I find Neal Stephenson to be a bit condescending, perhaps even patronizing. Reading Seveneves (and Stephenson in general) is a little like being cornered by a socially awkward geek who just has to tell you about this amazing cool new technology thing that they’ve been researching or working on or whatever. This is not a serious problem since he really does have some amazing things to tell you about. Continue reading
2017-01-31
Book Report: Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
2016-12-26
Uprooted by Naomi Novik
This book is special. There’s nothing particularly novel about the story. It is a very old story (or perhaps several old stories if you prefer). There’s a wizard in a tower in a valley with a dark, scary forest. The wizard takes young girls from the village to serve in his tower, and blah blah blah, it’s practically a cliche, or several cliches, really. But it is the telling that counts, and Novik tells with remarkable care and detail. She takes classic fairy-tale material and makes it real for a modern reader. Continue reading
2015-07-28
Book Report: The Magus by John Fowles
I am ambivalent about The Magus by John Fowles. I am also convinced it is a Good Book. However, it has convinced me of this through a series of arguments that I am not especially susceptible to. I will explain. Continue reading
2015-05-13
Book Report: The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
David Mitchell writes excellent characters. They aren’t necessarily remarkable people; rather they simply have incredibly distinct voices. From teenage runaways to middle-aged writers to sociopaths, everyone stands out so clearly. This gives Mitchell’s stories a very personal feeling. The compulsion to know what happens next becomes the compulsion to know what the characters do next. Continue reading
