I’m currently rebuilding the website as the old one got totally messed up when i was playing around with things (no idea what happened).
So i thought that while it was a total clusterfuck mess of SQL, i would take the opportunity to give it a whole new life and everything.
So if you go clicking on things you might find that very strange things happen. Don’t moan, i know a lot of things are broken, i’m working on it, it takes time.
I’ve got tons of old posts and pages from three websites that i’m working through and will be gradually posting all the stuff i want to keep on here while fixing all the broken things as i go through, one post, one page, at a time.
On top of doing all that, i will, of course, be continuing to add more new content and my latest posts will always appear directly below.
Or, if you prefer, you can also follow me on Twitter and Pinterest where i put a link to all new posts.
Enjoy
Sad Kapteyn — Alastair Reynolds
Another AI story.
This time an AI turns up around Kapteyn’s Star, a red dwarf a very long way away from Earth.
Basically the whole story is the AI’s transmission back to Earth, which i won’t go into because it would spoil the punch line at the end.
Really good. Maybe one day only the AI’s that we’ve sent out into the galaxy will be all that’s left of us, and i wonder what other species will make of them.
Next up on Alastair’s list is Wrecking Party.
Bye for now.
Alastair’s Page
#scifi #alastairreynolds
In Babelsberg — Alastair Reynolds
Available in the collection, Beyond the Aquila Rift.
Another story from Alastair featuring a genetically modified Tyrannosaurus rex, but unlike At Budokan where the T. Rex was a rock star, this time it’s a chat show host.
The main premise of the the story is that an AI, named Vincent, that’s been out mapping the solar system implanted in a space ship is now back on Earth implanted in a humanoid body doing the chat show round and other public appearances to publicise its exploits.
But another corporation had it’s own AI out and it’s just returned with some rather contradicting information from Vincent.
I do enjoy Alastair’s AI stories, they’re usually excellent.
Next up is Sad Kapteyn.
Bye for now.
Alastair’s Page
#scifi #alastairreynolds
A Map of Mercury — Alastair Reynolds
Available in Belladonna Nights and Other Stories.
A rather interesting idea exploring transhumanism in the context of living on Mercury: specifically a group of transhumanists who make art for the sake of it.
A fixer is sent to Mercury to contact one of the transhumanist artists to make them an offer, but finds something rather different than what he expected to find.
Next up in Alastair’s timeline is, In Babelsberg.
Bye for now.
Alastair’s Page
#scifi #alastairreynolds
The Lobby — Alastair Reynolds
Available in Belladonna Nights and Other Stories.
A bit of a weird one from Alastair. A couple of oddballs take some strange drug and start seeing things that may or may not be as it seems to people not on drugs.
I’m not sure what Alastair’s point is with this one.
Anyway, moving on, it’s A Map of Mercury next
Bye for now.
Alastair’s Page
#scifi #alastairreynolds
Poseidon’s Wake — Alastair Reynolds
Another super good read in this excellent trilogy, but Alastair left the ending wide open for a good follow-up story or three.
I do hope Alastair comes back to this universe, it’s a rather good place to read about and after getting to the end of this trilogy it’s rather clear that it’s a really good place for Alastair to write lots more about.
Bring it on, please, Alastair.
Next up in Alastair’s list is The Lobby.
Bye for now.
Alastair’s Page
#scifi #alastairreynolds
On the Steel Breeze — Alastair Reynolds
This is the second book in the Poseidon’s Children trilogy and a great follow on from Blue Remembered Earth.
Skipping quite a few years into the future there’s been some cloning and big ship building to take us to Crucible, the planet that Ocular discovered.
This story is mostly about the shenanigans of the first caravan of “holoships” that are well on their way, and also the shenanigans going on back in the solar system, and what good shenanigans they are too.
Super well written and totally captivating, as usual with Alastair, and a wonderful second episode in this trilogy.
Now i can’t wait to get my reading teeth into the final book in the trilogy, which is Poseidon’s Wake. Bring it on!
Bye for now.
Alastair’s Page
#scifi #alastairreynolds
Blue Remembered Earth — Alastair Reynolds
This follows on quite nicely from the future Earth setting of The Water Thief, albeit this story is about a family who made their fortune during the times of climate collapse, whereas The Water Thief is about a family dumped an all but forgotten in a climate refugee camp.
So definitely read The Water Thief before diving into this, it may give you a bit of perspective as to the what the world went through outside of the Akinya family.
But, i digress, what about this story? Well, this story is the first in a trilogy that is another of Alastair’s super long narrations that he so wonderfully excels at.
The matriarch of the family dies and the family is set spinning down a trail of clues left behind by said matriarch, all while tearing itself apart along old lines of enmity.
And it’s a great paperchase of clues.
Slow starting, but stick with it, you’ll be well rewarded.
And now i’m diving straight into the second book of this trilogy, On the Steel Breeze.
Bye for now.
Alastair’s Page
#scifi #alastairreynolds
The Water Thief — Alastair Reynolds
Available in the collection, Beyond the Aquila Rift.
An interesting look at the post climate apocalyptic future, that we’re now facing, when people have been moved into massive refugee camps because the earth is in such a bad state. Work is scarce and only available through a VR kind of thing. This story is about one of these VR workers in a camp.
In a way this is a good little forerunner for Blue Remembered Earth, which feels like its set further into the future that’s described in this story. Only difference is that Blue Remembered Earth is centred around a wealthy corporate family who made their fortune out of the apocalypse (let’s face it, a lot of people are going to get very wealthy out of it).
Anyway, a good little story that’ll get you in the mood for Blue Remembered Earth.
This is the last of Alastair’s shorts, for now. Next up, we’re diving back into the long stuff with the aforementioned, Blue Remembered Earth.
Bye for now.
Alastair’s Page
#scifi #alastairreynolds
Trauma Pod — Alastair Reynolds
Available in the collection, Beyond the Aquila Rift.
A soldier gets injured on a battlefield and is rescued by a medical robot and placed in a trauma pod, but things aren’t quite as they might seem.
Is this the future of medical care, with AI treating us in pods? Probably. I think this story gives us some of Alastair’s thoughts on the matter.
Brilliant!
Next up from Alastair is The Water Thief.
Bye for now.
Alastair’s Page
#scifi #alastairreynolds
Vainglory — Alastair Reynolds
Available in the collection, Beyond the Aquila Rift and the anthology Edge of Infinity.
In the future, when we have space travel all over the solar system, there might be some sculptors who decide to carve asteroids and other things in space and leave them floating around as works of art for other space travellers to look upon.
This story involves one such artist and probably the greatest work of a rock carver that ever was, or maybe will ever be: and do they want the fame/infamy due them because of it.
Super good, Alastair’s imagination at its best. I really enjoyed this wonderful idea of future artists.
Next up from Alastair is Trauma Pod.
Bye for now.
Alastair’s Page
#scifi #alastairreynolds
Fiction
. . .me thinks it’s a good time to re-read Asimov.
Fiction
Nonfiction
Nonfiction
