12.31.2008
Antarctica
by Kim Stanley Robinson, 651 pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: B+
Man alive, this novel takes FOREVER to get going. But once the snowball hits the fan (as it were), the story is excellent. As I've come to expect from Robinson, his book is rife with scientific and historical details, perhaps more than you really cared to know about Antarctica. And when the plot finally gets going, it's about the survival of various groups when ecoterrorists strike in conjunction with a really bad storm.
Labels: genre: fiction, media: book
The Quantum of Solace
PG-13, 106 minutes
Overall Grade: B-
Official Movie Site
Series: James Bond
Not as satisfying as 'Casino Royale'.
First of several post-dated reviews for 2008.
Labels: media: movie
12.21.2008
The Court of the Air
by Stephen Hunt, 582 pgs, hardcover
Book 1 in the Jackelian series
Overall Grade: A-
Another book where the ending kind of fizzles. But otherwise you can't knock it - it's like a steampunk Charles Dickens. With airships, orphans, strange species, a robot race, a buried ancient civilization, covert government organizations, a king without arms... It's good. It's intriguing. I wish they'd get Hunt's next two books over here in the states now.
Labels: genre: fantasy, genre: fiction, genre: steampunk, media: book, series: Jackelian
