false 6 76 75 true 5665619 read 0 true 4879875 currently-reading 1 true 4879874 to-read 8 false 4906309 c-s--lewis 8 false 4906436 austen 5 false 4912414 meyer 2 false 4953716 history http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/65796862 to: The Betrayal (Cyteen, #1) (Unionside, #1) (Alliance-Union Universe) by C.J. Cherryh
I can see why she got the Hugo for this. She does a pretty phenomenal job with very deep characterizations. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/186122-political David made a comment in the SciFi and Fantasy Book Club group:

Yeah, I struggle with a coherence theory of truth. I can imagine it, and so it is at least possible, but we (especially, as an engineer) are acclimated to a correspondence notion of singular truth. People (particularly ideologues) seem to make their reality cohere, but at the cost of strictly limiting dissonance (which is so useful in itself, driving us to ever-better explanations). I suppose, in the back of my mind, there is the fear that the truth I see is simply the undiscovered lie. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62850707 to: The Suicide Collectors (Hardcover) by David Oppegaard
The first chapter was a good start, but then the narrative just stumbled from one improbability to the next. By the end, it just seemed silly (although it might have been a good idea not to finally reveal the Source).

This brings up an interesting point. Speculative fiction needs to push the boundaries of the imagination--sometimes, the wilder the better--but it also need to maintain reader credibility. If the reader has to consciously suspend disbelief too often, then the creative elements will fail to cohere. Since the main premise of speculative fiction is, in its nature, a stretch of one's belief, the supporting elements need to be particularly plausible. When the narrator makes obvious, hygenic errors, he destroys the reader's willingness to believe.

In a way, the story reminded me a little of the Jake/Roland journey in King's gunslinger series. Unfortunately, it reminded me of the parts that weren't working. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/65797004 to: The Graveyard Book (Hardcover) by Neil Gaiman
It wasn't that the book was flawed, but it didn't seem like there was a whole lot there. When you intentionally write a YA book, do you automatically make it bildungsroman? I liked the idea of being raised in a graveyard by ghost, but I thought the Jack-of-all-trades opposition was a little forced. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/186121-first-impressions-spoiler-free David made a comment in the SciFi and Fantasy Book Club group:

If you're looking for involved, coherent storyline, you probably need to look elsewhere. Still, good writing isn't limited to long narrative.

I read this a long time ago, and just started it again. I also have the TV version that Rock Hudson did, and think I'll watch that at the same time. As I recall, the mini-series was a little weak, which might be expected, given the strengths and weaknesses of the story compilation. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/55131564 to: WWW: Wake (Www) by Robert J. Sawyer
It seems like he leaves a lot of loose ends (there should at least be some type of feedforward to the unwritten volumes of the trilogy). While there were some interesting ideas, the basic WWW qua AI seems a little lame. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/64508065 Regenesis (Cyteen, Book 2) (Unionside, Book 3) (Alliance-Union Universe) by C.J. Cherryh
bookshelves: to-read
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