Omphalos' SF Book Reviews

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1. Alan Holowaychuk (AToE) 07.13.10 / 12pm
   

   Nice review, a bit skimpy on the analysis in my opinion, but everything you said does agree with what I thought/felt when reading it.
2. Omphalos 07.13.10 / 11pm
   

   I agree. But this is an early one. Maybe next time I read it I’ll fix this. I have not thought about the book in a while, but for some time there I cogitated ‘pon the what Haldeman was saying about the relationship between futility and immortality, and about how immortality of states differs from individual immortality. For example, will individual immortality make governments more inflexible, or will wisdom show its face and change the attitudes of immortals as time passes? There’s a mythology question in there too.
3. Omphalos 07.13.10 / 11pm
   

   Dang! Just realized I haven’t fixed that damn Gravitar problem yet either. One more thing for the list.
4. Richard 10.25.11 / 1am
   

   Nice review. I like your style. This sounds a lot like a short anime OVA I saw a few years ago called “Voices of a Distant Star” which told the story of a relationship kept going through text-messages sent across interstellar space.

   The Forever War sounds like it’s going to be a great read. And it’s only $4.95 for Amazon Kindle – I’ll be reading it in just a few minutes.

   Omphalos, have you read any of “The Lost Fleet” series? I looked around but didn’t see any reviews for it. I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on it – I check back here quite often since finding this blog about two weeks ago.
5. Richard 10.26.11 / 7am
   

   It is now 12:36AM two days after I began reading this book, and I have finished it with a strong sense of satisfaction. I haven’t been this captivated by a novel since Ender’s Game. It was definitely worthy of a five star rating, not to mention the numerous awards it won.
6. Omphalos 10.26.11 / 5pm
   

   Hi there, Richard. Glad to meet you, and glad you liked the book. Did you get a new edition with the trip to the upper midwest? Mary Gay’s home? I remember how much I loved this story the first time I read it too.

   Have not read the Lost Fleet series. Who wrote that one?
7. Richard 10.27.11 / 1am
   

   Yeah it was the new edition (I didn’t know it at the time). It had a nice authors note at the beginning too. I can’t believe they originally omitted anything from the story in the first edition, everything seemed relevant to me. I haven’t read the original edition, did Mandella not go visit Mary Gay and her parents while on Earth in that one? I feel like that was an important part in the overall story (Especially in connection to the ending).

   The Lost Fleet series is written by John G Hemry under the pseudonym Jack Campbell. The first book in the series is “Dauntless”. It’s pure military scifi… Judging by your reviews of other books I think you’d like the series over all, but you might be critical of the first books which (IMO) are a little repetative and not quite “up there” (If that makes sense…). But it’s a good series and the writing has definitely improved over the course of the series. And even the first books still tell a good story.

   Actually forget what I said, judge them for yourself. I loved the first book enough to go on and read the whole series, maybe you will too.

   And there I go rambling again… Hah! Thanks for replying.
8. Omphalos 10.27.11 / 10am
   

   That whole middle section of the book was missing. I heard Haldeman say once that he had a very hard time selling the book because nobody wanted to publish a book about Vietnam in the 70’s. He also said that the publishers all found that section to be too depressing. Guess I can see that.

   Have you read Ender’s Game or Old Man’s War yet? All of these books are interesting reactions to Starship Troopers.
9. Richard 10.28.11 / 1am
   

   That section was pretty depressing. It added to the story as a whole though, I really enjoyed it. Not a single dull moment.

   Have I read Ender’s Game? Are you kidding me! I love that book with a passion. I’ve yet to read any of the sequels though – need more time! (Though I did read through the comic book prequel “Formic Wars: Burning Earth – which was awesome! I need to get the other Ender’s Game comic books some time… But they’re so darn expensive!)

   I haven’t read Old Man’s War. I’ll have to check out your review on it (If you’ve reviewed it).

   Right now I’m sucked into “The Stand” by Stephen King. Man, that guy knows how to write a story.
10. Omphalos 10.28.11 / 8am
    

    Ender’s Game and The Stand are two of my favorite book, but every time I reread Ender’s Game I get more and more critical of it. I read a review of it by Norman Spinrad (?) that focused on the subliminal Freudian elements of it, and now I can’t get through it without being reminded of Card’s militant beliefs about gays and “other perverts” as I think he calls them. Too bad he turned out to be such an ass. His hideous personality has colored every future encounter I am ever likely to have with him.

    I kind of thought the same thing (almost) about Stephen King for years. He got so self indulgent with his writing that I could not stand reading his works, but recently he has turned the corner I think. You should check out my review of The Stand when you finish and add your thoughts. You reading the 1991 expanded text of that one?
11. Richard 11.06.11 / 1am
    

    It does suck that Card is such a massive bigot, but his “views” didn’t tarnish my opinion of Ender’s Game – though they did tarnish my opinion of him, which really sucks because he wrote one of my favourite books. I think that’s why I have yet to go on to any of the other books in the saga. I’ve been told by a lot of people that you’re better of reading just Ender’s Game and leaving it at that. I still think I’ll give his other works a fair chance though.

    I haven’t read much of anything by Stephen King (I got stuck into reading Under The Dome once, but for whatever reason had to abandon reading it – I have to get back to that one some time!). From what I’ve seen of author interviews and his own authors notes – Stephen King seems like a really cool guy.

    I’m reading the 1991 expanded version, and man is that a long read. About half way through it so far and I’m enjoying every page. It’s a really good story, unlike any other apocalpytic fiction I’ve ever read, the characters have such depth. It’s like they’re real people, like the whole story actually happened.

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