Cerebral, disquieting, and addictive

I've become an instant fan of Ted Chiang after reading his book Stories of Your Life and Others. It's such a breath of fresh air to read a really phenomenal collection of short stories such as this one. I had been itching for some truly delicious science fiction and this collection delivered. From the opening story about the Tower of Babel, it is obvious that Chiang is a unique voice in sci-fi and I only wonder at why it took me so long to have him on my radar. While each story is unique, they are all equally fascinating, consuming, and vaguely unsettling. I forgot a few times that what I was reading wasn't actually true which is disconcerting when you're reading about people being blinded on the streets by the sight of heavenly creatures or a drug that when given to patients who are brain dead can not only bring them back to life but elevate their IQ. Suffice it to say, this is a book that any sci-fi junkie (or newbie wanting to get their feet wet) should immediately seek out. Take your time and indulge because this is an author that should be savored and not rushed. 10/10

Source: Goodreads

What's Up Next: Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien

What I'm Currently Reading: Roald Dahl's Book of Ghost Stories

**If you're interested in buying this book or any books really, you can click here or here. The first will re-direct you to AbeBooks and the second will re-direct you to The Book Depository. These are great websites for purchasing books (AbeBooks carries inexpensive used and out-of-print books and The Book Depository ships free everywhere in the world). Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made by following either of these links. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

Like those nesting dolls but with stories

Some books are so amazing that you feel like you're racing to the finish line because you just can't bear to wait one more moment to find out how it's going to end. Then there are others that must be savored. You need to take your time with these books. In fact, you might even set them to the side for days on end because you want to stretch out your time with the characters. Arcadia by Iain Pears is one of those books. It's truly a story within a story within a story within a story. (I hope I didn't leave any of them out.) It's about time, cause and effect, and above all storytelling. Henry Lytten is a professor, part-time member of the British Intelligence, a wannabe fantasy author, and the owner of a cantankerous fat cat named Mr. Jenkins. (That right there should be the tagline.) It's also about Anterwold and the student Jay who is just trying to understand where the Story began and how he fits into it. Not to mention John More and his quest to find a document buried for hundreds of years which may or may not hold great significance to the human race. Of course, it's also about Angela Meerson and her invention which is most certainly going to change the course of history the future all of time. Do you see what I mean about nesting dolls? In the same way that it's obvious how the nesting dolls have a relation to one another, Arcadia is laid out bit by bit so the reader can discover how each of these seemingly disparate stories and characters are related to one another in a seamless narrative that is mindboggling in its intricacies. What I'm trying to say is that this is a must read for 2016. GO, GO, GO!

Source: amazon.com

**If you're interested in buying this book or any books really, you can click here or here. The first will re-direct you to AbeBooks and the second will re-direct you to The Book Depository. These are great websites for purchasing books (AbeBooks carries inexpensive used and out-of-print books and The Book Depository ships free everywhere in the world). Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made by following either of these links. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

So it wasn't Nero after all! (Trekkies will get this.)

One of my favorite things about libraries is that you stand a very good chance of just happening upon an interesting book. Over the weekend, I stopped into the library so that a friend could drop off a DVD. Another friend pointed out a book that spelled out Vulcan proudly on its cover. And just like that I had checked it out and stowed it away in my bag. The book was The Hunt for Vulcan:...And How Albert Einstein Destroyed a Planet, Discovered Relativity, and Deciphered the Universe by Thomas Levenson. I have to applaud them for the gorgeous cover which not only loudly proclaims the home planet of some super rad aliens but features our galaxy and the elliptical paths of our planets. It's the kind of cover I'd love to have as decoration on my wall. Levenson takes the reader on an historical journey through physics, cosmology, and mathematics. From Newton to Einstein, a detailed exploration is made explaining why scientists from the past believed that a small planet named Vulcan caused Mercury to bend near the Sun and deform its elliptical orbit. He talks about the scientific method and how science is so unique because it is a system of theories and hypotheses which is constantly changing. Scientists seek to shed light on the mysteries of the universe and to do so means that there will inevitably be errors that must be corrected over time as instruments improve and knowledge expands. Einstein's theory of relativity and the relationship of gravity between the planets threw Newton's theories for a loop (I hope that planet joke went down well for you) and changed the way we see the cosmos. It's a really great little book that I think all science nerds can appreciate. (It was super quick also!)

Here's a picture of the cover which I think is gorgeous:


Source: Penguinrandomhouse.com

**If you're interested in buying this book or any books really, you can click here or here. The first will re-direct you to AbeBooks and the second will re-direct you to The Book Depository. These are great websites for purchasing books (AbeBooks carries inexpensive used and out-of-print books and The Book Depository ships free everywhere in the world). Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made by following either of these links. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

History, science, and robots...what more can you ask for?

I started reading In Our Own Image: Savior or Destroyer? The History and Future of Artificial Intelligence by George Zarkadakis with the naive idea that he would definitively answer the question "Will robots destroy the human race?" Instead he's done something even better. He's given a comprehensive history of mathematics, philosophy, psychology, computer science, and Artificial Intelligence. He's explained how our evolution as a species is directly related to the possibility (and the success) of the creation of AI. I'm always amazed when reading scientific nonfiction to discover just how much of the history I already know (Turing! Aristotle!) and how much I am woefully ignorant of (Godel and so much more). AI has been in the works for years. Scientists have approached it from a variety of standpoints and for a multitude of purposes. One of the biggest hurdles facing the scientific community is whether or not consciousness is programmable in a computer. A machine can be "intelligent" but does it exhibit intelligence in the same way as humans? Can a machine understand the true meaning of the questions that it answers through the logic programs installed in its hardware? No one really knows. Is it possible to map the human brain and recreate this mechanically inside of an android? Probably. Is humanity ready for machines that look like us, act like us (to an extent), but are more efficient and intelligent than us? Doubtful. As you know, I love a good end notes and this book has a truly excellent one. I learned the difference between ontology and epistemology, that there's something called the Ig Nobel Prize, and that writers are simply "empty vessels" waiting to be filled by texts. This book asks more questions than it answers and I think that's the point. Humans are unique because we have the capacity to ask questions and to be curious. If you're looking for a thought provoking book on a truly fascinating (and still terrifying) topic then this one will definitely fit the bill.

**If you're interested in buying this book or any books really, you can click here or here. The first will re-direct you to AbeBooks and the second will re-direct you to The Book Depository. These are great websites for purchasing books (AbeBooks carries inexpensive used and out-of-print books and The Book Depository ships free everywhere in the world). Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made by following either of these links. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

Mark Watney vs Mars

There's something to be said about a character's likability especially if the book's primary focus is "Is this guy gonna survive?!" If the reader doesn't like the guy then why continue reading? From the very start, it is easy to sympathize with Mark and to identify with him. His sense of humor is particularly enjoyable. A large chunk of the story is told through Mark's logs from Mars with intermittent jumps to NASA and his crew aboard their ship headed back to earth. There's a believability in all of the characters; even those only mentioned fleetingly. Despite being Andy Weir's first novel, his confidence in the logistics of space travel and attention to detail make this a very compelling read (science and math nerds will love it). Space travel has and will probably always hold a fascination for many readers of which I am undoubtedly one. I can't wait to see what Weir will come out with next! This is science fiction at its very best, ya'll.
After my jaunt into the world of faiytales retold with Dorothy Must Die I had a hankering for something else along that same vein. The answer to my problem: Cinder by Marissa Meyer. Because I'm a glutton for punishment, this is the start of a series which I'm partly hoping I'll hate because Lord only knows I don't need another series taking over my life...That being said, this looks to be an exciting read! The premise is that Cinder (think Cinderalla but as a cyborg) is caught in the middle of a battle between the people on her planet who are ravaged by plague and a mysterious people (these are the Lunars I believe) waiting in space to strike. O_O

Edit: The Martian has been turned into a film! Starring Matt Damon! It will be out in US theaters on October 2nd!!

Technological progress from the modern computer to robots that have ethics

Well, it probably comes as no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed I, Robot. This was my introduction into the genius mind of Isaac Asimov and I'm not going to stop here. I didn't realize until about midway through this book when I started looking at other books by him that this is the first in The Robot Series. The other three novels follow the detective exploits of a human and humanoid robot team so you know that's going on the TRL. As I said in the last entry, this book covers various scenarios in which robots acted outside of their prescribed programming. I liked that the stories were separate yet they had recurring characters and an overarching narrative theme. This kept things moving along and makes the reader invested (only if the author makes the characters likable or interesting which Asimov definitely did). By the end, you get the gist of what he is trying to say and most likely what the remainder of the series will explore: machines making decisions for humanity as a whole. For most, this fills them with a sense of horror that their lives are no longer their own to control. However, for one character in I, Robot this was almost comforting as robots had 'perfect logic and reason' and since one of the fundamental laws of robotics is to keep humans safe they will always make decisions in our favor. I highly recommend that you read this one to get the entire picture because I know I'm not doing it near enough justice.



Further in the vein of technological advances, my next read is Turing: Pioneer of the Information Age by B. Jack Copeland. I became aware of the name Alan Turing when I saw the trailer for The Imitation Game which is all about how he and his team at Bletchley Park cracked the Enigma code during WWII. It's a shame but I don't think many people are aware of this man despite his many accomplishments. Computers are based off of his invention the Universal Turing Machine. He was a leader in the field of mathematics, artificial intelligence, and biology. However, his genius was overshadowed for several years because he was convicted of homosexuality, chemically castrated (his choice instead of imprisonment), and then committed suicide by cyanide poisoning. More recently, there has been talk regarding the reversal of charges against him -- years too late. I have a feeling this one's gonna be a tearjerker, guys, so get those tissues ready!