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geeklet's Reviews (338)
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
TL;DR: Straight up loved it. 5 stars!
Book three of my Hugo & Nebula Best Novel challenge down and this is my favorite so far!
The Great Lorenzo is having a bit of a problem. He's clearly a very talented actor but he just isn't getting the jobs that his talent needs. Or any jobs really. Quite frankly, he's absolutely broke. Thankfully for him, he's just the perfect actor for a once-in-a-lifetime role. He is hired to take on a secret job impersonating someone. He later learns that he's not just impersonating a regular guy, he's going to have to impersonate Expansionist leader John Joseph Bonforte. Mr. Bonforte has gotten kidnapped and it's up to our man Lorenzo Smythe/Lawrence Smith to convincely step into Bonforte's shoes.
Positives:
I pretty much loved everything about this book. The entire book is written in first person through the eyes of Lorenzo. I found Lorenzo to be extremely likable, at least for a narcissistic washed-up actor. This book is extremely fast paced. Lorenzo is basically just tossed from situation to situation where he must challenge himself to achieve incredible performances. As the story moves along, I found Heinlein's commentary about politicians to be hilarious. The book also doesn't really feel *that* dated. I can tell it's an older story but it reads really well. The book is short and doesn't waste a lot of time describing technology. This helps the book feel less dated. The book also doesn't really have any true villains. All of the characters are incredibly competent, even our man Lorenzo.
Negatives:
The story is incredibly implausible. It didn't really bother me because I read the book as a comedy but there's no real way that Lorenzo could have pulled off everything in the book. There's only one female character and she's stuck in a secretary role. She's pretty important though and she's obviously really intelligent. As usual for this time period, she's in love with her boss but whatever. Power is sexy, I get it. If you're into world building, there's not much to be found here.
I don't really think this is a book that you absolutely must read but it's absolutely worth your time if you stumble onto it. I had a great time reading it. It's a funny and quick read.
Book three of my Hugo & Nebula Best Novel challenge down and this is my favorite so far!
The Great Lorenzo is having a bit of a problem. He's clearly a very talented actor but he just isn't getting the jobs that his talent needs. Or any jobs really. Quite frankly, he's absolutely broke. Thankfully for him, he's just the perfect actor for a once-in-a-lifetime role. He is hired to take on a secret job impersonating someone. He later learns that he's not just impersonating a regular guy, he's going to have to impersonate Expansionist leader John Joseph Bonforte. Mr. Bonforte has gotten kidnapped and it's up to our man Lorenzo Smythe/Lawrence Smith to convincely step into Bonforte's shoes.
Positives:
I pretty much loved everything about this book. The entire book is written in first person through the eyes of Lorenzo. I found Lorenzo to be extremely likable, at least for a narcissistic washed-up actor. This book is extremely fast paced. Lorenzo is basically just tossed from situation to situation where he must challenge himself to achieve incredible performances. As the story moves along, I found Heinlein's commentary about politicians to be hilarious. The book also doesn't really feel *that* dated. I can tell it's an older story but it reads really well. The book is short and doesn't waste a lot of time describing technology. This helps the book feel less dated. The book also doesn't really have any true villains. All of the characters are incredibly competent, even our man Lorenzo.
Negatives:
The story is incredibly implausible. It didn't really bother me because I read the book as a comedy but there's no real way that Lorenzo could have pulled off everything in the book. There's only one female character and she's stuck in a secretary role. She's pretty important though and she's obviously really intelligent. As usual for this time period, she's in love with her boss but whatever. Power is sexy, I get it. If you're into world building, there's not much to be found here.
I don't really think this is a book that you absolutely must read but it's absolutely worth your time if you stumble onto it. I had a great time reading it. It's a funny and quick read.
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
TL;DR: Uh..maybe like 2.5 stars but I'll round up again.
Book two of my Hugo & Nebula Best Novel challenge down!
Poor Joe Carter has a problem. He's telepathic (because someone's always telepathic in older sci-fi). He's spent his life learning how to appear completely ordinary. However, in college, he falls in with some professors who are working on creating a thinking machine. Named Bossy, this machine becomes the focal point of a battle between different groups. Will Bossy bring destruction to mankind or will it bring about a new age of humanity?
Positives:
Uhhh....well, I'm certain there were some positives. There's a lot of philosophy in this book that would possibly be interesting if it was in a more engaging story. The story never really had a chance breathe on its own because the philosophy just bogged down the narrative. It’s certainly not a bad story, it was just suffocated. As a reader, I just felt like I was being beaten over the head over and over by the same idea. I guess that's not really a positive though. Okay, positives....Joe wasn't nearly as annoying as he could have been. The story had a lot of potential. A big part of the story revolves around how a publicist influences public thinking. I really enjoyed those parts. There was also an interesting part about governments forcing universities to do research.
Negatives:
Whew, there are many. Usual complaints about early SF characters apply here. They're fairly dull and one-dimensional. I won't remember any of their names tomorrow. Crazy things happen to some of the characters and the aftereffects are just never explored. The story is filled with plot holes. No one bothered to tell the authors that you can show things instead of telling them. There are a lot of info dumps in this book. I have a pretty high tolerance for that sort of thing so it's unusual for me to notice them.
It's not a bad book. It's just not a good book. I am sure there were better books published the year that this one came out. I truly doubt that it really deserved to win a Hugo but it's not like a dumpster fire of a book. It's just dull and to me, that's worse than being bad. I'm sure I will toss this paperback on a shelf and completely forget everything about it by this time next ye
Book two of my Hugo & Nebula Best Novel challenge down!
Poor Joe Carter has a problem. He's telepathic (because someone's always telepathic in older sci-fi). He's spent his life learning how to appear completely ordinary. However, in college, he falls in with some professors who are working on creating a thinking machine. Named Bossy, this machine becomes the focal point of a battle between different groups. Will Bossy bring destruction to mankind or will it bring about a new age of humanity?
Positives:
Uhhh....well, I'm certain there were some positives. There's a lot of philosophy in this book that would possibly be interesting if it was in a more engaging story. The story never really had a chance breathe on its own because the philosophy just bogged down the narrative. It’s certainly not a bad story, it was just suffocated. As a reader, I just felt like I was being beaten over the head over and over by the same idea. I guess that's not really a positive though. Okay, positives....Joe wasn't nearly as annoying as he could have been. The story had a lot of potential. A big part of the story revolves around how a publicist influences public thinking. I really enjoyed those parts. There was also an interesting part about governments forcing universities to do research.
Negatives:
Whew, there are many. Usual complaints about early SF characters apply here. They're fairly dull and one-dimensional. I won't remember any of their names tomorrow. Crazy things happen to some of the characters and the aftereffects are just never explored. The story is filled with plot holes. No one bothered to tell the authors that you can show things instead of telling them. There are a lot of info dumps in this book. I have a pretty high tolerance for that sort of thing so it's unusual for me to notice them.
It's not a bad book. It's just not a good book. I am sure there were better books published the year that this one came out. I truly doubt that it really deserved to win a Hugo but it's not like a dumpster fire of a book. It's just dull and to me, that's worse than being bad. I'm sure I will toss this paperback on a shelf and completely forget everything about it by this time next ye
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
TL;DR: 3 1/2 stars but I'm the kind of person who rounds up.
Book one of my Hugo & Nebula Best Novel challenge down!
We're first introduced to Ben Reich. He's the head of the Monarch company. He's suffering from bad dreams where he sees a man without a face. He's also a megalomaniac and prone to paranoia. He attempts to merge his company with a competitor because Monarch is suffering from financial problems. However, due to...well, himself...he feels like the offer to merge is rejected. Naturally, he decides the next best option is to kill the head of the other company, Craye D'Courtney. I assume this isn't a natural reaction in business but what do I know, I studied social sciences. Anyway, unfortunately for our good man Reich, he lives in a future where psychic powers have developed in a portion of the population. These psychics, called Espers, range in ability but are able to find employment throughout society. We later meet Police Prefect Lincoln Powell who is the highest class of Esper. Turns out, psychics make for good cops. The story then unfolds into a cat and mouse game.
Positives:
I am shocked at how much I did enjoy this book. I was expecting a fairly stuffy older sci-fi novel. Instead I found the book to be fun and fast paced. I was really interested in the story and had no real issues with the narrative outside of some weirder parts introduced towards the end. I also thought the book was written really well. The author did some cool things with typography to show a mental conversation between the Espers.
I also thought some of the themes were really interesting. I liked reading about a world where psychics and regular humans just existed together. Psychics still have to find proof and back up their claims. I also just liked the idea of someone trying to outsmart a psychic.
Negatives:
Standard claims about old sci-fi apply here and they don't really need to be rehashed. You're not going to get the most compelling characters. The book also got a little weird at the end. There's a strange subplot about a woman being de-aged mentally and then falling in love with the father figure as she got older. It was supposed to be a way to help her with PTSD but...uh...I mean, it just didn't sit well. I can't really decide how I feel about the end of the novel with the big climax. The idea behind it is really cool but it seemed to just pop up out of nowhere.
Overall, this book was quite enjoyable. I've read some older sci-fi in the past and in general, I've liked what I've read. I'm looking forward to continuing this challenge.
Book one of my Hugo & Nebula Best Novel challenge down!
We're first introduced to Ben Reich. He's the head of the Monarch company. He's suffering from bad dreams where he sees a man without a face. He's also a megalomaniac and prone to paranoia. He attempts to merge his company with a competitor because Monarch is suffering from financial problems. However, due to...well, himself...he feels like the offer to merge is rejected. Naturally, he decides the next best option is to kill the head of the other company, Craye D'Courtney. I assume this isn't a natural reaction in business but what do I know, I studied social sciences. Anyway, unfortunately for our good man Reich, he lives in a future where psychic powers have developed in a portion of the population. These psychics, called Espers, range in ability but are able to find employment throughout society. We later meet Police Prefect Lincoln Powell who is the highest class of Esper. Turns out, psychics make for good cops. The story then unfolds into a cat and mouse game.
Positives:
I am shocked at how much I did enjoy this book. I was expecting a fairly stuffy older sci-fi novel. Instead I found the book to be fun and fast paced. I was really interested in the story and had no real issues with the narrative outside of some weirder parts introduced towards the end. I also thought the book was written really well. The author did some cool things with typography to show a mental conversation between the Espers.
I also thought some of the themes were really interesting. I liked reading about a world where psychics and regular humans just existed together. Psychics still have to find proof and back up their claims. I also just liked the idea of someone trying to outsmart a psychic.
Negatives:
Standard claims about old sci-fi apply here and they don't really need to be rehashed. You're not going to get the most compelling characters. The book also got a little weird at the end. There's a strange subplot about a woman being de-aged mentally and then falling in love with the father figure as she got older. It was supposed to be a way to help her with PTSD but...uh...I mean, it just didn't sit well. I can't really decide how I feel about the end of the novel with the big climax. The idea behind it is really cool but it seemed to just pop up out of nowhere.
Overall, this book was quite enjoyable. I've read some older sci-fi in the past and in general, I've liked what I've read. I'm looking forward to continuing this challenge.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Overall, it was an enjoyable novella. I think it works as a proof of concept but there’s just not enough to really chew on right now. I’m curious about the world and the mystery this novella has set up.
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes