Peter (509 books)

Peter rated a book really liked it Autonomous by Annalee Newitz	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A new workplace productivity drug is starting to cause deadly side-effects... and Jack, a pharmaceutical pirate who copied and spread the drug outside its expected user base in order to fund more altruistic drug piracy, feels responsible and tries to ...more
Apr 30, 2018 11:43AM · like · see review
Peter is currently reading Illuminae (The Illuminae Files, #1) by Amie Kaufman (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 30, 2018 11:43AM · like
Peter rated a book really liked it Autonomous by Annalee Newitz	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A new workplace productivity drug is starting to cause deadly side-effects... and Jack, a pharmaceutical pirate who copied and spread the drug outside its expected user base in order to fund more altruistic drug piracy, feels responsible and tries to ...more
Apr 30, 2018 11:43AM · like · see review
Peter rated a book it was ok An Alien Light by Nancy Kress (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
On a distant planet, aliens conduct an experiment on the humans there, the descendants of a crashed ship that have forgotten their origins and lost their technology. The group is split into two major antagonistic societies, frequently but not always ...more
Apr 25, 2018 02:18PM · like · see review
Peter wants to read Summerland by Hannu Rajaniemi	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 23, 2018 07:55AM · like
Peter entered a giveaway Summerland by Hannu Rajaniemi 10 copies available, ends on May 20, 2018 Enter to win »
Apr 23, 2018 07:55AM · like · see giveaway
Peter is currently reading The Light of Other Days by Arthur C. Clarke Reading for the 2nd time	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 20, 2018 11:50AM · like
Peter rated a book liked it Only Begotten Daughter by James K. Morrow Read 2 times	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
In the modern day, God causes a second child to come into this world, this time a girl. Like her more famous brother Jesus, she's got divine powers, but isn't sure what her mission in life is, and she's got to figure it out... but it's tricky, especi ...more
Apr 20, 2018 11:50AM · like · see review
Peter rated a book liked it Binti (Binti, #1) by Nnedi Okorafor (Goodreads Author) Read 2 times	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Binti is the first of the Himba to be offered a place at Oozma university, on another planet, and she leaves her home in the dead of night to embrace that opportunity, despite the fear of her family disowning her and the certainty that she will be lo ...more
Apr 15, 2018 06:35AM · like · see review
Peter is currently reading Akata Witch (Akata Witch, #1) by Nnedi Okorafor (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 15, 2018 06:35AM · like

Peter rated a book really liked it

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A new workplace productivity drug is starting to cause deadly side-effects... and Jack, a pharmaceutical pirate who copied and spread the drug outside its expected user base in order to fund more altruistic drug piracy, feels responsible and tries to A new workplace productivity drug is starting to cause deadly side-effects... and Jack, a pharmaceutical pirate who copied and spread the drug outside its expected user base in order to fund more altruistic drug piracy, feels responsible and tries to find a way to treat those affected and warn people about the manufacturer who produced it and hid the side effects. Meanwhile, a robot and their human partner try to work their way through unusual feelings for each other while they track Jack down in order to arrest her... not for her role in the drug deaths, but merely for being an intellectual property pirate in the first place.

I was cautiously optimistic about the book when I heard about it, optimistic because it looked like it was going to deal with some cool ideas, and cautious because I could see it going wrong, being handled in a overly facile way, or just having too lightweight a tone. And in less skilled hands, the individual elements might have come together in a much poorer story, but I really liked what the author did with them, and so I really liked the book as a whole.

Not only does the author pull off the difficult trick of making me care about and empathize with the 'bad guys' following the main character (not necessarily their mission, but them as people), but also deftly avoids too-easy answers and chillingly portrays a world that is scary in how plausible it seems in terms of us reaching community standards that hopefully most of us would be abhorred by today. Moreover, Newitz leads the reader on into near-complicity, with situations that you don't think are very big deals and it's only in retrospect you realize how messed up something was. Sometimes it might even be ambiguous that the author supports or at least doesn't condemn something or narratively punish people for it, but I still walked away with the impression that it was bad, or at least problematic despite the intentions of the people involved, and the author intended me to see it for myself. Maybe I'm just projecting though.

It's not perfect, the story as a whole doesn't hang together as well as I'd like, some plot threads don't give me quite the payoff I was hoping for, giving me the impression the story didn't so much reach a satisfying end as the characters storylines converged briefly and then independently fizzled out, and a few things in the world building (and the status of gender/repressed sexuality in the time period) that didn't ring entirely true, but the getting there was enough fun that I still give it four stars, and made me eager to check out what's next from this author. Also bonus points for being largely set in Canada (disclaimer: bonus points are entirely imaginary and do not reflect in the star rating). ...more

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Illuminae (The Illuminae Files, #1)
by Amie Kaufman (Goodreads Author)

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Peter rated a book really liked it

Autonomous
by Annalee Newitz

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A new workplace productivity drug is starting to cause deadly side-effects... and Jack, a pharmaceutical pirate who copied and spread the drug outside its expected user base in order to fund more altruistic drug piracy, feels responsible and tries to A new workplace productivity drug is starting to cause deadly side-effects... and Jack, a pharmaceutical pirate who copied and spread the drug outside its expected user base in order to fund more altruistic drug piracy, feels responsible and tries to find a way to treat those affected and warn people about the manufacturer who produced it and hid the side effects. Meanwhile, a robot and their human partner try to work their way through unusual feelings for each other while they track Jack down in order to arrest her... not for her role in the drug deaths, but merely for being an intellectual property pirate in the first place.

I was cautiously optimistic about the book when I heard about it, optimistic because it looked like it was going to deal with some cool ideas, and cautious because I could see it going wrong, being handled in a overly facile way, or just having too lightweight a tone. And in less skilled hands, the individual elements might have come together in a much poorer story, but I really liked what the author did with them, and so I really liked the book as a whole.

Not only does the author pull off the difficult trick of making me care about and empathize with the 'bad guys' following the main character (not necessarily their mission, but them as people), but also deftly avoids too-easy answers and chillingly portrays a world that is scary in how plausible it seems in terms of us reaching community standards that hopefully most of us would be abhorred by today. Moreover, Newitz leads the reader on into near-complicity, with situations that you don't think are very big deals and it's only in retrospect you realize how messed up something was. Sometimes it might even be ambiguous that the author supports or at least doesn't condemn something or narratively punish people for it, but I still walked away with the impression that it was bad, or at least problematic despite the intentions of the people involved, and the author intended me to see it for myself. Maybe I'm just projecting though.

It's not perfect, the story as a whole doesn't hang together as well as I'd like, some plot threads don't give me quite the payoff I was hoping for, giving me the impression the story didn't so much reach a satisfying end as the characters storylines converged briefly and then independently fizzled out, and a few things in the world building (and the status of gender/repressed sexuality in the time period) that didn't ring entirely true, but the getting there was enough fun that I still give it four stars, and made me eager to check out what's next from this author. Also bonus points for being largely set in Canada (disclaimer: bonus points are entirely imaginary and do not reflect in the star rating). ...more

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An Alien Light
by Nancy Kress (Goodreads Author)

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On a distant planet, aliens conduct an experiment on the humans there, the descendants of a crashed ship that have forgotten their origins and lost their technology. The group is split into two major antagonistic societies, frequently but not always On a distant planet, aliens conduct an experiment on the humans there, the descendants of a crashed ship that have forgotten their origins and lost their technology. The group is split into two major antagonistic societies, frequently but not always at war, but the alien Ged invite members of both to live in their city and learn, all in an attempt to figure out what makes humanity different... how they could possibly survive to become a spacefaring race when they are violent among their own species.

I read this long, long ago, but when I picked it up again casually glancing through my stacks I realized I remembered almost nothing of it. Which probably should have been a hint, that I didn't find it especially memorable, and though sometimes a reread helps me appreciate books that left me cold the first time, this isn't really one of those times.

It's not awful. The central "find out why humans are special" mystery may be a bit cliche and the answers figured out maybe not the most profound, but it's done reasonably well, and the Ged make an interesting set of aliens to explore. And on multiple times I do have to admit the story and personal relationships didn't go in the way I expected them to. Still, I had trouble connecting to many of the characters and I felt like some of the most interesting elements were just background and not explored as much as I wanted.

Part of the issue might be the whole "fallen colony" aspect, that most of the characters were, essentially, like characters in a fantasy novel, warriors using blades, merchants, etc. And while it's fun to see them (at least some of the characters, too many just had zero interest in anything beyond the weapons or gems that drew them there) encounter scientific concepts and technologies that's outside of their experiences... stories about such societies are just not usually my thing, particularly when I'm eager for SF.

As of this writing, it's been a couple weeks since I've reread it and I already find I remember the main characters and central mystery but find the rest, and much of the turns the plot took, starting to fade. I suspect in a few more years I might pick it up again and wonder what book it was. ...more

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Summerland
by Hannu Rajaniemi

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Peter entered a giveaway

Summerland
by Hannu Rajaniemi

10 copies available, ends on May 20, 2018 Enter to win »

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The Light of Other Days
by Arthur C. Clarke

Reading for the 2nd time

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Only Begotten Daughter
by James K. Morrow

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In the modern day, God causes a second child to come into this world, this time a girl. Like her more famous brother Jesus, she's got divine powers, but isn't sure what her mission in life is, and she's got to figure it out... but it's tricky, especi In the modern day, God causes a second child to come into this world, this time a girl. Like her more famous brother Jesus, she's got divine powers, but isn't sure what her mission in life is, and she's got to figure it out... but it's tricky, especially with the frustrating silence of her divine parent, the devil trying to start up a new religion around her, and a particularly nasty apocalyptic sect of an existing one.

Obviously, with a premise like this, the book might offend some people's sensibilities, even be considered blasphemous. But if you've got an open mind and can accept the premise like the weird stuff you're asked to accept in any other sci-fi or fantasy book... well, you still might be offended, but you can enjoy it a lot more.

I read this long, long ago and it made a big impression on me, and several of the ideas and images stuck with me, all these years, even if much of the specifics of the plot had faded. I remembered at the time really enjoying it. On a much older reread... well, there's still plenty of good here, but it's not as impressive. The simplified story my memory had turned it into over the years between reads was far more appealing, not because simple is better but just because, as written, the main character comes off a lot worse... and not just in a 'she's a character with flaws' way, but in a way that I'm genuinely not sure if the author realizes how awful and/or stupid it makes the character look. And more characters seemed to be caricatures, even though some remain remarkably full of depth (some sadly go back and forth and I wish they'd gotten more time instead of some of the other plot), and some criticisms (both of religion and society) seemed to lack some bite or occasionally were strawmanny.

But it's still got some really cool concepts and arguments, that still are powerful for me, and in a few ways the book seems remarkably prescient. I mean, it got plenty wrong too but there were a couple moments that I could see being more relevant today than when it was written. And I think some of the basic, non-religious message is still good.

It's just not quite as good a work as I remembered it being. Still, if you don't take religious matters super seriously it could be worth a look. ...more

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Binti (Binti, #1)
by Nnedi Okorafor (Goodreads Author)

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Binti is the first of the Himba to be offered a place at Oozma university, on another planet, and she leaves her home in the dead of night to embrace that opportunity, despite the fear of her family disowning her and the certainty that she will be lo Binti is the first of the Himba to be offered a place at Oozma university, on another planet, and she leaves her home in the dead of night to embrace that opportunity, despite the fear of her family disowning her and the certainty that she will be looked upon oddly for her people's traditions. However, on the trip there, her ship is attacked by aliens, and they massacre almost everyone, except Binti, who has a strange protection.

I have mixed feelings about this book, and most of them come down to the format. That is, this is a novella. It's become something of a trend (an unfortunate one, to my eyes) these last few years to package and sell novellas as individual books, whereas before they would tend to appear in collections or magazines or online. But while I love short fiction, it's the kind of thing that I'm instinctively going to judge more harshly if it's presented to me as a standalone (particularly a standalone I have to pay for) rather than an aggregate. And while there's certainly a lot to like here, as a standalone, it just doesn't really satisfy me... it feels like it SHOULD HAVE been a longer book... even if still a novella, a longer one. Because you get weird mysterious technology that never gets and explanation, conflicts that should have lasting repercussions getting glossed over and ending in harmony because, well, there's simply no TIME to portray a long reconciliation between two sides that were recently slaughtering each other.

Which is a shame, because there really is some good stuff here, I like Binti's basic struggles, both personal and with the aliens, and where her story goes, and she makes an interesting viewpoint character in that her experiences, shaped by her culture, are much different than mine, and it's cool to learn about those differences. The universe as a whole is interesting, even if I don't feel we scratched the surface of it (to the point that some of the science and tech feels irritatingly like magic in that there's no sense of how any of it works). And the prose has a good power and rhythm that shows on a line-to-line level even if the short length hampers the story as a whole, racing through plot points.

The novella has (at present, at least) two sequels, also novellas, and I can't help but feel that if they were collected into one book, and I bought and consumed it like that, I'd be a little more happy with it... some problems persist (because each individual story may still have the problems of a novella), but at least I hopefully wouldn't feel like there's not enough depth to the universe. Do I want to read the rest from this taste? Yes, but, I'm not rushing out to, either. It's the kind of thing I might wait to read until they finally do find some sense and collect them into one easy book, or if I were to get some of the stories without a deliberate effort (as the sequel is also up for a Hugo, I might get it free in the Hugo voters packet).

Score-wise, if Goodreads didn't force you to score by whole stars, I'd probably put it somewhere between 2.5 and 3, maybe a little closer to the 2.5 end, but because it's still closer to 3 than 2, I'll round up. ...more

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