Reviews and Comments

This is an exploration of how Victorian innovations, development and men (I use the term intentionally) laid the foundation for ongoing science and technology.

I admit I found the first half slow going. The events and personalities came across as facts and lists rather than the (I would imagine) exciting, maybe even scandalous, clashes that would have played out at the time. No doubt The Royal Society played a hugely important role in fostering and challenging ideas, but its internal politics make dry reading from this vantage point. I found myself dipping in and out rather than reading from start to finish. This was easy enough to do with each chapter’s focus being on a different technology.

I enjoyed the later chapters more, especially about telegraphy and attempts to fly.

Each chapter ends with a list of cited references, which will be a useful resource for further perusal.

This was a quick and fun story that I think would appeal to young readers. The plot was straightforward and clearly explained: a bit too clearly for my tastes, with heavy-handed social commentary, but then I’m certainly not young! I liked that Mona had a good relationship with her aunt and uncle. She did came across as younger than her stated 14, especially in the medieval-ish setting. She struck me more as an observer and pushed around by circumstances (and other people’s actions/decisions) than having her own agency, which added to the “young” feel. The gingerbread man was fun.

This urban fantasy is the first book I’ve tried by this author. I found it a fast and entertaining read.

I enjoyed the narrative tone that didn’t portray Verity and her problems too seriously. The light style made it easy to accept improbable aspects of the background and decisions that were (to my thinking) downright peculiar. There were interesting backstory snippets, but I didn’t feel terribly invested in the characters. In particular, I wasn’t keen on how the love interest developed: their encounters felt unnecessarily contrived (but you may remember I’m not big on romance anyway). There were also a lot of different mythical creatures/people/entities which at times just felt thrown in randomly. Perhaps they’ll return in later books.

Entertaining urban fantasy, though I’m not rushing to pick up the sequel.

I’ve been reading Agatha Christie books for as long as, well, as long as I can remember reading. So quite possibly from the time when this book was first published back in 1977. It’s a collection of essays about the Queen of Crime’s life and works. When I started reading, I didn’t quite realise how long ago it was originally published. Oddly, the commentary/opinions didn’t feel especially dated, other than references to (then) contemporary events.

I enjoyed the mix of personal insights, commercial “analysis” and commentary on her wide range of works: fiction, plays, memoir... And of course, now I’m in a mood to revisit some of her mysteries again.

This is the first novel I’ve read by this author, although I’ve previously enjoyed a couple of her short pieces. It strikes me as a coming of age/finding yourself adventure with folklore(ish) elements. I enjoyed the short tales scattered throughout and felt they went well with the overall atmosphere.

I didn’t love the first person, present tense narration, especially as the tense sometimes jumped around (and not in an artistic/appealing way). I preferred the latter part of the story (dealing with a mystery) to the earlier aspects of escaping an unwelcome situation. Although we spend the entire book in Miren’s point of view, her character didn’t make a strong impression on me, and she felt rather distant. Maybe it was more that she didn’t seem much (internally) changed at the end vs the beginning.

Overall, an enjoyable fantasy with touches of the grotesque

I really liked this noir mystery that wasn’t just gritty for the look of it. The influence of T7 and Titans on society was great food for thought, and I spent a bit of time wondering what being “human” would mean in such a world.

The entire story’s told in first person, present tense by Sounder. He’s an interesting character to follow around and competent without being smug or suspiciously lucky. I did initially wonder if he was hiding something special about himself to be doing the kind of job he was, but there were no gotcha moments of that sort.

I enjoyed the other characters a lot. They all felt like they were living their own lives with their own murky motivations rather than their actions revolving around Sounder and his case.

Plenty to get your teeth into in this SF noir

I liked the idea of this book, as a kind of spacefaring Golden Age murder mystery with (literally or metaphorically) champagne receptions, glittering society and so on. There were interesting themes around (ab)uses of power and influence. It was fun trying to guess everyone’s secrets.

I wasn’t quite so taken with the execution, unfortunately. I never really warmed to any of the characters. Tesla’s use of wealth and status to push for whatever she was after at the time felt like an overused bludgeon. And cute doggies are all very well, but Gimlet felt like a Magical Cute Doggie—again, repetitive in use and outcome.

Overall, an entertaining mystery if a bit light on interpersonal nuance for my tastes.

I’ve been meaning to read this for a while and was pleased to find it delivered what I expected: an entertaining mix of technology, bureaucracy and eldritch horrors (you can decide if the last by definition encompasses the other two…)

The narrative is in Bob’s first person, present tense point of view. I wasn’t especially taken with him as a character, though I wasn’t so put off as to bail out. He always managed to have the skills or items needed to meet the challenges before him, or some associate intervening at the right moment.

The office politics were boldly drawn. I wouldn’t have minded more subtlety, a bit more behind the scenes manipulation and gaslighting rather than the (office equivalent of) straight-up moustache-twirliness that came across. We were never really left in doubt of the outcome.

Overall, a fun series starter.

I guess I’d describe this as a road trip with a friendly alien. It was an easy read. However, I can’t say I found the story especially thought-provoking or challenging or moving or all the other things the hype suggested. The main characters were pretty much pushed around by circumstance all the way through, and I didn’t get a sense of personal growth or change. The storyline held no surprises and it was, well, pretty linear. Still, a pleasant enough way to spend a few hours.

It took me a few weeks to read this, which I’ll attribute to not being very familiar with the topic. As you might expect from the blurb, it’s an exploration of how the economy is handled (or not, I suppose) by the State, set in relatively recent historical context. The author expresses his ideas in a straightforward manner, but after each chapter I found myself having to go off and reflect before starting on the next one. I guess that’s a good thing :) Johnson clearly has strong views on solutions to the problems/issues he highlights, and I’ll keep an eye out for how those might manifest in the real-world setting.

The idea of a split awareness, of “self” being distributed among multiple bodies drew me in, but I think I enjoyed the concept more than the story itself. I found the present-day story in the first half slow going. I don’t know how necessary the dual timeline was. The Radch (Radchaai?) culture was interesting, with its rituals, religion, tea and inter-house politics. That said, many of the cultural details seemed there more as unrelated background, and the story could have played out in a similar way in a very different setting.

The characters and there decisions didn’t always make sense to me, which maybe kept me from being fully engaged. Overall, I’m glad I read this, but I’m not in a rush to pick up the sequel.

Another reliable creature feature, this one has a Lost World setup but is set in contemporary times. Not that modern techology is much help… The action is interspersed with a journal from a long-dead explorer. I’m not sure how necessary that was, and it made the current-day narrative feel a tad rushed. Overall, a lot of fun.