Books I've read in 2007 [Part One]
I thought it was time to write down the list of books I have read and/or bought this year. Holy shit! These past months I’ve been lucky, as usually there are not so many books I’m interested in nearby bookstores. But now I think my personal library grew in a ten percent in four months and a half. It also doubled my wish list, though.
So, there is it. Most of them are science fiction, famous names, and part of a series. There are close to 20 books (more than one per week!), so I’ll have to break this entry in multiple posts.
Part One -- Isaac Asimov Worlds
The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov (1953)
This is the first novel in the Robots Series, starring Detective Elijah Baley and Robot Daneel Olivaw. I had already read the pair in a short stories collection, but this is the one when they meet, and, wow. I’ve heard Asimov mentioned once that, before female fans worshiped cold and reserved Mr. Spock, they discovered cold and reserved Daneel. After reading this and a few other stories of him, I might start believing it.
On this story, a Detective from Earth (Baley) is joined by a Spacer (Olivaw) in order to solve the murder of a Spacer Ambassador. As every Earth resident, Baley hates open spaces and distrust robots, but has a more rational mind than average. He understands the differences between people from Earth and people from out of Earth (‘Spacers’), and uses them to gather information, to solve the mystery and to try to figure out his robot partner.
I actually bought this book in November 2006, but read it in January. Pocket book edition, 267 pages, cost: close to $9.5 USD.
The Naked Sun by Isaac Asimov (1958)
So, Baley is now known as the Earth resident that solved a Spacer murder. Seeing how certain Spacer societies had no use of police forces, it is not strange that somebody in planet Solaria asked for the Detective’s help to solve another murder. This novel explores once again the differences between the ‘original’ human civilization, and that of the ones who leaved the mother Earth.
Baley knows that Spacers don’t enjoy being around Earth people, mainly because of the chance of getting a disease; that’s the first reason why his partner is a robot, Olivaw, because no Spacer would agree to get close to one from Earth -- but in this novel Elijah gets to speculate on the robot creators' further motivations. And, moreover, Baley discovers that not all the Spacers are as people in Earth believes, both physically and psychologically.
I bought and read this book in April, thanks to the fact that I spent most of said month in airports and big cities with big libraries. Pocket book edition, 297 pages, cost: close to $9.5 USD.
Foundation and Chaos by Greg Bear (1998)
O. M. G.
When I first found this book, I didn’t notice the author’s name; which is actually a good thing, as I had never heard about Greg Bear and might have bought a different book instead. But this was a continuation to Asimov’s Foundation Series! An authorized and In Honor of Asimov’s continuation! Reading the cover, I discovered that David Brin was the writer of the next (and last) book in The Second Foundation Trilogy.
Wait … Second Trilogy? Yep. That meant Bear’s book was the second one, the first being written by Gregory Benford. So, shit and double shit. I usually don’t buy books out of order, but this was too good to be true. I’ve read and deeply enjoyed Brin’s work --one of his books is the first sci-fi one I ever bought-- so even if I had no idea of who Bear and Benford were, I had to own these books. So I bought it and read it … and deeply, truly loved it.
It’s the time around the first Foundation book, with a Hari Seldon about to be judged. On this novel we discover the events that take place a short time before, and a few lines in Asimov Series (Robots and Foundation) get tied. Daneel Olivaw’s part as a grey eminency is quite enticing, if a little annoying not only to humans, but also to other robots. Being a 20-thousand years old manipulator means he has stepped in many toes, and hurt many egos to be loved everywhere.
Bought it in April, and read in May. I actually tried to get Foundation’s Fear (Benford’s book) first, but couldn’t; so I’ll have to read this one again in a future date. Pocket book edition, 455 pages, cost: close to $7.4 USD.
I already own and have read, by Asimov: The End of Eternity, Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Second Foundation, Forward the Foundation, Foundation’s Edge, Foundation and Earth, and many short stories collections, including I, Robot, Robot Dreams and Robot Visions.
I already own and have read, by others: Earth by David Brin.
I want to buy and read, by Asimov: Prelude to Foundation, The Robots of Dawn, Robots and Empire, The Positronic Man, Nemesis, Pebble in the Sky, The Stars, Like Dust, The Currents of Space, The Gods Themselves, among others.
I want to buy and read, by others: Foundation’s Fear (and other books) by Gregory Benford, Foundation’s Triumph (and other books) by David Brin, Isaac Asimov’s Caliban, Inferno & Utopia (all three books) by Roger McBride Allen. ETA: also, how could I forget ... more from George Bear, including nightdog's recs The Forge of God and Anvil of Stars.
ETA: Forgot to say this. According to Wikipedia, Greg Bear has written both Star Wars and Star Trek: The Original Series stories.