jasonpettus

says

Michael E says

Loved your review of Stranger in a Strange Land. Was fun as well to tap into your thoughts of sci fi authors I like such as Stephenson, Bacigalupi, Mieville, and Wilson and to get introduced to McDonald.
You helped me decide as well to give more of chance to Stross, to start "The Game of Thrones" (despite like you not being a big fan of fantasy), and to avoid "Passages" and "Neverwhere".
Have been troubled like you with the bloat of recent Connie Willis ones, but I encourage you to try earlier work such as "The Bellwether" and "To Say Nothing of the Dog".
Am also hoping you will try some other Bujolds. I had missed her my decades in which sci fi makes about a quarter of my diet and "Cryoburn" got me going back to the beginning on the Vorkosigan series, which I find a delight and far from "simplistic shoot em ups". The personality of the main character is the key to my enjoyment. What I noted about "Cryoburn" applies to them all:

"The pleasure in reading the tale is in the humor, good heart, and skillful improvisations of our hero, as well as in the cast of characters caught up in his wake. All elements of the plot come off as eminently plausible, with the good guys imbued with no superhuman skills and the bad guys not rising to the level of inhumanly evil. The narrative is character driven with no bizarre science fiction surprises or deadly violent confrontations required to generate excitement."

posted 1 year ago. ( send a note )

Brian S says

Enjoyed your review of Ghostwritten.

posted 1 year ago. ( send a note )

Oubliette says

Hi, I've enjoyed reading your reviews and hope you don't mind my "following" you :)

posted 1 year ago. ( send a note )

NotBookishENuff says

I liked your Grapes of Wrath review.

posted 1 year ago. ( send a note )

Alec Johnson says

Great reviews (even/especially where I disagree wholeheartedly) - I hope you don't mind another person clicking the always-faintly-creepy 'follow' button on you.

posted 2 years ago. ( send a note )

Peter B-P says

I wanted to let you know that I was impressed by your review of "The Great Perhaps." Then I found out you do that for a living, so...more power to you!

posted 2 years ago. ( send a note )

Jennifer L says

Just read your review of The Vikings, and I had to laugh. I've been trying to get through it (I'm in Chapter 6 or thereabouts) and I find it very interesting, but I'd almost rather clean the bathroom than get back to reading it.

posted 2 years ago. ( send a note )

Ixarix says

Thanks for adding me as a friend.

posted 2 years ago. ( send a note )

Drew G says

Thank you Thank you Thank you for suggesting Platform.

posted 3 years ago. ( send a note )

Drew G says

I was looking over your bookshelf and though I am sure you have loads of books on the to-read pile, You need to take a second to look at Flicker by Theodore Roszak. It's insanely good and I am confident you will find it as enjoyable as I did. Actually I confess that should you choose to read it I greatly look forward to reading one of your in depth reviews.

posted 3 years ago. ( send a note )

Drew G says

Thanks for the advice. I have both Possibility of an Island and The Elementary Particles, both unread. I am immensely interested in the Lovecraft book but have had a very hard time finding it. It's either extremely expensive to buy or my local library system is too small (suburban New York) to have it. What I have read about it I find exciting as I am also a big Lovecraft fan. Platform sounds like the way to go. Thanks again.

posted 3 years ago. ( send a note )

Drew G says

I am hoping for your help as to where I should start with Michel Houellebecq? I have been given a few suggestions but would like to start out on the "primer" novel if possible. Any suggestions?

posted 3 years ago. ( send a note )

A. Colin Wright says

Thanks. I'm working on getting more sales, quoting your review, but it's slow!

posted 3 years ago. ( send a note )

A. Colin Wright says

Interesting review, Jason. The book, Sardinian Silver, had in fact its first draft in 1963, shortly after I left Sardinia. It was written in Reggio Calabria, in the toe of Italy, where I was teaching the following year. It went through many changes before being published finally by iUniverse in 2008.

posted 3 years ago. ( send a note )

Mark J says

Excellent reviews, keep it up. You are what the literary world needs more of.

posted 4 years ago. ( send a note )

Book-Lubber says

Is that really you in the picture? You have a Dean Martin sorta look. Very hip... Tends toward the "naughty" side...?

You Chicagoans' have a lot of action going on right now over there in the "Windy City." Exciting stuff...

posted 4 years ago. ( send a note )

Book-Lubber says

Why former novelist??

posted 4 years ago. ( send a note )

Gashlycrumb says

Your review saved me from adding "The Pesthouse" to my wishlist, but I am adding "Layover" even though I'm not a big fan of chick lit.

posted 5 years ago. ( send a note )