Terrible Analogies

I think I’ve officially sold my soul to the electronic word.

Over the Christmas holiday I was gifted with two book. Physical media. Ya know, paper and ink? Guess what I did before I even cracked open the spines. Yep, that’s right, I downloaded electronic versions to put on my Nook.

I couldn’t bring myself to lug around this ancient form of leisure. I couldn’t easily store them in the glove compartment of my car. And it would be impossible stealthily sneak a quick peek at a few lines during long, drawn out business meetings or during random downtime while code compiles, installs, or configures.

I fear I’ve officially given up on the printed word. I used to be a huge book collector, but now I feel that books are merely taking up space in my home that could otherwise be put to better use. Why keep dusting shelves full of books when I have literally thousands of novels on one slim device?  And switching between novels is ridiculously easy.  Today I finished The Player Of Games by Iain Banks, pressed three virtual buttons, and instantly began reading Robopocalypse by Daniel Wilson.  This, my friends, is convenience personified.

Sure, war could break out, an EMP burst could destroy all electronics, or the electrical grid could simply go dark for any number of nefarious reasons, but I think I’ll take my chances for now and dedicate myself to the goal of never buying a novel in physical form again….

….that is until the next Chuck Palahniuk book comes out, because I just have to have the first printing.

I just finished reading Stephen King’s latest novel 11/22/63, and was once again reminded why reading a King book is much like spending time with an old friend.

in 11/22/63, high school teacher Jake Epping is shown a gateway to the past, and is asked by a dying acquaintance to correct a tragic wrong; prevent the assassination of President Kennedy.  The only caveat: What you change in the past can be undone (or “reset” as Al best describes) by once again stepping back in time.

At first a non-believing Jake Epping derides any such notion as time travel, but soon becomes a believer and begins the task of changing history, unaware of the inherent dangers of changing events from the “Land of Ago”.  The past, it seems, does not want to change (the book often chimes with the motto “the past is obdurate”), and the more you try to change it the more it puts up a fight.

Even though 11/23/63 clocks in at 849 pages (a typically sized King novel as of late), this novel goes by way too fast.  And unlike the abrupt ending to The Dome (which was very unsatisfying, but man the bad guys in that were bad), King nicely closes out this novel in a way that seems natural, human, and very touching.

Whether you’re a hard core King fan, or simply enjoy reading the odd King book, you can’t go wrong with 11/22/63.  King is back to old form with a tale about love, morality, and paradoxes that “Einstein could love”.  Just make sure you have a fifty cent piece for the Yellow Card Man before stepping down through the portal…

Next book up: I, Sniper by Stephen Hunter

Just wrapped up Stieg Larsson’s The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest, and I have to admit that it was a satisfying ending to the three-part Millennium series.

In this third and final installment we find Lisbeth Salander in hospital, recovering from the brutal events that closed out The Girl Who Played With Fire, and Mikael Blomkvist is hot on the story of the year that will not only implicate an unofficial police organization called “The Section” in crimes against the state, but will also play a key role in Lizbeth’s upcoming court case.

Oh, and Lisbeth’s brother, Niedermann, is on the loose and out for revenge.

Fill with crime, intrigue, espionage, and plain old investigative journalism, TGWKtHN is a satisfying finale to this engrossing trilogy, and is a fitting wrap-up to the enigma that is Lisbeth Salander.

I’ve heard good things about original Swedish Millennium film trilogy, and after having wrapped up all three books, I now feel free to watch these films.

And now that Hollywood has finally gotten into the act, here’s looking forward to their take on The Girl Who Played With Fire.  With Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails fame providing the soundtrack, I can’t wait for this film to hit the theaters.  It promises to be a good, disturbing ride.

Next book up: The Day Of The Triffids by John Wyndham

I just finished reading Neal Stephenson’s novel Cryptonomicon.  Coming in at a whopping 918 pages, I was ready to settle in for the long haul.  Having read Stephenson’s novel Snow Crash (which I’m looking forward to reading again), I was expecting a heady science fiction story.  Alas, I was sorely disappointed…and surprisingly amazed.

Cryptonomicon is actually two stories in one.  The first story, taking place during World War II, centers on code breakers and their race to decipher encrypted communications from the enemy.  It’s here that we meet Waterhouse, the mathematical genius who’s part of the elite Ultra Mega intelligence group, and Shaftoe, the Marine who unwittingly serves as the military’s “go to” guy for tricky behind enemy lines missions of dubious nature.

The second story revolves around the descendants of the individuals from the first story and their quest to build a “data haven” for online information, as well as their obsession over a large cache of gold that was buried near the end of World War II.

Cryptonomicon is often described as a “geek’s book”, and in my opinion that’s a very apt description.  Delving into cryptology, higher mathematics, game design, corporate espionage, as well as computer networking and programming, this is one story that keeps your brain constantly engaged.  But if this sort of information doesn’t float your boat, don’t worry.  Everything is carefully explained and is easily digestible.

Hopping not only through time, the story also juggles a multitude of locations from around the world.  Highlights of the theatrical operations during WWII center on the Marine Raider Bobby Shaftoe and his counter character the Japanese soldier Goto Dengo.  Modern-era characters revolve around Randall Lawrence Waterhouse, a computer systems and network engineer, and Avi Halaby, Randall’s business partner.  Both men not only seek to build the world’s largest computer data haven in Kinakuta, a fictional pacific island nation, but who also have a dream of creating a new world economy funded by gold that was buried, and nearly forgotten, just before the end of WWII.

Globe hopping, intellectually challenging, and with a bizarre time-travel feel, Cryptonomicon was engrossing and much too quick a read.  I personally could have used more Bobby Shaftoe and Goto Dengo (their side stories were nothing less than astounding), but in the end their fates were well justified and honorable.  Oh, and the bits with Shaftoe/Ronald Reagan and Goto/General Douglas MacArthur were strokes of genius.  Here’s hoping that I never dream of lizards…

This novel ranks high on many of the “best of” lists for sci-fi books, but I don’t really consider this book science fiction.  It’s missing many of the key features that make up science fiction books, yet retains enough of the fringe details to qualify as one.  Strange…

Regardless, I have nothing but high praise for this hefty tome of a novel.  I burned through it in two weeks, and honestly wished that there was more to the story when I flipped the final page.

After finishing up a brilliant book entitled Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard (which the movie Jackie Brown was based off of), I thought I’d bring the whole party down a peg by diving into the final book of my end-of-the-world trilogy titled Lights Out by David Crawford.

Lights Out follows the Texas suburban community of Silver Hills and how they come together after an EMP burst is let loose in the upper atmosphere. With no electricity and eventually no running water, society begins to break down. Within a matter of weeks gunfights become commonplace, the roads are littered with roadblocks and ambushes, gangs take over sections of the community (at least those which they didn’t set on fire), and as time progresses the government begins to overstep its bounds under the guise of “protecting society”, proving once again that FEMA is both evil and incompetent.

Amidst the chaos and lawlessness the people of Silver Hills unite for survival. Not only do the barriers go up, but so do the outdoor showers, the windmill, the hospital, command center, and the gardens. With the help of an old Marine seargent (my man Gunny!) they learn how to organize themselves into a defensive unit ready to withstand just about any form of attack. People with medical, farming, metalwork, and mechanical skills are just a few of the hundreds who band together for the common good to survive the days, then weeks, then the eventual years of a world without electricity.

If I had to choose the most realistic version of TEOTWAWKI I’d have to roll with Lights Out. One Second After by William R. Forstchen also envisioned a world destroyed by EMPs, but he took it to its absolute worst case scenario. His is a world I (truly!) hope never becomes a reality. Survivors by James Wesley Rawles focused mainly on one character and his attempts to get back home from half a world away after an EMP strike. Lights Out dealt with community and how, if properly organized and led, can learn to survive in a near-lawless world.

At 689 pages, Lights Out isn’t a quick read, but it’s well worth the time it takes to absorb. The characters are at times a bit one-dimensional and cliché (and provide a bit of dues ex machina), but I considered them window dressing meant to flesh out the protagonists. And as the end of the book fast approached I found myself slowing down as I read, not really wanting to let these characters go.

For a realistic view of how the world might reorganize itself after a SHTF scenario, Lights Out gives us a view of the best side of humanity. It shows that when the worst happens, with a bit of compromise, a community can survive when working together for a common goal.

Oh, and it doesn’t hurt to expel the jerks from the community asap, especially when they have access to grenades