manuphoto's reviews
924 reviews

Lazarus, Vol. 6: Fracture I by Greg Rucka

adventurous dark emotional 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

3.25

Startide Rising by David Brin

adventurous emotional tense 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

4.0

This book has been on my TBR for the longest time. Because of conflicting reviews and other things, I put off reading it for almost two years. I finally took the time to read it and I’m glad I did!

It has a slow start, even a bit confusing at times in the first few chapters. Then, it picks up steam gradually until eventually becoming a page turner about halfway in. It’s sort of a slow burner but with an excellent payoff.

I haven’t read that many books with the concept of uplifting and this on certainly has a unique take on it. At first I was a bit incredulous (dolphins in space, really?) but after a little while, I could suspend disbelief and actually enjoy the story and Brin’s great prose. 

It’s a bit of the anti-Heinlein book. Heinlein grabs you with a tremendous start and a great concept, then he gets philosophical for 300 pages. Brin doesn’t do that in this book, he actually throws you into his world and you gradually settle in, getting to know all the players and becoming more and more involved in the story. 

You “experience” the different philosophies rather than having them explained to you, which I prefer. That approach combined with Brin’s prose and great cast of characters make this book a winner for me! I thoroughly enjoyed it and wholeheartedly recommend it!

I’m looking forward to reading The Uplift War soon.

Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein

adventurous challenging reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This was my fourth Robert Heinlein novel. Although he’s far from my favourite author, I understand perfectly why he’s considered one of the classic writers in American science-fiction.

Let’s first address the elephant in the room. Several characters in this book are sexist, racist and homophobic. Taken at face value, it can be horrifying and distracting, making it impossible for one to enjoy the story. It’s always hard to know if a book reflects an author’s point of view or if he’s making fun of certain types of characters or behaviours. I’m an optimist, therefore, I chose to read this novel as a satire (bear with me).

The blatant belittling of women, the horrendous behaviour, the repetitive mansplaining... If we look at these elements at face value, it makes the book unreadable and portraits its author as a horrible person. That remark by Jill that women are responsible for getting raped was… most unsettling for example (to put it kindly). I cannot fathom that Heinlein was actually holding this as true; to me it has to be satiric and a denouncing of such mentality. Again, it’s the optimist in me talking, I haven’t read Heinlein’s biography. 

I’m not saying he was an angel, but I think he’s actually showing what reprehensible behaviour is by just, well, showing it. Heinlein doesn’t add a sentence like “and doing this is mean and stupid” because if the reader doesn’t catch that… well then he’s the one who’s to blame in my opinion. 

I think it’s a satire, like Starship Troopers is in many ways. I don’t think it reflects the author’s values, or at least not completely. Don’t get me wrong, as a white male writing in the 40s, 50s and 60s, I’m sure he had many racial, social and sexual prejudices, but we have to acknowledge that these were, sadly, commonplace at the time (and sometimes still are).

It really boils down to the character of Jubal Harshaw. Is he a stand-in for Robert Heinlein? Or a way to criticize this kind of behaviour? Even though Jubal shares some attributes with Heinlein (I understand he was a libertarian to some degree), I don’t think he’s a stand in. He’s an old man, and part of his attitude towards women (calling them “kid”, or saying “that’s a good girl” when a woman performs her job) sounds indeed dated within the book itself, like it’s out of place in the universe it is presenting us.

He’s putting our noses in our own crap, I think it’s a very efficient way to tell people how not to behave, rather than preaching about proper behaviour. But you have to read it as such, as second degree writing, not at face value. Maybe I’m completely wrong and Heinlein truly was a horrible person, but that’s the feeling I got out of it, maybe because I’ve read many French satires in my youth. He probably also was conflicted about all of this, as some of his ideas obviously went against the contemporary practices.

I will say that his take on homosexuality seems closer to what the author holds as true. When he says that Mike should feel the “wrongness“ of it, I do not think he’s being sarcastic there, I think he’s being truthful. It is appalling of course, but also sadly reflective of how many people thought at the time this novel was written. More globally, I think the narrator’s POV and Mike’s reflections are closer to Heinlein’s perspective than Jubal’s or Jill’s. I think these two are here to expose and challenge, not to relay his beliefs.

Now for the story itself, it reminds me a lot of “L’ingénu” by Voltaire; somebody so disconnected from the society he’s now facing that his judgment is much less partial than ours. It’s just that Heinlein chose a guy from Mars instead of a Huron from Canada. It’s a philosophical tale, just like Voltaire’s, albeit much more bloated than Voltaire’s. 

It’s something of a trend with Heinlein: great concept, grabbing start and first few chapters, then it becomes a slog until it picks up again (sometimes). His middle sections can be quite weak and this is no exception. He obviously didn’t believe in the saying “less is more”. It is not boring per se, but it is a bit overdrawn. The last third in particular is a bit sluggish and telegraphed. Which is a shame, given how well the pacing was handled in the first part of the book. I didn’t mind all the sex and the concepts, I just found the execution to be a bit sloppy and overdrawn. A case of “get to the point, please”. He eventually does, in the last 50 pages or so.

All in all, a controversial author, a controversial book and probably a controversial review. I certainly don’t want to condone homophobia, sexism or other horrible attitudes and actions, but I also think many reviewers failed to understand Heinlein’s subtlety. Again, don’t read this book at face value, you will be horrified. If you read it as a satire, it can actually be interesting and deep (at times). It is worth reading with such a mindset, to challenge oneself and not be influenced by others who think ill of the work before even reading it. 

Always read books with an open mind and draw your own conclusions.

Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Vingt Mille Lieues Sous Les Mers by Jules Verne

adventurous emotional mysterious sad slow-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

4.5

Une lecture fort intéressante à la hauteur de la réputation de l’ouvrage. Il est remarquable de constater à quel point Jules Verne était au fait de la science de son temps et commet nombre de ses observations techniques et scientifiques s’appliquent toujours aujourd’hui.

Le récit est divisé entre moments d’aventures et moments de contemplation et d’analyse. Verne sait écrire des personnages attachants et dynamiques, rendant ses scènes d’action captivantes et parfois même amusantes.

Les parties d’observation sont certes parfois longues mais toujours intéressantes. Elles transmettent à merveille l’émerveillement du naturaliste devant son sujet d’étude. C’est un état d’esprit que d’aucun ferait bien d’adopter plus souvent.

Les qualités littéraires de Jules Verne sont indéniables, rendant la lecture agréable et enrichissante. Enfin, le message humaniste et écologique de l’auteur, assez en avance pour son époque, résonne aujourd’hui avec encore plus de force.

Un grand classique qui mérite d’être lu, relu et discuté.

English

A highly interesting read, living up to the reputation of the work. It's remarkable to see how Jules Verne was well-versed in the science of his time, and many of his technical and scientific observations still apply today.

The narrative is divided between moments of adventure and moments of contemplation and analysis. Verne excels in crafting engaging and dynamic characters, making his action scenes captivating and at times even amusing.

The observational parts, while occasionally lengthy, remain intriguing. They convey the wonder of a naturalist studying their subject with great skill. It's a mindset that many should adopt more often.

Jules Verne's literary qualities are undeniable, making the reading experience enjoyable and enriching. Finally, the author's humanistic and ecological message, ahead of its time, resonates even more powerfully today.

A true classic that deserves to be read, reread, and discussed.

The Big Time by Fritz Leiber

funny reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

This is not my kind of book.

I think this ought to be played on stage rather than read on paper. It does read like a play, a surrealist one at that. It reminded me of reading André Breton’s works when I was younger. Everything is second or third degree, every sentence is poetic, but the global sense of it all is sometimes hard to grasp.

It certainly is very different from most science-fiction I’ve read, which is a plus. However it is also confusing and sometimes sluggish, with big digressions. But the book is very short so it remains relatively palatable. It does feel more like a literary exercise than an actual story, so it’s very hard to rate properly. I’m glad I’ve read it, but I know I won’t take it if the shelf again and I can’t, in good faith, recommend it.

They'd Rather Be Right by Mark Clifton

adventurous reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Not nearly as bad as I was led to believe. It’s actually a fun read. Yes it’s very pulpy, very 1950s and the gender roles are, err, “old school” (even downright misogynistic at times, especially in the last third of the book), but it’s full of great sci-fi ideas.

The take on Artificial Intelligence and its impact on society, the “morality” of machines, etc, is really interesting. These are still very relevant themes. I enjoyed how they were explored in the novel, although I have to admit that as a whole, it’s not that coherent. It’s a bit messy in fact, but still enjoyable and easy to read. Plus, it’s quite short. So I do recommend it, it is worth reading. 

I wouldn’t call it a great achievement but it can make one think on important topics and that’s already more than many novels can claim.

Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson

adventurous challenging informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Before taking on this book, I’d asked for advice. Some people loved it, others hated it, calling it a total slog. Usually these comments applied for the next two books in the series also.

Now that I’ve read Red Mars, I can say that I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading the rest of the series, just not right away.

It certainly isn’t light reading and I totally understand why many readers would find it boring and uninteresting. This book is a great study of human society put in a very detailed hard sci-fi novel. It doesn’t make for a quick read, but I for one found it fascinating.

It’s not perfect. For example, the character of Maya was especially inconsistent and flat, especially compared to other more coherent characters, either male or female. I also didn’t care much for Frank, but I connected with the rest of the cast a lot better. I really liked following Nadia, she is a great character. Arkady, Hiroko and John were good too.

Robinson is an excellent writer. It takes one to write such a complex novel without it becoming a huge mess. He clearly did his research on the Red Planet and it’s fascinating just on that level (colonizing Mars, terraforming, etc.) but it’s his analysis of our flaws as human beings and societies that I find spot on. This was written over 30 years ago and is still very, very relevant in many ways.

So yes, this kind of deep dive has to be your thing for you to enjoy and appreciate this work, and it’s totally fine if it’s not for you. I will definitely read Green Mars and Blue Mars, although I will also read some lighter material before doing so. One needs a freshened palate before taking on another one of these. Shikata ga nai 

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

adventurous funny medium-paced

3.0

The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal

adventurous emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I enjoyed this book to a point, but I do not think it is a masterpiece, nor even an excellent novel. It’s a bit too hyped I’m afraid.

It treats very important matters on misogyny, racism and global human behaviour. Kowal knows how to create a compelling story, and our lead character, Elma, is certainly a good one, a character we want to follow (at least in the first half of the novel). She’s a bit alone though, as the other characters are very generic. 

During the last third of the novel, even Elma can get annoying at times, she’s a bit too perfect, and perfect characters are boring. She has one major flaw that is used as a plot device but otherwise she never puts a foot wrong and it gets tiring. Plus she has a perfect, handsome, understanding husband and a jerk for a boss… I mean, it’s not very original nor interesting a setup. It’s a shame because she’s ideal to present how women are being bullied by men and shameless patriarchy at work against women. Kowal does that with her, but in a very basic manner.

As much as I enjoy a good uchronia, I found this one to be very much "by the numbers". The premise is a bit too reminiscent of “Spin” by Robert Charles Wilson (an astronomical event that forces humanity to seek shelter off-Earth). As for the prose, it is clear, efficient, but bland and repetitive at times. I usually prefer clear prose to overly complicated writing for the sake of it, but I just don’t think it’s on the same level as N.K. Jemisin for example, or Dan Simmons (I’m only talking about prose here…). It does feel like a YA novel at times (with a complete lack of literary poetry), even though the scientific aspects and the (very corny) sex scenes prevent it from really falling in this category.

All in all, a relatively enjoyable story, but not one that will stay with me nor makes me want to read the whole series. As I said, it tackles important issues in our society through the use of science-fiction, which is both laudable and relevant. Sci-fi exists in part to achieve that and Kowal is clearly aware of it. I just found it to be too much on the nose and shallow at times, but it might be by design. Maybe some readers need it to be this way to get the message. I for one liked but didn’t love the whole experience. I agree with the author on all those points (ie many men are jerks who prevent women from achieving things because they are scared little boys, racists are idiots, etc.), and they should be pointed out. I just didn’t appreciate the way she did it. She’s preaching to the choir in a very unrefined manner, and it prevented me from looking passed that.