Andy Weir’s Artemis gets 3.5 stars for its world-building; depiction of an engaging, resourceful protagonist; and fast-paced plot. At the risk of making a wild stretch, Jazz from Artemis reminds me of another heroine, Isabel Archer from James’s The Portrait of a Lady. These novels are literally light-years apart in style and intent, but both … Continue reading Book Review – Artemis →

Shawn Levy’s Dolce Vita Confidential gets 4 stars for its breezy, easy tone in describing an exuberant period in modern Italian cultural history. In one sense, the topic is feather light. However, Rome during the 50’s, with its notions of cheerful sensuality, still exerts considerable influence on today’s cinema, fashion, and how we view privacy, … Continue reading Book Review – Dolce Vita Confidential →

Max Barry’s Lexicon gets 3.5 stars for its ideas and suspense. In this work of speculative fiction with dystopian overtones, Barry demonstrates literary flair with descriptions and - usually - a strong command of pacing. Though the stories are quite different in content and structurally, Barry seems to be aspiring to something like Umberto Eco’s … Continue reading Book Review – Lexicon →

The City and the Stars gets 4 stars for its ideas and for that alone. Arthur Clarke’s novel tackles some of the biggest motifs imaginable; in this story, the author uses speculative fiction as his tool to probe cosmic themes including individuality vs social conformity, stasis vs progress, fear vs curiosity, and that’s just some … Continue reading Book Review – The City and the Stars →