Reviews and links for November 2010
The Anthologist by Nicholson Baker
4/5
A first person account of a procrastinating poet who just can't get the introduction to an anthology started. It's filled with fascinating nuggets of information like a Bill Bryson book, a lesson in poetry and a manifesto for a return to poems that rhyme. Short, sweet and beautifully written.
The Evolutionary Void (Void, #3) by Peter F. Hamilton
4/5
Some science fiction takes you to the future through new ideas or technology. Peter F. Hamilton physically drags you there through actual time. I started reading him last century and have just surfaced from the conclusion of the Void trilogy in actual honest to goodness 2010. I hope he takes some time off. I could use couple of years to catch up on some other books.
The Void trilogy is set in the same universe as his Commonwealth Saga and Misspent Youth, set over a millennium later although there are many recurring characters. We finally discover the true nature of the mysterious void at the heart of the universe introduced in The Dreaming Void, several thousand pages ago.
It's epic space opera combined with a thread of fantasy that eventually resolve into a single story. His dialog is often leaden but the plot and scope of the story more than make up for it. If you like this sort of thing then you're going to love it.
Links
- Guest Week: Zach Weiner (SMBC) from xkcd.com (Interactive guest XKCD goodness).
- Vitamin D from Information Is Beautiful (Need more sunshine!).
- Palin says she could beat Obama from BBC News - Home (McCain, your legacy is thoroughly fucked.).
- Obama vows to improve Muslim ties from BBC News - Home (Tip: stop killing Muslims).
- Flash vs. Batteries from Boing Boing (Because it has to check for updates every five seconds?).
- Electric current 'boosts maths' from BBC News - Home (Yes, every time you answer incorrectly...).
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