I'm interpretating this book a little differently after I had the good fortune of meeting the author himself at DragonCon in Atlanta a few years ago. I'm interpretating this book a little differently after I had the good fortune of meeting the author himself at DragonCon in Atlanta a few years ago. He let me know that many words in the lexicon in the series are derived from a Greek dictionary of his. Now I look at the story from the scifi side as well as ancient Greek angle. While the prose is poetic and interesting, the plot is only advanced as much as needed. This truly is a story told in 4 books. I can't even imagine someone picking up any of the books out of order and understanding what's going on. I've read three books before and can barely tell you what is happening. Not an easy summer read....more
Reread! Last stop on my Niven revisited tour. This was the last Niven novel I read decades ago. Hoping this 3rd book is the charm in terms of holding uReread! Last stop on my Niven revisited tour. This was the last Niven novel I read decades ago. Hoping this 3rd book is the charm in terms of holding up to expectations. So the verdict? In today's eyes parts of this might be considered slightly sexist but not to a degree that it weakens the story. In fact, this story has held up very well over the years. I may check out the sequel after I read a few goodreads reviews on it....more
Refreshed review: Perhaps I might be biased on this one due to the feelings nostalgia that this invoked in me but if it were possible to give this bookRefreshed review: Perhaps I might be biased on this one due to the feelings nostalgia that this invoked in me but if it were possible to give this book a 6th star I would. This book was way ahead of the literature mainstream at the time of its printing, like good science fiction is supposed to be. In spite of it's age, it's held up well. The artifacts of the decade are in here of course but many of the cultural challenges of gender, war and peace are still relevant. The world building and xenobiology are on a higher level than most of what I've read lately. The aliens seems real, not just props for the story. On the meta side, IMO, it's a love letters to the great SF writers of that era as well. Not every book I read when I was younger has stood the test of time but I'm so glad that this one did. I'm going to pause here on the trilogy re-read. Will pick back up Book 2 (Wizard) in the summer maybe?
Side note: One of the things I miss about paper books, esp from back in the day was the beautiful cover art and sometimes interior art you'd get with the book. Here is the one you'd find in the old paper version of Titan.
[image]
Would love to see the e-book formats support both color and B+W interior art....more
Retro review: I had a "Delany period" , in the 80s , his books seemed to always on the shelves and he seemed highly regarded in the non-SF literary seRetro review: I had a "Delany period" , in the 80s , his books seemed to always on the shelves and he seemed highly regarded in the non-SF literary set. This book is weird, kind of like Conan vs the monetary system. My memory is vague and this will be revisited, but I remember it being very odd but also very brilliant as well. ...more
Some of the stories have not aged well while others feel like they were written yesterday. Many are classics like It's a Good Life and The Cold EquatiSome of the stories have not aged well while others feel like they were written yesterday. Many are classics like It's a Good Life and The Cold Equations for example, had been adapted for movies and TV (The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits) long ago. Little Black Bag, Surface Tension, Flowers for Algernon, Fondly Fahrenheit (by crazy Alfred Bester) and A Rose for Ecclesiastes are my standouts....more
Read this in the distant past. Admit to not remembering a lot of the details. I do remember the overall feeling after I completed it though : Mind BloRead this in the distant past. Admit to not remembering a lot of the details. I do remember the overall feeling after I completed it though : Mind Blown. Hope to reread this one soon for a new, more complete review...more
Update: after finishing for the second time, review updated. Sadly, the author passed away before writing many more books. This is his Opus though.
OrUpdate: after finishing for the second time, review updated. Sadly, the author passed away before writing many more books. This is his Opus though.
Original review: The best contemporary fantasy novel I've ever read. A thought provoking and entertaining look at the roads we chose. Pre-internet age book, I never got a chance to read anything else by Grimwood. Maybe it's time to find out what else this author has done. They call it a time travel book but it's not in the classic sense. One thing I enjoyed was the very cool look back at the "American Century" of the 1960s to the 1980s....more
One of the best Asian themed fantasy stories Ive ever read. Scratch that, one of the best fantasy trilogies I've ever read period. I have never read FOne of the best Asian themed fantasy stories Ive ever read. Scratch that, one of the best fantasy trilogies I've ever read period. I have never read Feist or Wurts solo books (though I plan to someday) but on these three books they struck gold. Back in the day, this was first book I'd read with a strong female character and I thought she was great. This is a slow burning political intrigue book. On my list to re-read. Finally did my re-read via audio and the production was flawless. This is in preparation for me to finally read the Fiest Riftwar novels which I hope are at least half as good as the Mara books with Janny Wurts ...more
Loading...
