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Feel free to contact me directly if you have recommendations or remarks. RATING
SYSTEM 0/10 (what-the-..?) BOOK REVIEWS BY RATING RATING: RATING: RATING: RATING: RATING: RATING: RATING: RATING: RATING: FILM REVIEWS BY RATING RATING: 5/10 UPCOMING REVIEWS Interesting items which I either haven't finished or haven't made up my mind about yet. Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts by Andrew Chaikin SCIENCE FICTION RATING:
8/10 (very good) This is a book I read first when I was very young, and
which has somehow influenced and haunted me for a long time. In the future humans discover a signal coming from an
intelligent source on a far away star. The
signal (as well as it’s creators) must be very old, use vast
amounts of energy and the attempts to decipher the message end in
failure. The
book starts out really well with a thoughtful approach to the structure
of the
hypothetical message, and how the decryption of certain parts hint
at unthinkable complexity. Unfortunately from a certain point in
the book, Lem
doesn’t attempt to speculate any more about the questions this raises,
and later
on, uses the topic mainly as means to dissect human nature and to warn
about a
3rd world war. Which is certainly understandable in the context of the
time it
was written, but it didn’t satisfy me. That he takes this 1 step
forward, 2
steps back approach makes me think Lem had only a limited interest for
the
topic, and wanted more to write a political book. For which it was
certainly relevant
during the Cold War, and probably even today, although times have
changed a bit. But although recent analysis puts the probability of this event in a somewhat different perspective, Lem seems to ignore that a contact with an alien civilization is still a possibility. This would be a highly dangerous event, but could it be that human fallacy is only one aspect, and possible only a minor one? I rather ask myself, if we came into contact with a vastly superior intelligence, what plans would they have have with us? Certainly this question is not possible to answer with our inferior intelligence (at least inferior in Lems version and in all probability), but why shouldn’t we speculate? What if they were mostly benign, (because that could be a condition for survival), and the contact would be highly beneficial to us? What if they are purely rational, could we adapt? What if they were truly evil, should we try to hide from them, or prepare us for the event, today? What is the most likely outcome? And last, why does not only Lem, but almost every author portray humanity as an evil and doomed species? Could it be that all speculation of the human future is somehow related with depth psychology? I rate ‘The Masters Voice’ about as high as ‘Solaris’.
Unfortunately some of Lems other books left me rather underwhelmed, for example
‘Flight to the Stars’ and the highly praised ‘The Invincible’ were pretty miserable. But all the same a great fellow,
this Mr. Lem. RATING:
4/10 (underwhelming) I got this book based on other peoples opinions, and
that tought me a lesson to be more sceptical in the future. The story starts out pretty well, gets increasingly
outlandish in the middle, and very close to the finish it becomes so silly, that
I decided to spare myself the end. Among the many things I didn’t like is the typical
Hollywood plot ( of course the aliens start out friendly but in the middle of
the book it comes to an unevitable confrontation ), antiquated perceptions (everyone
blushes at the mere mention of sex: was this written in the 1970s or long before
WW2?), and an appalling lack of science that discounts this as serious SF. As
an example of what I mean here it should suffice to say that the astronauts eat
alien vegetables and get stuck in alien traffic jams, which I found completely
ridiculous. Besides,
this is a really inane book because the
authors seem to be so stuck in their human thinking that they believe
human
views would instantly infect and transform the aliens minds, as if
they had only waited for humanity to bring them enlightenment. It
would have fit
right into 19th century where a lot of similarly conceited stories were
written
about foreign cultures, and we know how little these understood of the
real
world. In this, Niven/Pournelle are actually the perfect anti-Lems.
While Lem thinks humanity is hopelessly inferior [..], here the aliens are
fluffy little animals. 'The Mote in Gods Eye' may have entertainment value for a lot of people, but as a work of science fiction I find this completely overrated . Rendezvous
with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke RATING:
9/10
(great) Clarkes
version of contact with alien civilization, this is probably one
of the best books that was written on this topic. Like in a good psychological ghost film Clarke is not in a rush to reveal the secret, and leaves the reader in awe. That's one of the things that Clarke
can do best. Once he starts to reveal things, a lot goes down the
drain, as I had to find out when I read some of his other books. But in
'Rendezvous Rama' he does almost everything right. This is one book
that deserves the name 'hard' science fiction, not at
all hard to read. RATING:
6/10
(decent) This
novel was recommended to me as the ultimate 'hard' science fiction,
which I now find very amusing, because it shows how obfuscated this
genre has become. It was a solid read but I stopped about
halfway, when I realized how marginally Red Mars is about science
fiction.
Instead it deals mostly with the personal affairs of astronauts, their
conflicts,
competition, love, hate and (apparently because I stopped at that
point),
crime. The author has created a true opus magnum in which he endlessly
spreads
out his ideas about people and human faults, which I found completely
uninteresting. To be fair, I think Red Mars is well written, consistent and
overall not bad. But it should appeal to people who like thrillers with
unorthodox back stories, not to typical science fiction fans. If you are more
interested in the actual flight to Mars, you are better off by
reading e.g. Stephen Baxters ‘Voyage’. In
the Ocean of Night (Galactic Center, Volume 1) by Gregory Benford RATING: 2/10 (very bad) If I would have been his publisher I would have liked
to say about the following to Gregory Benford: “We have read about half of your manuscript, skimmed a
lot of pages along the way and still have not learned anything about the alien message. Upon this we have thrown
your manuscript into the dustbin, and would ask you to write it again, starting
from scratch. You do have an interesting story, but we like neither your
writing style not your constant digressions into completely irrelevant
territory. For example, we don’t think your readers are particularly interested
in vivid descriptions of how the smell of urine reaches the protagonists nose
while he is peeing, or that he often doesn’t flush the toilet because he is a
bit of a miser, and water has become so expensive. We think they want to be in awe
about the possibilty of a contact with an extraterrestrial intelligence, which
you should make the main topic of your second manuscript. Good try though, and
we feel you can make it, if you could only get your act together.” The
Hammer of God by Arthur C. Clarke RATING:
5/10 (acceptable) Less
a novel but more a confused assemblage of various
bits and pieces. It’s less than 2 years ago that I read this story but
I can’t remember what had actually happened in the end. ‘The
Hammer of God’ feels more
like a manuscript, certainly one for a very interesting novel, but
still
waiting to be finished. After ‘Rendezvous with Rama’ had made such a profound
impression on me I began to read several of Clarkes books, but I found them to
be rather hit-and-miss. If you want to read the best of his novels it’s
advisable to be very careful what to buy, and this one should better not be your first
choice. The
Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester RATING:
8/10 (very good) The tale of Gully Foyle, an ugly, disagreeable guy who
is left stranded in a wrecked spaceship but returns to take revenge in Count of
Monte Christo style. It’s a book unlike any other that I read, it’s bizarre,
fast-paced, eclectic, full of grandiose ideas, and I devoured it in very little
time. Maybe a tad overrated, but it’s still a great science
fiction novel. I think this could be turned into a film one day. RATING:
7/10 (good) I think it is evident that Walter Tevis intended this
to be a very deep novel, and he put a lot on the agenda: the mystery of
reading, human nature, love. It’s an idealistic, but not a romantic book, as it
shows that sometimes this world confronts us with unavoidable, final decisions. After I finished the novel I had the feeling that I
did not understand all of it, and I am still not sure if it was the books fault
or my own. So I am possibly out of my depth, but I am rating it deliberately
not as high as I could. Mockingbird simply didn’t have such a deep impact on me
as was apparently the intention of Walter Tevis. I recommend this book both as
a good science fiction story and a stimulation for thought. And I would be curious
to hear what other people thought about it. I think I should read it another time, and maybe
reconsider my opinion. RATING:
9/10 (great) George R. Stewarts post-apocalyptic novel is a
testimony to humanity, a philosophers life’s-work, entirely idealistic and full of hope. RATING:
7/10 (good) The protagonist is, somewhat against his will,
transformed through an artificial body which enables him to live on Mars. Often
repulsive and shocking, but also well thought out and not completely
unrealistic. There is also a concealed side story which is very clever, but
doesn’t fit in very well with the rest of the book. When you read it, you will
see what I mean. A good, solid science fiction novel RATING:
4/10 (underwhelming) I am rather dissapointed by Non-Stop, which promised a
very interesting story, but is brought down mostly by its style, which is
hopelessly dated. I could not even finish it, since the plot is simply too
lame. It’s not a complete failure though, Aldiss had a lot of great ideas, he
was just not able to produce a great novel. A sound science fiction story that has aged not so
well. Bring
the Jubilee by Ward W. Moore RATING:
7/10 (good) A
somewhat too long, otherwise good tale about an alternative history in which There
is a very good plot idea behind this story, and there’s a lot there for fans
of steampunk. But it would have been much better to reduce this novel to about
80-100 pages and release it in an anthology about time travel, together with 2
or 3 similar stories. That could have turned out a classic. ‘Bring
The Jubilee’ is a solid novel about time travel and alternate history, it certainly
didn’t blow my socks off but I would still recommend it. I
Am Legend by Richard Matheson RATING:
9/10 (great) ‘I Am Legend’ is rather short, but almost the
showpiece of a perfect novel. Nothing is repeated, the story moves fluidly from
beginning to end, with lots of surprising twists (which shall not be given
away). Except that we are told the story of how a virus has turned all of
humanity into vampires. One man was spared, and fights bravely for his humanity
day by day, until [..] I could not imagine how the two genres (vampires and SF) could be fused, but it actually has a good dose of both. A splendidly written book, which I full-heartedly recommend. RATING: [-] I have not had time to finish this story about a hypothetical history in which the Americans land on Mars in 1986, but so far I am quite pleased with it. NON-FICTION RATING:
7/10 (good) Fascinating, very good to read account of neurologic
cases. I read this many years ago. Like a lot of other indian
writers, Ramachandran a marvellous gift of using the English language in a very efficient,
easy, pleasant style. The cases are very interesting, and offer a lot of
insight into the human condition. I learned many interesting facts, but of
course the mystery of the human brain remains. It’s a shame that so many people
have still very deadlocked views of the human mind, and will probably never
touch books like this, for it could open their eyes in many ways. RATING:
9/10 (great) Another book which I read many years ago, but did not
want to leave out. In a very readable and entertaining style, Singh
unravels the story of one of mathematics greatest enigmas, the search for a
proof for Fermats deceptively simple theorem: no number greater than 2 fullfils
the equation An = Bn + Cn. He spans a story from the beginnings of mathematics to the discovery of Fermats
problem, many failed (or only partially successful) attempts, several dramatic
life stories, until the final proof in 1994 (which for me turned out the least
interesting). People with a gift for mathematics will certainly
laugh about this entirely popular-scientific book, but they should not sniff at
it. For it takes uninterested people and leaves them fascinated of mathematics.
After Fermats Theorem certainly no one will ever say again that math is
pointless or boring. There is in fact also a little mathematics in this book,
made understandable for anyone, but not completely trivial. Fermats Theorem is an excellent piece of entertainment
that could change your view on mathematics for good. Apollo
13
by James Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger RATING: 9/10 (great) An excellently written, superbly readable and very entertaining novel, which will teach you everything you need to know about the Apollo 13 crisis. Together with 'The Right Stuff' and 'A Man on the Moon' this ranks among the finest books about the space race. RATING: 8/10 (very good) 'The
Right Stuff' was written in 1979, and at that time, appears to have
broken new ground by its modern style, and astute analysis of the slow US' comeback from the Sputnik shock. It
is not only a comprehensive account of Project Mercury but adresses a
lot of space to top airforce test pilots like Chuck Yeager, who missed
out on their chance to win fame and go into space. An absolute milestone in narrative history, although
somewhat dated and maybe not absolutely sincere. RATING: [-] I am still reading this absolutely voluminous book about the Apollo program, and so far I'm absolutely enjoying it. The first 80 pages were a bit too confused, but from Bormans Apollo 8 flight around the moon, it gives an exhaustive account of every mission, all very well written and ordered. RATING:
8/10 (very good) Gabriel Garcia Marquez relates the true, first hand
account of a columbian sailor who was shipwrecked in 1955 and survived for
three weeks by a raw gull, a little rainwater, his will to survive and and a
lot of luck. Since my Spanish is
really apalling I did not understand everything, but I found it easy to read
and a truly remarkable story. I will definitely read this another time. 1812:
Napoleon's Fatal March on Moscow by Adam Zamoyski RATING: [-] I have not finished this rather voluminous book yet, but so far I found it a extremely skillfully written, analytical piece of research, and one of the best books on history I ever read. The
Most Dangerous Enemy: The Definitive History of the Battle of Britain by Stephen Bungay RATING:
10/10 (excellent) This must be the most thorough, insightful book on a military campaign I ever read. Fanatically
unbiased and rational, Bungay produces for the first time a mostly
convincing portrayal of the Battle of Britain. I have read several
other books about the topic and one way or the other, all of them fell
victim to national vanity and
urban legends. So if you read such books because you favor either the
Germans or the British, be aware that Bungay gives a much more
multilayered, complex explanation than you might expect and both sides are dissected and blemished with the same
passion. It must come especially dissappointing to the British when
Bungay concludes that the RAF did not win the Battle of Britain,
but the Luftwaffe lost it, and that Bomber
Command repeated all of the german mistakes in the
first months of 1941, with identical results. RATING:
8/10 (very good) Not as good as ‘The Most Dangerous Enemy’, because it is a lot shorter and lacks the deep insight of Bungays earlier work, but if you for once ignore the other book, 'Alamein' is still a very good choice. RATING:
8/10 (very good) Very entertaining. TRIVIAL LITERATURE RATING:
3/10 (bad) Many years ago, this was one of the first books I
purchased over the internet. In my ignorance I had chosen it based on a
ridiculously naïve fallacy: Cryptonomicon offered a huge number of pages, a supenseful
story, and got raving reviews. I had a winner, which came practically with a guarantee that I
would be reading an exciting book for a very long time. What
I got was well deserved! It
is really a long time ago, but even in my relative youth, I got quickly
fed up by the sensationalist, pretentious
style of Mr. Stephenson. And this book is so massive. It has not one
but FOUR
different story layers, neatly interlaced so that you never have the
feeling that
you made a headway. I first started skipping one level, then another
and
finally the whole tome after about two thirds. Not for the life of me
can I
remember what it was actually about, only that it had to do with
encryption, World War II, and the Phillippines, and that I developed a
deep dislike for
Stephenson and his books. For
his fans, he is really pushing the
envelope. Since they must have a thing for sensationalist fads of the
90s, he
pulls out everything that’s in the book: techno babble, network
protocols, Bletchley Park, Enigma machines, larger-than-life
internet entrepeneurs, half intellectual musings
about the Finnish soul, japanese small arms, corn flakes, fancy
travel
locations, and so on and so on. All endlessly drawn-out and carefully
chosen to impress
the reader. Cryptonomicon is the ultimate fast food novel, and
it’s so 90s. RATING:
4/10 (underwhelming) I bought this book based on good reviews, because it
was compared to ‘The Right Stuff’, and because I wanted to try out something
new. This was a big mistake. First of all I still do like the idea. In an alternate
history, it’s the Russians that get the first shot on the moon, and this is the
life-story of Yevgenii Yeremin, the man who attempts the first landing. Jed
Mercurios writing style is fluid, you can’t criticize him for that. But I find
him somewhat of a douchebag, for he turns this splendid idea into a superficial
page turner. ‘Ascent’ is the typical american underdog story, in every chapter
the hero is confronted with new, seemingly unsurmountable obstacles: he is raped,
cut dead by his comrades, cheated for his merits, and so on. Everyone he meets
is a mean sod. But thanks to having the 'right stuff' and a healthy dose of deus ex machina he eventually
prevails in every chapter, and becomes the first man to go to the moon. How it ends I don’t
know, because I quit half way. But I believe Yevgenii dies during the attempt. Ascent is 'ok for what it is', but advertising it as
another ‘The Right Stuff’ is quite a effrontery. There are also a lot of
incredible factual mistakes, which show that Jed Mercurio has done very little
research. It seems a lot of people enjoy this, but it was not at all what I was looking for. P.S. If you’re interested in what-if stories about the space race, and you also dislike this sensationalist style, Stephen Baxters ‘Voyage’ is a good alternative. DVDs RATING:
5/10 (acceptable) “Flags Of Our Fathers” is brought down by a much too
crammed, confused script. A rare, introspect view on the often rather
superfical american society, it fails to communicate what the book was about,
except maybe in the broadest of senses. In the end I realized I had seen a rather bleak film about
a team of soldiers who raised a flag. Their nation was in a war and needed
heroes, so the rather unspectacular event was taken up by propaganda and blown
up to ridiculous proportions. In reality they were normal young men, but no one
was interested in their true story, so it was soon forgotten, and the film
strives to make up for that, more than 50 years later. It is praiseworthy that this is not a typical,
dishonest Hollywood script, but follows it’s own laws. Unfortunately this alone
does not make a great movie, and ratings shouldn’t be based on good intentions
alone. RATING:
7/10 (good) The second of Eastwoods films, "Letters From Iwo
Jima" is a lot better than “Flags Of Our Fathers”. In a rather logical
chronology, it shows the hopeless defense the Japanese garrison on Iwo Jima put
up against the US landing, from the improvised preparations to the great
carnage at the end. Eastwood does a lot right. He shows the reality in the
Imperial Japanese Army: The soldiers are victims of appalling logistics,
suffering daily from cruelty, the renunciation of their sacrifices, die hard
slogans and sense of duty. The officers are in more or less the same state of
confusion, caught between conflicting orders, Bushido and compassion. At the
end of the film you feel that they, as individuals, should be ready to break
out of this bondage, stand up against upbringing and peer-group pressure, and
decide for life. But unfortunately only very few of them are capable of that. I think in this lies the lesson of this film:
Overcoming their sense of duty was simply too much for most Japanese at the
time, so they chose the ‘easy’ escape of following orders, fighting on and
dying. Putting war crimes for once aside, this film pays a lot of respect to
the Japanese, by showing the complete disorientation of a Nation, and how it
plunged into great suffering. This fairness redeems Eastwoods two-piece, after
a rather weak start with the first film. Unfortunately the script again tries to cram too much
into a too short time, so I cannot say that it is a technically great film, but
it can hold it’s own. |