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.

Charles Stross - Halting States

Completed: 2009-08-11
I didn't get on with this book. There were a couple of good concepts rumbling about, but I wasn't very impressed with the actual story telling. There were way too many ideas crammed in and explained in a rushed and clumsy method, with lots of acronyms and buzzwords thrown out in a rush. I rapidly lost the plot and got bored because I couldn't keep track of what was going on. I also thought the characters were pretty uninteresting and there were too many points of view and overlapping timelines to keep track of. (284)

Also by Charles Stross
    - Glasshouse
    - The Atrocity Archive
    - The Fuller Memorandum

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)
 

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