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Thorough and (Usually) Ineresting

Revisado: 07-26-20

This book was not one of Chernow's best. But, I suspect this is the most honest and thorough portrait of Rockefeller ever written.

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Every American Needs to Know this Story

Revisado: 06-25-20

I had no idea James Garfield was such a noble and worthy man. I'm getting his face tattooed on my chest. His story, tragic and inspirational, is a desperately needed reminder of what America can and should be.

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Poignant, Prescient, Brilliant

Revisado: 06-20-20

Wow... Once again, and finally, Octavia Butler proves she is a master storyteller. The Parable of the Talents is every bit as powerful and resonant today as it was when she wrote it. She tackles themes of race, gender, sexual identity, and America's continuing struggle to come to terms with its Original Sin. Additionally, she explores themes both more intimate (such as the fundamental human need to be accepted and the forging of one's own identity) and more grand (like societal cycles of regression and progress and mankind's destiny in the stars).

Furthermore, the reader's performance was inspired. This is truly one of the most impactful audiobooks I've ever had the pleasure of reading.

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A disappointing entry in an otherwise solid series

Revisado: 10-16-19

My title says it all. Vinge flopped in his attempt to tell the story of the evolving Tines world. His characters are flat and his story is rambling and fails to ever hit its stride. Repeated reference to the Blight goes nowhere. I care about no one and nothing in this story.

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A (usually) excellent space opera

Revisado: 09-15-19

The universe Binge creates is truly unique. The consequences of partitioned laws of physics are interesting, though not always as fleshed out as I would have liked. The characters are generally interesting, though at times can resemble the campiness of previous generations (e.g. Asimov, Heinlein). The most interesting part of the book is the Tines world--they are a truly unique race with a world whose details are consistently compelling. As a side note, the way he describes a sort of galactic internet is interesting, but seems a bit dated (as well it should given the book was written over a quarter century ago).

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Miserable dreck

Revisado: 08-28-19

This book was so poorly written it offended me. The author's imagery is clunky at best. He falls easily into (the worst possible variation of) cliche. And he consistently misinterprets fundamental science. Save yourself the trouble...

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Beautiful Portrait of an American Original

Revisado: 06-12-19

Douglass' life spans a tumultuous and transformative period in American and world history. His personal story parallels the drama of the world around him. The book is written with a profound and lyrical quality appropriate for such a grand and prophetic figure. The reader perfectly intones the poetry of this book, capturing the emotion and gravity of it's subject.

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Good writing and an interesting premise, but...

Revisado: 04-22-19

Good writing and an interesting premise, but... much like the first installment, the world building faulters after a strong start. I want to love this book--mostly because of the well-drawn characters and emotionally resonant writing--but the world is too poorly fleshed out. Exactly what the different races are and exactly what their relationships are to one another are frustratingly vague. I don't think I'll read the next book despite the author's obvious literary skill.

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The Expanse Series Returns to Peak Form

Revisado: 04-05-19

The last few installments in this series have left me disappointed. The authors' swashbuckling plot arcs felt stale and we're beginning to detract from the series' awesome world building.

Tiamat's Wrath reinvigorates the series by introducing the long awaited Laconians into the mix. It also begins to flesh out the long-teased transdimensional beings that threaten all of humanity. The Expanse universe just got a lot bigger... and better! Can't wait for the next one!

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A strong and original sci-fi/fantasy

Revisado: 03-07-19

The writing is exceptional. The characters are well-developed and original. The story itself unfolds in a fairly interesting, if at times predictable, way. The world building can be uneven, particularly geography and the difference between the races (Oragens excluded). I'm still not sure who's human and who's not, and what their relationships to various power structures are.

All that said, it's one of the better and certainly more original books in the genre in recent memory.

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