Recently read, May to Present

[Redag]

The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, Robert A. Heinlein: -- *** -- Heinlein's gender politics never have aged in a manner one could confuse with 'well' have they? I mean really, awkward gender stuff. And, of course, I hate both the libertarian and anarchist axes of the depicted revolution. But the AI stuff and plot mechanics are pretty solid.

Death's Daughter, Amber Benson -- * -- I regret to inform folks that this novel sucked. Hard. Unlikable and vapid protagonist at the center of everything with no redemption.

A Grey Moon Over China, Thomas A. Day -- *** -- OK, so the constant Revelations quoting is excessive. And there are race issues, particularly with the character of Pham, and some of the fetish-y descriptive text of black men, but depressing fiction about interstellar colonization and artificial intelligence? Done so that I remain interested in the emotional through lines? Yeah, that tickles me.

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Passage at Arms, Glen Cook -- ** -- Adequate submarine-in-space story. Sadly Cook seems not to have heard the recall on the refrigerator laser before writing this.

Towing Jehovah, James Morrow -- *** -- The August Think Galactic book. Morrow is so committed to his mode that there's absolutely no place to feel entirely comfortable with this text. That's a feature, not a bug, though I don't know any atheists of the strain depicted in the novel.

The Third Claw of God, Adam-Troy Castro -- ** -- Mr Castro: I think your plot device weapon might be just a little bit of extra-stupid. But, I do like Andrea Cort. Mr Castro: I think that late-breaking plot twist is a shoe shoved onto far too many damsels who sweat much too freely. And yet... I do like Andrea Cort. Frustrating.

Atheism: A Very Short Introduction, Julian Baggini -- *** -- I'm reading this along with the new Terry Eagleton as part of an effort to understand arguments that the "New Atheists" are inappropriately maximalist. So far it feels like Baggini (and as I am presently reading the Eagleton, Eagleton) are accusing the New Atheists of making naive mistakes which they are not in fact making. Of course, I've never read a book length New Atheist work, so I may have to remedy that to be sure I know what I'm talking about.

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There's a lacunae here, which I may fill in later, but for now, I'm getting back into the swing of these postings.

The Price of Spring, Daniel Abraham -- **** -- A beautiful if somewhat low-key resolution to the very successful and satisfying Long Price Quartet. Anyone who has read the prior volumes knows the virtues of the series, anyone who hasn't should be starting in on it.

The Revolution Business, Charles Stross -- *** -- The Merchant Princes machine is still some impressive clockwork. The series is addictive. Sometimes the intrigue becomes confusing, and I'm ever-more puzzled about the exact nature of the us-like world, but it is compelling, compelling stuff.

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This is some of that backfill from before the fire....

Marsbound, Joe Haldeman -- ** -- Entertaining fluff with female lead. The story gets surprisingly large about halfway through, but the novel doesn't really grow the mass to bear the weight. The female viewpoint protagonist feels somewhat marginalized in the agency of the resolution.

The Age of Ra, James Lovegrove -- ** -- Awkward premise pasted onto the endpoint of an awkward and fuzzy alternate history. Tiny bits and hints of a more thematically ambitious novel show around the edges. Ultimately, I'd only recommend it for extreme Egyptophiles.

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Oooh, more backfill that I'm remembering...

The Temporal Void, Peter F. Hamilton -- ** -- Basic PFH, sex, action, and addictive plotting in a sprawling novel that really doesn't go much of anywhere, but gives you all the tawdry pleasures while revving the engine and waiting to put it into gear.

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The Difference Engine, Bruce Sterling, William Gibson -- ***
The Quiet War, Paul McAuley -- ** -- Would have been a lot more interesting if the plot did not require state actors to behave like anything but. Also, all the main characters have pretty major psychological disorders. It is a bit strange, that.

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The Red Wolf Conspiracy, Robert V. S. Reddick -- *** -- Slow and off-putting initially, it gains some vim and vigor before the end.
Use of Weapons, Iain M. Banks -- **** -- My favorite Culture novel, a re-read for the book discussion.
Neuropath, R. Scott Bakker -- *** -- A fun thriller + neurocognitive speculation that is ill-served by one major twist. Still, the near-future portrait is interesting.
Crusade (Destroyermen book 2), Taylor Anderson -- ** -- When you need a tale of Men of Action stomping on hapless hordes of sailing dinosaurs, there's nowhere better to go.

[Redag]

The Knife of Never Letting Go, Patrick Ness -- ** -- Widely praised YA sf title. I didn't see what the fuss was about.

[Kruppe]

This is some great stuff here, Jason. Not only do I have a trusted source for reading ideas, but I think I'll do the same sort of list soon.