Rapt Up In The Player Of Games

Not even finished with book two

The Player of Games by Iain Banks

The Culture Novels

I am in a transcendental fugue

Iain Banks is viscous wicked

Gollum screaming Sneekum

Comes to mind

Book eight was great

Book one set the stage

Book two, the characters,

Both man and machine

Twisted, smart, sneaky

The plot, absolutely astounding!

The society build, so inventive

The tease

A great and noted scholar of games

Joins Culture’s “Special Circumstances”

Travels to an Empire who's power structure

Is based on one’s ability to play The Game

The result

Messy, convoluted, twisted, slick story

Driving the reader deeper and deeper

Where the hell are the boundaries of the Game

Are there boundaries to the Game

Wait a minute. Does this apply to my life?

YIKES! THIS IS THE GOOD STUFF!

Music at the moment

Living Proof by Buddy Guy

Harlem River Blues by Justin Townes Earle

So Runs The World Away by Josh Ritter

WHEW! Music with CONTENT!

Something New This Way Comes

The Half-Made World by Felix Gilman

A double dose of whatever turns your crank

And you don’t feel bad after it’s over

Not quite steampunk. A world too well imagined

Not quite fantasy. It’s not magic its Gods

Not quite science fiction. Still feels post apocalyptic

Gripping Engrossing Captivating, More, Much More

You have never read this story before

I could not put the book down

People of the Gun (Think über-cowboy),

With their personal God in their gun

Controlled by “The Gun”

Go toe to toe with

People of the Line

(Think über-industrialist / bureaucrats)

Their Gods are in their machines

Very controlled by “The Line”

People of the Line now inhabit my nightmares

The rest of the world’s people?

Cannon fodder or Gear fodder

There are two main characters

Creedmore, a man of the Gun

In constant conflict with “the Gun” and himself

Dr. Liv Alverhuysen, psychologists, recently widowed

Liv  is moving West and growing stronger

looking for adventure (or something)

She finds it

Music of the moment

Drive-By Truckers, Brighter Than Creation’s Dark

Alt-Country is the real country for me

Iain Banks’ first Culture Novel Satisfies

Having read and enjoyed book eight of the Culture Novels, Matter, I have returned to book one and am smug with self satisfaction for having started reading the books of Iain Banks.  The man delivers the groceries, and they are indeed exotic goods.  Consider Phlebas ((1987, 2008) we are so fortunate to have the series re-released and in the US) is just a wisp of what is to come, but the story is fully engrossing, amusing and thoroughly thought provoking.  The protagonist is not a Culture man, and, is in fact at war with them, and in league with the Idirans. The Iridans are an insectile alien race, growth economy driven, and at heart a bunch of jihadist religious zealots out to subjugate, and maybe do a little business with, everybody and everything they encounter.  You might want to walk quickly by any mirrors and not look too closely at yourself or your culture while reading this author, he does not wear colored glasses. Banks is brilliant at painting the human condition, writ large, on a false background.  Science Fiction, at its very best.

Music to stir your gray matter.

The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter by Josh Ritter

Real Science Fiction With Bang, Great Straight Fiction And Some New Opera

Running on reviews, comments and male intuition (yes a bit of an oxymoron) I ordered the complete Culture Novel Series by Iain M. Banks. I jut read the first to arrive, book eight, Matter, and I'm smiling like the cat that ate the mouse after a delightful little play time.  I am now reading book one, Consider Phlebas, and am running in "complete immersion mode" with Culture.  Reading this series will have you remembering your first encounter with books like Dune by Frank Herbert and Foundation by Isaac Asimov.  This is science fiction, the real deal, and it makes you happy to be reading.

I had my turn with John Sandford's latest Virgil Flowers novel, Bad Blood, the other day.  Grittiest, meanest, nastiest bunch of bad people he's had to tackle yet.  Don't start this one without a chunk of time set aside, you will not be wanting to set the book aside.  This may not be Sci-Fi but it is very eerie.  If you are not familiar with John Sandford, it is your loss.  He has never let me down (only author I say this about).  You might complain about him not writing fast enough but he is a craftsman and does not release flawed stories.  No wonder he (real name, John Roswell Camp)  won a Pulitzer as a journalist in 1986.

Mark L. Van Name had the beginnings of his Jon & Lobo Series re-released as a collection and what a pleasant surprise it was to read.  I enjoy stories of men with machines that think for themselves (both man and machine).  Jon, a vet and ex mercenary; Lobo, a space ship weapons combo, with attitude. Very enjoyable characters and casting Jon as the moral upstanding stall worth guy and Lobo as O so ready to do what he does best, kill.

Watched a movie on the computer while
the girls were in the other room this weekend.
Harry Brown starring Michael Caine,
directing debut by Daniel Barber.
Whew!  Have not seen such a realistic look inside
a bad neighborhood's drug culture in recent memory.
This is not a movie for the feint at heart.
Michael Caine is a genius
and knows his craft so very, very well.


Music to go with the mayhem.
Vicious and Walk on the Wild Side
"Doo do doo do doo do do doo"
Tracks 1 and 5 of Transformer by Lou Reed

Regards,
Richard

Brent Weeks Is As Shiny As Ever With His New Series and Greg Egan Offers Up Some Hope

I worry about and for new authors.  When they leave the starting gate writing like a winner I don't want to be disappointed with something less than their beginnings.  Brent's newest book stands tall. If you enjoyed the Night Angel Trilogy you won't want to miss The Black Prism, book 1 of The Lightbringer Series. The characters are as complicated and conflicted as ever and the story is sticky with eye glue. I wish the publisher would re-release the Night Angel Trilogy in hard back, you are wearing our paperback series down fast. They will be replaced as needed, being truly good books, so keep reading.

I've just finished Zendegi by Greg Egan.  What an intriguing piece of work. The story takes place in the near future Iran and centers around whole body immersion gaming.  A father dying of cancer is worried about how his son will be raised after his death.  The father, an Australian reporter, married a very modern Iranian woman who was in the midst of the revolution that brought Iran out of the completely controlling grasps of the clerics.  He loves his son dearly and wants his son to have some western values.  This is not a blistering read but the folks inhabiting the book are interesting and keep you engaged.  The view of a possible future Iran is so plausible it could be more than wishful thinking. If you are an action hero fan this may not be the book for you, If you seek good prose, an intriguing story, and the interior of a dying man's head, pick it up.

Music on my mind.
The Union by Elton John and Leon Russell
Produced by T. Bone Burnett with some
very interesting musicians sitting in.

I Am Not A Critical Reader. I Am A Viceral Reader. Give Me Something To Expirence!

I have just finished the Jump 225 Trilogy and am breathless. Few writers and critics disagree, this trilogy is a brilliant piece of work.  These books grabbed me, shook me and would not let go.  On the grand scale of things I kept thinking of The Foundation Series by Isaac Asimov, Dune (usually #1 on my all time ever list) by Frank Herbert and strangely enough but really not so strange, Pattern Recognition by William Gibson.  Foundation and Dune because of the grand scope of world building and Pattern Recognition because the unique sub genera "Sci-Fi Business Thriller" with  much to do about advertising.  I'm hoping the two mentions of "pattern recognition" I caught in my reading of book three, Geosynchron, were homage to Gibson by Edelman. Anyone who has ever seen an advertisement or plans to see one in the future should read Gibson's book.  You will be changed in what you see forever and have a lot of fun reading to boot.

I am a slow deliberate reader.  I read everything the author writes.  I pause for commas, I hesitate for semicolons and I reread the occasional line or paragraph that inspires or baffles.  I am aghast at some of the reviews I read of the books I've blogged.  Some critics are so puffed with self aggrandizing, I wonder if they even read the book.  Don't they like a good story?  Don't they want to escape and or think about something else for a little while? You will not find books I have not liked for one reason or another in this blog.  I don't finish books I don't like, my list is too long to accomplish to begin with, I don't have time for fiction I don't like.

About the near future Jihadist war series with no name by Tom Kratman, it is now officially Carrera's Legions. Thank you H. O..

Objectivism, Meets Capitalism, Meets Speculative Fiction

In many ways this is a Business Thriller with some serious Speculative Science. After reading Infoquake I know why this book is selling so well. This is fun! David Louis Edelman has been in close proximity with many titans around Washington, DC and knows the business and governmental turf he fictionalizes so well.

The glimpse of our possible business future is fascinating, fast paced and oh so cutthroat. The scientific speculation is fresh and the spin is oh so intriguing. Those of us from the GimmieGottaWanna tribe "want" what these people have (then again maybe not). "Hack the body and the mind will follow" is the catch phrase of the day. Programed bots in your neural system do the job that needs to be done (a few powder milk biscuits won't hurt), on command and or automatically depending on the program. Feel surprised call up Poker Face 46.2 or what ever the current version is running in your body. Get sick and the Government controlled Dr.Plugenpatch will fix you right up, you may not even notice.

The personal and business rivalries are deliciously convoluted and complex. The characters are well developed and easily loved and hated at different junctures of the story. Those of you who have read Ayn Rand will undoubtedly keep hearing Howard Roark and John Gault as you burn through the book(s), I'm already about to finish book two, Multireal, and waiting with bated breath to get to book three, Geosynchron, of the Jump 225 Trilogy.

Happy Reading,
Richard

Today's Music
Al Green's "Take Me to the River"
covered by Talking Heads on Saturday Night Live. 25 Years of Music disc 2

Franz Kafka And Philip K. Dick Dream Noir

I have admired China Mieville since his release of Perdido Street Station in 2000. The book was so amazingly fresh. His newest release The City & The City is once again, something new. You'd think Philip K. Dick and Franz Kafka had collaborated on a hard-boiled police procedural (not quite Dashiell Hammett but so much fun). The bureaucracy is very Kafka the read is very Philip K. Dick (a psychotic break is always skulking in the periphery of your psyhche). There are two cities sharing the same physical space. Ul Quoma a modern, vibrant European metropolis and Beszel a downtrodden remnant of eastern Europe's, not so great, recent past. The citizens of the two cities "may not", "must not", see one another (tough living condition).

I don't want to give too much of this one away. The story has been crafted by a through, professional, entertaining writer. If you like detective stories, and/or, have enjoyed Philip K. Dick you will not want to miss this somewhat speculative noir romp.

Song in my head today.
"Neon Meat Dream of a Octafish"
Captain Beefheart - Trout Mask Replica (1969)
Produced by Frank Zappa
Top 500 Albums of All Time / Rolling Stone Magazine (2003)

Not Earth Shaking, But Unquestionably Thought Provoking.

Just finished The Quiet War by Paul McAuley.
A far future revolt between earth and
the folks who have colonized the outer solar system.

There are two speculative science delights in this book.
The work on earth to re-establish the destroyed ecosystem.
And, the genetic hacking used to survive away from Earth.
I usually find plausible hope delicious. I run a little low personally.
Science can solve all our problems! Really!
Then we can figure out how to solve the problems the solving caused.
Cynicism is not aiding and abetting a better life for me.

Why terra form a planet, moon or asteroid that can’t be terra formed.
Adapt, dig in, or build a cage. Do what needs to be done to survive.
Different atmospheres demand different bodies.

This four hundred page book plays much bigger than it looks.
Lots of political and familial intrigues and a very diverse cast.

The earth did not shake but the book kept me interested.
Glad I finished it, the reviews for the sequel are looking
very good and I’m looking forward to the rest of the story.

//Flashback:
“see a smiln’ woman and a frown’ man
she’s got a ring in his nose and a ring on her hand”
Savoy Brown - Blue Matter (1969)
End of Flashback//

About the flashback; music lives large in my head.
Books live large in my head too.
A good hook or a good quote deserves head space.
Both are more edifying and elucidating than myspace..

Regards,
Richard

Do You Worry About Genetic Manipulation?

The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi is a thought provoker.
Fear provoker might be a better descriptor if you have any
sparks at all jumping the synaptic paths in your cranium.

The book happens in a somewhat near future Bangkok.
A Bangkok protected by monstrous dikes and levees.
(The water is up again in this future)

The world has “contracted”.
Genetic manipulation of our crops has tipped the scale.
Famine, Blight, Plague; the whole shootn’ match.

Agra Business rules most of the world.
Thailand has managed to keep the world
and the Agra Businesses at bay.

Enough! I liked this one! The guy can write!
His characters are all flawed, beautifully flawed!
I could relate!

Regards,
Richard

I Think This Is A Rant. Mea Culpa and My Apologies, Sorta Maybe

A patron came in the other day asking for Orson Scott Card’s
new book Hidden Empire. She said I had recommended Empire
and wanted to know what happened next.
I did not remember recommending the book Empire.
I did not remember reading the book Empire.
Aging is not a funny thing.
I have now read the book Empire, I had not read it before.
Basic premise is Civil War in the United States of America.
With no real North South or East West divide it was a mess.
Blue States vs Red States with messy Urban Blues in the
midst of Rural Reds thrown in everywhere and don't forget Your Neighbors.
How could such a thing happen in the United States of America?
Simple, we are polarized as never before save the 1860's.
Just before the Civil War we all know about.
No one is moving an inch to meet in the center.
We are going down and we are going down hard.
I will undoubtedly read the new book to see what happens next.

But; and this is a really big but.
If you do nothing more, read the “AFTERWORD” p.341-347.

Everyone is “right” in what they think in today’s America.
Critical Thinking may now be defined as thinking critically of anyone,
absolutely anyone, who thinks differently than you.
We are all rocket scientist in this America.
I grew up in the late 50's and early 60's and remember Hope.
I wish there was a little more to go around.
Regards,
Richard

The Sky Is Not Falling. The Water's Rising

It may not be global warming, but it is global and the water is rising.
The resulting action in the tectonic plates, and what may or may not lie beneath,
keeps this book’s pages turning of their own accord.
Flood, by Stephen Baxter is a good mix of hard science fiction
and big adventure novel with much to contemplate
scientifically and about the base nature of man.
We all see how we react to catastrophic events around the world.
Sometimes with a great outpouring of aid and succor,
other times with complete indifference to the suffering and death of others.
What do we do when the catastrophe is global?
Some scary speculation on how man will react.
Good story line, good character development, good read.

Regards,
Richard

“(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding”

(composer: Nick Lowe) (best cover: Elvis Costello)

I was thinking I was a peace minded guy.
I recently finish reading A Desert Called Peace by Tom Kratman
I like war stories, I’m a guy, but I still think I’m a bit of a peacnick.
This book caught me totally off guard. It caught me off guard
in that I not only finished the novel I read the sequel, Carnifex.
Good finish!

In a future not all that many centuries away from now.
On a planet colonized by earth, a planet not unlike earth,
a planet geographically, politically, socially, economically,
racially and religiously; not at all unlike earth. (Think not so "false background" SF)

Anyway; a soldier loses his family in a terrorists "tower attack".
So, what’s the big deal? This soldier decides it is his duty
to rid the earth of all violent Jihad minded Moslems.
Why the font jump and bold?
Jihad to many Moslems is a personal battle,
a personal struggle with spiritual discipline.
(This Jihad I understand all too well)

If you are at all, even a little, "politically correct,"
stay the hell away from this book.
If you like a good war story
and want to know how to take care of business, enjoy.
Regards,
Richard

Welcome to my SF blog

I know the value of opinions.
If you're comfortable
knowing this is just my opinion
we'll do well together.

I love Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Fantasy
and the myriad of blends found in the genre.
Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera, Heroic Myth, Detective Procedural;
I enjoy it all.

What draws me to SF?
First and foremost it's ability
to display the human condition
in a false background.
Removing the cultural clutter of our current
perceived reality can be very disarming.
Secondly is it's ability to stretch my brain.
The Universe is a much bigger place than I can immagine.
It's fun to try.
What will follow is what I'm reading,
what I'm reading about,
and things SF that matter to me
and might matter to you.
Regards,
Richard