Trust debt.
3 out of 5
Friday, March 20, 2009
Exhalation - Ted Chiang
http://podcast.starshipsofa.com/podca...
Brain dissection end of universe equilibrium optimism.
5 out of 5
Brain dissection end of universe equilibrium optimism.
5 out of 5
The Ray-gun: A Love Story - James Alan Gardner
The Ray-Gun: A Love Story - James Alan Gardner
' On the other hand, Jack had just acquired great power. And great responsibility. Like Peter Parker, Jack had to keep his power secret, for fear of tragic consequences. In Jack's case, maybe aliens would come for him. Maybe spies or government agents would kidnap him and his family. No matter how farfetched those things seemed, the existence of a ray-gun proved the world wasn't tame.'
4 out of 5
' On the other hand, Jack had just acquired great power. And great responsibility. Like Peter Parker, Jack had to keep his power secret, for fear of tragic consequences. In Jack's case, maybe aliens would come for him. Maybe spies or government agents would kidnap him and his family. No matter how farfetched those things seemed, the existence of a ray-gun proved the world wasn't tame.'
4 out of 5
Pride and Prometheus - John Kessel
http://www4.ncsu.edu/~tenshi/PandPPart13.m4a
http://lcrw.net/kessel/smp-dl.php?fil...
It's Alive with Prejudice.
3.5 out of 5
http://lcrw.net/kessel/smp-dl.php?fil...
It's Alive with Prejudice.
3.5 out of 5
True Names - Cory Doctorow and Benjamin Rosenbaum
http://ia310804.us.archive.org/2/item...
To Beebe or not to Beebe, that is the Demiurge Brobdignag question.
4 out of 5
To Beebe or not to Beebe, that is the Demiurge Brobdignag question.
4 out of 5
The Tear - Ian McDonald
Extra Aspect Enemy Mine scalarity scare creation universe conflict.
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Fast Forward 2 - Lou Anders
Fast Forward 2 is the best unthemed original anthology I have read. Gardner Dozois' Galactic Empires, from the same year is strong, with two five star stories, but it has a theme, as do other competitors from the past like the first Wild Cards book or more recently the second Dreaming Down Under volume or The New Space Opera.
Or to put it another way, this book is of sufficient quality to match good volumes of current Year's Best Science Fiction volume. These of course are reprint anthologies, however.
It tops the first volume thusly:
Here are the numbers :-
Fast Forward 1
4.5 - 3 - 16%
4.0 - 4 - 21%
3.5 - 9 - 47%
3.0 - 3 - 16%
Fast Forward 2
4.5 - 2 - 14%
4.0 - 7 - 50%
3.5 - 4 - 29%
3.0 - 1 - 07%
The very top range stories are similar in proportion. However, this volume has only 1 average story as compared to 3, and 4 decent standard stories compared to 9. Fast Forward 2 is the best unthemed original anthology I have read. Gardner Dozois' Galactic Empires, from the same year is strong, with two five star stories, but it has a theme, as do other competitors from the past like the first Wild Cards book or more recently the second Dreaming Down Under volume or The New Space Opera.
Or to put it another way, this book is of sufficient quality to match good volumes of current Year's Best Science Fiction volume. These of course are reprint anthologies, however.
It tops the first volume thusly:
Here are the numbers :-
Fast Forward 1
4.5 - 3 - 16%
4.0 - 4 - 21%
3.5 - 9 - 47%
3.0 - 3 - 16%
Fast Forward 2
4.5 - 2 - 14%
4.0 - 7 - 50%
3.5 - 4 - 29%
3.0 - 1 - 07%
The very top range stories are similar in proportion. However, this volume has only 1 average story as compared to 3, and 4 decent standard stories compared to 9. There are only 14 stories in this book compared to last year's 19 because of the monster True Names novella in the middle.
However, any anthology that has only 1 average story (and the best above) is a fine effort. Any anthology that has over half the stories as very good on top of that is most excellent.
There are only 14 stories in this book compared to last year's 19 because of the monster True Names novella in the middle.
If Anders produces a third volume, he'll be hard pressed to match this one, unless he's already strongarming stuff out of Reynolds, Stross, Baxter, Swanwick, Egan, Chiang, Williams and company.
At the top range there is the wildy adventurous Martian super agent story Catherine Drewe to begin, and the very close to home near future media study The Gambler to close.
The DNAgent Tornado Super Protest Gorilla cover by John Picacio, is pretty cool, too, which can tip it over the 4.75 round up to 5 category I think, along with the introduction, which even has footnotes, with urls (unlike some publishers, who you could beat to death with an optical wireless mouse before they get this sort of thing, it seems.) Book has the Pyr url, there are urls for the authors when they have them, and for the editor, too.
All solidly SF, too, something mostly absent in the science fiction part of this book's Del Rey competitor, for example, except perhaps for Jack Skillingstead, who, it seems, often can't help lapsing into ambiguity.
Overall, extremely well done.
Fast Forward 2 : Catherine Drewe - Paul Cornell
Fast Forward 2 : Cyto Couture - Kay Kenyon
Fast Forward 2 : The Sun Also Explodes - Chris Nakashima-Brown
Fast Forward 2 : The Kindness of Strangers - Nancy Kress
Fast Forward 2 : Alone With An Inconvenient Companion - Jack Skillingstead
Fast Forward 2 : True Names - Cory Doctorow and Benjamin Rosenbaum
Fast Forward 2 : Molly's Kids - Jack McDevitt
Fast Forward 2 : Adventure - Paul McAuley
Fast Forward 2 : Not Quite Alone in the Dream Quarter - Mike Resnick and Pat Cadigan
Fast Forward 2 : An Eligible Boy - Ian McDonald
Fast Forward 2 : SeniorSource - Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Fast Forward 2 : Migration - Karl Schroeder and Tobias S. Buckell
Fast Forward 2 : Long Eyes - Jeff Carlson
Fast Forward 2 : The Gambler - Paolo Bacigalupi
Martian Great Game murder mission.
4.5 out of 5
Trash boy's cultis make feet.
4 out of 5
Designer johnson art.
3.5 out of 5
Monkeyboy urban cull.
3.5 out of 5
Either she's not a real girl, or I'm crazy. Could be both, though.
3.5 out of 5
To Beebe or not to Beebe, that is the Demiurge Brobdignag question.
4 out of 5
Send the dumb one, I ain't going.
4 out of 5
Interstellar expatriate deserted.
3 out of 5
It's a fine line between pleasure and pain.
3.5 out of 5
AI Matchmaking.
4 out of 5
Old school detective moon simulation.
4 out of 5
Seed Ark scan raid.
4 out of 5
The Ship Who Searched, and found ratpeople.
4 out of 5
Laosy science news not enough until girlpopped.
4.5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Or to put it another way, this book is of sufficient quality to match good volumes of current Year's Best Science Fiction volume. These of course are reprint anthologies, however.
It tops the first volume thusly:
Here are the numbers :-
Fast Forward 1
4.5 - 3 - 16%
4.0 - 4 - 21%
3.5 - 9 - 47%
3.0 - 3 - 16%
Fast Forward 2
4.5 - 2 - 14%
4.0 - 7 - 50%
3.5 - 4 - 29%
3.0 - 1 - 07%
The very top range stories are similar in proportion. However, this volume has only 1 average story as compared to 3, and 4 decent standard stories compared to 9. Fast Forward 2 is the best unthemed original anthology I have read. Gardner Dozois' Galactic Empires, from the same year is strong, with two five star stories, but it has a theme, as do other competitors from the past like the first Wild Cards book or more recently the second Dreaming Down Under volume or The New Space Opera.
Or to put it another way, this book is of sufficient quality to match good volumes of current Year's Best Science Fiction volume. These of course are reprint anthologies, however.
It tops the first volume thusly:
Here are the numbers :-
Fast Forward 1
4.5 - 3 - 16%
4.0 - 4 - 21%
3.5 - 9 - 47%
3.0 - 3 - 16%
Fast Forward 2
4.5 - 2 - 14%
4.0 - 7 - 50%
3.5 - 4 - 29%
3.0 - 1 - 07%
The very top range stories are similar in proportion. However, this volume has only 1 average story as compared to 3, and 4 decent standard stories compared to 9. There are only 14 stories in this book compared to last year's 19 because of the monster True Names novella in the middle.
However, any anthology that has only 1 average story (and the best above) is a fine effort. Any anthology that has over half the stories as very good on top of that is most excellent.
There are only 14 stories in this book compared to last year's 19 because of the monster True Names novella in the middle.
If Anders produces a third volume, he'll be hard pressed to match this one, unless he's already strongarming stuff out of Reynolds, Stross, Baxter, Swanwick, Egan, Chiang, Williams and company.
At the top range there is the wildy adventurous Martian super agent story Catherine Drewe to begin, and the very close to home near future media study The Gambler to close.
The DNAgent Tornado Super Protest Gorilla cover by John Picacio, is pretty cool, too, which can tip it over the 4.75 round up to 5 category I think, along with the introduction, which even has footnotes, with urls (unlike some publishers, who you could beat to death with an optical wireless mouse before they get this sort of thing, it seems.) Book has the Pyr url, there are urls for the authors when they have them, and for the editor, too.
All solidly SF, too, something mostly absent in the science fiction part of this book's Del Rey competitor, for example, except perhaps for Jack Skillingstead, who, it seems, often can't help lapsing into ambiguity.
Overall, extremely well done.
Fast Forward 2 : Catherine Drewe - Paul Cornell
Fast Forward 2 : Cyto Couture - Kay Kenyon
Fast Forward 2 : The Sun Also Explodes - Chris Nakashima-Brown
Fast Forward 2 : The Kindness of Strangers - Nancy Kress
Fast Forward 2 : Alone With An Inconvenient Companion - Jack Skillingstead
Fast Forward 2 : True Names - Cory Doctorow and Benjamin Rosenbaum
Fast Forward 2 : Molly's Kids - Jack McDevitt
Fast Forward 2 : Adventure - Paul McAuley
Fast Forward 2 : Not Quite Alone in the Dream Quarter - Mike Resnick and Pat Cadigan
Fast Forward 2 : An Eligible Boy - Ian McDonald
Fast Forward 2 : SeniorSource - Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Fast Forward 2 : Migration - Karl Schroeder and Tobias S. Buckell
Fast Forward 2 : Long Eyes - Jeff Carlson
Fast Forward 2 : The Gambler - Paolo Bacigalupi
Martian Great Game murder mission.
4.5 out of 5
Trash boy's cultis make feet.
4 out of 5
Designer johnson art.
3.5 out of 5
Monkeyboy urban cull.
3.5 out of 5
Either she's not a real girl, or I'm crazy. Could be both, though.
3.5 out of 5
To Beebe or not to Beebe, that is the Demiurge Brobdignag question.
4 out of 5
Send the dumb one, I ain't going.
4 out of 5
Interstellar expatriate deserted.
3 out of 5
It's a fine line between pleasure and pain.
3.5 out of 5
AI Matchmaking.
4 out of 5
Old school detective moon simulation.
4 out of 5
Seed Ark scan raid.
4 out of 5
The Ship Who Searched, and found ratpeople.
4 out of 5
Laosy science news not enough until girlpopped.
4.5 out of 5
5 out of 5
House Of Suns - Alastair Reynolds
Perhaps Reynolds' least successful novel. That, however, is relative, as it is still better than most.
There are two plot strands in this novel, one showing the young Abigail and how the technology and decision to scatter thousands of clones of a particular person across the galaxy to explore and periodically reunite. Functionally immortal and able to travel at almost the speed of light these travels cover large distances and huge amounts of time, such that being 'late for a reunion' can be measured in decades.
The second and more important is far in the future, and a particular pair of Shatterlings from one particular origin - The Gentian Line. They have a big problem, as they are ambushed at their latest gathering, and need to find out why. This part is where Reynolds runs into trouble a little, and is a bit bloated - his penchant for mysteries perhaps getting away with him, drawing out an interrogation and gathering and scene setting middle section of the book too much, without the sharply delineated characters to make this a bit more interesting. They are all clones, after all.
Although this is a different milieu to Revelation Space - you get a bit of this horror feel with the sectioning interrogation.
Once you are past that, you get a space chase that gets a little bit Edmond Hamilton perhaps. Then you have the good, wild Reynolds, strange entities, enigmatic machine life, and astronomical revelations. This does redeem the draggy middle as it ups the ante.
Call this one a 3.75, a fine start, a fine end, but just a bit above average middle.
4 out of 5
There are two plot strands in this novel, one showing the young Abigail and how the technology and decision to scatter thousands of clones of a particular person across the galaxy to explore and periodically reunite. Functionally immortal and able to travel at almost the speed of light these travels cover large distances and huge amounts of time, such that being 'late for a reunion' can be measured in decades.
The second and more important is far in the future, and a particular pair of Shatterlings from one particular origin - The Gentian Line. They have a big problem, as they are ambushed at their latest gathering, and need to find out why. This part is where Reynolds runs into trouble a little, and is a bit bloated - his penchant for mysteries perhaps getting away with him, drawing out an interrogation and gathering and scene setting middle section of the book too much, without the sharply delineated characters to make this a bit more interesting. They are all clones, after all.
Although this is a different milieu to Revelation Space - you get a bit of this horror feel with the sectioning interrogation.
Once you are past that, you get a space chase that gets a little bit Edmond Hamilton perhaps. Then you have the good, wild Reynolds, strange entities, enigmatic machine life, and astronomical revelations. This does redeem the draggy middle as it ups the ante.
Call this one a 3.75, a fine start, a fine end, but just a bit above average middle.
4 out of 5
The Quiet War - Paul J. McAuley
Outer-Earth generational conflict.
I've been looking forward to something like this from McAuley for a while.
Earth is recovering from centuries of ecological and economic abuse, which involves a lot of people and hard work. Outer colonies on Jupiter and Saturn have higher technology levels, and stable populations, so, barring the need the spacesuits to walk around outside problem can be nicer places to live, if more restrictive.
People in this future are longer lived, and the older generations being capable for longer have tended to hold onto power longer. Which means the younger generations are restless and resentful. 'Grandpa, let's do something' becomes an even worse, 'Great-great-great Grandpa, let's do something!' They want to move on, go further, start colonies on other moons and worlds.
Their conservative elders want the status quo, and long slow deliberation before anything happens - and preferably not to get into space war with Earth. Starting a war may get the youth what they want, to some degree, at least those that live through it, anyway. There are also always the Earth hawks who are happy to shoot people and blow things up, too.
The book follows several characters. A specially bred warrior boy - genetics technology is a feature, and modifying humans is commonplace - a pilot of a new type of fighter spaceship, a technician trying to get along who gets caught up in the games of her political masters and ends up moved from place to place, an Earth 'gene wizard', and the various people they interact with.
Most see conflict as inevitable, but are not exactly sure what to do. This unpredictability is a feature of this novel, not knowing what to expect. So, in style perhaps a cross between bits of Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars, without the lengthy self-absorption of the people involved in that planetary romance, and something a little more space opera by Charles Sheffield. In fact, there's a mention of a 'Tierra' - a habitable world outside the solar system, even though no such people appear in this particular book.
There are also other Quiet War stories, associated to various degrees for those further interested.
Certainly not a cut and dried novel, so definitely scope for more. A welcome, solidly good book.
4 out of 5
I've been looking forward to something like this from McAuley for a while.
Earth is recovering from centuries of ecological and economic abuse, which involves a lot of people and hard work. Outer colonies on Jupiter and Saturn have higher technology levels, and stable populations, so, barring the need the spacesuits to walk around outside problem can be nicer places to live, if more restrictive.
People in this future are longer lived, and the older generations being capable for longer have tended to hold onto power longer. Which means the younger generations are restless and resentful. 'Grandpa, let's do something' becomes an even worse, 'Great-great-great Grandpa, let's do something!' They want to move on, go further, start colonies on other moons and worlds.
Their conservative elders want the status quo, and long slow deliberation before anything happens - and preferably not to get into space war with Earth. Starting a war may get the youth what they want, to some degree, at least those that live through it, anyway. There are also always the Earth hawks who are happy to shoot people and blow things up, too.
The book follows several characters. A specially bred warrior boy - genetics technology is a feature, and modifying humans is commonplace - a pilot of a new type of fighter spaceship, a technician trying to get along who gets caught up in the games of her political masters and ends up moved from place to place, an Earth 'gene wizard', and the various people they interact with.
Most see conflict as inevitable, but are not exactly sure what to do. This unpredictability is a feature of this novel, not knowing what to expect. So, in style perhaps a cross between bits of Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars, without the lengthy self-absorption of the people involved in that planetary romance, and something a little more space opera by Charles Sheffield. In fact, there's a mention of a 'Tierra' - a habitable world outside the solar system, even though no such people appear in this particular book.
There are also other Quiet War stories, associated to various degrees for those further interested.
Certainly not a cut and dried novel, so definitely scope for more. A welcome, solidly good book.
4 out of 5
Deathworld - Harry Harrison
http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/28346
A psionic gambler decides that the punter lifestyle isn't so exciting anymore.
He has a chance to go somewhere else that might be a bit more of a rush, and that somewhere is Deathworld.
No paranoia needed here, they are out to get you.
So, much blowing stuff up.
2.5 out of 5
A psionic gambler decides that the punter lifestyle isn't so exciting anymore.
He has a chance to go somewhere else that might be a bit more of a rush, and that somewhere is Deathworld.
No paranoia needed here, they are out to get you.
So, much blowing stuff up.
2.5 out of 5
Little Brother - Cory Doctorow
http://craphound.com/littlebrother/Co...
Fightback by the Bay.
A deliberate Orwellian title, for a deliberate Orwellian scenario. A supposed terrorist attack in San Francisco leads the US Department of Homeland Security - a title George himself could easily have thought up - into serious overreaction.
Kidnapping and torture of children, massive staff increases, random no reason searches of people taking a different train than they used to, that sort of crazy thing.
A novel about a tech-hip angry teenager, and his friends and family, as he puts it on the line to do something about the fascists in charge who are way worse than any terrorist goes.
Saw some people say that this is Doctorow's best novel, and they'd probably be right. This sort of hip nearish future tech and political exploration certainly would seem to be his forte, that and the short story.
I think I saw Nancy Kress say on her blog that she didn't quite buy it, as her government might not go that far. I think that is part of the author's point, so that they won't. Especially for somewhere that is indulging in anti-Constitutional prevention is worse than the crime antics currently, with such a prison-as-growth-industry area. There there are the illegal phonetaps, and Echelon/Carnivore and all that fun stuff reading all your email.
So while they may not be carting off 14 year old whiteboy hackers and waterboarding them, how about the brownboys or girls? An issue the author brings up. Some of the abuses being talked about do happen already, so clearly some cautionary tale-telling at work.
Not to mention detaining an Australian for several years in just such a place as one of those Doctorow mentions.
Presumably the actual terrorists are sitting around laughing their arses off at all the wastes of money.
Some interesting other bits - Doctorow puts in little plugs for his favorite bookshops before each chapter, but he manages to write it in a way that doesn't sound like shilling.
There's an afterword by an actual security expert who deals with things like the security technology on display in the book that Marcus, the protagonist and friends are involved with.
A fine work, with some notes on further reading to go along.
4 out of 5
Fightback by the Bay.
A deliberate Orwellian title, for a deliberate Orwellian scenario. A supposed terrorist attack in San Francisco leads the US Department of Homeland Security - a title George himself could easily have thought up - into serious overreaction.
Kidnapping and torture of children, massive staff increases, random no reason searches of people taking a different train than they used to, that sort of crazy thing.
A novel about a tech-hip angry teenager, and his friends and family, as he puts it on the line to do something about the fascists in charge who are way worse than any terrorist goes.
Saw some people say that this is Doctorow's best novel, and they'd probably be right. This sort of hip nearish future tech and political exploration certainly would seem to be his forte, that and the short story.
I think I saw Nancy Kress say on her blog that she didn't quite buy it, as her government might not go that far. I think that is part of the author's point, so that they won't. Especially for somewhere that is indulging in anti-Constitutional prevention is worse than the crime antics currently, with such a prison-as-growth-industry area. There there are the illegal phonetaps, and Echelon/Carnivore and all that fun stuff reading all your email.
So while they may not be carting off 14 year old whiteboy hackers and waterboarding them, how about the brownboys or girls? An issue the author brings up. Some of the abuses being talked about do happen already, so clearly some cautionary tale-telling at work.
Not to mention detaining an Australian for several years in just such a place as one of those Doctorow mentions.
Presumably the actual terrorists are sitting around laughing their arses off at all the wastes of money.
Some interesting other bits - Doctorow puts in little plugs for his favorite bookshops before each chapter, but he manages to write it in a way that doesn't sound like shilling.
There's an afterword by an actual security expert who deals with things like the security technology on display in the book that Marcus, the protagonist and friends are involved with.
A fine work, with some notes on further reading to go along.
4 out of 5
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
