Book review: THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR

THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR (2019)
by Amal El-Mothar and Max Gladstone

In the science fiction genre, stories are often written as replies or comments to previous works.
Over time, new variations on established themes form an ongoing ”conversation” inside the field – a bit like jazz music.

One such theme is ”time war.” It probably originated with THE LEGION OF TIME by Jack Williamson (pulp-magazine serial in 1938, novel in 1952). Imagine two alternate, mutually exclusive futures competing for their very existence.

They try to manipulate a common past in order to determine their  future... and the losing future will be erased from history.

In THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR, we follow the two women Red and Blue – cyborg agents, enemies in an extraordinarily complex time war that runs across alternate timelines. The twist is that this bewildering conflict is only the backdrop for Red and Blue’s growing obsession with each other.

As they exchange long secret messages, their mutual obsession grows into infatuation. Forbidden love between soldiers in wartime! It’s very romantic and very original, and written in gorgeous purple prose.

This is the kind of story you’ll have to read several times, because it is too rich to digest in just one go. I loved THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR, and I look forward to what the two authors are going to write next.

Heartily recommended for readers who enjoy beautiful, imaginative writing.

See also in the same genre: THE BIG TIME by Fritz Leiber.

#bookreviews #books #scifi #sciencefiction #literature #timetravel #alternatehistory #romance #thisishowyoulosethetimewar #amalelmohtar #maxgladstone

Nytt nummer av BREV FRÅN COSMOS - tidskrift med svensk science fiction

Nr.9 av Club Cosmos' tidskrift BREV FRÅN COSMOS finns ute nu - och kan läsas gratis via föreningens webbsajt:
http://clubcosmos.net/brev.php

Där ingår noveller av Maria Markenroth Nordström, Maria Karlberg, Eva Holmquist ...

...samt min "pulpnovell" JO CARTER OCH KEJSAREN AV MARS. Jag skrev den mest på skoj (och det finns ett satiriskt inslag).

Club Cosmos i Göteborg är en av Sveriges äldsta SF-föreningar. Läs mer om föreningens historia HÄR.

#sciencefiction #svensksciencefiction #fantastik #litteratur #lästips

Book review: PARABLE OF THE SOWER by Octavia Butler

Book review: PARABLE OF THE SOWER (1993) by Octavia Butler

Well, this was an earnest novel. It has its heart in the right place, the near-future scenario is believable, the plot is (more or less) realistic, the characters are well written... but even so, I got bored while reading it.

The "big idea" of PARABLE OF THE SOWER is to turn survival - both individual and collective - into a kind of religion called "Earthseed." The novel contains lots of quotes from this fictional new religion.

The narrator of the story is on a mission to spread her new religion. This of course makes her an "unreliable narrator" - should we trust that she's not spinning the facts to "sell" her faith? Is the story really a kind of religious tract existing within the fictional world? Such ambiguity is a good thing.

Thankfully, the writing is free from sentimentality. There are no cringeworthy moments, and the narrative focuses on the protagonist dealing with the nuts-and-bolts aspects of life during a social collapse.

So why then was I, in the end, more bored than engaged by this novel?

I think it's just me - I have very little patience with novels turning into sermons. (I have been ruthlessly critical of other SF writers who lapse into sermons, so why should I give this one a pass?)

The novel's quotes from the "Earthseed" scriptures evoked in me the feeling of being lectured to by a very, very earnest person - I don't mean Octavia Butler, but the book itself. (One shouldn't confuse the artist with the artwork.)

Also, I felt that even though the story was fairly realistic, it focused too much on the small details - to the point where it became overtly didactic. If I were a survivalist, I would probably enjoy the narrator's obsession with survival gear and packing.

Is THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER actually a parable, an allegory? It probably is. It is also a rather conventional story about survival, hardship and community-building. It ends in such a way that you're aware it is only the first part of a longer story.

I can recommend it to readers who like this sort of story... but it didn't engage me enough to want to read the sequels.

-------
If you want to explore the other literary works by Octavia Butler, try her novel KINDRED:

Book trailer: PRECINCT 20: DEAD STRANGE

Trailer for my "paranormal detective" book PRECINCT 20: DEAD STRANGE - with review quotes.

Buy the book on Amazon.

Boktips: "Terra Hexa"

Bokserien TERRA HEXA kom till när jag började skriva en fantasybok åt två släktingar...

Böckerna handlar om ett par viljestarka, smarta systrar som växer upp i ett land kallat "Terra Hexa"-- en värld där solen aldrig går ned. De ger sig ut på en expedition till världens ände... och upptäcker att deras värld är mycket större än de hade trott.

Systrarna upplever massor av spännande äventyr och får visa sitt mod och sin intelligens. De här böckerna passar för åldrarna 12 år och uppåt. Speciellt "nördiga" tjejer kan uppskatta Terra Hexa-bokserien, men även killar.

TERRA HEXA Del 1-3 finns på biblioteket som tryckt bok och ebok (och ljudbok!), samt i nätbokhandlarna.

Läs ett utdrag ur TERRA HEXA på förlagets webbsajt, HÄR.

Boktips: "DARC AGES - De mörka tidevarven"

På 90-talet började jag skriva en serie böcker som utspelar sig i en avlägsen framtid...

En världsomfattande farsot har splittrat civilisationen i små stadsstater, omgivna av ödemark och okända land. I denna framtid hittas en nedfrusen människa från 1900-talet... och han blir uppväckt, till ett nytt liv.

Mannen får namnet "Darc"... och han blir en osannolik hjälte.

Bokserien DARC AGES - De mörka tidevarven finns på både på engelska och svenska!
Den svenska versionen hittar du på biblioteket och i nätbokhandlarna.

Den engelska versionen finns på Amazon.

Lär mer om bokserien på den officiella webbsajten
darcages.com

Vet ni vad det är för dag idag...?

Vet ni vad det är för dag idag...? :-)

Just det - svenska fantastikens dag!
Gå in på https://facebook.com/svenskafantastikensdag/ för att veta mer.

Eller fira dagen med att läsa lite svensk fantasy-, science fiction- och skräcklitteratur.
Den hittar du på biblioteket och i nätbokhandlarna...

#fantastik #litteratur #fantasy #sciencefiction #skräck #kultur #boktips #lästips #böcker

Coronakrisen, Bokmässan och författarnas framtid...

Det är (mer eller mindre) officiellt: Bokmässan 2020 i Göteborg ställs in.

I vilket fall blir det ICKE en fysisk tillställning där "den läsande allmänheten" kan möta författare direkt. (Bli nu inte vrång på Bokmässans arrangörer - de är lika ställda mot väggen av coronakrisen som alla andra.)

Det här är förstås en utmaning för alla författare och små förlag som behöver just sådana evenemang för att nå ut till läsarna.

Olika "digitala alternativ" kommer helt säkert att utarbetas... men det blir inte som förr, eller hur? Och vi vet ännu inte hur de alternativen kommer att fungera.

Så nu vänder jag mig direkt till alla som läser fantasy, science fiction och skräcklitteratur, och frågar:

Om det inte blir en fysisk Bokmässa i höst (eller nästa år heller), hur önskar DU att förlag och författare som producerar böcker ska nå ut till dig på annat sätt?

Till exempel:

- Om författarna ordnar digitala "events" på webben/YouTube/sociala media/chat, är det intressant för dig?

- Är du lika intresserad av att köpa fysiska böcker via webben, om författare/förlag presenterar dem online istället för på ett "fysiskt" evenemang?

- Vad är det du saknar mest med en "gammaldags" bokmässa - och hur kan förlag/författare kompensera för detta?

- Ser du nya möjligheter med digitala evenemang som borde utnyttjas? Eller problem?

Kom gärna med förslag och tankar om det här. Jag och många andra som skriver står inför en tid av snabba förändringar... och det gäller att vara flexibel. Så tyck till - jag lyssnar.

Book review: MIDAS WORLD by Frederik Pohl

MIDAS WORLD (1983) by Frederik Pohl

Frederik Pohl is one of my major literary influences. I started reading his satirical SF stories when I was a kid.

He wrote many satirical stories and novels, but also ”straight” sci-fi speculation about space exploration, aliens and other classic themes. This is one of his satires.

MIDAS WORLD is a collection of Pohl’s stories set in a future when the energy problem has been solved and intelligent robots can take care of all our needs.

That is, all our needs except how to be happy...

My favorite story in the book is ”The Midas Plague,” in which accelerated material wealth has turned the idea of ”poverty” and ”riches” upside down. The poor are forced to consume obscene amounts of food and goods, living in palaces, while the rich can afford a simple life without servants.

(Is that really so far-fetched? Obesity is a growing problem today. Only the rich can afford to stay thin...)

What’s so great about MIDAS WORLD is that it works both as a satire of our consumer society, with its obsession about ”growth” at any cost... and as a credible speculation about the future.

Heartily recommended!

Also recommended, by the same author: THE SPACE MERCHANTS – and the short story ”The Tunnel Under the World” (available on librivox.org and gutenberg.org).

#bookstagram #bookstagrammers #bookreviews #bookreview #books #literature #sciencefiction #future #frederikpohl #midasworld #scifi #satire
 

Book review: THE HARRIED LEISURE CLASS by Staffan Burenstam Linder

THE HARRIED LEISURE CLASS (1970) by Staffan B. Linder
(Original Swedish title: DEN RASTLÖSA VÄLFÄRDSMÄNNISKAN)

Economics is often ridiculed as ”the dismal science,” but we need to understand the functioning of the global economy – especially in these troubled times – hard as it is. So give economists a chance.

In the late 60s, there was still an optimism about ever-increasing affluence... and then the Swedish economist Staffan Burenstam Linder asked: Will the amount of time we have to enjoy our affluence also increase? If not, what then?

His book THE HARRIED LEISURE CLASS is very accessible to layman readers. It lays out all the problems that arise when we get more and more stuff and services... but still have the same fixed amount of time available.

Which means more choices and decisions to make... but relatively less and less time for those decisions, for relaxing, for actually doing things, for maintenance and upkeep.

Some of the consequences he predicted can be observed now. He also predicts that technological advances may not ”solve” these issues as easily as we might think...

Here’s an everyday example: I spend almost as much time flipping through the growing content table on Netflix, trying to decide what to watch, as I do actually watching the content.

In the future I will almost certainly spend MORE time trying to CHOOSE what to watch, than I’ll spend WATCHING anything. (Or I could pay someone for making the choices for me... but then I’ll have to choose between a growing selection of people to make those choices and so on...)

Recommended ”food for thought” reading.
Also, this book might cause you to rethink how much consumer goods you really have time for...

#bookstagram #bookstagrammers #bookreviews #bookreview #books #literature #nonfiction #economics #leisure #time #staffanburenstamlinder #staffanblinder #theharriedleisureclass #denrastlösavälfärdsmänniskan

Book review: THE DARK FOREST by Cixin Liu

THE DARK FOREST (2008) by Cixin Liu

I have read and reviewed Cixin Liu's novel THE THREE-BODY PROBLEM, which ended in a huge cliffhanger: Can humanity survive an impending alien invasion?

I must read the third book in the series to find out how this story ends, because the sequel THE DARK FOREST leaves many questions unanswered.

THE DARK FOREST is mainly about preparing humanity for a terrible future - and how hope can survive.

The novel also develops the argument made in THE THREE-BODY PROBLEM - about the inherent danger of alien civilizations... I am not sure where I stand on that subject, but I think that far too much science fiction isn't taking it seriously.

THE DARK FOREST suffers from being the middle book in a trilogy. It is very clear about what it wants to say, but it is unevenly written (or translated??).

The "flatness" of the characters, a typical feature of "Hard" Science Fiction, gets worse here - because the author struggles to give the characters depth, but he doesn't completely succeed.

There are several plot twists - some are good - and a major one that is quite weak (humanity wandering stupidly into an obvious trap, with disastrous consequences).

Despite these criticisms, I just had to read the book to see what would happen next. I recommend it with a caveat: if you're not engaged in the main plot or the trilogy's "big ideas," THE DARK FOREST may bore you.

Me, I'm engaged and then some...


#bookreviews #bookreview #cixinliu #liucixin #thetreebodyproblem #threebodyproblem #thedarkforest #bookstagram #bookcover #bookphotography #books #literature #scifi #sciencefiction #dystopia #reviews #novel #literature #future #aliens #aliens #chinesesciencefiction #chinesescifi #alienlife #extraterrestrial #extraterrestrials

Book reviews: THE THREE-BODY PROBLEM by Cixin Liu

THE THREE-BODY PROBLEM (2008) by Cixin Liu

What surprised me when I began reading this novel was its frank description of the horrors of China's political turmoil in the 1960s and 70s. (I had assumed such books would run into state censorship.)

It was tempting to interpret THE THREE-BODY PROBLEM as criticism of the Communist regime in the guise of SF... but as I read on, it became evident that the author has much bigger fish to fry. The novel carries a very serious message about the search for extraterrestrial life.

The plot has three interwoven threads: the tragic life of the scientist Ye Wenjie, the hunt to uncover a massive conspiracy against science itself, and the history of an extraterrestrial civilization pitted against Earth.

There is a lot I really like about this book. It is mostly well written, there is not an ounce of unnecessary text, it knows what it wants to say and makes a clear, reasoned argument. This is "highbrow" SF of the finest order.

It's refreshing to read SF that comes from a Chinese perspective! Cixin Liu breathes new life into a very old theme - "first contact."

It also contains original ideas and some amazing, memorable scenes.

The only weak part was the depiction of the extraterrestrials themselves - they struck me as behaving too much like Earthlings to be credibly "alien."

Does THE THREE-BODY PROBLEM's message hold up to scrutiny? If it does, it could influence the course of humanity's future. You should read the novel and make up your own mind.

Strongly recommended reading.


#cixinliu #liucixin #thetreebodyproblem #threebodyproblem #bookstagram #bookreview #bookreviews #bookcover #bookcovers #bookstagrammers #bookbloggers #reviews #books #literature #sciencefiction #scifi #hardsf #chinesesciencefiction #chinesescifi #aliens #aliens👽#alienlife #extraterrestrial #extraterrestrials #seti #china #bestsellers #hugoawards

Book review: THE HORRIFIC SUFFERINGS OF THE MIND-READING MONSTER HERCULES BAREFOOT... by Carl-Johan Vallgren

THE HORRIFIC SUFFERINGS OF THE MIND-READING MONSTER HERCULES BAREFOOT; HIS WONDERFUL LOVE AND HIS TERRIBLE HATRED (2002)
by Carl-Johan Vallgren

(Original Swedish title: DEN VIDUNDERLIGA KÄRLEKENS HISTORIA.)

The English title is too long and blunt, but it does summarize the plot of this remarkable novel. (The original title, in direct translation, reads "The Tale of the Marvellous Love.")

This novel depicts the life of the fictional character Hercules Barefoot, his trials and sorrows as a severely handicapped dwarf with hidden powers... and his love for a beautiful woman.

It is written in a baroque style, contrasting the beautiful and the grotesque, and yet I found it easy to read (I read the Swedish edition).

The story really tugs at the reader's heartstrings. It's impossible not to sympathize with the plight of the protagonist.

If you like David Lynch's movie THE ELEPHANT MAN, or other stories about suffering and disability - or you just enjoy a good story well told - then you should read this book.

Heartily recommended. (NOTE: Not for the faint of heart!)


#carljohanvallgren #herculesbarefoot #bookstagram #bokstagram #bookstagrammer #bookreview #bookreviews #bookcover #bookcovers #bookstagrammers #bookbloggers #reviews #books #literature #novels #novel #sciencefiction #fantasy #fantastik #disability #disabled #deafness #handicap
#mutants #romance #beautyandthebeast

Book review: DESCENT FROM XANADU by Harold Robbins

DESCENT FROM XANADU (1984) by Harold Robbins

Let's make it clear from the start: This book is a disaster. It has no redeeming qualities. I expected a trashy thriller - but I just got bored and disappointed.

It may be "educational" for aspiring writers, as an example of how not to tell a story...

The author Harold Robbins was once one of the top bestsellers in the world, with novels like THE CARPETBAGGERS - lurid tales about money, power and sex - daydreams of wordly success and excess.

Robbins tried to live as excessively as his fictional characters - and he used a lot of drugs. Incidentally, the rich protagonist in DESCENT FROM XANADU has two obsessions: finding immortality and cocaine...

Sounds like a thriller, right? Only it isn't.

Turns out the tycoon protagonist's drug habit is actually more important than becoming immortal. The plot literally stops in its tracks many times because he has to score cocaine.

The only friend (sort of) he has is his dealer. Seriously.

After a seemingly endless number of cocaine stops, the novel dimly recalls that the plot was supposed to be about a guy who tries to become immortal. It makes a mad rush for the ending, stumbles and falls flat on its face on the final page.

See, kids, this is what can happen when a writer's personal hangups are allowed to completely take over the narrative, without being questioned or challenged - creative failure.

Readers: Avoid DESCENT FROM XANADU.
Writers: Read and learn. (And stay away from cocaine! )

(If you do want a good trashy 80s read, try Jackie Collins instead.)

#haroldrobbins #descentfromxanadu #bookstagram #bookreview #bookreviews #bookcover #bookcovers #bookstagrammers #bookbloggers #reviews #books #literature #novels #thriller #1980s #jackiecollins #writing #writerslife #writinglife #authorlife #book #thecarpetbaggers #trash #badbooks #cocaine #bestsellers #bokrecension #bokrecensioner #drugs #addiction

Book review: GOOGOLPLEX by KG Johansson

GOOGOLPLEX (2010) by KG Johansson

This science fiction novel originally appeared in Swedish, but is now also available in an English translation.

GOOGOLPLEX is a tale about obsession, set in the far future. Through the use of advanced science, the protagonist tries to relive his own past... and to recreate a long-lost love.

As he struggles ever more desperately to fufill his deepest desire, he approaches the big question: What does it really mean to get what you want?

Written in plain-spoken prose, KG Johansson's novel is a meditation on human nature. I liked it!

Recommended for science fiction lovers, and for anyone who dwells too much on what could have been...

#bookstagram #bookreview #bookreviews #bookcover #bookcovers #bookstagrammers #bookbloggers #reviews #books #literature #sciencefiction #scifi #alternatehistory #paralleluniverse #kgjohansson #googolplex #multiverse #booksuggestion #booksuggestions #boktips

Boktips: SAMAEL av Jorun Modén

Jorun Modens fantasyroman SAMAEL imponerade på mig första gången den kom ut. Den var välskriven, originell och mångbottnad.

Så det är en god nyhet att den nu finns i nyutgåva på Wela Förlag.
Om du gillar Neil Gaimans böcker, är SAMAEL en roman för dig!



Fråga efter denna bok på ditt bibliotek.
(Tipstack till @jorun.moden )

#jorunmoden #jorunmodén #samael #boktips #lästips #fantastik #böcker #litteratur #boktipset #fantasyböcker #författare #svenskfantasy #neilgaiman #fantasybok #fantasyboktips #welaförlag

Bokrecension: FÖR HERR BACHMANNS BROSCHYR av Carl-Johan Vallgren

FÖR HERR BACHMANNS BROSCHYR (1998) av Carl-Johan Vallgren

Det går bra för Carl-Johan Vallgren nu (tror jag). Men i slutet av 1990-talet var han en Arg Ung Man som tyckte att kulturetablissemanget var emot honom...

...och han skrev av sig frustrationen i denna lilla bok, som nästan sprängs av ilska.

Tänk dig ett två timmar långt, oavbrutet vredesutbrott mot svensk småaktighet och Jantelag... som ändå faktiskt får dig att skratta.

(Det närmaste jag kommer på som liknar den här boken skulle vara Lars Ekborgs episka utskällning av Beppe Wolgers, men den var förhållandevis kort.)

Detta är litterär standup comedy. Överdriven? Javisst. Hysteriskt rolig? Absolut.
Rekommenderas.

(Se även, av samme författare: DEN VIDUNDERLIGA KÄRLEKENS HISTORIA.)

#carljohanvallgren #förherrbachmannsbroschyr #bokstagram #bokomslag #böcker #bokrecension #bokrecensioner #bokbloggare #bokbloggar #bokblogg #författare #recension #recensioner #boktips #lästips #humor #satir #jantelagen #litteratur #sverige #svensklitteratur

Book review: THE MACHINE STOPS by E.M. Forster

THE MACHINE STOPS (1909) by E.M. Forster

E.M. Forster (better known for novels like A PASSAGE TO INDIA) wrote THE MACHINE STOPS as a reaction/response to H.G. Wells' novel THE TIME MACHINE.

This story/novella, set in the far future, is stunningly prescient. Forster depicted a version of the Internet and social media (in 1909!), and robots that take care of all human needs.

THE MACHINE STOPS is a dystopian vision of humans becoming subservient to technology - the "Machine" of the title - and it feels relevant today. It is also well written.

Strongly recommended reading. (A Public Domain audiobook version is available on Librivox.org.)

There are several TV/movie versions of this story - for example in the classic BBC series OUT OF THE UNKNOWN, and a recent adaptation.

#emforster #themachinestops #apassagetoindia #bookstagram #bookreviews #bookreview #review #reviews #sciencefiction #scifi #classics #fiction #literature #internet #socialmedia #twitter #future #dystopia #dystopianfiction #technology

HOTET UNDER HAVET - mer bilder

Ett smakprov på mina illustrationer från KG Johanssons mellanåldersbok
HOTET UNDER HAVET : STADEN UNDER JORDEN DEL 3.

Bokserien STADEN UNDER JORDEN finns på biblioteket och säljes på Bokus.com.


#aryngve #boktips #lästips #böcker #bokstagram #bokomslag #barnböcker #ungdomsböcker #boktipset #stadenunderjorden #mellanåldersbok #boktipsbarn #illustration #illustrationer #grafiskdesign #grafiskdesigner #illustratör