Remember last month when I reviewed all the books I read last year? In that one year period I had read a total of 9 books… One month later and I already need to do another book report. I don’t know what got into me, but I’ve read EIGHT books in last month!! And so, without further ado…
The Diamond Age by Neil Stephenson
My third Stephenson book, and I guess it was my least favorite one. The idea of an AI program raising a child was an interesting premise, but I felt like it went on for too long… The side story of the Drummers was just weird and unwelcome and the ending was pretty damn unsatisfying. But the book won a Hugo award, so what do I know?
The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov
This was the first Asimov book I’ve ever read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s really three related short stories that progress an interesting tale, but each story is superb (especially the middle story). I highly recommend this book!
Foundation Trilogy (Foundation, Foundation and the Empire, Second Foundation) by Isaac Asimov
This trilogy is really a collection of short stories presented in chronological order covering 400 or so years of galactic history. There are some very fun and interesting stories, but then there are some boring stories as well… I did enjoy reading this series but I wasn’t blown away by it as a whole.
The Best of Isaac Asimov by Isaac Asimov
This is a collection of short stories by Asimov, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the focus of these stories is more on the characters rather than the tech surrounding them.
Neuromancer by William Gibson
This was the one book I read this month that I didn’t like. The writing style was very abrupt so I was never able to fully visualize the scenes I was reading. The characters seemed flat and were not interesting or sympathetic. Even the story really bored me... I was glad when the story ended so I could get back to Asimov.
Spin by Robert Charles Wilson
This 2006 Hugo winner had an intriguing setup that unfortunately wasn’t explored to my satisfaction. The opening creates a very interesting ‘what if’ situation that got me excited about where the book might go. But in the end, I felt like it focused too much on minor characters in the situation rather than focus on the situation itself.
Remember back when you were interested in the Terry Pratchett Stuff? Well... The later in the series are really great. I enjoyed specifically "Going Postal" and "The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents". Just FYI.