In his own words
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Cyberpunk
Review: Excellent anthology from the best Cyberpunk notables from the last 40 years. 40 years, seriously it’s been that long since the genre was introduced in Omni magazine. Some old favorites here, and ones that are often hard to find like Mozart in Mirrorshades by Bruce Sterling. As I was reading it I observed to…
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The Prague Cemetery
Review: This was. This was. Give me a moment. This was, something, there, that sums it up. In other words, this was typical Umberto Eco material: erudite, researched, intellectually challenging and confusing as IKEA instructions in the original Swedish. So what’s it about? Sort of a historical novel about anti-semitism in 19th century Europe, plus…
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History Year by Year
Review: This was excellent. A long tour through the whole of human history, from Australopithecus to the smart phone. Fully illustrated throughout with photos and diagrams on every beautiful page. The timeline runs through the entire volume but every few pages there is a deep dive on a particular area of interest, like life in…
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How to Spot a Fascist
Review: This was less of a book, more of a booklet. It contained three essays or speeches from Umberto Eco regarding the elusive fascism. Elusive as in we hear it used every day, but it’s difficult for most of us to define. In the first essay he outlines 14 points of commonality with all fascist…
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Underworld
Review: I didn’t read this book as much as I experienced this book. What an absolutely brilliant novel. From the first sentence to the last word this was stunning, emotional, captivating. I originally heard of this book when reading an old newspaper piece by Salman Rushdie when he was reviewing some of his favorite reads…
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Philosophy for Beginners
Review: Everything I ever learned I learned in elementary school right? Spot on. This is a book geared towards younger readers that taught me more in two days than I have gleaned from 51 years of reading adult tomes on this weighty subject. The idea to read this came from a cartoon that a friend…
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Rewired: The Post-Cyberpunk Anthology
Review: Superb. An extraordinary collection of SF stories. At first, I didn’t see how they were post CP and not just straight CP. But after awhile, I saw how they differed, some by a lot, others just a subtle distinction. Gibson and Sterling’s stories were two of their finest, and that’s saying something. The final…
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The Making of a Poem
Review: This was great and I learned a lot. Like, a lot. Villanelle, sestina, sonnet, elegy. Words I have heard but would have been hard pressed to define. Now I can! Informative without being condescending. I really like that. ESVM made it in, naturally. Three cheers for Edna! This book made me want to: write…
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The House Gun
Review: This was awful. I made it 107 pages and I feel that some sort of prize should be awarded in recognition of my tenacity and determination. It doesn’t have to be a Nobel Prize. I’d be happy with, say, a Rolo. This book made me want to: Re-evaluate my priorities, namely why I would…
