Foundation, by Isaac Asimov

In contrast with the previous book, where action exploded off each page, in Isaac Asimov's Foundation, not a lot of action actually occurs. I'ts all talk, all postulating, all philosophizing. Whereas Ready Player One was dumb but fun, Foundation is dull but thoughtful.

Perhaps "dull" is too harsh. The book is interesting, entertaining even. It's comprised of several stories across many years concerning the rise of a civilization called Foundation on the edge of a declining space empire. The stories feature different sets of characters facing different problems over the course of Foundation's history.

Asimov's vision of the future, 12,000 years from now, isn't particularly inventive... People still smoke cigarettes and dial telephones to talk, and nuclear power is still the hot new technology - the best that advanced civilizations travelling light years across space can somehow muster. Women apparently have no role in this new world. All the characters are male except for a few secretaries and other unimportant roles.

Foundation seems to be Asimov's attempt at transposing his ideas about our world onto another, which I suppose is true of much science fiction. He tackles religion, science, philosophy, government, etc, and plays with them all 12,000 years into the future.

Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline

This book was gifted to me by a friend with a very enthusiastic recommendation. Which is fortunate, because honestly it's not the sort of thing I would otherwise have chosen to read. I never buy science fiction books, and yet this one sent me on a real sci-fi kick for two weeks.



Ernest Cline's book is the first in a long time that I could hardly put down. I read a lot, but seldom do I enjoy books as much as this one. The story of Wade's - aka Parzival - quest to win the greatest competition in human history is riveting. It starts with a bang and constantly drops shock cliff-hangers to keep the reader engaged.

Sure, it's cheesy and ridiculous in places, and often badly written, and some of it just doesn't make sense... but that's actually quite endearing. It makes the book rather like the 80s songs, TV shows, and movies that it frequently references. It is fun, exciting, thrilling in the same way they were. 

Reviews Coming Soon

I'm in Sri Lanka for a short holiday and I have my Kindle loaded up with books. When I get back, I'll be reviewing:

• Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline
• Redshirts, by John Scalzi
• Foundation, by Isaac Asimov
• Seveneves, by Neal Stephenson
• Sarah, by J.T. Leroy
• Islands in the Stream, by Ernest Hemingway

Best Minds of My Generation, by Allen Ginsberg

Oh, I've been so bad with reviews lately... I've been very busy teaching and editing a few new books, and so any reading for pleasure has taken a bit of a backseat.

I did, however, find time to review Allen Ginsberg's Best Minds of My Generation for Beatdom literary journal. It's a much longer review than I normally write because it was such a brilliant book.

I'm going on holiday to Sri Lanka on Saturday and will bring my Kindle along to catch up on some reading for fun. I should have plenty of reviews to post here very soon.