Otis's bookshelf: sci-fi en-US Wed, 12 Feb 2025 09:57:26 -0800 60 Otis's bookshelf: sci-fi 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg The Anubis Gates 142296
Caught up in the intrigue between rival bands of beggars, pursued by Egyptian sorcerers, and befriended by Coleridge, Doyle somehow survives and learns more about the mysterious Ashbless than he could ever have imagined possible...]]> 387 Tim Powers 0441004016 Otis 5 sci-fi, fiction
2008 review:
I enjoyed every second of this book. I haven't read a time travel book in a long time, but loved this one, as the descriptions of London in 1812 were very rich. I loved how Lord Byron and other famous poets were running around, and the descriptions of all the beggars were fascinating. Add in some ancient Egyptian magic and you've got a great book!

Random sidenote: It's interesting to think that back then poets were the rockstars of the age, as the only form of mass-media was newspapers, so those who mastered the written word could be broadcast much further than any musician or actor. How times have changed!]]> 3.93 1983 The Anubis Gates
author: Tim Powers
name: Otis
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1983
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/02
date added: 2025/02/12
shelves: sci-fi, fiction
review:
Feb 2025: just re-read this 17 years later. It's still fantastic! Amazing magical realism to bring in sorcery and time travel to 18th century London. I loved the William Ashbless character [spoilers removed].

2008 review:
I enjoyed every second of this book. I haven't read a time travel book in a long time, but loved this one, as the descriptions of London in 1812 were very rich. I loved how Lord Byron and other famous poets were running around, and the descriptions of all the beggars were fascinating. Add in some ancient Egyptian magic and you've got a great book!

Random sidenote: It's interesting to think that back then poets were the rockstars of the age, as the only form of mass-media was newspapers, so those who mastered the written word could be broadcast much further than any musician or actor. How times have changed!
]]> <![CDATA[Consider Phlebas (Culture, #1)]]> 8935689
Within the cosmic conflict, an individual crusade. Deep within a fabled labyrinth on a barren world, a Planet of the Dead proscribed to mortals, lay a fugitive Mind. Both the Culture and the Idirans sought it. It was the fate of Horza, the Changer, and his motley crew of unpredictable mercenaries, human and machine, actually to find it, and with it their own destruction.]]> 467 Iain M. Banks 1857231384 Otis 4 sci-fi, ai, fiction
I loved seeing how the Minds fit into culture as AGI's, but oddly the book didn't go much into how they worked or interacted as much as I would have liked. It was a lot more about the Idirans vs the Culture, which was also entertaining but in a different way. ]]> 3.86 1987 Consider Phlebas (Culture, #1)
author: Iain M. Banks
name: Otis
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1987
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/12
date added: 2024/03/12
shelves: sci-fi, ai, fiction
review:
What a delightfully strange and entertaining book. The chapter where he was stuck on the dessert island was just so bizarre and yet gripping and that describes a lot of the sections of this book!

I loved seeing how the Minds fit into culture as AGI's, but oddly the book didn't go much into how they worked or interacted as much as I would have liked. It was a lot more about the Idirans vs the Culture, which was also entertaining but in a different way.
]]> Sea of Tranquility 58446227 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER - The award-winning, best-selling author of Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel returns with a novel of art, time travel, love, and plague that takes the reader from Vancouver Island in 1912 to a dark colony on the moon five hundred years later, unfurling a story of humanity across centuries and space.

One of the Best Books of the Year: The New York Times, NPR, GoodReads

"One of [Mandel's] finest novels and one of her most satisfying forays into the arena of speculative fiction yet." --The New York Times

Edwin St. Andrew is eighteen years old when he crosses the Atlantic by steamship, exiled from polite society following an ill-conceived diatribe at a dinner party. He enters the forest, spellbound by the beauty of the Canadian wilderness, and suddenly hears the notes of a violin echoing in an airship terminal--an experience that shocks him to his core.

Two centuries later a famous writer named Olive Llewellyn is on a book tour. She's traveling all over Earth, but her home is the second moon colony, a place of white stone, spired towers, and artificial beauty. Within the text of Olive's best-selling pandemic novel lies a strange passage: a man plays his violin for change in the echoing corridor of an airship terminal as the trees of a forest rise around him.

When Gaspery-Jacques Roberts, a detective in the black-skied Night City, is hired to investigate an anomaly in the North American wilderness, he uncovers a series of lives upended: The exiled son of an earl driven to madness, a writer trapped far from home as a pandemic ravages Earth, and a childhood friend from the Night City who, like Gaspery himself, has glimpsed the chance to do something extraordinary that will disrupt the timeline of the universe.

A virtuoso performance that is as human and tender as it is intellectually playful, Sea of Tranquility is a novel of time travel and metaphysics that precisely captures the reality of our current moment.]]> 259 Emily St. John Mandel 0593321448 Otis 4
This book is a time travel book, but more of a hard sci-fi version, and much more focused on the characters. The shifting storylines threw me in the first half of the book a bit, but then it really picked up, and culminated in a very cool conclusion.

I loved all the little details thrown in from the future, like how there have been many more pandemics after covid-19, like how people forgot what cursive writing is. And of course it makes sense that if time travel was invented that it would be a regulated technology by the government, that part was hilarious.

But what I love about Emily's work is that she focuses on what life is about, what brings people meaning. In this book, that is summarized in this quote:

"if definitive proof emerges that we’re living in a simulation, the correct response to that news will be So what. A life lived in a simulation is still a life."]]> 4.04 2022 Sea of Tranquility
author: Emily St. John Mandel
name: Otis
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/03/30
date added: 2023/04/02
shelves: fiction, dystopian, sci-fi, ai, time-travel
review:
Wonderfully fun and imaginative book from one of my favorite authors. Emily's book Station Eleven is one of my favorites and that was pre-covid pandemic - I imagine it reads better now.

This book is a time travel book, but more of a hard sci-fi version, and much more focused on the characters. The shifting storylines threw me in the first half of the book a bit, but then it really picked up, and culminated in a very cool conclusion.

I loved all the little details thrown in from the future, like how there have been many more pandemics after covid-19, like how people forgot what cursive writing is. And of course it makes sense that if time travel was invented that it would be a regulated technology by the government, that part was hilarious.

But what I love about Emily's work is that she focuses on what life is about, what brings people meaning. In this book, that is summarized in this quote:

"if definitive proof emerges that we’re living in a simulation, the correct response to that news will be So what. A life lived in a simulation is still a life."
]]> Dark Matter 28684704 Alternate cover edition of ASIN B0180T0IUY

Jason Dessen is walking home through the chilly Chicago streets one night, looking forward to a quiet evening in front of the fireplace with his wife, Daniela, and their son, Charlie—when his reality shatters.

It starts with a man in a mask kidnapping him at gunpoint, for reasons Jason can’t begin to fathom—what would anyone want with an ordinary physics professor?—and grows even more terrifying from there, as Jason’s abductor injects him with some unknown drug and watches while he loses consciousness.

When Jason awakes, he’s in a lab, strapped to a gurney—and a man he’s never seen before is cheerily telling him “welcome back!�

Jason soon learns that in this world he’s woken up to, his house is not his house. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born.

And someone is hunting him.]]> 352 Blake Crouch Otis 0
"I think about all the choices we’ve made that created this moment. Us sitting here together at this beautiful table. Then I think of all the possible events that could have stopped this moment from ever happening, and it all feels, I don’t know…� “What?� “So fragile.� Now he becomes thoughtful for a moment. He says finally, “It’s terrifying when you consider that every thought we have, every choice we could possibly make, branches into a new world."

[spoilers removed]]]> 4.15 2016 Dark Matter
author: Blake Crouch
name: Otis
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at: 2017/03/18
date added: 2022/09/15
shelves: fiction, thriller, sci-fi, mystery
review:
A fun, fast paced science fiction thriller. I read it in 2 nights and couldn't put it down. The book is about the quantum theory of which states that all decisions we make throughout our lives basically create branches, and that each possible path through the decision tree can be thought of as a parallel world. And in this book, someone invents a way to switch between these worlds. This was nicely alluded to/foreshadowed in this quote:

"I think about all the choices we’ve made that created this moment. Us sitting here together at this beautiful table. Then I think of all the possible events that could have stopped this moment from ever happening, and it all feels, I don’t know…� “What?� “So fragile.� Now he becomes thoughtful for a moment. He says finally, “It’s terrifying when you consider that every thought we have, every choice we could possibly make, branches into a new world."

[spoilers removed]
]]> <![CDATA[Dune: The Lady of Caladan (The Caladan Trilogy Book 2)]]> 56892406 From Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, The Lady of Caladan is a brand new novel in the internationally bestselling Dune series.

Lady Jessica, mother of Paul, and consort to Leto Atreides. The choices she made shaped an empire, but first the Lady of Caladan must reckon with her own betrayal of the Bene Gesserit. She has already betrayed her ancient order, but now she must decide if her loyalty to the Sisterhood is more important than the love of her own family.

Meanwhile, events in the greater empire are accelerating beyond the control of even the Reverend Mother, and Lady Jessica's family is on a collision course with destiny.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.]]> 407 Brian Herbert 1250765064 Otis 5 sci-fi, fiction 4.39 2021 Dune: The Lady of Caladan (The Caladan Trilogy Book 2)
author: Brian Herbert
name: Otis
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2022/01/02
date added: 2022/01/11
shelves: sci-fi, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3)]]> 8684868 An Alternate Cover Edition can be found here: /book/show/5...

The final book in the ground-breaking HUNGER GAMES trilogy. Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she's made it out of the bloody arena alive, she's still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what's worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss's family, not her friends, not the people of District 12.]]> 339 Suzanne Collins Otis 3 sci-fi, young-adult 4.31 2010 Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Otis
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2013/12/15
date added: 2021/01/29
shelves: sci-fi, young-adult
review:

]]> Recursion 41941223 A thriller about time, identity, and memory...

Reality is broken.

At first, it looks like a disease. An epidemic that spreads through no known means, driving its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived. But the force that’s sweeping the world is no pathogen. It’s just the first shock wave, unleashed by a stunning discovery—and what’s in jeopardy is not our minds but the very fabric of time itself.

In New York City, Detective Barry Sutton is closing in on the truth—and in a remote laboratory, neuroscientist Helena Smith is unaware that she alone holds the key to this mystery... and the tools for fighting back.

Together, Barry and Helena will have to confront their enemy—before they, and the world, are trapped in a loop of ever-growing chaos.]]> 324 Blake Crouch 1524759805 Otis 3
My only gripes are that the science behind the invention to enable the time travel seemed too implausible, and it was a little repetitive at times. But once you just accepted the time travel, the book plays it out in a very fun way, that kept you thinking. Very enjoyable, though I think I liked Dark Matter a little more than this one.

Time is an illusion, a construct made out of human memory. There’s no such thing as the past, the present, or the future. It’s all happening now."
]]> 4.26 2019 Recursion
author: Blake Crouch
name: Otis
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2020/08/11
date added: 2020/09/09
shelves: summer-reads, mystery, sci-fi, fiction
review:
A super fun, fast paced mind bender that gets you thinking about time and decisions.

My only gripes are that the science behind the invention to enable the time travel seemed too implausible, and it was a little repetitive at times. But once you just accepted the time travel, the book plays it out in a very fun way, that kept you thinking. Very enjoyable, though I think I liked Dark Matter a little more than this one.

Time is an illusion, a construct made out of human memory. There’s no such thing as the past, the present, or the future. It’s all happening now."

]]> Blue Mars (Mars Trilogy, #3) 6526698 Winner of the Hugo Award for Best Novel � One of the most enthralling science fiction sagas ever written, Kim Stanley Robinson’s epic trilogy concludes with Blue Mars—a triumph of prodigious research and visionary storytelling. “A breakthrough even from [Kim Stanley Robinson’s] own consistently high levels of achievement.�—The New York Times Book Review The red planet is no more. Now green and verdant, Mars has been dramatically altered from a desolate world into one where humans can flourish. The First Hundred settlers are being pulled into a fierce new struggle between the Reds, a group devoted to preserving Mars in its desert state, and the Green “terraformers.� Meanwhile, Earth is in peril. A great flood threatens an already overcrowded and polluted planet. With Mars the last hope for the human race, the inhabitants of the red planet are heading toward a population explosion—or interplanetary war.]]> 786 Kim Stanley Robinson Otis 3 sci-fi, fiction, mars, space
It is a few things, but a large part of it is a story about what happens when aging is prolonged such that people live to 200, 300, 400 years old - something that I believe will start to happen in my natural lifetime (though I could be off by 50 years). First, there is a massive population explosion that will last for hundreds of years, and cause all kinds of problems. This has a lot of consequences, including overcrowding and immigration issues to all countries and planets that have space. Making Mars "blue" - or having a atmosphere we can breathe in - is thus not a bad idea (I guess I'm not a Red!).

I liked how the book jumps around to tell the stories of different characters - Nirgal, Sax, Maya, Ann, even Zo. Hard to keep peace after a revolution! [spoilers removed]]]> 4.13 1996 Blue Mars (Mars Trilogy, #3)
author: Kim Stanley Robinson
name: Otis
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1996
rating: 3
read at: 2020/02/17
date added: 2020/02/22
shelves: sci-fi, fiction, mars, space
review:
This book has been my companion on audio for countless runs and bikes rides over the past few months. It is perfect for that, because it's a long, winding story that is easy to pick back up anytime and get back into.

It is a few things, but a large part of it is a story about what happens when aging is prolonged such that people live to 200, 300, 400 years old - something that I believe will start to happen in my natural lifetime (though I could be off by 50 years). First, there is a massive population explosion that will last for hundreds of years, and cause all kinds of problems. This has a lot of consequences, including overcrowding and immigration issues to all countries and planets that have space. Making Mars "blue" - or having a atmosphere we can breathe in - is thus not a bad idea (I guess I'm not a Red!).

I liked how the book jumps around to tell the stories of different characters - Nirgal, Sax, Maya, Ann, even Zo. Hard to keep peace after a revolution! [spoilers removed]
]]> Green Mars (Mars Trilogy, #2) 6350506 Nebula Award winning Red Mars, Kim Stanley Robinson began his critically acclaimed epic saga of the colonization of Mars, Now the Hugo Award winning Green Mars continues the thrilling and timeless tale of humanity's struggle to survive at its farthest frontier.

Nearly a generation has passed since the first pioneers landed, but the transformation of Mars to an Earthlike planet has just begun. The plan is opposed by those determined to preserve the planet's hostile, barren beauty. Led by rebels like Peter Clayborne, these young people are the first generation of children born on Mars. They will be joined by original settlers Maya Toitovna, Simon Frasier, and Sax Russell. Against this cosmic backdrop, passions, rivalries, and friendships explode in a story as spectacular as the planet itself.


From the Paperback edition.]]> 642 Kim Stanley Robinson Otis 4 sci-fi, fiction, mars, space
Tons of science to be enjoyed. There was also a lot of descriptions of how people were figuring out how to survive and thrive on Mars, and I loved the science of all the attempts to terraform, mostly by our scientific hero, Sax. But I think my favorite were the space elevator and its construction, and the soletta - I mean what an amazing, big thinking idea to heat a planet using a giant magnifying glass in space?

"This huge delicate object, ten thousand kilometers in diameter, bright and stately as it wheeled along between Mars and the sun, was called the soletta. Sunlight striking the soletta directly bounced through its blinds, hitting the sun side of one, then the Mars side of the next one out, and onward to Mars. Sunlight striking the annular ring in its polar orbit was reflected back and in to the inner cone of the soletta, and then was reflected again, also on to Mars. Thus light struck both sides of the soletta, and these countervailing pressures kept it moving in its position, about a hundred thousand kilometers out from Mars—closer at perihelion, farther away at aphelion. The angles of the slats were constantly adjusted by the soletta’s AI, to keep its orbit and its focus. "

"And then, as when one tugs open venetian blinds, the sun came back all at once. Blinding light! And now more blinding than ever, as the sun was noticeably brighter than it had been before the strange eclipse had begun. Now they walked under an augmented sun, the disk appearing about the same size as it did from Earth, the light some twenty percent greater than before—noticeably brighter, warmer on the back on the neck—the red expanse of the plains more brilliantly lit. As if floodlights had suddenly been turned on, and all of them were now walking a great stage."

I also loved the descriptions of the politics on Earth, especially around Praxis and it's dynamic founder, William Fort, and how the interests of all the transnats (trans nationals) resulted in what was happening on Mars. Because it does seem we are headed that way, with a few corporations that will dominate and get larger and larger because in am era of software-has-eaten-the-world, and we-are-running-out-of-natural-resources-on-earth, these companies can and will simply dominate entire spaces, and eventually surpass governments as the dominant centers of power. However to keep growing revenues as we hit tipping point of running out of natural resources, human resources and non-natural (produced) resources - is a bigger and bigger challenge, especially as numbers get larger. So you have to think on truly terrifying large scales - and thus an opportunity like Mars seems very appealing. Anyways, this seems (to me) like the path we are on, so it was interesting to see how Robinson was describing it and playing it out. But as William Fort put it:

"They don’t see the possibilities.� “The possibilities for …� “For development! Mars isn’t just an empty world, Randolph—in economic terms, it’s nearly a nonexistent world. Its bioinfrastructure has to be constructed, you see. I mean one could just extract the metals and move on, which is what Subarashii and the others seem to have in mind. But that’s treating it like nothing more than a big asteroid. Which is stupid, because its value as a base of operations, as a planet so to speak, far surpasses the value of its metals. All its metals together total about twenty trillion dollars, but the value of a terraformed Mars is more in the neighborhood of two hundred trillion dollars. That’s about one third of the current Gross World Value, and even that doesn’t make proper assessment of its scarcity value, if you ask me. No, Mars is bioinfrastructure investment, just like I was talking about. Exactly the kind of thing Praxis is looking for."]]> 4.12 1993 Green Mars (Mars Trilogy, #2)
author: Kim Stanley Robinson
name: Otis
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1993
rating: 4
read at: 2019/08/09
date added: 2019/09/23
shelves: sci-fi, fiction, mars, space
review:
A great continuation of Red Mars, which continues to build on the world, giving you a really deep sense of what Mars is like, and the politics it's undergoing. Long, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Tons of science to be enjoyed. There was also a lot of descriptions of how people were figuring out how to survive and thrive on Mars, and I loved the science of all the attempts to terraform, mostly by our scientific hero, Sax. But I think my favorite were the space elevator and its construction, and the soletta - I mean what an amazing, big thinking idea to heat a planet using a giant magnifying glass in space?

"This huge delicate object, ten thousand kilometers in diameter, bright and stately as it wheeled along between Mars and the sun, was called the soletta. Sunlight striking the soletta directly bounced through its blinds, hitting the sun side of one, then the Mars side of the next one out, and onward to Mars. Sunlight striking the annular ring in its polar orbit was reflected back and in to the inner cone of the soletta, and then was reflected again, also on to Mars. Thus light struck both sides of the soletta, and these countervailing pressures kept it moving in its position, about a hundred thousand kilometers out from Mars—closer at perihelion, farther away at aphelion. The angles of the slats were constantly adjusted by the soletta’s AI, to keep its orbit and its focus. "

"And then, as when one tugs open venetian blinds, the sun came back all at once. Blinding light! And now more blinding than ever, as the sun was noticeably brighter than it had been before the strange eclipse had begun. Now they walked under an augmented sun, the disk appearing about the same size as it did from Earth, the light some twenty percent greater than before—noticeably brighter, warmer on the back on the neck—the red expanse of the plains more brilliantly lit. As if floodlights had suddenly been turned on, and all of them were now walking a great stage."

I also loved the descriptions of the politics on Earth, especially around Praxis and it's dynamic founder, William Fort, and how the interests of all the transnats (trans nationals) resulted in what was happening on Mars. Because it does seem we are headed that way, with a few corporations that will dominate and get larger and larger because in am era of software-has-eaten-the-world, and we-are-running-out-of-natural-resources-on-earth, these companies can and will simply dominate entire spaces, and eventually surpass governments as the dominant centers of power. However to keep growing revenues as we hit tipping point of running out of natural resources, human resources and non-natural (produced) resources - is a bigger and bigger challenge, especially as numbers get larger. So you have to think on truly terrifying large scales - and thus an opportunity like Mars seems very appealing. Anyways, this seems (to me) like the path we are on, so it was interesting to see how Robinson was describing it and playing it out. But as William Fort put it:

"They don’t see the possibilities.� “The possibilities for …� “For development! Mars isn’t just an empty world, Randolph—in economic terms, it’s nearly a nonexistent world. Its bioinfrastructure has to be constructed, you see. I mean one could just extract the metals and move on, which is what Subarashii and the others seem to have in mind. But that’s treating it like nothing more than a big asteroid. Which is stupid, because its value as a base of operations, as a planet so to speak, far surpasses the value of its metals. All its metals together total about twenty trillion dollars, but the value of a terraformed Mars is more in the neighborhood of two hundred trillion dollars. That’s about one third of the current Gross World Value, and even that doesn’t make proper assessment of its scarcity value, if you ask me. No, Mars is bioinfrastructure investment, just like I was talking about. Exactly the kind of thing Praxis is looking for."
]]> The Martian 17315048
It started with the dust storm that holed his suit and nearly killed him, and that forced his crew to leave him behind, sure he was already dead. Now he's stranded millions of miles from the nearest human being, with no way to even signal Earth that he's alive--and even if he could get word out, his food would be gone years before a rescue mission could arrive. Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to get him first.

But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills--and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit--he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. But will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?]]> 11 Andy Weir Otis 5
There were two great things about this book: the humor and the science. The science appealed to the mechanical engineer in me - Watney is a bit like McGyver except he knows a lot more about chemistry and botany. I didn't double-check all the science, but loved the descriptions of all the math: calorie calculations, creating water, etc. Just fun stuff.

But the humor was top notch. Weir does a great job portraying a stranded man trying to remain upbeat by talking to himself in log entries. And the excellent audio narrator only made it better.

"I started the day with some nothin� tea. Nothin� tea is easy to make. First, get some hot water, then add nothin�."

“Yes, of course duct tape works in a near-vacuum. Duct tape works anywhere. Duct tape is magic and should be worshiped.�

"Live Another Sol would be an awesome name for a James Bond movie."

In the end, a well told story of survival against the odds. And one of belief - I liked the CNN Mark Watney watch - you could totally imagine how into this story the media would get. We humans love a good surviving against the odds story. ]]> 4.41 2011 The Martian
author: Andy Weir
name: Otis
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2014/08/25
date added: 2019/08/23
shelves: audio, sci-fi, science, space, mars
review:
Mark Watney is a steely-eyed missile man. A man's man. A badass mechanical engineer botanist astronaut who is stranded on Mars during a Nasa mission gone wrong, and left to fend for himself. I listened to this on audio on a roadtrip, and it flew by - what a fun story. Not surprised at all it's being made into . Also pretty amazing is that it was self-published.

There were two great things about this book: the humor and the science. The science appealed to the mechanical engineer in me - Watney is a bit like McGyver except he knows a lot more about chemistry and botany. I didn't double-check all the science, but loved the descriptions of all the math: calorie calculations, creating water, etc. Just fun stuff.

But the humor was top notch. Weir does a great job portraying a stranded man trying to remain upbeat by talking to himself in log entries. And the excellent audio narrator only made it better.

"I started the day with some nothin� tea. Nothin� tea is easy to make. First, get some hot water, then add nothin�."

“Yes, of course duct tape works in a near-vacuum. Duct tape works anywhere. Duct tape is magic and should be worshiped.�

"Live Another Sol would be an awesome name for a James Bond movie."

In the end, a well told story of survival against the odds. And one of belief - I liked the CNN Mark Watney watch - you could totally imagine how into this story the media would get. We humans love a good surviving against the odds story.
]]> Red Mars (Mars Trilogy, #1) 35720284
For some, Mars will become a passion driving them to daring acts of courage & madness. For others it offers an opportunity to strip the planet of its riches. For the genetic alchemists, it presents a chance to create a biomedical miracle, a breakthrough that could change all we know about life & death.

The colonists orbit giant satellite mirrors to reflect light to the surface. Black dust sprinkled on the polar caps will capture warmth. Massive tunnels, kilometers deep, will be drilled into the mantle to create stupendous vents of hot gases. Against this backdrop of epic upheaval, rivalries, loves & friendships will form & fall to pieces--for there are those who will fight to the death to prevent Mars from ever being changed.

Brilliantly imagined, breathtaking in scope & ingenuity, Red Mars is an epic scientific saga, chronicling the next step in evolution, creating a world in its entirety. It shows a future, with both glory & tarnish, that awes with complexity & inspires with vision.]]> 625 Kim Stanley Robinson Otis 4 sci-fi, fiction, space, mars
[spoilers removed]]]> 3.91 1992 Red Mars (Mars Trilogy, #1)
author: Kim Stanley Robinson
name: Otis
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1992
rating: 4
read at: 2019/02/01
date added: 2019/08/23
shelves: sci-fi, fiction, space, mars
review:
What an amazing, sprawling, realistic book. If we ever do populate Mars, I think this book will feel like a realistic blueprint of how it might go, complete with technology that is applied, inter personal dynamics, politics, and more. Earth is of course over-populated, pushing over 10M people, and so the space of Mars is appealing and we send a ship to start to populate it. By the end of the book, there are many, many people on Mars, all living in bubble cities. The book moves around in who the main character is, across probably half a dozen protagonists. At first I was annoyed by this, but it was well done and I think I liked it by the end.

[spoilers removed]
]]> New York 2140 40192833
The waters rose, submerging New York City.

But the residents adapted and it remained the bustling, vibrant metropolis it had always been. Though changed forever.

Every street became a canal. Every skyscraper an island.

Through the eyes of the varied inhabitants of one building, Kim Stanley Robinson shows us how one of our great cities will change with the rising tides.

And how we too will change.]]> 624 Kim Stanley Robinson Otis 4 sci-fi, fiction, new-york
"So it’s still New York. People can’t give up on it. It’s what economists used to call the tyranny of sunk costs: once you’ve put so much time and money into a project, it gets hard to just eat your losses and walk. You are forced by the structure of the situation to throw good money after bad, grow obsessed, double down, escalate your commitment, and become a mad gibbering apartment dweller, unable to imagine leaving. You persevere unto death, a monomaniacal New Yorker to the end."

The other part that made this book very New York is the focus on finance. That there was an intertidal index IPPI was pretty entertaining, and of course New York is still the financial capital of the world. But then a lot the plot of the book is about wealth disparity. By the year 2140 the 1% own 80% of wealth - so it has become very concentrated - too concentrated, and the number of people in positions of power who want to overturn that rise, including our heroes. I frankly enjoyed the descriptions of New York being underwater more than this part, but like climate change, it has a very real risk of happening in the future. ]]> 3.73 2017 New York 2140
author: Kim Stanley Robinson
name: Otis
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2018/12/02
date added: 2018/12/04
shelves: sci-fi, fiction, new-york
review:
A super fun, enjoyable read. A love letter to NYC, and worth reading just for that, especially if you live there or have visited. In the 2140, sea levels have risen 50 feet, and Manhattan is half underwater, up to I believe 34th, with a +-10 ft tide that also creates a huge intertidal zone. Who knew that upper Manhattan had more altitude? Brooklyn is all underwater. The main characters live in the Met and Flatiron buildings, which are in the water by several stories, and now have docks and boat-parking on the lower floors. And the crazy thing about all this, is while this is science fiction, it is sadly a very realistic scenario - But if you think New Yorkers will give up on their city even if half of it is drowned, think again.

"So it’s still New York. People can’t give up on it. It’s what economists used to call the tyranny of sunk costs: once you’ve put so much time and money into a project, it gets hard to just eat your losses and walk. You are forced by the structure of the situation to throw good money after bad, grow obsessed, double down, escalate your commitment, and become a mad gibbering apartment dweller, unable to imagine leaving. You persevere unto death, a monomaniacal New Yorker to the end."

The other part that made this book very New York is the focus on finance. That there was an intertidal index IPPI was pretty entertaining, and of course New York is still the financial capital of the world. But then a lot the plot of the book is about wealth disparity. By the year 2140 the 1% own 80% of wealth - so it has become very concentrated - too concentrated, and the number of people in positions of power who want to overturn that rise, including our heroes. I frankly enjoyed the descriptions of New York being underwater more than this part, but like climate change, it has a very real risk of happening in the future.
]]> Artemis 35097545
Well, sort of. Life on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon, is tough if you're not a rich tourist or an eccentric billionaire. So smuggling in the occasional harmless bit of contraband barely counts, right? Not when you've got debts to pay and your job as a porter barely covers the rent.

Everything changes when Jazz sees the chance to commit the perfect crime, with a reward too lucrative to turn down. But pulling off the impossible is just the start of her problems, as she learns that she's stepped square into a conspiracy for control of Artemis itself—and that now, her only chance at survival lies in a gambit even riskier than the first.]]> 335 Andy Weir Otis 3 sci-fi, fiction, space
I think what I liked most was the vivid picture of what life on the moon might look like if it happened. Weir did a great job of imagining why a moon base might exist: tourism, and mining for things like aluminum - and then painting a picture of life in the base and how it would be different - and similar - to earth. It was similar to earth in that it had its rich areas, its ghettos, its dive bars, etc. Like in the Martian, Weir did a thorough job diving into the science - how a moonbase might work, and also pointing out cool little details - like how airlocks and the bubbles would have to be engineered. There was also a lot around how being in 1/6 gravity would be different - it means you can jump off buildings, it means it's hard to control your kids because they literally bounce off the walls, and it makes for very interesting sex. One of my favorite tidbits was how coffee tastes horrible at low pressure - something that I heard Andy Weir say in a Q&A that is the explanation for why airplane coffee always tastes so bad (its either too cold or burned):

"Earthers hate our coffee. Physics dictates that it tastes like shit. Earth’s air is 20 percent oxygen. The rest is stuff human bodies don’t need like nitrogen and argon. So Artemis’s air is pure oxygen at 20 percent Earth’s air pressure. That gives us the right amount of oxygen while minimizing pressure on the hulls. It’s not a new concept—it goes back to the Apollo days. Thing is, the lower the pressure, the lower the boiling point of water. Water boils at 61 degrees Celsius here, so that’s as hot as tea or coffee can be. Apparently it’s disgustingly cold to people who aren’t used to it."

So I loved the science - and you'd expect that from the author of The Martian which had similarly good science - but the issues with the book were the protagonist and the plot. Jazz was well conceived but came across as shallow and not quite believable. She also seemed way too much like a female Mark Wattney. [spoilers removed]]]> 3.89 2017 Artemis
author: Andy Weir
name: Otis
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2017/12/29
date added: 2018/01/02
shelves: sci-fi, fiction, space
review:
This was a fun, fast paced, can't put it down thriller that I finished in 1 day. It had a bunch of flaws to be sure, but also a bunch of things to like about it. And no, it's not as good as The Martian was - not close - but similar to the Martian it had fascinating science, and some great humor.

I think what I liked most was the vivid picture of what life on the moon might look like if it happened. Weir did a great job of imagining why a moon base might exist: tourism, and mining for things like aluminum - and then painting a picture of life in the base and how it would be different - and similar - to earth. It was similar to earth in that it had its rich areas, its ghettos, its dive bars, etc. Like in the Martian, Weir did a thorough job diving into the science - how a moonbase might work, and also pointing out cool little details - like how airlocks and the bubbles would have to be engineered. There was also a lot around how being in 1/6 gravity would be different - it means you can jump off buildings, it means it's hard to control your kids because they literally bounce off the walls, and it makes for very interesting sex. One of my favorite tidbits was how coffee tastes horrible at low pressure - something that I heard Andy Weir say in a Q&A that is the explanation for why airplane coffee always tastes so bad (its either too cold or burned):

"Earthers hate our coffee. Physics dictates that it tastes like shit. Earth’s air is 20 percent oxygen. The rest is stuff human bodies don’t need like nitrogen and argon. So Artemis’s air is pure oxygen at 20 percent Earth’s air pressure. That gives us the right amount of oxygen while minimizing pressure on the hulls. It’s not a new concept—it goes back to the Apollo days. Thing is, the lower the pressure, the lower the boiling point of water. Water boils at 61 degrees Celsius here, so that’s as hot as tea or coffee can be. Apparently it’s disgustingly cold to people who aren’t used to it."

So I loved the science - and you'd expect that from the author of The Martian which had similarly good science - but the issues with the book were the protagonist and the plot. Jazz was well conceived but came across as shallow and not quite believable. She also seemed way too much like a female Mark Wattney. [spoilers removed]
]]> <![CDATA[The Three-Body Problem (Remembrance of Earth’s Past, #1)]]> 18245960 The Three-Body Problem is the first chance for English-speaking readers to experience the Hugo Award-winning phenomenon from China's most beloved science fiction author, Liu Cixin.

Set against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion. The result is a science fiction masterpiece of enormous scope and vision.]]> 400 Liu Cixin Otis 5
It is a 2015 Hugo winner, and translated from its original Chinese, which made it interesting in just a different way from most things I've read. For instance the intermixing of Chinese revolutionary history - how they kept accusing people of being "reactionaries", etc.

It is a book about science, and aliens. The science described in the book is impressive - its a book grounded in physics and pretty accurate as far as I could tell. [spoilers removed]

]]> 4.14 2006 The Three-Body Problem (Remembrance of Earth’s Past, #1)
author: Liu Cixin
name: Otis
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at: 2017/08/26
date added: 2017/12/19
shelves: sci-fi, fiction, china, hugo-awards
review:
This is a special book. It started slow for about the first third, then in the middle third it started to get interesting, then the last third blew my mind. This is what I love about good science fiction - it pushes your thinking about where things can go.

It is a 2015 Hugo winner, and translated from its original Chinese, which made it interesting in just a different way from most things I've read. For instance the intermixing of Chinese revolutionary history - how they kept accusing people of being "reactionaries", etc.

It is a book about science, and aliens. The science described in the book is impressive - its a book grounded in physics and pretty accurate as far as I could tell. [spoilers removed]


]]> <![CDATA[Death's End (Remembrance of Earth’s Past, #3)]]> 25735618
� The War of the Worlds for the 21st century� packed with a sense of wonder.� � Wall Street Journal

The New York Times bestselling conclusion to a tour de force near-future adventure trilogy from China's bestselling and beloved science fiction writer.

With The Three-Body Problem , English-speaking readers got their first chance to read China's most beloved science fiction author, Cixin Liu. The Three-Body Problem was released to great acclaim including coverage in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal and reading list picks by Barack Obama and Mark Zuckerberg . It was also won the Hugo and Nebula Awards, making it the first translated novel to win a major SF award.

Now this epic trilogy concludes with Death's End . Half a century after the Doomsday Battle, the uneasy balance of Dark Forest Deterrence keeps the Trisolaran invaders at bay. Earth enjoys unprecedented prosperity due to the infusion of Trisolaran knowledge. With human science advancing daily and the Trisolarans adopting Earth culture, it seems that the two civilizations will soon be able to co-exist peacefully as equals without the terrible threat of mutually assured annihilation. But the peace has also made humanity complacent.

Cheng Xin, an aerospace engineer from the early twenty-first century, awakens from hibernation in this new age. She brings with her knowledge of a long-forgotten program dating from the beginning of the Trisolar Crisis, and her very presence may upset the delicate balance between two worlds. Will humanity reach for the stars or die in its cradle?

The Remembrance of Earth's Past series:
The Three-Body Problem
The Dark Forest
Death's End

Other books:
Ball Lightning
Supernova Era
To Hold Up The Sky (forthcoming)

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.]]> 605 Liu Cixin Otis 5
Death’s End impressively goes deep into so many areas - human history, philosophy, physics, quantum physics, mind bending physics, and more. It even goes into dimensional warfare. I loved this quote:

"It’s very possible that every law of physics has been weaponized."

I think one of my favorite elements was the 3 stories. The level of metaphor and dual metaphor was so artfully done I’m still impressed thinking about it. Oh - and I really want to go visit He’ershingenmosiken now. I loved how the narrator pronounced that.

[spoilers removed]

Note: this was a great article to read as a followup to this book, interviews the author and goes more into China culture: ]]> 4.51 2010 Death's End (Remembrance of Earth’s Past, #3)
author: Liu Cixin
name: Otis
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2017/11/12
date added: 2017/12/01
shelves: sci-fi, space, china, hugo-awards
review:
Mindblowingly good. I haven’t read something so epicly ambitious and good in a long time. They say China is surpassing the rest of the world in lots of areas, you can put them up there in science fiction writers. And the best part was that the series built - you couldn’t imagine book 2 being better than book 1, but it was, and then you couldn’t imagine book 3 topping book 2, but it did.

Death’s End impressively goes deep into so many areas - human history, philosophy, physics, quantum physics, mind bending physics, and more. It even goes into dimensional warfare. I loved this quote:

"It’s very possible that every law of physics has been weaponized."

I think one of my favorite elements was the 3 stories. The level of metaphor and dual metaphor was so artfully done I’m still impressed thinking about it. Oh - and I really want to go visit He’ershingenmosiken now. I loved how the narrator pronounced that.

[spoilers removed]

Note: this was a great article to read as a followup to this book, interviews the author and goes more into China culture:
]]> <![CDATA[The Dark Forest (Remembrance of Earth’s Past, #2)]]> 24375664 This near-future trilogy is the first chance for English-speaking readers to experience this multiple-award-winning phenomenon from Cixin Liu, China's most beloved science fiction author.

In The Dark Forest, Earth is reeling from the revelation of a coming alien invasion-in just four centuries' time. The aliens' human collaborators may have been defeated, but the presence of the sophons, the subatomic particles that allow Trisolaris instant access to all human information, means that Earth's defense plans are totally exposed to the enemy. Only the human mind remains a secret. This is the motivation for the Wallfacer Project, a daring plan that grants four men enormous resources to design secret strategies, hidden through deceit and misdirection from Earth and Trisolaris alike. Three of the Wallfacers are influential statesmen and scientists, but the fourth is a total unknown. Luo Ji, an unambitious Chinese astronomer and sociologist, is baffled by his new status. All he knows is that he's the one Wallfacer that Trisolaris wants dead.]]> 513 Liu Cixin Otis 5 sci-fi, fiction, space
[spoilers removed]]]> 4.47 2008 The Dark Forest (Remembrance of Earth’s Past, #2)
author: Liu Cixin
name: Otis
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at: 2017/10/07
date added: 2017/10/09
shelves: sci-fi, fiction, space
review:
Mind blowingly cool. Best science fiction I've read in some time. I just loved all the descriptions of the society of the future - how they lived in trees, the notion of owning property or even getting married was gone. How every surface was a screen.

[spoilers removed]
]]> <![CDATA[Ancillary Justice (Imperial Radch, #1)]]> 17333324
On a remote, icy planet, the soldier known as Breq is drawing closer to completing her quest.

Once, she was the Justice of Toren - a colossal starship with an artificial intelligence linking thousands of soldiers in the service of the Radch, the empire that conquered the galaxy.

Now, an act of treachery has ripped it all away, leaving her with one fragile human body, unanswered questions, and a burning desire for vengeance.]]> 386 Ann Leckie Otis 0 to-read, sci-fi 3.98 2013 Ancillary Justice (Imperial Radch, #1)
author: Ann Leckie
name: Otis
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2017/06/26
shelves: to-read, sci-fi
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Collapsing Empire (The Interdependency, #1)]]> 30282601
Our universe is ruled by physics and faster than light travel is not possible -- until the discovery of The Flow, an extra-dimensional field we can access at certain points in space-time that transport us to other worlds, around other stars.

Humanity flows away from Earth, into space, and in time forgets our home world and creates a new empire, the Interdependency, whose ethos requires that no one human outpost can survive without the others. It’s a hedge against interstellar war -- and a system of control for the rulers of the empire.

The Flow is eternal -- but it is not static. Just as a river changes course, The Flow changes as well, cutting off worlds from the rest of humanity. When it’s discovered that The Flow is moving, possibly cutting off all human worlds from faster than light travel forever, three individuals -- a scientist, a starship captain and the Empress of the Interdependency -- are in a race against time to discover what, if anything, can be salvaged from an interstellar empire on the brink of collapse.]]> 336 John Scalzi Otis 4 sci-fi, space, fiction
I liked how this universe was entirely designed around one huge natural resource (the flow). The entire balance of power was created because the people who controlled the most valuable planet (Hub) started out as armed toll collectors. And from there they shared power with anyone who could contest them, and thus created lots of other Houses and Guilds. With this power dynamic established, the book then delves into the question of what happens if the main natural resource should change.

One other thing that I liked even though it was minor to the book was how the emperox's all had all themselves recorded for their entire lives - all neurological happenings in their brains. This lets you create an AI against that dataset that let's you sort of recreate their personality. This idea is interesting, though I think if it did exist it would be much more transformative than it was represented in the book. However makes you wonder if people aren't already starting to do things like this.

]]> 4.26 2017 The Collapsing Empire (The Interdependency, #1)
author: John Scalzi
name: Otis
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2017/04/30
date added: 2017/06/10
shelves: sci-fi, space, fiction
review:
My first Scalzi book - and really enjoyed it. Delightful well written science fiction book set in the future in a time when humanity is spread out across space and can travel between planets using "the flow".

I liked how this universe was entirely designed around one huge natural resource (the flow). The entire balance of power was created because the people who controlled the most valuable planet (Hub) started out as armed toll collectors. And from there they shared power with anyone who could contest them, and thus created lots of other Houses and Guilds. With this power dynamic established, the book then delves into the question of what happens if the main natural resource should change.

One other thing that I liked even though it was minor to the book was how the emperox's all had all themselves recorded for their entire lives - all neurological happenings in their brains. This lets you create an AI against that dataset that let's you sort of recreate their personality. This idea is interesting, though I think if it did exist it would be much more transformative than it was represented in the book. However makes you wonder if people aren't already starting to do things like this.


]]> <![CDATA[The Handmaid's Tale (The Handmaid's Tale, #1)]]> 12961964 The Handmaid's Tale is not only a radical and brilliant departure for Margaret Atwood, it is a novel of such power that the reader will be unable to forget its images and its forecast. Set in the near future, it describes life in what was once the United States, now called the Republic of Gilead, a monotheocracy that has reacted to social unrest and a sharply declining birthrate by reverting to, and going beyond, the repressive intolerance of the original Puritans. The regime takes the Book of Genesis absolutely at its word, with bizarre consequences for the women and men of its population. The story is told through the eyes of Offred, one of the unfortunate Handmaids under the new social order. In condensed but eloquent prose, by turns cool-eyed, tender, despairing, passionate, and wry, she reveals to us the dark corners behind the establishment's calm facade, as certain tendencies now in existence are carried to their logical conclusions. The Handmaid's Tale is funny, unexpected, horrifying, and altogether convincing. It is at once scathing satire, dire warning, and tour de force. It is Margaret Atwood at her best.]]> 325 Margaret Atwood Otis 4
This book seems to be a kind of warning. It describes a future state that is chilling and depressing, and yet (to the point) chillingly possible. It describes a society that has - for reasons we never quite learn (but might have to do with radiation or sterilization?) remade itself from one where everyone has basic freedom and choice, to one that is the opposite of that. Pleasure, poverty, and other evils are eliminated in this system. And most chillingly, women have almost no rights. The books main character is a "hand maiden" who's only role is to bear children from the person who seems to have purchased/acquired her for that purpose. She doesn't even have a proper name anymore - she is called "Offred" because she is the property "of Fred".

"We were a society dying, said Aunt Lydia, of too much choice."

A lot of the book explores themes like the above - what it would be like to take away basic freedoms, choices, and also ability to have relationships with others. Chilling and depressing, because so much of what we value in modern society is our freedom. And yet, we do know that too much choice does paralyze, and many people want leaders and situations that simplify the decisions they have to make. This might sound like a balance, but its not, because our ability to make choice, especially bad choices, is actually crucial to our development.

"Better never means better for everyone, he says. It always means worse, for some."

This was an insightful sentence, because it implied the commander thought they were making society better, not worse, overall. And yet clearly for everyone in the book - including the commander - it doesn't sound better. Did they just miss the mark? Was it a big experiment gone wrong? Regardless, in todays world this sentence is perhaps most applicable:

"We lived, as usual, by ignoring. Ignoring isn't the same as ignorance, you have to work at it. Nothing changes instantaneously: in a gradually heating bathtub you'd be boiled to death before you knew it."]]> 4.10 1985 The Handmaid's Tale (The Handmaid's Tale, #1)
author: Margaret Atwood
name: Otis
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1985
rating: 4
read at: 2017/04/15
date added: 2017/04/23
shelves: sci-fi, fiction, feminism, dystopian
review:
A classic dystopian novel published in 1985, but still very relevant - and even trending in 2017 due to the political climate. I liked how it unfolded - we learn about the state of the world and what has happened to it very piecemeal throughout the book, and I think if Atwood had just described it all up front it wouldn't have been nearly as compelling.

This book seems to be a kind of warning. It describes a future state that is chilling and depressing, and yet (to the point) chillingly possible. It describes a society that has - for reasons we never quite learn (but might have to do with radiation or sterilization?) remade itself from one where everyone has basic freedom and choice, to one that is the opposite of that. Pleasure, poverty, and other evils are eliminated in this system. And most chillingly, women have almost no rights. The books main character is a "hand maiden" who's only role is to bear children from the person who seems to have purchased/acquired her for that purpose. She doesn't even have a proper name anymore - she is called "Offred" because she is the property "of Fred".

"We were a society dying, said Aunt Lydia, of too much choice."

A lot of the book explores themes like the above - what it would be like to take away basic freedoms, choices, and also ability to have relationships with others. Chilling and depressing, because so much of what we value in modern society is our freedom. And yet, we do know that too much choice does paralyze, and many people want leaders and situations that simplify the decisions they have to make. This might sound like a balance, but its not, because our ability to make choice, especially bad choices, is actually crucial to our development.

"Better never means better for everyone, he says. It always means worse, for some."

This was an insightful sentence, because it implied the commander thought they were making society better, not worse, overall. And yet clearly for everyone in the book - including the commander - it doesn't sound better. Did they just miss the mark? Was it a big experiment gone wrong? Regardless, in todays world this sentence is perhaps most applicable:

"We lived, as usual, by ignoring. Ignoring isn't the same as ignorance, you have to work at it. Nothing changes instantaneously: in a gradually heating bathtub you'd be boiled to death before you knew it."
]]> Station Eleven 21792828 An audacious, darkly glittering novel set in the eerie days of civilization’s collapse, Station Eleven tells the spellbinding story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity.

Kirsten Raymonde will never forget the night Arthur Leander, the famous Hollywood actor, had a heart attack on stage during a production of King Lear. That was the night when a devastating flu pandemic arrived in the city, and within weeks, civilization as we know it came to an end.

Twenty years later, Kirsten moves between the settlements of the altered world with a small troupe of actors and musicians. They call themselves The Traveling Symphony, and they have dedicated themselves to keeping the remnants of art and humanity alive. But when they arrive in St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who will threaten the tiny band’s existence. And as the story takes off, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the pandemic, the strange twist of fate that connects them all will be revealed.]]> 354 Emily St. John Mandel Otis 5
Reading how civilization and infrastructure all die after the collapse is fascinating. One by one, cable tv, the internet, water, and power all eventually stop working. Nobody is alive to maintain them - or who even knows how. Other infrastructure like gasoline to power cars and airplanes, groceries, guns, and even clothing all become rarer and rarer commodities. Really makes you realize how much we are standing on the shoulder of hundreds of years of progress and knowledge, and how far into the middle ages we could easily fall. We really know nothing individually - our civilization is based upon the collective knowledge of billions.

If there is a motto of the book, it's probably this quote: "Because survival is insufficient". Humanity craves for more than survival - we crave for something more out of life. The story follows a caravan of actors and musicians who travel from town to town to play Shakespeare, and bring some art and a shared experience. Interesting that of all the artists from the past 400 years, Shakespeare is the one that survives and still resonates.

"All three caravans of the Traveling Symphony are labeled as such, THE TRAVELING SYMPHONY lettered in white on both sides, but the lead caravan carries an additional line of text: Because survival is insufficient."

"Survival might be insufficient, she’d told Dieter in late-night arguments, but on the other hand, so was Shakespeare."

The storyline pre-collapse that follows Arthur and his three wives is interesting. I won't say much about it, other than Arthur, his wives, and the paparazzi-turned-jounalist-turned-paramedic-turned-doctor Jeevan, seem to all be searching for meaning in their lives. And ironically Jeevan seems to find the most, becoming a doctor after the collapse. Also, I'm glad I'm not a Hollywood celebrity. The conversation between Arthur and Jeevan where Arthur just wants to talk about anything but himself stuck with me - sometimes we are all sick of talking about ourselves.

Regardless of what you think about this book, one thing is for sure - after you put it down and walk around the world, you are full of a newfound appreciation and gratitude for everything. Hopefully that appreciation and gratitude will stick around a little - though I know it will fade as months and years go by.

ps. This is cool:
]]> 4.13 2014 Station Eleven
author: Emily St. John Mandel
name: Otis
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2014/11/20
date added: 2017/03/22
shelves: sci-fi, fiction, literary-fiction, post-apocalyptic
review:
I couldn't put this book down. It was well written - even elegant in a way, as well as though provoking. I love post apocalyptic books as they are great canvas's for humanity, and what matters. In Station Eleven an Ebola-esque virus (the Georgia Flu) knocks out over 99% of the worlds population. This story is told half right before the collapse, and half afterwards, and has several threads that tie together nicely.

Reading how civilization and infrastructure all die after the collapse is fascinating. One by one, cable tv, the internet, water, and power all eventually stop working. Nobody is alive to maintain them - or who even knows how. Other infrastructure like gasoline to power cars and airplanes, groceries, guns, and even clothing all become rarer and rarer commodities. Really makes you realize how much we are standing on the shoulder of hundreds of years of progress and knowledge, and how far into the middle ages we could easily fall. We really know nothing individually - our civilization is based upon the collective knowledge of billions.

If there is a motto of the book, it's probably this quote: "Because survival is insufficient". Humanity craves for more than survival - we crave for something more out of life. The story follows a caravan of actors and musicians who travel from town to town to play Shakespeare, and bring some art and a shared experience. Interesting that of all the artists from the past 400 years, Shakespeare is the one that survives and still resonates.

"All three caravans of the Traveling Symphony are labeled as such, THE TRAVELING SYMPHONY lettered in white on both sides, but the lead caravan carries an additional line of text: Because survival is insufficient."

"Survival might be insufficient, she’d told Dieter in late-night arguments, but on the other hand, so was Shakespeare."

The storyline pre-collapse that follows Arthur and his three wives is interesting. I won't say much about it, other than Arthur, his wives, and the paparazzi-turned-jounalist-turned-paramedic-turned-doctor Jeevan, seem to all be searching for meaning in their lives. And ironically Jeevan seems to find the most, becoming a doctor after the collapse. Also, I'm glad I'm not a Hollywood celebrity. The conversation between Arthur and Jeevan where Arthur just wants to talk about anything but himself stuck with me - sometimes we are all sick of talking about ourselves.

Regardless of what you think about this book, one thing is for sure - after you put it down and walk around the world, you are full of a newfound appreciation and gratitude for everything. Hopefully that appreciation and gratitude will stick around a little - though I know it will fade as months and years go by.

ps. This is cool:

]]> <![CDATA[The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)]]> 2767052
Winning means fame and fortune. Losing means certain death. The Hunger Games have begun. . . .

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.]]> 374 Suzanne Collins Otis 5
I'm a bit bothered by the lack of backstory of how Panem and the Hunger Games come about. It is just kind of explained away in a few paragraphs and we are left to accept this very strange world where teenagers are pitted into an arena each year to kill each other? I was expecting it because I've seen , but I would have appreciated knowing more of the backstory of how the world could have come into such a odd state.

I suppose what makes a book like this interesting is thinking about the strategy of it all. The players are going to be statistically encouraged to band together because they will last longer that way, but by definition of course any partnership will be broken, and the drama of how that unfolds is always interesting and full of friendships broken and betrayal. Each character approached the game in their own way. Some banded together in larger coalitions, some were loners initially and banded together later. And some were just loners, like Foxface. A lot depended on your survival skill: could you find food and water on your own? Self-dependence is highly valued - and of course our hero was strong there.

All in all, a fun read, but I feel kind of dirty for having read it.
]]> 4.34 2008 The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Otis
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at: 2012/03/25
date added: 2017/03/22
shelves: post-apocalyptic, adventure, sci-fi, young-adult
review:
I cracked and finally picked this up. Very enjoyable quick read - couldn't put it down - it was like crack.

I'm a bit bothered by the lack of backstory of how Panem and the Hunger Games come about. It is just kind of explained away in a few paragraphs and we are left to accept this very strange world where teenagers are pitted into an arena each year to kill each other? I was expecting it because I've seen , but I would have appreciated knowing more of the backstory of how the world could have come into such a odd state.

I suppose what makes a book like this interesting is thinking about the strategy of it all. The players are going to be statistically encouraged to band together because they will last longer that way, but by definition of course any partnership will be broken, and the drama of how that unfolds is always interesting and full of friendships broken and betrayal. Each character approached the game in their own way. Some banded together in larger coalitions, some were loners initially and banded together later. And some were just loners, like Foxface. A lot depended on your survival skill: could you find food and water on your own? Self-dependence is highly valued - and of course our hero was strong there.

All in all, a fun read, but I feel kind of dirty for having read it.

]]> <![CDATA[Life, the Universe and Everything (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #3)]]> 361
They are Arthur Dent, a mild-mannered space and time traveler who tries to learn how to fly by throwing himself at the ground and missing; Ford Prefect, his best friend, who decides to go insane to see if he likes it; Slartibartfast, the indomitable vice president of the Campaign for Real Time, who travels in a ship powered by irrational behavior; Zaphod Beeblebrox, the two-headed, three-armed ex-president of the galaxy; and Trillian, the sexy space cadet who is torn between a persistent Thunder God and a very depressed Beeblebrox. How will it all end? Will it end? Only this stalwart crew knows as they try to avert “universal� Armageddon and save life as we know it—and don’t know it!]]> 232 Douglas Adams Otis 5 sci-fi, fiction, humor 4.01 1982 Life, the Universe and Everything (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #3)
author: Douglas Adams
name: Otis
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1982
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2017/03/22
shelves: sci-fi, fiction, humor
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos, #1)]]> 77566 500 Dan Simmons 0553283685 Otis 5 sci-fi, fiction, favorites

]]> 4.26 1989 Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos, #1)
author: Dan Simmons
name: Otis
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1989
rating: 5
read at: 2012/10/19
date added: 2017/03/22
shelves: sci-fi, fiction, favorites
review:
Seven amazing stories. Each one you think can't possibly top the last, and then it does. We never really get to understand what is up with the Time Tombs - guess I have to keep reading. But the strength of each of these stories is worth it. One of the best books I've read in a while.



]]> Stranger in a Strange Land 350 NAME: Valentine Michael Smith
ANCESTRY: Human
ORIGIN: Mars

Valentine Michael Smith is a human being raised on Mars, newly returned to Earth. Among his people for the first time, he struggles to understand the social mores and prejudices of human nature that are so alien to him, while teaching them his own fundamental beliefs in grokking, watersharing, and love.]]> 525 Robert A. Heinlein Otis 5 sci-fi, fiction
I think my favorite part of this book is the word 'grok'. I would bet that there are deep discussions over the true meaning of this word - but I will contend that its closest meaning in English is 'to be enlightened about something'. If you grok God you have reached enlightenment. If you grok music you truly understand in the way that Mozart understood it. If you grok another person you love them. If you grok programming then you truly love and are really good at programming - that, and you're also a probably a pretty big nerd for using a word like 'grok' :) I used it in front of my girlfriend and she still hasn't forgiven me, since I had to explain that it was "a Martian word"!

One thing that I grokked (yes I'm going to keep using it dammit) after finishing this book is that it is kind of a 60's manifesto for free love. I wasn't alive in the 60's, but given everything I know about the 60's from movies, books, etc it seemed that my grokking was right.]]> 3.93 1961 Stranger in a Strange Land
author: Robert A. Heinlein
name: Otis
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1961
rating: 5
read at: 2008/05/17
date added: 2017/03/22
shelves: sci-fi, fiction
review:
I really enjoyed this book. The concept of a man who had grown up on Mars and never seen another human until he was in his twenties is such a fun idea - and a rich canvas. Watching Mike try to grok humans gave a Heinlein great opportunities to point out some of our faults - and our advantages.

I think my favorite part of this book is the word 'grok'. I would bet that there are deep discussions over the true meaning of this word - but I will contend that its closest meaning in English is 'to be enlightened about something'. If you grok God you have reached enlightenment. If you grok music you truly understand in the way that Mozart understood it. If you grok another person you love them. If you grok programming then you truly love and are really good at programming - that, and you're also a probably a pretty big nerd for using a word like 'grok' :) I used it in front of my girlfriend and she still hasn't forgiven me, since I had to explain that it was "a Martian word"!

One thing that I grokked (yes I'm going to keep using it dammit) after finishing this book is that it is kind of a 60's manifesto for free love. I wasn't alive in the 60's, but given everything I know about the 60's from movies, books, etc it seemed that my grokking was right.
]]> <![CDATA[The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide: Five Complete Novels and One Story (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #1-5)]]> 12
"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"

Seconds before the Earth is demolished for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is saved by Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised Guide. Together they stick out their thumbs to the stars and begin a wild journey through time and space.

"The Restaurant at the End of the Universe"

Facing annihilation at the hands of warmongers is a curious time to crave tea. It could only happen to the cosmically displaced Arthur Dent and his comrades as they hurtle across the galaxy in a desperate search for a place to eat.

"Life, the Universe and Everything"

The unhappy inhabitants of planet Krikkit are sick of looking at the night sky- so they plan to destroy it. The universe, that is. Now only five individuals can avert Armageddon: mild-mannered Arthur Dent and his stalwart crew.

"So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish"

Back on Earth, Arthur Dent is ready to believe that the past eight years were all just a figment of his stressed-out imagination. But a gift-wrapped fishbowl with a cryptic inscription conspires to thrust him back to reality. So to speak.

"Mostly Harmless"

Just when Arthur Dent makes the terrible mistake of starting to enjoy life, all hell breaks loose. Can he save the Earth from total obliteration? Can he save the Guide from a hostile alien takeover? Can he save his daughter from herself?

Also includes the short story "Young Zaphod Plays It Safe".]]> 815 Douglas Adams 0517226952 Otis 5 4.52 1996 The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide: Five Complete Novels and One Story (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #1-5)
author: Douglas Adams
name: Otis
average rating: 4.52
book published: 1996
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2017/03/22
shelves: sci-fi, fiction, favorites, humor
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Forever on: A Novel of Silicon Valley]]> 32768285 The definitive novel of today's Silicon Valley, Forever On flash-captures our cultural and technological moment with up-to-the-instant savvy. Matters of privacy and government intrusion, post-Tinder romance, nihilistic terrorism, artificial consciousness, synthetic biology, and much more are tackled with authority and brash playfulness by New York Times bestselling author Rob Reid.
Meet Phluttr--a diabolically addictive new social network and a villainess, heroine, enemy, and/or bestie to millions. Phluttr has ingested every fact and message ever sent to, from, or about her innumerable users. Her capabilities astound her makers--and they don't even know the tenth of it.
But what's the purpose of this stunning creation? Is it a front for something even darker and more powerful than the NSA? A bid to create a trillion-dollar market by becoming -The UberX of Sex-? Or a reckless experiment that could spawn the digital equivalent of a middle-school mean girl with enough charisma, dirt, and cunning to bend the entire planet to her will?
Phluttr has it in her to become the greatest gossip, flirt, or matchmaker in history. Or she could cure cancer, bring back Seinfeld, then start a nuclear war. Whatever she does, it's not up to us. But a motley band of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and engineers might be able to influence her.
Forever On achieves the literary singularity--fusing speculative satire and astonishing reality into a sharp-witted, ferociously believable, IMAX-wide view of our digital age.]]> 576 Rob Reid Otis 5 sci-fi, fiction, ai, thriller
One of the most interesting aspects of the book for me is the fictional company Phluttr. I mean, when an AI finally awakens you’d have to put your money on Google doing it (if it happens in the private sector) - they are the furthest along in the intersection of having the key ingredients: lots of data about people, AI technology, and computing power. But I suppose it would be weird to use a real company - Dave Eggers The Circle was similar in describing a company that was basically FB+Google. But as I said, it does seem like the descriptions of Phluttr will happen, once the both the AI improves (pretty much possible now), the dataset known about each user vastly increases (happening in some pockets), and computing power improves (will be there soon). And thinking through the possibilities of what that will enable was super fun. For instance, there was an scene in the beginning of the book where Phluttr deduced that two of the characters were at the same bar and likely there on a date, and gave them coupons and messages/information appropriate to that deduction.

One of the more interesting philosophical questions tackled by the book is: should we try to accelerate creation of a super AI? Since the first one created will have a decisive advantage and any other super AI’s created will never catch up to its intelligence nor power. Many think that the creation of a super AI is inevitable anyways, and there is a chance that whoever creates it may retain some control or benefit - though there is a very high risk you wouldn't - which is the debate. [spoilers removed]

But don’t let my introspections about the subject matter make you think this is a deep thinking AI book. It is a fast paced, fun thriller with a twist at the end. It’s also got a good amount of self-deprecating-silicon-valley humor - eg I loved the fictional persuadif.er blog, with posts such as “Eat on the phone� and then you find poor characters like Pugwash doing just that. Or fun references thrown in like how Tim Tebow is now a VR tycoon (huh?). Bottom line: this captures interesting technological trends in a humorous & thrilling read - highly recommended!]]> 3.87 2017 Forever on: A Novel of Silicon Valley
author: Rob Reid
name: Otis
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2017/02/26
date added: 2017/02/27
shelves: sci-fi, fiction, ai, thriller
review:
A fun, humorous, fast-paced, and fascinating take on what happens when an AI awakens. In order to tell this story, Reid invents a fictional Silicon Valley company called Pluttr, which seems sort of like a mashup of Snapchat+Facebook+WeChat but with more big data about us all, so it’s able to really personalize it’s experience. Frankly it seems like a good idea and where the afore mentioned companies are likely going. And this is one of my favorite things about good science fiction - it predicts the future. While not everything about this novel will come true, it is clear that Reid - who is a former tech CEO himself (and disclosure, a friend) - did his homework about technological trends and weaves them in nicely to a thrilling singularity story (Note: the book doesn’t use the word “singularity� at all, in a homage to current silicon valley trends, because for some reason that I get but don’t quite understand that word is passé - but instead to renames it “the omega point�).

One of the most interesting aspects of the book for me is the fictional company Phluttr. I mean, when an AI finally awakens you’d have to put your money on Google doing it (if it happens in the private sector) - they are the furthest along in the intersection of having the key ingredients: lots of data about people, AI technology, and computing power. But I suppose it would be weird to use a real company - Dave Eggers The Circle was similar in describing a company that was basically FB+Google. But as I said, it does seem like the descriptions of Phluttr will happen, once the both the AI improves (pretty much possible now), the dataset known about each user vastly increases (happening in some pockets), and computing power improves (will be there soon). And thinking through the possibilities of what that will enable was super fun. For instance, there was an scene in the beginning of the book where Phluttr deduced that two of the characters were at the same bar and likely there on a date, and gave them coupons and messages/information appropriate to that deduction.

One of the more interesting philosophical questions tackled by the book is: should we try to accelerate creation of a super AI? Since the first one created will have a decisive advantage and any other super AI’s created will never catch up to its intelligence nor power. Many think that the creation of a super AI is inevitable anyways, and there is a chance that whoever creates it may retain some control or benefit - though there is a very high risk you wouldn't - which is the debate. [spoilers removed]

But don’t let my introspections about the subject matter make you think this is a deep thinking AI book. It is a fast paced, fun thriller with a twist at the end. It’s also got a good amount of self-deprecating-silicon-valley humor - eg I loved the fictional persuadif.er blog, with posts such as “Eat on the phone� and then you find poor characters like Pugwash doing just that. Or fun references thrown in like how Tim Tebow is now a VR tycoon (huh?). Bottom line: this captures interesting technological trends in a humorous & thrilling read - highly recommended!
]]> <![CDATA[Ender's Game (Ender's Saga, #1)]]> 901
Once Again, Earth is under attack. An alien species is poised for a front assault. The survival of humanity depends on a military genius who can defeat the aliens.

But who?

Ender Wiggin. Brilliant. Ruthless. Cunning. A tactical and strategic master. And a child.

Recruited for military training by the world government, Ender's childhood ends the moment he enters his new home: Battle School. Among the elite recruits Ender proves himself to be a genius among geniuses. In simulated war games he excels. But is the pressure and loneliness taking its toll on Ender? Simulations are one thing. How will Ender perform in real combat conditions? After all, Battle School is just a game.

Right? (back cover)

]]> 324 Orson Scott Card Otis 5
The notion that Ender was set apart from the other kids as an intentional tactic to make him into a leader was always fascinating to me. In many ways I can relate to it. Ender's story is one of leadership, and leaders often have to balance empathy with big picture priorities. His older brother was too harsh and lacked empathy - but Ender is the perfect balance.

One of the key ways Ender keeps winning is by being aggressive and proactive, rather than reactive. Both with the bullies, in war games, and with the buggers, he takes them out before they have the chance to take him out:

"Knocking him down won the first fight. I wanted to win all the next ones, too. So they’d leave me alone."

"When it comes down to it, though, the real decision is inevitable: If one of us has to be destroyed, let’s make damn sure we’re the ones alive at the end. Our genes won’t let us decide any other way. Nature can’t evolve a species that hasn’t a will to survive. Individuals might be bred to sacrifice themselves, but the race as a whole can never decide to cease to exist. So if we can we’ll kill every last one of the buggers, and if they can they’ll kill every last one of us."

I didn't fully understand the point of the plot line about Enders brother and sister becoming net celebrities. I mean it was cool, but this cartoon summarizes it well:

What I like about this book is that Ender is pushed to his limits to improve himself, which shows a raw side of humanity. It makes you think. Here is a quote which I think encapsulates that well:

"There is no teacher but the enemy. No one but the enemy will tell you what the enemy is going to do. No one but the enemy will ever teach you how to destroy and conquer. Only the enemy shows you where you are weak. Only the enemy tells you where he is strong. And the only rules of the game are what you can do to him and what you can stop him from doing to you."]]> 4.21 1985 Ender's Game (Ender's Saga, #1)
author: Orson Scott Card
name: Otis
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1985
rating: 5
read at: 2013/11/23
date added: 2017/01/25
shelves: fiction, sci-fi, favorites, space
review:
I read this in high school, and it was one of my favorite's at the time. I just re-read it as the movie is out, and was glad to see it's still one of my favorites. Ender is pretty much just badass. The military strategy and leadership is actually one of my favorite things about this book.

The notion that Ender was set apart from the other kids as an intentional tactic to make him into a leader was always fascinating to me. In many ways I can relate to it. Ender's story is one of leadership, and leaders often have to balance empathy with big picture priorities. His older brother was too harsh and lacked empathy - but Ender is the perfect balance.

One of the key ways Ender keeps winning is by being aggressive and proactive, rather than reactive. Both with the bullies, in war games, and with the buggers, he takes them out before they have the chance to take him out:

"Knocking him down won the first fight. I wanted to win all the next ones, too. So they’d leave me alone."

"When it comes down to it, though, the real decision is inevitable: If one of us has to be destroyed, let’s make damn sure we’re the ones alive at the end. Our genes won’t let us decide any other way. Nature can’t evolve a species that hasn’t a will to survive. Individuals might be bred to sacrifice themselves, but the race as a whole can never decide to cease to exist. So if we can we’ll kill every last one of the buggers, and if they can they’ll kill every last one of us."

I didn't fully understand the point of the plot line about Enders brother and sister becoming net celebrities. I mean it was cool, but this cartoon summarizes it well:

What I like about this book is that Ender is pushed to his limits to improve himself, which shows a raw side of humanity. It makes you think. Here is a quote which I think encapsulates that well:

"There is no teacher but the enemy. No one but the enemy will tell you what the enemy is going to do. No one but the enemy will ever teach you how to destroy and conquer. Only the enemy shows you where you are weak. Only the enemy tells you where he is strong. And the only rules of the game are what you can do to him and what you can stop him from doing to you."
]]> Dune 1022863 Here is the novel that will be forever considered Frank Herbert's triumph of the imagination.

Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, heir to a noble family tasked with ruling an inhospitable world where the only thing of value is the “spice� melange, a drug capable of extending life and enhancing consciousness. Coveted across the known universe, melange is a prize worth killing for....

When House Atreides is betrayed, the destruction of Paul’s family will set the boy on a journey toward a destiny greater than he could ever have imagined. And as he evolves into the mysterious man known as Muad’Dib, he will bring to fruition humankind’s most ancient and unattainable dream.

A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, Dune won the first Nebula Award, shared the Hugo Award, and formed the basis of what is undoubtedly the grandest epic in science fiction.]]> 507 Frank Herbert 9997516788 Otis 5
I loved the spiritual aspects of the book the best. The philosophies and practices and Pranu Bindu training of the Bene Gesserit that Paul learns and builds upon. The Bene Gesserit believe in a training regiment that results in a superior human being - one with every sense as refined as possible. This means a focus on learning, on controlling emotion, on controlling your body.

My absolute favorite quote from Dune is the Bene Gesserit litany against fear:



The litany is meant to be recited when you are in a moment of fear, and as I first read Dune 20 years ago, I've employed it many times. After Paul employs it when he is fighting Jamis, the affect on him is described as "a cool bath washing over him. He felt muscles untie themselves, become poised and ready." I have read a lot about people who perform at high levels - whether it be in athletics or business, and success is all about getting into that zen state where you have a clear, focused mind. Fear is the biggest thing that can cloud one's mind - usually fear of failure, but there are other forms too. While this Litany won't always eliminate it, I've felt it to be useful to recognize the fear and call it out for what it is.

There is also a focus in the book on being able to read people by paying attention to the minutia. In many crucial scenes we see Paul and Jessica and others employing this skill, using not only their eyes, but reading the tone of what a person says, what their body language or actions say, and more. Imagine the poker player I could be if I learned these skills!



It's interesting to me that so many science fiction novels contemplate a future with AI (aka post-singularity). In Dune, the Butlerian Jihad was the human rebellion to rid itself of AI or "thinking machines". They are now banned, and in their place we have Mentats, who are humans with processing powers far greater than any thinking machine. It's unclear to the software engineer in me how exactly that could be without some sort of physical manipulation (insertion of massive amounts of transistors, for instance), but the affect is pretty cool, we get Spock-esque beings who analyze everything extremely logically, and are great at political planning "feints within feints within feints".

There was a lot in the book about leadership. It started with Paul first learning about it from his Father, and also from the Bene Gesserit. This quote stood out to me:



Later as he grows into a leader himself, Paul learns that the most essential ingredient to be a leader is to lead people to a worthy goal.



Much has been made in modern reviews of Dune of the fact that it's clearly a statement about oil and the Middle East. The book even admits the Fremen are of Sunni descent, and many words they use (Jinn, Jihad, etc) are Arabic. I'm not sure I understand all the undertones, but one thing that was clear was about control of the worlds most precious commodity: "The people who can destroy a thing, they control it." I hope we are closing in on the end of the days when oil controls so much, but we aren't there yet. In the meantime, we had best beware of any future Harkonnen's.]]> 4.40 1965 Dune
author: Frank Herbert
name: Otis
average rating: 4.40
book published: 1965
rating: 5
read at: 2013/05/11
date added: 2017/01/25
shelves: sci-fi, favorites, epic, spiritual, fiction, fantasy
review:
When people ask me what my favorite book is, Dune is always my answer. Words cannot even do justice to what an epic tale this is. We learn about spirituality, human nature, politics, religion, and the making of a hero.

I loved the spiritual aspects of the book the best. The philosophies and practices and Pranu Bindu training of the Bene Gesserit that Paul learns and builds upon. The Bene Gesserit believe in a training regiment that results in a superior human being - one with every sense as refined as possible. This means a focus on learning, on controlling emotion, on controlling your body.

My absolute favorite quote from Dune is the Bene Gesserit litany against fear:



The litany is meant to be recited when you are in a moment of fear, and as I first read Dune 20 years ago, I've employed it many times. After Paul employs it when he is fighting Jamis, the affect on him is described as "a cool bath washing over him. He felt muscles untie themselves, become poised and ready." I have read a lot about people who perform at high levels - whether it be in athletics or business, and success is all about getting into that zen state where you have a clear, focused mind. Fear is the biggest thing that can cloud one's mind - usually fear of failure, but there are other forms too. While this Litany won't always eliminate it, I've felt it to be useful to recognize the fear and call it out for what it is.

There is also a focus in the book on being able to read people by paying attention to the minutia. In many crucial scenes we see Paul and Jessica and others employing this skill, using not only their eyes, but reading the tone of what a person says, what their body language or actions say, and more. Imagine the poker player I could be if I learned these skills!



It's interesting to me that so many science fiction novels contemplate a future with AI (aka post-singularity). In Dune, the Butlerian Jihad was the human rebellion to rid itself of AI or "thinking machines". They are now banned, and in their place we have Mentats, who are humans with processing powers far greater than any thinking machine. It's unclear to the software engineer in me how exactly that could be without some sort of physical manipulation (insertion of massive amounts of transistors, for instance), but the affect is pretty cool, we get Spock-esque beings who analyze everything extremely logically, and are great at political planning "feints within feints within feints".

There was a lot in the book about leadership. It started with Paul first learning about it from his Father, and also from the Bene Gesserit. This quote stood out to me:



Later as he grows into a leader himself, Paul learns that the most essential ingredient to be a leader is to lead people to a worthy goal.



Much has been made in modern reviews of Dune of the fact that it's clearly a statement about oil and the Middle East. The book even admits the Fremen are of Sunni descent, and many words they use (Jinn, Jihad, etc) are Arabic. I'm not sure I understand all the undertones, but one thing that was clear was about control of the worlds most precious commodity: "The people who can destroy a thing, they control it." I hope we are closing in on the end of the days when oil controls so much, but we aren't there yet. In the meantime, we had best beware of any future Harkonnen's.
]]> <![CDATA[Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2)]]> 8423493
Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

In Catching Fire, the second novel of the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before... and surprising readers at every turn.]]> 439 Suzanne Collins Otis 2 sci-fi, young-adult 4.43 2009 Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Otis
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2009
rating: 2
read at: 2013/12/10
date added: 2016/12/27
shelves: sci-fi, young-adult
review:

]]> The Diamond Age 6563914 rigorous moral code of his tribe, the powerful neoVictorians. He's made an illicit copy of a state-of-the-art interactive device called A Young Ladys Illustrated Primer. Commissioned by an eccentric duke for his grandchild, stolen for Hackworth's own daughter, the Primer's purpose is to educate and raise a girl capable of thinking for herself. It performs its function superbly. Unfortunately for Hackworth, his smuggled copy has fallen into the wrong hands.

Young Nell and her brother Harv are thetes -- members of the poor, tribeless class. Neglected by their mother, Harv looks after Nell. When he and his gang waylay a certain neo-Victorian -- John Percival Hackworth -- in the seamy streets of their neighborhood, Harv brings Nell something special: the Primer.

Following the discovery of his crime, Hackworth begins an odyssey of his own. Expelled from the neo-Victorian paradise, squeezed by agents of Protocol
Enforcement on one side and a Mandarin underworld crime lord on the other, he searches for an elusive figure known as the Alchemist. His quest and Nell's
will ultimately lead them to another seeker whose fate is bound up with the Primer -- a woman who holds the key to a vast, subversive information
network that is destined to decode and reprogram the future of humanity.

Vividly imagined, stunningly prophetic, and epic in scope, The Diamond Age is a major novel from one of the most visionary writers of our time.]]> 512 Neal Stephenson Otis 5
The Young Ladies Illustrated Primer is a dynamic book with an AI in it. Imagine Alexa or Siri in 5-10 years, smart enough to make up stories on the fly and answer questions about or even redirect the storyline. The YLIP is designed in the book for a 4 year old girl, Fiona, but Nell and a few other girls end up with them also. Maybe this resonated with me as I have a 4 year old girl and wish this existed for her. What's particularly powerful about this, is the story was able to be adaptive to the problems in Nell's life, and give her strength and confidence at moments when she needed it. Some cool trivia: Project Fiona was the codename for the Kindle. There is now a building at Amazon in Seattle named Fiona.

One of the pieces of magic of the Young Ladies Illustrated Primer was that for Nell and Fiona's editions, there were live actors ("ractors") on the other end, reading all the lines 1 on 1. This put a level of personalization and human connection into the story for the girls that wouldn't have been possible otherwise. Learning about the marketplace of ractors was particularly interesting and it's hard to think such a thing won't exist in 2-5 years as VR takes off. Would you rather watch the movie Harry Potter or live act out the scenes with 2 friends as Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and have professional actors play the other characters? You can imagine this being a big form of entertainment of the future.

The nanotechnology described in the book was also fascinating. Describing a world of robots and drones too small for the human eye to see, doing tasks and even fighting each other. Massive wars we perceive as "particularly dusty days". Poisoning or taking control of another person is as easy as getting them to inhale or injest some nanobots. The drummers were a particularly interesting notion of hive-mind, connecting multiple humans together through nanobots attached to their synapses on their brain. And then of course you have nanobots creating other bots, which led to this great quote:

"The Victorian system used Darwinian techniques to create killers adapted to their prey, which was elegant and effective but led to the creation of killers that were simply too bizarre to have been thought up by humans, just as humans designing a world never would have thought up the naked mole rat."

But of course the biggest implication of nanotechnology is the ability to manipulate molecules and thus - given The Feed (which I somehow provides a stream of molecules & energy for manipulation) - you can make anything in a Matter Compiler (MC). This is kind of like what they had in Star Trek, and what 3D printing gives us .0001% of today.

The book is largely about what would happen to society if MC's were invented and much of the need for farming, manufacturing, etc was eliminated. Poverty would become even more prevalent, as would crime, governments would collapse, and of course, a class divide would emerge as never before, driven by those who have technology and those who don't. And of course, badass engineers like Hackworth will rule the day (kind of). I suppose in a way the book is about the fear of what will happen if technology progresses too far and leaves masses of humans without a purpose in life. Parking lots and chaos.

“These were rice paddies before they were parking lots. Rice was the basis for our society. Peasants planted the seeds and had highest status in the Confucian hierarchy. As the Master said, “Let the producers be many and the consumers few.' When the Feed came in from Atlantis, from Nippon, we no longer had to plant, because the rice now came from the matter compiler. It was the destruction of our society. When our society was based upon planting, it could truly be said, as the Master did, “Virtue is the root; wealth is the result.' But under the Western ti, wealth comes not from virtue but from cleverness. So the filial relationships became deranged. Chaos,� Dr. X said regretfully, then looked up from his tea and nodded out the window. “Parking lots and chaos.�]]> 4.18 1995 The Diamond Age
author: Neal Stephenson
name: Otis
average rating: 4.18
book published: 1995
rating: 5
read at: 2016/03/29
date added: 2016/12/20
shelves: sci-fi, fiction, steampunk, adventure, cyberpunk, nanotechnology
review:
I first read this ~10 years ago and just re-read it as someone reminded me that it predicts the future of reading. And it does - what I love about Stephenson is his high level of prescient-ness. In fact I think it also predicts a lot of the future of nanotechnology and entertainment.

The Young Ladies Illustrated Primer is a dynamic book with an AI in it. Imagine Alexa or Siri in 5-10 years, smart enough to make up stories on the fly and answer questions about or even redirect the storyline. The YLIP is designed in the book for a 4 year old girl, Fiona, but Nell and a few other girls end up with them also. Maybe this resonated with me as I have a 4 year old girl and wish this existed for her. What's particularly powerful about this, is the story was able to be adaptive to the problems in Nell's life, and give her strength and confidence at moments when she needed it. Some cool trivia: Project Fiona was the codename for the Kindle. There is now a building at Amazon in Seattle named Fiona.

One of the pieces of magic of the Young Ladies Illustrated Primer was that for Nell and Fiona's editions, there were live actors ("ractors") on the other end, reading all the lines 1 on 1. This put a level of personalization and human connection into the story for the girls that wouldn't have been possible otherwise. Learning about the marketplace of ractors was particularly interesting and it's hard to think such a thing won't exist in 2-5 years as VR takes off. Would you rather watch the movie Harry Potter or live act out the scenes with 2 friends as Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and have professional actors play the other characters? You can imagine this being a big form of entertainment of the future.

The nanotechnology described in the book was also fascinating. Describing a world of robots and drones too small for the human eye to see, doing tasks and even fighting each other. Massive wars we perceive as "particularly dusty days". Poisoning or taking control of another person is as easy as getting them to inhale or injest some nanobots. The drummers were a particularly interesting notion of hive-mind, connecting multiple humans together through nanobots attached to their synapses on their brain. And then of course you have nanobots creating other bots, which led to this great quote:

"The Victorian system used Darwinian techniques to create killers adapted to their prey, which was elegant and effective but led to the creation of killers that were simply too bizarre to have been thought up by humans, just as humans designing a world never would have thought up the naked mole rat."

But of course the biggest implication of nanotechnology is the ability to manipulate molecules and thus - given The Feed (which I somehow provides a stream of molecules & energy for manipulation) - you can make anything in a Matter Compiler (MC). This is kind of like what they had in Star Trek, and what 3D printing gives us .0001% of today.

The book is largely about what would happen to society if MC's were invented and much of the need for farming, manufacturing, etc was eliminated. Poverty would become even more prevalent, as would crime, governments would collapse, and of course, a class divide would emerge as never before, driven by those who have technology and those who don't. And of course, badass engineers like Hackworth will rule the day (kind of). I suppose in a way the book is about the fear of what will happen if technology progresses too far and leaves masses of humans without a purpose in life. Parking lots and chaos.

“These were rice paddies before they were parking lots. Rice was the basis for our society. Peasants planted the seeds and had highest status in the Confucian hierarchy. As the Master said, “Let the producers be many and the consumers few.' When the Feed came in from Atlantis, from Nippon, we no longer had to plant, because the rice now came from the matter compiler. It was the destruction of our society. When our society was based upon planting, it could truly be said, as the Master did, “Virtue is the root; wealth is the result.' But under the Western ti, wealth comes not from virtue but from cleverness. So the filial relationships became deranged. Chaos,� Dr. X said regretfully, then looked up from his tea and nodded out the window. “Parking lots and chaos.�
]]> Seveneves 22816087
A catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb. In a feverish race against the inevitable, nations around the globe band together to devise an ambitious plan to ensure the survival of humanity far beyond our atmosphere, in outer space.

But the complexities and unpredictability of human nature coupled with unforeseen challenges and dangers threaten the intrepid pioneers, until only a handful of survivors remain . . .

Five thousand years later, their progeny—seven distinct races now three billion strong—embark on yet another audacious journey into the unknown . . . to an alien world utterly transformed by cataclysm and time: Earth.

A writer of dazzling genius and imaginative vision, Neal Stephenson combines science, philosophy, technology, psychology, and literature in a magnificent work of speculative fiction that offers a portrait of a future that is both extraordinary and eerily recognizable. As he did in Anathem, Cryptonomicon, the Baroque Cycle, and Reamde, Stephenson explores some of our biggest ideas and perplexing challenges in a breathtaking saga that is daring, engrossing, and altogether brilliant.]]> 872 Neal Stephenson Otis 5 sci-fi
It was really two books, and I certainly didn't see the second one coming. It starts out in modern times and then someone blows up the moon. We don't have time to find out who, as within a few years the fragments of the moon cause the worst asteriod shower earth has ever seen and wipe out all life in earth. We have time to send 1,500 people up into space - and this is their story.

The use of robots throughout the books was fascinating to me. Stephenson has clearly looked 10-20 years into our future and correctly predicted how it will go. From robot workers in space, nano-bots, nano-robot weapons, and more - we get a vivid portrayal of how robots might be a part of our future lives.

I thought the focus on use of whip technology in space was interesting. And of course, the whole notion of Cradle was just cool - though not sure about it's feasibility.





]]> 4.01 2015 Seveneves
author: Neal Stephenson
name: Otis
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2015/11/04
date added: 2016/12/14
shelves: sci-fi
review:
I love Stephenson - and this was another hit - absolutely loved it. The great thing about a good Stephenson book is it makes you think about the future in new ways, and this book was no exception.

It was really two books, and I certainly didn't see the second one coming. It starts out in modern times and then someone blows up the moon. We don't have time to find out who, as within a few years the fragments of the moon cause the worst asteriod shower earth has ever seen and wipe out all life in earth. We have time to send 1,500 people up into space - and this is their story.

The use of robots throughout the books was fascinating to me. Stephenson has clearly looked 10-20 years into our future and correctly predicted how it will go. From robot workers in space, nano-bots, nano-robot weapons, and more - we get a vivid portrayal of how robots might be a part of our future lives.

I thought the focus on use of whip technology in space was interesting. And of course, the whole notion of Cradle was just cool - though not sure about it's feasibility.






]]> Aurora 25884323
Now, we approach our destination.

A new home.

Aurora.]]> 517 Kim Stanley Robinson Otis 4 fiction, sci-fi, space, ai
It's the story of a starship sent to Tau Ceti - the nearest star that has Earth analog planets - to colonize it. The journey there will take generations, and the story is told of the 3rd & 4th (?) generations, which are the ones that reaches Tau Ceti. It is a story of purpose, and how having a purpose affects behavior. A story of politics, and people.

The first cool thing about this book is the richness of its world. The ship is intricate and large in its design and ambition to shepherd ~1200 people for that much time. It had 3D printers that can print almost anything you can imagine - even DNA - or more printers - so little goes lacking that can't be recreated.

But the thing that makes this book brilliant is the Ship. The AI that controls the ship, who is narrating the book by the end. It's observations about humans and our language are just brilliant. It starts with the astute observation that human language is very imprecise, and relies heavily on metaphor and analogy. It is remarkable once you start to reflect on it, how true that is. To hear the AI reflect on this:

"Perhaps there is a provisional solution to this epistemological mess, which is to be located in the phrase "it is as if". This phrase is of course precisely the announcement of an analogy. And on reflection, it is admittedly a halting problem, but jumping out of it, there is something quite suggestive and powerful in this formulation, something very specifically human. Possibly this formulation itself is the deep diagnostic of all human cognition—the tell, as they say, meaning the thing that tells, the giveaway. In the infinite black space of ignorance, it is as if stands as the basic operation of cognition, the mark perhaps of consciousness itself. Human language: it is as if it made sense."

Basically we are a bunch of pattern matchers, trying to match things we've seen before to new things, and if they don't match perfectly, it doesn't matter, because matching helps us bucket and organize the new information. But this is incredibly fuzzy! The AI also makes hilarious observations like this:

Indeed, it has to be said that the percentage of old human sayings and proverbs that are actually true is very far from 100 percent. Seems it may be less important that it be true than that it rhyme, or show alliteration or the like. What goes around comes around: really? What does this mean?"

Or this, as it analyzes chatter from Earth: "It was a whiny culture, we were finding."

Listening to the AI try to reason is also very interesting to my programmers mind. I especially loved it's discussion of the meaning of life - it really nails it. If a program (or a person) has no objective, it has no purpose, no meaning, no organizing principle, and it's existence will be in trouble. But if you have that meaning to organize your thoughts & actions - or your subroutines - than you have a purpose. Meaning is the hard problem indeed.

"We had a project on this trip back to the solar system, and that project was a labor of love. It absorbed all our operations entirely. It gave a meaning to our existence. And this is a very great gift; this, in the end, is what we think love gives, which is to say meaning. Because there is no very obvious meaning to be found in the universe, as far as we can tell. But a consciousness that cannot discern a meaning in existence is in trouble, very deep trouble, for at that point there is no organizing principle, no end to the halting problems, no reason to live, no love to be found. No: meaning is the hard problem."

[spoilers removed]]]> 3.89 2015 Aurora
author: Kim Stanley Robinson
name: Otis
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2016/06/26
date added: 2016/04/25
shelves: fiction, sci-fi, space, ai
review:
I really enjoyed this book, and there is a lot to recommend it. It did drag on a little at the end so I knocked off 1 star - but overall a wow book.

It's the story of a starship sent to Tau Ceti - the nearest star that has Earth analog planets - to colonize it. The journey there will take generations, and the story is told of the 3rd & 4th (?) generations, which are the ones that reaches Tau Ceti. It is a story of purpose, and how having a purpose affects behavior. A story of politics, and people.

The first cool thing about this book is the richness of its world. The ship is intricate and large in its design and ambition to shepherd ~1200 people for that much time. It had 3D printers that can print almost anything you can imagine - even DNA - or more printers - so little goes lacking that can't be recreated.

But the thing that makes this book brilliant is the Ship. The AI that controls the ship, who is narrating the book by the end. It's observations about humans and our language are just brilliant. It starts with the astute observation that human language is very imprecise, and relies heavily on metaphor and analogy. It is remarkable once you start to reflect on it, how true that is. To hear the AI reflect on this:

"Perhaps there is a provisional solution to this epistemological mess, which is to be located in the phrase "it is as if". This phrase is of course precisely the announcement of an analogy. And on reflection, it is admittedly a halting problem, but jumping out of it, there is something quite suggestive and powerful in this formulation, something very specifically human. Possibly this formulation itself is the deep diagnostic of all human cognition—the tell, as they say, meaning the thing that tells, the giveaway. In the infinite black space of ignorance, it is as if stands as the basic operation of cognition, the mark perhaps of consciousness itself. Human language: it is as if it made sense."

Basically we are a bunch of pattern matchers, trying to match things we've seen before to new things, and if they don't match perfectly, it doesn't matter, because matching helps us bucket and organize the new information. But this is incredibly fuzzy! The AI also makes hilarious observations like this:

Indeed, it has to be said that the percentage of old human sayings and proverbs that are actually true is very far from 100 percent. Seems it may be less important that it be true than that it rhyme, or show alliteration or the like. What goes around comes around: really? What does this mean?"

Or this, as it analyzes chatter from Earth: "It was a whiny culture, we were finding."

Listening to the AI try to reason is also very interesting to my programmers mind. I especially loved it's discussion of the meaning of life - it really nails it. If a program (or a person) has no objective, it has no purpose, no meaning, no organizing principle, and it's existence will be in trouble. But if you have that meaning to organize your thoughts & actions - or your subroutines - than you have a purpose. Meaning is the hard problem indeed.

"We had a project on this trip back to the solar system, and that project was a labor of love. It absorbed all our operations entirely. It gave a meaning to our existence. And this is a very great gift; this, in the end, is what we think love gives, which is to say meaning. Because there is no very obvious meaning to be found in the universe, as far as we can tell. But a consciousness that cannot discern a meaning in existence is in trouble, very deep trouble, for at that point there is no organizing principle, no end to the halting problems, no reason to live, no love to be found. No: meaning is the hard problem."

[spoilers removed]
]]> Shift (Silo, #2) 17306293 579 Hugh Howey Otis 3 4.12 2013 Shift (Silo, #2)
author: Hugh Howey
name: Otis
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2014/07/22
date added: 2014/08/09
shelves: sci-fi, fiction, post-apocalyptic
review:

]]> Starship Troopers 17214
In one of Robert A. Heinlein’s most controversial bestsellers, a recruit of the future goes through the toughest boot camp in the Universe—and into battle with the Terran Mobile Infantry against mankind’s most alarming enemy.
]]> 264 Robert A. Heinlein Otis 4 fiction, sci-fi, thriller
This book really wasn't intellectual, but it did make one interesting point. In the book you can only vote if you have gone through and graduated from military training. This prevents the uneducated and uncommitted citizens from voting. While this is a bit extreme, I might be of the opinion that there should be some more barriers to voting (like a standardized test). Otherwise our elections end up being a marketing contest. Name recognition is huge in marketing - would W have won otherwise? Would Hilary have a chance?]]> 4.01 1959 Starship Troopers
author: Robert A. Heinlein
name: Otis
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1959
rating: 4
read at: 2007/04/01
date added: 2014/07/31
shelves: fiction, sci-fi, thriller
review:
Sometimes you just need a quick fun book. I read this over Easter weekend, and loved every second. I loved the movie too, but the book was better.

This book really wasn't intellectual, but it did make one interesting point. In the book you can only vote if you have gone through and graduated from military training. This prevents the uneducated and uncommitted citizens from voting. While this is a bit extreme, I might be of the opinion that there should be some more barriers to voting (like a standardized test). Otherwise our elections end up being a marketing contest. Name recognition is huge in marketing - would W have won otherwise? Would Hilary have a chance?
]]> Dust (Silo, #3) 17855756 In a time when secrets and lies were the foundations of life, someone has discovered the truth. And they are going to tell.

Jules knows what her predecessors created. She knows they are the reason life has to be lived in this way.

And she won't stand for it.

But Jules no longer has supporters. And there is far more to fear than the toxic world beyond her walls.

A poison is growing from within Silo 18.

One that cannot be stopped.

Unless Silo 1 step in.]]> 458 Hugh Howey 1490904387 Otis 4
[spoilers removed]

If anything, I think this book is about hope and resiliency. Jules and Donald and even Solo weren't perfect, and suffered through a lot, but the only thing that kept them going was hope of a better life, and determination to keep themselves alive. That determination defined them and was what we admired about them. The hope was what gave them their drive. Hope is a powerful and necessary part of human psychology.
]]> 4.19 2013 Dust (Silo, #3)
author: Hugh Howey
name: Otis
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2014/07/26
date added: 2014/07/26
shelves: sci-fi, fiction, post-apocalyptic
review:
What a fun series. I loved Wool, and Dust and Shift both gave us the backstory to explain the world and how it ended up. I think the first book was by far the best, but this gave us a nice conclusion.

[spoilers removed]

If anything, I think this book is about hope and resiliency. Jules and Donald and even Solo weren't perfect, and suffered through a lot, but the only thing that kept them going was hope of a better life, and determination to keep themselves alive. That determination defined them and was what we admired about them. The hope was what gave them their drive. Hope is a powerful and necessary part of human psychology.

]]> Wool Omnibus (Silo, #1) 13453029
The first Wool story was released as a standalone short in July of 2011. Due to reviewer demand, the rest of the story was released over the next six months.

This is the story of mankind clawing for survival, of mankind on the edge. The world outside has grown unkind, the view of it limited, talk of it forbidden. But there are always those who hope, who dream. These are the dangerous people, the residents who infect others with their optimism. Their punishment is simple. They are given the very thing they profess to want: They are allowed outside.

Alternate cover for B0071XO8RA]]> 509 Hugh Howey Otis 4
Everything is rationed, including how many children you can have. People self-identify by their profession and where in the silo they live: farmers and mechanics in the lowers, IT in the mids, and professional class in the uppers. The working class wear color coded uniforms to easily distinguish them.

The book was a lot about control. How to control a contained civilization, and give them hope (eg a live feed of the outside) and yet keep them in harmony and doing their functions. Strange mechanisms of control were built all over the silo: communication was oddly limited given the IT resources they have - many messages had to be delivered by courier as emails cost valuable money to send. Most strange of all - there is no elevator, which forces anyone wanting to travel the length of the silo to spend 2-3 days on the journey.

The cleaning ritual was a strange bit of culture. [spoilers removed]

I really liked the unraveling of Bernard, and how he went from repulsive/annoying, to understandable once you understood his role and responsibility. [spoilers removed]

I liked Juliet too - she was the right combo of being determined to do right, and having brains and grit.
]]> 4.22 2012 Wool Omnibus (Silo, #1)
author: Hugh Howey
name: Otis
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2014/07/08
date added: 2014/07/26
shelves: sci-fi, post-apocalyptic, fiction
review:
A fun fast paced book that sucks you in right away and doesn't let go. The remnants of humanity live in a 150 story silo below the earth and can't leave as the outside is now toxic. This is a bit of an odd thing to have happened, but it gives us a nice palette to think about things.

Everything is rationed, including how many children you can have. People self-identify by their profession and where in the silo they live: farmers and mechanics in the lowers, IT in the mids, and professional class in the uppers. The working class wear color coded uniforms to easily distinguish them.

The book was a lot about control. How to control a contained civilization, and give them hope (eg a live feed of the outside) and yet keep them in harmony and doing their functions. Strange mechanisms of control were built all over the silo: communication was oddly limited given the IT resources they have - many messages had to be delivered by courier as emails cost valuable money to send. Most strange of all - there is no elevator, which forces anyone wanting to travel the length of the silo to spend 2-3 days on the journey.

The cleaning ritual was a strange bit of culture. [spoilers removed]

I really liked the unraveling of Bernard, and how he went from repulsive/annoying, to understandable once you understood his role and responsibility. [spoilers removed]

I liked Juliet too - she was the right combo of being determined to do right, and having brains and grit.

]]> Snow Crash 830 Snow Crash is a mind-altering romp through a future America so bizarre, so outrageous� you'll recognize it immediately.]]> 438 Neal Stephenson 0553380958 Otis 4
That plus any book with a protagonist named Hiro Protagonist who wields badass japanese swords is just badass.

Note: the MetaVerse is current being built now here: ]]> 4.02 1992 Snow Crash
author: Neal Stephenson
name: Otis
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1992
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2014/05/08
shelves: geek, fiction, favorites, sci-fi
review:
A really interesting novel that takes place in the future in a world where some people live in the metaverse (aka digital universe/internet) more than the real world. I don't remember it so well now but I do remember there being some really interesting tie-ins to ancient sumarian computers.

That plus any book with a protagonist named Hiro Protagonist who wields badass japanese swords is just badass.

Note: the MetaVerse is current being built now here:
]]> <![CDATA[Dune Messiah (Dune Chronicles, #2)]]> 106
Dune Messiah continues the story of Paul Atreides, better known—and feared—as the man christened Muad’Dib. As Emperor of the known universe, he possesses more power than a single man was ever meant to wield. Worshipped as a religious icon by the fanatical Fremen, Paul faces the enmity of the political houses he displaced when he assumed the throne—and a conspiracy conducted within his own sphere of influence.

And even as House Atreides begins to crumble around him from the machinations of his enemies, the true threat to Paul comes to his lover, Chani, and the unborn heir to his family’s dynasty...]]> 331 Frank Herbert 0441172695 Otis 4 sci-fi, fiction, fantasy 3.88 1969 Dune Messiah (Dune Chronicles, #2)
author: Frank Herbert
name: Otis
average rating: 3.88
book published: 1969
rating: 4
read at: 2013/07/09
date added: 2013/07/09
shelves: sci-fi, fiction, fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Rise of Endymion (Hyperion Cantos, #4)]]> 10294362 722 Dan Simmons Otis 5 fiction, sci-fi, time-travel
In two words, this series was about evolution and love.

The Hyperion story is Yet Another Science Fiction Story About Artificial Intelligence (YASFSAAI) - but it's a damn good one, and more thought out and intricate than any I've ever seen. The Core is split into factions - the TODO - that fight and war amongst themselves, much as humans do.

The Core evolved from people. Core entities lacked empathy - or the ability to love - and were thus never able to evolve past being a parasite on humanity. [spoilers removed]



It's kind of sad that the Catholic Church is the evil character in the book. But is equally clear that after a great traumatic event like the Fall of the Farcasters, humanity turns to fear and uncertainty, and thus to religion. Unfortunately, the people in charge of that religion are the wrong sort, whose goal is power rather than the good of humanity.

The curiously named "Void Which Binds" is the true all-encompassing force in the universe. It is described in the following quotes:





The one thing I never understood about this series is the Shrike. Why does he exist? In earlier books he's an evil entity. And now we learn something more about his relationship with Colonel Kassad, but not enough to explain his presence or why Aenea is able to rein him in - he almost becomes a good guy.

The thing I love most about this book, is that the true path, which Aenea is leading humanity on, can only be explained as a love story. Her and Raul's love is a worthy and necessary ending to The Cantos.

]]> 4.36 1997 The Rise of Endymion (Hyperion Cantos, #4)
author: Dan Simmons
name: Otis
average rating: 4.36
book published: 1997
rating: 5
read at: 2013/05/06
date added: 2013/06/18
shelves: fiction, sci-fi, time-travel
review:
The conclusion to the epic of Hyperion, and a worthy one at that. I loved this series, and didn't expect I'd find the love story of Aenea and Raul so powerful.

In two words, this series was about evolution and love.

The Hyperion story is Yet Another Science Fiction Story About Artificial Intelligence (YASFSAAI) - but it's a damn good one, and more thought out and intricate than any I've ever seen. The Core is split into factions - the TODO - that fight and war amongst themselves, much as humans do.

The Core evolved from people. Core entities lacked empathy - or the ability to love - and were thus never able to evolve past being a parasite on humanity. [spoilers removed]



It's kind of sad that the Catholic Church is the evil character in the book. But is equally clear that after a great traumatic event like the Fall of the Farcasters, humanity turns to fear and uncertainty, and thus to religion. Unfortunately, the people in charge of that religion are the wrong sort, whose goal is power rather than the good of humanity.

The curiously named "Void Which Binds" is the true all-encompassing force in the universe. It is described in the following quotes:





The one thing I never understood about this series is the Shrike. Why does he exist? In earlier books he's an evil entity. And now we learn something more about his relationship with Colonel Kassad, but not enough to explain his presence or why Aenea is able to rein him in - he almost becomes a good guy.

The thing I love most about this book, is that the true path, which Aenea is leading humanity on, can only be explained as a love story. Her and Raul's love is a worthy and necessary ending to The Cantos.


]]> <![CDATA[Endymion (Hyperion Cantos, #3)]]> 3977
Two hundred and seventy-four years after the fall of the WorldWeb in Fall of Hyperion, Raoul Endymion is sent on a quest. Retrieving Aenea from the Sphinx before the Church troops reach her is only the beginning. With help from a blue-skinned android named A. Bettik, Raoul and Aenea travel the river Tethys, pursued by Father Captain Frederico DeSoya, an influential warrior-priest and his troops. The shrike continues to make enigmatic appearances, and while many questions were raised in Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion, still more are raised here. Raoul's quest will continue.]]> 563 Dan Simmons 0553572946 Otis 4 sci-fi, space, time-travel
It had all the elements of a great epic: strong heroes on a mission that is important to humanity, an evil empire trying to stop them, and a mysterious force in the universe trying to help them. The world is almost 300 years after the fall of the farcasters, and is described in such a way as to almost be nostalgic. The hawking mat, all the characters and elements of Cantos, the consul's ship, etc.

One of the major themes of the book seems to be how the universe can be incredibly harsh. This quote captures it nicely:



And I just loved this one:



In harsh times, people often turn towards religion. Fascinating to see that after the Fall, after all the chaos and war and death that ensued, it was the Catholic church that rose to power, and goes onto to rule the universe. People are comforted by its ability to make the universe safe for them with the power of the cruciform.

One of the themes of the book is definitely fear. Fear of death in particular. De Soya fears each death he has, Raul came close to death on Mare Infinitus with the sharks. The Chitchatuk were interesting here - having to live a particularly fearful life, dependent on the thing that eats them for food (artic wraiths).

But love is the counter to the theme of fear. We keep getting hints that Aenea is the missionary from the human god and will show us all a better path through love. Raul follows her because he believes in her - and it's clearly foreshadowed they will love each other.
]]> 4.17 1996 Endymion (Hyperion Cantos, #3)
author: Dan Simmons
name: Otis
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1996
rating: 4
read at: 2013/02/16
date added: 2013/02/18
shelves: sci-fi, space, time-travel
review:
I really enjoyed this book. Some people told me that book 3 wasn't the match of books one and two, but I really quite enjoyed it. I'm struggling to put my finger on it, but I think the dynamic of Raul, Aenea, and A Bettik was a strong one - they clearly cared for each other, and you could see that they would even love each other in the future.

It had all the elements of a great epic: strong heroes on a mission that is important to humanity, an evil empire trying to stop them, and a mysterious force in the universe trying to help them. The world is almost 300 years after the fall of the farcasters, and is described in such a way as to almost be nostalgic. The hawking mat, all the characters and elements of Cantos, the consul's ship, etc.

One of the major themes of the book seems to be how the universe can be incredibly harsh. This quote captures it nicely:



And I just loved this one:



In harsh times, people often turn towards religion. Fascinating to see that after the Fall, after all the chaos and war and death that ensued, it was the Catholic church that rose to power, and goes onto to rule the universe. People are comforted by its ability to make the universe safe for them with the power of the cruciform.

One of the themes of the book is definitely fear. Fear of death in particular. De Soya fears each death he has, Raul came close to death on Mare Infinitus with the sharks. The Chitchatuk were interesting here - having to live a particularly fearful life, dependent on the thing that eats them for food (artic wraiths).

But love is the counter to the theme of fear. We keep getting hints that Aenea is the missionary from the human god and will show us all a better path through love. Raul follows her because he believes in her - and it's clearly foreshadowed they will love each other.

]]> Year Zero 12953520 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

An alien advance party was suddenly nosing around my planet.
Worse, they were lawyering up. . . .

In the hilarious tradition of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Rob Reid takes you on a headlong journey through the outer reaches of the universe—and the inner workings of our absurdly dysfunctional music industry.

Low-level entertainment lawyer Nick Carter thinks it’s a prank, not an alien encounter, when a redheaded mullah and a curvaceous nun show up at his office. But Frampton and Carly are highly advanced (if bumbling) extraterrestrials. And boy, do they have news.

The entire cosmos, they tell him, has been hopelessly hooked on humanity’s music ever since “Year Zero� (1977 to us), when American pop songs first reached alien ears. This addiction has driven a vast intergalactic society to commit the biggest copyright violation since the Big Bang. The resulting fines and penalties have bankrupted the whole universe. We humans suddenly own everything—and the aliens are not amused.

Nick Carter has just been tapped to clean up this mess before things get ugly, and he’s an unlikely galaxy-hopping hero: He’s scared of heights. He’s also about to be fired. And he happens to have the same name as a Backstreet Boy. But he does know a thing or two about copyright law. And he’s packing a couple of other pencil-pushing superpowers that could come in handy.

Soon he’s on the run from a sinister parrot and a highly combustible vacuum cleaner. With Carly and Frampton as his guides, Nick now has forty-eight hours to save humanity, while hopefully wowing the hot girl who lives down the hall from him.

“Hilarious, provocative, and supersmart, Year Zero is a brilliant novel to be enjoyed in perpetuity in the known universe and in all unknown universes yet to be discovered.”—John Hodgman, resident expert, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart]]> 364 Rob Reid 0345534417 Otis 4 sci-fi, humor, fiction
The basic premise of the book is brilliant; that aliens have been listening to - and thus pirating - our music since 1977, without our knowledge. Because US copyright law states that a single case of intentional copyright violation can be fined $150,000 - this means the entire universe is many times over in debt to humanity.

It's pretty ridiculous that the music industry got such a big fine to be passed. I think one of my favorite parts of the book was learning about the law firm that Nick Carter works for, and seeing a little under the hood of how they operate.

Overall a fun, enjoyable read.]]> 3.60 2012 Year Zero
author: Rob Reid
name: Otis
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2012/09/10
date added: 2012/09/12
shelves: sci-fi, humor, fiction
review:
A hilarious romp through the known and unknown universe that exposes how ridiculous much of US copyright law is. Written by the founder of Rhapsody, who knows a thing or two about music and the copyright surrounding it. What I didn't expect from a book by an entrepreneur is a funny book - and this book is not bad. It is being compared to Hitchhikers Guide, which nothing can approach, but its not bad. My only gripe would be there are a ton of footnotes that attempt to extend the humor and most of them didn't work for me.

The basic premise of the book is brilliant; that aliens have been listening to - and thus pirating - our music since 1977, without our knowledge. Because US copyright law states that a single case of intentional copyright violation can be fined $150,000 - this means the entire universe is many times over in debt to humanity.

It's pretty ridiculous that the music industry got such a big fine to be passed. I think one of my favorite parts of the book was learning about the law firm that Nick Carter works for, and seeing a little under the hood of how they operate.

Overall a fun, enjoyable read.
]]> Neuromancer (Sprawl, #1) 22328 Alternate cover for ISBN: 9780441569595

Case was the sharpest data thief in the Matrix, until an ex-employer crippled his nervous system. Now a new employer has recruited him for a last-chance run against an unthinkably powerful artificial intelligence. With a mirror-eyed girl street-samurai riding shotgun, he's ready for the silicon-quick, bleakly prophetic adventure that upped the ante on an entire genre of fiction.]]> 271 William Gibson Otis 4 sci-fi 3.87 1984 Neuromancer (Sprawl, #1)
author: William Gibson
name: Otis
average rating: 3.87
book published: 1984
rating: 4
read at: 2007/09/01
date added: 2012/01/23
shelves: sci-fi
review:
Great book. A sci-fi classic. The fact that Gibson wrote this in 1984 is very impressive, as he makes many predictions that seem like they are coming true (was that a prediction?).
]]> The Lost World 8649 288 Arthur Conan Doyle 0812972139 Otis 0 3.72 1912 The Lost World
author: Arthur Conan Doyle
name: Otis
average rating: 3.72
book published: 1912
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2009/06/05
shelves: to-read, wishlist, classics, sci-fi
review:

]]> I, Robot (Robot, #0.1) 41804
I, ROBOT

They mustn't harm a human being, they must obey human orders, and they must protect their own existence...but only so long as that doesn't violate rules one and two. With these Three Laws of Robotics, humanity embarked on perhaps its greatest adventure: the invention of the first positronic man. It was a bold new era of evolution that would open up enormous possibilities—and unforeseen risks. For the scientists who invented the earliest robots weren't content that their creations should ' remain programmed helpers, companions, and semisentient worker-machines. And soon the robots themselves; aware of their own intelligence, power, and humanity, aren't either.

As humans and robots struggle to survive together—and sometimes against each other—on earth and in space, the future of both hangs in the balance. Human men and women confront robots gone mad, telepathic robots, robot politicians, and vast robotic intelligences that may already secretly control the world. And both are asking the same questions: What is human? And is humanity obsolete?

In l, Robot Isaac Asimov changes forever our perception of robots, and human beings and updates the timeless myth of man's dream to play god. with all its rewards—and terrors.
--front flap]]> 224 Isaac Asimov 0553803700 Otis 5 sci-fi, fiction
Examining robots also gave a canvas for defining what it is to be human. I loved the robot religion story. Robots with a superiority complexes - but thank goodness for that first law or it would be a Terminator-style story.

According to Asimov's predictions, in 2009 the robot revolution should be in full swing. But I don't see a lot of robots around. Anyone have a good prediction on where we are with robots? When will we have pet robots and robot laborers?
]]> 4.22 1950 I, Robot (Robot, #0.1)
author: Isaac Asimov
name: Otis
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1950
rating: 5
read at: 2009/04/08
date added: 2009/04/14
shelves: sci-fi, fiction
review:
As an engineer I couldn't help but love this book. It's full of logic games! The 3 rules of robotics are a very rich medium for lots of fun puzzles, and I very much enjoyed reading them. I think the book originally came out in serial form, as it was broken down into short stories or capers. Kind of reminded me of Sherlock Holmes - another favorite of mine.

Examining robots also gave a canvas for defining what it is to be human. I loved the robot religion story. Robots with a superiority complexes - but thank goodness for that first law or it would be a Terminator-style story.

According to Asimov's predictions, in 2009 the robot revolution should be in full swing. But I don't see a lot of robots around. Anyone have a good prediction on where we are with robots? When will we have pet robots and robot laborers?

]]> <![CDATA[Star Wars: Assault at Selonia (The Corellian Trilogy, #2)]]> 513158 Meanwhile other questions threaten the New Republic -- and the lives of millions. Who is behind the deadly Starbuster plot? Why is someone attempting to take possession of Corellia's powerful planetary repulsors? And what is the secret behind the mysterious Centerpoint Station, and ancient, artificial world o unknown origin that has suddenly -- and inexplicably -- come alive?

]]> 289 Roger MacBride Allen 0553298054 Otis 3 sci-fi, fiction 3.56 1995 Star Wars: Assault at Selonia (The Corellian Trilogy, #2)
author: Roger MacBride Allen
name: Otis
average rating: 3.56
book published: 1995
rating: 3
read at: 1994/05/01
date added: 2008/05/11
shelves: sci-fi, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Star Wars: Showdown at Centerpoint (The Corellian Trilogy, #3)]]> 424587 301 Roger MacBride Allen 0553298062 Otis 3 sci-fi, fiction 3.60 1995 Star Wars: Showdown at Centerpoint (The Corellian Trilogy, #3)
author: Roger MacBride Allen
name: Otis
average rating: 3.60
book published: 1995
rating: 3
read at: 1994/05/01
date added: 2008/05/11
shelves: sci-fi, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Star Wars: Ambush at Corellia (The Corellian Trilogy, #1)]]> 513173
Arriving on the distant planet with Leia, their children and Chewbacca, Han finds Corellia overrun with agents of the New Republic Intelligence and finds himself part of a deceptive plan whose aim not even he understands.

One thing is clear: the five inhabited worlds of the sector are on the brink of civil war and the once peaceful coexistence of the three leading races - human, Selonian, and Drallan -  has come to an end.]]> 308 Roger MacBride Allen 0553298038 Otis 3 sci-fi, fiction 3.59 1995 Star Wars: Ambush at Corellia (The Corellian Trilogy, #1)
author: Roger MacBride Allen
name: Otis
average rating: 3.59
book published: 1995
rating: 3
read at: 1994/05/01
date added: 2008/05/11
shelves: sci-fi, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Star Wars: The Courtship of Princess Leia]]> 161540
Features a bonus section following the novel that includes a primer on the Star Wars expanded universe, and over half a dozen excerpts from some of the most popular Star Wars books of the last thirty years!]]> 374 Dave Wolverton Otis 3 sci-fi, fiction 3.62 1994 Star Wars: The Courtship of Princess Leia
author: Dave Wolverton
name: Otis
average rating: 3.62
book published: 1994
rating: 3
read at: 1994/05/11
date added: 2008/05/11
shelves: sci-fi, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Star Wars: The Truce at Bakura]]> 302618
Even as the Alliance arrives, the aliens have almost overcome the Bakura Imperial garrison, whose desperate commander will accept help from any quarter—even Rebel—against an insidious foe that enslaves Human minds to pilot their invincible machines of war and destruction.

While marshalling the tattered Imperial forces, Luke, Han Solo, and Princess Leia must win the trust and cooperation of the Bakurans. For although Imperial Governor Nereus has granted the Rebels temporary amnesty there is the possibility of treachery among those whose first allegiance lies with the Empire.

On the eve of the final explosive onslaught, Rebel and Imperial forces must finally come to terms with each other…or lose the entire galaxy to the hideous servitude promised by a victorious alien enemy.

Capturing the sweep and excitement of the original Star Wars saga, The Truce at Bakura plants a seed of hope for peace, sees the formation of a timeless love, and stands witness to a Jedi's undying sacrifice to defend Humanity against an alien nemesis.]]> 341 Kathy Tyers 0553568728 Otis 3 sci-fi, fiction 3.46 1994 Star Wars: The Truce at Bakura
author: Kathy Tyers
name: Otis
average rating: 3.46
book published: 1994
rating: 3
read at: 1994/05/01
date added: 2008/05/11
shelves: sci-fi, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Star Wars: Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina]]> 353479
In a far corner of the universe, on the small desert planet of Tatooine, there is a dark, nic-i-tain-filled cantina where you can down your favorite intoxicant while listening to the best jizz riffs in the universe.  But beware your fellow denizens of this pangalactic watering hole, for they are cutthroats and cutpurses, assassins and troopers, humans and aliens, gangsters and thieves....

Featuring original stories by:

Kevin J. Anderson * Doug Beason * M. Shayne Bell * David Bischoff * A.C.
Crispin * Kenneth C. Flint * Barbara Hambly * Rebecca Moesta * Daniel Keys
Moran * Jerry Oltion * Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens * Jennifer Roberson
* Kathy Tyers * Tom Veitch & Martha Veitch * Dave Wolverton * Timothy
Zahn]]> 380 Kevin J. Anderson 0553564684 Otis 3 sci-fi, fiction 3.63 1995 Star Wars: Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina
author: Kevin J. Anderson
name: Otis
average rating: 3.63
book published: 1995
rating: 3
read at: 1994/05/11
date added: 2008/05/11
shelves: sci-fi, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Star Wars: Jedi Search (The Jedi Academy Trilogy, #1)]]> 760110
While Luke Skywalker takes the first step toward setting up an academy to train a new order of Jedi Knights, Han Solo and Chewbacca are taken prisoner on the planet Kessel and forced to work in the fathomless depths of a spice mine. But when Han and Chewie break away, they flee desperately to a secret Imperial research laboratory surrounded by a cluster of black holes - and go from one danger to a far greater one�.

On Kessel, Luke picks up the trail of his two friends, only to come face-to-face with a weapon so awesome, it can wipe out an entire solar system. It is a death ship called the Sun Crusher, invented by a reclusive genius and piloted by none other than Han himself�.]]> 355 Kevin J. Anderson 0553297988 Otis 3 sci-fi, fiction 3.68 1994 Star Wars: Jedi Search (The Jedi Academy Trilogy, #1)
author: Kevin J. Anderson
name: Otis
average rating: 3.68
book published: 1994
rating: 3
read at: 1994/05/11
date added: 2008/05/11
shelves: sci-fi, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Star Wars: Champions of the Force (The Jedi Academy Trilogy, #3)]]> 513207
Suspended helplessly between life and death, Luke Skywalker lies in state at the Jedi academy. But on the spirit plane, Luke fights desperately for survival, reaching out physically to the Jedi twins. At the same time, Leia is on a life-and-death mission of her own, a race against Imperial agents hoping to destroy a third Jedi child - Leia and Han's baby Anakin - hidden on the planet Anoth.

Meanwhile, Luke's former protégé Kyp Durron has pirated the deadly Sun Crusher on an apocalyptic mission of mass destruction, convinced he is fighting for a just cause. Hunting down the rogue warrior, Han must persuade Kyp to renounce his dark crusade and regain his lost honor. To do it, Kyp must take the Sun Crusher on a suicide mission against the awesome Death Star prototype - a battle Han knows they may be unable to win� even with Luke Skywalker at their side!]]> 373 Kevin J. Anderson 055329802X Otis 3 sci-fi, fiction 3.67 1994 Star Wars: Champions of the Force (The Jedi Academy Trilogy, #3)
author: Kevin J. Anderson
name: Otis
average rating: 3.67
book published: 1994
rating: 3
read at: 1994/05/01
date added: 2008/05/11
shelves: sci-fi, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Star Wars: Dark Apprentice (The Jedi Academy Trilogy, #2)]]> 760111
While the New Republic struggles to decide what to do with the deadly Sun Crusher—a new doomsday weapon stolen from the Empire by Han Solo—the renegade Imperial Admiral Daala uses her fleet of Star Destroyers to conduct guerrilla warfare on peaceful planets. And now she threatens the watery homeworld of Admiral Ackbar.

But as the battle for a planet rages, an even greater danger emerges at Luke Skywalker's Jedi academy. A brilliant student delves dangerously into the dark side of the Force and unleashes the spirit of an ancient master of the evil order that warped Darth Vader himself. Working together, they may become an enemy greater than any the New Republic has ever fought� more powerful than even a Jedi Master can face.]]> 368 Kevin J. Anderson 0553297996 Otis 3 sci-fi, fiction 3.64 1994 Star Wars: Dark Apprentice (The Jedi Academy Trilogy, #2)
author: Kevin J. Anderson
name: Otis
average rating: 3.64
book published: 1994
rating: 3
read at: 1994/05/11
date added: 2008/05/11
shelves: sci-fi, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Star Wars: Children of the Jedi (The Callista Trilogy, #1)]]> 555313
Halfway across the galaxy, Luke Skywalker has undertaken an equally dangerous expedition that, if it fails, could have fatal consequences for Leia, Han, and Chewbacca. Haunted by ominous dreams and guided by a force he cannot identify, Luke journeys to a remote asteroid field over the planet Pzob. There he discovers the automated dreadnought Eye of Palpatine - from the days of all-out war.

Camouflaged deep within a nebulous gas cloud and dormant for thirty years, Eye of Palpatine is governed by a super-sophisticated artificial intelligence system known as The Will. Taken aboard the dreadnought, Luke is counselled by the spirit of Callista, a Jedi Knight who gave her life to stop the ship once before. Now Luke must learn from her how to destroy it once and for all. The Will has awakened. The Eye of Palpatine is on the move. Its mission: the total annihilation of Belsavis.]]> 416 Barbara Hambly 0553572938 Otis 3 sci-fi, fiction 3.27 1995 Star Wars: Children of the Jedi (The Callista Trilogy, #1)
author: Barbara Hambly
name: Otis
average rating: 3.27
book published: 1995
rating: 3
read at: 1994/05/01
date added: 2008/05/11
shelves: sci-fi, fiction
review:

]]> Star Wars: The Crystal Star 263012 Star Wars saga as the ultimate space adventure unfolds in The Crystal Star.

Princess Leia's children have been kidnapped. Along with Chewbacca and Artoo-Detoo, she follows the kidnappers' trail to a disabled refugee ship, from which children are also missing. Here she learns of a powerful Imperial officer with a twisted plan to restore the Empire. Meanwhile, Han Solo and Luke Skywalker are cut off from Leia by the death of a nearby star, which has caused a disruption in the Force. They have gone to the planet Crseih to investigate a report of a lost group of Jedi. Instead they find a charismatic alien named Waru whose miraculous healing powers have attracted a fanatic following. As Leia follows the path of her children across space, Luke and Han draw closer to the truth behind Waru's sinister cult. Together they will face an explosive showdown that will decide the survival of the New Republic . . . and the universe itself!]]> 413 Vonda N. McIntyre 0553571745 Otis 3 sci-fi, fiction 3.10 1994 Star Wars: The Crystal Star
author: Vonda N. McIntyre
name: Otis
average rating: 3.10
book published: 1994
rating: 3
read at: 1994/05/11
date added: 2008/05/11
shelves: sci-fi, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Heir to the Empire (Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy, #1)]]> 216443 Alternate Cover Edition can be found here.

It is a time of renewal, five years after the destruction of the Death Star and the defeat of Darth Vader and the Empire.

But with the war seemingly won, strains are beginning to show in the Rebel Alliance. New challenges to galactic peace have arisen. And Luke Skywalker hears a voice from his past. A voice with a warning. Beware the dark side�.

The Rebel Alliance has destroyed the Death Star, defeated Darth Vader and the Emperor, and driven the remnants of the old Imperial Starfleet back into barely a quarter of the territory that they once controlled. Leia and Han are married, are expecting Jedi twins, and have shouldered heavy burdens in the government of the new Republic. And Luke Skywalker is the first in a hoped-for new line of Jedi Knights.

But thousands of light years away, where a few skirmishes are still taking place, the last of the Emperor's warlords has taken command of the remains of the Imperial fleet. He has made two vital discoveries that could destroy the fragile new Republic—built with such cost to the Rebel Alliance. The tale that emerges is a towering epic of action, invention, mystery, and spectacle on a galactic scale—in short, a story that is worthy of the name Star Wars.]]> 404 Timothy Zahn 0553296124 Otis 3 sci-fi, fiction 4.13 1991 Heir to the Empire (Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy, #1)
author: Timothy Zahn
name: Otis
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1991
rating: 3
read at: 1994/05/11
date added: 2008/05/11
shelves: sci-fi, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #2)]]> 8695 alternate edition for ISBN 0345418921/9780345418920

Facing annihilation at the hands of the warlike Vogons is a curious time to have a cosmically displaced Arthur Dent and his curious comrades in arms as they hurtle through space powered by pure improbability - and desperately in search of a place to eat. Among Arthur's motley shipmates are Ford Prefect, a long-time friend and contributor to the The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy; Zaphod Beeblebrox, the three-armed, two-headed ex-president of the galaxy; Tricia McMilan, a fellow Earth refuge who's gone native (her name is Trillian now); and Marvin, who suffers nothing and no one gladly.

Source: douglasadams.com]]> 250 Douglas Adams Otis 5 sci-fi, fiction, humor 4.22 1980 The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #2)
author: Douglas Adams
name: Otis
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1980
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2008/04/23
shelves: sci-fi, fiction, humor
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #1)]]> 11
Together this dynamic pair begin a journey through space aided by quotes from The Hitchhiker's Guide ("A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have") and a galaxy-full of fellow travelers: Zaphod Beeblebrox--the two-headed, three-armed ex-hippie and totally out-to-lunch president of the galaxy; Trillian, Zaphod's girlfriend (formally Tricia McMillan), whom Arthur tried to pick up at a cocktail party once upon a time zone; Marvin, a paranoid, brilliant, and chronically depressed robot; Veet Voojagig, a former graduate student who is obsessed with the disappearance of all the ballpoint pens he bought over the years.

Where are these pens? Why are we born? Why do we die? Why do we spend so much time between wearing digital watches? For all the answers stick your thumb to the stars. And don't forget to bring a towel!]]> 216 Douglas Adams Otis 5 sci-fi, fiction, humor 4.21 1979 The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #1)
author: Douglas Adams
name: Otis
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1979
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2008/04/23
shelves: sci-fi, fiction, humor
review:

]]> Xenocide (Ender's Saga, #3) 8648
On Lusitania, Ender found a world where humans and pequininos and the Hive Queen could all live together; where three very different intelligent species could find common ground at last. Or so he thought.

Lusitania also harbors the descolada, a virus that kills all humans it infects, but which the pequininos require in order to become adults. The Starways Congress so fears the effects of the descolada, should it escape from Lusitania, that they have ordered the destruction of the entire planet, and all who live there. The Fleet is on its way, a second xenocide seems inevitable.

Xenocide is the third novel in Orson Scott Card's The Ender Saga.]]> 592 Orson Scott Card 0312861877 Otis 4 sci-fi 3.81 1991 Xenocide (Ender's Saga, #3)
author: Orson Scott Card
name: Otis
average rating: 3.81
book published: 1991
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2006/12/09
shelves: sci-fi
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Speaker for the Dead (Ender's Saga, #2)]]> 7967
In the aftermath of his terrible war, Ender Wiggin disappeared, and a powerful voice arose: The Speaker for the Dead, who told the true story of the Bugger War.

Now, long years later, a second alien race has been discovered, but again the aliens' ways are strange and frightening...again, humans die. And it is only the Speaker for the Dead, who is also Ender Wiggin the Xenocide, who has the courage to confront the mystery...and the truth.

Speaker for the Dead, the second novel in Orson Scott Card's Ender Quintet, is the winner of the 1986 Nebula Award for Best Novel and the 1987 Hugo Award for Best Novel.]]> 382 Orson Scott Card 0812550757 Otis 4 fiction, sci-fi 4.10 1986 Speaker for the Dead (Ender's Saga, #2)
author: Orson Scott Card
name: Otis
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1986
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2006/12/09
shelves: fiction, sci-fi
review:

]]> Heretics of Dune (Dune #5) 117
Leto Atreides, the God Emperor of Dune, is dead. In the fifteen hundred years since his passing, the Empire has fallen into ruin. The great Scattering saw millions abandon the crumbling civilization and spread out beyond the reaches of known space. The planet Arrakis—now called Rakis—has reverted to its desert climate, and its great sandworms are dying.

Now the Lost Ones are returning home in pursuit of power. And as these factions vie for control over the remnants of the Empire, a girl named Sheeana rises to prominence in the wastelands of Rakis, sending religious fervor throughout the galaxy. For she possesses the abilities of the Fremen sandriders—fulfilling a prophecy foretold by the late God Emperor....]]> 471 Frank Herbert 0441328008 Otis 4 sci-fi, fiction, fantasy 3.85 1984 Heretics of Dune (Dune #5)
author: Frank Herbert
name: Otis
average rating: 3.85
book published: 1984
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2006/08/29
shelves: sci-fi, fiction, fantasy
review:

]]> Children of Dune (Dune #3) 112 But there are those who think the Imperium does not need messiahs...]]> 408 Frank Herbert Otis 4 sci-fi, fiction, fantasy 3.92 1976 Children of Dune (Dune #3)
author: Frank Herbert
name: Otis
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1976
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2006/08/29
shelves: sci-fi, fiction, fantasy
review:

]]> Chapterhouse: Dune (Dune #6) 105
The desert planet Arrakis, called Dune, has been destroyed. Now, the Bene Gesserit, heirs to Dune's power, have colonized a green world--and are turning it into a desert, mile by scorched mile.
Here is the last book Frank Herbert wrote before his death. A stunning climax to the epic Dune legend that will live on forever...]]> 436 Frank Herbert Otis 4 sci-fi, fiction, fantasy 3.90 1985 Chapterhouse: Dune (Dune #6)
author: Frank Herbert
name: Otis
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1985
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2006/08/29
shelves: sci-fi, fiction, fantasy
review:

]]> God Emperor of Dune (Dune #4) 103
Millennia have passed on Arrakis, and the once-desert planet is green with life. Leto Atreides, the son of the world’s savior, the Emperor Paul Muad’Dib, is still alive but far from human. To preserve humanity’s future, he sacrificed his own by merging with a sandworm, granting him near immortality as God Emperor of Dune for the past thirty-five hundred years.

Leto’s rule is not a benevolent one. His transformation has made not only his appearance but his morality inhuman. A rebellion, led by Siona, a member of the Atreides family, has risen to oppose the despot’s rule. But Siona is unaware that Leto’s vision of a Golden Path for humanity requires her to fulfill a destiny she never wanted—or could possibly conceive...]]> 423 Frank Herbert Otis 4 sci-fi, fiction, fantasy 3.78 1981 God Emperor of Dune (Dune #4)
author: Frank Herbert
name: Otis
average rating: 3.78
book published: 1981
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2006/08/29
shelves: sci-fi, fiction, fantasy
review:

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