[***] ISBN: 0553273183
Well, now I'm hooked. This is the third book in Benford's "Galactic Center" series, but the first one set this far in the future. I liked it. I will have to see what happens in the next book, too.
The author has created a rich world of the future where mankind is on the run from intelligent machines that dominate his world. Centuries of human advancement have seemingly been lost in the years of war. The story is about the struggle of a last few hundred on one planet.
Mr. Benford heightens the interest by allowing the characters to speak in a language that is both familiar and different. The world they inhabit is alien to both them and the reader and the author's descriptions keep it that way, without getting burdensome.
This is one of the most satisfying SF novels I've read in a while.
Monday, December 25, 2006
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Men In Black (Steve Perry)
[**]
I often like film novelizations. Done well, they open up the interior life of the characters that is largely invisible on film. Like most things, the quality can be hit or miss. This is a miss. Rather than use the opportunity of the written words to drive deeper into the characters, revealing their thoughts and capturing their motivations (well, he does try), the author mostly attempts to capture the humor of the movie. The trouble is, much of the movie humor was visual. That does not often translate well into prose.
A few things work. I liked some of what he did with the inner life of the bug (Edgar). But much of the alien vocabulary was too obviously just throw away. He captures a little of the playful banter between Jay and Kay. Even this sometimes comes off a little forced.
It's not like I wish I had a flashy thing to erase my memories of the book. I will have to watch the movie a couple of times, though, to write over those memories with the better stuff.
I often like film novelizations. Done well, they open up the interior life of the characters that is largely invisible on film. Like most things, the quality can be hit or miss. This is a miss. Rather than use the opportunity of the written words to drive deeper into the characters, revealing their thoughts and capturing their motivations (well, he does try), the author mostly attempts to capture the humor of the movie. The trouble is, much of the movie humor was visual. That does not often translate well into prose.
A few things work. I liked some of what he did with the inner life of the bug (Edgar). But much of the alien vocabulary was too obviously just throw away. He captures a little of the playful banter between Jay and Kay. Even this sometimes comes off a little forced.
It's not like I wish I had a flashy thing to erase my memories of the book. I will have to watch the movie a couple of times, though, to write over those memories with the better stuff.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Zen in the Art of Writing (Ray Bradbury)
[****]
I found this short (176 pages of sparse text) collection of essays on the writerly art to be both inspirational and educational. I am also, sadly, a bit intimidated. Mr. Bradbury has a unique gift of almost photographic observation that he uses to great effect in creating works of great insight and color. On the other hand, there are lessons to be learned here of how to think beyond what others perceive and capture those images and thoughts in words for them to enjoy. I will have to revisit this book and try to learn a bit from this master storyteller.
I found this short (176 pages of sparse text) collection of essays on the writerly art to be both inspirational and educational. I am also, sadly, a bit intimidated. Mr. Bradbury has a unique gift of almost photographic observation that he uses to great effect in creating works of great insight and color. On the other hand, there are lessons to be learned here of how to think beyond what others perceive and capture those images and thoughts in words for them to enjoy. I will have to revisit this book and try to learn a bit from this master storyteller.
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