Book Stack

Given that whatever limited time I have for entertainment (and then some) is now completely taken over by kid-related logistics, of course I went and got as many books as I could beforehand. As usual, here are the last three I went through, with some cursory notes:

“Transition”:ISBN:0316731072	“Jumper”:ISBN:0007275994	“Saturn’s Children”:ISBN:1841495689
★★★★	★★★	★★★★
“Transition”:ISBN:0316731072 is an enthralling book, not just by its depiction of multiple universes, but also by the way the story slowly coalesces in your mind as you move through each chapter. Although interleaving story threads is a common enough style device, the way Iain Banks makes use of it flows smoothly with the plot to hold your attention until they all come together – there’s closure, but there’s also ample opportunity for a sequel.	“Jumper”:ISBN:0007275994 is a more straightforward book, set in our world and recently turned into “a movie”:IMDB:tt0489099 I haven’t seen yet and probably never will, since the movie plot apparently has no relationship to the story whatsoever. Speaking of plot, unlikely plot twists sort of put me off, since the clichés didn’t quite compensate for the ingenious bits. It was entertaining enough to while away the time, but somehow it felt too… light.	“Saturn’s Children”:ISBN:1841495689 is another affair entirely – a strange tale of the post-human, set against a backdrop where “normal” humans have been extinct for barely long enough to their re-creation being a topic of dissent. Certainly in line with Stross’ other writing in terms of scope and imagination, it adds a little character depth beyond what one would expect and makes your imagination work overtime to keep up – which is kind of the whole point of reading Sci-Fi. Recommended.