12.30.2010
How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe
by Charles Yu, 256pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: B+
A short, good little read. Written in the first person. Basically the story of a time machine repairman who took up his chronological unstuck job to avoid family problems. And then blunders into one of the seminal paradoxes of time travel, what happens if you kill yourself? This part of the story is quite well done, and annoyingly interspersed with inserts of metastory about how the story is set in such and such science fictional universe, and how things work there.
Labels: genre: biographical, genre: fiction, genre: scifi, media: book
The Accidental Sorcerer
by K.E. Mills, 560pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: C-
Rogue Agent series book 1.
Stereotypical, painful example of when the magic genre can become dull and too worked over.
Needless to say, I'm not reading the rest of the series.
Labels: genre: fantasy, genre: fiction, media: book
12.28.2010
The Passage
by Justin Cronin, 766 pgs, hardcover
Series: the Passage trilogy #1
Overall Grade: B+
A fabulous but LONG book. Like reading about vampire apocalypses? This story's got that. How about post-apocalyptic "civilization"? It's got that too. Very interesting take on vampires.
Labels: genre: fiction, genre: scifi, media: book, series: Passage trilogy
12.27.2010
A Mighty Fortress
by David Weber, 720 pgs, hardcover
David Weber's website
Overall Grade: B
Series: Safehold book 4
Sequel to 'By Heresies Distressed'.
Labels: genre: fantasy, genre: fiction, genre: scifi, media: book, series: Safehold
12.13.2010
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest
by Stieg Larsson, hardcover, 563pgs
Overall Grade: A-
Series: the Millennium trilogy book 3
Sequel to 'The Girl who Played with Fire'. A lot less action than the previous two in the trilogy, hence my slightly lower grade. Lisbeth is confined to the hospital for the better part of the novel, though she gets bad-a** points for surviving at all! Most of the story is about Blomkvist and company as they try to exonerate Lisbeth, and fight a shadowy government agency.
Labels: genre: fiction, genre: foreign language, media: book, series: Millennium
12.12.2010
The Girl Who Played with Fire
by Stieg Larsson, hardcover, 512pgs
Overall Grade: A
Series: the Millennium trilogy book 2
Sequel to 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'. This book follows Lisbeth more than the last, diving into her past. Plenty more Lisbeth bad-a**ness. A much later cast.
Labels: genre: fiction, genre: foreign language, media: book, series: Millennium
