Runo Knows...The Android's Dream
While I read this after a couple of other books I haven't done a Runo Knows... on, I decided to switch up between some mixology books and some sci-fi.
I'd actually started reading this book a while ago, on a quiet night at Bailey's by myself with just a few beers and a cigar. Unfortunately for little ol' me, I got a bit too drunk while reading it and got confused as to what was going on. There are a number of characters introduced in various roles, plus more than a few aliens (and more alien races). I took it home, put it away, and said I was going to read it later when I could sit down and keep up with it.
That was a couple of months ago. I looked forward to reading it, because, well, it's Scalzi, but hey, I wanted to make sure I had it at the right time.
And when I did pick it up I knew that I'd pretty much be reading the whole thing in one long swoop. I was right on that.
Basically, the tale here is about the fate of an alien nation. The Earth is part of a galactic confederation - and not very high up in it, in fact, low enough that they don't count as "high" at all. They're below the Nidu, who are also fairly low after all but could beat up the Earth like nobody's business.
When the leader of the Nidu dies, the Nidu require the blood of a very special, genetically engineered sheep called "The Android's Dream". However, something has been wiping out all the sheep. While one plotline follows the reasonings and people (both human and otherwise) behind wanting that to happen, the major plotline follows Harry Creek, the veteran hero of a major battle, now the official "bearer of bad news" who has been tasked to find the sheep and deliver it.
The jokes come fast and furious - the entire first chapter, basically, is one long fart joke, for instance. At the same time, the universe seems to hold together, and in many ways it's not absurdist humor as much as the sort of "oh my god what are these people doing" kind of humor (even if the people are aliens). At times it can even be a bit poignant, and at other times, there's some fast paced action - though it's not really a "military sci-fi" book like Old Man's War, it's more of a technothriller.
One thing I did like was the fact that a good bit of the tale takes place in the DC area, and it seems to be done fairly accurately, allowing for the fact that it's a few hundred years in the future. It has a sense of growth from the current era that some other sci-fi novels have missed out on.
I read today (I believe over on Gawker's new io9 blog) that there's a sequel in the works - yay! Right now Scalzi is, to me, like Stross is now - a guarantee of a good, fun read, even if I'm not certain of the premise. (Other writers, such as Ringo, used to be in that boat, though when I get to East of the Sun, West of the Moon I'll talk a bit more about that - trust me, in a good way.)
I'd actually started reading this book a while ago, on a quiet night at Bailey's by myself with just a few beers and a cigar. Unfortunately for little ol' me, I got a bit too drunk while reading it and got confused as to what was going on. There are a number of characters introduced in various roles, plus more than a few aliens (and more alien races). I took it home, put it away, and said I was going to read it later when I could sit down and keep up with it.
That was a couple of months ago. I looked forward to reading it, because, well, it's Scalzi, but hey, I wanted to make sure I had it at the right time.
And when I did pick it up I knew that I'd pretty much be reading the whole thing in one long swoop. I was right on that.
Basically, the tale here is about the fate of an alien nation. The Earth is part of a galactic confederation - and not very high up in it, in fact, low enough that they don't count as "high" at all. They're below the Nidu, who are also fairly low after all but could beat up the Earth like nobody's business.
When the leader of the Nidu dies, the Nidu require the blood of a very special, genetically engineered sheep called "The Android's Dream". However, something has been wiping out all the sheep. While one plotline follows the reasonings and people (both human and otherwise) behind wanting that to happen, the major plotline follows Harry Creek, the veteran hero of a major battle, now the official "bearer of bad news" who has been tasked to find the sheep and deliver it.
The jokes come fast and furious - the entire first chapter, basically, is one long fart joke, for instance. At the same time, the universe seems to hold together, and in many ways it's not absurdist humor as much as the sort of "oh my god what are these people doing" kind of humor (even if the people are aliens). At times it can even be a bit poignant, and at other times, there's some fast paced action - though it's not really a "military sci-fi" book like Old Man's War, it's more of a technothriller.
One thing I did like was the fact that a good bit of the tale takes place in the DC area, and it seems to be done fairly accurately, allowing for the fact that it's a few hundred years in the future. It has a sense of growth from the current era that some other sci-fi novels have missed out on.
I read today (I believe over on Gawker's new io9 blog) that there's a sequel in the works - yay! Right now Scalzi is, to me, like Stross is now - a guarantee of a good, fun read, even if I'm not certain of the premise. (Other writers, such as Ringo, used to be in that boat, though when I get to East of the Sun, West of the Moon I'll talk a bit more about that - trust me, in a good way.)