Books and Music.
May. 17th, 2009 11:13 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gridloreTwo reviews for you today, devoted fans of all things me.
First up, I read Flashforward by Robert Sawyer in close to one sitting. Incredibly engaging story. Short form. On April 21, 2009, the LHC runs an experiment... and the entire world passes out for a little under two minutes. During this time, most people experience visions that are determined to be from 21 years in the future. There is soon enough evidence to suggest that what happened was an actual glimpse of the future. What really impressed me was the economy of the story. This could have been 700 pages, or yet another bloated trilogy, but instead we get well written characters, several plot lines, some action, and an acceptable resolution in under 400 pages. I think the strongest part of this novel is that it does limit itself to covering just a few lives, those of the CERN researchers at the heart of the experiment, and tells us the effects of the Flashforward through their eyes and through news items. Highly recommended, 5 penguins.
Secondly, we have Green Day's long-awaited follow up to American Idiot. 21st Century Breakdown continues the themes seen in AI and more than one commenter has stated that they believe it is the continuation of the story found on that album. You can read all of that elsewhere. So, how did it sound? Great! Not harcore punk, but an evolving, ever tighter band not afraid to experiment with their music. A few standout songs, no dogs. Well worth getting. If you're on iTunes, get the expanded edition. It includes two bonus tracks, one of which is Green Day covering The Who's A Quick One While He's Away. They nail it. 4 penguins, 5 with the Who cover.
First up, I read Flashforward by Robert Sawyer in close to one sitting. Incredibly engaging story. Short form. On April 21, 2009, the LHC runs an experiment... and the entire world passes out for a little under two minutes. During this time, most people experience visions that are determined to be from 21 years in the future. There is soon enough evidence to suggest that what happened was an actual glimpse of the future. What really impressed me was the economy of the story. This could have been 700 pages, or yet another bloated trilogy, but instead we get well written characters, several plot lines, some action, and an acceptable resolution in under 400 pages. I think the strongest part of this novel is that it does limit itself to covering just a few lives, those of the CERN researchers at the heart of the experiment, and tells us the effects of the Flashforward through their eyes and through news items. Highly recommended, 5 penguins.
Secondly, we have Green Day's long-awaited follow up to American Idiot. 21st Century Breakdown continues the themes seen in AI and more than one commenter has stated that they believe it is the continuation of the story found on that album. You can read all of that elsewhere. So, how did it sound? Great! Not harcore punk, but an evolving, ever tighter band not afraid to experiment with their music. A few standout songs, no dogs. Well worth getting. If you're on iTunes, get the expanded edition. It includes two bonus tracks, one of which is Green Day covering The Who's A Quick One While He's Away. They nail it. 4 penguins, 5 with the Who cover.
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Date: 18 May 2009 02:38 (UTC)no subject
Date: 18 May 2009 04:27 (UTC)is why he picked up the bookhe mentioned to me when we escaped into Borders after yesterday's abortive attempt at a baseball game.Edited because after two days of 35+C temperatures and a 6-hour convention staff meeting, I have NO BRAIN.
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Date: 18 May 2009 19:46 (UTC)