05.25.13
Posted in Reviews at 7:45 PM by Maurice X. Alvarez
One of the benefits of my new commute is that I get to read a lot again. I always missed that when i started driving to work 12 years ago.
On the current reading list is the sci-fi “Quadrail” series by Timothy Zahn. It was recommended by a friend, and being familiar with Zahn, I figured I’d give it a shot. He paces his stories very well and has interesting characters in complex plots. However, sometimes he has the characters make some intuitive leaps that leave you scratching your head. And the explanations for these leaps don’t always make sense. Still, it almost hearkens back to Dashiel Hammet and Raymond Chandler who often had their characters do the same. Despite that, the stories were fun to read. The same is true of Zahn.
I’m still on the 4th book of 5, so we’ll see how the last one goes.
Permalink
03.12.12
Posted in Reviews at 3:28 PM by Maurice X. Alvarez
I first saw the 1973 Norman Jewison production of Jesus Christ Superstar in my sophomore year of high school.
Permalink
09.30.11
Posted in Reviews at 3:22 PM by Maurice X. Alvarez
Reading this book was a very unique experience.
Permalink
08.01.11
Posted in Reviews at 9:17 PM by Maurice X. Alvarez
I was sold on this book when I read the synopsis.
Permalink
07.18.11
Posted in Uncategorized at 12:39 PM by Maurice X. Alvarez
Since this is a relatively new concept, I will begin by explaining that “Fork & Screen” refers to the latest trend in the movie theater/cinema experience.
Permalink
07.11.11
Posted in Reviews at 5:40 PM by Maurice X. Alvarez
This was a very enjoyable tale that had me hooked from the start.
The characters are written very well, each with very unique personalities and agendas that play into the twists and turns of the plot.
While the idea of creating a new subspecies of humans as a means of saving us might seem a stretch, K.C. does a fine job of making it seem like a natural course of action.
Permalink
06.15.11
Posted in Reviews at 7:28 AM by Maurice X. Alvarez
I am not new to David H. Burton
Permalink
05.24.11
Posted in Reviews at 9:20 AM by Maurice X. Alvarez
Containment is not for all sci-fi fans.
Permalink
04.13.11
Posted in Reviews at 10:09 PM by Maurice X. Alvarez
This was my exposure to B.V. Larson’s writing, and I was riveted from the start. I read Swarm in two sessions; I just did not want to put it down until I found out how it ended.
The plot is simple, much like the E.E. Smith “Lensman” novels: forces try to one-up each other in a series of combat scenarios, either by tech or tactics while an alien device assists our side. But the first person POV of main protagonist Kyle Riggs works marvelously to get the story to that point, as the reader is dropped in right beside Riggs as he struggles to figure out what is going on. Sights, sounds, feelings and smells create detailed settings throughout.
Characterizations are very rich; I connected with Kyle and Sandra immediately, and even Crow. However, Riggs’s command successes sometimes seem uncharacteristic or perhaps unlikely for his background.
There weren’t a glaring number of typos or grammatical errors, but just enough that they can’t escape mention. I don’t feel that this detracts from the reading experience much.
Based on my enjoyment of Swarm, I will try one of Larson’s other books.
This review was also posted on Amazon.com.
Permalink
03.22.11
Posted in Reviews at 10:41 AM by Maurice X. Alvarez
I’ll start by saying that I have never been a fan of modern horror in any form of media, be it book, film or other.
Permalink
« Previous entries Next Page » Next Page »
