Tag Archives: science fiction

Little Brother

Posted on June 9, 2018 by smellincoffee

Little Brother© 2008 Corey Doctorow380 pages Following the destruction of the Bay Bridge in San Francisco, a nightmare begins for a high school student who is scooped up by police in the aftermath. Not only has one of his friends … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews, science fiction | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Ready Player One

Posted on June 6, 2018 by smellincoffee

Ready Player One © 2011 Ernest Cline 354 pages Audible presentation read by Wil Wheaton, runtime 15 hr 46 min Who knew that School House Rock could save the world?  When an eccentric genius dies and leaves a will laden … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science fiction | Tagged , , , , | 16 Comments

Overclocked

Posted on February 15, 2018 by smellincoffee

Overclocked: More Stories of the Future Present© 2016 Cory Doctorow388 pages I’d never heard of Cory Doctorow before  this week, but I encountered his name on a list of promising SF authors and looked him up. Amazon obliged my curiosity … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science fiction | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Unfinished Business, 2017 Edition

Posted on December 31, 2017 by smellincoffee

Every year a few books will slip through the cracks, and become read but un-reviewed. Sometimes books are so good I keep pondering them until the thought of writing about them has slipped my mind; other times, the books are too … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science fiction | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The Transhumanist Wager

Posted on October 18, 2017 by smellincoffee

The Transhumanist Wager© 2013 Zoltan Istvan300 pages Imagine a protagonist who made Howard Roark seem like a warm and cuddly pushover. That’s Jethro Knights, a red-bearded, icy-blue eyed Ubermensch who is determined to live forever — and if anyone gets … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science fiction | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Rossum’s Universal Robots

Posted on October 17, 2017 by smellincoffee

R.U.R© 1920 Karel Capek120 pages ALQUIST: . Has Nana got a prayer book?HELENA Yes, a big thick one.ALQUIST And has it got prayers for various occasions? Against thunderstorms? Against illness?HELENA Against temptations, against floods!––ALQUIST But not against progress?HELENA I don’t … Continue reading →

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The Circle

Posted on September 9, 2017 by smellincoffee

The Circle 2013 Dave Eggers 507 pages Sharing is Caring. Privacy is Theft. Secrets are Lies. Imagine an internet transformed by a company  so innovative and ambitious that it had swallowed Facebook, Google, etc. whole.  It began with TruYou, a … Continue reading →

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Tyrannosaur Canyon

Posted on August 29, 2017 by smellincoffee

Tyrannosaur Canyon© 2006 Douglas Preston416 pages What do a ‘misplaced’ lunar sample and a fossil hunter shot dead in the high mesas of New Mexico have in common?  Their shared secret is one that would answer one of humanity’s oldest … Continue reading →

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Dragon’s Teeth

Posted on August 27, 2017 by smellincoffee

Dragon’s Teeth © 2017 Michael Crichton288 pages Scientific discovery isn’t always a gentlemanly affair.  Dragon’s Teeth, published by the estate of Michael Crichton in his name, inserts a fictional character into the real-life feud of two paleontologists who went to such … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews, science fiction | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

State of Fear

Posted on August 22, 2017 by smellincoffee

State of Fear© 2004 Michael Chrichton672 pages I stumbled upon State of Fear via Rousseau, oddly enough. Wikiquote’s page on Rousseau included an excerpt from a Michael Crichton article rebuking Rousseau’s “noble savage” myth. The article in question scrutinized political … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science fiction | Tagged , | 5 Comments