Mighty's Book Reviews

What I'm reading now:

Ripping Time by Robert Asprin

Magazine Subscriptions:

Aviation Week and Space Technology

Scientific American

Reason

Discover

Game Developer

God's Debris by Scott Adams 29/JAN/05

Philosophical tidbits.  As he challenges one to do in the foreword, I spotted a coupla falacies.  Paperback.

Goto by 29/JAN/05

Essentially a collection of histories of various computing technologies.  Mildly interesting.  Half Price.

Myth-ion Improbable by Robert Asprin 21/MAY/03

The situations are getting more complicated.  This seems to lead to a lot more exposition than the first few.  Less character development through dialogue.   Paperback.

The Coming by Joe Haldeman 15/APR/03

Interesting transition technique.  Amazing how little I remember of the story.  It felt like it needed more back-story to understand the political setting.  Paperback

ruthless.com by Jerome Preisler 29/MAR/03

Not a Tom Clancy book, like the cover implies.  The style is reminiscent, but not as good.  Half Price.

A Phule and His Money by Robert Asprin with Peter J. Heck 01/AUG/02

Split into two locations, it seemed a bit light in both.  Half Price.

Burning City by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle 21/FEB/02

A good fantasy romp.  Without most of the heavy-handed editorializing on child rearing.  Paperback.

Why Do People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time by Michael Shermer 25/JUL/01

There's some exploration into why people believe what they do, but it's more about debunking.  Paperback.

Big Trouble by Dave Barry

Dave Barry's writing style in an actual novel.  He did a good job and it's lots of fun.  Paperback.

The Death of Innocence : Jonbenet's Parents Tell Their Story by John and Patsy Ramsey

Part memoir, part autobiography, part their own hype.  A little repetitive, but overall interesting.  Half-price.

Starswarm : A Jupiter Novel by Jerry Pournelle

Another juvenile fiction novel that works.  Paperback.

Off the Planet: Surviving Five Perilous Months Aboard the Space Station Mir by Jerry Linenger

Memoirs of an astronaut.  Lots from an interesting perspective, but glossed over some parts.  Paperback.

Emperor of Dawn by Steve White

Good old-fashioned space opera.  The fall of one empire and the rise of the next.   Paperback.

NASA Mission Reports: Apollo 12

Not nearly as interesting as I had hoped.  Library.

Choosing Names: Man-Kzin Wars VIII created by Larry Niven

Old-fashioned adventure stories similar in style to Niven's old stuff.  Paperback.

Finity by John Barnes Spoilers

Started out interesting.  Then it got contrived.  I really wanted to like this book, but the verisimilitude broke down on me.  Then the drama evaporated.   Half-price.

Encounter With Tiber by Buzz Aldrin & John Barnes Paperback

I found the technical parts of the book interesting and the metaphors thought-provoking.   Paperback.

Higher Education by Charles Sheffield & Jerry Pournelle Paperback

Nostalgia-inducing juvenile fiction.  The style reminds me of some old Heinlein stories.  Paperback.

Rainbow 6   Paperback

Average Clancy (which is pretty good.)  Good tactical situations.  Ending is a little contrived.  Paperback.

Ken Smith's Guide to the Bible by Ken Smith

What the Bible really says, in very condensed form.  A strange collection of often contraditory beliefs.  Paperback.

Don't Stand Too Close to a Naked Man by Tim Allen

Half autobiography, half standup routine.  A bit choppy.  Half-price.

Mighty's Book Total Value Scale:

Hardback
Paperback
Half-price
Library/Borrow
See the movie

Mighty's Favorite Authors:

Robert Asprin
Joe Haldeman
Harry Harrison
Robert Heinlein
Larry Niven
Jerry Pournelle
Fred Saberhagen
John Varley
Roger Zelazny

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Last modified: March 13, 2005

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