Given its reputation - they named a personality trait after the guy - I expected this essay to be more cold, calculated and manipulative. In reality, while it is cold in places, I think it is more of a schemer's guide than strongman's guide. Worth the read/listen. It was interesting, the translation seemed excellent (would I know if it wasn't?).
A fine read.
As always seems to be the case, Iain M Banks has wrought a, well written sci-fi adventure that fits in well with his epic Culture series.
A fascinating insight into both the life of Henrietta Lacks and her HeLa cells which have contributed so much to modern medicine.
I've followed Dr Becky's YouTube channel for some time, so I was delighted to discover she had written a book on Black Holes. I grabbed a copy of the audio-book. I often do this with non-fiction, especially when the author does their own narration.
It turns out that black holes are not the horrors of the universe as we have been lead to believe. What they actually are, I'll leave up to you to discover. No spoilers!
I found this to be a wonderful journey down the rabbit hole of black holes and our current understanding of them, described in a way the average Jo can understand. I found it both enlightening and thoroughly enjoyable.
It's an interesting concept - more of a performance piece or radio play than a traditional book/short story. It is good to see authors playing with the format.
The main theme of the story is also novel and works well with the audible/podcast format. I thought the dialogue was a bit too hammy in places - that's pretty subjective. I also thought the ending was a bit rushed. It wasn't quite the ‘gotcha' that it seemed to be building up to.
Overall, worth the 6 hour listen but not something on the scale of “War of the Worlds” or “Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy”.
A short horror. It explores feminist and anti-feminist themes with a subtle rye humour. Don't mistake this for an anti-feminist story. Very cleverly written, can be read in a single sitting, but gives hours worth of contemplation.
A collection of late Victorian period strange stories. On the surface these are rather tame by today's standards. A modern reader will have read many better read and more original seeming stories.
However, The lead story which in turn is a collection of related short stories hints that there is a greater ‘world' in which the stories live. It suggests that this world is controlled by supernatural powers and access is via a mysterious book called ‘The King in Yellow'.
It is easy to see how some might think that this story was the inspiration behind Lovecraft and a host of subsequent ‘weird fiction' and horror writers. I don't know if this is true or not, but it is believable.
Should you read this story? If you like Victorian Ghost Stories or ‘Weird Fiction', sure. If you hoping this is something of the calibre of a Lovecraft story, then no. That all said, it's a quick read so dive in if it piques your interest.
I'm off to find some yellow paper to wrap some of my books in.
Disturbing on many levels.
An exploration of how humanity might adjust to no longer having domesticated animals. It highlights the complex rituals, hypocrisies and lies we invent to convince ourselves that we are doing what is right. The natural order. The criminal and immoral. Augustina’s characters are very flawed, mostly male and patriarchal. I’m curious to read some of her other work to see if this is her style or a conscious choice. I think the story deserves at least 3.5 stars because it makes me think and causes a strong emotional response.
Fascinating insights into the origins and evolution of the CDC. I remember reading some of their txt files back in the days of BBS. The modern history of ethical hacking/hactivism and the impacts of hacking on the geopolitical world are very revealing. From the geek hall of fame, to congress. The good guys, the bad guys and the plain silliness of it all.
I loved the concept of this book, it's dark and troubling and has some excellent scenes. I struggled with it in parts, mostly due to it being a bit dry - still very worth the read and an excellent twist at the end - quite different in places to the TV Series.
A dark insightful view of war, espionage and the danger of ideology. The author accepts that no one is purely good or bad but in reality a bit of both. in some ways this is a very cynical perspective but it is closer to ‘real' than most authors get
The author makes an excellent case for critical thinking and the power of a proper argument. Unfortunately, he chooses to colour this with his contentious right wing beliefs, which he implies are the natural conclusion of logical thinking. He justifies this will cherry picked evidence. Ironically, he rages against ‘sophists' for using the same techniques. I think he would have been more successful in his goal had he avoided using these subjects as examples.
I really ‘groked' this book when I read it in my late teens. Today looking back on it I am not quite so enthralled, especially with Heinlein's socio-political views. It probably deserves a 3 but I do remember it fondly so have given it a 4.
An excellent fun read
Once again Nnedi Okorafor delivers a punchy rollicking good read. It's full of interesting twists and turns taking the reader on an adventure of discovery.
Pretty handy field guide to mastering your finances.
Scott's no nonsense guide is packed full of practical information. He includes a deceivingly simple strategy for not only getting on top of your finances but getting ahead. Unlike most books like this, it's grounded in the everyday things you need to do.
This is a fan created easter egg for Stephen King's Dark Tower series. On the surface, it seems like a very short and innocent kids story, which is why I gave it only 3 stars - but I'm told those who've read book three the series will see it quite differently. A clever analogue of the King in Yellow, perhaps?
I never got around to finishing the series as it was still being written when I read the first book. Hopefully, I'll get around to it again soon and can update this with some more context.
An excellent modern telling of the old Norse legends
Neil Gaining spins a great yarn. Here he retells the tales of the old Norse Gods in everyday modern language.
Fantastic continuation of Binti
Another wonderful novella carrying on the story of Binti and her journey of discovery. Fresh with a hint of sand, salty water and the depths of space. This story is good enough to read on its own but you'll 7nderstand a bit more of the back story if you read Binti first.
A brilliant, highly original sci-fi novella.
A beautiful story that examines and celebrates both what makes us unique and what makes us the same . This is a very short story but t packs some brilliant punches!
Fascinating insights into the world of real world data
The author by no ,Evans limits himself to data sets from OKCupid. Rather he draws from a rich pool with sources from Google, Facebook etc. Well worth reading.
Doesn't read as well as some of his more famous works. However it is an excellent story and one that I think will stand the test of time.