Book Reviews
Reviews of things I've read.•Back to Reviews Page
Out of the Inner Circle: A Hacker's Guide to Computer Security • Bill Landreth • 1985 • This book was great at the time. It's useful for seeing the origins of computer hacking (or cracking). Sadly, Bill later struggled with mental illness and homelessness. • Liked It
Pattern Recognition • William Gibson • 2005 • Relatable on so many levels. Probably Gibson's finest from a character standpoint. Beautifully, beautifully written. • Loved It!
REAMDE • Neal Stephenson • Probably not regarded as a Stephenson classic, but honestly I think it's one of his better stories. Fewer sidetracks, more approachable. • Loved It!
Revolution in the Valley • Andy Hertzfeld • 2004 • Andy Hertzfeld brings a collection of stories together into this wonderful look at how the Mac was born, with a unique sense of fun and excitement. • Loved It!
Sleeping Giants • 2016 • Sylvain Neuvel • Mech stories are nothing new, but this is a fun twist on the genre. Would read again. • Loved It!
Snow Crash • Neal Stephenson • 1992 • This has to be one of the classic cyberpunk novels. It's dumb AND cool, silly AND serious. It's also a fascinating look at how language controls thought and vice-versa. • Loved It!
The Circle • 2013 • Dave Eggers I found this book very clumsily written. It could have been a very skillful skewering of the worst of tech. Instead, it made me find it all completely unrealistic and therefore useless as relevant commentary. • Didn't Like It
The Diamond Age or a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer • 1995 • Neal Stephenson • Unique and engaging world-building, wonderful protagonist in Nell, and thought- provoking mix of Chinese and English Victorian cultures as the dominant societies of the future. Very original picture of the future. • Loved It!
The Friendly Orange Glow • 2017 • Brian Dear • It's no secret I love computer history stories, and this really captures the era it covers. A must read. • Loved It!
The Ministry for the Future • Kim Stanley Robinson • I enjoyed this book when I read it, because they captured the climate change disaster headed our way. What they didn't foresee, however, is just how insane governments all over the world would go before we even get that far. Not dystopian enough after all. • Liked It
