Books

There was a video game called "The Witcher" (see my writeup) that was fun and thought provoking.  I didn't play through "The Witcher 2," but I saw the trailer for "The Witcher 3" and my interest was rekindled.  I decided to read the books that the video games were based on.  They were great!  They are about Geralt of Rivia, a witcher (mutant monster fighter) in a European folklore fantasy setting.

Vonnegut claims that "God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater" is a novel about people whose leading character is money. The protagonist, Eliot Rosewater, has inherited millions of dollars (earned from robber baron ancestors) in a charitable foundation used as a tax shelter. He, however, uses it as an actual charitable foundation. His father thinks he's crazy for giving away money; a lawyer and a cousin want to prove he's crazy to get his money; his wife doesn't think he's crazy, but can't stand it in any case.

"Shards of Honor" is interesting, but rough.

The book is about Commander Cordelia Naismith in a time of war in a galaxy far, far away.  It's science fiction, but the plot doesn't center around technology at all -- it would be a relatively minor rewrite to make it happen in a world more like our own.  The focus is on emotion and politics.

Suppose you have a generation of kids who don't know much about civil liberties or programming, and you want them to be excited about security technology, journalism, and the American constitution.  Take a 17 year old hacker for a protagonist, pit him against an overbearing Department of Homeland Security, talk about the history of San Francisco and some social movements, throw in a little romance, and you get "Little Brother."

'"Alloy of Law" follows up about 300 years after the events of the Mistborn trilogy.  I enjoyed it overall.  It's a much quicker read than the previous Mistborn books, it's less philosophical, and it's more focused.  

It still has interesting tidbits, though.  One exchange discusses trust:

Mistborn is a trilogy by Brandon Sanderson, and I really enjoyed it. There are several compelling protagonists in each book, plenty of philosophical questions, and an interesting world.

The setting is a broken world. Ash rains from the sky, mists shroud the world at night, and a tyrant of a thousand years subjugates some people and controls others. Throw in a group of rebels who can burn metals to use magical powers, and we have our premise!

I haven't seen Blade Runner, but "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" is the book on which the movie is based. The protagonist's job is to hunt androids that seem very much like humans.

"Tehanu" steps back from the series' focus on epic journeys and instead focuses on Tenar and her place in the world.

"The Daylight War" is my favorite novel yet by Peter V. Brett, and it's one of the best fantasy novels that I've read. It describes how, after the events of "The Desert Spear," Arlen and Jardir prepare for the coming new moon.

The rest of this review will not contain spoilers about "The Daylight War" (though it will describe plenty of broad trends and things that you learn very early on), but it will assume that you have read the previous two books and spoil those.

The Wizard of Earthsea series is heavily influenced by nonwestern philosophy, so I wasn't expecting to see an existentialist novel by Le Guin. I enjoyed it.