Book Review - All These Worlds: Bobiverse, Book 3 by Dennis E. Taylor

The first two books of the Bobiverse trilogy were so good, I was a little nervous the author wouldn't be able to maintain his momentum and deliver a strong finish. My worries were for naught.

All These Worlds: Bobiverse, Book 3 is science fiction, philosophical, space opera, adventure written by Dennis E. Taylor. It's available in all formats: eBooks, Audiobooks, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

Overview

The "Bobs" continue to prepare to fight a Borg-like species determined to strip mine the galaxy while sending the remaining humans on Earth to other planets.

The Good

Ending an Epic. This book perfectly ended this massive epic by tying up all the loose ends, finishing all the subplots, and leaving the story at a point where a whole new epic could begin but doesn't have to. I felt very satisfied.

Philosophical Discussions/Dilemmas. While this is a science fiction story and space opera and includes a lot of cool scifi elements, the real story is about the nature of existence, identity, and the interactions of societies. This author does an excellent job of taking a well known scifi idea the readers will quickly be able to understand and be comfortable with and uses it to explore these philosophical and sociological ideas in great detail. Star Trek couldn't do any better.

Comedy. This book is filled with great humor and pop culture references.  For those who are into those, you won't be disappointed.

Ray Porter. Ray Porter may just well be the greatest reader ever. He is able to convey so much emotion without every going overboard or sounding over dramatic. He also reads so well that you feel like he is talking to you and not reading to you. The man can do no wrong.

The Bad

No Exposition. This story picks up right where the second novel ended with no exposition or explanation. This could be a problem for new readers. I know I've picked up books in the middle of a series and was grateful for the author at least briefly filling me in on what had come before.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish this had been a little longer. While I felt all the stories were fully developed and loose ends tied up, the shortness of the novel just didn't feel sufficient to end such a dramatic and epic story.  

Overall

All These Worlds: Bobiverse, Book 3 is a fitting ending to a really enjoyable trilogy. It continues to explore the same philosophical discussions and comedic tones readers enjoyed in the first two books while bringing the story and subplots to a satisfying conclusion. I give it a solid 5 out of 5 eReaders.

     

Book Review - Brave Companions: Portraits in History by David McCullough

History is so important. So many people and their contributions have been

Brave Companions: Portraits in History is a collection of short, historical writings by David McCullough. It's available as an eBook, audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Journey to the Top of the World. This tells the story of an early scientist and his journey thru South America. His name and contributions are mostly unknown today, and yet at the time he was one of the greatest living scientists making some of the most remarkable discoveries. This section is heavily science focused, but still interesting.

The American Adventure of Louis Agassiz. This is another mostly unknown scientist and educator today who was a major name in his day. He was a bit essentric, which makes his story a little more interesting.

Glory Days in Medora. This is the story of the creation of the myth of the Old West. It was a bit sad and melancholy but still fascinating.

Remington. This is the story of a western artist. I found it interesting, because I'm an artist and the author focused on the method and progression. But to a nonartist this will probably be seen as boring.

Steam Road to El Dorado. This is the story of the Panama Railroad. If you've read McCullough's Panama Canal book, then it's nearly the same story only shorter. But it is still interesting and worth the read.

The Builders. This was probably the most interesting the essays. It tells the story of the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, and it is a fascinating story filled with drama, twists, and unbelievable events.

The Treasure from the Carpentry Shop. This is the story of the discovery of the plans for the Brooklyn Bridge and the unbelievable treasure of craftsmanship they were. The story itself is pretty mediocre, but it makes an excellent coda to the story of the Bridge itself, and for that I enjoyed it.

Long-Distance Vision. This tells the story of the writings of the early aviators of the 20th Century and makes several interesting observations, such as how no other group had similar literary aspirations or accomplishments. The author postulates that the factors which drove these individuals to fly during the experimental days of aviation are the same factors that causes one to write. I had heard of these pilots, but I had never heard of any of their books, but I plan to check them out.

Extraordinary Times. This was a really interesting look at the history of the world from 1936 to the present focusing on the political events while ignoring the cultural and technological changes. Despite the glaring omissions and prejudices for the best known events, he makes many excellent observations that I found insightful.

The Bad

The Unexpected Mrs. Stowe. This tells the story of the writing of Uncle Tom's Cabin. The name of the book and basic plot is well known, although the author and details of the writing are less so. I found this chapter so boring I actually hit skip halfway thru.

Cross the Blue Mountain. This is the meanderings of an author I've never heard of and have no intention of reading after hearing his story.

The Lonely War of a Good Angry Man. This is a rant against strip mining. Instead of presenting a logical case with facts, it really is little more than an angry rant of an angry man.

Miriam Rothschild. I have heard of this person, but the story was more strange than interesting. I was glad when it finally ended.

South of Kankakee: A Day with David Plowden. I love photography, and I found the ideas interesting, but the way it was told could have been so much better executed.

Washington on the Potomac. I learned a lot of interesting history from this, but it was sure a painful trip to get to it. It could have been more interestingly told.

Recommended Itinerary. The point this chapter made was excellent and one ever American needs to be aware of. I just wish it wasn't so painful to get thru.

Simon Willard's Clock. Like the last chapter, this one made excellent points. But again, I wish it hadn't been so painful to get thru.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish the writing had been stronger. This was not up to David McCullough's usual standard, and I was very disappointed.

Overall

Brave Companions: Portraits in History by David McCullough is a mixed bag of essays and speeches he's written over many years. Most featured people I had never heard of, and a few I can see why. But others made significant contributions and should be better known. Some of the essays were very concise and fascinating while others meandered to uninteresting places. Overall, I give it 3.5 out of 5 eReaders.

   

Book Review: The Android's Dream by John Scalzi

After reading the last John Scalzi book, Fuzzy Nation, and being extremely disappointed by it, I became very hesitant to pick up another one of his books. But this one was on sale and had a pretty blue cover, so I closed my eyes and clicked "buy".

The Android's Dream is a science fiction, space opera, political comedy written by John Scalzi. It's available as an eBook, audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

Overview

The leader of an alien world is assassinated, and citizens of Earth have to help install the next ruler by finding a certain bread of sheep. (Trust me, it's actually a great book despite the incredibly stupid premise.)

The Good

Characters. The characters are incredibly likable. Each feels very real, but not incompetent, which too many authors do. Some are more powerful or more able than any real person should be, but that's what makes science fiction fiction and fun.

Dialog. If you've ever read anything by John Scalzi, you've read this type of dialog before. He's only able to write in one voice well. But this is him at his best with that voice.

Twists. This story has a lot of twists, some I saw coming, but others I did. Yet all of them felt right and earned. None felt contrived or pulled out of left corner.

Narration. Wil Wheaton has the perfect voice for this kind of story and tells it just how it should be told.

The Bad

Names. The alien names are a little hard to remember or keep straight. They sound so similar and more like noise than deliberate sound.

Dated. You can tell this book is a decade or too old, because some of the references and details are very dated, but not dated enough to make it feel period. But it doesn't spoil the story.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wouldn't have done anything differently.

Overall

The Android's Dream by John Scalzi is an exciting, hilarious, twist-filled ride with interesting characters and a very satisfying ending that ties everything up but doesn't make it seem too easy or too neat. I give it 5 out of 5 eReaders.

     

Movie Review: Death Note (2017 Netflix Original Film)

I enjoy reading manga and watching anime, and I get excited for every film adaption that comes along, even though I usually end up disappointed. But let's face it--they only works that would work as a direct adaption are Astro Boy and Akira. Everything else would require a lot of adapting, and die hard fans tend to get mad at such meddling. And most of the time the adapting isn't a great film on its own nor contains enough of the original to make the fans happy. Death Note is an exception. I've never seen the anime or read the manga, so I had no preconceived ideas and can judge the film on its own merits.

Death Note is a 2017 Netflix Original horror film based on the manga and anime of the same name. It tells the story of a boy who is given a journal with which he can kill anyone by writing their name in it. It is rated TV-MA for language, violence, and gore and is appropriate for adults.

The Good

Adaption. I'm really impressed at what an amazing job the filmmakers did to adapt this story. They took the basic elements, ideas, and themes from the manga and created a wholly American production. Watching it, you'd never know this was based on a Japanese property. It had a solid story, a cohesive plot, and developed the themes well. I can understand superfans of the original being upset at all the changes (I myself do the same with properties I love), but they were necessary to make a good film. A direct adaption wouldn't have attracted an American audience.

Pacing. Even though this is based on a Japanese comic and show, it's been completely translated into an American film and so it moves very quickly and never drags. Those who are used to the extreme decompression of anime (it takes four times as long to tell the same story) have complained that it moves too quickly, but an American audience will appreciate the pacing.

Actors. I really like the actors cast as Light, his girlfriend, his father, and the rest (with one exception). They all fit the roles well. I think the reason there has been so much backlash against them online is because of how anti-white certain parts of society are becoming--this prejudice and bias blind them to what's really going on in front of their eyes.

Ryuk. The death god could have gone really badly, but the filmmakers played it smart by hiring a great actor to voice the character and they showed him in the shadows so the cgi wasn't so distracting. He was great every time he appeared on screen, but he wasn't overused so each appearance had maximum impact.

The Bad

L.  I did not like the character of L at all. I did not like the actor they chose to portray him, nor did I like the way he was portrayed. He started out as an interesting character but quickly turned into a schizophrenic nut who was little more than a plot devise.

Music.  During two dramatic moments at the end the filmmakers inserted two old pop songs that did not fit at all and interrupted the drama. I'm not sure what they were thinking.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish it hadn't been so gory. It wasn't necessary to see the actual deaths, and the special effects used almost looked silly.

Overall

Death Note (2017 Netflix Original) is a well-crafted adaption taking the basic elements, ideas, and themes from the manga and created a wholly American production that has a solid story and clear plot. Superfans of the original will probably be upset at all the changes, but they were necessary to make a good film. A direct adaption wouldn't have been a strong movie nor attracted an American audience. I give it a solid 4.5 out of 5 boxes of popcorn.

     

TV Show Review - Atom: The Beginning

I am a huge fan of Osamu Tezuka and his most famous creation Mighty Atom aka.Astro Boy. I own all the Manga and have both TV series Tezuka worked on on DVD. There is something magical about his creation that transcends time and national borders. I've been less fond of adaptions of Tezuka's work by other people. They always seem to miss the essential heart in most of Tezuka's work.

Atom: The Beginning is a 2017 12-episode anime based on Osamu Tezuka's Mighty Atom (aka Astro Boy) that focuses on the creators and early attempts at creating a robot. It is rated G and appropriate for all ages.

The Good

Main Characters. The main characters are so well developed and explored; they feel real and I want to see more of them. They also have such a great relationship that is masterfully explored both with times they get along and times they lock horns. It's very dynamic. In the Astro Boy manga, Tenma is shown as a fairly sinister character with little compassion. This version explores why he's like that and makes you feel sympathetic for him.

Six (Mighty Atom Prototype). This takes place before the creation of Astro Boy, a robot that is so human. This offers an excellent explanation for how that is possible and shows you what early attempts to create such a personality look like. It is so well thought out.

Action. This show is filed with some amazing action that is beautifully animated and makes you feel like you are in the middle of it. It couldn't have been handled better.

The Bad

Pacing.  Like most anime this show is very decompressed, which means it moves very slowly and takes awhile to get anywhere. For a western audience, this would be pretty boring.

Flat Characters.  While the main characters are extremely well developed and interesting, most of the other characters are very flat and uninteresting. Most are little more than plot devices.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I think the producers took the right approach and did a great job adding to the existing mythology. There's nothing I would have done differently.

Overall

Atom: The Beginning is a charming anime that focuses on Tenma and Ochanomizu's years in school developing robots. It does an excellent job examining their relationship, their differences, and their goals as well as the birth of Astro Boy's basic character. Like most anime, it is slowly paced with amazing action scenes disbursed throughout. I give this show 4 out of 5 remotes.