Yeah, yeah, I'm back. I've been busy. What can I say? If you want to know what I've been up to, click here.
But, I'm back. And I'm back with a real stinker. Altar of Eden by James Rollins. Listen, I really like James Rollins. I've read a bunch of the Sigma novels. This one was a real problem for me, though.
What I generally like about Rollins is that he works science in to his plots. Yes, the novels are usually formulaic, but they are also suspenseful and fun. I find them light reading when I don't want anything too heavy ("he's not heavy, he's my brother").
Altar of Eden, well, where do I start? There's just not much "there" there. The novel is mostly nothing but a couple of chase scenes with some science thrown in just because. There was little mystery or suspense here. You always knew (spoiler alert!) that the bad guys were going to get theirs and the good guys would be ok. I don't even know what to tell you about the plot. How about this? OK, there are some bad people conducting human and animal experiments which turn out badly. The bad people essentially get discovered. They try to cover their tracks, but there are a couple of Rollins' trusty heroes there to stop them.
Be a better person than me. Skip this novel. I really think that Altar of Eden cured my Rollins jones, and you won't be seeing a Rollins post any time soon.
Live long, read and prosper. We'll leave the lights on for you.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Freedom by Daniel Suarez - B
George: Mr. Pensky. I was just working on your file. I was transferring the contents of the file into this flexible accordion-style folder.
Pensky: Where's Tuttle?
George: He's on vacation.
Pensky: He was on vacation the last time I dropped by. Give me my file. (looks through the file) Looks like you put a lot of work into this.
George: Well you know in college they used to call me the little bulldog.
I feel like I've been working on the Pensky file--rearranging this novel in a cute, accordion-style file for weeks on end. For a variety of reasons, none of which having to do with the quality of the material, it took me an inordinate amount of time to complete our second Daniel Suarez Virtual Book Club (VBC) selection, Freedom by Daniel Suarez.
Freedom, like its predecessor, Daemon, is a techno-thriller. Daemon and Freedom are books that Tom Clancy or Michael Crichton (may he rest in peace) might write if they were computer gamers. The novel details the effects of a "cyberwar" unleashed against humanity by an evil genius upon his death. News of his death actually triggered (in Daemon) the cyberwar.
The action in Freedom picks up a short time after the the end of Daemon. A big criticism that I've heard about Daemon is that the story was open-ended--there was no conclusion. Those who stick around to read Freedom will not have the same reaction. Freedom does conclude though the door remains open for a third book in the series.
[Spoiler alert if you haven't read Daemon. Stop reading now. You have been warned.]
Suarez turns the "good vs. evil" argument on its head in Freedom. Is the Daemon good or evil? Was the "evil genius" Matthew Sobol really evil? How does the society created by the Daemon "compare" with society without the Daemon? What are the true motives of those trying to "defeat" the Daemon. These questions and more are addressed in Freedom.
I'm not going to tell you that either novel is among the best I've ever read. I do enjoy a good techno-thriller where most/all of the technology is here or within reach. In other words, if you're reading a book about cloning Albert Einstein using a hair preserved in a hermetically-sealed container since his death, I really don't want to hear about it. [I don't want to spoil this one for somebody who might actually read the book, I did read a novel where Hitler's head was preserved by cryogenics. This was the payoff of the novel. Seriously.] Suarez cites resources for the technology behind the story (and has an abundance of information on his website.
Do not read Freedom if you have not read Daemon. One major issue I had with Freedom is that Freedom did not include a sufficient review of the characters and action from Daemon. Unless you read the novels one after the other (and I read Daemon after seeing a review of the novel after it was first released in early 2009). Skilled authors can weave the back story into the narrative. Suarez is by no means a "great author." He tells a good and interesting story but make no mistake--it's all about the story and the technology. The character development is ok. The story does hang together. He doesn't jump the shark.
Another criticism I've heard is a reader who said (after reading Daemon) that he wishes that he knew more about computer gaming because some of the technology images were lost on him. They were lost on me, too. I got the gist, and you will as well. I wouldn't let that prevent you from enjoying these novels, but you might "get" more if you are proficient in interactive computer gaming.
In short, this novel is a solid B. If you like Michael Crichton (may he rest in peace) or Tom Clancy or one of any number of other authors who tell their stories through technology (computer or biological) you will most likely enjoy these novels.
Live long, read and prosper. We'll leave the light on for you.
Pensky: Where's Tuttle?
George: He's on vacation.
Pensky: He was on vacation the last time I dropped by. Give me my file. (looks through the file) Looks like you put a lot of work into this.
George: Well you know in college they used to call me the little bulldog.
I feel like I've been working on the Pensky file--rearranging this novel in a cute, accordion-style file for weeks on end. For a variety of reasons, none of which having to do with the quality of the material, it took me an inordinate amount of time to complete our second Daniel Suarez Virtual Book Club (VBC) selection, Freedom by Daniel Suarez.
Freedom, like its predecessor, Daemon, is a techno-thriller. Daemon and Freedom are books that Tom Clancy or Michael Crichton (may he rest in peace) might write if they were computer gamers. The novel details the effects of a "cyberwar" unleashed against humanity by an evil genius upon his death. News of his death actually triggered (in Daemon) the cyberwar.
The action in Freedom picks up a short time after the the end of Daemon. A big criticism that I've heard about Daemon is that the story was open-ended--there was no conclusion. Those who stick around to read Freedom will not have the same reaction. Freedom does conclude though the door remains open for a third book in the series.
[Spoiler alert if you haven't read Daemon. Stop reading now. You have been warned.]
Suarez turns the "good vs. evil" argument on its head in Freedom. Is the Daemon good or evil? Was the "evil genius" Matthew Sobol really evil? How does the society created by the Daemon "compare" with society without the Daemon? What are the true motives of those trying to "defeat" the Daemon. These questions and more are addressed in Freedom.
I'm not going to tell you that either novel is among the best I've ever read. I do enjoy a good techno-thriller where most/all of the technology is here or within reach. In other words, if you're reading a book about cloning Albert Einstein using a hair preserved in a hermetically-sealed container since his death, I really don't want to hear about it. [I don't want to spoil this one for somebody who might actually read the book, I did read a novel where Hitler's head was preserved by cryogenics. This was the payoff of the novel. Seriously.] Suarez cites resources for the technology behind the story (and has an abundance of information on his website.
Do not read Freedom if you have not read Daemon. One major issue I had with Freedom is that Freedom did not include a sufficient review of the characters and action from Daemon. Unless you read the novels one after the other (and I read Daemon after seeing a review of the novel after it was first released in early 2009). Skilled authors can weave the back story into the narrative. Suarez is by no means a "great author." He tells a good and interesting story but make no mistake--it's all about the story and the technology. The character development is ok. The story does hang together. He doesn't jump the shark.
Another criticism I've heard is a reader who said (after reading Daemon) that he wishes that he knew more about computer gaming because some of the technology images were lost on him. They were lost on me, too. I got the gist, and you will as well. I wouldn't let that prevent you from enjoying these novels, but you might "get" more if you are proficient in interactive computer gaming.
In short, this novel is a solid B. If you like Michael Crichton (may he rest in peace) or Tom Clancy or one of any number of other authors who tell their stories through technology (computer or biological) you will most likely enjoy these novels.
Live long, read and prosper. We'll leave the light on for you.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Dead Arm
It's been quite a while since I finished a book. My pesky day job and some other things have gotten in the way. I'm still reading (and enjoying) our Daniel Suarez Virtual Book Club selection, Freedom by Daniel Suarez. It's not slow reading. It's not boring. The problem is with me. (It's not you. It's me.)
I keep analogizing my reading slow down to "dead arm." For those of you non-baseball fans out there, pitchers often experience a "dead arm" period during spring training. Their arm just isn't as lively as it was earlier, and they have to work through it and again find their groove. That's where I think I am on reading. I just have a bit of a "dead brain" that I need to work through. Then, I'll pick up the pace.
Speaking of baseball, it's almost baseball book season once again. Every year, from about March to May, I read a bunch of newly released books on baseball. And I usually pick up a golden oldie, too.
This year, for some reason, there's a run on biographies of home run hitters--Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Roger Maris, Al Kaline and Mike Schmidt. There's also a Stan Musial biography.
I always research the authors to see if these are "good" biographies or "crappy" biographies. The author of the Stan Musial biography has written one on ARod (please) and Babe Ruth (Robert Creamer wrote the definitive Babe Ruth biography and I'm leery of anyone who thinks he can top that).
Live long, read and prosper. We'll leave the light on for you.
I keep analogizing my reading slow down to "dead arm." For those of you non-baseball fans out there, pitchers often experience a "dead arm" period during spring training. Their arm just isn't as lively as it was earlier, and they have to work through it and again find their groove. That's where I think I am on reading. I just have a bit of a "dead brain" that I need to work through. Then, I'll pick up the pace.
Speaking of baseball, it's almost baseball book season once again. Every year, from about March to May, I read a bunch of newly released books on baseball. And I usually pick up a golden oldie, too.
This year, for some reason, there's a run on biographies of home run hitters--Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Roger Maris, Al Kaline and Mike Schmidt. There's also a Stan Musial biography.
I always research the authors to see if these are "good" biographies or "crappy" biographies. The author of the Stan Musial biography has written one on ARod (please) and Babe Ruth (Robert Creamer wrote the definitive Babe Ruth biography and I'm leery of anyone who thinks he can top that).
Live long, read and prosper. We'll leave the light on for you.
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