Reviews and Comments

'I don't know. I have always kept an open mind. There was much to be said on both sides.' Dr Porhoët, supporting character and expert on the occult.

This book achieved something like "suspension of belief", since I was not sure if the lead character was merely charismatic in some weird culty way, or possessed of occult powers until very late in the book.

It took me while to warm to the book. The beautiful young girl engaged to marry her guardian starts things off on a bit of an icky footing, and those are supposed to the the non-creepy characters. It also focuses a lot on youth and beauty in a way that feels quite shallow.

I am intrigued by the connection with the Wolastoqiyik people indigeonous to where I live.

I definitely enjoyed this more than (Surface Detail)[https://book.dansmonorage.blue/book/18939]. If nothing else, it is notably shorter, which suggests an instance of "established authors need editing too".

Banks does love to shock, and loves to write "cinematically", which occasionally a bit tiresome.

While I think describing the Culture series as "Literary Science Fiction" is a bit of stretch, there are some interesting big picture ideas, and some of the characters have some depth, or at least some interior life. The choice of having a "bad guy" protagonist already elevates it beyond a lot of more pulpy SF.

shkspr.mobi/blog/2022/01/book-review-inglorious-empire-shashi-tharoor/

As a CS academic, this is more a "should read" than a "want to read".

A definite maybe, based on the blurb.

commodore 64 (the follow-on) was my first computer. Same form factor, and iirc same processor family (6502).

Most of these stories are very old, and even the translation dates from 1909. I can forgive the (in modern terms) lack of character development and somewhat weak plotting in most of them. The glimpses into the early modern Arab world are occasionally fascinating (Sinbad was particularly interesting for me the discussion of trade and ancient Iraqi cities). The lack of interesting women characters is probably no worse than more recent "prince rescues princess" genre fiction.The casual violence and questionable morality is occasionally a bit shocking, but I guess one can make an argument for that as "thought provoking". I don't think I can excuse the occasional antisemitism and pervasive anti-black racism in the same way. Eventually it just dominated my experience of the book, which is kindof ick.

The story of Sinbad the Voyager is probably the most interesting in the volume, although it is not without problematic levels of racism.

Finished Codadad and his Brothers. The plot is moderately amusing, but the racism is really turned up to 11. The villainous giant is called simply "The Black".

I enjoyed Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

The story is free to read, what could possibly go wrong?

I know nothing about this book but the author.

(That turns out to be because there a duplicate books; search by author to find reviews).