Astrotruckers
by Mikael Niemi
translated from Swedish by Laurie Thompson
written in 2004
translated in 2007
read in December 2012
science fiction, collection
rated as 6 / 10: read to pass the time
A lot of interesting science fiction type ideas. Some social satire presented with a dash of sometimes rough humour. A Scandinavian view of the world. What's not to like?
Well, it's not a novel. It's not even a collection of short stories. It's a collection of ideas.
Some of the ideas are presented as stories. Those stories add very little to the core idea. The occasional comment by the author that this is not a story... well... honest but adds very little to the enjoyment of reading.
Niemi -- the author -- has a heap of interesting ideas. He has taken a lazy approach to these ideas: here they are, I'm not going to wrap them up in the fancy framework of a story...
All very nice. An idea for its own sake.
Unfortunately it leaves me not asking for more.
The ideas are mixed, so there is no theme which makes me think, I'd like to read more. There are no regular characters, so I am not left wondering, what will they do next.
So okay, read this book to pass the time. And to open your mind to some interesting and possibly new ideas.
I'm hoping to find the interesting ideas in a book with a plot and characters. With a beginning a middle and an end. That is, in a story.
====
Problems ? Solved
No comments:
Post a Comment