The Encounter Log

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cite>Hawksbill Station by Robert Silverberg: Some books are really good even when you suspect from the beginning how they're going to turn out. This is one of them. Also a much more knowing and grown-up look at revolutionaries than you get in a lot of books (sf or otherwise).

Castle of Eyes by Penelope Love: Objectively, this is a well-imagined, well-characterized book which deserves your attention. Subjectively, I hate endings like that.

The Hope by James Lovegrove: His first book, it's a group of interlinked short stories about a microcosm of human society trapped on a gargantuan cruise liner. Some of which I liked, but overall there's a feeling that the author is trying too hard to Say Something.

Mirkheim by Poul Anderson: Finally I've gotten around to actually reading one of the books about the famous Nicholas van Rijn. And... um... I'm not gripped, sorry.

Future Indefinite by Dave Duncan: Finishing off the Great Game trilogy, our hero accepts his fate and goes off to recreate a religious story you all know... with a crucial difference or two. Well worth the trip.

Gurren Lagann episodes 1-2 on Crunchyroll: I thought I liked it, but somehow I haven't been able to make time to watch more of it. Hmm.

District 9 DVD: Watched this for the Hugos, and it almost toppled Moon in my voting. Almost.

Star Trek DVD: Mark me down in the "hate" column for this one. My suspension of disbelief not only collapsed, it burst into flames.

The Dreaming Void, The Temporal Void, and The Evolutionary Void by Peter F. Hamilton: Wow, wow, and wow. There isn't enough room here to begin to enumerate everything I enjoyed, so I'll just tell you to read them. Before Hugo voting time, ideally.

Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords for the DS: Now I see why Galactrix was seen as such a big step down-- this is much more involved. The promised alternate storylines depending on the character you pick and the choices you make turn out not to be so different, but otherwise it's a good game.

Draw One in the Dark by Sarah Hoyt: Somehow left me cold, but I'm not sure why; I guess I just need something more complicated these days.

A Rose-Red City by Dave Duncan: The first book of his I've encountered that I would call a bit uneven, but I'll give him a pass since this was his first novel, and the last couple chapters most definitely leave it on the plus side.

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