new planet and culture as she plans for her family. Some of the echoes struck deep, and sometimes that made me uncomfortable. I loved Mirror Dance as amazing, fun sci-fi. I was expecting more in that vein here � I wasn’t expecting to feel worried and aching inside.
I’ve mentioned in other reviews that my best experiences with books are when they live up to and exceed my expectations. When they’re not what I expected, when I feel blindsided or ill prepared, I sometimes struggle to enjoy the immersion as much. This is one reason I used to be so cautious with new authors.
Barrayar is a tremendous book. A thoughtful start, building to a gripping, page-turning climax; a wonderful grasp of characters and a tightly plotted scenario. Really, it should be a 5-star read.
But because it made me feel stressed, because it made me worry about my baby � how I would feel if there was something wrong with him, something they’d missed in the scans, something they couldn’t foresee ‘till he was born � I kept jarring myself out of the story and can only give it 4-stars.
I’ve since continued to read (and very much enjoy) The Vor Game, and was recently given another three Vorkosigan books for my birthday � so I shall definitely, enthusiastically, be continuing with the series....more
Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted author Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to release new works. Something had to be done.
On the spur of the moment I set myself a challenge, to read every book to have won the Locus Sci-Fi award. That’s 35 books, 6 of which I’d previously read, leaving 29 titles by 14 authors who were new to me.
While working through this reading list I got married, went on my honeymoon, switched career and became a father. As such these stories became imprinted on my memory as the soundtrack to the happiest period in my life (so far).
The Fall of Hyperion was one of the six award winners I had read before starting my Glorious Locus Quest (along with 3 other Simmons books, an Asimov and a May).
“Mr. Kemper had read Simmons before and knew he likes to put a lot of big ideas in his books. But this time, apparently Simmons broke into his house and managed to directly implant much of the book directly into Mr. Kemper’s brain via some kind of crude funnel device.�
“His wife said she found him having convulsions and leaking brain matter out his nose and ears.�
“He had told several people that Hyperion was just so good that he had to know how it ended, even if it killed him.�
But Fall of Hyperion is so Shrike-damned good that I must, out of overwhelming respect, at least try to express my admiration and awe at this accomplishment.
To stretch the analogy even further, Simmons seems to work with plates of different sizes, colours, materials and shape � on sticks of different heights and widths. He takes a difficult job, integrating an intergalactic multidimensional time-travelling space-opera narrative, and makes it even more difficult by populating his universe with intelligent, diverse and contrary characters.
Some of his ideas articulate my deepest held ideals about far-future hi-tech becoming indistinguishable (to us, now) from magic � much as modern tech would be incomprehensible to early man. I already mentioned the awesomeness incarnate that is the Shrike, the Poet and the Cruciform in my review of the first book, but here I’m particularly referring to the Keats cybrids, the treeships and the TechnoCore.
It’s a book I would dearly love to re-read, but it looks like I’m going to have to re-buy first because I leant the whole Cantos to a friend who’s since moved house and taken it to the other side of the country... (I'm looking at you, Mark)
Fall of Hyperion won the Locus Sci-Fi award in 1991. I’m flabbergasted that the Hugo that year went to The Vor Game! I’ve since read The Vor Game , and I also 5-starred that, but good as that was, this is better. What’s even more peculiar, is that the Nebula that year went to Tehanu � a mid-series fantasy novel? Clearly I'll need to read it to understand that decision! Ah well, at least my trusty Locus Sci-Fi award recognised and rewarded Sir Simmons' creative genius.
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