The City and the Stars / Arthur C Clarke

The City and the Stars

by  Arthur C Clarke

science fiction

copyright 1968

read in November 2021 (and before)

rated 7/10: well worth reading

This is the story of humanity split in three: the high tech city dwellers, the telepathic low-tech country folk and the citizens of a space empire. The time scale is galactic: at least a thousand million years of human future history. The action is scaled down to follow just one person, one person who brings humanity together again. But slowly...

Just when you think that's it, all problems are solved -- there's more. The book covers all aspects of a huge story. And no, it is not boring. The time-scale is huge, the story is well-contained.

This book also contains a sequence which sticks in my mind, as a part of what I call dexitroboping. It's the restoration of sanity to the robot... if that helps :-)

The scale is huge. The book also includes chapters where the author is saying, Look at my enormous imagination... how else can you explain the planets round the seven suns?

It's a good book. Enjoyable for its story. And eye-opening for the scale of the action.

Also... The virtual world of the City is better than that in Ready Player Two.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

...        Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved

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There are no disasters, only opportunities. And, indeed, opportunities for fresh disasters." ... Boris Johnson

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Dying for you to read my blog, at https://notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com/ :-)

2001 A Space Odyssey / Arthur C Clarke

2001 A Space Odyssey

by Arthur C Clarke

science fiction

copyright 1968

read in November 2021

rated 6/10: read to pass the time.

I've seen the movie -- when it first came out. This is the book based on the movie. Will it explain what the movie was about?

Sort of.

The movie was amazing vision set to beautiful music. Then there's the flashing through space... to a mysterious and incomprehensible ending.

The book lacks the vision and music. It does explain why the shuttle hostess walks funny. Other than that, the main body of the book does give explanations... sometimes at odds with the movie.

Then the book takes us flashing through space -- with less explanation and less logic than the movie.

Then the astronaut becomes a "Star Child". I only know that from reading Wikipedia. The Star Child sees an orbiting nuclear bomb -- and explodes it! Why? No explanation.

The end of the book is as mysterious and as incomprehensible as the end of the movie, but with a nuclear bomb.

Oh, and back at the beginning... the book is clearer: The aliens influence man-apes towards intelligence. The book is very clear: the man-apes use their new intelligence to kill animals for food. To kill predators for safety. Then to kill other man-apes because... because they exist.

Perhaps the nuclear ending suits that depressing view of the uses of intelligence.

Watch the movie for the visual effects and music. Read the book for... well... for no reason other than to compare it with the movie.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

...        Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved

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There are no disasters, only opportunities. And, indeed, opportunities for fresh disasters." ... Boris Johnson

===

Dying for you to read my blog, at https://notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com/ :-)

Ready Player Two / Ernest Cline

Ready Player Two

by Ernest Cline

science fiction

young adult

copyright 2020

started reading in November 2021

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

This book takes up the story soon after Ready Player One. The hero now rules, owns and has super-powers in the virtual world. He has also become a creep. He is cut off from and disagreeing with his key friends from One. All rather unpleasant.

The virtual world is now full sensory immersion. Players are full-Matrix cut off from the real world. They are unconscious, unaware and unprotected. The hero sees no problem with this.

Perhaps there *is* no problem with this.  How do players pay? The book does not mention. Once they run out of subscription fees, perhaps they are forced back into the real world.

The book is also full of the game-boy references which were fun in One and are now somewhat ridiculous. It's all in the mind -- or the machine -- but it may as well be wish-fulfilment magic.

At page 81 I stopped reading. There was nothing that made me want to follow the full story.

I hope that the hero returns to being human. I may, sometime in the future, try to read further.

For now, however, enough.

And the rating of six is generous. It would be five, readable if there's nothing else, except that I hope for improvement. After all, book One was quite good... I know that the author can do it.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

...        Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved

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No matter how much you push the envelope, it will still be stationery

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Dying for you to read my blog, at https://notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com/ :-)

Pride and Prejudice / Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice 

by Jane Austen

Romance

copyright 1813

04jan24: Yes, I've read it again -- and enjoyed it again.

There's another book that I see as an updated... to 1909... version of P&P. Yet Set in Silver makes P&P seems harsh by comparison.

P&P is very much a critique of society. Where characters are foolish, or unpleasant, the author does not hesitate to say so. Both strengths and weaknesses are laid out clearly for the reader.

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read... several times... last in October 2021

rated 9/10: really, really good

Good grief! I've read P&P so many times -- and have yet to review it.

So here goes:

In October 2021 I re-read P&P.

Enjoyed it thoroughly.

Reached the end and thought, Oh, that was sooo good :-)

So LotR is still my favourite book.

Right now, I think that P&P must be my *second* favourite.

For entirely different reasons.

For a hint of my reasons... have a look at my review for Persuasion.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

...        Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved

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Dec 2022: read it again, enjoyed it again :-) What a thoroughly enjoyable book :-)

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I did have a new thought:

It can be difficult to understand all that happens. (1) the prose is somewhat complex. (2) there are assumptions that, a century later, I no longer understand.

And (3) Good grief. This book was written by candlelight. In longhand. Using a quill pen.

Given electricity. Electric lights. Good reading glasses. A modern word processor for drafts, checks, updates and corrections -- I still could not write an entire novel. Not even a bad one.

How did Austen do it? And so well.

It's amazing :-)

No matter how much you push the envelope, it will still be stationery

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Dying for you to read my blog, at https://notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com/ :-)

The Fourth Bear / Jasper Fforde

The Fourth Bear

(Nursery Crime)

by Jasper Fforde

fantasy, humour

copyright 2006

read in August 2021

rated 7/10: well worth reading

Fforde's Thursday Next books look behind the scenes of literature.

His Nursery Crime series is set in a world where children's characters are real.

I had a problem at the start... I am not familiar with all of the monster threats which are used to make children behave. The Nursery Rhyme characters are more familiar, I settled in to enjoy the book.

Lots of fun ideas. Several good characters, sometimes with interesting aspects beyond their nursery rhyme origins.

An enjoyable book, I may look for others in the series. A suitably complex plot. Just not enthralling.

I do like the idea of a Battle of the Somme theme park...

I've recently read several books which reference the Somme... and finally realised that it could have been a 100th anniversary. Even writers of humorous fantasy are happy to climb on a bandwagon :-)

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

...        Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved

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Question authority. Don't expect to like the answer." ... per Ginger Meggs

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Dying for you to read my blog, at https://notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com/ :-)

Guards! Guards! / Terry Pratchett

Guards! Guards!

(Discworld)

by Terry Pratchett

fantasy, humour

copyright 1989

read in August 2021

(and at least once before)

rated 9/10: really really good

This is one of Pratchett's best books.

Vimes and the Night Watch become a real force for crime fighting. Various other key characters are developing into their roles. It's an enjoyable -- and essential -- part of Discworld history.

More than that: all of these characters are portrayed sympathetically. You can't help but like them. Or, at least, you can't help but enjoy reading about them. In earlier books, I find that I don't really enjoy reading about Rincewind, the eternal loser.

The Guards characters -- the goodies, anyway -- are likeable. Pratchett treats them with sympathy and understanding.

Which is interesting... There are many statements about the general mass of people -- and Pratchett's views are very negative. Humanity (or its Discworld equivalent) is thoughtless, greedy, stupid, etc. Yet as individuals, they can be so much better.

We can despair at the stupidity of the mob. While admiring the nobility of individuals.

This is Pratchett at his very good best.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

...        Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved

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Question authority. Don't expect to like the answer." ... per Ginger Meggs

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Dying for you to read my blog, at https://notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com/ :-)

Upside Downside / Ron Goulart

Upside Downside

by Ron Goulart

science fiction

copyright 1982

read in August 2021

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

Is this book intended to be a "dystopia"? Probably not. It's a world that I would not like to live in. A view of the 50-year future where all our gloomy predictions have come true :-(

Then again... for the people who live there... who have adapted enough to control their own lives... perhaps it's not so bad.

It's not a nice world. Yet when I finished reading I was *not* left feeling miserable. So -- not a dystopia :-)

I enjoyed this book. Enough to keep an eye open for more by the same author.

Interesting story, good characters, great imagination. Probably intended as an introduction to more books with the same hero.

Unfortunately the hero is not interesting enough. Sure, I enjoyed this book. I would probably enjoy more in the series. Yet there is *no* feeling of, that was fun, no lingering, what a great character.

Enjoyable. Funny in places. Imaginative with interesting plot and solid action. But not a great book.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

...        Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved

===

Question authority. Don't expect to like the answer." ... per Ginger Meggs

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Dying for you to read my blog, at https://notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com/ :-)