Posted March 20, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments
Experiment Eleven, Peter Pringle
I initially picked this up because of the subtitle, which specifically mentions the discovery of a cure for tuberculosis. In fact, for the most part it isn’t about the science, but more about the intellectual property battle that surrounded the discovery of streptomycin. It’s more about the two main scientists it discusses, and their struggle over who really found streptomycin. The way the book tells it, I think it’s clear that Waksman was wrong to claim all the credit, and knew he was; Schatz should have received much more credit and recognition for what he did.
It’s interesting in the sense of illuminating what goes on to get drugs from the lab bench to actual development, where Waksman really did play a key role. It might be a bit wearing if you’re not that interested in what’s essentially a biography of the two scientists, though.
Rating: 3/5
Tags: book reviews, books, non-fiction, science
Posted March 19, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments
A Borrowed Man, Gene Wolfe
Gene Wolfe’s work is reliably weird, and this is another example. It’s nearish-future SF with a noirish mystery plot — I say noir because of the characterisation and treatment of women, and some of the protagonist’s ways of talking. He sounds like he stepped out of Chandler, and some of the narration feels like that too. The background idea, that an author can be scanned, cloned, and then the clone be made available like a book to be borrowed from libraries, is intriguing and weird and creepy all at once. Honestly, I’m not sure this book really used to the idea to its fullest extent: in a way it’s just Castle, only with a clone of the author coming along to solve things based on his books instead of the author himself.
(Except Ern is less charming than Rick Castle.)
I was hooked as long as I didn’t think too much about it, and then I took a moment to think about the way Colette (the main female character) and Arabella (love interest, ex-wife) are treated and just felt kind of grossed out. Curves in all the right places, every man’s daydream kind of women — bleh. They’re just there to be desired, particularly in Arabella’s case.
I worked out the mystery fairly easily too. Overall, it’s entertaining, but I doubt I’ll keep thinking about it or come back to it in the future. The idea is pretty awesome; the execution is pretty slender.
Rating: 3/5
Tags: book reviews, books, Gene Wolfe, SF/F
Posted March 18, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments
Ironclads, Adrian Tchaikovsky
It’s frightening to me that the UK separating from Europe and ending up alone (and usually screwed, as in this case) is a theme in fiction these days. I feel like there’s no positive (and believable) predictions for how this is going to go and — although I’m a Remainer myself — I do wish we had a little more hope all round. So in this one, the UK splits off and ends up on its own, and has to call in the US to save them. That’s just background to this story, but gah!
I wasn’t totally in love with the story in general. It’s entertaining enough, and it’s interesting to see the point of view of the grunts and cannonfodder in a world of people fighting in big mechs. There are some really fun moments, like when someone complains about being bombed by regiments from Ikea — not fun for them, I mean, but for that recognition for the reader. I found the plot pretty predictable after the aftermath of one of the characters’ injuries, and I felt like the story just stopped without much by way of payoff. Big things happened for society, maybe, but I wanted something more emotional — and I didn’t want the characters to all go their separate ways.
Still, it’s an interesting take on a near-future world where knights in shining armour are basically a thing again, only mechanised.
Rating: 3/5
Tags: book reviews, books, SF/F
Posted March 17, 2018 by Nicky in General / 12 Comments
It’s been a quiet week for me, book-wise — actually, I’m really stressed — but I did read the books below…
… and these things were posted.
Reviews from this week:
–Kushiel’s Dart, by Jacqueline Carey. Okay, it’s a problematic fave in some ways, but I still adored it. Joscelin is just… gah. <3 5/5 stars
–An Unnatural Vice, by K.J. Charles. Not my favourite of the trilogy, but that’s mostly because I didn’t love the characters. Still a fun read. 3/5 stars
–The Master Magician, by Charlie N. Holmberg. More of the same if you’ve read the previous books; wraps things up neatly. 3/5 stars
–The Ghost Map, by Steven Johnson. Lots of interesting stuff on this specific cholera outbreak, though the coda about living in cities is kind of weird. 4/5 stars
Other posts:
–WWW Wednesday: The usual weekly update on what’s currently on my side table.
How’s everybody doing?
Tags: books, Stacking the Shelves, weekly roundup
Posted March 15, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments
The Ghost Map, Steven Johnson
This is a really good account of the outbreak of cholera that led to John Snow’s famous map, showing that a particular water pump was the culprit. He traces the history of how London dealt with sewage and how it became such a big issue, and also examines some of the main characters in the drama of trying to stop the outbreak — and trying to challenge miasma theory, which was so much the paradigm at the time. There isn’t a lot of specific science stuff here, but Johnson makes clear why the cholera pathogen is so deadly in a very accessible way.
The only weird part is in the conclusion/afterword to the book, where Johnson talks more generally about the risks to city life and starts discussing nuclear war and terrorism. It seems very much a non-sequitur, and adds nothing to the book to my mind.
Rating: 4/5
Tags: book reviews, books, history, non-fiction, science
Posted March 14, 2018 by Nicky in General / 2 Comments
The three ‘W’s are what are you reading now, what have you recently finished reading, and what are you going to read next, and you can find this week’s post at the host’s blog here if you want to check out other posts.
What are you currently reading?
Most actively, I’m reading The Ghost Map, which is about the cholera outbreak in London which began in Broad Street and resulted in John Snow figuring out where the contagion was coming from (and removing the pump handle). I also have Masquerade and An Accident of Stars still on the go.
What have you recently finished reading?
The Gene, by Siddhartha Mukherjee. I was enjoying it a lot, but I wasn’t so sure of his genetic determinism in the sections about gender and identity — I think it’s a bit off for him to be declaring that the genders of intersex people are all determined by one particular genetic switch and there’s no variation. It doesn’t ring true from people I actually know. But for the most part he’s a fascinating writer.
What will you be reading next?
I’ll probably focus on finishing An Accident of Stars, and then I want to start on Cibola Burn, after taking a bit of a break from reading the Expanse books. It’s right there! And I’d like to read it soon! But who knows…
What are you reading?
Tags: books, WWW Wednesday
Posted March 13, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments
The Master Magician, Charlie N. Holmberg
The Master Magician makes a good end to the series, bringing Ceony to the end of her apprenticeship, and her relationship with Emery to a satisfying point. If you found everything a bit too fluffy and light, and Ceony’s abilities a bit too good to be true, then this book will probably tier up with that — she’s now able to do pretty much anything she wants, and does, having mastered all other kinds of magic in the meantime.
I don’t think it was the best written trilogy ever, but I enjoyed it, particularly when I wanted something pretty easy and fast to read. There are some horrific bits (i.e. when Ceony faces psychopathic magicians), but for the most part… yeah, just a really easy read.
Rating: 3/5
Tags: book reviews, books, romance, SF/F
Posted March 12, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments
An Unnatural Vice, K.J. Charles
This is probably my least favourite of the trilogy, though it’s partly down to personal taste: I didn’t enjoy the characters or their dynamic as much. Nathaniel is pretty awesome in his unthinking protectiveness and willingness to help others, but Justin mostly just ticked me off. He does have some redeeming features (particularly his relationship with the kids he looks after), but I still didn’t quite get that relationship.
It’s useful for piecing together the full story begun in An Unseen Attraction (or An Unsuitable Heir if you started with that, like I did!) but it’s not necessary, and personally, I wouldn’t have minded giving it a miss. It’s not a bad story, and there certainly is intensity between the main couple, but they just weren’t the type of characters I really root for.
Rating: 3/5
Tags: book reviews, books, mystery, queer fic, romance
Posted March 11, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 6 Comments
Kushiel’s Dart, Jacqueline Carey
I’m not quite sure why it took me so long to get through my reread of this book, because I still find it incredibly rich and rewarding. It’s true that it can be problematic in some ways — it exoticises various cultures pretty much as a part of the plot, and it’s practically text that white French people are the best in the world (the most beautiful, the most talented, the most educated) because they’re descended from the equivalent of Jesus. And if you’re not into sex, well, there’s several extensive scenes that include plot-necessary information, and even if you don’t mind the occasional sex scene, S&M might be rather less your thing.
Nonetheless, there’s a deep feeling in the novel and it packs in a lot of action. Sometimes reading it I feel like it could be a trilogy all on its own in the hands of another writer. There’s so much going on with the politics and relationships between people, and the sense of history between nations as well. It’s not just about the kinky sex: there’s a whole complex plot here revealed partly through those scenes.
I still love it, though maybe I’m side-eyeing the exotic Celt and Roma analogues rather more this time.
Rating: 5/5
Tags: book reviews, books, Jacqueline Carey, SF/F
Posted March 10, 2018 by Nicky in General / 10 Comments
Hey all! It’s been a quiet week for me again, but my hand is finally on the mend. Actually, the quiet is pretty much just because I’ve been beavering away at some crochet projects. Since I don’t have much to show off this week, book-wise, I thought I’d start with a few of those…
That’s the tiny, tiny crochet… but something else has been growing much faster.
From humble beginnings… to whoa. It’s not quite finished yet, but it’s pretty close!
Books received to review:
Just one, but it’s one I’m ridiculously excited for!
Books read this week:
I know, it’s not like me. I blame crochet!
Reviews posted this week:
–Shadowplay, by Laura Lam. I read this in two massive gulps, and loved it. And I’m aboard the Drystan and Micah ship now. 4/5 stars
–Wonderful Life, by Stephen Jay Gould. Fascinated by fossils, and the weird life of the Cambrian Explosion? This is your book. 4/5 stars
Other posts:
–WWW Wednesday: The weekly update on what I’m currently reading, etc.
So how’s everyone else doing? Getting in more reading than me, I hope!
Tags: books, crochet, Stacking the Shelves
