Book Review: The Time Hoppers, Robert Silverberg (1967)

May 13, 2011August 1, 2011 / Joachim Boaz / 4 Comments

2.5/5 (Average)

For me Robert Silverberg has finally lost his aura. I knew it would happen eventually if I delved into his lesser read 60s works — but I’d been impressed recently with a string of his best (Thorns, Downward to the Earth, The World Inside) which created the aforementioned aura. I believe in the demystification of an author (for nebulous reasons) however painful the reader’s experience might be — at least The Time Hoppers (1967) clocks in at a mere 182 pages.

The Time Hoppers takes place in an overpopulated world Continue reading →

Book Review: The Steel Crocodile, D. G. Compton (1970)

May 12, 2011August 10, 2019 / Joachim Boaz / 2 Comments

1971 Nebula Award Nominee for Best Novel

3.75/5 (Good)

D. G. Compton’s novel The Steel Crocodile (1971) is a thoughtful yet ultimately unspectacular exploration of the intersection of religion and science. Although the work is nowhere near the level of Compton’s masterpieces (Synthajoy, The Unsleeping Eye), it infinitely surpasses the later The Missionaries (1972) which attempted to explore similar themes. I find his strong female characters Continue reading →

Book Review: Earthworks, Brian W. Aldiss (1965)

May 2, 2011August 1, 2011 / Joachim Boaz / 6 Comments

3.5/5 (Average)

Brian Aldiss’ Earthworks (1965) takes place in a future Earth wrecked by the effects of overpopulation and the resulting environmental repercussions of intensive, expansive, and destructive over-farming. In this disturbed world of increasing automation and devaluation of human life, robots are worth more than people and the hungry diseased hordes of mankind have reverted to Continue reading →

Book Review: Rolltown, Mark Reynolds (1976)

April 29, 2011September 10, 2011 / Joachim Boaz / 2 Comments

2/5 (Bad)

Mack Reynolds’ Rolltown (1976) takes place a few decades in the future where democracy has devolved into a meritocracy. The United States has a huge database for every individual and jobs are given based on IQ scores, etc. The most intelligent people get to vote. However, because of the meritocracy all racial tension Continue reading →

Book Review: The Missionaries, D. G. Compton (1972)

April 13, 2011August 1, 2011 / Joachim Boaz / 4 Comments

1/5 (Drivel)

I’m often distracted by the smell of old paperbacks — I’d like to imagine there’s a direct correlation between how much I’m distracted to how bad it is — which would make reviewing easier. Perhaps how strongly I’m compelled to write about the smell should be considered an indicator Continue reading →

Book Review: Downward to the Earth, Robert Silverberg (1970)

April 11, 2011June 18, 2023 / Joachim Boaz / 13 Comments

Gene Szafran

4.75/5 (Very Good)

1971 Nebula Nominated Novel (Silverberg declined the nomination)

The first two-thirds of Robert Silverberg’s masterpiece Downward to the Earth (1970) is easily in the pantheon of the best sections of a science fiction book I’ve ever read. I found it emotionally engaging and often downright nerve-racking, moody and disturbed, and engages in an intelligent and poignant manner with the issue of de-colonization which was coming to the fore in the 1960s.

Continue reading →

Book Review: High-Rise, J. G. Ballard (1975)

April 1, 2011January 27, 2020 / Joachim Boaz / 28 Comments

high-rise ballard

4.5/5 (Very Good)

J. G. Ballard’s High-Rise (1975) is a fascinating yet relentlessly mono-thematic novel inspired by the effects of class conflict and urbanization on society drawing on some ideas explored in earlier SF masterpieces such as John Brunner’s Stand on Zanzibar (1969) and Silverberg’s The World Inside (1971) (both of which I prefer to High-Rise). Continue reading →

Book Review: The Blue World, Jack Vance (1966)

March 25, 2011August 3, 2019 / Joachim Boaz / Leave a comment

4/5 (Good)

1966 Nebula Nominated Novel

Jack Vance’s The Blue World is a delightful (straightforward) sci-fi/fantasy adventure story. There’s something truly wonderful about Jack Vance’s world building skills, simplistic yet adept prose, and tightly constructed plots. He’s a top-notch story Continue reading →

Book Review: Half Past Human, T. J. Bass (1971)

March 23, 2011February 16, 2014 / Joachim Boaz / 21 Comments

3.25/5 (Average)

1971 Nebula Nominated Novel

T.J. Bass’ Half Past Human is a flawed yet occasionally intriguing fix-up novel which was nominated for the 1971 Nebula Award. I found that the atrocious prose overshadowed all the work’s positives and made it a chore to read. Bass is a practicing doctor and thus apparently finds it fun to inundate his narrative with medical Continue reading →