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ashurtech

ashurtech

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Distraction
Bruce Sterling
Time Reborn: From the Crisis in Physics to the Future of the Universe
Lee Smolin

A Universe from Nothing

A Universe from Nothing: Why There Is Something Rather Than Nothing - Lawrence M. Krauss, Richard Dawkins Interesting, easy to read, but probably won't convince those who have already decided the answer is 'God'. Obviously, doesn't definitively answer why there is, in fact, something rather than nothing, but does a good job of explaining space/time, inflation, anthropic principle etc in a non technical way. For a more detailed look at this kind of thing check out http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/771550.The_Cosmic_Landscape

The Exiled Blade

The Exiled Blade - Jon Courtenay Grimwood Pretty good, but I thought the conclusion was a little bit of a let down.

The Outcast Blade: Act Two of the Assassini

The Outcast Blade - Jon Courtenay Grimwood A little slow to start, but once it got going I remembered why I liked the first in the series so much.

The Age of Entanglement: When Quantum Physics Was Reborn

The Age of Entanglement: When Quantum Physics Was Reborn - Louisa Gilder A personal look at the scientists who helped to develop quantum theory & the world into which it emerged. One interesting aspect is the effect of misguided political ideology on scientific discovery, both on the part of the Nazis pre-war & the anti-soviet hysteria in the USA after.

This Explains Everything: Deep, Beautiful, and Elegant Theories of How the World Works

This Explains Everything: Deep, Beautiful, and Elegant Theories of How the World Works - John Brockman, Susan Blackmore, Rebecca Goldstein, James J. O'Donnell, Paul Steinhardt, Shing-Tung Yau, Frank Wilczek, Thomas Metzinger, Sean Carroll, Steven Pinker, Jonathan Gottschall, David G. Myers, Matt Ridley, Armand Marie Leroi, Gerd Gigerenzer, Martin J. Rees, Ri Essentially a compilation of short articles by eminent scientists & academics about their favourite deep & elegant theories. There's a lot of ground covered from physics to sociology, so there's probably something of interest for everyone.

The Grand Design

The Grand Design - Stephen Hawking, Leonard Mlodinow Well written, but a bit short on detail. Skip it if you've already read about the anthropic principle, M-theory etc, you probably won't get much out of it.

The Cosmic Landscape: String Theory and the Illusion of Intelligent Design

The Cosmic Landscape: String Theory and the Illusion of Intelligent Design - Leonard Susskind Great book, presents some pretty abstruse ideas about how the universe(s?) works in a way accessible to non-physicists.

Holy Fire

Holy Fire (Bantam Spectra Book) - Bruce Sterling A fascinating wanderjahr, exploring the effects of artificial longevity on culture, society & humanity (both post- and otherwise).

Liminal States

Liminal States - Zack Parsons Probably deserves a 3.5, it has an interesting plot & setting but is let down a little by patchy characterisation and probably could have done with a bit more editing.

Three Roads to Quantum Gravity

Three Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin Very interesting, though I would have liked a bit more detail about some of the concepts.

Alif the Unseen

Alif the Unseen - As an IT boffin, I was excited when I saw the word 'hypervisor' and then a little disappointed when the computing became increasingly nonsensical. However, geeky disappointment aside, it was a pretty great read.

Judgment of Tears:: Anno Dracula 1959

Judgment of Tears: Anno Dracula 1959 - Kim Newman A bit uneven, a bit short, but well worth reading.

Gridlinked

Gridlinked - Neal Asher Forgettable

The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos

The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos - Interesting and satisfying if you don't mind questions of the unanswered variety. That said, if you're only going to read one Brian Greene book, make it 'The Elegant Universe' instead.

The Dirty Streets of Heaven

The Dirty Streets of Heaven - Tad Williams If there is any justice in the world we'll see a Bobby Dollar vs. Sandman Slim crossover novel sometime soon.

Procession of the Dead (City Trilogy 1)

Procession of the Dead - Darren Shan, D.B. Shan While many of the characters have a valid narrative reason for their 2 dimensionality, the writing is too bland and formulaic to sustain interest. For all its faults, it has a few good ideas & it probably would have made a nice short story.

Market Forces

Market Forces - Richard K. Morgan Utterly bleak, but quite compelling. Highly recommended.