::waves:: I usually just lurk, but coincidentally I have read three of the books you mention in the last week - Sorcery & Cecilia, Mythology: The DC Comics Art of Alex Ross(and I agree with the gorgeous-ness:), and Orson Scott Card, Speaker for the Dead. I also recall reading Sassinak years ago and not being especially impressed. If it's the book I'm thinking of. Possibly I have repressed.
...and I think I'll check out Jumping Off the Planet, based on your rec, it sounds interesting.
Well, hi there. I hope you enjoy the Gerrold book. I enjoyed his earlier adult novels in the War against the Chtorr series, but this book is very different.
Re: books I've read on your list (paltry)rivkatJune 7 2004, 06:11:58 UTC
Oh, God, I've gone through those books like candy too. There's a new hardcover, I saw, which I can't justify, but it said it was an Alex Delaware book. I haven't seen the one with the female detective. Delaware also wrote a short nonfiction book on violent children which I found disturbing, because he stated (without much support, as far as I could tell) that some kids are just bad and can't be fixed. I guess I believe it, and I guess people in charge of children should be aware of the possibility, but it still made me sad.
Also, I noticed in the NYT wedding pages that his daughter just got married. I skim them sometimes, and the name caught my eye.
it was like opening Tunnel in the Sky and getting Friday.
I laughed at this line twice. First, because it was funny and again because I realized it's only funny to a _very_ small set of people. Certainly, no one else I know in "real life" would have gotten it.
HumansWhile I agree the Neaderthals are rather...Utopian, Humanity still has a couple plus sides. The first book shows the extremely rigid structure of Neaderthal life coupled with the complete, to the point that it's almost self-defeating in terms of quality of life. And then, Ponder is awed by Humanity's curiousity and drive. No Neaderthal has ever even _thought_ about going to the Moon, or the bottom of the sea. They're more serene, but we're better dreamers. And while an argument could be made that they're just "different," I tend to think human society fosters the potential for much closer relationships (something that ought to be dealt with a lot in the third book
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See, I totally agree that NASA is not worth quibbling over, so I wouldn't support its elimination. But what you said about Humans, oddly, seems to me more true than your "long-term investment" point. I seriously doubt sustainable human existence off Earth is possible, and the economic payoffs to date have been minimal. Space exploration is about dreaming, striving, reaching, not practicality. And there's something to the idea that we should do it just because we can dream it, because that's one of the best parts of human nature. But I'm more inclined to say that we should bring our eyes down to the ground.
Perhaps that's why I felt that Sawyer was imbalanced in his portrayal: I didn't see the humans recognizing the parts of human culture that were good by contrast, while Ponder recognized the parts of his own culture that were a lot better. Instead it was space travel versus rape, and I've got to say I'd vote to get rid of the space travel any day. (I reviewed the first book earlier, and criticized Sawyer for not saying
( ... )
Douglas Adams was always an Absurdist, but he got worse in the last few years of his life. For me both Mostly Harmless and Long Dark Teatime of the Soul were so depressive and enervated as to be nearly unreadable. Looking at some interviews and other writings, I think he'd also pretty much come to the conclusion that the human race was doomed to imminent extinction through WMD or environmental degradation, which might help explain it.
I was interested in your comments on "Orbiter", which I recently reviewed for a local publication. I think Ellis was more interested in the twists/suspense of the story than the point he was ultimately making - which is why it came out as a mixed message. Or perhaps he was simply saying that the only thing to fear is fear itself....
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...and I think I'll check out Jumping Off the Planet, based on your rec, it sounds interesting.
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Also, I noticed in the NYT wedding pages that his daughter just got married. I skim them sometimes, and the name caught my eye.
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I laughed at this line twice. First, because it was funny and again because I realized it's only funny to a _very_ small set of people. Certainly, no one else I know in "real life" would have gotten it.
HumansWhile I agree the Neaderthals are rather...Utopian, Humanity still has a couple plus sides. The first book shows the extremely rigid structure of Neaderthal life coupled with the complete, to the point that it's almost self-defeating in terms of quality of life. And then, Ponder is awed by Humanity's curiousity and drive. No Neaderthal has ever even _thought_ about going to the Moon, or the bottom of the sea. They're more serene, but we're better dreamers. And while an argument could be made that they're just "different," I tend to think human society fosters the potential for much closer relationships (something that ought to be dealt with a lot in the third book ( ... )
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Perhaps that's why I felt that Sawyer was imbalanced in his portrayal: I didn't see the humans recognizing the parts of human culture that were good by contrast, while Ponder recognized the parts of his own culture that were a lot better. Instead it was space travel versus rape, and I've got to say I'd vote to get rid of the space travel any day. (I reviewed the first book earlier, and criticized Sawyer for not saying ( ... )
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