Degrees of Freedom, Simon Morden

Degrees of Freedom by Simon Morden is the sequel to Theories of Flight which I have enjoyed as the on-going saga of Samuil Petrovitch

Started: 7/9/2013

Completed:  7/18/2013

Recommendation: Very good

Recommended By: Nobody

Review:

Sam is at it again, saving the world (or at least the Metrozone).  Now he faces the CIA and the entire United States while trying to free Michael.  There is also an evolution in Sam's character as he becomes introspective and some of his own motives for his behaviors start to become clear to the reader as he realizes them for himself.  Most of the main characters from the previous books become bit players in this book with the possible exception of Tabletop who seems to have her own epiphanies that just sort of appear in this first person perspective story.

Theories of Flight, Simon Morden

Theories of Flight by Simon Morden is the sequel to Equations of Life which I really enjoyed.

Started: 7/3/2013

Completed: 7/8/2013

Recommendation:  Fun read.

Recommended By:  Nobody

Review:

Theories of Flight has Sam busy saving the world again.  You really, really will need to suspend your disbelief on how much damage the human body can sustain and continue to function.  In this book Sam continues to collect human detritus in the whirlwind of his activities as he furthers his studies on the Quantum Theory of Everything coupled with bringing along a new AI.  The action is quick (impossibly so) but the story is carefully thought out with seemingly meaningless encounters continuing to have a powerful influence on the actions and motivations of the main character.  The surrounding cast of characters start to become a fawning lot with only one or two characters who seem to be able to survive the maelstrom of events without becoming subsumed into Sam's super ego.  The net effect of this tightly knit story, however, is breathtaking and while one has to believe that there is only so much a swearing theoretical physicist can do, Sam continues to surprise with ingenuity and always being a step ahead.  If you are Russian, I'm fairly certain that the wild collection of swearing is likely to burn your ears, but for a non-Russian reader, well, you can assign meaning to the expletives as you see fit and meet your own level of internal comfort.

Equations of Life, Simon Morden

Equations of Life by Simon Morden is a novel of post apocolyptic London.  This novel received the 2012 Philip K. Dick Award.  I picked this up from the audio section at the library to keep me occupied during the commute.

Started:  6/19/2013

Completed:  6/25/2013

Recommendation:  A lot of fun, well worth the time

Recommended By:  Nobody

Review:

Samuel Petrovitch is a pretty annoying protagonist.  Convinced of his staggering intellect he teases the reader like a modern Sherlock Holmes.  Well, if Sherlock Holmes was not so cool.  Or polite.  Or as old.  Or a gentleman.  Or, well...look, the Sherlock Holmes analogy is probably a bit strong, but the tendency for "do now and explain later" leaves the reader fishing trying to figure out why in the world Petrovitch would go off and do some particular thing only to learn it made complete sense if one but knew the subtle detail that Sam had identified.  This isn't some kind of 60 minute mystery where the details are all laid out for you; it also isn't some kind of "here's a clue you couldn't possibly have known" book.  This is an action thriller with a computer geek as a gun toting hero.  Of course, as with any nerd novel, there are several unlikely characters--A bodyguard nun, Russian mafia Don, cop lacking the inhaler he so badly needs, and a girl.  A pretty anime type girl which is the kind that would cause any geek worth his snot to stop in his tracks and rattle off something incoherent while nervously twitching.  And, of course, Petrovitch is a self-made genius who is in his early 20s (and a loner).

The book opens with a race through the Metrozone (that is the name of the new post-apocolyptic London) and that serves to introduce you to the oddly familiar yet completely different nature of the world.  Petrovitch lives on the fringes of society and would like to keep it that way.  Then there is the girl.  And the incessant need to save the girl.  This unthinking need to save the girl drives through the book and serves as the plot line on which the more interesting things are delicately hung to be encountered as Petrovitch stumbles and swears his way through a few days of wild action.  The book, in that sense, is reminiscent of a video game where the action seems to occur in a few days without the need for normal things like a bathroom, food, or sleep (the author is kind enough to give that a nod and actually does spend a tiny amount of time on mechanics which greatly facilitates the suspension of disbelief).  By the way, if the swearing bothers you, don't worry--most of it is in Russian.  I thought that was an interesting touch and helped make Petrovitch just a little more believable.

Also, despite the tendency to believe otherwise, this is NOT a love story.  It is a geek saves the world story.  Also, kind of a Die Hard story.

For more of the backstory behind the Metrozone (and an introduction to Petrovitch who appears in a story) read Thy Kingdom Come which is a free download.  Thanks to My Bookish Ways for an interview that got me searching for the backstory.