Neil Fein's Blog

I'm guest-hosting an open mic:

VALENTINES DAY AT P.J.'s
Date: Wednesday, February 14th

6:30 p.m. - sign up
7:00 - 9 p.m. - open mic

Place: PJs Cafe, 315 Raritan Avenue, Highland Park

PJs is currently my favorite cafe in Highland Park. And the owner is a musician himself, they have a lot of good music.

This is put on by the Highland Park Musicians Cooperative, the same group that held the one I went to in December.

So come and listen! Cheer us on, or throw rotten fruit, as suits you.

Technorati tags: music

Labels: music, notbike

Glasshouse, by Charles Stross

Where Accelerando was a study in Singularity futurist theory, Glasshouse, while taking place in the same society, concentrates more on getting you into the head of the protagonist, Robin, a veteran of the Censorship Wars. The reader gets to know Robin far more intimately than we did Manfred Maxc, even though Robin's memory has been severely redacted for much of for much of Glasshouse.

The themes of the universe as information and intellectual property are as strong as in the rest of Mr. Stross's work, but he works them into this novel with more subtlety. Although this isn't as gripping a story as The Atrocity Archives or Iron Sunrise, it's a worthwhile, enjoyable read and lives up to the author's deserved reputation.

books

Labels: books, notbike

Quickie reviews of books by Spider Robinson (read from July through August 2006)

Short stories about Callahan's Place, a bar somewhere in Suffolk County, Long Island. In some ways, the series is another series of (mostly) science-fiction stories that take place (for the most part) in a bar.

The lead character, Jake, is at once a flimsily disguised pastiche of the author and a perfect viewpoint character.

The series (and indeed most of Mr. Robinson's writing) is summed up by the trademark phrase "Shared pain islessened, shared joy is increased". Much of the suthor's style is reminiscent of Robert Heinlein's work. The series ranges from good to excellent, and the earlier books in particular are amongst the best.

* * *

Callahan's Crosstime Saloon

Excellent introduction to the Callahan series. Introduces all the characters, and has the excellent "Two Heads are Better than One" and "The Guy with the eyes" (the first Callahan's story, and Spider Robinson's first sale of any kind).

Time Travellers Strictly Cash

Includes some of the best stories heavy in SF elements, in particular "Mirror Mirror" and "Fivesight". Unique among the series, this book has a fw non-Callahan stories. "God is an Iron" is my favorite among these, and one of my all-time favorite of his stories.

Callahan's Secret

The last of the books in Callahan's Place, we finally learn who Callahan actually is. Important to the overall arc, but not the best in the series.

Callahan's Legacy

The first of the books in Mary's Place, Jake's bar.

Callahan's Lady

The first of two books about Mary's Place, a bordello of sorts in Brooklyn with much of the same tone as Callahan's place.

Lady Slings the Booze

Sequel to Callahan's Lady and in some ways the better of the two books, although the villian, Tony Donuts, is a dissappointing Big Stupid Gangster cliche of a character.

The Callahan Touch

Jake comes into his own. This is the first of the Callahan books that's a proper novel.

Antimony

Not part of Callahan's or Mary's place, this book of short stories is excellent, nearly as good as the later collection By Any Other Name.

Technorati tags: books

Labels: books, notbike