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bluedepth

bluedepth@books.theunseen.city

Joined 1 year, 5 months ago

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The Stars My Destination (1996, Vintage Books) 3 stars

In this pulse-quickening novel, Alfred Bester imagines a future in which people "jaunte" a thousand …

Review of 'The Stars My Destination' on 'Goodreads'

1 star

Quite a horrible and repellent nasty piece of work. I hate read it to the end. The characters are worthless, the men are jokes and the women are the punchlines.

I poured myself a glass of fine whiskey, and as I savored my drink I ran my finger over the delete button. Then when I was done, I toasted all the awards this repulsive book received and with a shout of released agony I gave one single tap to the delete button.

If I had a real copy, I would have doused it in gasoline and set it on fire.

I pray to God that I never have to endure anything this awful again.

Stories of Your Life and Others (2005, Tor) 4 stars

Ted Chiang's first published story, "Tower of Babylon," won the Nebula Award in 1990. Subsequent …

Review of 'Stories of Your Life and Others' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Each story sticks with you in a unique way. Written smartly, with pacing that I haven't seen even in an anthology of short stories in quite a long time. I strongly recommend this book to everyone I know. You'll really enjoy it.

Ringworld (Paperback, 2005, Gollancz) 4 stars

The ' (1970–2004), by science fiction author Larry Niven, is a part of his Known …

Review of 'Ringworld' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

I started this read because the book is supposed to be a seminal sci-fi classic. It won awards, so it's supposed to be excellent.

I have learned that awards don't point to good books. They point to books that win awards. Moving forward I will likely be relying on popular opinion from my book-loving partner and here on Goodreads.

Blah. At least it's over.

Welcome to Night Vale (2015) 3 stars

Review of 'Welcome to Night Vale: A Novel' on 'Goodreads'

1 star

It nearly took three months to read and was a terrible agony. In the end I determined that I was going to finish it. I decided I was going to hate-finish this book.

There is nothing here. It's a waste of time. It's as substantial and meaningful as Splenda. It's diet soda that is boiled away and all that is left is inexplicable dust. It is not pleasant, it is not good for you. You want all the characters to die from impact after falling from great heights.

It makes you want to set every Diane and Jackie you'll ever meet on fire. You'll want to throw Josh into a bottomless pit and forget all about it and imagine you didn't misplace three months struggling for a literary payoff that is just like diet pop being boiled away. Nothing.

The book consumes space and weighs something and that I think …