Reviews and Comments

A fun, fast read, parodying the James Bond Villain archetype. The main character is dropped into the deep end of supervillain society, complete with double-crosses, triple-crosses, assassination attempts, blackmail, framing...and of course the secret volcanic lair, superlasers, talking dolphins (who are really unpleasant and cranky) and a management layer of typing cats (who are much less so, depending on how well you feed and pet them).

Everyone knows he's way out of his depth and wants to take advantage of him. But he knows it too -- and between a background in business journalism and a willingness to listen to people with expertise (always considering that they have an agenda that might not be his own), he's able to manage better than anyone expects.

Of course, the skills that get you to the top of the backstabbing, chaotic world of villainy...aren't necessarily the best for financial stability. Or stability of any kind.

Cross-posted at my website.

Reading People of the Crater I had to remind myself that if I'd been reading it when I was, say, 12, in 1950, I might have devoured it. It's a fairly standard fantasy adventure that drops a random guy into a fish-out-of-water quest to rescue a lost princess and fight off an army. There are vague sci-fi trappings with nods to Hollow Earth, hidden ancient cities in Antarctica, the various species living there being from another planet. The Ancient Ones and unfortunately named Black Ones are conveniently humanoid enough that the hero and villain both lust after the princess. And the hero fights his way through weird challenges and weirder people, and the villain might as well be twirling his mustache, and it's all very Post-WW2 Tough American Manly Man Doing Manly Hero Things(tm).

But I'm not 12, it's not the 1950s, and while I still like a good adventure story, I'd rather read one with more interesting concepts or compelling characters (or both).

Cross-posted from my website.

The Lathe of Heaven takes us through multiple possible versions of Portland as George Orr, a man whose dreams can change reality, is directed by his therapist to solve the world's problems.

It doesn't go very well.

• George has no control over how his dreams accomplish the specific change.
• Everything is connected. Pull one strand and another comes along with it.
• It's all tied to Dr. Haber's idea of which problems to tackle, what solutions are acceptable...and which people are expendable.

But while the stakes are global, the story stays laser-focused on three people: George Orr himself, increasingly desperate to take control of his life and his dreams. Dr. Haber, who keeps pushing for more control over the world. And Heather Lelache, a biracial lawyer who becomes aware of some of the changes to reality, but faces more drastic changes than either of the two men at the center of the maelstrom.

Full review with spoilers on my website

A fun collection of short cartoons about nature (not just birds!) collected from the cartoonist's website, Bird and Moon. Most of them are funny, riffing on oddities of various animals and plants, or on misconceptions people often have, but there are a few serious ones in there about climate change. Some of the longer ones are easier to read online because they've been shrunk down to fit on the small page size.

Some of my favorites from this collection include: - Red-Tail Blues - I've seen crows trying to hassle a less-than-impressed hawk on several occasions! - Attenborough - Ironically, I read this one in David Attenborough's voice. - When I Grow Up - It's good to have goals. - Versus - Monarch vs Milkweed! - Northern Pygmy Owl

Cross-posted from my website.

Thanks to @sohkamyung for inadvertently letting me know about the collection by reviewing it a few weeks ago!

With an immortal carnivorous sourdough starter named Bob (who may or may not count as a familiar).

In case that's not enough to convince you:

Teenage assistant baker Mona's only magic talent is with bread. She can make it staler or fresher, keep it from burning, make gingerbread men dance, and occasionally something more dramatic like Bob. (Bob was an accident, but he's quite handy around the bakery.) She wasn't prepared to be suspect number one in a rash of wizard murders, live on the run, or to protect the city from a threat as its only remaining mage.

Fun characters, fun concepts, and a quest that runs through the city's worst slums to the palace. Mona has to navigate both from her comfortable shopkeeper's life, learning what happens when the system she relied on to protect her is turned against her. And how the system can be manipulated against itself. She makes mistakes in the process -- sometimes annoying mistakes, but the kind that makes sense for a teenager to make.

Also: Lots of creative uses of very specific magic abilities. One mage can only work with water...but they can use it to make two surfaces vibrate in sync to transmit sound. Another can only work with air...but is able to use smell and gases to strong effect. Another can only reanimate dead horses.

My 12-year-old son loved it, so of course I had to read it too. Definitely recommended!

Cross-posted from my website.

The sequel to Lock In is a fast read with an interesting mystery, fun characters, and intriguing concepts. More than the first book, it fully explores the societal impact of both large scale lock-in and the technology used to deal with it.

It continues with the POV of locked-in FBI agent Chris Shane, this time investigating the death of a locked-in athlete.

In this near-future, 10% of the world's population have been locked into their brains by a pandemic. Virtual reality and remote robot piloting enable them to interact with the world, and there are even specially designed "threeps" (named after a well-known droid) for different tasks. Among them: the battle threeps used for a sport more violent than could be played with real human bodies.

Hadens spend most of their lives interacting through simulations or mechanical avatars, which changes a lot about identity presentation, travel, location, disability and prejudice. It's the kind of thing that might be nodded to in another book that wanted to focus on the technology, but all these implications are woven throughout the story and key to a lot of it.

(Adapted from the Mastodon posts I made back when I read it, cross-posted here and on my website)