Tag: Space

Books

Book 683: The Gravity of Us – Phil Stamper

Geoff W

This was a good story. It’s probably better than I’m giving it credit for, but that’s the way it goes when you read a lot of books.

I’m not sure if it’s an across the board meh or just a meh for right now. I know this one will stick with me so maybe it’ll improve with time. I really enjoyed Cal (Jr.) and Leon’s story and adored the nerdiness of the whole work but most of it was overshadowed with the “realness” of the characters. And yes, I feel like a total ass saying I want less real characters.

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Books

Book 313: The Martian Chronicles – Ray Bradbury

Geoff W

I really need to stop saying that I love fantasy and am not a fan of science fiction. This was one of those novels that reminds me how much I enjoy thoroughly well written science fiction and often times the lines between science fiction and fantasy are blurred.

It was actually interesting as I read this novel that I wanted to know more about the technical and physical engineering/feats of the book. I wasn’t satisfied with the answer being “it was” or “just because.” I say this is funny, because that’s the part that has always put me off from science fiction. The too detailed focus on the technology, the terraforming, the space travel and the other more technical/physical aspects as opposed to the exploration of new planets, the contact with alien life and the mental and physical reactions to all of the above, really made me question why I say I’m not a big fan of science fiction.

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Books, Quotes

Book 287: The Rise of Endymion (Hyperion Cantos #4) – Dan Simmons

Geoff W

I’m exhausted. This series has spanned 2,200+ pages and more than 10 centuries! It covers lifetimes of characters, many lived over and over and a few lived once throughout the entire story! (Twenty years shy of 1,000 years old, one character!) The story was convoluted and continuously changed which ultimately worked for and against the series.

As the concluding novel in this epic story, it felt a little hollow. There were definitely moments of amazement and creativity and Simmons intelligence once again comes across unquestionably, but for some reason it just felt a little hollow and most definitely rushed at the end. Even though I hadn’t fully thought through the end of the novel when I got there I was not surprised at the ending. It did feel a little deus ex machina (Wikipedia link), but with a “machine” like the Shrike, how could it be any other way?

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Books

Book 286: Endymion (Hyperion Cantos #3) – Dan Simmons

Geoff W

If I’m completely honest, I expected this book to fail miserably. After the feeling of utter astonishment at the brilliance of the first two novels in the Hyperion Cantos, how could the follow-up novels remotely compare?

Thankfully, this first one was excellent. Simmons solved part of the problem by fast forwarding almost 300 years into the even further future and starting from there. As with the first two novels, Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion, this novel is told from someone who is simultaneously outside (looking back) and inside of the story, essentially revolving around them. The novel’s opening definitely put me on guard and I was very worried that I wouldn’t see any of the characters from the previous novels, but we already knew the technology existed to extend life well beyond a normal lifespan and thankfully some came back!

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Books

Book 284: The Fall of Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos #2) – Dan Simmons

Geoff W

What a follow-up! After reading Hyperion, the first in the Hyperion Cantos, I immediately moved into the second! So glad Alex gave us both of them or I wouldn’t have known what to do, or I would’ve gone out and bought it. Although the style changed from the first novel, this one was just as strong and incredibly intelligent. There are definitely spoilers after the next paragraph so you’ve been warned.

The start of this book was a bit more confusing than the first, again it starts in the middle of the story, but with different characters. Rather than immediately going back to our seven pilgrims and their stories, Simmons introduces us to Joseph Severn, another cybrid (originally a John Keats), and brings in the character Meina Gladstone, CEO of the hegemony and mentioned many times in the previous book. There are of course other characters and they all add to the amazing story, but the core group remain the same.

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