I messed up my system by mentioning a book before its review. I finished the Stephenson weeks ago and am just getting around to blogging it.
So here is the delayed review: "Termination Shock", by Neal Stephenson, 2021, 890 pages, 242k words; subtitled "A Novel". Stephenson's tale of climate crisis and geoengineering. It really didn't seem like 890 pages. There were I think 4 disparate narrative threads that eventually were all brought together. This novel screamed "Movie!" at me.
My daughter Erica asked me how it compared to Kim Stanley Robinson's "Ministry for the Future". I think I told her that MFTF was a much more serious book, covered way more ground, and raised serious and weighty issues. It was also written to explore a scenario where we to escape the climate crisis. The Stephenson is much more of an action movie. She said that she heard an interview with him where he emphasized he was writing to entertain - at which he of course succeeds. This difference definitely shows in my reviews. The review of MFTF linked to above was much longer than these few paragraphs.
There was an odd turn about how the real heart of the MAGA US comes from the philosophy and outlook of the Commanches, who were not a Native American tribe but were instead a mix of many races and cultures. That's were we get the "freedumb" attitude that crippled the US response to the COVID pandemic.
I also liked the term for a new virtual nation of every place on earth threatened by climate change: the Netherworld. Nice!
Another bonus: trained eagles vs. drones, FTW!
Stephenson's novels usually have lots of LOL dialogue and prose. Not so much this one.
Hah, 1 thing he briefly touches on is a portrayal of the US as feckless:
“It’s an asset, you’re saying. The sheer incompetence of the United States.”China, India, and Europe are the main players. I'm guessing this novel was written when Agent Orange was in office, when US foreign policy was indeed a shambles....
India had announced formal cessation of their Climate Peacekeeping action in the lawless, war-torn tribal region of West Texas.
A fun and enjoyable read that sure didn't feel like 890 pages. I was sorry when it was over.
I got offered an eBook for cheap featuring 2 Frank Herbert novels: "The Dosadi Experiment and The Eyes of Heisenberg", 508 pages, 138k words. I went for it.
"The Dosadi Experiment" was 1st published in 1977. I have read it several times. The Gowachin, one of the galactic civilization's dominant races, carries out a highly illegal experiment in social engineering. On a poisonous planet, they place Gowachin and humans in 1 megacity of astronomical population density. A Malthusian experiment in Social Darwinism to the nth degree. They breed a population of CEOs psychopaths - oops! What to do with it?
"The Eyes of Heisenberg" was 1st published in 1966. I'm guessing my 1st reread of the book since it 1st came out. It definitely reads as an earlier work. All humans (mostly sterile) are genetically engineered to try and add to the ruling group of Optimen - genetically optimized for potentially immortal lives. The Optimen are opposed by their old rivals, the cyborgs of course. The Optimen are autocrats, while the cyborgs are mostly assholes. It's an OK read, but dated.
Finally, I read the annual free eBook short story collection, "Some of the Best of Tor.com 2021", 2021, 590 pages, 160k words, 22 stories. A very nice collection, many very good stories.
Here is a nice line from the Catherynne M. Valente story, a modern tale of Orpheus & Eurydice, with lots of interesting portrayals of figures from Greek mythology:
Music is just the sound of time blowing across the lip of their nothingness.
I have so many eBooks to read: Unread collection is at 105. Lots of good stuff. Guess I need to try to read more.
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