Yes I decided to read some science fiction this month...
"Quantico" by Greg Bear is a little different from one of the killer Bs. This time he forgoes the more futuristic elements of his thinking for the very real threat of biological terrorism. He provides a chilling account of how basically high school students or berserkers of any ilk could effectively destroy civilization or fan the flames of religious fanaticism with a few mail order pieces of equipment, an ink jet printer and some patience. This is named "Quantico" after the FBI training grounds of the same name. He clearly researched the FBI and related agencies in depth and this book reveals some of the positive and negative aspects of governmental organizations. A good read. If you like it buy all of Greg's books they are well worth the time.
"The Rosetta Codex" by Richard Paul Russo was an engaging diversion. Basically the life story of the child of a major leading family who is marooned on the bad side of a planet and his susequent climb back to status while stumbling upon the mystery of dum dum dah ... the "rosetta codex." Basically it is a boy gets stranded, boy grows up, boy meets aliens kinda story. I've also read a few others by RPR and they are all well written space operas.
"Glasshouse" by Charles Stross is a dive back into the universe defined by one of my favorite CS books, Accelerando, or at least I think it is (the same universe). The book starts with a man who has just erased all that he knew, gets talked into joining an experiment to recreate a lost time in our society (the late 1900's and early 2000's), and ends up fighting a nasty virus. Charles is probably the most forward looking writer today in terms of taking this world of ours and carrying it to its logical extremes. He seems to have three modes of writing. 1 is far future (like this one), the 2nd is alternate world fantasy, and the 3rd is james bond meets the IT crowd by way of mathematically created demon portals. They are all recommended reading.
"Harm" by Brian W. Aldiss is a dark story about england becoming more aggressive with their treatment of anybody non-native born (like someone who hasn't come from 100 generations of bad food, bad teeth and silly walks). It splits between torture and a disconnected fantasy world lived out by the victim in his waking dreams. Somber stuff. Well written but not my cup of tea.
And on the not sci-fi front...
"Werewolves In Their Youth" by Michael Chabon. Having just finished his most recent novel I took a walk back into the past and read a collection of his early short stories. Not bad, a few gems. Kinda depressing in a "jeez this guy writes way too good but all his stories seem to involve a failed marriage and slightly rumpled characters" sorta way. I think I like his novels better, maybe it gives him more room to expand and get off the obvious stuff that his dreams are made of.
