All posts by Carl V. Anderson

Science Fiction

Halting State ~Charles Stross

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Halting State ~Charles Stross
–published 2007
–351 pages, Ace Books
–4.5/5 stars

A post cyberpunk, near-future caper. A spy-vs-spy story of greed, fraud and deception set in and among the world of MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games). A police procedural techno-thriller with undercurrents of espionage and a healthy dose of so-near-you-can-almost-taste-it technology. A tale filled with hi-tech big-brother-is-watching-you gadgetry and gaming in-jokes with a dash of geek-on-geek romance thrown in for good measure.

These run on sentence, sound bite descriptions of Hugo and Locus award-winning author Charles Stross’ novel Halting State barely scratch the surface of the genres and sub-genres of storytelling that Stross successively incorporates into this arresting (pardon the pun) tale. Halting State is a novel whose technical achievement and craft is no doubt more readily apparent to those with a heady knowledge of computer science and online gaming and yet the novel maintains a sense of accessibility for the newbie throughout because of the backbone that this structure is built on: a good old fashioned heist story.

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Science Fiction

The Demolished Man ~Alfred Bester

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The Demolished Man ~Alfred Bester

–published 1952
–250 pages, Shasta Publishers
–Winner of first ever Hugo award, 1953
–4.5/5 stars

In the endless universe there is nothing new, nothing different. What may appear exceptional to the minute mind of man may be inevitable to the infinite Eye of God. This strange second in a life, that unusual event, those remarkable coincidences of environment, opportunity, and encounter… all may be reproduced over and over on the planet of a sun whose galaxy revolves once in two hundred million years and has revolved nine times already.

There are and have been worlds and cultures without end, each nursing the proud illusion that it is unique in space and time. There have been men without number suffering from the same megalomania; men who imagined themselves unique, irreplaceable, irreproducible. There will be more… more plus infinity. This is the story of such a time and such a man… The Demolished Man.

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Book Reviews

The Bleeding Dusk ~Colleen Gleason

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The Bleeding Dusk ~Colleen Gleason
–published 2008
–346 pages, Signet Eclipse Books
–Romantic Times Top Pick
–????? stars

Reviewing the work of someone you consider a friend can be a dicey experience, even more so when you have enjoyed the previous novels that you have reviewed. What do you do if this one isn’t as good as the first two? What if, God forbid, you don’t like it at all? How do you maintain your integrity without being brutally honest. What does truly constructive criticism look like?

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Home

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

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Alas boys and girls, the NFL season has come to an end. And what a bitter disappointing choke job for the New England Patriots. They have looked really flat and worn out over the past few games and so this certainly didn’t come as a complete surprise. I only wished I had bet the farm on the Giants! Congrats to the NY Giants, by the way, who certainly earned the trophy with gutsy play over the last half of the season, including the playoffs. I am glad the fourth quarter ended up being exciting, with Eli Manning earning the MVP award and the victory. The ads were fun. Not as great as a few years ago, but there were certainly some enjoyable ones out there. Feel free to chat about which ones you enjoyed or hated.

And Thank You Adriana Lima for softening the blow that football is at and end and for reminded men, and women, that there is another full contact sport out there that we can engage in year round. 😉 (did I say that out loud, sorry)

And now, my January Round Up:

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Film

Juno

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The words ‘quirky’ and ‘delightful’ are ones that seem to frequent my film reviews. This is less the result of my wearing rose colored review glasses and more due to the fact that I do not review all the films I see. However, when a film is this much of a delight to view and is indeed a creative, quirky experience, I cannot help but pull out these old favorites in my description.

When you can walk out of a film and genuinely like every major character in the film and everything about the film it is an incredible experience that strengthens my faith in the medium. Don’t wait until Juno comes out on DVD. Go and see it now so that you can join me on Oscar night, filled with frustration as this marvelous film is overlooked by the Academy of Performing Arts.

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