Review of "The Android's Dream" (4 stars): Great and amusing story of a sheep
Mark de Vries
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Love to read books, mostly #ScienceFiction, mostly #English, but will try other stuff now and then.
Mark de Vries started reading Consider Phlebas
Consider Phlebas - BookWyrm
<p>Consider Phlebas, first published in 1987, is a space opera novel by Scottish writer Iain M. Banks. It is the first in a series of novels about an interstellar post-scarcity society called the Culture. The novel revolves around the Idiran–Culture War, and Banks plays on that theme by presenting various microcosms of that conflict. Its protagonist Bora Horza Gobuchul is an enemy of the Culture. Consider Phlebas is Banks's first published science fiction novel and takes its title from a line in T. S. Eliot's poem The Waste Land. A subsequent Culture novel, Look to Windward (2000), whose title comes from the previous line of the same poem, can be considered a loose follow-up.</p>
After reading the Culture fan fiction book Dark Matter by Trevor Hopkins, I knew I had read the original by Iain M Banks, but found only two parts in the series in my ebook library. Soo, I bought the first part in the series and will go and (re?)read the series from the beginning.
(comment on Consider Phlebas)
Consider Phlebas - BookWyrm
<p>Consider Phlebas, first published in 1987, is a space opera novel by Scottish writer Iain M. Banks. It is the first in a series of novels about an interstellar post-scarcity society called the Culture. The novel revolves around the Idiran–Culture War, and Banks plays on that theme by presenting various microcosms of that conflict. Its protagonist Bora Horza Gobuchul is an enemy of the Culture. Consider Phlebas is Banks's first published science fiction novel and takes its title from a line in T. S. Eliot's poem The Waste Land. A subsequent Culture novel, Look to Windward (2000), whose title comes from the previous line of the same poem, can be considered a loose follow-up.</p>
The first two books were very good, but I needed a break, because they were sometimes slow. Now it's time to pick up the series again with part three.
(comment on Children of Memory)
Children of Memory - BookWyrm
<p>Earth failed. In a desperate bid to escape, the spaceship Enkidu and its captain, Heorest Holt, carried its precious human cargo to a potential new paradise. Generations later, this fragile colony has managed to survive, eking out a hardy existence. Yet life is tough, and much technological knowledge has been lost.</p> <p>Then strangers appear. They possess unparalleled knowledge and thrilling technology – and they've arrived from another world to help humanity’s colonies. But not all is as it seems, and the price of the strangers' help may be the colony itself.</p>
Funny short story, quick read. 4 stars
(comment on The President's Brain is Missing: A Tor.Com Original)
Goede literaire thriller, op sommige momenten iets té fantastisch, iets minder ‘superheld’ had het verhaal even goed gehouden.
(comment on Ik ben pelgrim)
I loved this book by @[email protected] I watched the series Legacy of Monsters and it’s fun to see the similarities between this book and the series on the principles of the origin of Godzilla. I enjoy the constant bickering in the stories, though sometimes it seems a bit unreal, especially when things get very serious. I bought this book as part of the Humble Bundle I bought recently. Solid 4 stars of of 5
(comment on The Kaiju Preservation Society)
The Kaiju Preservation Society - BookWyrm
Jamie’s dream was to hit the big time at a New York tech start-up. Jamie’s reality was a humiliating lay-off, then a lowwage job as a takeaway delivery driver. During a pandemic too. Things look beyond grim, until a chance delivery to an old acquaintance. Tom has an urgent vacancy on his team: the pay is great and Jamie has debts – it’s a no-brainer choice. Yet, once again, reality fails to match expectations. Only this time it could be fatal. It seems Tom’s ‘animal rights organization’ is way more than it appears. The animals aren’t even on Earth – or not our Earth, anyway. In an alternate dimension, massive dinosaur-like creatures roam a tropical, human-free world. And although Kaiju are their universe’s largest and most dangerous animal, they need support to survive. Tom’s ‘Kaiju Preservation Society’ wants to help. However, others want to profit. Unless they’re stopped, the walls between our worlds could fall – and the consequences would be devastating.
It is still obviously a great story with smart plots. I is also very dated. Apart from the visualised technology, it is set in a complete patriarchy. I could find only a few pages with 1 woman talking. And she was the wife of a local warlord, married off to him by her father! All the other characters were male. But if you look past this, the concept of psychohistory is very intriguing. It’s also interestimg to put the Apple TV+ series alongside the book to see the differences and the agreements.
(comment on Foundation)
Nice story, easy read, but not really convincing. Too many inconsistencies and unrealistic actions. 2 stars out of 5
(comment on Artemis)
Artemis - BookWyrm
<p><strong>JASMINE BASHARA</strong> never signed up to be a hero. She just wanted to get rich.</p> <p>Not crazy, eccentric-billionaire rich, like many of the visitors to her hometown of Artemis, humanity's first and only lunar colony. Just rich enough to move out of her coffin-sized apartment and eat something better than flavored algae. Rich enough to pay off a debt she's owed for a long time.</p> <p>So when a chance at a huge score finally comes her way, Jazz can't say no. Sure, it requires her to graduate from small-time smuggler to full-on criminal mastermind. And it calls for a particular combination of cunning, technical skills, and large explosions--not to mention sheer brazen swagger. But Jazz has never run into a challenge her intellect can't handle, and she figures she's got the "swagger" part down.</p> <p>The trouble is, engineering the perfect crime is just the start of Jazz's problems. Because her little heist is about to land her in the middle of a conspiracy for control of Artemis itself.</p> <p>Trapped between competing forces, pursued by a killer and the law alike, even Jazz has to admit she's in way over her head. She'll have to hatch a truly spectacular scheme to have a chance at staying alive and saving her city.</p> <p>Jazz is no hero, but she is a very good criminal.</p> <p>That'll have to do.</p> <p>Propelled by its heroine's wisecracking voice, set in a city that's at once stunningly imagined and intimately familiar, and brimming over with clever problem solving and heisty fun, <em>Artemis</em> is another irresistible brew of science, suspense, and humor from #1 bestselling author Andy Weir.</p> <p>This description comes from the publisher.</p>
Mark de Vries started reading Artemis
Artemis - BookWyrm
**JASMINE BASHARA** never signed up to be a hero. She just wanted to get rich. Not crazy, eccentric-billionaire rich, like many of the visitors to her hometown of Artemis, humanity's first and only lunar colony. Just rich enough to move out of her coffin-sized apartment and eat something better than flavored algae. Rich enough to pay off a debt she's owed for a long time. So when a chance at a huge score finally comes her way, Jazz can't say no. Sure, it requires her to graduate from small-time smuggler to full-on criminal mastermind. And it calls for a particular combination of cunning, technical skills, and large explosions--not to mention sheer brazen swagger. But Jazz has never run into a challenge her intellect can't handle, and she figures she's got the "swagger" part down. The trouble is, engineering the perfect crime is just the start of Jazz's problems. Because her little heist is about to land her in the middle of a conspiracy for control of Artemis itself. Trapped between competing forces, pursued by a killer and the law alike, even Jazz has to admit she's in way over her head. She'll have to hatch a truly spectacular scheme to have a chance at staying alive and saving her city. Jazz is no hero, but she is a very good criminal. That'll have to do. Propelled by its heroine's wisecracking voice, set in a city that's at once stunningly imagined and intimately familiar, and brimming over with clever problem solving and heisty fun, *Artemis* is another irresistible brew of science, suspense, and humor from #1 bestselling author Andy Weir. This description comes from the publisher.