The Nameless Planet - Book Reviews

Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card

This book started off with an well-written introduction. I found it extremely interesting how he came up with the concept behind the book, and the letters he recieved from those who enjoyed this book. I had already heard from those who had read it that it was really good, so I didn't really hesitate putting it on my "to read" list. Well, sure enough this book grabs you right from the beginning. Kind of a sad story about the outcast Ender Wiggin, who is much smarter than those around him. He is chosen and sent battle school to become a soldier...but we also know that he is only 6 years old. I was able to suspend my disbelief through most of it, since a lot of the situations in the book between 6 - 10 year olds were VERY adult like. That is, they spoke and acted like adults. Now, I'm sure that these super-intelligent kids are different, but I had to remind myself many times during the book that these were just a bunch of kids. I became very involved with the characters, they exhibited REAL emotions, that made me feel a part of the book. However, Ender is limited to endless self-pity. This is where it begins to get annoying. The battle school is working against him, they know he's a brilliant commander, and they keep pushing him harder. You want to kill the teachers for doing this, and you pity Ender and his rag-tag group of soldiers. This is fine, when it's used effectively and sparingly. However, Card insists that we lapse into self-pity ourselves while reading this book. I can honestly say that this is not serious sci-fi; instead, it is a novel that hits on emotions that have been in the human psyche since the beginning of time. Perhaps this is why the novel is so highly acclaimed...the Hugo AND Nebula awards? I mean, it's a decent book, but not great science fiction. Some of the situations are extremely predictable as well, nothing really was left to guess. However, there is a neat twist at the end (again, predictable but cool nonetheless). Light reading at best. Don't read if you're into normal or hard-core SF - you'll be disappointed. Rating: *** (Added 1999.07.04)

Treason - Orson Scott Card

I found out about this book at a fellow reviewer's site, and had a hell of a time finding it. I also had a hard time with the subject of this book at first. I mean, is it SF or Fantasy? There were humans on a colonized planet named Treason, supposedly in exile. There was talk of starships and faster than light travel, and the cover depicted a guy in some sort of space suit. Yet throughout the book there were typical fantasy elements: horses, castles, magical forests and the like. Whatever genre it is, Treason is a great tale. I love how every region of the planet is explored and has its own portion of the main story. Plus, the main character has the ability to regenerate, which is a really cool concept in itself and used well to further the story. There is also some political plotting and warring families, almost like Dune (but the comparison stops there). Mr. Card is also a super writer, and puts together readable descriptions that are not bogged down in detail but instead make the story richer. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but once again Mr. Card gives us a morality lesson at the end of the book. This is fine, but that turned me off Ender's Game. I guess because it was not as intense as it was in Ender's depressing tale. This book is light reading, but well worth it. I love adventures, and even if this particular story does not fall into a particular category, I like it all the same. In fact, I feel it makes it more appealing. Rating: **** (Added 1999.12.11)

Rendezvous with Rama - Arthur C. Clarke

I can already see the hard SF fans getting mad. Let me explain. I read this book after reading a review that said this was an exciting tale of a mysterious cylinder that passes over the earth. The cylinder is alien in origin, and inside an apparently abandoned city resides. The story is about a space mission that goes off to explore inside the cylinder while delegates decide whether this monolith is a threat to the earth or not. I consider myself a SF fan, and I enjoyed 2001: A Space Odessey very much, it was a great film (partly due to Stanley Kubrick, though). I thought this was going to be a good, quick read (it's only about 250 pp). I was dead wrong. This book is very challenging to read, since you are given microscopic details about EVERYTHING. The story moves at a snail's pace, and by the time you figure out what's going on, a new problem arises. Maybe this is how hard SF is, but honestly, this book does NOT make me want to go out and read hard SF, or anything by Mr. Clarke again. I felt like I was reading a science textbook half of the time. It was not enjoyable at all. Unless you're into this sort of thing, don't pick up this book. Rating: * (Added 1999.06.02)

Microserfs - Douglas Coupland

This book has been on my "to buy" list for about a year. The only reason I didn't get it was because I thought it might be a little too "heady" for me, like most fiction is these days. I knew the premise, and thought it might be interesting. I took a chance, and I'm very happy I did. Microserfs is a pleasant tale about a guy who is a debugger/program tester for Microsoft and his group of "geek" friends. It's written in a journal entry format, so it made an interesting read. All of the random thoughts that were spread around the book were pretty funny. The story follows the move from a large corporation to a small startup business, and all of the hardships that come with it. The human element is here, but the characters are somewhat stereotypical (2D). Although Mr. Coupland has received a lot of critical acclaim for his work (namely Generation X), I can't really say that this book is that earth shattering. Sure it's original, but nothing major was happening here. A lot of people found that Mr. Coupland fakes his way through a lot of the "techno-speak", which is true, but if you make it too technical you lose a lot of readers. If you like computers, or consider yourself part of the "geek culture", give this book a try. You'll find a lot of the situations are easy to relate to and laugh at. However, if you're looking for a modern literary masterpiece, you can pass this one up. Rating: *** 1/2 (Added 1999.07.26)

Shampoo Planet - Douglas Coupland

I'll start off by saying that this book is highly over-rated. If I had read Generation X, I'm sure it could be compared here. But I haven't, and even though this book is a relative disapointment I'm still curious about Coupland's "greatest hit". This book starts off on a really bad note: none of the characters are likable, they whine and complain and have infantile conversations. The main character, Tyler, tries to make the reader feel sympathy for him. I only felt pity, that such a pathetic human can possibly exist. The problems in his life are of his own creation, and he has only himself to blame. I actually felt sorry for the character of Anna-Louise, but near the end she turns into a two-dimensional cutout like the rest of the characters. The plot is really bad, it is supposed to be some sort of a "soul quest" or "journey to find oneself" but to me it's just a bunch of contrived nonsense. I had a hard time finishing it, I was so angry at being tricked into reading this stuff. The critics claim that Coupland here has his "finger on the pulse of today's youth"...yeah right. The writing tries to be "hip" and "cool", but fails miserably. It reads like a modern newspaper article - just a bunch of buzzwords strung together. Contrary to most of the above, the book has some redeeming qualities. The conversation between Tyler and his role model, CEO of a large company is amusing. And there is some real emotion in the parts where Tyler is down on his luck...but it is ruined when Coupland drifts back into superficiality. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this book. And for Pete's sake, somebody tell The New York Times/Post to give the "zeitgeist" a rest. Coupland is not that revolutionary! Rating: ** (Added 2000.01.29).