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82nd out of 146 books
—
54 voters
The Practice Effect
by
David Brin (Goodreads Author)
Dennis Nuel is a physicist who, during his research, develops a machine that allows him to explore alternate realities, each of which sport some very strange scientific properties.
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
January 1st 1995
by Spectra
(first published 1984)
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Well, this is one of the most ridiculous premises I've ever seen for a science fiction book. If it were a fantasy book, Brin could explain all this in some mystical way and get away with it.
If this were the first book I'd read by Brin, I'd have given up without finishing it. Instead I'm merely disappointed that I've wasted my time. Oh, there are some mildly clever bits, but they're outweighed by the silly premise. And his "scientific" explanation at the end is wholly unsatisfying.
If this were the first book I'd read by Brin, I'd have given up without finishing it. Instead I'm merely disappointed that I've wasted my time. Oh, there are some mildly clever bits, but they're outweighed by the silly premise. And his "scientific" explanation at the end is wholly unsatisfying.
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Later on in his career, Brin will learn how to fashion together a plot, to make characters that have depth and to understand how to blend science in with a believable world. This novel was written in 1984 and does not have any of those elements.
There is one intriguing plot twist and I will reveal it right here: What happens if we reverse the Second Law of Thermodynamics? This book is a lame attempt at trying to explain what would take place if nothing falls apart but actually improves over time...more
There is one intriguing plot twist and I will reveal it right here: What happens if we reverse the Second Law of Thermodynamics? This book is a lame attempt at trying to explain what would take place if nothing falls apart but actually improves over time...more
Es una novela juvenil de aventuras, con un planteamiento que me gustó. Nuestro protagonista, doctor en Física (¡ay, algún día!) se ve transportado en un experimento a un mundo alternativo donde una de las leyes de la termodinámica está levemente trastocada. Tendrá que sobrevivir en un mundo diferente, en el que hay multitud de cosas chocantes. La novela cuenta con todos los elementos clásicos de una novela ligera de aventuras: el Chico, la Chica, el Secundario Cómico, el MaloMaloMalo, el Pueblo...more
I read the Practice Effect before I knew who David Brin was, and when I started reading David Brin I never made the connection that he was the guy who wrote the Practice Effect. In other words, it doesn't really read like a lot of the rest of Brin's work, and if you pick it up expecting it to you're going to be disappointed. That said, it's a marvelously fun story. If you expect your science fiction to be based on fundamentally sound, provable physics you should give this book a pass. (That said...more
Scientist Dennis Nuel has not only discovered a new world, but become trapped in it. Thanks to some mechanical malfunctions and a highly dysfunctional political system, Dennis becomes embroiled in feud between an evil Baron and those loyal to the King. While this would be adventure enough, this world does not follow the same laws of science as Earth, and one difference -- the so-called Practice Effect -- means that Dennis has to rethink his efforts to evade capture, save a kidnapped princess, an...more
¡Me encanta este libro! Es una lectura muy amena, y está lleno de aventuras con un toque de humor.
El profesor Dennis Nuel, es transportado a un mundo que parece estar todavía en su época medieval, y donde es confundido con un mago debido a sus conocimientos. Así Dennis se verá envuelto en una aventura tras otra, donde hay princesas secuestradas por el villano de turno, planes malvados para hacerse con un reino, y por supuesto contará con fieles ayudantes, entre ellos un robot y una curiosa criat...more
El profesor Dennis Nuel, es transportado a un mundo que parece estar todavía en su época medieval, y donde es confundido con un mago debido a sus conocimientos. Así Dennis se verá envuelto en una aventura tras otra, donde hay princesas secuestradas por el villano de turno, planes malvados para hacerse con un reino, y por supuesto contará con fieles ayudantes, entre ellos un robot y una curiosa criat...more
This was a fun little book with a very interesting concept… a physicist goes through a gate he helped build, but was broken, to fix it. He is in another world, but he doesn’t know where or when. He quickly learns that this world operates on the "practice effect" which means that objects get better with use. It's very interesting to think about how such a rule of physics could alter a whole society, from an anthropological, scientific, artistic, etc point of view. Just a really interesting concep...more
I have absolutely loved this book since I first read it at least a good 10 years ago (not entirely sure of the year). I loved the way it made me think about things and how a simple (or not so simple) rule change made everything so different. Was the actual plot the strongest? No. But it was an enjoyable, fun read and it forcing me to think has stayed with me and made this one of my most favorite sci-fi books ever. After reading it, I kept thinking of more and more ideas that could work in that u...more
This is my favorite book. It feels odd to make that statement, but there is no other book that has been replaced immediately, if it's loaned and not returned or pages begin to fall out. My entire family loves it. When my twenty-two-year-old granddaughter was here visiting, she asked my twelve-year-old grandson if he'd read it yet. His sixteen-year-old brother said, "You're od enough to read it now1"
The concept of a physicist entering an alternate world, where entropy is reversed is unique and Br...more
The concept of a physicist entering an alternate world, where entropy is reversed is unique and Br...more
This delicious and delectable work is constructed of a somewhat cheesy slice of the style of Michael Crichton's "Timeline", along with a meaty slab of the adventuring feel and odd technological wonderment of Robert Heinlein's classic "Glory Road", and a thin and leafy addition of generic fantasy world-making to (ahem) grease the wheels, as it were; all sandwiched between two hulking crusts of David Brin bread which serve to hold this wonderful idea of a story together. Bon appetite.
In the typica...more
In the typica...more
Mar 04, 2012
Tim Lewis
added it
Premise: The zievatron is a device that can access parallel worlds, and physicist Dennis Nuel has been locked out of the Zievatron Project by his rival, Bernald Brady. However, when the return mechanism ends up malfunctioning, Dennis is tapped as the only one who can fix it. The only problem is that he must go through to the other world to do so. With him will come the “pixolet”, a flying pixie-like creature that slipped in from the other world.
In searching for the materials to repair the return...more
In searching for the materials to repair the return...more
It started off feeling a lot like John Carter from A Princess of Mars meets A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. By the end I added a good dose of the movie Speed to the mix. That pretty much sums it up. Except for one thing that made it exceptional - the practice effect. I love when an author comes up with a really original idea that would deeply influence how things turned out in the world and follows it through. It turned a really basic and frequently used idea, that of the modern man...more
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The Practice Effect is a pseudo-sci-fi, maybe a bit more of a fantasy book, about a scientist who travels to a foreign land where the laws of physics are ever so slightly different than they are on earth. We follow Dennis, our scientist, as he tries to make his way in this new and crazy world, often landing in a lot of trouble. Look, it's really hard to describe this book without giving anything away, considering that Dennis himself takes a large chunk of the book to figure out exactly how this...more
A scientist enters an alternate dimension, very like Earth except that objects can be made better by practice. (Is that a spoiler? But it's the title of the book, how could it be a spoiler?) Consequently people never improved at making things, because they can improve things by using them. The hero uses his knowledge of making things to overcome difficulties. He wins the war and gets the girl. (Surely that isn't a spoiler either.)
This is one of Brin's first books. The writing is average and the...more
This is one of Brin's first books. The writing is average and the...more
It's all to do with a subtle change in the laws of Thermodynamics. But you'll have to read it to find out. But Dennis's adventures in a new, undiscovered alien world where things aren't quite what they seem is a great adventure romp. Plus, the hero is a physicist! <=> +1 in rating! And I now know where my centroid is, heh :D
I have read this book every year I've ever sat an exam and wondered if I'll ever pass. But it always makes me feel I can, as "practice makes perfect".
I have read this book every year I've ever sat an exam and wondered if I'll ever pass. But it always makes me feel I can, as "practice makes perfect".
SO MANY MIXED FEELINGS. So, this book started out with an intriguing nugget of an idea, I'm guessing, and it was refined into something that...well, that fell flat. Brin's style was uncomfortably uneven, from his word choice and tone to his use of perspective (sometimes it was only in Dennis's head, sometimes it was in everyone's head). I did read through it, though, because I wanted to solve the mystery. Turns out the mystery was BO-RING. I wasn't impressed. To sum: not worth the read, but I ha...more
Cute premise with amusing rule set.
I've enjoyed this book over the years. It's got enough of an engineering-derived hero that it caters strongly to me and the world twist is great. I'll not spoil it.
The characters are a little flat and stereotypical. I think my favorite character is Arth, actually. He seems the most human. All the rest of them are MacGuffins.
Not too long, not too heavy. It's a nice read. I'll read it again in a few years.
I've enjoyed this book over the years. It's got enough of an engineering-derived hero that it caters strongly to me and the world twist is great. I'll not spoil it.
The characters are a little flat and stereotypical. I think my favorite character is Arth, actually. He seems the most human. All the rest of them are MacGuffins.
Not too long, not too heavy. It's a nice read. I'll read it again in a few years.
This was a mix of science fiction and fantasy. It was distinctly different from anything I'd read. In this world, the more an item was used, the more refined it became. Prisoners were hired to wear fine clothing so that it would remain in good condition. Very few people in this world knew how to create something because nothing ever got old unless it wasn't being used. Interesting story. I read it a couple of times and have it in my home library.
Quite the book, this. Every time you think you've figured something out, the author throws you a curve ball. Is it the future, a distant planet, or an alternate reality? What is the truth behind the legendary dragons? Why does the author add so many characters right at the beginning only to toss them out the window two chapters later? Keeps the reader guessing until the last page. Funny, but without overwhelming the plotline.
This early effort from beloved author David Brin may be bad science-fiction, but that doesn't stop it from being entertaining. Just pretend it's a fantasy novel and you'll be fine. In a way it's good to know that our favourite authors have improved over time. Gives us reason to hope that our own writing may improve as well.
What a fun approach to how this world works. Everything is created in rough and unfinished form and only through use (practice!) do items become finer. The more they are used, the better they are. Roads become smooth by being driving on. Intriguing concept. Hire the poor to use your stuff to keep in nice!
If you love physics -- and I do -- this one's fun. It'll make you reconsider your relationship to the 2nd Law of thermodynamics. Eric Schneider and Dorion Sagan ought to read it because it's a credible prologue to nonequilibrium thermodynamics [NET] nature does indeed abhor a gradient!
An entertaining light read, lighter than I've come to expect with this author. It's an earlier work, so I'm not inclined to judge harshly by examples set by his Uplift novels. The ending, with its explanation of the world built by the story, struck me as a bit of a cop-out, but not to the degree that I'd steer people away from the book.
I enjoyed this old science fiction romp that my father recommended. Although not perhaps up to today's science ficiton standards, I really liked the idea of "practicing" an object to perfection. To me it read more as fantasy than SF, but overall a great idea, which is what makes science fiction and fantasy so enjoyable in the first place.
Fun sci-fi. Made more fun when I found out my dad went to college with the author. The guy ends up in another world where people are people, but something is different. He faces challenges for his own survival and for the people he meets there.
The concept was interesting. The story was ok, but not spectacular; it was faster paced than some of his other stuff. the explanation for the practice effect at the end was so short and abrupt that it really didn't work for me.
A pretty standard world hopping wish-fulfillment fantasy novel. Under-appreciated man finds himself in another world, where his Earthly talents make him special.
Dated. A little surprising, from Brin.
Dated. A little surprising, from Brin.
This was an enjoyable book that reads more like fantasy than science fiction. Physicist Dennis Nuel finds himself transported to an alternate universe in which the laws of physics are slightly altered.
I Absolutely Loved this book being a fan of Si-fi books and movies I thought the book was Extraordinarily well written (that coming from a 21st century child who has grown up around technology)
While certainly not an epic ground-breaker, there's something really fun about this book.
The concept behind the story is really unique and intriguing that it makes for a pretty fun ride.
The concept behind the story is really unique and intriguing that it makes for a pretty fun ride.
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David Brin is a scientist, speaker, and world-known author. His novels have been New York Times Bestsellers, winning multiple Hugo, Nebula and other awards. At least a dozen have been translated into more than twenty languages.
Existence, his latest novel, offers an unusual scenario for first contact. His ecological thriller, Earth, foreshadowed global warming, cyberwarfare and near-future trends...more
More about David Brin...
Existence, his latest novel, offers an unusual scenario for first contact. His ecological thriller, Earth, foreshadowed global warming, cyberwarfare and near-future trends...more
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