This isn’t Heinlein’s best work. The faux Russian grammar of the narrator is pretty annoying, and the story shallow. Its an ok read as entertainment, but I think it could do with more plot and fewer long rants about the dangers of big government. I’d like to know more about the cyborgs which seem to…
Tag: npr_top_100_sf
Cryptonomicon
I read this book on an international trip, and it was a good choice for that. Its long (around 900 pages), but very readable. This is the second time I’ve read the book, and this time its amazing how well the description of Silicon Valley startups matches my experiences there. I love this book. Update…
The Forever War
I read this book mainly because multiple sites recommended it as a response to Starship Troopers. I’d actually read the start of this book already in the form of the short story “Hero”, which is included in Battlefields Beyond Tomorrow. At the time, I would have described it as an ok short story, but not…
Dragonflight
This is the first book in the Dragons of Pern series, which I read a small part of as a child. Given that they’re still being written, its not surprising that I’m pretty out of date on this series. This book is excellent for a few reasons — the idea is unique and well implemented;…
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
Ok, so this is a classic. I hadn’t read it in years though, and it’s still awesome. Loved it. Things to note that I hadn’t thought of before — “SubEtha” is talked about a lot, that probably explains “SubEtha Edit” which is an editor I have used in the past; the term “Googleplex” is used…
Foundation
Foundation is an interesting book, as its quite old and was originally written as a series of short stories (as much early science fiction was). Because I am reading the books of the extended Foundation series in the order that Asimov recommended towards the end of his life, I have read the two prequels to…
Forward the Foundation
This is a Foundation prequel, coming after Prelude to Foundation and before Foundation. The book is almost a series of short stories or novelettes — there are several year gaps between these stories. That was a shame in a sense, because each of these separate stories has its won startup cost — the time it…
Enchanters End Game
This is the final book in the Belgariad. Its a good one, although knowing there is another series involving these characters makes it feel a little less final to me. I enjoyed it though. [isbn: 0345338715]
Castle Of Wizardry
This is book four in the Belgariad, and was as good as the others. This one only took a day to read, but that was helped a lot by the two hours I spent commuting to and from San Francisco today. This book is a little different than the others because it starts just as…
Magician’s Gambit
This is the third book in the Belgariad (Book 1 and Book 2). This book like the others was an enjoyable quick and easy read. I am starting to rethink my comments about these books being good for young readers — it just occurred to me that a lot of people die in these books….