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chan_fry's reviews
164 reviews
3.0
I have mixed feelings on this, some of which is certainly due to my heritage — exactly the kind of people described.
I enjoyed the different take on U.S. history, the quotations I hadn’t seen before, and the tying together of several disparate threads of poor white people. On the other hand, I struggled with Isenberg’s usage of “white trash” to mean “poor white people”, since in my experience they have always carried distinct (if often overlapping) meanings. The same is true of hillbilly, redneck, and other terms which she uses interchangeably — only acknowledging 200+ pages into the book that “some” disagree that the terms are synonyms.
And I was certainly confused by the usage of “we” — who is we in this book? She never says. Certainly we never included poor whites, who have always been aware of the class system in the country. If so, I have to count myself among the they, which made for weird reading.
(I have published a longer review on my website.)
4.0
Aside from a relatively minor complaint that “faith” is used differently than I’m accustomed to (it seems Scalzi is using it as a synonym for “devotion”), I really enjoyed this departure from my usual Scalzi fare.
In a universe where gods are real, and numerous, but not omni-anything, Captain Ean Tephe experiences a few things that shake his faith (again, not used to mean “belief”, but something else).
(I have published a longer review on my website.)
4.0
It’s probably two or three stars if I were grading fairly, but I’m not. It’s difficult to put a score on a set of stories like this, which have permeated pop culture through the majority of my lifetime. The literature itself isn’t incredibly profound or groundbreaking, and some might take umbrage at my very use of the word “literature” here.
Still, the stories are captivating, easy enough to read, and gosh darnit they’re fun.
I will say that even in these three novelizations, the canon changed — both from one book to the next and from the book to its accompanying film. So it’s odd to hear fans *today* complain about the ever-changing canon of Star Wars — because it’s been changing the whole time, friend.
(I have published a longer review on my website.)
4.0
Purely for the original elements, I can see why this won both Hugo and Nebula “Best Novella” awards. It’s different, interesting, and shows a unique perspective than almost all other science fiction I’ve read.
Still, I took off points for what felt like a lack of world-building (I still know next to nothing about what kind of future these humans and non-humans live in), as well as for several instances when I never could figure out what happened. For example, I didn’t understand what Binti meant when she said she had died once before and that “dying a second time” seemed like a good plan.
Overall, it’s enjoyable, and its brief length means it doesn’t require a huge time investment from the reader.
(I have published a longer review on my website.)
3.0
A solid 3.5. This is in the top ten list for longest books I’ve ever read, but I’m glad I did. There is a wealth of information here, and it was relevant to someone of my generation — Clinton is the first president I was old enough to vote for — who previously knew little about Mr. Clinton or his presidency besides headlines, rumors, and soundbites.
I was struck by many things, which I’ve mentioned in a longer review on my website, one of which was simply how busy he was. A simple list of all the conferences, summits, speeches, hearings, meetings, etc. would have been a fairly lengthy book, even without commentary.
There are inconsistent style changes throughout, some lame attempts at humor, and a surprising amount of mini-biographies about people he knew or met, so it’s not a perfect book by any means. But the style is usually clear, and easy to read, and the facts typically presented in linear, chronological order.
4.0
I liked this one a slight bit more than Binti, though it was nearly twice as long (still only 162 pages). A few more details of the wider universe are filled in here, which I appreciated, but they didn’t come via exposition; the author brilliantly wove this information into the action and dialog.
Continuing to be unlike any other sci-fi I’ve ever read, this series is brilliant and I can’t wait to read the third and closing book.
(I’ve published a longer review on my website.)
4.0
I think I enjoyed this one the most of the three Binti novellas — though of course it requires the first two in order to make sense (the first one is the only one that can stand alone).
Like the other two, it brimmed with originality, verve, and emotion. Descriptions were clear, concise. My only point off is for what I felt like was weak world-building — and I don’t mean the author didn’t fully develop a universe; perhaps she did; it just didn’t come across to me very clearly outside the main events and main characters.
(I have published a longer review on my website.)
4.0
My spouse found this at the local public library and brought it home for me, knowing I’ve been trying to write science fiction. I’m glad she did. Not only is there plenty of useful information, but the chapters are short and the writers are each experts in their fields.
Much of this information is available on Dan Koboldt’s blog site, which I’ve bookmarked for future reference as I continue to write sci-fi. Personally, I think filmmakers need this more than book authors — I’m far more likely to spot farcical “science” in movies than in books — but all of us could probably do a little better.
(I have published a longer review on my website.)
2.0
Perhaps a 2.4. I thought I would enjoy this more than I did, due to my sometimes singleminded focus on environmentalism. But it was simply too difficult to read. The text itself is simply and clearly written, and is divided into easily digestible blocks of 100 or so words per block. But the design of the pages was disastrous — at least for the way I read. Large colorful infographics dominate each page, and little blocks of text are haphazardly scattered around them (different pattern for each page).
There is actually a lot of useful information in this book. Juniper’s research was impressively thorough. For someone who is (1) kind of on the fence about environmentalism and (2) has a knack for reading comic-book-style hardcover nonfiction books, I think this tome would be perfect.
(I have published a longer review on my website.)
2.0
Somewhere, Clarke wrote that this was his favorite among his own novels, but it’s not mine. Though plenty of cool Big Ideas are brought to bear — including how humans might deal with the coming destruction of Earth, what a society might be like if all references to religion were deleted from the historical archives, and how we might colonize other planets given realistic technology — the book as a novel simply wasn’t as interesting as it could have been.
Several times, it seems like the plot is about to get interesting, but it never does. Just as it seems two groups of humans are too diverse to get along well, it turns out that there really aren’t any differences between them. Just as it seems a mutinous plot will put everyone in danger, the trouble ends peacefully. Just as it seems humans will meet a sentient extra-terrestrial species, that plotline is buried. Just as it seems a love triangle will burst into conflict, everyone is okay with it. Clarke had quite a few chances for conflict here and avoided them all.
The three stars I confer are due to the aforementioned Big Ideas and their development.
(I have published a longer review on my website.)
Edit: I’ve changed my rating to two stars, mainly because I immediately followed this by reading Childhood's End; the contrasts are remarkable.