I was apprehensive about this movie, because I really like the graphic novel on which it was based. The trailers did not inspire confidence since they were edited as if for an action movie. I also read recently that Alan Moore (the graphic novel author) demanded that his name not be associated with the film. […]
Category: reviews
The Rhythm Section, by Mark Burnell
Amazon link After reading the Economist’s recommendation, I’d been keeping my eye open for works by Mark Burnell, thinking that his books about “a proficient, imaginative, world-class assassin” would be interesting. I finally saw The Rhythm Section in a used book store a few weeks ago and picked it up. It was kind of disappointing. […]
A Feast for Crows, by George R.R. Martin
Amazon link I’ve been a big fan of George R.R. Martin since I was introduced to the Wild Cards books in high school. I’ve been buying the Song of Ice and Fire books in hardcover because I want to read them right away, which is stupid, because the elapsed time in between book releases is […]
On Intelligence, by Jeff Hawkins
Amazon link I’ve been meaning to read this for a while, and I added it to my last Amazon order, but didn’t get around to reading it until a few weeks ago. Jeff Hawkins was one of the driving forces behind Palm and Handspring, and now that he’s set for life, he’s indulging his childhood […]
Quick nonfiction reads
Reinventing Comics, by Scott McCloud I liked Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud a lot, because it had a really thoughtful take on why comics worked, and what the conventions were (representing the dimension of time in space, etc.). When I saw this sequel in the library, I picked it up. I didn’t like it nearly […]
More books by Shinn and Gould
Jovah’s Angel, and Angelica, by Sharon Shinn Two more books in the world of Archangel. I like the world, and its exploration of questions of faith and science (and particularly the question of whether a world designed for faith is sustainable), but the plots started to run together, always being about an angel man and […]
Serenity
I went and saw Serenity this afternoon. Serenity, for those of you who don’t know, is a movie based in the world of, and starring the characters of, the TV show Firefly. Firefly was the brainchild of Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy and Angel. It never really worked as a TV show, as I once […]
Reflex, by Steven Gould
Amazon link I saw this in the library in the new sci-fi section, and it looked interesting, so I picked it up. It’s the sequel to a book called Jumper, which I’ve never read, but I may go try to look up now. The premise is that the protagonist has developed the ability to teleport. […]
Where the Action Is, by Paul Dourish
Amazon link This book is an attempt by Dourish to develop underlying design principles for user interfaces that take into account the situated nature of interaction. I’ve been mentioning Dourish’s book recently (e.g. here, here, and here), because I really like a lot of the concepts that he mentions throughout his book. Dourish is explicitly […]
Book mini-reviews
Archangel, by Sharon Shinn I saw this in the library and I had remembered that Beemer had once recommended it to me, so I picked it up. I liked it. Interesting world, and characters that I sympathized with. Not particularly deep, and not a book that I’m likely to rush out and buy for myself, […]
