--------------------------------------------------
                      BOOKS                       
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A list of books I've read, starting December
2023. The dates in square brackets are the dates I
finished reading them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Net Delusion. 2011. Evgeny Morozov.

A much-needed corrective to the uncritical "More
Internet equals More Democracy" narratives then in
vogue, it is a bit depressing to realize how much
Morozov got right, and how much worse things have
become since then.  [2025-09-30]


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Murderbot Diaries Vol. 3. 2025. Martha Wells.

Contains the fifth and seventh of Well's MurderBot
novellas ... and really, they should have made it
a bit more obvious that the sixth is a separate
book. I was well into seventh, wondering where all
these new characters had come from, before I
realized what was going on.  Still enjoyable
though.  [2025-09-16]


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chasing Shadows. 2025. Ronald J. Deibert.

Not feeling paranoid enough yet?  May I recommend
this excellent chronicle of how the UofT's Citizen
Lab has brought to light several massive online
surveillance networks operating at the behest of
repressive regimes around the world. You'll never
look at your phone the same way again.
[2025-09-12]


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Naked Sun. Isaac Asimov. 1957

Sequel to the author's "The Caves of Steel", and
like its predecessor an sf murder mystery novel
involving positronic robots and interstellar
politics.  Detective from a society that shuns the
natural world investigates a murder on a world
whose populace shuns direct physical contact with
other human beings.  Entertaining if you like
old-school Campbellian sf.  [2025-08-21]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Murderbot Diaries Vol. 2. 2025. Martha Wells.

Contains the third and fourth novellas in Wells'
Murderbot series. Enjoyable, nothing much to say
that I didn't already say about Vol. 1.
[2025-08-19]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Computer Power and Human Reason. Joseph
Weizenbaum. 1976

A humane and humanistic take on the limits of AI,
written by the computer scientist best known for
ELIZA.  Weizenbaum argues that no matter how
intelligent AI eventually gets, there are tasks it
should never be allowed to perform because it will
inevitably lack human qualities like compassion
and empathy, that are rooted in the embodied,
pre-linguistic aspects of human consciousness.
Holds up surprisingly well.  Enjoyable too for its
skeptical references to grandiose claims by the
"artificial intelligentsia" that what we now call
General AI is right around the corner, claims that
date back as far as 1958.  [2025-07-17]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Heir to the Empire. Timothy Zahn. 1991

The third Star Wars novel I've ever read,
following the original "Star Wars" and Alan Dean
Foster's "Splinter of the Mind's Eye." I read the
first two in the late 70s, so there's been a bit
of a gap.  I will confess to having been somewhat
intrigued by the idea of a credible sequel to the
first three Star Wars movies when "Heir" was first
published.  But I couldn't possibly have read it
then as I was deep into my "classics of world
literature" phase, also known as my "literary
snob" phase.  However, as should be evident from
this very document, I am well past that phase now.
Entertaining, reasonably well-plotted, and fun,
captures the spirit of the original rather well.
Gives me something to chat about with my son when
we do the dishes.  [2025-07-05]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All Tomorrow's Parties. William Gibson. 1999

The third novel in Gibson's Bridge Trilogy, deftly
weaving together storylines and characters from
the two previous books for an action-packed and
satisfying conclusion.  A tech billionaire tries
to direct the course of a Singularity, only to
find the Singularity has other ideas.  I read it
back when it first came out in paperback, but I
didn't remember it being this good.  [2025-06-29]


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Masters of Deception: The Gang that Ruled
Cyberspace. Michelle Slatalla and Joshua
Quittner. 1995

Enjoyable addition to my small collection of books
on hackers and hacking (of the network intrusion
variety) in the pre-web era, when it was mostly
teenage rebels out for a digital joyride.  Not
sure I'm going to grow the collection much more
though as these books tend to cover the same
ground.  Recommended if you haven't read a lot of
this stuff (eg. Sterling's "Hacker Crackdown")
already.  [2025-06-14]


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
REAMDE. Neal Stephenson. 2011

My favourite book by Stephenson is the first I
ever read.  That being his 1999 opus,
Cryptonomicon, which I encountered back in the
early oughts.  Having enjoyed it quite a bit, I
went back read most of his earlier works, and for
a time I was a bit of a fan.  That lasted until
2003 when I read Quicksilver, which I found to be
overly wordy, self-indulgent and dull.  REAMDE is
the first thing of his I've read since.  My
verdict?  A really mixed bag.  The first half has
a lot of what I liked about Cryptonomicon -
inventive, action-packed, and the inevitable
Stephenson Digressions, while perhaps not always
convincing, were never less than interesting.  The
second half, in contrast, was rather predictable,
like a chess game where the outcome is foregone
after the pieces have been arranged upon the
board.  I was also acutely aware of a rather,
shall we say, technolibertarian drift in
Stephenson's politics.  Which may just mean that I
am somewhat more attuned to such things these days
than I was 25 years ago, but recurring thoughts
such as "yeah, I can see why the Silcon Valley
Tech Bro set are so enamoured of Stephenson" did
somewhat detract from my reading enjoyment.
Doubtful I will be reading much more new-to-me
Stephenson after this, but I will probably still
re-read "In the Beginning was the Command Line"
occasionally.  [2025-06-06]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pattern Recognition. 2003. William Gibson.

A recognizably "Gibson" novel, his first set in
the then-present. Now over 20 years in the past,
but with surprising relevance to our current
geo-political situation, linking as is does an
American billionaire, the Net, and the Russian
mafia.  Often considered to mark the beginning of
Gibson's mature period as a novelist, it is a
remarkably accomplished and enjoyable book.
Possibly tied with Spook Country as my
third-favourite Gibson novel (after Count Zero and
Neuromancer). [2025-05-03]


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Murderbot Diaries Vol. 1. 2025. Martha Wells.

Contains the first two novellas in Wells'
Murderbot series, "All Systems Red" (2017) and
"Artificial Condition" (2018).  Entertaining, easy
read, funny in spots.  Lurking just below the
surface is a thoughtful engagement with the
sometimes conflicted relationships between
individuation and the need to connect with a
larger community. Liking the story so far,
definitely want to see where it goes.
[2025-04-19]


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Final Curtain. 1947. Ngaio Marsh.

A decent enough cozy murder mystery, if you like
that kind of thing.  Painter Agatha Troy is
invited to an English country house to paint a
portrait of an aging actor. While there she
witnesses strange doings and strained family
dynamics culminating in the death of her
subject. In the second half of the novel her
husband, the famous Chief Inspector Roderick
Alleyn, figures out what happened and identifies
the culprit. Nothing too original in either the
concept or execution. Read this if you've run out
of Agatha Christie novels, and don't mind the
occasional thoughtlessly racist turn of
phrase. [2025-04-14]


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Maigret's Revolver. 1956. Georges Simenon.

A young man steals Maigret's souvenir revolver, a
dead politician is found in a trunk belonging to
his father, a suspect leaves Paris for London with
Maigret in pursuit.  Another entertaining mystery
from the ever-reliable Simenon. [2025-04-09]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Mask of Dimitrios. 1939. Eric Ambler.

My foray into Maigret has led to the realization
that although the academic library where I work
has relatively little in the way of contemporary
popular fiction, we have a goodly selection from
decades past.  One of Ambler's best known works,
an entertaining thriller about a mystery writer
whose amateur investigations lead unexpectedly
into peril.  Written in the late 1930s, some of the
author's geopolitical observances resonate
disturbingly with events in our own time.
[2025-04-06]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Maigret and the Millionaires. 1958. Georges Simenon.

Detective Maigret investigates the murder of a
wealthy playboy/business tycoon, who drowned in
his bathtub under mysterious circumstances.
Interesting mainly for the Maigret's reflections
on social classes as he attempts to navigate a
highly privileged milieu with which he is
unfamiliar.  The mystery itself is not his best,
mostly depending on a plethora of red herrings to
keep the solution from being altogether too
obvious. [2025-03-30]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Man Who Watched The Trains Go By.  1938.
Georges Simenon.

Not one of the author's Maigret novels, rather
this tells the story of a repellent bourgeois
Dutchman who, upon learning that the shipping
company he works for is about to go bankrupt,
leaves behind his 'respectable' family life to
become the sociopath that deep down he has always
wanted to be.  Not the kind of novel I would
usually read (I generally prefer main characters
with at least _some_ redeeming qualities) but
Simenon writes so well I literally couldn't put it
down.  [2025-03-15]


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Engineer of Human Souls. (1977, translated
1984). Josef Skvorecky.

Having come of age in Czechoslovakia during the
Nazi occcupation during WWII, and having lived the
first half of his adult life under Communist rule
before emigrating to Canada in 1968, Skvorecky
might be expected to have some interesting things
to say about the experience of living in
authoritarian regimes.  And indeed he does, here
in the form of a semi-autobiographical novel that
is meandering and plotless, but in a good way,
filled with character studies ranging from
humourous to tragic.  Writing from the perspective
of an emigre Czech professor teaching at an
Ontario college, his gratitude for living "where
the fear which has pervaded one's life suddenly
vanishes" is palpable.  Not the easiest read, but
hugely worthwhile. [2025-03-02]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Virtual Light. 1993. William Gibson

Re-reading the Bridge trilogy slightly out of
order, not that it much matters.  Gibson's
portrayal of a darwinian future, social fabric
frayed beyond repair, California ravaged by
natural disaster, seems rather on point although
it took us a bit longer to get there than the 13
years between when this novel was published and
when it was set.  Despite everything the Bridge
community itself provides a small glimmer of hope,
that good people can come together and support
each other in difficult times. Oh yeah, and it's
an entertaining novel that ties its disparate
story lines together pretty well. [2025-02-13]


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
IDORU. 1996. William Gibson

The second volume of Gibson's Bridge Trilogy.
Enjoyable, but not quite amazing enough to rank
with Gibson's best.  Re-reading it now, I'm struck
by the parallels between Laney's "nodal points",
and the social media graphs mined by advertisers,
which of course didn't exist when the novel was
written.  Just as Laney can 'sense' Alison Shires'
suicide before it happens from incidental metadata
about her, so on a much more mundane level do the
engines of commerce try to divine our intentions
in advance in order to market their wares more
effectively.  [2025-02-02]


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Maigret in Exile. 1940. Georges Simenon

Temporarily in disgrace for reasons never
explained, Maigret has been exiled to the Normandy
coast where there is little to do besides playing
billiards in the local pub.  But when an old woman
brings him news of a mysterious corpse in the next
village over, he's back on his game. Three novels
in I can happily confirm they have so far been
consistently entertaining.  But I guess that's not
too surprising, given how successful the series
was back in the day.  [2025-01-30]


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Maigret Mystified. 1932. Georges Simenon

I liked my first Maigret well enough to pick up
another one. (Fortunately, the library where I
work has several in the collection). This one
begins with a murder and theft that don't quite
seem to add up.  I like how the reader is left to
infer Maigret's character from exterior
description and fairly terse dialogue, very
different from the constant internal monologuing
of a character like Philip Marlowe.  [2025-01-25]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Maigret's Holiday. 1948. Georges Simenon

I've been vaguely aware of Simenon's mystery
novels for years, but never thought to read one
before now.  Initial impressions: well constructed
mystery, no authorial cheating or surprises, just
stolid detective Maigret plodding resolutely
toward a solution.  This one involves the death of
a young woman in a convent hospital under somewhat
suspicious circumstances. [2025-01-22]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Farewell My Lovely. 1940. Raymond Chandler

Hoo boy. Does this one ever contain "outdated
cultural depictions," as the Disney euphemism puts
it. Not sure how much of it was Chandler's own
perspective, and how much was him describing how
casual racism was ingrained in the way people
talked and thought back then.  Still a good read,
if you can get past that aspect of it.
[2025-01-18]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Endymion. 1996. Dan Simmons

I read the two preceding books in the series,
Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion, a while ago and
quite enjoyed them.  Hyperion I would rank as a
work of literature, while its sequel is an
excellent sf novel, but not quite in the same
league.  This was probably inevitable; the power
of Hyperion derives in part from its unexplained
mysteries, which inevitably get explained as the
series develops.  Endymion is also quite good;
again a step down from its predecessors but still
better than most of the books I read.  Definitely
plan to pick up its sequel in the near future.
[2025-01-04]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No Good From A Corpse. 1944. Leigh Brackett

Back in my early teens I was a big fan of Leigh
Brackett's pulpy planetary adventures, "The Sword
of Rhiannon" being a particular favourite.
Somewhere along the line I learned she had also
written hard-boiled mysteries in the vein of
Raymond Chandler, a genre for which I also have a
certain fondness, but I'd never got around to
reading one until now.  "No Good ... " isn't bad,
but it's a lot like Chandler's "Big Sleep," with a
less likeable protagonist, more violence, and less
witty dialogue.  [2025-01-02]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Berlin Now. 2014. Peter Schneider

I've never been to Berlin. It's unlikely I will
ever go to Berlin.  So why did I read a book about
Berlin, particularly one about Berlin as it was 10
years ago?  I think, because the scenario is
fascinating, like science fiction in real life.
Imagine an old Ace Double with the premise, "as an
experiment, mysterious aliens isolate two halves
of a city for a generation, subject their
respective populations to radically different
political and economic systems, and then join them
back together again and see what happens."  This
book is about what happened, in a series of well
written essays covering topics as diverse as
architecture and urban development, nightlife,
love and sex, minorities, international relations,
and more. [2024-12-18]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Arboreality. 2022. Rebecca Campbell

A series of interlinked short stories about
individuals and communities in Canada's Pacific
Southwest, living through decades of environmental
collapse in the 21st century.  I think this is
what the kids are calling "solarpunk"; it draws a
picture of resourceful, damaged people joining
together in the face of catastrophe, daring to
build for the future even as the world falls apart
around them. The tone is elegiac, the stories are
suffused with sadness and loss. I loved this
book. [2024-12-01]


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Real Tigers. 2016. Mick Herron

The third novel in the "Slow Horses" series. Much
like Dead Lions it diverged from the TV show
several times throughout the narrative (or I guess
I should say, the TV show diverged from it), but
in ways that reminded me a bit of how choosing
divergent narrative arcs in video games will often
at some point land you in the same place
regardless of which you chose.  For example,
Spider Webb plays a very different role in each,
but things turn out the same for him regardless.
Probably my favourite of the novels so far, and my
favourite season of the TV series as well.
[2024-11-21]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Synners. 1991. Pat Cadigan

Over the years I've read me a fair bit of
cyberpunk, but somehow managed to miss this one
before now.  I rank this right up there with
Stephenson's "Snow Crash" in the category of
"excellent cyberpunk novels not written by William
Gibson."  A band of hackers and an AI take on a
rogue virus that threatens the end of
civilization.  Recommended. [2024-11-16]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dead Lions. 2013. Mick Herron

Pretty good. My comments on Slow Horses also
mostly apply here, with one exception: the TV show
didn't follow the book nearly as closely.
Surprisingly, although the book was quite
enjoyable, I think I liked the TV version a bit
better. [2024-10-19]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Slow Horses. 2010. Mick Herron

Probably my favourite show on TV right now, though
I'd have to say I found the recent 4th season a
bit weaker than previous outings (probably because
Gary Oldman's Jackson Lamb character took more of
a back seat, this time around).  Hadn't been quick
to pick up the novels because, well, I already
knew the stories, characters and dialogue from the
TV adaptations.  However, turns out the books are
well worth reading regardless, for the things that
don't make the jump from page to screen:
descriptive passages and interior monologues
mainly, and to a lesser extent the spots where the
adaptations deviate from the original
text. Currently halfway through the second one,
Dead Lions. [2024-09-28]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Aquitaine Progression. 1984. Robert Ludlum

Every once in a while I like to read what I call a
"Dad Book" - ie, the sort of book my father liked
to read, back in the day.  I'd see them around the
house when I was growing up, but had zero interest
back then in reading what I assumed were trashy
thrillers.  Reading some of them now is I think a
way of reconnecting with him, or at least with my
memories of him.  And you know what?  Some of
these "Dad Books" aren't half bad.  Ludlum is a
bit of a mixed bag; his earlier novels in
particular are quite good.  This one is more
mid-period; kept me reading but there's a long
section in the middle where the hero runs around
frantically and the plot advances hardly at all.
Readable, but not his best.  [2024-10-19]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
House of Suns. 2008. Alastair Reynolds

Looking about for light reading to take with me on
a recent trip, my eyes lit upon this rather wild
space opera that had been sitting on my shelf
since I first read it, idk, 12 years or so ago.
And joy of joys, I realized enough time had passed
that I remembered nothing about it, beyond having
liked it a lot (it was the book that really got me
into Reynolds, which led me to Banks, etc). Did I
still like it? Why, yes!  Reynolds' characters may
be a little thin (common complaint) but that tends
not to bother me if the plot, ideas, and
world-building are good.  Which here they most
certainly are. [2024-09-21]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Islands in the Net. 1988. Bruce Sterling.

It was fun reading this now, as 2024 is smack dab
in the middle of the timeframe in which this book
is set, and Sterling's predictions are close
enough to the mark to make it interesting to see
what he got right, and what not so much. The first
chapter is familiar, and I have a vague memory of
giving up on it back when it first came out, after
being disappointed that it wasn't Gibsonian
cyberpunk (the protagonist is pretty straight up
corpo, and hauling around a _baby_ for pity's
sake). But of course it does describe a cyberpunk
future, just seen from the other side of the
corporate divide.  Fun ride, good world-building,
crazy action once it picks up steam. [2024-09-12]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Zenith Angle. 2004. Bruce Sterling.

And we're back to the geek books. This one got
mixed reviews when it came out, and I can
understand why. It presents as a 'cyberthriller',
but for the most part it's not all that thrilling.
It's more of a character study, of a gifted geek
who loses his soul in a bureaucratic maze of
cybersecurity following 9/11.  Does he ever get it
back again?  Magic 8-ball says "Reply hazy."  7
out of 10. [2024-08-31]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Shadow of the Wind. 2001. Carlos Ruiz Zafon.

A boy living in post WWII Barcelona comes across
what might be the last remaining copy of a novel
written by a little-known author with a tragic
past, and is subsequently threatened by a
mysterious man who wants to consign it to the
flames.  Unravelling the mystery will forever
change his life, and the lives of those around
him, in ways both good and bad.  Spans multiple
genres: magic realism, gothic horror,
bildungsroman, noir mystery. I liked it quite a
lot. [2024-08-25]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Big Knockover. 1966. Dashiell Hammett.

A collection of novellas and short stories, mostly
featuring Hammett's Continental Op detective
character. Also contains a rather sad recounting
of Hammett's life and times by his long-time
partner Lilian Hellman, and part of an uncompleted
semi-autobiographical novel he wrote in his later
years.  Quality is variable; this is what you'd
read if you wanted more Hammett after reading all
his other stuff. The titular "Big Knockover" and
its continuation "$106,000 Blood Money" are pretty
good though. [2024-08-17]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Red Harvest. 1929. Dashiell Hammett.

See, I do occasionally read (or at least, re-read)
books that aren't sf and aren't about computers.
Early Hammett, one of the "Continental Op" stories
he wrote for the pulp mag "Black Mask".  Tough guy
private eye visits a thoroughly corrupt mining
town and cleans house using some rather brutal and
unorthodox methods.  A classic of sorts, but not
quite as artful as "The Maltese Falcon" or "The
Thin Man".  [2024-08-04]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Artemis. 2017. Andy Weir.

Enjoyable. The world-building is stronger than the
character-building but that's OK with me. Not as
good as "The Martian" or "Hail Mary" but well
plotted and a quick read. [2024-07-20]


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Atrocity Archives. 2004. Charles Stross.

Surprisingly unlike the X-Files, given how similar
the basic premise is: the protagonist is a field
operative for a government agency ("The Laundry")
charged with covering up supernatural incursions
into the real world.  The parts I liked best
clearly drew upon Stross' work-life experience
with bureaucratic shibboleths of the time like ISO
9000 and "Total Quality Management" which become
even more hilarious than usual when paired with an
organization that employs the undead. [2024-07-17]


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spook Country. 2007. William Gibson.

Classic Gibson, but set in the then-recent past
rather than the future.  He writes a good spy
thriller; the MacGuffin (a mysterious shipping
container) kept me guessing right up to the end.
The premise reminded me a lot of Pattern
Recognition, the novel preceding Spook Country in
the "Blue Ant" trilogy, which I now have to
re-read.  I recognized many of the Vancouver
locations from when I lived there, many years ago
- a somewhat nostalgic experience not unlike
watching old X-Files episodes. [2024-07-14]


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Singularity Sky. 2003. Charles Stross.

Space opera, very much in the vein of Iain
M. Banks or Alastair Reynolds, but more upbeat.  A
backwards planetary civilization is hit with a
singularity that turns their whole world into a
surreal fantasy like something out of Hieronymous
Bosch, and a fleet of military spacecraft is
dispatched to deal with it; ultimately a
meditation on the failure modes of repressive
societies.  Somewhat dated by the "information
wants to be free" idealism characteristic of the
early 2000s, but quite enjoyable nonetheless.
[2024-06-22]


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New Hacker's Handbook. 1989. Hugo Cornwall & Steve
Gold.

Not so much a guide on how to hack computer
systems, more along the lines of "here's some
examples of the kinds of things hackers do, and
some of things they need to know about."  The
latter being a lot about telecommunications
protocols, apparently.  Dates from a time when
breaking into computer systems was, more often
than not driven by curiousity and thrill-seeking
rather than maliciousness.  A bit sloppy in the
editing department, and the long printouts from
BBSs come across as filler, but still worth
reading as a time capsule of a bygone era.
[2024-06-01]


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beating the System: Hackers, Phreakers and
Electronic Spies. 1990.
Owen Bowcott and Sally Hamilton

Inaccurately billed as "the inside story of Edward
Singh and the Electronic Underworld".  In fact
Mr. Singh gets comparatively little attention,
while rather more is paid to better-known hacker
celebrities of the era like Steve Draper, Markus
Hess, Robert Morris, Kevin Mitnick, etc.  Still
somewhat interesting for its discussion of the
issues around criminalizing hacking in the UK, but
a lot of the background material has been covered
in other, better books on the subject.
[2024-05-20]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Extra Life: Coming of Age in Cyberspace. 1998.
David S. Bennahum.

What it was like to grow up obsessed with
computers in the first age of personal computing.
And also attend an Ivy-League prep school with a
DEC PDP-11 in the computer classroom.  Well
written, interesting if it's your thing (as it is
mine).  I've posted a sort-of review in my
phlog. [2024-04-14]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Mythical Man Month. 1972. Fred Brooks.

Necessary reading for anyone managing the
development of a major mainframe operating system.
Kidding aside, quite impressive how much of it is
still relevant.  While the technology references
are just a bit dated (though historically
interesting), the observations on scaling up
communication are timeless.  [2024-03-18]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Cosmic Puppets. 1957. Philip K. Dick.

I'm not a huge PKD fan, but every once in a while
- perhaps when the world starts seeming all too
real - I enjoy picking up one of his novels. This
one reads like an episode of the original Twilight
Zone, if it had a modern special effects
budget. Strong "A Stop at Willoughby" and "It's a
Good Life" vibes, with the metaphysics cranked up
to 11. Short, worth reading. [2024-02-18]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Machine Vendetta. 2024. Alastair Reynolds.

Now that Iain M. Banks is no longer with us,
Alastair Reynolds may be my favourite living sf
author.  A few of the novels he wrote in the 2000s
- "House of Suns" and "Century Rain" in particular
- rank among the sf novels I've most enjoyed, in
my over half-century of reading the stuff. I've
not been as impressed by his work of the past
decade or so, but lately he seems to be turning
that around. Last year's "Eversion" really hit the
mark, and "Machine Vendetta" comes pretty close.
The third in a series of police procedurals of the
far future starring the increasingly world-weary
Prefect Dreyfus, this one sees the Prefect going
up against an old foe, a rogue AI. Kept me turning
the pages. [2024-02-05]


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tracers in the Dark: The Global Hunt for the Crime
Lords of Cryptocurrency. 2022. Andy Greenberg.

Really enjoyed this one.  Fascinating tale of how
the 'anonymized' transactions on the blockchain
turned out to be anything but, and how Bitcoin
proved to be kind of a honeypot for organized
crime. [2024-01-22]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mona Lisa Overdrive. 1988. William Gibson.

Last book in the Sprawl trilogy.  To my mind the
weakest of the three novels although it does bring
the story to a satisfactory conclusion and is
certainly worth reading.  Unlike the previous two
novels I think I'd only ever read this one once
before, back when it first appeared in paperback,
so I had largely forgotten what it was about.
[2024-01-15]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At Large: The Strange Case of the World's Biggest
Internet Invasion. 1998.  Charles C. Mann, David
H. Freedman.

A late entry in the "Computer hackers of the
pre-web era" non-fiction genre, overshadowed by
predecessors like Sterling's "The Hacker
Crackdown" and Stoll's "Cuckoo's Egg".  Still
interesting mostly in how it shows how bad
computer security was back then, that a
none-too-bright script kiddie could with a bit of
help install a sniffer on an Internet backbone
router.  Also has the distinction of being
probably the least glamorous portrait of a hacker
ever written. [2024-01-05]

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Artifact Space. 2022. Miles Cameron.

I'd never heard of the author or the book before I
came across it in the SF section of a local
bookstore, looking for some light holiday reading.
An endorsement from Alastair Reynolds on the cover
persuaded me to check it out. It's not quite in
Reynolds' league, but it is an enjoyable
action-filled space opera, if you like that kind
of thing. There are some STNG vibes; the
protagonist reminded me of Tasha Yar and there's
another character who is a bit like Data. This
novel is only half the story, but I liked it well
enough that I plan to pick up the sequel whenever
it comes out in paperback. [2023-12-28]


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Count Zero. 1986. William Gibson.

I must have read this quite a few times back in
the 80s, as I remember the story pretty well. It's
much better written than Neuromancer; the
characters are a lot more real and have actual
human relationships that extend beyond the purely
transactional. This is where we get to see the
Sprawl up close for the first time. Possibly my
all-time favourite Gibson novel but we'll see, as
I plan to read more of his back catalogue in
2024. [2023-12-17]

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Cyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer
Frontier. 1991. Katie Hafner and John Markoff.

Profiles Kevin Mitnick, Robert Tappan Morris, and
a group of hackers in West Berlin. The section on
the Berlin hackers was the most interesting,
covering many of the same events related in
Clifford Stoll's "Cuckoo's Egg" but from the other
side. Neuromancer's protagonist, Case, seems to
have been the role model for many but they mostly
come out looking like Bobby Newmark, the titular
character in Count Zero. Which is to say, out of
their depth. [2023-12-14]

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Neuromancer. 1984. William Gibson.

Decided it was time to re-read the Sprawl
Trilogy. I enjoyed Neuromancer, obviously, it's a
classic, but even when I first read it back in my
early 20s I thought the characters were a bit
lacking in depth. His most iconic work, but not
his best. Still loads of fun though, and the way
he puts words together is sheer street
poetry. [2023-12-05]