Hull Three Zero

This post was supposed to go up last Friday, but it ended up getting bumped by the free transfer announcement for WAR.  The last book I read was Greg Bear's "Hull Zero Three", on my Kindle of course.  Read on for my spoiler-free thoughts about it.

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The Evolutionary Void

A couple of days ago, I finished up the latest book by Peter F. Hamilton, The Evolutionary Void.  It is the last entry in the Void Trilogy and the latest in Hamilton's Commonwealth series of science fiction books.  As usual, I loved it.

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Saga of the Seven Suns

I like Space Opera's. It may not be a coincidence that I am a huge fan of 4x games (Master of Orion, Space Empires) and a fan of their book equivalent. They primarily revolve around epic stories in the future, involving wars, politics, intrigue... you name it. My favorite series has to be the Commonwealth books by Peter Hamilton. They are huge books and tell quite a tale.

Recently, I read the first book of the Saga of the Seven Suns. It takes place in the 'near' future. Not actually near, but also not so far in the future humans have evolved much. I don't really enjoy the far future books, because I generally cannot connect with the characters. It is much like why I have trouble playing female characters in my video games.

This series looks to have all the hallmarks of a space opera. Some of it takes part at the highest ruling levels, the scope is on the galactic scale and the fate of humanity (and others) is at stake. The technology is out there, but pretty grounded and believable.

This book is a bit slow, as it has the responsibility of setting up all the characters. Once we get through that and the action starts it really gets exciting. One nice things is that all the books have been published. I don't like having to wait for conclusions so I can read through the series at whatever pace I want.

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Thirteen

Richard K Morgan is one of my favorite authors. I have his prior works, the Altered Carbon series and Market Forces, and enjoyed them greatly. Thirteen (known as Black Man elsewhere) is one of his latest releases and I finally finished it. It wasn't that it was long, its just that I got distracted in the middle of reading it.

Over-simplified summary: In the near future, a genetically engineered dude kicks ass across the planet.

Unlike his previous works, I did not really enjoy this one. The story was good, but the problem was the characters. I did not like or care about any of them. Part of me was hoping for them all to lose. In a way they do, but it wasn't satisfying. Usually Morgan creates a very compelling main character. In Thirteen, he seemed pretty unlikable and one dimensional. Grrr, I'm a badass but it's how I was designed, so grrr!

I wouldn't call it a bad book, but it just wasn't for me. Next up for me to read is The Steel Remains. It is the latest book by Richard K Morgan and also his first journey into fantasy.

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Book: The Name of the Wind

When not on the computer, refreshing various websites for news that never comes, I enjoy reading. One book I recently finished was 'The Name of the Wind' by Patrick Rothfuss. My favorite book genre, by far, is Science Fiction. This time I decided to branch out into some fantasy.

Spoiler-free thoughts:

• Original setting, no elves to be found here.
• Magic is very low key and difficult requiring much training.
• Characters are interesting, nothing really cookie-cutter or cliche.
• Author is developing a rich world in terms of history and lore.
• Adult themes, but nothing very explicit or gruesome (read: This is not Harry Potter)
• First book of a larger series (trilogy?)
• Now that I have finished, I am eagerly awaiting the next volume.
• Writing style was smooth and easy to read.

As I mentioned, I do not read many fantasy books, but I quite enjoyed this one. Engaging story and interesting characters set in a dark and original world. I recommend it. I am not sure of this kind of review format is actually useful, so let me know what you think.

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