Book Reviews
Reviews of things I've read.•Back to Reviews Page
American Gods • 2001 • Neil Gaiman • I tried to like it. But I can't. I don't. I won't. Also, I never understood the appeal of Neil Gaiman, and now we all know why. Suspicions confirmed. • Didn't Like It
Changer • 2016 • Matt Gemmell • Outstanding for a first novel, and really fun in general. Although I had some questions about anti-tachyons and force-duels on chapel rooftops, l liked the characters and it's obvious the author does too. That's rare in books, honestly. • Loved It!
Chasing Shadows • Just started it... The story of Citizen Lab, the world's foremost digital watchdog. Encouraging and depressing all at once. • Liked It
Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World • 2019 • Clive Thompson • A fun computer history book that does look at fun aspects of programming, but also the sexism and other issues that pervade the culture. Naturally, these references make some people angry, but those are not good people. • Loved It!
Dark Wire • Joseph Cox • Joseph Cox is a great security beat journalist, and this story is wild enough already. Sometimes I think the FBI just does stuff because they can and can secretly have fun doing it. • Loved It!
Doomsday Book • 1992 • Connie Willis A time traveler from the near future goes back to England of the 14th century and stumbles into the Black Death wiping everyone out all around her. Sounds horrible - and yet, it's a wonderful book. There are compelling characters in the future and in the past, and it's somehow compelling even while being a horrific portrayal of the plague. • Loved It!
Fall; or, Dodge in Hell • 2019 • Neal Stephenson When I first started reading this and Neal veered off into the mythology of the upload world, I thought "this is NOT for me". But I kept reading, and truthfully I was wrong. It was for me. I actually really like this book and appreciate what Neal is doing here. Don't sleep on it. • Loved It!
First Into Nagasaki • George Weller • 2006 • It's hard to read any history of war and not become sad and depressed about how we are capable of treating our fellow humans. First into Nagasaki is brutal, fascinating and engrossing, with details that paint a vivid picture of what the war was like. • Loved It!
Hackers: Heroes of the Compum • Steven Levy • 1984 • Anyone who lived and breathed computers sometime during the periods covered in Hackers will enjoy it greatly. For me, the book is more than the sum of its pages because it covers a time I remember well. • Loved It!
Infomocracy • 2016 • Malka Ann Older I liked this book - but I didn't love it. I think it downplays the chaos involved in the kinds of social change Malka is depicting. Nonetheless, it's a super original look at future alternate social and political structures, and for that it's certainly worth a read. • Liked It
