Books: Altered Carbon By Richard K. Morgan (2002)

Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan features a lot of the basic aspects of cyberpunk (a category of writing born out the 1960s and 70s drug and sexual revolution culture, but it wasn’t until William Gibson’s 1984 debut novel Neuromancer that the actual word was coined and entered into our lexicon), which is a subgenre of science fiction that has rather large, if not super obvious following. These tales all have futuristic settings (this one set 500 years from now) that combine highly advanced technology with some sort of radical shift in the basic social structure of Earth and beyond. What the genre is known for is disrupting the typical tropes of science fiction, with its sometimes utopian views, focusing more on how technology and drugs become intertwined, and where the punk subculture is basically no longer a subculture. For most people, it’s the 1982 film Blade Runner that introduced the broad based audience to these concepts that began with writers like Philip K. Dick (who’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sleep was the basis for Ridley Scott’s ambitious Blade Runner film), J.G. Ballard, Roger Zelazny, and Harlan Ellison some two decades earlier. But like all science fiction, which are metaphors for today’s problems, the meat of the plots are built around old-style murder mysteries and the dark and grimy noir films Hollywood put out in the 1940s and 50s.

 

In this cyberpunk future, humans have developed a piece of technology called a “stack”, where their consciousness now resides. These devices, near the base of the back neck, continuously updates, recording everything a person experiences. Bodies have now become “sleeves” which allows people to swap out aging or dying forms for a new one, just insert your consciousness so you can potentially live forever. Well, if you’re rich. So yes, as it seems typical in most science fiction novels, only the super rich can do this.

 

Anyways, “onetime U.N. Envoy Takeshi Kovacs has been killed before, but his last death was particularly painful. Resleeved into a body in Bay City (formerly San Francisco), Kovacs is thrown into the dark heart of a shady, far-reaching conspiracy that is vicious even by the standards of a society that treats existence as something that can be bought and sold. For Kovacs, the shell that blew a hole in his chest was only the beginning.”

For the most part, I found the concepts interesting, but on the whole, the book was disturbing. As I said, this novel clearly owes a debt to Dick and his classic novel that became Blade Runner (and the author does sort of acknowledge this by having Kovacs' consciousness stored off off Earth on Harlan's World)   but I was troubled by the ultra-violence and cruelty, and the hatefulness of the world created by the author. It kept me distant, I guess, as I found it impossible to get emotionally invested Kovacs, or really care about the story as it unwound (though Ortega proves the most human). Clearly, I would not survive in a world such as this.

Maybe this is why I’ve always found fantasy novels more interesting (even as I’ve grown weary of the genre) because it was clear who was good or who was bad. In Altered Carbon, the villains are not really evil per se -they’re just doing appalling things in pursuant of their goals so even as they meet their terrible end, I found no satisfaction with it. And the acceptance of easy violence, the cheapness in which life is taken (in the goriest of ways) has bothered me more over the years than it ever has. Growing older, seeing the winds of time take things I love and like away, this book revealed to me that maybe this of subgenre of science fiction is not for me. 

I guess space operas are what I like.

Books: The Wrong Stars By Tim Pratt (2017)

A ragtag crew of humans and posthumans discover alien technology that could change the fate of humanity... or awaken an ancient evil and destroy all life in the galaxy. The shady crew of the White Raven run freight and salvage at the fringes of our solar system. They discover the wreck of a centuries-old exploration vessel floating light years away from its intended destination and revive its sole occupant, who wakes with news of First Alien Contact. When the crew breaks it to her that humanity has alien allies already, she reveals that these are very different extra-terrestrials... and the gifts they bestowed on her could kill all humanity, or take it out to the most distant stars.

Tim Pratt’s The Wrong Stars plot is not original, but that does not mean it’s not good. For modern readers of space opera, this tales settles somewhere between James S. A. Corey’s The Expanse series –just without all the political shenanigans- and John Scalzi’s cynical and snarky Old Man War series. It has pirates, weird aliens, cyborgs, alien conspiracies and a colorful cast of misfits that live on the razors edge between doing what’s right.

While Corey’s The Expanse series relies on tech that is somewhat scientifically possible, The Wrong Stars sort of ignores most of the hard science of space travel, and gives you a fun adventure that often reminded me more of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and even Blake’s 7 (except without the moral ambiguity). Still, the weapons and tech created for this new series is cool, such as camouflage stealth techniques, those wormhole generators, and modifiable gravity. But like I said, some of the science behind these things is fairly questionable, so if you’re looking for some hard science fiction in this book, you’re not going to find it as interesting as, say, The Expanse does in spades.

The only drawback has to be the romance aspect, which Pratt tries to make believable and convincing, but comes off as not very credible (but I applaud him for the great diversity of his characters). As I said, it's a fun space opera, though not highly original. But I'll still be waiting for the next book in the series, so there is that.

Books: The Job of the Wasp By Colin Winnette (2018)

A new arrival at an isolated school for orphaned boys quickly comes to realize there is something wrong with his new home. He hears chilling whispers in the night, his troubled classmates are violent and hostile, and the Headmaster sends cryptic messages, begging his new charge to confess. As the new boy learns to survive on the edges of this impolite society, he starts to unravel a mystery at the school’s dark heart. And that’s when the corpses start turning up.

I found The Job of the Wasp by Colin Winnette, to be very disquieting. As you read, you feel as if there is something off, like you’ve ventured in a dark, unkempt area of a deserted building, or you’ve wandered into those tilted villain quarters in the old Batman TV series, where everything seems askew. The problem is, I never could figure out what made me feel this way until near the end.

This tale, with its Gothic-like setting, its Lord of the Flies vibe, and a mysterious unnamed narrator, makes me feel like I’ve stumbled into a tragic story that has been going on for a long time. It’s an oddly slow and weird thriller, though, that often reminded me of Dan Wells’ John Wayne Cleaver novels about a 16 year-old potential serial killer. Much like Wells’ narrator, Winnette’s unnamed speaker has a clear and distinctive voice. You cannot help not like him, even if he does some questionable things (the incident with Thomas, the teacher and the lake come to mind). Even as your gut tells you that all is not as it appears with the boy (the wasps).

It’s an unusual novel, original, darkly funny and often just plain creepy -and one that will stay with you after you turned the last page.

Books: Origin (Robert Langdon #5) By Dan Brown (2017)

“Robert Langdon, Harvard professor of symbology and religious iconology, arrives at the ultramodern Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao to attend a major announcement—the unveiling of a discovery that “will change the face of science forever.” The evening’s host is Edmond Kirsch, a forty-year-old billionaire and futurist whose dazzling high-tech inventions and audacious predictions have made him a renowned global figure. Kirsch, who was one of Langdon’s first students at Harvard two decades earlier, is about to reveal an astonishing breakthrough . . . one that will answer two of the fundamental questions of human existence. As the event begins, Langdon and several hundred guests find themselves captivated by an utterly original presentation, which Langdon realizes will be far more controversial than he ever imagined. But the meticulously orchestrated evening suddenly erupts into chaos, and Kirsch’s precious discovery teeters on the brink of being lost forever. Reeling and facing an imminent threat, Langdon is forced into a desperate bid to escape Bilbao. With him is Ambra Vidal, the elegant museum director who worked with Kirsch to stage the provocative event. Together they flee to Barcelona on a perilous quest to locate a cryptic password that will unlock Kirsch’s secret.”

Much like his previous novels featuring Langdon, Dan Brown’s Origin does not deviate too much from the formula and tropes he helped continue in this suspenseful story format. It preserves its age-old premise that thrillers always need: living at the corner coincidence and convenience to ensure people turn the pages. The set-up is always basically the same in all these tales featuring a middle-aged man: a mystery starts –in a church, museum or some such building of historical significance- where eventually Langdon meets a women –while always brilliant and smart- she is forever (and stunningly) beautiful. Quickly –because these tales do take place in a small time period- they must flee together to solve whatever wild mystery Brown has laid out.

And his prose style, while readable, is never to be taken seriously (which amuses me when people actually do). While he wraps a lot of historical truths within his fictional setting, as the tales progress you realize (still) what a hugely pulpy, mostly ridiculous and nutty tale Origin truly is. Still, while Dan Brown is not a deep writer, but he does offer some intriguing ideas that can, in the end, give rise to great conversations.

They only drawback I have (okay, that may be a silly start to a sentence when talking about a Dan Brown book) is the magical, dues ex machine he creates with the Artificial Intelligence computer that provides all the necessary information to move the story forward. It's HAL like sentient not withstanding, Winston becomes too much a science fiction cliche that truly makes Origin's already shaky premise come tumbling down.

Ultimately, the book is fairly fun –if you’ve not read any other Brown book- but that’s about it. Sometimes, as I read it, I felt this book was the equivalent of today’s Hollywood blockbuster film: a silly premise, with paint-by-number dialogue brought to life by people who want to be more of a movie star than a true actor. And after five books featuring the Robert Langdon character, maybe it’s time that Brown moves on?

Books: Persepolis Rising by James S. A. Corey (2017)

“In the thousand-sun network of humanity's expansion, new colony worlds are struggling to find their way. Every new planet lives on a knife edge between collapse and wonder, and the crew of the aging gunship Rocinante have their hands more than full keeping the fragile peace. In the vast space between Earth and Jupiter, the inner planets and belt have formed a tentative and uncertain alliance still haunted by a history of wars and prejudices. On the lost colony world of Laconia, a hidden enemy has a new vision for all of humanity and the power to enforce it. New technologies clash with old as the history of human conflict returns to its ancient patterns of war and subjugation. But human nature is not the only enemy, and the forces being unleashed have their own price. A price that will change the shape of humanity -and of the Rocinante- unexpectedly and forever.”

With Persepolis Rising, author James S. A. Corey (Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham) begins The Expanse endgame. There is a significant time jump from the last book, Babylon Ashes, and now it’s been thirty years since the events of the first book, Leviathan Wakes. While the six previous books formed an overreaching arc through two sets of trilogies, the issues that began the series –the battle between Earth, Mars, and the ‘Belters- have come to a somewhat of an equilibrium here. OPA, the Belter’s dominant political faction, has transformed into the legitimate Transportation Union, which helps supply 1,300 human-colonized planets across the galaxy. Earth and Mars have put aside their adversarial relationship to form the Earth-Mars Coalition, and protagonist James Holden and the crew of the Rocinante is still doing the odd jobs required of them.

The final trilogy begins with return of an empire called Laconia, originally formed by a group of Martians who abandoned the solar system mentioned in earlier books. Laconia has thrived in the three decades hence, under the leadership of the immortal High Counsel Duarte and has become brutal and has acquired some technology advanced ships and weapons. Duarte’s goal is pretty simple: dispatch a fleet back through gate system and take over Medina Station that controls those gates, which will plunge the Sol system into another conflict that they may not be able to recover from.

This is perhaps the most fast-paced book of the current seven book series, moving swiftly between events and introducing new characters. I was taken back, at first, with the narrative time-jump, but a lot makes sense considering that the authors are moving towards a conclusion. We see Holden and his crew aging (with James and Naomi beginning the process of retirement), and seeing that there can be a tenuous relationship between all the factions that once kind of hated each other. 

We also get a deeper understanding of the protomolecule, which for long stretches of this series, was never truly explained. The villains, Duarte and Santiago Singh, are less cartoonish this time around and the authors make it clear that Singh is very conflicted –he believes that everyone can live under Laconia rule, even if some must die. It’ll be interesting to see what direction Duarte goes in with the next two books.

What I read in 2017

01. Headless by Tristram Lowe

02. The Prophecy Con by Patrick Weekes

03. The Paladin Caper By Patrick Weekes

04. The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury

05. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story by Alexander Freed

06. Zeus is Dead: A Monstrously Inconvenient Adventure by Michael G. Munz

07. The Rise of Io by Wesley Chu

08. The Gunslinger: The Dark Tower I by Stephen King (The Great Re-Read 2017)

09. The Drawing of the Three: The Dark Tower II by Stephen King (The Great Re-Read 2017)

10. The Waste Lands: The Dark Tower III by Stephen King (The Great Re-Read 2017)

11. The Heart of What Was Lost By Tad Williams

12. The Last Days of Jack Sparks by Jason Arnopp

13. Doctor Who: The Pirate Planet by James Goss

14. A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab

15. Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

16. IT by Stephen King

17. Honor Among Thieves by James S.A. Corey

18. ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King

19. Star Wars: Aftermath: Empire’s End By Chuck Wendig

20. Gwendy’s Button Box by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar

21. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Beckly Albertalli

22. Strange Weather by Joe Hill

23. Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King & Owen King

24. Star Wars: Phasma by Delilah S. Dawson