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
1. The Complete Stories of J. G. Ballard, J. G. Ballard (2009)
My girlfriend gave me this MASSIVE (1196 pages) newly released volume of all of Ballard’s short stories (arranged in chronological order) for my birthday. I’m extremely excited because I enjoyed my first Ballard work, High-Rise (1975). Does anyone have a particular story which I should start with? Continue reading
2/5 (Bad)
Ok, I admit, I bought this book because of the gorgeous red/helium-breathing alien/humans toting spears cover… Sadly, there’s very little behind the cover besides a standard uninventive pulp-ish romp. Aldiss expends little effort and as result the work lacks an interesting society or an involving plot and all the action takes place in the slip-shop last few pages. Continue reading
Oh the joys of amazon gift cards… And perusing dusty corners of local bookstores.
Here are my latest acquisitions.
1. Robert Silverberg’s World Inside (1971) (MY REVIEW HERE)
I’ve always enjoyed semi-dystopic works about the social ramifications of overpopulation (John Brunner’s Stand on Zanzibar is my all time favorite sci-fi novel). I wonder if Silverberg was inspired by Brunner’s work. I’ve yet to read a Silverberg novel and I’ve read that this is a pretty good effort. So, those factors contributed to my purchase.
2. Doris Piserchia’s Continue reading
(Bruce Pennington’s cover for the 1971 edition)
3/5 (Average)
Fresh off reading Brian Aldiss’ wonderful Non-Stop I eagerly picked up a battered copy of The Dark Light-Years (1964) from a local bookstore. I was sorely disappointed. The Dark Light-Years is disjointed, Continue reading
Here are my favorite films and books I reviewed this year. They are all highly recommended…
Brian Aldiss, Non-stop (variant title, Starship), (1958)
Starship is a top-notch 1950s work: fast, action-packed, thoughtful, Continue reading
4.75/5 (Very Good)
A generation ship! Science run amok! A brilliant work from the late 50s which must be read! Brian Aldiss’ Non-Stop (published in the U.S. as Starship) is a relentlessly dark science fiction novel written in response to Robert Heinlein’s revolutionary yet ultimately unsatisfying Orphans of Continue reading
Science Fiction and Other Suspect Ruminations 