Bill Wood

Let me start by saying I'm very fond of Glen Cook as an author. The Swordbearer was one of the first fantasy books I read, and one scene in particular has stuck out for decades. I've gone back to reread that one, and several of the Dread Empire novels.

This was my first foray into the Black Company books.

Wow, the parallels with The Malazan Book of the Fallen are profound. I felt like I was reading a prequel, knowing this came out much earlier and played a big role as an influence.

I can't really say I related well to any of the characters. Raven was interesting and enigmatic. Silent was fun when he was front and center towards the end. Croaker, though, the POV character, was sort of just there.

There were elements of the story that I really enjoyed, like the forvalaka (I LOVED the forvalaka), and the milieu at large, with the Taken characters and the Circle of Eighteen, but though there were political machinations it felt a bit muddled. Sometimes all the character development a character received was their name. Maybe I was just slow to understand what was happening, but I felt confused at the wheels within wheels approach.

I did give it four stars. Three because of the story, one because of the seminal role it has played in influencing “dark, gritty fantasy.” I'm not compelled to continue the series, but I'm sure I'll keep pecking away at it.

Did I just damn this book with faint praise?

This book wasn't what I expected, and I appreciated where it went. I thought it was going to basically be a Star Trek book written from the POV of the infamous redshirts. The twist and premise was more clever than that, and that is when the book went from being readable to being enjoyable.

I am finding that Scalzi is a readable author, but “it's not Shakespeare” to quote the book itself. I've read Old Man's War, The Collapsing Empire, and now this, and have enjoyed them all.

My biggest drawback was the way he wrote his dialog.
“Now,” she questioned.
“No,” he said.
“Soon,” she asked.
“Maybe,” he said.
“Okay,” she said.
“You'll know,” he said.
I don't know if that was done on purpose to add to the facetious and parodistic nature of the story, but it was painful at times. Once I noticed it I couldn't stop seeing it, and now it makes me want to look at the other books to see if that was done there, too.

I thought the Codas were quite clever, especially as they were titled First Person, Second Person, and Third Person, and written in those POVs. I almost considered not bothering to read them, but I'm glad I did, and they didn't take long to read.

This was the first science fiction book I remember reading as a child, so I was delighted to share it with my seven-year old daughter. It is a Scholastic book and meant for young readers, so it is kid of hard to review on the typical aspects on which I'd judge a book.

I didn't remember many details from when I read it many decades ago, except for one specific situation that comes up on the penultimate chapter. It felt like exposition city as there were many instances of a character launching into exposition, but maybe that is normal for books written for younger readers. Maybe “show, don't tell” is too subtle for younger minds. I do know that every chapter that went on my daughter kept asking “when are they going to meet the character on the cover? Or is that the statue they found? Are they going to be able to talk?” And she really liked the joke about the Wizard of Ooze.

The science is gonzo, but imaginative and fun. It is a variation of the “hollow earth” theme like Pellucidar or Journey to the Center of the Earth. You've got some Matrix-like things, some advanced civilization stuff, and some kind of cliche good civ/bad civ stuff, and some kids who are just kind of along for the ride.

One thing I really enjoyed as I was reading it to my daughter was coming up with different voices for different characters, which my daughter says she likes. Dr. Shaw had a Maine accent. Professor Kincaid sounded like Peter Lorre. Saa sounded a bit like Data. Stan had a deep and manly voice. Gaanu and Krii had a typical villainous voice. The rest kind of all sounded the same.

So is it going to dethrone the Wizard of Oz or the Chronicles of Narnia? No. Is it going to continue to have a place as a nostalgic favorite that led me into reading Tarzan and comic books and enjoying fantasy and science fiction? Absolutely! And I'm very glad I got to enjoy it with my daughter.

This is a book I was excited about due to the hype around it. A haunted house in space? Sounds good!

The background of the main character was interesting to learn about, especially in relationship to the main situation she found herself in, but I think there could have been more exploration of the psychology of the initial experience. The setup and worldbuilding were strong, and the ship they found was a very interesting construct and setting for the main plot.

The structure of the book was used effectively to create intrigue, and I think the plot is the highlight of the book. It occurs in essentially two acts, so it does build the tension effectively. The climax of the book was exciting with several twists and a clever resolution.

The characters were kind of predictable and while the other crew members were somewhat three-dimensional, they were a rather standard array of personalities. The investigators, however were not very deep and were very cliché, as were all the other supporting characters.

I'm not sure how I feel about the romantic element of the book. One the one hand, it is interesting to hear it from a woman's POV, and it isn't unrealistic for there to be feelings between co-workers which provide conflicting thoughts, so I did enjoy that aspect of it. On the other hand, it just felt mildly clumsy and not at all necessary. It isn't that it felt false, so like I said, I'm unsure how I feel about it.

Overall I did enjoy it and it was only on reflection for this review that I was able to find things to nitpick. It was a pretty quick read that I looked forward to getting back to whenever I could.

I really had high hopes going in to this. I guess I was expecting a bit more wonder, like The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia McKillip or The Dreamstone by C.J. Cherryh. Admittedly my memory of them may be incorrect as I read them both a couple of decades ago.

That said, I thought I'd also enjoy the “unlikely rag-tag group of heroes” but found it a bit hard to engage with a fish and a toad and a crow and a cat. The foreshadowing was a bit clumsy, in that the end of the knight's curse was easy to predict from the beginning of the book. The love story didn't feel organic, or respectful of Thing.

And it felt a bit too coincidental in the end as the knight came across old companions.

Perhaps I should give it two stars (I originally gave it three). I am sitting here trying to remember parts that I really did enjoy, and unfortunately I'm just glad I have finished so I can start another book. I hunted this one down for years. On to the TBR.

Wesley Chu does it again. Having previously devoured The Lives of Tao, this was another page-turner I literally could not put down. Now I'm on a mission to hunt down all of his other books.

The Lives of Tao had a fascinating premise. The Rise of Io completely sprang it in a different direction and had a compelling character in Ella. She rocks!

I've been reading this book at lunch while I've been fasting and the insights have been great. This has felt like the most spiritually focused fast I've ever had, and I'm coming out of it with a great deal of optimism and a renewed sense of commitment to my spiritual growth.

I look forward to rereads of this book each fast, with continued insights as I go back in the future.

I'm very glad I purchased this book for this Fast.

Oh my word! One of the greatest books I've ever read!

I can only imagine what it was like to be a slave, but the artful wresting with issues related to slavery and more general in nature, the portrayal of many different perspectives and survival mechanisms, the mystery within which the entire story is framed, the counterpoint relationships... It is just brilliant.

I've been a fan of Octavia Butler for years, having most recently read the Xenogenesis series (Dawn, Adulthood Rites, and Imago) and felt they were solid, imaginative, compelling, and provocative. This one is head and shoulders above those. Rave. Rave. Rave. Cannot say enough, so I'll stop saying more.

It might actually be 4.5 stars. I'll have to let it simmer for a while.

An enjoyable book with some surprisingly heartwarming moments that had me tearing up. As a father with a daughter, not since Hyperion have I been so affected by time travel's impact on a father-daughter relationship. The end was very satisfying, if somewhat predictable. It wasn't the most action-packed book, but more of a slow-burn where you are trying to figure out what happens next when anything Kin does seems to keep making it worse.

I enjoyed the thoughtfulness put in to the ramifications of time travel and the limits and cost. If people could go willy-nilly whenever they wanted to what kind of chaos would that be? Kudos for a “believable” constriction on time travel.

I thought the characters were good, believable, pretty well fleshed out, if not compelling. The question of how well we really know people was a fun theme the book explored.

It isn't a long read, and I did really enjoy it.

(my review from Amazon)

Memoirs are not a genre I read, but I was excited that a friend whom I admired had written one and grabbed it as soon as I could. I had no idea.

I knew Anna and her mother from their time in Maine. I knew a few of the earlier children as they'd come to my house for Baha'i children's classes and as I followed her adventures from afar after that. I grew to admire Anna's international joi de vivre and passion for accumulating children, but had lost touch before the Swedish chapter of her life. As someone who thrives on getting to know someone intimately, this book was wonderful.

I am currently raising a seven year old daughter with my wife and at times, many times, I'm stretched to my limit as I uncover familial patterns and triggers that challenge me. And that is with one child. My heart goes out to Anna in her indomitable efforts to be there for eleven children on multiple continents. The book unfolded layer after layer in an easy to read story of a loving, compassionate, struggling mother, daughter, Baha'i, professional, and friend. She did not shy away from showing the anger, fear, and challenges of a life lived in service. The culmination of the events and decisions in the last few chapters had me riveted until I finished the book, just moments ago.

I know many people who are comfortable in several cultures, but not many as disparate as the United States, Canada, Korea, and Sweden. While I am experienced with Western European cultures, Anna's experience navigating Sweden and Korea made the story even more impressive. As someone who has spent the last few years delving deeply into my family of origin and its impact on me as a person and a parent, her honest vulnerability and recollections touched me and make me feel closer to her. I remember the children I have met very fondly, and remember hearing prayers in Swedish and Korean when they'd visit. To see stories of them as capable adults and parents in their own right makes me so happy.

Often when we get to know someone, we get to know the calm, outer image they project and share with the public. I often say if you haven't seen someone crying or angry you really don't know them. This has been a wonderful opportunity to get to know Anna and her children, to see the struggles, and to celebrate the hard-won victories.

I'm not sure why I enjoyed the book so much. Is it because I know the author? Is it because there are so many timely connections with where I am at in my life right now? Is it because it is a well-written book that tells an eminently relatable story? I suspect it is all three. And I know when the further adventures of Anna come out, I'll be first in line to pick them up. It is a wonderful, wonderful book and my heart is literally warmed today as I think fondly of her very extended family and their impact on this world.

You may be thinking “they just wrote that glowing recommendation because they know the author.” I assure you that is not the case. If my love for this story and book are not coming through in this review, it is because of the limitation of my ability to convey it.

What an amazing book. It has been a while since I've read a book where the writing itself was so delectable. In describing an unsavory character: “You have seen, perhaps, sketches of Piltdown man? Cover him with coal dust, add deerskin leggings and a cutaway coat tight as wet leather, and you shall have Santos's younger, undernourished sister.”

This was not what I was expecting, as I'd gone in with little research on the book itself. It was not a fictionalized historical re-enactment of a Middle Passage journey. It was more akin to Lovecraft Country in that it was set against a historical backdrop and introduced just a bit of supernatural flavor. The main character, “Rutherford Calhoun from Illinois” is not quite protagonist, not quite anti-hero, not a stereotype, but fully three dimensional and his character arc is believable and satisfying. Nobody in the cast of characters is fully played to trope. They are for the most part rich and surprising, complex, and very human. Though many do not spend a lot of time on the page, their actions speak volumes and you feel you get to know and understand many of them.

Though written in 1998 it does indeed evoke Moby Dick in flavor and context. There were some prescient passages that take you out of the 1800's, but only serve to add to the import of the commentary. The books comes with a reading group guide, and the whole structure feels like layers within layers. It is composed as a sequence of journal entries, with the journal itself both a key plot device in the story and representing the book you hold in your hands.

I'll refrain from a description of the plot that you can find elsewhere, or a discussion of themes. I will simply whole-heartedly recommend the book as immensely enjoyable and worthy of the National Book Award.

That was incredibly disappointing. The best thing about it was that the chapters were short so it was easy to make progress and get through it.

I picked this up as a break from two long anthologies I'm reading and there was so much buzz about it. Ultimately it is the poster child for melodrama. I don't really like when people are seemingly driven to extreme measures, or choose to do so in what seems a cheap and easy manner. Ultimately I only cared about one of the characters. This is the kind of book that promotes “mean world” syndrome where everyone lies or is a psychopath or manipulator or strives to outdo others in reprehensible behavior.

I should have known when the selling points for the book were about the premise of the DNA Matching and the next thing someone would say would be “and someone is matched with a serial killer, and one man is matched with another.” I guess that is the literary equivalent of liking to play Cards Against Humanity.

This was an impulse buy at Goodwill because I was starting a job search. I am so glad I bought it. The approach and exercises and advice are all top-notch. I have a newfound confidence going in to interviews due to the approach given.

The book has you inventory several aspects of your qualifications, and then create Q statements where you quantify those aspects so that when you answer a question you can elucidate a response that includes not only the important qualities, but the tangible benefits demonstrated by that quality. Rather than saying “yes, I'm an experienced project manager” you say “I've been a project manager for 5 years and have managed teams of up to 15 people and projects of up to $250K. The biggest project took 15 months and was brought in 3 weeks ahead of schedule and $15K under budget.”

Practicing these statements before you interview can really make a difference in your confidence level.

Great book. Highly recommended.

This was interesting. It reminded me a bit of Hyperion and a bit like Rendezvous with Rama in that it felt like several vastly different scenarios and stories within a single science fiction narrative and included a bit of an exploration of a strange environment with imaginative world-building. A medieval dungeon, an island of cannibals, a high-stakes casino, a heist or two, a rag-tag crew, etc.

While I won't say it is stellar or on the level of Hyperion (which is one of my all-time favorites) I did enjoy it and there were several times I was on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next. There were also a few times of “get on with it” which knocks it down a star for me.

One thing I enjoyed was the personality that was put into the various races and settings. Changers in general and Horza specifically, Yalson, Balveda. Also Schar's World, orbitals, Minds. I liked the imagination.

This is my first foray into the Culture series, and I look forward to exploring it more.

This was so fun! I haven't read a lot of sci-fi from the days of yore. Mostly Burroughs, I would say. I didn't have many expectations about this book. I do have a board game called Nemo's War which is inspired by this book, but that didn't really tell me much I didn't already know from just absorbing popular culture.

Having been in the Navy and served on submarines for 10 years, and grown up in New England with whaling and the sea as a backdrop, and having just finished reading Middle Passage by Charles Johnson I was primed for a seafaring yarn, and this delivered quite remarkably well.

My favorite part of the book was the delightful turn of phrase. I know it was translated from French, and the version I read was translated by Lewis Page Mercier. I don't know how much license he took or whether the original was so clever and at times non-sensical, a majority of which centered around Ned.

“...friend Ned is busy making a kangaroo-pie which will be a marvel.”

“All these pigeons are only side-dishes and trifles; and until I have killed an animal with cutlets I shall not be content.”

“Friend Conseil, I like you much, but not enough to eat you unnecessarily.”

“Ned Land did not speak, but he opened his jaws wide enough to frighten a shark.”

“Ho! ho!” said Ned Land, moving his jaws significantly.

Ned and his jaws are apparently very impressive. I made assumptions that the translator was probably a “very proper British chap” and indeed, he was a Reverend from London educated at Oxford University. I recently read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass and many passages were reminiscent of Carroll's intended approach to literary silliness.

I devoured many exciting passages, and loved that Captain Nemo remained an enigma throughout. While I have heard that some people were turned off by it, I never minded all of the listing of scientific names of fishes and seaweeds and other discoveries. I could imagine Professor Aronnax carried away by the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see such wonders, and was amazed at his knowledge of so much geography, being able to identify islands by the mountains and other features. I am amazed at the thought that this book was published around 1870 considering how much Monsieur Verne got right or nearly right. I'm also amazed at the idea that this was written at a time when there was no Internet, no Google, and even maps and reference books were potentially inaccurate and hard to get. Verne truly was a scholar. I mean, really, Spoilerhow much did we know about Antarctica in 1870?

As a former submariner I scoffed at some of the things he got wrong, but for the most part was very willing to grant a large amount of leeway considering the date of the book. Inaccuracy regarding the speeds and depths of submarines, for example, are part of what make it science fiction. For me the most egregious wrongs were that when you are on a ship or submarine of any kind you would need to “stow for sea” and couldn't just Spoilerhave a museum of priceless spoils on display like you were in a living room, and you can't play demolition derby with your submarine. There were many scenes of using it to batter ships and ice that had me cringing.

Despite those issues, I loved it. I couldn't give it five stars, mostly because of the sense of European colonialism that informed various interactions. Spoiler”I could easily have knocked down this native, who was within a short length; but I thought that it was better to wait for real hostile demonstrations. Between Europeans and savages, it is proper for the Europeans to parry sharply, not to attack.” That quote perfectly encapsulates both the highs and lows of the book, but as someone who wrote many years before several of my favorite early 20th century science fiction and fantasy authors, I look forward to further exploration of his work and more from that era.

To provide perspective, I loved The Martian and haven't yet read Artemis. I read The Martian after having seen the movie and still loved it. It was the only fiction book I read in 2021 that I rated 5 stars, so hearing people say Project Hail Mary was even better set some pretty high expectations.

Those expectations were not met. Don't get me wrong. I ripped through Project Hail Mary in just a few days and spent time devouring it at every opportunity. It motivated me to read, and if every book went down as easily as that one I'd be able to set my reading goal at 100 books or more. There were even a couple of times when I felt very sad, thought it didn't bring me to tears.

My biggest problem is that I defy you to read that book after watching The Martian and not see Matt Damon in that role. Ryland Grace is essentially Mark Watney, and that did a lot to take me out of the story. Now Stephen King writes a lot of authors as main characters, and each reflects him at least to some extent, but there are differences between them. We have a much smaller sample size with Andy Weir, but I hope he pushes the bounds of his characters beyond that prototypical science guy.

I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll be vague. I did enjoy the mystery that unfolded, and the structure of the plot worked very well for me, at least in the episodes that were pure flashback. The science seemed solid and interesting, though I didn't spend time trying to assess each and every decision and fact. I suspended my disbelief and rode with it, which worked for me. I was there for the story, not the science.

I felt that things were explained pretty well, and didn't feel there were any gaping plot holes, so I was satisfied with the ending and the decisions he made along the way. The stakes were very high, but at no point did I think, “Gee, he's gonna do it. He's gonna give us an unhappy ending.”

So ultimately the book worked for me for exactly what I wanted. I'd been reading The Brothers Karamazov and needed a palate cleanser before diving back in to that. I had intended on hopping back and forth between them, but Project Hail Mary did engross me way too much for that to happen. It was a good yarn, an escapist adventure that is easy to enjoy, quick to read, and enjoyable.

It did, however, make me more interested in reading Artemis despite many people saying it is the inferior book of the three. I appreciate that.

I'm not sure what the aim of this book is. It is made up of 400 years of history, divided into 5-year chunks, giving us 80 short essays and other pieces, interspersed by poems.

I definitely learned things. I heard from authors with perspectives and backgrounds different from mine, which was incredibly valuable. I learned about events in our history I never would learn in school. There were cultural references I did not understand, but that spurred me to do additional research.

The quality and interest of the pieces varied, as you'd expect with 80 different authors. It isn't a book you'll read from cover to cover, but was good for digesting in chunks here and there.

I just finished this book this morning, so it is still weighing on my mind. The full effect may not be felt for days, but here is my first attempt at a review.

This book both is and is not what I expected. It is both more and less poignant than I expected. The end was both more and less impactful than I expected.

I guess that comes from having expectations. I'm familiar with the movie, but haven't seen it. I knew the plot. I've not read the book before, so my awareness was from some sort of cultural osmosis, hence my expectations.

First of all, it was published in 1959. It hasn't aged terribly poorly, but there are some kind of uncomfortable moments. It is unusual that a story would win both a Hugo (as a short story) and then a Nebula several years later as a novel. Despite the date of publication, I did find it relevant and insightful to the themes of family expectations and dynamics, adverse childhood events, treatment of the the mentally ill, our thirst for emotional connection, and the competitive and sometimes shallow “rat race” of science, if you'll pardon the pun.

A couple of the expectations I had were that Algernon would play a bigger part and that the downward spiral would be longer and explored more deeply. That was me focusing on the Algernon in the title, and not the flowers, which I find to be an important metaphor for the theme of emotional connection that runs through the book. And I'm not saying the downward spiral was given short shrift. It was done artfully, poignantly, and well. The point of the novel wasn't the experience of the downward spiral as much as it was the impact of the rise and fall and attempts to “go back home” and the perspective from inside and outside of someone with reduced intellect.

I think the book is deserving of its reputation and one I would recommend to anyone.