Jun

15

Posted by : atcampbell | On : June 15, 2004

Whole Wide World by Paul McAuley

Ten people showed up for this discussion, and one person e-mailed comments. Everyone tried to read the book, but only six finished. Of the five who thought they remembered reading the author before, most liked his previous work better. Whole Wide World is a near-future, police procedural set in London after an InfoWar. Despite the extreme right-wing government’s wide use of surveillance cameras, crime and pornography are rampant.

We found this book lacking as a science fiction and as a murder mystery. Most of us quickly became bored by the mystery. The police detective pegs the killer

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Jun

01

Posted by : atcampbell | On : June 1, 2004

Dread Empire’s Fall: The Praxis by Walter Jon Williams

Ten people attended this discussion on a hot n’ humid evening in central Austin at the home of Willie & Charles Siros. Nine people had started the book, eight finished, and eight had read WJW before.

Part one of a trilogy, The Praxis presents a galaxy of several races “at peace” after being conquered into submission by the Shaa. In place is an empire heavy with any corruption that can flourish between the lines of the Shaa’s ruling compact, the Praxis. After the last Shaa passes away, a rebellion pops up like a

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