Vortex by Robert Charles Wilson

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There are times when I’m reading a book, that I’m not aware that it’s the first part of an extended storyline. This is what happened when I read Robert Charles Wilson’s Spin. It was an interesting story about contact with an advanced race where people never actually meet the advanced race. Then when I saw that there was a sequel Axis, I was disappointed. Not only because I didn’t think there was any room for a sequel to Spin, but because the story itself was disappointing. So, when Vortex was announced, I was a little wary, but decided to read it. I wasn’t as disappointed, but it could easily be a standalone novel. So, let’s go see what happens in the Vortex.

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Torchwood: Children of Earth

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Since I started watching Torchwood with the ongoing Miracle Day series, I have become curious about the previous series. Everyone I talked to mentioned Children of Earth as the best series, so I decided to try it out. And I am so glad that I did. It’s a short (5 episode) series and the length means that the action is pretty much non-stop. The only problem I have now, is that the ongoing action of Children of Earth makes Miracle Day seem too slow. So, let’s see what the Children of Earth are up to.

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Vote for NPR’s Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy Books

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NPR has compiled a list of their Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy books. Go and vote now:

My choices:

The Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson (my review)
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (my review)
The Dune Chronicles by Frank Herbert (my review)
The Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov (my review)
The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (my review)
I, Robot by Isaac Asimov (my review)
Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Man in the High Castle by Philip K Dick (my review)
Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (my review)
1984 by George Orwell (my review)

This post is part of the thread: BestOf – an ongoing story on this site. View the thread timeline for more context on this post.

Captain America movie review

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I finally made it to a Marvel superhero movie in the theater. I think the last time that happened was in the first Spider-Man movie. I saw Fantastic Four, Iron Man and the other Spiderman movies on DVD (but did see DC movies in the theater…it just worked out that way). And, truthfully, I really wasn’t interested in seeing most of them in the theater. But, when my friend said he wanted to go see it, a movie night was on. And I will admit that Captain America is now one of my favorite superhero movies, however it really isn’t fair to call it a superhero movie. So, let’s head back to WWII and meet the Captain.

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Alastair Reynolds is writing a Dr. Who novel

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From Reynold’s blog:

And I’m now pleased to announce that in 2013, in the fiftieth anniversary year of Doctor Who, BBC Books/Ebury will be publishing HARVEST OF TIME, an original science fiction novel featuring the Third Doctor, his companion Jo Grant, and arch-enemy The Master.

 I am a huge fan of Alastair Reynolds (even though I wasn’t thrilled with his last book) and have recently started on Dr. Who. So, needless to say, I am very excited about this. Reynolds promises more information to come over the next year.

Dugan Under Ground by Tom De Haven

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The final book of De Haven’s Comic Book Trilogy is Dugan Under Ground. This book deals with the end of Derby Dugan during the rise of underground comix. Overall I enjoyed the series, but Derby Dugan’s Depression Funnies(my review) is still my favorite of the three. The first and third one are more loosely organized and ultimately don’t deliver the same impact as the second one. I don’t know if it’s the changing narrators or the scope, but they just didn’t resonate the same with me. So, let’s see how the little imp Derby Dugan ends up.

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Season 5 of The Guild starts today (7/26/11)

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If you have access to Xbox LIVE on the Zune video Marketplace or MSN Video, then you can catch the premiere of season 5 of The Guild today (July 26, 2011). If you don’t have access, then you will need to wait a little while longer (Thursday I believe).

Why are you still reading this? Go watch The Guild.

Link to Zune: http://social.zune.net/tv/episode/The-Guild/Road-Trip!/4c9c4317-09ec-44ca-aa65-b5d341cf6f82

The Alchemist by Paolo Bacigalupi

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The Alchemist is a novella by Paolo Bacigalupi that was paired with Tobias Buckell’s The Executioness as they are different stories set in the same shared world. I have shared my love of Bacigalupi’s writing previously and feel that The Windup Girl(my review) was one of the best books of 2009. And this book is no disappointment. The writing and the ideas from Bacigalupi are amazing and I only wish the book were longer. I did not read the Buckell story, so I can’t comment on how the two work together. Let’s see what my this book so good.

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The Black Tower by Louis Bayard

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Louis Bayard has found a formula that works for him. He goes back in time and brings out a historical person, real (Edgar Allen Poe from The Pale Blue Eye) or not (Tiny Tim from Mr. Timothy) and crafts a mystery involving that person. And he continues this tradition in The Black Tower. The historical figure this time is Eugène François Vidocq, an ex-con who went straight and became the real-life Sherlock Holmes of France (a century before Sherlock Holmes was created). This tale from post Napolean France does a great job at capturing the mood of the people after 20 years of revolution and war. So, let’s meet up with Vidocq and his latest tale.

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Rule 34 by Charles Stross

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I see Charles Stross as a hit and miss writer. He usually comes up with great ideas, but I’m not thrilled with some of his stories. His Eschaton series (Iron Sunrise and Singularity Sky) were the first of his books I read and I loved them. But I lost interest after a couple books in his Merchant Princes series and I actively disliked his Bob Howard books. But when I saw he had a new book out that was a “loose” sequel to Halting State (which I loved), then I knew I had to read Rule 34. The title comes from an internet meme (urban dictionary) that generally states: If it exists, there is porn of it. In this book, a police squad that routinely deals with rule 34 figures heavily in the storyline. So, let’s see how the book plays out.

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