First Publication: November 2010
Publisher: Orbit
Source: Library
Cover: Shutterstock
The 2015 Sci-Fi Experience
The holidays tend to make me reminisce and this year my thoughts returned to my youth when I make weekly trips to the county library. My family would go to town on Friday nights to do the banking, go to a couple of stores and stop at the library. My parents were not science fiction and fantasy fans but they were happy that I enjoyed reading. I would usually pick up a book or two at the town newsstand, appropriately called “The Village News”, then end up checking out a couple of books from the library. Especially in the winter, I would read a book in one or two days. Granted, the books were mostly shorter in those days.
But I digress, last week I decided to do something I have not done in ages. I checked a book out of the library. I randomly picked an aisle and scanned the shelves for something I have not read. The first book that fit the bill was “Hull Zero Three” by Greg Bear. I remember reading good reviews of it last year and I had not read any of his novels.
I started on it but the early chapters did not hold my interest. Were they well written? Yes. But sometimes a book is not a good match for a reader. My attention kept drifting to other books. “Hull Zero Three” has become the first victim of my “50 Page Rule”. Some other people I know have put in place a 50 page rule that I decided to follow. If, after 50 pages, I am not interested in the story I will stop reading it. In this case the book is 320 pages so 50 pages amounts to 16%. With literally thousands of books that I want to read or re-read, why should I spend time on one that does not appeal to me? I have six bookcases waiting for me to get to them. And that does not include the few hundred on my Kindle. Every time they run a sale, and Cyber-Monday was a big one, I pick up more to read. In addition, I would like to get a book a month from the library. I am not worried about running out of books to read like I did when I was a youth.
I plan on trying more of Greg Bear’s other works in the future. I have many of them waiting patiently for me to start. This one just did not work for me. Now, on the other hand, the book I moved on to has captured my interest. I had trouble putting it down to go to bed. But that is for a future review.
2 comments:
Sorry to hear that, but I understand. Books don't hit us all the same way. I picked this up a few years back when it was first released and got sucked right in. It was my first (and still only) experience with Bear's work and I enjoyed it very much. But it was the beginning that sucked me in, so if that didn't do it for you, this one wasn't going to suddenly get better.
I remember being fairly non-plussed by this one as well. 'Solid' is perhaps the kindest thing to say about it; it does a job in in a fairly competent manner but not much more. Which is kind of a shame, because Blood Music is genuinely excellent. Glad to hear that this experience hasn't turned you off reading him again in the future.
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