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Revelation Space Mini-Review 2 Comments

1 week, 4 days ago books, reviews, sci-fi

Reviews are spoilerfree but beware of comments.

Revelation Space tells the story of Dan Sylveste, an archaeologist in the far future who uncovers a startling find on a desolate planet called Resurgam. The find points way back in the past and warns of dangerous world-changing events that have already happened and might happen again.

Being the first book in a series of 5, Alistair Reynolds sets up his Revelation Space sets up a universe with the same name. It’s a universe populated by intricate characters who lead very long lives; be it through medicines, nanotechnology or machine consciousness. Super-high technology and multiple identities permeates the entire series, of which I’ve also read Chasm City — book 2. While other authors, both Arthur C. Clarke, Greg Bear and Larry Niven have explored these areas of science fiction, Reynolds details it in a depth I haven’t seen before. Which works really well.

Revelation Space is an alright book. It’s fairly easily digestible, and the cover of the book has a space-ship on it. It’s the kind of book that you’d buy prior to a long flight or train ride. That earns it 3 hearts. For the potential this holds for subsequent books (a potential I sneakingly know will be fulfilled already in book 2), it’s very much worth reading, more so than the three hearts suggest.

Greg Bear’s Eon Mini-Review Comment

June 17th, 2008 books, reviews

Reviews are spoilerfree but beware of comments.

Eon is the story of an asteroid that enters earth orbit some time in the future. Inside the asteroid are seven tube-shaped chambers in succession. The chambers have outwards gravity, soil and air. The seventh chamber goes on forever.

Our earth explorers encounter wonderful things in the various chambers, especially chamber 7. Sometimes what they encounter is so fantastic you have no clue what’s going on.

As you might deduce, Eon is hard sci-fi. At times a hard read but filled to the top with impressive ideas. It’s also a very strange book, which — I’m sure — is why the book hasn’t been optioned for a film; it’ll be a feat to turn this book into a movie, even though the Eon CG Challenge made impressive headway.

Albeit strange, exceedingly vast in scope and at times twistingly and mindbendingly hard to follow, Eon is a very recommended read. Eon was followed by Eternity, a sequel, and Legacy, a prequel.

The Da Vinci Code 11 Comments

December 15th, 2005 books, davincicode, trailers

My sister gave me The Da Vinci Code a while back. I’d say it was before the hype really got hold and as such I simply enjoyed the book, immensely. The book is not ground-breaking by any means, but it’s a great action-adventure and there are some good plot twists to rattle your brain.

Now the trailer for the upcoming movie-version by Ron Howard is here. The film stars the likes of Tom Hanks, Audrey Tatou, and Paul Bettany. While I’ve never been a fan of neither Tom Hanks or Ron Howard, the film looks pretty true to the book (which already seemed like a film script anyway).

Yet, the book discusses some fairly sensitive aspects of the christian church and the foundation of Christianity; if the film will truly be true to the book, it’s a fair bet it’ll generate some outrage in much the opposite way the Passion of the Christ did.

What are your thoughts? Have you read the book?

Foundation Trilogy Movies? Comment

June 4th, 2004 books, movies, scifi

Isaac Asimovs Foundation Trilogy being brought to the screen?