LibraryThing reviews of books in eremit's library)

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson [reviewed by pixxiefish]

Wed, 10 Jan 2007 04:36:20 -0500

pixxiefish's review: "<a href='http://pixxiefishbooks.blogspot.com/2007/07/cryptonomicon-by-neal-stephenson.html' rel='nofollow' target='_new'>http://pixxiefishbooks.blogspot.com/2...</a> Well, the third time's a charm. I first started to try to read this a number of years ago, while still a grad student, and quickly put it aside. Too big, too much. Then I tried again this past Christmas, while on vacation in Bali, but having just finished Simon Winchester's lengthy, though fascinating, book on the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, it was again quickly put aside, again, too big, too much. But as my time in Japan was winding down, I tried once more. And this time, I couldn't stop reading. In the classic 'just one more chapter' routine, I stayed up quite late, night after night, reading on and on, wanting to know and see and hear and experience more and more. In a nutshell, it's a fascinating (but GIANT) novel, covering over 50 years in cryptography (code-breaking, essentially), from WWII to modern-day. There are three major story lines, but once I got used to who was who (which took a few chapters), I never got lost again. It's an excellent, compelling, fascinating read, and I highly recommend it."
Arrow (2000), Paperback, 918 pages

Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson [reviewed by bluetyson]

Tue, 08 Jan 2008 00:14:26 -0500

bluetyson's review: "<a href='http://a1018.g.akamai.net/f/1018/19025/1d/randomhouse1.download.akamai.com/19025/freelibrary/redmarsfinalsuv.pdf'>http://a1018.g.akamai.net/f/1018/19025/1d/randomhouse1.download.akamai.com/19025/freelibrary/redmarsfinalsuv.pdf</a> An outstanding novel. One hundred people are selected to go and establish a colony on Mars, and it looks at the physical, intellectual and psychological testing that is undergone to get into that group. The main part of the book though is the travel and establishment of a base on Mars, and the relationships and conflicts that develop, particularly among the leaders of the group. Research discovers a longevity treatment, and this has serious side effects on an Earth in crisis. Political factions develop on Mars on the best way to develop or not develop the planet, and whether to take any crap from the growing influence of Earth corporate power. <a href='http://freesf.blogspot.com/2009/03/red-mars-kim-stanley-robinson.html'>http://freesf.blogspot.com/2009/03/red-mars-kim-stanley-robinson.html</a>"
Arthur C Clarke Runner-up

Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson [reviewed by bluetyson]

Sat, 05 Jan 2008 11:38:57 -0500

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson [reviewed by bluetyson]

Sat, 05 Jan 2008 11:22:38 -0500

bluetyson's review: "<a href="http://browseinside.harpercollins.com/index.aspx?isbn13=9780380788620">http://browseinside.harpercollins.com/index.aspx?isbn13=9780380788620</a> A great, rambling novel. At times the rambling and wandering can lead to it seeming to become tedious, and sometimes the rambling is good. Some discourse on computer systems, as three university friends are working in different parts of the world during the war, all having studied the same sort of cryptanalysis. There is a lot more than that in this geeky tract, however. <a href="http://freesf.blogspot.com/2008/10/cryptonomicon-neal-stephenson.html">http://freesf.blogspot.com/2008/10/cryptonomicon-neal-stephenson.html</a>"
Hugo Novel

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson [reviewed by bluetyson]

Tue, 08 Jan 2008 00:34:19 -0500

Globalistan: How the Globalized World is Dissolving Into Liquid War by Pepe Escobar [reviewed by BGP]

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 19:35:30 -0500

BGP's review: "Pepe Escobar's Globalistan is, in the author's words, "a warped geopolitical travel book" that aims to transform and politicize the reader's understanding of the interrelated processes which facilitate and perpetuate "globalization, energy wars and the Pentagon's Long War." The text, as much a work of abstract political theory as it is reportage, is a brief but overly complicated polemic that ultimately fails to present a practical alternative to the world views and socio-economic practices which the author clearly set out to challenge. The literary and theoretical references and allusions which riddle the text are sure to interest some (myself included), but Escobar's awkward phraseology and penchant for abstraction-for-the-sake-of-abstraction can at times be distracting. Ultimately, the book may be of value to students of sociology, political science and heterodox economics, but it is almost certain to tire and/or bore the average and relatively apolitical reader."
Nimble Books (2007), Paperback, 368 pages

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller [reviewed by tkraft]

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 23:13:58 -0400

tkraft's review: "Couldn't finish it the author's intention is to confuse and befuddle the reader. One of the books where I just can't understand why it is a classic. I think that nobody wants to admit that they don't understand, so they just say it is a great novel. Don't bother."
Simon & Schuster (1961), Paperback

Neuromancer by William Gibson [reviewed by tkraft]

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 23:06:11 -0400

tkraft's review: "The father novel of cyberpunk giving rise to the vocabulary and feel of future cyberpunk such as The Matrix. Lots of fun, a must read for anyone who even pretends to be a sci-fi fan."
Ace Hardcover (2004), Hardcover, 384 pages

Neuromancer by William Gibson [reviewed by nwhyte]

Mon, 10 Oct 2005 16:50:32 -0400

nwhyte's review: "<a href="http://www.nicholaswhyte.info/sf/hn2.htm#neur">http://www.nicholaswhyte.info/sf/hn2.htm#neur</a> Won absolutely all the prizes and now identified as the archetypal cyberpunk novel. I have read it but actually can't remember anything about it except for Gibson's dazzling style. I have the same problem with his later books - you know you're being bombarded with description which all seems to hang together but after you've finished you can't remember any of the plot"
London: Voyager, 1995, c1984. [320]p 20cm pbk

Différence et Répétition by Gilles Deleuze [reviewed by sesame]

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 16:13:23 -0500

sesame's review: "la répétition forme une synthèse des temps succéssifs indépendants cette synthèse contracte les temps les uns dans les autres"
Presses Universitaires de France - PUF (2000), Broché, 416 pages

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Ollaudah Equiano by Olaudah Equiano [reviewed by Stbalbach]

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 19:18:10 -0500

Stbalbach's review: "The Interesting Narrative (1789) is one of the earliest "slave narratives", a genre that includes classics such as Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852), A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (1845) and neo-slave narratives like Alex Haley's Roots (1976), Toni Morrison's Beloved (1987) and Edward P. Jones' The Known World (2003). What makes Olaudah Equiano's account unique is that is was the first slave narrative to find a wide audience, and it is not hard to understand why - not only is it a good story, but it is very well written, almost literary - it sold so well it was a cornerstone in bringing about public sympathy and support for the abolition of the slavery in England. Just about everything we know about Olaudah Equiano is from his autobiography. He was born around 1745 in Africa, kidnapped and enslaved at the age of 10 or 11 and shipped across the Middle Passage to the West Indies, and soon after to a Virginia plantation (he was too small to work the sugar cane fields). From there he had the good fortune to be purchased by the captain of a British warship, where he learned English manners, language and customs - and a promise of freedom. But, in one of the great blows of his life, he was tricked and sold back into slavery in the West Indies, where he worked on merchant ships for a number of years, finally able to save enough money (trading fruits and rum between ports of call) to buy his freedom in his early 20s. He then spent years as a freed man working on merchant and military ships traveling extensively around the Atlantic, including a trip to the Arctic. His close calls with death were many, including disease, shipwrecks and run-ins with whites who would beat him to within an inch of his life. Equiano eventually settled down in England, married a white girl, had two children and died a wealthy and respected gentleman, a remarkable achievement for a former African slave in the 18th century. The Interesting Narrative can be read on multiple levels. It is a fascinating first-hand document of 18th century British mercantilism, showing the Atlantic "Golden Triangle" in action. It is a story of Christian redemption - by following the teachings of the Bible, and those who transgress against it, Equiano explains why things turn out how they do. It is one of the great works of travel literature; exotic locales and death-defying adventures fill the pages. It is a powerful expose of 18th century slavery, unflinchingly detailing the institutionalized horrors and how both victim and victimizer are turned into animals. It is a call for action to end the slave trade. In the end, we read books like this today with a certain amount of curious detachment, it has been about 150 years since slavery ended - or has it? Some 27 million slaves - more than twice the number of people taken from Africa during the entire 350 year history of the Africa slave trade - today toil in rich and poor countries around the world. Most Americans probably know more about slavery as it once existed, than as it is currently being practiced in their own time, directly touched by the cheap goods we purchase. Reading Equiano's account we can't help but be moved against slavery, all slavery, historical or contemporary, and for that the book has immortal value. --Review by Stephen Balbach, via <a href="http://bachlab.balbach.net/coolread5.html#theinterestingnarrative">CoolReading</a> (c) <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/us/">2008 cc-by-nd</a>"
Penguin Classics (1998), Edition: New, Paperback, 368 pages

Beyond Good and Evil (Penguin Classics) by Friedrich Nietzsche [reviewed by JeroenBerndsen]

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 00:45:37 -0500

JeroenBerndsen's review: "aclassical work of filosophical significance. not for everyone, but if you're interested it's worth your while."
Penguin Classics (2003), Paperback, 240 pages

Thus Spoke Zarathustra: A Book for Everyone and No One (Penguin Classics) by Friedrich Nietzsche [reviewed by JeroenBerndsen]

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 00:42:23 -0500

JeroenBerndsen's review: "A classical work of filosophical significance. A treasure for the interested 'few'."
Penguin Classics (1961), Paperback, 352 pages

Snow Crash (Bantam Spectra Book) by Neal Stephenson [reviewed by bezoar44]

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 23:31:22 -0500

bezoar44's review: "I loved this book, and think it manages to be the simultaneously the best cyberpunk novel and the best parody of the genre (and there aren't too many genres where that's possible). The neologism "burb boxes" still pops into my head every time I see a minivan."
Spectra (2000), Paperback, 480 pages

The Prince (Penguin Classics) by Niccolo Machiavelli [reviewed by JeroenBerndsen]

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 20:16:48 -0500

JeroenBerndsen's review: "What can you say? A classical piece of work if there ever was one. machiavelli invents realpolitiek and writes pratically an instruction manual for rulers how to stay in power... As actual today as it was then... If you want to know about the principles of witty government and power tactics, The Prince is a must-read! Wat moet je nou zeggen over een werk als Il principe (de heerser/vorst)? Een klassieker als er ooit een was. Machiavelli legt als eerste een scheiding aan tussen prive en publieke moraal, en schrijft als het ware een praktische 'handleiding' voor vorsten om aan de macht te blijven. Hij werd door tijdgenoten gezien als een duivel, maar voor ons is het na al die jaren nog steeds toepasbaar en even levend als altijd. Wat Machiavelli schreef ging namelijk niet alleen op in de middeleeuwen. Absoluut verplichte kost"
Penguin Classics (2003), Paperback, 144 pages

The catcher in the rye by J.D. Salinger [reviewed by JeroenBerndsen]

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 16:24:48 -0500

JeroenBerndsen's review: "The catcher in the rye behoeft eigenlijk nauwelijks een introductie. het is een van de meesterwerken van de moderne engelstalige literatuur. Ik weet nog heel goed hoe verbaasd ik was na die eerste bladzijde, 'dit is bepaald geen Dickens!'. Een boek wat je gelezen moet hebben, ik heb er nog weken daarna over na lopen denken, Holden Caulfield (de protagonist) was echt een mysterie voor me geworden. Het boek heeft echt iets met me gedaan (in the non Mark David Chapman sense of the word)... Vertellen waarover het gaat is lastig, maar dat wil ik ook niet.... Een meesterwerk."
New York : The New American Library; 159 p, 19 cm; http://opc4.kb.nl/DB=1/PPN?PPN=056752733

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote [reviewed by DevourerOfBooks]

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 19:24:55 -0400

DevourerOfBooks's review: "This book was deeply engrossing. Although Capote's journalistic style was not the sort of prose that I most enjoy reading, I was mesmerized by his recounting of this horrific crime. It was fairly disconcerting closer to the end when he inserted himself in the story, but I suppose that necessary to give weight to his interpretations of what had happened."
Vintage (1994), Paperback, 368 pages

The Famished Road by Ben Okri [reviewed by brunhilde]

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 11:14:13 -0500

Jonathan Cape (1991), Hardcover, 480 pages

Le Vieil Homme Et La Mer by Ernest Hemingway [reviewed by MbuTseTseFly]

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 04:03:20 -0500

MbuTseTseFly's review: "Superbe!"
Folio (1920), Mass Market Paperback

Rampejenta by Mario Vargas Llosa [reviewed by Studia]

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 03:41:28 -0500

Studia's review: "Bokbasens bokomtale: Ricardo møter henne første gang da de begge er 15 år gamle. Året er 1950 og de befinner seg i Lima i Peru. Hun slår seg løs i det strengt katolske miljøet og danser mambo bedre enn noen andre. En dag er hun plutselig vekk, men Ricardo klarer ikke å glemme henne. Han reiser til Paris og blir oversetter, og så en dag er hun der igjen. De tilbringer en natt sammen, før hun igjen forsvinner. Ikke lenge etter dukker hun opp som den rike og gifte madame Arnoux, klar for nok et eventyr. Etter dette er Ricardo på evig jakt etter henne. © DnBB AS"
[Oslo] : Gyldendal, 2007