Rob

Worth the Wait

Revisado: 09-22-24

I started Pandora's Star having completed Peter F. Hamilton's excellent Night's Dawn trilogy. Throughout this book, it was impossible not to compare it to The Reality Dysfunction – and unfortunately the comparison didn't favor this book.

The Reality Dysfunction begins with some ominous notes: the bombardment of Garissa and the strange, poignant description of the Ly-cilph. These effectively set the tone for what's to follow, and it doesn't hurt that the Confederation universe is an altogether grittier environment than the Commonwealth. Hamilton intends the reverses of Pandora's star to afflict a more prosperous, contented human society – but the consequence here is that the early material lacks the same resonance as depictions of Lalonde and our roguish protagonist Joshua Calvert. The early mission to the Dyson star at least gives the reader an interesting and compelling sequence and a promise of things to come. Pandora's Star does deliver, but it takes longer to do so than necessary. I am looking forward to the next book, but I think the setup/payoff ratio might have been different.

Something went awry with this recording, as John Lee's voice is at an inconsistent volume. I have to hope that they noticed the problem.

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I think the next kill will be made by Ben Richards

Revisado: 07-01-23

I can think of few cases where novel and film depart so much from each other. Yes both entail a guy named Ben Richards being hunted for popular entertainment, but the 1987 film at best nods vaguely and occasionally in the direction of its source material. King acknowledges as much in his Introduction [WHICH YOU SHOULD NOT LISTEN TO FIRST]

Ranking one versus the other scarcely makes sense in this case; they feel like different genre. Neither would spoil the other. Kevin Kenerly brings an appreciably somber tone to the novel, which lacks any of the jocularity of the Schwarzenegger film. The Running Man is interesting as a late-70s dystopia, even as it only impressionistically sketches out its world. Maybe Richard Bachman was disinterested in mapping it out too fully.

Thumbs down to the production company for not making the author's foreword an epilogue. I doubt King would have objected. Or Bachman.

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On balance, it's good fun

Revisado: 04-21-20

I'm sympathetic to the review that suggests that these novels are pretty packed. The Humanity's Fire series is an eye-popping tour of a highly elaborate galaxy. At times it might have helped to slow down, and I wondered at the choice to have some key events occur offstage.

Even so, this is a triumphant conclusion to the trilogy and one that rewards the attentive listener. Even as I might have liked a more measured pace, Cobley and Thorpe's strengths are undeniable. The former renders his universe with wit and verve. Although I could guess at influences, it emerges with distinction. I'd give special emphasis to his use of humor: there is a persistent patter of it throughout that livens up the action. Even if the series could have used either expansion or decluttering, I was never exhausted.

Thorpe is a remarkably gifted narrator, breathing life into the wide array of humans, aliens, robots, and others. His own passion for the material is readily apparent.

Some intricate series wear one out. Even as this did grow more elaborate over time, it held its own and gained something with each successive installment. I'll look forward to new adventures in the fourth book.

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Powerful and Current

Revisado: 08-15-18

Richard K. Morgan's Thirteen has aged well since its publication a decade ago. Its dystopian elements, the disintegration of the United States in the 21st century, might have seemed a bit harsh, oh, five years ago, but something about post-2016 life makes the depiction of Jesusland a bit on the nose. Maybe too much so.

I came to this after enjoying the Netflix adaptation of Altered Carbon, and it is very much of a piece with that, in its depiction of a world stratified by wealth, in which technology has wrought fundamental changes, while failing to remedy deep-seated problems in the human condition.

I want to particularly laud the performance of Simon Vance. His narration of the book is splendid, both as the omniscient narrator, but especially as the voice of the laconic, world-weary Carl Marsalis. This version of the book has to be a step above the printed text, if only because Marsalis gains a rich voice and a London-area accent.

The murder-mystery setup, present as well in Altered Carbon, serves the plot well. I suppose the payoff was a bit smaller than I'd expected, but this is not a major problem. In the end, there's a lot of rich character work here: particularly with Marsalis and the distinct Sevgi Ertekin.

It is unfortunate to see so many people drawing offense from this fine work of science fiction. Then again, when one reads the following Q&A within a one-star review, it's easy to see the benighted shadow of Jesusland looming over us:

"What could Richard K. Morgan have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?
"NOT SLANDERED MOST OF THE CONSUMERS IN THIS COUNTRY FOR LOVING GOD..."

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Ludlum wrote better books while he was alive

Revisado: 06-09-14

What would have made The Tristan Betrayal better?

Much smarter plotting; this book telegraphs its twists well in advance. The history in it is also really sloppy.

Would you ever listen to anything by Robert Ludlum again?

Only if it was written by the great man *before* his death in 2001.

What character would you cut from The Tristan Betrayal?

The Nazi assassin with the killer nose. He was like a fringe character from X-Men.

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Mostly good

Revisado: 10-14-07

Eifelheim has the virtue of being an intriguing character study, with both human and alien characters at hand. It is clearly based on a prodigious amount of research, and the medieval sequences are very well rendered. I very much appreciated the nuanced nature of all the characters of Oberhochwald - all of the primary ones are complex in interesting ways.

That said, I think it would have been a better book without most or all of the modern sequences. Tom is very possibly the most grating character I've ever encountered in an audio book and Sharon wasn't that much better. I don't think that readers would miss much by forwarding through the modern sequences (until the last couple).

That said, I did very much like the book - entirely for the medieval sequences. Flynn deserves credit for his painstaking reconstruction of an obscure era and Heald does a very nice job bringing Father Deitrich to life.

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