Off the Ocean Floor and Into Outer Space

Blindsight by Peter Watts

After thousands of tiny satellites bombard Earth's atmosphere in a flash of light, a small team is sent to make first contact. But this team is unlike any I have read before--a linguist with multiple personality disorder, a pacifist soldier, a vampire captain, and a lobotomized Synthesist protagonist.

My review: A favorite pastime while working in the information desk at Barnes and Noble is to see if your favorite authors are coming out with anything new. I was delighted to find out that Peter Watts the author of one of my favorite spooky series (Starfish, Maelstrom, and Behemoth I & II) was coming out with a new book. AND it featured a vampire.

I very, very rarely re-read anything. Once you have experienced a story line once what's the point of revisiting it? I have read this book three times and quite frankly love it.

Watts deftly explores consciousness, sentience, and intelligence in this hard science fiction novel. Watts has a PhD in marine biology and his background serves him well. He also has an interesting take on vampires. Watts has a PhD in marine biology and his background serves him well.

PW's book is philosophical and dense, but you don't have to be to read it. Before or while reading Blindsight, it would behoove you to be familiar with consciousness studies, Thomas Nagel's article "What is it Like to be a Bat?" and the p-zombie.

Many of the negative reviews on amazon mention that the protagonist is inaccessible and that they can't relate to protagonist, but you aren't supposed to. that's the genius of the book. not all protagonists are likable. Did you like Rodion Raskolnikov? Huh? Did you? No! Of course not. And you weren't meant to enjoy him and yet C&P rocks.

I also enjoy following Peter Watt's blog as well. You can find it here .

aha! Comments are activated now!

I wasn't able to leave a comment, so I switched them to a pop up window. Hope that helps anyone else who thought their computer just wasn't interested in my say...

a book I put down and din't pick back up...

I really love Charlie Huston, his mystery and fantasy books have never disappointed before, but Sleepless didn't hold onto my attention. It's an apocalyptic story about an insomnia pandemic that involves gaming (cause no one sleeps, they just stay up playing), drug companies and police. I don't think it's the story's fault that I zoned out... it's well written. I feel like a kid who tried to hang out with the older, cooler kids but was totally in over my head.

Coming this Tues...

Yeah! Christopher Moore, wacky but gifted writer, comes out with Bite Me, his third novel of the undead this Tues. Looking forward to it, knowing he loves poking fun at pop culture, so, Mrs. Meyer, gird your loins! ;)

His first in this series was Blood Sucking Fiends, my favorite part was the practice of Turkey Bowling... what late night grocery personnel do on the freshly waxed aisles.

He recycles characters, too, so if you've read his other stories you'll recognize characters.

Others by him I really liked...

• Fool (retelling of King Lear)
• Lamb, the gospel of Biff, Christ's childhood friend
• A Dirty Job (about the Grim Reaper)
• and Fluke (too weird to sum up!)
  

Next book...

Another urban fantasy to feed the habit...

I do like that Rob Thurman wrote as a guy, but she's a she (Robyn). Her main characters are 2 brothers that watch out for each other, and very little romancing on either's parts... they're too busy trying to stay alive. I appreciate that in a fantasy.

Her take on elves is great, they're just the meanest, cruelest, bad asses that no one else wants to even come within a hundred miles of... and her main character is half elvish (Cal... short for Caliban).

She's a really good storyteller, I feel much less guilty recommending her series (Nightlife is the first).

Book that I just "snorted"

Ok, some books I read... some books I devour... then there are the books I snort in lines on a disco mirror with a rolled up hundred dollar bill.

These are not the best books for my mind and soul, but I'm addicted to them. And like most recreational drug users, I have preferred poisons.

Karen Chance is pretty much in the opiate family.

Her world is like Harry Potter after hours: mages, vampires, and fey all knocking around modern time among nonsuspecting muggles. This series focuses on a dhampire who moonlights as a vampire assassin and bounty hunter (her MO is to take the head of a vampire in for questioning... just the head, mind you). She also has fun psychotic episodes where she kills everything in sight whether she meant to or not. And she smokes pot. What's not to love?!

Her other series focuses on a time traveling character and her relationship with a vampire, and that's probably my fave series still, but Dorina is fun... Very droll sense of humor and I love fight scenes and she gets into more of them.

What I just Read...

I finally got back to some good ole "hard" sci fi... unfiltered and not a damn vampire in sight!

I've read Kay Kenyon before, and frankly wasn't blown away. In my former sci fi book club we read one of hers and it was kinda "Days of our Lives" but on another planet.

This book kicked ass! It's build up at the end had me reading standing up, cause I was all, "Oh, no.... Oh, noooooooooo you don't, you didn't! You DID!"

It's set in the future (shocker), about scientist that stumble on an adjacent universe ruled by long lived alien and humanoid beings where the sky is a sea of light they call "the Bright" and it's their energy source and travel network... pretty impressive world building on the author's part.

The story telling was superb with snatches of memories and foreshadowing, and interesting alien beings, not all of whom are humanoid or even biped.

It's a series and I ordered the next two and a fourth book came out this year in hardback. Very eager to keep reading.

What I'm reading now...

Oh. My. Jupiter. This book is so freaking good. It's hysterical! Imagine if all the gods were scrambling around today on facebook and twitter trying to get followers! It's like Neil Gaiman's American Gods but with a whole lot more laughs - and it's very smart.

I read Monster by Martnez, too, and was impressed. That book's about a sort of preternatural exterminator, but his writing is very circular and pretty complex despite the hilarity.

This is a hardback, no biggie for someone who can book loan it from work, but I like it so much at this point, it just may have to be mine.

Jeff Jones, see if Kendel can get it, at first glance I wasn't sure.

Testing... testing!

Hey, if you're checking out the email you were sent, it's to be an "author" here and recommend books that you like and think are worth a damn... I mean "blog" (I will email you later to explain!)