Joy Beeson
2023-11-11 03:20:56 UTC
I have peeked at the endings of "Quake Zone" and "Camouflage", and
that makes two auditions in a row.
Wednesday 8 November 2023
When *will* I learn to date quickly-jotted notes to be developed
later?
I've renewed the book twice, and I'm still not halfway through.
"Guardian Angel", Mike Resnick
A fine example of noir. Most of my recent trips to medical facilities
have precluded reading in the waiting room, so it's been a while since
I read it, but most of the plot and characters came back to me when I
glanced at a couple of pages.
"In the Quake Zone", David Gerrold
Part of the denoument is a discussion of the difficulty
pre-Singularity people would have in understanding a post-Singularity
world. It's the other way around: a lot of pre-Singularity people
regard a lot of the features of the Post world as bugs, but they get
along fine. People born after the Singularity can't grasp life before
at all.
On a re-enactor's mailing list, there was a prolonged discussion of
the "bedgown"; not indecent, but not worn into town. After reading a
few dozen posts, the dime dropped: the bedgown was equivalent to blue
jeans!
And in the same instant, I realized that I'd never be able to explain
the status of blue jeans to people born after they became a fashion
statement.
"The City of Cries", Catherine Asaro
I'm saving this one for last because comparing the novella to the
novel was my main reason for checking the book out.
"Camouflage", Robert Reed
Primary appeal is the gradual revelation of how the world works. I do
hope that we find out what the captain did before the story ends. I
suspect that we need a *lot* of background before we can understand
why it was so awful.
that makes two auditions in a row.
Wednesday 8 November 2023
When *will* I learn to date quickly-jotted notes to be developed
later?
I've renewed the book twice, and I'm still not halfway through.
"Guardian Angel", Mike Resnick
A fine example of noir. Most of my recent trips to medical facilities
have precluded reading in the waiting room, so it's been a while since
I read it, but most of the plot and characters came back to me when I
glanced at a couple of pages.
"In the Quake Zone", David Gerrold
Part of the denoument is a discussion of the difficulty
pre-Singularity people would have in understanding a post-Singularity
world. It's the other way around: a lot of pre-Singularity people
regard a lot of the features of the Post world as bugs, but they get
along fine. People born after the Singularity can't grasp life before
at all.
On a re-enactor's mailing list, there was a prolonged discussion of
the "bedgown"; not indecent, but not worn into town. After reading a
few dozen posts, the dime dropped: the bedgown was equivalent to blue
jeans!
And in the same instant, I realized that I'd never be able to explain
the status of blue jeans to people born after they became a fashion
statement.
"The City of Cries", Catherine Asaro
I'm saving this one for last because comparing the novella to the
novel was my main reason for checking the book out.
"Camouflage", Robert Reed
Primary appeal is the gradual revelation of how the world works. I do
hope that we find out what the captain did before the story ends. I
suspect that we need a *lot* of background before we can understand
why it was so awful.
--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at centurylink dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at centurylink dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/