Book Reviews
Review: “WWW: Wake” by Robert J. Saywer
Good science fiction speculates on things that are theoretically possible given some of the conditions and advances of our current level of technology. In many cases, the advances may be years or decades away from becoming reality, but in the case of Robert J. Sawyer’s new novel, “WWW: Wake,” part of his speculated future has become a reality far too quickly.
Review: “Dust” by Joan Frances Turner
In Dust we get to experience zombie matters from the eyes of the source, as it were, and what a strange experience it is. The undead are not romanticized in this novel, so you might not want to eat before or during your reading session. Nausea may ensue.
Review: “The Walls of the Universe” by Paul Melko
I really, really liked Paul Melko’s “The Walls of the Universe.” The problem is I wanted to love it.
Review: “Feed” by Mira Grant
“Feed” is fascinating, compelling and while it runs for close to 600 pages, the novel never feels long or drawn out. Grant expertly sets up the world within the first 100 pages and then slowly begins to examine the implications of what we’ve learned about her universe over the rest of the novel.
Review: “Counting Heads” by David Marusek
Marusek has envisioned his world so clearly and carefully that the technical details feel like afterthoughts. References are made subtly and in passing, the way any of us would refer to a ubiquitous convenience like a cellphone or digital camera, and it takes you many pages to get a full glimpse of how this future society truly differs from our own, while remaining completely human and recognizable.
Review: “Necronomicrap” by Tim Frayser
The chapbook Necronomicrap: A Guide To Your Horoooscope, by Tim Frayser, mixes astrological “facts” with obvious lampooning. For example, while you can use the book to learn the names of Saturn’s moons, I highly doubt you should share Frayser’s interpretation that the moons regulate “various aspects of human flatulence.”
Review: “The Carpet Makers” by Andreas Eschbach
For those who believe that The Great Masters of sci-fi are necessarily long gone, that the depth of their insight was greater due to a proximity to some essential force that we, as descendants, find always already out of our touch, that singular genius is all but evaporated from the modern writer, to you, I submit The Carpet Makers by Andreas Eschbach for consideration.
Review: “The Prestige” by Christopher Priest
This is an odd, hard to define, impossible to put down book, first published in 1995, but out in a new paperback edition. The reason I’m bringing it to your attention is primarily due to news of an upcoming film: Christopher Nolan, director of Batman Begins and one of my personal favorites, Memento, will begin shooting an adaptation of The Prestige this month.
