Category: Books

This book wouldn’t let me go when it was time to sleep last night.

For the first long bit, the book is a dystopian near future police thriller. There is one obvious twist: Heinlein Inc. has been producing reviors– technologically reanimated corpses– for a while now. They fight wars for the US government, and are smuggled in/imported for other grunt labor.

The book has four point-of-view characters who get regular turns– no one gets only half the chapters of the others. Two link up soon and substantially: Nico and Faye, who are FBI and police respectively. The other two tie in less strongly, but their perspective provides useful balance to the world view: Calliope and Zoe. Zoe has a strange perspective– it’s clear she has a lot of problems– but it’s also clear that she’s going to be an important POV for the sequel. Speaking of which: the story ends at a good break point, it feels like a completed novel. You might be content to call this a stand alone novel, until Nico’s final scene, which clearly signposts a continuing storyline.

The characters are all good and interesting, but Nico has top billing. The other characters all compliment his story well, but the driving force of the story is his. In many ways, his is the only life that is enviable– everyone else is wrestling squalor, exhaustion, and third class status.

All in all, a good book, with a very interesting twist that develops throughout the second half of the novel. I’ll be looking for the sequel. [It’s called THE SILENT ARMY, according to the author’s blog.]

A great collection of very interesting and quirky short stories. I look forward to reading just about anything she cares to publish.

The Plot is an explanation of the The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. It traces their historical development, from an unrelated book published in 1848 [The Dialogue in Hell Between Machiavelli and Montesquieu], copied with slight renaming into the first “Protocols” by just changing the dialogue to a “report”, and mutant descendants from there.

It’s a thorough and largely scholarly look, told as a comic book. It works, particularly given Eisner’s strengths… but for me, it would have worked as well as a long prose pamphlet.

An interesting, personal look at economics and the long depression of the 1930s, written by a contemporary who has no idea that it’s all going to work out. His perspective is interesting; like many of us, he believes himself more independent than he proves to be, but he carefully explains his thoughts and thinking.

Interestingly, very little of the social comes through– you hear about his business continuing to be slow, but not how that affects what’s served at dinner. He sounds like a great public speaker, and proved a good student. The “tips” about investing are solid and conventional– but the growing awareness that you can’t predict the market or time things well is lived and very convincing.

In the end, it’s a very local look at national events… and a fascinating look at Youngstown, during the 1930s.

An interesting book; it’s much less an autobiography than most, but it’s not a normal collection of short stories either. It’s more “you already know most of his sci-fi, here’s his rare stuff”.

He sounds annoying to deal with, particularly during his lashing out as sci-fi phase– but I enjoy his stories and articles. His lucrative time writing for holiday resulted in some interesting interview with sci-fi authors– which might help explain how they sci-fi authors penetrated the mainstream.

If you already love him, this is interesting further reading. If you’re not familiar with him already, start with his novels The Demolished man or The Stars My Destination.

Vilcabamba by Harry Turtledove: A short story of resistance and overwhelming foes. I liked it; dark and depressing, with glints of heroism along the way.