I’m not sure where to start this story. I could tell you how I’ve been flying around the world on a business trip, or I could tell you what I think about Swiss Air business class. Instead I’m left thinking I should mention carbon. You see, I was sitting in first class on a Swiss…
Month: October 2009
Triplanetary
This is the first book in the EE Doc Smith Lensman series, a series which sweeps from pre-modern Atlantis all the way well into the future. Its pretty old, so some of the science is dangerously dated, but that’s not its biggest flaw. This book suffers from uncontrolled hyperbole, which I guess isn’t that unexpected…
Python effective TLD library
I had a need recently for a library which would take a host name and return the domain-specific portion of the name, and the effective TLD being used. “Effective TLD” is a term coined by the Mozilla project for something which acts like a TLD. For example, .com is a TLD and has domains allocated…
Nerilka’s Story
This book takes place over almost exactly the same period as Moreta. However, its not a rehash of those events, as it is written from a different person’s perspective. There are enough points where the two story lines meet for the books to make sense as a pair, and I’d recommend reading them back to…
Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern
Moreta is a book about a pandemic, and its hard to make those fun… If you’ve bothered to find out anything about the book in advance (or read the preceding Pern books, where it is referred to), you know that its not going to be a fun ride. On the other hand, the book is…
Better Than Life
This is the second novelized book from the guys who wrote Red Dwarf. The first book of course shares its name with the name of the TV series. This book deviates from the plot line used in the TV series, and at some points feels more like a summary of the series than a novelization….
Red Dwarf
This book was exciting because its the first book I have read on the spur of the moment after perusing my book shelves — for the first time in many years I have my entire collection out of boxes on on shelves, which makes it much easier to just grab something to read. This book…
The King’s Buccaneer
I really liked this book, as I do most of Feist’s work, although he does have a talent for writing books which are long. This book continues the story line from the Magician (Apprentice and Master), Silverthorn and A Darkness at Sethanon. I like that, and have felt for a while that Prince of the…
Books read in September 2009
Dragonsinger Dragondrums Isaac Asimov’s Robot City: Robots and Aliens: Maverick Mr. Penumbra’s Twenty-Four-Hour Book Store (online short story) Days of Blood and Fire The Stars Must Wait Bolo Brigade
Deadly Exposure
This book isn’t very good. I read it because my six year old son really liked the front cover art, and wanted me to read it. He wanted me to read it so much in fact that he bought two copies to give me. The book starts off with something which feels like its lifted…