HoodedHawk

[Read 10/2007] Science Fiction. 2007

The Accidental Time Machine by Joe Haldeman is a fun, quick read. Ok, “mind candy”. This is on par with Camouflage for character development, i.e., not much. Mathew, an ABD MIT grad student builds a detector in his prof’s lab. He finds out by chance that hitting the “reset” button causes the machine to jump forward in time. However, each time it is used, it goes forward about 12x further (few seconds, an hour, few hours, a day, etc.). Mathew can’t duplicate the machine. His girlfriend recently dumped him, and he loses his lab position to rival. After a ~15 year jump he finds his professor used his notes and had taken credit for the discovery (and won a Nobel). But the professor still can’t duplicate the machine. More jumps into the future, and he meets Martha. He is “expected” at MIT, but it now is the Institute of Theosophy (and no tech). Mat and Martha jump forward, meet an AI, some future “humans”, etc.

Recommended for an Airplane Read.

[Read 10/2007] Science Fiction. 2007

Halting State by Charles Stross is a great read. This book reminds me of Spook Country by William Gibson however the tech in Stross’ book is more believable and this is much more of an SF/Police procedural. The book is in the uncommon? “second person”, i.e., “you” perspective. Three viewpoints are shown: Scottish detective Sue Smith, forensic accountant Elaine, and programmer Jack.

Basically the book opens with a bank robbery. However the “bank” is within a virtual world of an online RPG. This heist will wreak havoc with the in-game economy and will result in millions of *real* dollars being lost if the heist becomes known to gamers. Elaine is called in by the game company to help find the bad guys – because in addition to being an accountant she is also a gamer. However, Elain is into LARP (live action role playing) where she dresses up and uses heavy period (and real) swords. Jack is hired to act as her online gaming “guide”. Jack not only plays RPG’s but writes the software for a major online RPG company.

As Elaine and Jack team up to solve the case, there is a lot of tech and plot spun up with them. The book is set in 2018 and the tech extrapolation is believable. Stross’s use of current jargon also helps immerse the reader in the story.

HIGHLY recommended.

[Read 10/2007] Science Fiction. 1957

The Naked Sun is the sequel to The Caves of Steel, and is the 2nd book in Asimov’s Robot series. Elijah Baley (an Earth detective) is called upon to investigate a murder on the planet Solaria. It seems a prominent scientist has been murdered, and the scientist’s wife is the prime suspect. However, she is claiming that she is innocent. Baley is partnered with the robot R. Daneel Olivaw (who hides the fact that he is a robot from the Solarians).

On Solaria robots outnumber humans something like 20,000 to 1. There are only about 20,000 humans on Solaria and they abhor any kind of personal contact. Each Solarian lives on his/her own private estate and only has contact with other humans via “viewing” (advanced holographics). Earth is just the opposite, with billions of humans living underground in interconnected cities. Earth humans don’t like the outside, and panic when they see “the naked sun”.

The police investigator (the only policeman on Solaria) is subsequently murdered and attempts are made on Elijah’s life as he gets closer to solving the crime.

Classic Asimov sf!

[Read 10/1/2007] Mystery/Fantasy/SF

I just love this series; Fforde is hysterical. The Well of Lost Plots [Jasper Fforde, 2003] is the third Thursday Next book, set entirely in the BookWorld where Thursday is continuing her apprentice Jurisfiction training under Miss Haversham (from Great Expectations). Thursday lives on a houseboat within the book “Caversham Heights”. She lives with two “generics” – students at St. Tabularasa’s who have yet to be given book assignments. Thursday partners with Jack Spratt (a detective) to try to solve a BookWorld murder.

Meanwhile, Text Grand Central is about to release Book v9, “Ultraword”. Note that Book v8.3 is the current paper-based type of book. There is a big problem with Ultraword and Thursday uncovers a plot to have it released anyway. Thursday travels with Miss Haversham to the Outside world where they try to discover who has entered BookWorld and used a minotaur and a “mispeling vyrus” to hide his escape.

Finally, Thursday, the two generics (now Randolph and Lola) and Thursday’s pet dodo, Pickwick take a vacation in the book Caversham Heights.

[Read 9/18/2007]
Mystery/Fantasy/SF

Lost in a Good Bookis the 2nd of Fforde’s Thursday Next (Literary Detective) series (after The Eyre Affair). Thursday is assigned to investigate the discovery of a lost Shakespeare play, “Cardenia”. She runs up against Yorrick Kaine, a neofascist (whig) politician (and, who might also be someone else).

Thursday is also blackmailed by the Goliath Corporation, who want their operative Jack Schitt back; Next had imprisoned him in Poe’s The Raven. To get her to bring him back, they get a corrupt ChronoGuard agent (Lavoisier) to have her husband killed off (eradicated). Landon is thus killed when he is 2 years old and Thursday (also pregnant with his child) is the only one who remembers him.

Thursday enters the Book World as a Jurisfiction trainee under Mrs. Haversham (of Great Expectations). She gets Schitt out of the Raven, but is double-crossed. She decides to hide in Book World, in “The Well of Lost Plots” (where all fiction is created). She thinks she’ll be safe in the Character Exchange Program for awhile…