Too many robots?

When I read Stories of Your Life and Others in 2017 I was blown away by Ted Chiang's writing. It's unique to find a short story collection where so many of the stories are standouts (and memorable) but his first collection managed to do both. I found it mind-boggling that he hadn't written more so when I heard Exhalation was coming out I added it to my library holds list. With the memory of the stories from the first book still pretty fresh in my mind, I went into Exhalation with high expectations...and was slightly disappointed. This collection veered much more strongly toward artificial intelligence and existentialism while his previous work was varied (and exceptional). The best story from this collection was actually Exhalation which was about robots constructed with artificial lungs (yes, it's creepy). I can't really remember any of the rest except one about a robotic nanny which had a great philosophical bent to it. Quite a few stories were novella length which I think contributed to why it didn't feel as diversified as the first collection since not as many stories could be included. (A/N: Many of the stories were collected from various publications over the years and some are as old as 10 years.) That isn't to say that I didn't still appreciate his artistry as a writer because without a doubt he is a brilliant wordsmith but when you come out of the gate with such a winner like Stories of Your Life and Others it can be difficult to reach that height again. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  My overall assessment: 6/10

Source: Amazon

What's Up Next: Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs by Caitlin Doughty

What I'm Currently Reading: Do You Mind if I Cancel? (Things That Still Annoy Me) by Gary Janetti

**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. :-) **

A unique solution to the energy crisis

The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov is organized into 3 distinct parts. The first follows a young physicist doing research on the history of the Electron Pump which is a nifty invention providing unlimited energy for all of humanity. He comes to believe that the 'Father of the Electron Pump' is merely a puppet of the entities living in the para-universe (where the energy was being siphoned) and that the Pump itself poses a grave risk to our Universe. The second part occurs in this para-universe and follows a group of entities that are composed of an amorphous substance which allows them to merge with one another and form 'triads'. In this universe the Sun is dying which creates a ripple effect on the creatures which inhabit the planet. A member of this species (it's hard to describe these creatures) has a theory that the Pump they're employing is dangerous to them all and is the reason that procreation has nearly ground to a halt. [A/N: This might be the first instance where a description of alien sex is described in fairly explicit detail and as the alien beings are so different from ourselves it was super weird but certainly showcases Asimov's ingenuity.] And then we come to the third and final part which takes the reader back to our universe. We follow a (retired) scientist named Denison who has moved to the Moon where an entire society has taken residence (most of which are natives to the Lunar colony). Denison has his own suspicions about the Pump and believes he knows how to counteract the negative effects of the Pump but he soon discovers that the Lunarites may have their own agenda.

Overall, I didn't love this book but I did appreciate Asimov's writing (it's always cutting edge even though it was written decades ago) so my overall rating is a 5/10.

The cover of my book. [Source: Amazon]

A scene from the third part of the book. Did I mention the Lunarites are a nudist society? [Source: tvtropes.org]

What's Up Next: Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets by David Simon

What I'm Currently Reading: 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff (reread)

**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. :-) **

And now the conclusion

All good things must come to an end and so...I finished Purgatory's Key which is the final installment of the Legacies trilogy which you may recall me mentioning a few times (this post and this one just in case). Firstly, if you haven't read either Captain to Captain or Best Defense and you want to avoid spoilers then I'll say this: I very much enjoyed this trilogy and I think you should read it. If you want a bit of most likely spoiler-y info then stick around because I'm about to spill some beans. Okay, I hope all of those still reading are ready to be spoiled... To catch you up a bit, there was a device called the Transfer Key which was found by the original crew of the Enterprise when captained by Robert April. This device was concealed on board the starship and the secret of its existence and power was passed down from captain to captain (and to their First Officers). One of these keepers of the secret wanted to use the Key to travel to another universe and find her lost comrades. (Three cheers for Una!) The Romulans wanted the Key because they saw it as the ultimate tool to tip the balance of power in this universe to their favor. Meanwhile, the Klingons were meeting with the Federation (with the help of Ambassador Sarek) to discuss terms to ensure peace between the two entities at the behest of the Organians (pesky people). Those on the other side of the veil in the other universe must contend with conditions that are much different to the ones that govern our universe in their bid to return home. As you might have guessed from the title, the Key is a powerful tool that for those on the wrong side of it means a kind of hellish instrument. The conclusion to the trilogy was everything you'd want from a sci-fi adventure set in the Star Trek universe. If you're looking for a way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of this amazing show then you can't go wrong with picking up the Legacies series. 9/10


**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. :-) **

I've gotten used to Klingons with forehead ridges

As I mentioned when reviewing Captain to Captain, a trilogy has been written by a collection of authors to honor the 50th anniversary of Star Trek which originally aired on September 8, 1966 (I'm writing this entry on September 8, 2016 which is quite apropos.). The Legacies trilogy continues with Best Defense written by David Mack. **There will be spoilers ahead if you haven't read the first book in the trilogy. I highly suggest you do so because it's an awesome story arc. If you don't want to be spoiled then I'll just say three words to describe this sequel: Tension, determination, and frustration. That should be enough to whet your appetite.** Captain Una has successfully used the Transfer Key to find her way to the alternate universe where her shipmates have been stranded for the past 18 years. However, it's not a simple locate and reconvene at the portal type of situation. There's something not quite right about this world... Meanwhile, Kirk and Spock are trying to retrieve the Key itself from the Romulans who stole it with the use of a spy on board the Enterprise. Without the Key they will be unable to rendezvous with Una and in the wrong hands the Key would be a formidable weapon. Amidst all of this chaos, Ambassador Sarek reaches out to the Enterprise to come to his aid in the peace talks which are taking place between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. As you can imagine, things are not exactly smooth sailing for our favorite space explorers. If you couldn't tell, I'M LOVING IT. The conclusion to the trilogy should be up soon as I started it this morning. :-)

**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. :-) **

Throwing myself into different worlds

I'm in the middle of quite a few series at the moment. The main reason for this is because I enjoy letting myself fall completely into different worlds where I can sit back and enjoy. (For example, I reread the entire Harry Potter series over the last month and it was a wildly indulgent and marvelous affair.) Yes, I have many books sent to me for review that I'm horribly behind on but sometimes I find myself somewhat burnt out by reading things that I haven't necessarily just picked up for the sheer heck of it. At first, I thought to do all of these in huge masterposts but since I'm in different places in each of these I thought I would do them each individually and see how that goes. :-)


Today's book is the beginning of a trilogy that was created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Star Trek. It's a collaborative process so each book has a different author and a somewhat different style of writing. Captain to Captain by Greg Cox opens up the Legacies series with the story of Captain April of the starship Enterprise on a mission to a planet called Usilde where things are not going well for the native inhabitants. An artifact is taken from the planet and is stowed onboard the Enterprise...but no one knows of it except Captain April and his first officer, Una. This secret is passed down from captain to captain until the reader reaches the present day Captain Kirk and Commander Spock. There's malevolent aliens, covert operations, and above all the exceptional crew of the NCC-1701. This is the setup book which explains exactly what the mysterious object is and what its used for as well as introducing us to a figure which rivals Spock for keeping calm in a harrowing situation. This is Star Trek sci-fi at its best. What better way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of such a magnificent show?!


**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. :-) **