About Me
Hello World. My name is Adam and I like cats, books and coding.
Back in 2019 I decided to get back into reading, and this is a collection of the books I have read since then.
I will be adding small recaps and reviews periodically. Enjoy!
Also check out this timeline/graph I made of my reading adventure
The Sparrow
Mary Doria Russell
When singing is heard from another planet, the Jesuit church quickly assembles a space mission. A suprisingly incompetent rag-tag crew is sent to the distant singing planet, but only the priest Emilio Sandoz return. His hands mutilated and his psyche shattered. While slowly healing, Emilio reveals the story of a successful first-contact adventure taking a tragic turn. A slow yet interesting first-contact story, with emphasis on culture clashes and misunderstandings.
516 pages
goodreads link
Spin
Robert Charles Wilson
The stars suddenly disappear. Through a series of experiments, humanity discovers that Earth has been enveloped in a mysterious barrier, outside of which time moves 100 million times faster than inside. We follow the ensuing societal collapse and global existential crisis, through the eyes of an interesting and well-written cast of characters. Reads like a good Stephen King novel, with some unexpected turns.
464 pages
goodreads link
The Gods Themselves
Isaac Asimov
Three interlinked stories, in three very different worlds. One of a scientist discovering the potential disastrous consequences of earths energy source, one of life on a moon colony and one of an extremely alien society in a parallel universe. Classic, well-written Sci-Fi with little plot but a lot of fascinating ideas.
288 pages
goodreads link
Hyperion
Dan Simmons
Seven pilgrims are on their way to the mysterious outback planet Hyperion, home of the spiky metal monster known as “The Shrike”. Their mission is crucial to the survival of humanity, and they undertake it knowing fully well that only one of them will survive. The story is told as a series of flashbacks of each of the pilgrims, telling their story of how they ended up on this fatal journey. Each flashback is a masterfully written genre story, and feels like a tour-de-force by Dan Simmons, perfecting classic themes and archetypes. Full of interesting characters, worlds and ideas all wrapped in beautiful prose and dialogue. A great Science-Fantasy story, and a definite must-read.
482 pages
goodreads link
The Fall of Hyperion
Dan Simmons
This time told through the dreams of a cybrid, we experience the end to the epic journey of the seven pilgrims on Hyperion. The pilgrims finally arrive at the Time Tombs to decide the future of humanity, while the galactic government watches from afar. Dan Simmons continues his tour-de-force of imagination, this time expanding to the world beyond the pilgrims, with a detailed look into a society that has mastered - and become fatally dependent on - wormhole technology, AI and bureaucracy. A high-stakes plot is told through both old and new characters, and is tied together in a satisfying conclusion.
A perfect conclusion to the Hyperion duology. A must-read for anyone who enjoyed Hyperion, and can’t live with an open ending.
517 pages
goodreads link
Sundiver
David Brin
What a weird book this was. A crew consisting of a variety of interesting aliens and personalities, is going on a mission to the least interesting location in space: The Sun. The mission is to study a boring donut-alien that apparently lives in the sun. All the while a half-assed spy-thriller is taking place on the spaceship. The best part of this book is the intergalactic society Brin has invented, and the relationship between its different races. It seems like all the most interesting ideas are left untold in the background of this story, while spending too much time on a nonsense main plot.
(The rating of this book might also suffer from being read between two of the best books I have ever read)
goodreads link
Neuromancer
William Gibson
I knew Sci-Fi could be a lot of things, but not before reading this book did I know that it could be fucking cool.
Gibson clearly set out to paint a neon-lit and gritty image of a computerised future and he succeeded, creating this masterpiece.
Reading like poetic punk rock, we follow the story of the hacker, Case, who got on the bad side of some bad guys, who retaliated by severing his connection to Cyberspace. A vital skill for a hustling hacker. A dangerous opportunity to repair his abilities arises, and Case is thrown into a deadly adventure full of AI’s, giant corporations, cybernetics, drugs and even Rastafarians.
Inventive and poetic, a must-read for any lover of cyberpunk or gritty aesthetics.
goodreads link
Doomsday Book
Connie Willis
What better way to research medieval history, than to travel back in time to 1348 and experience it for yourself? The young historian Kivrin is sent back in time, accidentally Realistic and clearly well researched, but ultimately a bit boring.
goodreads link
