Archive for the ‘Reviews of books’ Category
Star Trek: Prime Directive
{5/5} “For every civilization which was more advanced than those making up the Federation, there were a hundred which were less so. And every one of those less-advanced worlds would, in time, have been overwhelmed by the Federation’s superior technological culture and well-intentioned aid and enlightenment — unless drastic measures were taken.” Star Trek: Prime […]
Star Trek: Enterprise — The First Adventure
{4.5/5} “I believed when I first observed you, that I could not work with you. You are very different from Christopher Pike. You are emotional, headstrong, and stubborn. But I have come to understand that these differences should be valued, not despised. I realized that working with you would be a valuable, if difficult, experience.” […]
Star Trek: Vulcan’s Heart
{5/5} “Spock let out his breath in a silent sigh. Pardek might well be imprisoned or, by now, dead. With no Federation diplomatic relations with Romulus after Tomed, and only the scantiest of data from Intelligence, he had no recourse. He must go to Romulus, quite outside the law — and alone.” Star Trek: Vulcan’s […]
Star Trek: Vulcan’s Forge
{5/5} “Spock paused, considering the starkness about him. A younger Spock would have agreed stiffly that there was an esthetic correctness to the arrangement of plain and mesa and mountains. Now he could say simply, ‘Yes. I, too, find it beautiful.’” Star Trek: Vulcan’s Forge by Josepha Sherman & Susan Shwartz, published in 1997 In […]
Foundation’s Triumph
{5/5} “The good of humanity at large had to supersede that of individual human beings. The early Calvinians who rejected the Zeroth Law were simply wrong, and Daneel was right. That was not the discovery upsetting Dors. It was finding out that Giskard and Daneel had proceeded down this path without consulting any humans at […]
Foundation and Chaos
{4.5/5} “The humans who made us both, in different times and for different purposes, interest me. I am concerned for their welfare. However wrongly, I regard myself as human, and that is why I have returned.” Foundation and Chaos by Greg Bear, published in 1998 Even as an old man, Hari Seldon continues to work […]
Foundation’s Fear
{4.5/5} “Hari felt in his soul that unpredictability was bad — for humanity, for his mathematics. But it was inescapable. This was the secret the Emperor and others must never know. That until he could rule chaos — or at least peer into it — psychohistory was a fraud.” Foundation’s Fear by Gregory Benford, published […]
Fuzzy Nation
{4.5/5} “He paused at the cabin door and pointed to Baby Fuzzy, who now appeared to be dozing lightly. ‘If that is a person, then this becomes a Class Three-a planet — a planet with native sapient life — and Zara Corp’s E and E charter is suspended… No more mining, no more drilling, no […]
How to Stop Time
{5/5} “For years now I had convinced myself that the sadness of the memories weighed more and lasted longer than the moments of happiness themselves. So I had, though some crude emotional mathematics, decided it was better not to seek out love or companionship or even friendship. ” How to Stop Time by Matt Haig, […]
The Autobiography of James T. Kirk
{4.5/5} “During this period, the only personal connections I relied on were with Spock and McCoy. McCoy and I went back far enough that our friendship was like old leather. Spock’s friendship was different; because of his devotion to Vulcan principles, it never felt close, and he never required emotional support from me. But I […]