Book Reviews

I like to think my taste in books is pretty eclectic, if forced to label myself it would be as a science fiction fan, but I also enjoy mystery novels, fantasy, modern novels, classic literature and even the occasional romance. Every year I say that I'll read more non-fiction and every year I fail, although there's usually a spattering of business and marketing books.

I've read 22 books so far this year, last year I read 45, 31 the year before and there are 310 reviews in total.

Frederik Pohl - The Age of the Pussyfoot

Completed: 2008-12-27
A copy of this book randomly turned up in our house and I felt sorry for it so read it. I found it quite fun and engaging to read, but it didn't have that spark that makes certain science fiction books (or books in general) turn into classics. So now it just seems like a slightly quaint idea with a misplaced history and bunch of frustrating characters. (249)

Also by Frederik Pohl
    - Gateway
    - Jem

The Fuller Memorandum by Charles Stross (2010-07-22)
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (2010-07-18)
Paint Your Dragon by Tom Holt (2010-07-02)
Ghosts of Manhattan by George Mann (2010-06-17)
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery (2010-06-11)
A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell (2010-06-04)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (2010-05-31)
The Transit of Venus: The Brief, Brilliant Life of Jeremiah Horrocks by Peter Aughton (2010-05-23)
The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga (2010-05-14)
Gridlinked by Neal Asher (2010-05-03)
1) Post Captain by Patrick O'Brian (2010-04-23)
Free by Chris Anderson (2010-04-19)
Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks (2010-04-12)
The Dinosaur Hunters by Deborah Cadbury (2010-03-06)
Supernatural: Bone Key by Keith R.A. DeCandido (2010-02-10)
Makers by Cory Doctorow (2010-02-01)
Pragmatic Thinking and Learning: Refactor Your Wetware by Andy Hunt (2010-01-30)
The Magicians by Lev Grossman (2010-01-25)
Taltos 12: Iorich by Steven Brust (2010-01-17)
Supernatural: Witch's Canyon by Jeff Marriote (2010-01-15)
The Observations by Jane Harris (2010-01-12)
Columbine by Dave Cullen (2010-01-04)
Supernatural: Nevermore by Keith R.A. DeCandido (2009-12-31)
Wings by Terry Pratchett (2009-12-30)
Supernatural: The Official Companion: Season 1 and 2 by Nicholas Knight (2009-12-30)
Canal Dreams by Iain Banks (2009-12-17)
The Osiris Ritual by George Mann (2009-12-10)
Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee (2009-12-03)
Discworld 31: Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett (2009-11-12)
White Dragon by Anne McCaffrey (2009-10-31)
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (2009-10-20)
The Behaviour of Moths by Poppy Adams (2009-10-14)
We Can't All Be Astronauts by Tim Clare (2009-10-09)
Hold Tight by Harlan Coben (2009-09-22)
Starbucked: A Double Tall Tale of Caffeine, Commerce and Culture by Taylor Clark (2009-09-03)
Diggers by Terry Pratchett (2009-08-18)
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (2009-08-15)
Halting States by Charles Stross (2009-08-11)
Torchwood: Into the Silence by Sarah Pinborough (2009-08-06)
Torchwood: Pack Animals by Peter Anghelides (2009-08-05)
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith (2009-08-03)
Torchwood: Bay of the Dead by Mark Morris (2009-08-02)
The Host by Stephenie Meyer (2009-07-29)
Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell (2009-07-23)
Mr Toppit by Charles Elton (2009-07-17)
The Once and Future King by T.H. White (2009-07-03)
Lost and Found by Alan Dean Foster (2009-06-20)
Popco by Scarlett Thomas (2009-06-15)
Criminal Minds: Finishing School by Max Allan Collins (2009-06-03)
Twilight 3: Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (2009-05-30)
New Moon by Stephenie Meyer (2009-05-28)
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (2009-05-23)
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (2009-05-16)
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami (2009-05-12)
Dune by Frank Herbert (2009-05-02)
The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry (2009-04-20)
Thursday Next 5: First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde (2009-04-13)
The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon (2009-04-08)
The Periodic Table by Primo Levi (2009-03-14)
Meatball Sundae by Seth Godin (2009-03-07)
When Will There Be Good News by Kate Atkinson (2009-02-22)
The Complete Strategyst by J.D. Williams (2009-02-14)
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke (2009-02-14)
The Abortionist's Daughter by Elisabeth Hyde (2009-01-29)
Anita and Me by Meera Syal (2009-01-25)
The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale (2009-01-16)
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson (2009-01-09)
The End of Mr Y by Scarlett Thomas (2008-12-31)
The Age of the Pussyfoot by Frederik Pohl (2008-12-27)
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen - Vol 1 by Alan Moore (2008-12-27)
The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud (2008-12-25)
Tribes by Seth Godin (2008-12-23)
Nation by Terry Pratchett (2008-11-22)
As You Do by Richard Hammond (2008-11-14)
The Affinity Bridge by George Mann (2008-11-10)
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (2008-10-18)
Runemarks by Joanne Harris (2008-10-10)
Temeraire 5: Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik (2008-08-30)
Taltos 11 - Jhegaala by Steven Brust (2008-08-02)
Criminal Minds: Killer Profile by Max Allan Collins (2008-08-02)
The Android's Dream by John Scalzi (2008-07-26)
Six Thinking Hats by Edward de Bono (2008-07-13)
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (2008-07-06)
Star Maker by Olaf Stapledon (2008-06-20)
The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndeham (2008-06-10)
An Utterly Impartial History of Britain by John O'Farrell (2008-05-24)
The Princess Bride by William Goldman (2008-05-23)
Primeval: Shadow of the Jaguar by Steven Savile (2008-03-30)
Watchmen by Alan Moore (2008-03-30)
A Cure for All Diseases by Reginald Hill (2008-03-27)
Truckers by Terry Pratchett (2008-03-15)
Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard (2008-03-15)
Brilliant Project Management by Stephen Barker and Rob Cole (2008-02-25)
Criminal Minds: Jump Cut by Max Allan Collins (2008-02-24)
Jem by Frederik Pohl (2008-02-08)
How They Started: How 30 Good Ideas Became Great Businesses by David Lester (2008-02-03)
The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov (2008-01-06)
One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson (2007-12-31)
On the Edge by Richard Hammond (2007-12-28)
Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany (2007-12-21)
Long Way Round by Ewan McGregor And Charley Boorman (2007-12-13)
Eastern Standard Tribe by Cory Doctorow (2007-12-08)
Penguins Stopped Play by Harry Thompson (2007-12-05)
Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug (2007-11-19)
Another Fine Myth by Robert Asprin (2007-11-12)
The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney (2007-11-05)
George's Secret Key to the Universe by Lucy Hawking and Stephen Hawking (2007-10-27)
Temeraire 4: Empire of Ivory by Naomi Novik (2007-10-24)
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson (2007-10-14)
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch (2007-10-07)
Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch (2007-10-07)
Discworld 30 - Making Money by Terry Pratchett (2007-10-01)
The Steep Approach to Garbadale by Iain Banks (2007-09-24)
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (2007-09-17)
Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein (2007-09-09)
Tunnels by Roderick Gordon and Brian William (2007-09-04)
The Book of Dave by Will Self (2007-08-28)
Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl (2007-08-15)
The Atrocity Archive by Charles Stross (2007-08-07)
A Series of Unfortunate Events 1: A Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket (2007-08-03)
A Series of Unfortunate Events 2: The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket (2007-08-03)
Chart Throb by Ben Elton (2007-08-02)
Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco (2007-07-31)
Harry Potter 7: The Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (2007-07-22)
Harry Potter 6: The Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (2007-07-20)
The Complete Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby (2007-07-20)
Harry Potter 5: The Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling (2007-07-17)
A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon (2007-07-07)
Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny (2007-07-03)
Coalescent: Homo Superior by Stephen Baxter (2007-06-26)
Life Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee by Meera Syal (2007-06-17)
The Long Tail by Chris Anderson (2007-06-12)
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury (2007-06-04)
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy (2007-05-28)
Glasshouse by Charles Stross (2007-05-21)
Traces by Stephen Baxter (2007-05-16)
L.A. Confidential by James Ellroy (2007-05-09)
Orbitsville by Bob Shaw (2007-04-28)
Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson (2007-04-26)
Temeraire 3: Black Powder War by Naomi Novik (2007-04-13)
The Death of Dalziel by Reginald Hill (2007-04-11)
The Dispossessed by Ursula K Le Guin (2007-04-07)
The Diviners by Rick Moody (2007-03-28)
The Girls by Lori Lansens (2007-03-12)
Temeraire: Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik (2007-03-06)
Temeraire by Naomi Novik (2007-03-02)
The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier (2007-02-22)
The Big Red Fez by Seth Godin (2007-02-22)
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell (2007-02-14)
Stargate Atlantis: Reliquary by Martha Wells (2007-02-11)
The Aldabreshin Compass 4: Eastern Tide by Juliet E. McKenna (2007-02-09)
The Planets by Dava Sobel (2007-01-28)
On Beauty by Zadie Smith (2007-01-24)
Anyone Can Do It by Sahar and Bobby Hashemi (2007-01-11)
Artemis Fowl and the Lost Colony by Eoin Colfer (2007-01-07)
Artemis Fowl and the Opal Deception by Eoin Colfer (2007-01-03)
Artemis Fowl and the Eternity Code by Eoin Colfer (2006-12-26)
Mary Reilly by Valerie Martin (2006-12-22)
Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred and Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder by Evelyn Waugh (2006-12-11)
Artemis Fowl and the Arctic Incident by Eoin Colfer (2006-11-30)
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick (2006-11-28)
On the Road by Jack Kerouac (2006-11-22)
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (2006-11-10)
The Christmas Mystery by Jostein Gaarder (2006-11-08)
Ubik by Philip K. Dick (2006-11-02)
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (2006-10-30)
Talk to the Hand by Lynne Truss (2006-10-15)
Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (2006-10-10)
Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift (2006-10-06)
Neuromancer by William Gibson (2006-09-27)
The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks (2006-09-20)
Animal Farm by George Orwell (2006-09-12)
Emma by Jane Austen (2006-09-10)
Taltos 10 - Dzur by Steven Brust (2006-08-23)
Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov (2006-08-21)
Free Prize Inside: The Next Big Marketing Idea by Seth Godin (2006-08-16)
The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester (2006-08-11)
Eats Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss (2006-08-09)
Downbelow Station by C.J. Cherryh (2006-08-06)
Mendeleyev's Dream: The Quest for the Elements by Paul Strathern (2006-08-03)
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (2006-07-18)
Taltos 9 - Issola by Steven Brust (2006-07-14)
Taltos 8 - Dragon by Steven Brust (2006-07-11)
The Book of Nothing by John D. Barrow (2006-07-09)
Taltos 7 - Orca by Steven Brust (2006-07-05)
Taltos 5 - Phoenix by Steven Brust (2006-07-02)
Taltos 6 - Athyra by Steven Brust (2006-07-02)
Taltos 4 - Taltos by Steven Brust (2006-06-30)
Moondust: In Search of the Men Who Fell to Earth by Andrew Smith (2006-06-28)
Taltos 3 - Teckla by Steven Brust (2006-06-25)
Taltos 2 - Yendi by Steven Brust (2006-06-24)
Taltos 1 - Jhereg by Steven Brust (2006-06-22)
The Big U by Neal Stephenson (2006-06-18)
Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov (2006-06-14)
Gateway by Frederik Pohl (2006-06-05)
Lord of the Flies by William Golding (2006-06-02)
Letter from America by Alistair Cooke (2006-05-24)
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (2006-05-24)
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (2006-05-21)
Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell (2006-05-14)
C: Because Cowards Get Cancer Too... by John Diamond (2006-05-11)
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (2006-05-05)
Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds (2006-05-03)
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (2006-04-21)
Foundation by Isaac Asimov (2006-04-16)
Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris (2006-04-13)
Consider Phlebus by Iain M. Banks (2006-04-06)
Building Strong Brands by David A. Aaker (2006-03-07)
Astonishing X-Men V2: Dangerous TPB by Joss Whedon (2006-03-04)
Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx (2006-02-12)
Working the Wheel by Martin Brundle and Maurice Hamilton (2006-02-10)
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (2006-02-07)
Astonishing X-Men V1: Gifted TPB by Joss Whedon (2006-02-07)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey (2006-02-05)
Things Can Only Get Better by John O'Farrell (2006-01-29)
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (2006-01-25)
Sunstorm by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter (2006-01-22)
Life of Pi by Yann Martel (2006-01-13)
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (2006-01-08)
The Diamond as Big as the Ritz by F. Scott Fitzgerald (2006-01-08)
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow (2006-01-05)
The Road to Mars by Eric Idle (2005-12-31)
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer (2005-12-20)
The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks (2005-11-22)
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (2005-11-15)
The Dragon and the George by Gordon R. Dickson (2005-11-10)
Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder (2005-11-03)
Discworld 29 - Thud! by Terry Pratchett (2005-10-31)
Serenity Novelisation by Keith R.A. DeCandido (2005-10-25)
Sector General by James White (2005-10-24)
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis (2005-10-12)
Aldebreshin Compass 3: Western Shore by Juliet E. McKenna (2005-09-27)
A Clubbable Woman by Reginald Hill (2005-09-18)
Chindi by Jack McDevitt (2005-09-15)
The Periodic Kingdom by P.W. Atkins (2005-09-11)
Wave Without a Shore by C.J. Cherryh (2005-09-08)
The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde (2005-09-03)
Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson (2005-08-29)
The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne (2005-08-28)
No Haven for the Guilty by Simon R. Green (2005-08-07)
Natural History by Justina Robson (2005-08-06)
Mobius Dick by Andrew Crumey (2005-07-22)
Turns and Chances by Juliet E. McKenna (2005-07-17)
Olympos by Dan Simmons (2005-07-16)
Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson (2005-07-16)
Pompeii by Robert Harris (2005-06-20)
Chocolat by Joanne Harris (2005-06-15)
A Time Odyssey 1: Time's Eye by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter (2005-06-12)
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell (2005-05-28)
City by Clifford D Simak (2005-05-14)
Prelude to Space by Arthur C. Clarke (2005-05-10)
Star Trek Enterprise - Surak's Soul by J.M. Dillard (2005-05-06)
The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle (2005-05-04)
I'm a Teacher, Get Me Out of Here by Francis Gilbert (2005-04-25)
Children of God by Mary Doria Russell (2005-04-20)
Tears of the Salamander by Peter Dickinson (2005-04-14)
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell (2005-04-13)
Nor Crystal Tears by Alan Dean Foster (2005-04-08)
CSI: Binding Ties by Max Allan Collins (2005-04-03)
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke (2005-03-30)
Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin (2005-03-23)
Genesys 2 - Salamander's Fire by Brian Stableford (2005-03-17)
Genesys 1 - Serpent's Blood by Brian Stableford (2005-03-02)
The Child that Books Built by Francis Spufford (2005-02-26)
The First Arabesk 3 - Falaheen by John Courtenay Grimwood (2005-02-13)
The First Arabesk 2 - Effendi by John Courtenay Grimwood (2005-02-11)
The First Arabesk 1 - Pashazade by John Courtenay Grimwood (2005-02-09)
The Map that Changed the World by Simon Winchester (2005-02-06)
Star Trek - The Sundered by Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels (2005-01-29)
The West Wing Script Book: Season 3 & 4 by Aaron Sorkin (2005-01-05)
The Official Companion: The West Wing by Paul Ruditis and Ian Jackman (2004-12-27)
CSI: Grave Matters by Max Allan Collins (2004-12-26)
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson (2004-12-23)
The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith (2004-12-16)
Notes From a Big Country by Bill Bryson (2004-12-12)
Mission of Gravity by Hal Clements (2004-11-18)
The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov (2004-11-03)
More Than Human by Theodore Sturgeon (2004-10-27)
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (2004-10-24)
Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke (2004-10-21)
Discworld 28 - Going Postal by Terry Pratchett (2004-10-18)
Aldabreshin Compass 2 - Northern Storm by Juliet E. McKenna (2004-10-08)
CSI Miami: Heat Wave by Max Allan Collins (2004-10-04)
CSI Miami: Florida Getaway by Max Allan Collins (2004-09-27)
Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded by Simon Winchester (2004-09-27)
Thursday Next 4 - Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde (2004-08-10)
The Crow Road by Iain Banks (2004-07-29)
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon (2004-05-31)
The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break by Steven Sherrill (2004-05-24)
The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown (2004-05-07)
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden (2004-05-02)
Ilium by Dan Simmons (2004-05-01)
Viscount of Adrilankha 1 - The Paths of the Dead by Steven Brust (2004-04-24)
The Portable Door by Tom Holt (2004-03-20)
Good Morning, Midnight by Reginald Hill (2004-02-25)
Excession by Iain M. Banks (2004-02-20)
Contact by Carl Sagan (2004-01-31)
The Business by Iain Banks (2004-01-07)
Thursday Next 2 - Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde (2003-06-10)
Thursday Next 1 - The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde (2003-05-05)
The Transatlantic Tunnel by Harry Harrison (2003-04-19)
To Reign in Hell by Steven Brust (2003-03-05)
Star Trek Enterprise - What Price Honor? by Dave Stern (2003-01-29)
My Life on the Formula 1 Rollercoster by Jenson Button (2003-01-26)
Discworld 26 - Night Watch by Terry Pratchett (2003-01-16)
Lord of the Rings 3: Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien (2003-01-10)
Unless I'm Very Much Mistaken by Murray Walker (2003-01-08)
The Lord of the Rings: The Making of the Movie Trilogy by Brian Sibley (2003-01-04)
Lord of the Rings 2: The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien (2002-12-29)
Lord of the Rings 1: Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien (2002-12-06)
 

My Twitter Updates

Valid XHTML and CSS.