jakej's reviews
88 reviews
The Trial by Franz Kafka
slow-paced
3.5
Undoubtedly an excellent substrate on which to build a novel, but the unfinished nature of The Trial really does detract from it.
I found it hard to get into the books rhythm until about 40-50 pages in, which makes perfect sense in light of the debate of where to put 'The Thrasher'. Once I was there however, it's a great book, much more nuanced and polyvalent than my naive preconception of it. Also, like lots of classic literature, funnier than its reputation.
I'd highly recommend this edition from Mitchell and Robertson, including the fragments and introduction.
I found it hard to get into the books rhythm until about 40-50 pages in, which makes perfect sense in light of the debate of where to put 'The Thrasher'. Once I was there however, it's a great book, much more nuanced and polyvalent than my naive preconception of it. Also, like lots of classic literature, funnier than its reputation.
I'd highly recommend this edition from Mitchell and Robertson, including the fragments and introduction.
Almost Human: The Astonishing Tale of Homo Naledi and the Discovery That Changed Our Human Story by John Hawks, Lee Berger
3.0
It’s not written very well, and it’s a bit light on actual paleoanthropology for my taste, but otherwise a solid read.
CivilWarLand in Bad Decline by George Saunders
medium-paced
4.0
All of these stories are derived from one or two general templates (i.e "beta male who works at an insane near-future workplace that requires him to compromise his ethics and dignity, for ultimately no reward") but it still works as a collection, a lot of very strong ideas here. 400 pound CEO and Offloading for Mrs. Schwartz are next level.
The Internet Is Not What You Think It Is: A History, a Philosophy, a Warning by Justin E.H. Smith
slow-paced
4.0
If you are considering picking up this book but are put off by the bad reviews, don't be.
This book is not a proposed solution to all of the problems that the internet has caused. The author does a great job in the introduction laying out exactly what the book is: a brief historical investigation of what the internet is, how it affects us, and where it came from. He specifically does not spend all of the book attempting to analyze the most contemporary aspects of the internet, but rather its historical and philosophical roots.
An excellent book for readers who are interested in the philosophy and history of science, and are concerned and intrigued by where the internet is taking us.
See also this great review of the book by Sam Kriss: https://damagemag.com/2022/04/21/the-internet-is-made-of-demons/
This book is not a proposed solution to all of the problems that the internet has caused. The author does a great job in the introduction laying out exactly what the book is: a brief historical investigation of what the internet is, how it affects us, and where it came from. He specifically does not spend all of the book attempting to analyze the most contemporary aspects of the internet, but rather its historical and philosophical roots.
An excellent book for readers who are interested in the philosophy and history of science, and are concerned and intrigued by where the internet is taking us.
See also this great review of the book by Sam Kriss: https://damagemag.com/2022/04/21/the-internet-is-made-of-demons/
Incandescence by Greg Egan
Frustrated with myself for not getting most of the puzzle pieces until I looked it up. I didn’t realize the splinter was not orbiting a neutron star, didn’t realize the splinterites become the aloof, etc etc. Also didn’t notice the difference in origin myth between the splinter and the ark. There are a bunch of things still unclear to me with the arc of the Aloof, since there are so many phases they go through (how did the Splinter get to be orbiting the supermassive black hole? Did the neutron star interloper come before splinterites started traveling off the splinter, or was that the event that spurred the development of off-Splinter travel?) Again, part of this is my lack of observation, but I do think he could have presented stuff more clearly. It seems like there were at least two distinct phases of the splinterites "waking up" and building arks.
challenging
slow-paced
3.5
Definitely a solid and scrupulously researched novel: my occasional lack of engagement with it is mostly due to insufficient observation and a general apathy towards physics. I’d like to read more Egan in the future, but I’m going to consciously gravitate towards stories focusing more on computer science, biology, math, etc.
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
medium-paced
1.5
There's not a single new idea in here: it's the plot of Seveneves with the social issues and character dynamics of Hidden Figures (notably sacrificing the depth of both of these books in its quest to merge them together).
For an alternate history novel, there's a startlingly small amount of imagination or unknowns being confronted. The story is played completely safe, with little investigation on how the Meteor actually affects the world or anything else that is going on in this alternate timeline, ending up with a timeline that makes no sense at a base level (how is America the leader of the space race when the entire eastern seaboard [including the capital!] was blown clean off the map?).
As for the main plot and character dynamics, you know exactly what will happen as soon as the space program starts (which would've been the case even if this wasn't a prequel to an extant story).
The character interactions themselves feel ripped straight from a sitcom: we have the genius double PhD mathematician/physicist/pilot main character(don't worry: she has anxiety so she's relatable!) ; the genius, unfailingly supportive, incredibly handsome husband; the gaggle of spunky supportive friends, etc etc.
This 'Big Bang Theory'-esque setup makes it hard to maintain immersion in the writing: I understand the author did a lot of research in the historical and engineering side of things, but the math is either basic, wrong, or both(at one point Elma starts listing the prime numbers to calm down, and starts with 1) .
Two other things that baffled me:the situation with Stetsons wife and Elma attempting suicide. Neither contributed anything to the story and seemed like they were added to contribute to a dark atmosphere, which didn't work.
For an alternate history novel, there's a startlingly small amount of imagination or unknowns being confronted. The story is played completely safe, with little investigation on how the Meteor actually affects the world or anything else that is going on in this alternate timeline, ending up with a timeline that makes no sense at a base level (how is America the leader of the space race when the entire eastern seaboard [including the capital!] was blown clean off the map?).
As for the main plot and character dynamics, you know exactly what will happen as soon as the space program starts (which would've been the case even if this wasn't a prequel to an extant story).
The character interactions themselves feel ripped straight from a sitcom: we have the genius double PhD mathematician/physicist/pilot main character
This 'Big Bang Theory'-esque setup makes it hard to maintain immersion in the writing: I understand the author did a lot of research in the historical and engineering side of things, but the math is either basic, wrong, or both
Two other things that baffled me:
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
2.0
Just not my kind of story at all. Not a fan of “unique teenage protagonist in a near future dystopia”, and Earthseed is insufferable