“Pandora’s Star” by Peter F. Hamilton
This thousand-page tome is the first of two novels in the Commonwealth Saga. It’s apparently popular in Calgary because I had to keep returning it to the library because of holds. It took me three attempts, but I finally got through it. Overall, Hamilton is a good writer. The story is fast moving and even [...]
“Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. 1″ edited by Robert Silverberg
I typically really enjoy historic science fiction, and I was really looking forward to reading this collection. I wasn’t totally disappointed. About half the stories were really enjoyable, and a few were truly exceptional. “Microcosmic God” was great and “Nightfall” is a classic. I really enjoyed “The Weapon Shop” and “Huddling Place” was chilling. “Arena” [...]
“Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” by Philip K. Dick
There was a lull in the flow of books from the library, so I picked something off my shelf to re-read. I hadn’t read this story for many years. I had forgotten how great it was! Philip K. Dick was as much a philosopher as a sci-fi writer. This book explores themes of posthumanism, empathy, [...]
“Zima Blue” by Alastair Reynolds
I had forgotten how much I enjoy Alastair Reynolds’s writing. He is an expert in the “space opera” genre. Short stories give authors a great opportunity to distill a story down to its very essence. Reynolds does not waste words. I really enjoyed this collection. My favourite stories would have to be the Merlin sequence [...]
“Ready Player One” by Ernest Cline
Rating: 4/5. This is a mystery/adventure novel set mostly in a virtual online world that revels in the 80s. In short, grownup 80s geeks (particularly gaming geeks) will enjoy the context (and guiltily enjoy a fast, uncomplicated adventure story that includes Ultraman and Mechagodzilla), younger readers will enjoy a decent story that takes place largely in a virtual, online world, and everybody else can safely skip the book for something else. If you like the idea of a romp through virtual worlds that is written for grownups, with deep and nuanced characters, real dialogue, and an engaging plot, I recommend instead Tad Williams’s “Otherworld” tetralogy. It’s top notch.
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Affiliations
- Editors' Association of Canada Member; Chair of IT Committee for Prairie Provinces Branch
- Energy Resources Conservation Board of Alberta (ERCB) Editor
- International Abstract Games Organization (IAGO) Chair of Standards and Technical Committee
- Super Duper Games (SDG) Creator and maintainer
