“Guns, Germs, and Steel” by Jared Diamond
Rating: 2/3. A fascinating look at world history and the role the titular guns, germs, and steel played therein. His is a search for ultimate causes. If you have any interest in anthropology or world history, check it out.
“The Redemption of Althalus” by David & Leigh Eddings
Rating: 0/3. Skip it, even if you’re in the target market (young adult). Pick up just about anything by Rowling, Tolkien, LeGuin, or McKillip instead.
Stories of H.P. Lovecraft
Rating: 3/3. Lovecraft is an 19th-century writer of short stories of “weird” fiction (horror, gothic, supernatural). His imagery is direct and powerful. If you want to read something a little different, I highly recommend Lovecraft’s work.
“Neuromancer” by William Gibson
Rating: 1/3. The seminal cyberpunk story. I was sadly disappointed by the pervasive darkness of Gibson’s dystopia. The characters were wholly self-absorbed. There are no “heroes” in this story. Skip it unless you are absolutely in love with the genre.
“Otherland” tetralogy by Tad Williams
Rating: 3/3. This ~3000 page read is an incredible ride from start to finish. Williams paints vivid pictures and creates the most varied, believable, and engaging cast of characters I’ve read about in a long time. It’s combination of fantasy and sci-fi elements is genius. I highly recommend this series.
Who am I?
Profiles
Affiliations
- Editors' Association of Canada Member; Chair of IT Committee for Prairie Provinces Branch
- International Abstract Games Organization (IAGO) Chair of Standards and Technical Committee
- Super Duper Games (SDG) Creator and maintainer
- Temeron/Detselig Editor and typesetter
