**spoiler alert** Allow me to summarize every Dan Brown novel ever:
An unsuspecting but intelligent protagonist is called up in the middle of the nigh**spoiler alert** Allow me to summarize every Dan Brown novel ever:
An unsuspecting but intelligent protagonist is called up in the middle of the night. Someone very powerful and possibly related with the authorities needs his expertise that only the protagonist can provide. A well-known figure has died and that started a chain of events with catastrophic consequences. The authorities need our protagonist's help to solve a puzzle left by our instigator just before he died, which has some clue in to the nature of our ticking time bomb.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to him, a secret organization has dispatched an assassin who must fulfill tasks that would have huge social ramifications all throughout the world. What the assassin and the secret organization don’t know is that the purpose of the assassin/secret organization and the purpose of the person directing the assassin/secret organization, which is our antagonist, is entirely different.
While our protagonist is running from the assassin and solving said puzzle (which has to be solved within 24 hours), he is joined by a young, beautiful and intelligent woman related somehow with dead man/instigator. At the very last moments of the book we have a final reveal: the protagonist knew the antagonist from the very start! He was being manipulated the whole time!
The book ends with the antagonist succeeding somehow. The protagonist and the readers are left with a moral question on whether the antagonist is truly the villain... or did he do something that actually benefits the whole world.
--
Is Inferno different from other Dan Brown books you ask? No it's not. There are minor variations to Brown's tried and tested formula, but it will not add anything to your reading experience. The book is recycled to its core. In fact, depending on how many of Brown's books you have read, you can see the twists coming based on the number of pages left.
**spoiler alert** Imagine Harry Potter being replaced with a Harry Potter with combined talents of Ender Wiggins, Artemis Fowl and Yagami Light and pu**spoiler alert** Imagine Harry Potter being replaced with a Harry Potter with combined talents of Ender Wiggins, Artemis Fowl and Yagami Light and put him in world much darker than Rowling envisioned. Yep, that's what this book was. No Ron or Hagrid to distract you, this is a Machiavellian Harry who manipulates people to his own ends, with powers the Dark Lord knows not, and the ambition for world domination (or, as he would call it, world optimization)
It is a HUGE book and still ongoing. Took me three days straight to finish it, but I don't regret a moment of it. Not only was it fun, it was almost in all ways better than the originals (it does need to be heavily edited and consolidated in multiple parts, but as a fan-fiction, I'll let it slide).
So far (Jan'12) , there are five big arcs: 1. Harry trying to bring Malfoy to the side of Good 2. Harry's powerplay with Snape and Dumbledore 3. Extra-curricular mock battles in Defense Against Dark Arts class, similar to Ender's Game, that takes place in forests, corridors and even underwater 4. Harry helping carry out a prison break from Azkaban (not Sirius) 5. Hermione's quest to become a hero on her own right, rather than live under Harry's shadow. + More but that would be giving away spoilers
Not to mention multiple smaller arcs, littered infodumps (but not too much) and philosophical discussions about life, the universe and everything with the very smart Quirrel and Dumbledore.
Now, this is not just a story, the author has tried to put his ideas forward as a rationalist in this on-going series, and he has done so beautifully. The premise, the execution, and the stories are all superb. Kudos to the author for producing the best fan-fiction, if not the best fiction, I have ever read.
--- Rabid fan re-review: No review does the book justice. I mean seriously, I can't give you guys spoilers but HOLY FUCK. I just finished the latest arc and my mind has been blown with a power of a exploding star. I don't think even Rowling put as much thought behind HP as Eliezer Yudkowsky did.
Harry is a scientist. And he asks the basic question in the fantasy novel. How does Magic work? Why does putting stuff in a pot and brewing them make a potion that can change your molecular structure? How can it be conceivable for the human brain to operate in the anatomy of a cat?
And he delivers answers.
Even if you didn't like Harry Potter, this... this you should read....more
How would I describe this book? This compilation of forum posts came from a PUA forum, so yes, I supposThis is clearly the best book I have ever read.
How would I describe this book? This compilation of forum posts came from a PUA forum, so yes, I suppose it leans in towards PUA, and mostly, inner game material. But this is so much more than that!
The Book of Pook teaches you to be a man and to not give in to the power that women yield over spineless guys. More effectively, the book wants you to respect yourself and to love yourself. If you don't love yourself, how can you expect anyone else to love you? asks the book. It tries to differentiate between sexuality and the erotic using flowery Shakespearean language, which, if anything, emphasizes his points even more.
The book isn't the usual "be confident" inner-game stuff that I have already read. There isn't a twelve step process in Pook's world that will teach you to "get the girl". In Pook's world, there is only one process - and that is yourself. You need to change yourself, and changing yourself is good, he argues, for the only constant in life is death.
It's impossible to review the book in 3-400 words. Simply because it wasn't meant to be a book.
All I can say is, I am going to print it out and bind it like a Bible and when I am down and out of strength, and I feel like giving up, I am going to come back to this book, for it gave me more strength than any religious book ever gave me....more
I wish Eliezer Yudkowsky was a full time writer. So many good ideas!
This novella was about humans encountering the alien race of Babyeaters - who are I wish Eliezer Yudkowsky was a full time writer. So many good ideas!
This novella was about humans encountering the alien race of Babyeaters - who are civilized but eat their babies, and the humans, as soon as they learn of this, are morally shocked about the custom that is taken to be natural. Most of them want to wage war to save the babies (so cliche) and relieve them of their pain! But then, another alien race arrives, the Maximum Fun-Fun Ultra Super Happy People. One that thinks even having pain is morally repulsive, and want to rid humans of physical and mental pain, and make them... less human.
Of course there is no right or wrong answer. And that's what makes a philosophical discussion about it so great. If as humans we want take enforce our morality on another race, what's stopping another race from doing so, too?...more
You know how when your watching a great action adventure movie, you kinda want to get up during or right after the fight scenes and do some karate movYou know how when your watching a great action adventure movie, you kinda want to get up during or right after the fight scenes and do some karate moves?
That's Worm, but for books.
At about 1.75 million words (about 22 conventional books) it's a long, long read but there isn't a single dry moment. The first two or so arcs are just "okay" with our wannabe hero Taylor Herbert finding herself amongst the company of villains instead but the story steamrolls through a fantastically rich world of blurred divisions between heroes who aren't heroic, villains who aren't villainous, gods who are ungodly and creatures beyond comprehension.
The cast is diverse and intelligent. They try to build on any advantage they can find, even the smallest one, and extrapolate. Of course doesn't help that the antagonists do the same and the conflicts keep escalating in every which way. Soon it stops being a battle between good and evil and becomes between sanity and insanity. Most of the parahumans are under 30 with a bulk being teenagers - it's not because of target audience, but it's just accepted as a constant that people WILL die before they get that old. But alas, there are things worse than death. Much, much worse.
As someone else put it, it's a world where anything is possible but not in a nice way.
With that being said, I loved it. I love gray areas and Worm is just full of it, with "politics, factions, rivalries, information warfare, and the individual problems of the people beneath the costumes" (TVTropes). Sometimes you are reading towards the end of an arc and you think 'finally we get a break!' but then within a paragraph or two everything is changed and you are sucked in again at the deeper, darker, world of Worm.
I believe the author wants to edit and consolidate Worm and publish it. It's something to look out for - this series will make an excellent animated series....more
I have read a fair amount of literature about psychology, group dynamics and social influence - mostly from various little articles and blogs in the nI have read a fair amount of literature about psychology, group dynamics and social influence - mostly from various little articles and blogs in the net, so although I knew many of the topics covered in the book, I am pleasantly surprised that I didn't know most of it. Now I do. This book pretty much covers all the popular studies done on the human psyche and far from being an academic paper, brings the Psychology of Persuasion to the masses in a well articulated, well referenced, book.
I especially liked how the book used said studies in how it affects daily, and non-daily lives. For example: Scarcity. We already know that something being scarce increases it's perceived value, but then the book goes on to say WHY does scarcity increases perceived value and draws yet another example of how the 1960s Black Revolution stemmed from scarcity. Who would have known?
The subject is intriguing to say the least. Wouldn't you like to know what makes you decide, and what you can do to help someone else decide? ;)...more
You know when you read something so good and so deep and so brilliant at the same time that it leaves you speechless? That you can'tWow.
Gaiman is God.
You know when you read something so good and so deep and so brilliant at the same time that it leaves you speechless? That you can't find a way to describe it except flailing your arms and opening and closing your mouth in a comical way trying to find words that would do the book justice? That you stare at the textbox in goodreads for half an hour trying to find words that would reflect how much you really loved the book, and the only word you can think of is 'Wow'?
This was a long read, but not an uninteresting one, and that suits me just fine. It's one of the better books on skepticism I have read after ScepWow.
This was a long read, but not an uninteresting one, and that suits me just fine. It's one of the better books on skepticism I have read after Sceptical Essays, much less philosophical and much more scholarly. Most atheist books nowadays bash either faith in general or Christianity. Only a few books I know of, such as this, speaks against Islam in a comprehensive manner.
Ibn Warraq argues what's wrong with Islam itself, and not just the Islamists, quoting hundreds of verses in Quran and Hadith (I looked them up to understand the context that most people use as a defense, a reason for which it took me a long time to finish), and citing hundreds of other, established, authors in the process to consolidate his arguments. I had to look up all the references myself because I just couldn't trust someone with such an obvious anti-Islam bias. But this guy checks out.
The book at first appeared a little boring as it seemed a little too scholarly for my taste, but then as it goes on, the authors passion about the subject goes up to 11, where he rips apart almost every argument I have ever heard FOR Islam and paints it as not just bigoted, but downright dangerous.
It's not a easy read as Why I Am Not a Christian was, from where it derives it's name from. It's long and tedious at times, and I am guilty of skipping a few pages. But this is definitely worth it in the end.
[On a related note: I have been reading the Quran, and it's hard to believe in a merciful God if he goes Off with their heads! like the Queen of Hearts every few pages]...more
At first the stories made absolutely no sense to me. There were no morals. They would have a slow start, a nonsense of a middlIt has been fascinating.
At first the stories made absolutely no sense to me. There were no morals. They would have a slow start, a nonsense of a middle, and an abrupt and usually violent end. I thought to myself: These are not stories for children! But as I read on I realized that I have been reading it wrong. They are meant for children. I have read them as a child. Except they were called Thakrumar Jhuli in this part of the world. I remembered I used to enjoy them, but it has been so long that I had forgotten.
So I continued reading with the specs of a young child and I loved the stories. I started seeing the symbolism. I started understanding why the stories were so violent. I started realizing why these stories seemed abrupt and random and seemed to make no sense.
But then I am a grown up now, too. So the "meaning" of the stories that swooshed over my head when I was younger, or something that I may have understood subconsciously was now much clearer. The standards of the times that the stories were written were so absolute and different that you have to wonder about the change in society. The stories are little life lessons where in many cases men are rewarded for their canny and bold manipulation (The Knapsack, The Hat, and the Horn; Six Soldiers of Fortune; and so on) while women are rewarded for their duty, obedience, and industriousness (Aschenputtel, Six Swans, and so on). And many contain no happily ever after at all. A moral isn't being presented here, the idea of good and evil, social and gender roles, etc are being presented.
If they were written in the modern times many would probably label them sexist and carry out petitions to get them out of the library. But that has been the way of the world for many centuries before where biological inequality was the same as social inequality. I don't think the concept of 'childhood innocence' even existed in those times.
I could go on, but I'll end the review with my favorite story from the book, which would I feel would sum up Brothers Grimm nicely. A cat and a mouse formed a partnership to save up for the winter. But the cat ends up stealing from the storage and when the mouse finds out, instead of justice being served, the cat ends up eating the mouse too. And the story ends there, as most of the Brothers Grimm stories do. "And that is the way of the world"
The morale presented in The Frog Prince seems questionable at first glance. Unlike most Grimm Brothers stories such as Sleeping Beauty or Aschenputtel were virtue was rewarded, the Princess in this story broke her promise to the frog and even threw him against the wall, yet was rewarded with a "prince with beautiful kind eyes". Yet I contend that there is moral, except that is hidden in perspective.
I believe that when the frog asks the princess to "let [him] sit by thee at table, and eat from thy plate, and drink from thy cup, and sleep in thy little bed" that would actually be a form of marriage engagement, for who else would let a stranger sit by her table or eat from her plate? And the young princess has consented to this engagement just so she can get her ball back again, the ball being a catch-all for anything of much importance to her, which points to the fact that she had no real choice in the engagement. "I will promise it all, whatever you want, if you will only get me my ball again."
She attempts to back off from her promise, and it was only when the King, her father, forces her to fulfull her promise does she grudgingly do so. The entire set up of the story, thus, was an analogy of an arranged marriage brokered by the father where the daughter does not find the husband attractive.
The perspective I spoke about earlier comes from the fact that when one sees the events from the young girl's eyes, one understands why she would behave unwillingly. No one wants to share bed with an ugly frog. Yet, she is forced to do so by the father, and eventually finds over the course of time that the frog was actually a prince.
The disillusioned detective whose girlfriend left him in financial ruin gets a case to solve of an apparent suicide of supermodel and is plunged into The disillusioned detective whose girlfriend left him in financial ruin gets a case to solve of an apparent suicide of supermodel and is plunged into world of money, glamour and sex.
I couldn't help but feel the film noir oozing out. Even the flowery language early in the book pointed to a very cliche'd read.
[image]
But thankfully, it did not persist. But now that I associated the book with films, the second part of the book felt like it had a Quentin Tarantino feel, with the story moving through mostly a back-and-forth of dialogues.
But again, that did not persist.
It took me a full one-third of the book to really get used to the writing. It doesn't have J.K. Rowling's usual warmth but a certain... sharpness that takes a while to appreciate. When I did however, I started to enjoy the writing as the floweriness disappeared and the story continued to move through pages and pages of two-people just talking.
The story itself showed little sign of progress until the last fifth of the book, where all the dialogues and clues and hints start falling into place. It's only then that the story picks up pace and we move towards a resolution. But I was unable to, and I am sure most readers will be unable to draw a conclusion to where the plot was heading until the final fifth. I know that many people likes reading detective novels so they can connect their own dots, but I don't think that'll be an option here as much.
So yes, I am of mixed opinion on this one. The pacing gets time to get used to, but the read is enjoyable in itself. Anything by J.K. Rowling will get connected to Harry Potter, but I couldn't have guessed in a million years that Robert Galbraith = Rowling. It's a good book, in itself, and deserves to stand on it's own two feet....more
This book right here. I am not sure how to write about it, except that I do. It was difficult to get into, but when I did get into it, by god!
Look, it'This book right here. I am not sure how to write about it, except that I do. It was difficult to get into, but when I did get into it, by god!
Look, it's easy to enjoy a world so preposterous that it defies imagination. I have done that a few times already. However, one of the reviewers compared Snow Crash to books as The Matrix was to movies- awe-inspiring even though you don't really understand what is happening, and I wholeheartedly agree! Everything in this post-cyberpunk world has been made a business franchise - prisons, churches, suburbs et all. The story is taking place in both Reality and the Metaverse- a virtual reality. In hindsight, now that we have Internet (this book was published in 1992, well before the Netscape era), the Metaverse is both familiar and strange.
But that's just Hiro Protagonist's universe (probably the best name ever given to a protagonist). The plot itself is unique in it's own way. Now I won't go deep into that, but titular Snow Crash has been explained by Junaita, Hiro's love interest, in this way - "Wait a minute, Juanita. Make up your mind. This Snow Crash thing—is it a virus, a drug, or a religion?" Juanita shrugs. "What's the difference?"
What is really striking is how the story progresses amidst skateboard wielding Y.T, Vitaly Chernobyl and the Meltdowns, robot dogs with actual dogs' soul imprinted on them, the android-ish Ng, Uncle Enzo of the Mafia (which, consequently, now runs a pizza delivery business), the baddest motherfucker on Earth - Raven, and a huge Raft of a million religious people and ancient Sumerian myths about programming human minds. All these underneath a finely coated layer of sarcasm and humor.
So why the four star rating? Because it gets really, really tiresome in the middle. Too many research which never served the bottom line, and not enough samurai sword fights. I have no problem with infodumps, but reading 50 pages worth of myths which can be condensed to 5 pages is extremely difficult. I understand that research has it's value in the greater scope of the novel, but most of it flew over my head. The ending, too, seemed haphazard and does not tie all the lose ends.
I am sure if I re-read the book I'll end up giving it five stars. But until then, I urge you all to read Snow Crash, and find out how how deep the rabbit hole goes*!
Thing about Machiavelli is, he's not evil. When you start reading you expect him to be evil, because that's what you are told, but he is not. WhateverThing about Machiavelli is, he's not evil. When you start reading you expect him to be evil, because that's what you are told, but he is not. Whatever he talks about is devoid of petty morales like good or evil. You have a goal, and that is to run/conquer a country. And through The Prince, he will tell you the most logical way to do it.
I suppose that's what the book shows. Logic over Morales. The word "machiavellian" shouldn't be synonymous with manipulation or deceit. If anything, it should be synonymous with being realist or utilitarian....more
Rework is about working smarter, not harder. While nothing in the book is earth shattering, it tries to push you towards changing your business philosRework is about working smarter, not harder. While nothing in the book is earth shattering, it tries to push you towards changing your business philosophy and being more efficient because of it. The economy has changed drastically in the last decade, and so it asks: why shouldn't you?...more
The entire series is pretty damn chauvinistic and gory to the point of being silly.And everyone lived happily ever after.
Review of Volume 1 through 9:
The entire series is pretty damn chauvinistic and gory to the point of being silly. I suppose if the series didn't have much shock value, the story wouldn't have lasted this long. The villains are downright pathetic, even God, and the main character tried to be so "manly" that it straight up reminded me of Maddox at times.
It doesn't have a great overall story, but it's one of those books where you enjoy the journey more than the destination I suppose. From stories of "sexual investigators" to rockstars named Arseface (and his face does look like an Arse), you start to slowly enjoy the dark humor of The Preacher, until you realize that it was probably not meant to be a 100% serious story in the first place.
Also, does the series remind anyone of Supernatural? God abandoned heaven, modern cowboys, the whole deal....more
It's a good book, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped I would, given the glowing reviews.
For one, too many made up words witI am... disappointed.
It's a good book, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped I would, given the glowing reviews.
For one, too many made up words within short intervals. Doesn't absorb as well. [image]
For another, Kvothe could shut up about how brilliant he is at some point. I won't mind.
Otherwise a well paced story. But I felt it lacks depth.
(view spoiler)[ I have known her longer, my smile said. True, you have been inside the circle of her arms, tasted her mouth, felt the warmth of her, and that is something I have never had. But there is a part of her that is only for me. You cannot touch it, no matter how hard you might try. And after she has left you I will still be here, making her laugh. My light shining in her. I will still be here long after she has forgotten your name.
Kvothe got friendzoned. This made me smile. Guy got friendzoned and didn't even realize it haha (hide spoiler)]...more
The entire book can be summarized into a single, if long, article. Didn't help that most of the stuff it was trying to get across I have already read The entire book can be summarized into a single, if long, article. Didn't help that most of the stuff it was trying to get across I have already read before, with no fault of the book of course, but it was very repetitive with all it's stories trying to get the point across.
You know how sometimes you listen to a music, not a song, but music, and it wells up inside you? How you sometimes shiver and how it someWow.
Just Wow.
You know how sometimes you listen to a music, not a song, but music, and it wells up inside you? How you sometimes shiver and how it sometimes makes you sad with it's tunes and you do not, ever, question why there are no lyrics to that music, because the music itself is complete without words?
This book is music.
I won't say it is a story about war, even though it probably is. I won't say the stories were great, even though they were. It's the words. Tim O'Brien has a way with the words.
This book is music.
I felt the pain and the sadness and the melancholy and the rigidity and the love and the hate and memories and everything that wars can probably be through the words. I always knew war means death and destruction, but this book here, takes it to a whole new level.
Anyway, on to the play, Shaw discusses the US Revolutionary War in his own satirical way. I did see his criticisms to those who maintain the status quo and his pulling the nose of the religious community, but all-in-all, it was a fast and simple read....more
It was a better read than I expected. Slow start, but I liked the switching narratives and the switching styles. A lot of time was built up on preventIt was a better read than I expected. Slow start, but I liked the switching narratives and the switching styles. A lot of time was built up on preventing Hitler from being born, but when that was accomplished, the protagonist just reads a few book and races back to undo what he did. It didn't feel very balanced.
Otherwise, interesting premise and solid execution.
Also, second "What if Nazi Germany won" book I read. Woo! If you liked this, on a more serious vein, you might also like The Man in the High Castle...more
In short: It is a powerful book. Written by a 19 year old, so expect it at places to be full of melodrama, eMy review was destroyed by loadshedding ;_;
In short: It is a powerful book. Written by a 19 year old, so expect it at places to be full of melodrama, ego and... emoness, but certainly worth the title of a classic. The theme itself has been explored a bazillion times, so perhaps regular readers would find a lot of common grounds, but none of the movies ever did the book justice, and since Frankenstein is so much ingrained into our culture, that you should probably read it anyway.
If you are going to read on, expect to get bored at places, but, I suppose, that's the deal with all the classics. Make no mistakes though, it was the first book of it's kind - arguably, the very first science fiction.
Can't help but think how utilitarian some of our closest relationships are.Can't help but think how utilitarian some of our closest relationships are....more
I have been reading this and the first book as a part of a course. And I did not enjoy any of them one bit. The books are pure non-sense, and sure, thI have been reading this and the first book as a part of a course. And I did not enjoy any of them one bit. The books are pure non-sense, and sure, the author might have used some subtle death jokes that only the adults will get at parts, but by God, does it necessarily mean that every-single-sentence has got to have a double or triple meaning?
Isn't it possible that Alice sitting beside a river bank has nothing to do with Carroll thinking about zone of transitions but rather the fact that that's what children do? Or maybe her making a daisy chain has nothing to do with her trying to make eternal symbols rather than the fact that it's interesting?
I am a technical guy, and reading to me is an escapist activity. Maybe I'll write something one of these days too. But really now, I doubt very few authors think about the symbolism to such a Freudian extent.
Anyway, Looking Glass, imho, is superior of the two Alice books. I love the Chess analogy and the Kings and Queens. The book seems slightly more based on it's logic (or dream-logic), the themes are darker, and Alice has a bit more purpose and a sense of adventure not present in Wonderland.
It's certainly more elaborate. Whereas Alice in Wonderland felt that Caroll was making up the story as he went on, Through the Looking-Glass has a definite sense of structure and destination. I'd even go on to say that at times it is a bit philosophical. It's much more grown up, which might not appeal to everyone, but I liked it.
I'll have to return to this book someday again, and I hope to enjoy it more when I do.
Here's something interesting I found which I'd like to share. Carroll himself wrote the following to a friend in America, when being asked about the meaning of his poem 'The Hunting of the Snark': "I'm very much afraid I didn't mean anything but nonsense. Still, you know, words mean more than we mean to express when we use them; so a whole book ought to mean a great deal more than the writer means. So, whatever good meanings are in the book, I'm glad to accept as the meaning of the book." (source: Collingwood, "The Life and Letters of Lewis Carroll")
I am torn between 4 and 5 stars. I am very miser with my stars, and for the first time I wish there was a 4.5 rating.
For something written over a hundI am torn between 4 and 5 stars. I am very miser with my stars, and for the first time I wish there was a 4.5 rating.
For something written over a hundred years ago, Dracula is a surprisingly modern tale. You have your overly flowery Victorian language, but subtract that and the exact same story can be told today without any other modifications.
Dracula himself appears in only a fifth of the book. It's a mystery book more than a horror, where a modern group of people bands together to fight that is which ancient and supernatural. Perhaps has a bit of science fiction too, if you will.
The way the story is told, the absolute contrast between the good and evil, science and supernatural, the class struggle, richness of details and atmosphere, everything makes the book a classic. A perfect autumn read too, given how the story takes place over a long summer.
Which is a surprise since it comes highly recommended from almost every source, but I did not like the book one bit.
Mostly beThis was painful to read.
Which is a surprise since it comes highly recommended from almost every source, but I did not like the book one bit.
Mostly because the book moved so very slowly. I understand that the book is not about events as much as the inner workings of a persons mind, but then again I never really saw the inner workings of said persons mind. I would describe it more as Rubashov's experience in prison.
On the other hand it was interesting to see Rubashov as looking at his only crime - that of not recognizing himself as a part of the collective known as the Party, anymore. Without being a part of the hivemind, he was smart enough to recognizes his uselessness to the Party. The Party which itself has been changing with the recognition that the old revolutionaries must be cleared out so as to not to upset the new status quo.
I'll also be from the camp which finds Stalin being referred as No. 1, or Russia being reffered as A and some other being refferred as B disconcerting. It affected the flow of the story, that's for sure.
Anyway, I would still recommend this book to those interested in dystopia's (I believe Orwell took inspiration from this book for 1984), philosophy or Russia under Stalinist regime. It just wasn't for me....more
When I started reading this book, I didn't really have a very high expecations. I saw so many 4 and 5 star reviews, but I still wasn't expecting anythWhen I started reading this book, I didn't really have a very high expecations. I saw so many 4 and 5 star reviews, but I still wasn't expecting anything as cool. It's about Mars. I have read enough science fiction. Really, how different can this be?
I was pleasantly surprised. I found it even better than Fahrenheit 451, the only other Ray Bradbury book I have read.
I can't say I loved his writing as much as his ideas. They seem to be... all over the place, for a lack of a better term. But the ideas are what grabs you.
I love xkcd. But I don't know if I can take it in a book format - and reading for hours. Feels like I am around Sheldon.I love xkcd. But I don't know if I can take it in a book format - and reading for hours. Feels like I am around Sheldon....more
Loading...
