Posted by barb on Mar 20, 2004 in
Books by Vernor Vinge
Wow! This is epic sci-fi writing at it’s best — I have to put it up on my list with Poul Anderson’s Starfarers.
The novel opens with the explosive creation of a destructive “higher power”. Out of the explosion, the Olsndots escape with their two children, Jefri and Johanna, and the children of everyone at the station in cold sleep. They are forced to land on an unknown planet, and in a skirmish with the medieval natives of the planet the Olsndot adults are killed and Jefri and Johanna are separated.
Across the galaxy, Ravna Bergsndot is working as an archivist on Relay. The galaxy is hearing reports of the new “higher power”, now called The Blight because of it’s destructive ways. Ravna receives a communication from Jefri — communication from a starship present at the creation of The Blight. Her bosses are very interested in getting their hands on the records of the starship in hopes of finding a way to defeat The Blight.
Ravan is enlisted for this rescue, along with two Skroderiders — a plant-like race made intelligent and mobile by wheeled wagons with technology beyond that of much of the galaxy (including the Skroderiders). Also along for the mission is Pham Nuwen, a human cobbled together from the remains of members of an ancient failed mission frozen in a junk yard near Relay.
This epic novel follows the trials of Johanna and Jefri, embroiled in the politics of a medieval world, and of the rescuers in their ill-fated trek to save the children and the spacecraft.
Posted by barb on Feb 21, 2004 in
Books by Amir D. Aczel
Aczel traces the history of Einstein’s theory of relativity and the formulation (and subsequent use) of his field equation. I found that for me, the most interesting parts of the book were the tales from Einstein’s time.
For example, after Einstein developed the general relativistic equation, he wanted to test it, naturally. On possible way would be to measure the bending of light (or lack of bending) around the Sun during an eclipse. He collaborated with Freundlich, an observational astronomer, and an expedition to Crimea was set for August 1914. Unfortunately, Germany declared war on Russia in early August. Freundlich was already on his way to the observation site when these events escalated, and was arrested for being a German in Russian territory with suspicious-looking equipment (the telescope). So much for that attempt to test the theory.
The modern stories about the vindication of Einstein’s addition of the cosmological constant to the equation were less interesting for me. However, that might just be because I’ve heard countless colloquia and read countless abstracts on this topic.
Posted by barb on Feb 10, 2004 in
Books,
Wedding by Lara Webb Carrigan
This is another in the pile of wedding books that I’ve been reading. This one is fun and easy to read, and doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s sprinkled with cute, romantic wedding tales along with a few horror stories. There are some lists of questions for various vendors, but I found these to be less complete than those in other books. However, at the end of each chapter on the various vendors, Carrigan includes a list of things that should be present in the contract with the vendor. This is unique to this book (at least, of the books I’ve looked at so far), and could prove to be quite useful.
Posted by barb on Jan 30, 2004 in
Books by Kage Baker
I had actually sworn off this series after reading the first, In the Garden of Iden. However, Andrew enjoyed the first book, and so this one was lying around the house and I decided to try it. How odd that the style of this novel is so much different from Iden. I quite liked this one, whereas Andrew did not.
In this novel, Mendoza’s presence is secondary, and instead we focus on Joseph, a facilitator who has been with the company for thousands of years (he was also the one who recruited Mendoza, and was there on her disastrous first mission). His job is to impersonate the coyote god of the Chumash, a native North American tribe that the Company has decided to preserve.
At first I was bothered by the dialog. The Chumash talk like modern-day teens, but I can imagine that Baker decided that making up a dialect could be tricky and potentially more jarring than using a more modern style. In the end, I quite liked this novel, and may seek out more.
Posted by barb on Jan 17, 2004 in
Books by Alan Lightman
I picked this book up partly because I’m familiar with Lightman’s textbook writing, and was curious to see how he would do with a novel. Einstein’s Dreams is a series of short dreams that Lightman imagines Einstein may have had while developing his special theory of relativity. These dreams explore the different aspects of space and time that Einstein’s theory imply. In one, time is felt by all people at all times to pass in the same way — it this world, there is no “time flies when you’re having fun.” In another dream, the difference in time experienced by people living in a valley versus those living on a mountaintop is noticeable. Most people try to live in the mountains, and come down only when pressed by business.
At first I was jarred by each dream, wondering what exactly was going on. But after reading a few, I started to see the different concepts of relativity that Lightman was exploring in each dream. I wonder, however, if this novel would be completely lost on someone without at least a passing knowledge of relativity.
Posted by barb on Jan 13, 2004 in
Books by Carolyn Keene
I haven’t read a Nancy Drew novel since I was a little girl. The only book I remember was the one Mom had on her bookshelf, The Hidden Staircase, though I no longer remember the story. When I saw this at a local library book sale, I couldn’t resist.
Nancy is asked by her friend, Mrs. Blair, asks Nancy to help her understand a dream she’s been having about her childhood and a staircase with 99 steps. Mrs. Blair grew up in France, and since Nancy’s father is in Paris on a case of his own, Nancy and her friends, George and Bess, join him for their own French adventure.
It was a fun read. I enjoyed the mystery, and solved it about the same time as Nancy did. Keene has an easy style and keeps just enough of the mystery up her sleeve to keep me interested. I’ll certainly be reading more — maybe I can find that copy of The Hidden Staircase at Mom’s house on my next visit.
Posted by barb on Jan 12, 2004 in
Books by Wensley Clarkson
Between this book and Witch Hunt (a book I’ve been reading since October, but still haven’t finished), I’m beginning to think that I should give up on true crime as a genre unless someone specifically recommends it.
Clarkson reports 20 cases of women and girls who are forced into slavery. Their stories range from girls sold to slavers by their parents who are then sold to “husbands” or brothels to women who believed they were making their way to a better life only to find that their passports have been confiscated by their new masters who then force them to work to pay off their debt. Perhaps the most disturbing story, though, was of a woman whose husband sold her to his friend. This friend had been finding it difficult to find a prostitute to service him, because of his well-known sadistic tendencies. After “buying” his friend’s wife, he could demand that she come over any time he wanted, and would beat her senseless. The wife eventually killed her husband, and was acquitted of the murder when prosecutors heard her tale.
While the stories were compelling, if frightening, the writing itself sucked. Clarkson needs to learn the old writer’s adage of show, don’t tell. I don’t need to hear him call a man evil and perverted a sentence after I’ve been told the man wants a 12-year-old bride to use any way he pleases. I get the point. He needs a better editor.
Posted by barb on Jan 10, 2004 in
Books by Diana Marcellas
This is a sequel to Mother Ocean, Daugher Sea, which I read last spring. I’d been waiting anxiously for this second book to come out in paperback, and picked it up on our last trip to Uncle Hugo’s. I was not at all disappointed.
Looking back over the novel, nothing “big” really happened (with the exception of the last chapter), though at no point did the story drag. Lots of small incidents occurred, like the attack on Rowena, and all of them added up to a great story. Though it’s obvious this book is meant as a bridge or set-up for the next book where some major things are now set to occur.
Marcellas continues her excellent style from the first book. She maintains the story and moves it along while still developing sympathetic and believable characters. I’m looking forward to the third book.
Posted by barb on Jan 3, 2004 in
Books Modern Tales for our Life and Times
by James Finn Garner
This is a silly collection of fairy tales updated for a more politically correct world. An example from the updated story of Snow White:
Her nickname was Snow White, indicative of the discriminatory notions of associating pleasant or attractive qualities with light, and unpleasant or unattractive qualties with darkness. Thus, at an early age, Snow White was an unwitting if fortunate target for this type of colorist thinking.
It’s a fluffy and fun, if quick, read.
Posted by barb on Jan 1, 2004 in
Books by George Gamow and Russell Stannard
In the 1940s Gamow wrote a series of stories about a bank worker, Mr. Tompkins, and his attempts to understand relativity and quantum theories. While attending public lectures at a local university, Mr. Tompkins falls asleep and finds himself in relativity land where the cosmic speed limit is not the speed of light, but a measly 20 mph — slow enough for the effects of relativity to be viewed in everyday life. During another lecture, he finds himself in a quantum jungle where a buzzing fly is dispersed into a probability cloud, as electrons are due to the uncertainty principle.
This volume is an update of Gamow’s original stories. Stannard has updated facts to match the current state of research, and has added a few new chapters to Mr. Tompkins’ adventures to introduce readers to new developments (such as “atom smashers”).
It was fun to read, though I wonder if a lay person would really understand the stories, especially the chapters containing the professor’s lectures. I had to dig deep, back to undergrad physics, to understand everything. The illustrations, though, may serve to fill the gap for some readers, and perhaps full understanding is not necessary, but more important is the feel for relativity and quantum theories that is presented.
I’d like to look up an original volume someday.