Cormac McCarthy – The Road (audiobook)

6288

Grāmatas apraksts no Goodreads/Synopsis from Goodreads:

A searing, post apocalyptic novel destined to become Cormac McCarthy’s masterpiece.

A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don’t know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food—and each other.

Izdevniecība/Publisher: Recorded Books

Kā tiku pie šīs grāmatas?/How I got this book?

Lejuplādēju no www. Izvēlējos no Top 100 Sci-Fi Books grāmatu listes.

Vērtējums/Rating: 5/5

Turpiniet lasīt

David Brin – The Postman (audiobook)

889284

Grāmatas apraksts no Goodreads/Synopsis from Goodreads:

This is the story of a lie that became the most powerful kind of truth.  A timeless novel as urgently compelling as War Day or Alas, Babylon, David Brin’s The Postman is the dramatically moving saga of a man who rekindled the spirit of America through the power of a dream, from a modern master of science fiction.

He was a survivor–a wanderer who traded tales for food and shelter in the dark and savage aftermath of a devastating war.  Fate touches him one chill winter’s day when he borrows the jacket of a long-dead postal worker to protect himself from the cold.  The old, worn uniform still has power as a symbol of hope, and with it he begins to weave his greatest tale, of a nation on the road to recovery.

Izdevniecība/Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Kā tiku pie šīs grāmatas?/How I got this book?

Lejuplādēju no www. Izvēlējos no Top 100 Sci-Fi Books grāmatu listes.

Vērtējums/Rating: 4/5

Turpiniet lasīt

Edgar Rice Burroughs – A Princess of Mars (Barsoom #1) (audiobook)

40395

Grāmatas apraksts no Goodreads/Synopsis from Goodreads:

1866 Arizona, Confederate officer John Carter, Gentleman of Virginia, forever aged 30, wakes naked on Mars. Low gravity increases his speed and strength exponentially, so he impresses green alien Thark captors with fighting, wins high rank. He frees Dejah Thoris, Princess of red men in Helium, only to lose her to the Prince of opposing red Zodanga.

Izdevniecība/Publisher: Tantor Media

Kā tiku pie šīs grāmatas?/How I got this book?

Lejuplādēju no www. Izvēlējos no Top 100 Sci-Fi Books grāmatu listes.

Vērtējums/Rating: 3.5/5

Turpiniet lasīt

Robert A. Heinlein – The Puppet Masters (audiobook)

7171856

Grāmatas apraksts no Goodreads/Synopsis from Goodreads:

First came the news that a flying saucer had landed in Iowa. Then came the announcement that the whole thing was a hoax. End of story. Case closed.

Except that two agents of the most secret intelligence agency in the U.S. government were on the scene and disappeared without reporting back. Then four more follow up agents also disappeared. So the head of the agency and his two top agents went in and managed to get out with their discovery: an invasion is underway by slug-like aliens who can touch a human and completely control his or her mind. What the humans know, they know. What the slugs want, no matter what, the human will do. And most of Iowa is already under their control.

Sam Cavanaugh was one of the agents who discovered the truth. Unfortunately, that was just before he was taken over by one of the aliens and began working for the invaders, with no will of his own. And he has just learned that a high official in the Treasury Department is now under control of the aliens. Since the Treasury Department includes the Secret Service, which safeguards the President of the United States, control of the entire nation is near at hand.

Izdevniecība/Publisher: Spectrum Literary Agency

Kā tiku pie šīs grāmatas?/How I got this book?

Lejuplādēju no www.

Vērtējums/Rating: 3.75/5

Turpiniet lasīt

Philip K. Dick – VALIS (VALIS Trilogy #1) (Audiobook)

216377

Grāmatas apraksts no Goodreads/Synopsis from Goodreads:

VALIS is the first book in Philip K. Dick’s incomparable final trio of novels (the others being The Divine Invasion and The Transmigration of Timothy Archer). This disorienting and bleakly funny work is about a schizophrenic hero named Horselover Fat; the hidden mysteries of Gnostic Christianity; and reality as revealed through a pink laser. VALIS is a theological detective story, in which God is both a missing person and the perpetrator of the ultimate crime.

Izdevniecība/Publisher: Blackstone Audio

Kā tiku pie šīs grāmatas?/How I got this book? Turpiniet lasīt

C.S. Lewis – Out of the Silent Planet (Space Trilogy #1)(audiobook)

25350

Grāmatas apraksts no Goodreads/Synopsis from Goodreads:

In the first novel of C.S. Lewis’s classic science fiction trilogy, Dr Ransom, a Cambridge academic, is abducted and taken on a spaceship to the red planet of Malacandra, which he knows as Mars. His captors are plotting to plunder the planet’s treasures and plan to offer Ransom as a sacrifice to the creatures who live there. Ransom discovers he has come from the ‘silent planet’ – Earth – whose tragic story is known throughout the universe…

Kā tiku pie šīs grāmatas?/How I got this book?

Lejuplādēju no www.

Vērtējums/Rating: 3.25/5

Mana recenzija (pārdomas)/My (thoughts) review

Akadēmiķis Elvins Ransoms pret paša gribu nonāk uz sarkanās planētas, un viņa sagūstītāji cer, ka Ransoms būs pietiekami labs upuris radījumiem, kas tur dzīvo, cerot droši vien panākt sev izdevīgu rezultātu.

Šo radījumu uzskatu sistēma un pasaules skatījums ir stipri vien atšķirīgs no cilvēkam piemītošā. Viņiem, lai gan ir sava veida ieroči, kari savā starpā (jāpiezīmē, ka ir dažādas sugas/rases) resursu vai citu iemeslu dēļ ir, kas nepazīstams, un noslepkavot ar nodomu arīdzan. Tā vietā, lai Ransoms kļūtu par viņu upuri vai otrādi, ka izmantotu viņus, viņš tos(sauc sevi par Oyarsa) iepazīst daudz tuvāk, dzīvojot viņu vidū, arī iemācoties pamatvalodu. Jāpiezīmē, ka visām saprātīgajām sugām ir viens valdnieks. Tāda kā utopiski pozitīva sabiedrības uzbūve.

Oyarsa vispār ir neparasta filozofiskā uztvere. Viņu nosaukums Marsam ir Malakandra, bet mūsu Zemi sauc par kluso planētu, par ko, ja ne ievērojama, tad nedaudz aizraujošas intrigas tā saistībā tiek radīts.

Interesants fakts šiem Oyarsa gluži kā savvaļas dzīvniekiem ir noteikts pārošanās periods. Un kāpēc gan lai tā nebūtu? Kas teicis, ka arī inteliģentām būtnēm tā nevarētu būt? Pats nebiju tā par to aiz- un iedomājies.

Vien noslēdzošajā daļā atklājas pārējo cilvēku uzskati. Viņi sevi uzskata par stipri vien labākiem un pareizākiem, jo viņu rīcībā ir tehnoloģijas, bet Oyarsa dzīvo mazās apmetnēs un salīdzinoši vienkārši, un tāpēc vien viņiem būtu jāpakļaujas.

Lai gan nebija slikts, šī triloģijas sērija nebūs pie prioritātēm to turpināt, toties vāks grāmatai ir spridzīgāks par tās saturu. Droši vien daļa atpazīst autora vārdu vairāk pēc Nārnijas hronikas, kuru gan varu droši ieteikt izlasīt, ja vēl tas nav noticis.

***************************************

An academic Elwin Ransom against his own will finds himself on the red planet and his captors hoping that Ransom will be a good enough sacrifice for the creatures that live there, and probably hoping that later it will benefit them.

The belief system and world view of these beings are majorly different from the one that we humans have. For them, although they some kind of primitive weapons, the concept of the war or even a murder is something unknown, not even for resources; I should mention that there are different intelligent species. Instead of being a victim of the situation or using the creatures (they call themselves Oyarsa), Ransom gets acquainted with them and learns their customs and also the main language. Another significant thing is that they are ruled just by one ruler. This is kind of a utopia of overly positive society’s structure.

Oyarsa has strange philosophical belief system. Their name for Mars is Malacandra but for own planet they describe as the ‘silent planet’ about which there was created a little intrigue but only little. :D

An outstanding fact for my attention was that Oyarsa has a mating season like wild animals. But if you think about it, why shouldn’t intelligent beings have only certain time to reproduce. Before the book this hadn’t even crossed my mind.

Only closer to the end we find out about thoughts of other people/Elwin’s captors. They think about themselves as much more better and smarter just because they have simpler and less sophisticated technologies, and just because of that Oyarsa should obey and succumb to them.

Although the book overall isn’t bad, this trilogy won’t be a priority to finish it any time soon, but the book’s cover is better and more interesting than what is inside it. I guess many would recognize the author better thanks to Narnia Chronicles, which I can definitely recommend to read if you haven’t already.

Greg Bear – Eon (The Way #1) (audiobook)

840278

Grāmatas apraksts no Goodreads/Synopsis from Goodreads:

The 21st century was on the brink of nuclear confrontation when the 300 kilometer-long stone flashed out of nothingness and into Earth’s orbit. NASA, NATO, and the UN sent explorers to the asteroid’s surface…and discovered marvels and mysteries to drive researchers mad.

For the Stone was from space–but perhaps not our space; it came from the future–but perhaps not our future; and within the hollowed asteroid was Thistledown. The remains of a vanished civilization. A human–English, Russian, and Chinese-speaking–civilization. Seven vast chambers containing forests, lakes, rivers, hanging cities…

And museums describing the Death; the catastrophic war that was about to occur; the horror and the long winter that would follow. But while scientists and politicians bickered about how to use the information to stop the Death, the Stone yielded a secret that made even Earth’s survival pale into insignificance.

Kā tiku pie šīs grāmatas?/How I got this book?

Lejuplādēju no www. Izvēlējos no Top 100 Sci-Fi Books grāmatu listes.

Vērtējums/Rating: 1.5/5

Mana recenzija (pārdomas)/My (thoughts) review

Debesīs ne no kurienes pēkšņi uzrodas milzīgs akmens, un lielvalstis katra sūta savus cilvēkus augšā to izpētīt. Diemžēl tā vietā, lai apvienotu spēkus un zināšanas, lai vairāk un labāk varētu izprast akmeni, savstarpējo lietu dalīšana ne vien saglabājas, bet pat eskalējas vēl tālāk.

Idejas, no kurienes akmens nācis, ir visdažādākās. Viens gan ir skaidrs, ka no nākotnes, jo vienā no septiņiem kambariem/istabām tiek atrasta bibliotēka ar izdevumiem no 2010.gada! :O Bet, vai tā ir mūsu pasaules un dimensijas nākotne? Vai jauniegūtās zināšanas jebkādā veidā ietekmēs notikumu gaitu? Iespējams, tā vietā, lai aprakstītos notikumus novērstu, savstarpējās nesaskaņas starp frakcijām tos padarīs reālākus.

Akmens tikai no ārpuses izskatās salīdzinoši ne pārāk liels, jo bez plašās bibliotēkas tas sevī slēpj arī vairākas pamestas pilsētas un ne tikai. Par nelaimi, visu sabojā septītais kambaris jeb ‘’The Way’’ un, kā tas tiek izmantots stāsta virzīšanai. Pēdējais kambaris ir kā portāls uz neaptveramajiem Visuma plašumiem. Lietu vēl trakāku padara citplanētiešu=nākotnes cilvēku un akmeņu radītāju ieviešana stāstā. Neizprotamā kārtā beigās nonākam arī Senajā Ēģiptē pie Kleopatras.

Man Eon bija pārāk politisks, īpaši jau spekulācijas par kodolkaru starp lielvarām, un kaut kā jau vairs nepārsteidz, ka PSRS vēl eksistē. Bet pārsteidza tas, ka šajā pasaulē īsais laika posms, kad var droši atgriezties ar radiāciju piesārņotā un kontaminētā vidē. Iespējams, autors iedvesmojies no Kubas raķešu krīzes.

Arī no tēliem, izņemot Patrīciju, neviens īsti neizcēlās. Ja idejas vēl labas, tad izpildījums ne tik ļoti.

***************************************

Suddenly out of nowhere in the skies appears a big Stone and each superpower sends their own team up to inspect it. Unfortunately instead of combining their power and knowledge to better explore the Stone, division and power struggle not only remains but escalates even farther.

The ideas about where the Stone has come from are many. But one thing is clear, it is from future, because in one of the chambers they find a library with texts from 2010. :O The question is, is it from our world’s and dimension’s future? Will the new information about the future events change the course of our time and evens? Perhaps instead of preventing them, the conflicts between different groups make them actually come true.

From outside the Stone looks smaller than it is because besides the big library there are also some abandoned cities and even more. Unfortunately everything is ruined by the seventh chamber and how author used it in the story. The last chamber is like a portal to the vast Universe. Everything gets even more crazy when the aliens=people from future and the creators of the Stone are introduces into the story. Plus, in some mysterious way at the end we end up in the Ancient Egypt with Cleopatra.

For me Eon was just too much political, especially the speculation about nuclear war, and it doesn’t surprise me that USSR still exists. What did surprise me was the short time after the area is contaminated by the radiation it is safe to live in those places. Maybe the author was inspired by the Cuban Missile Crisis.

From the characters the only one that stayed in mind was Patricia Luisa Vasquez. If the ideas were actually quite good, then the execution not so much.

Neal Stephenson – The Diamond Age: or, A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer (audiobook)

827

Grāmatas apraksts no Goodreads/Synopsis from Goodreads:

The Diamond Age: Or, A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer is a postcyberpunk novel by Neal Stephenson. It is to some extent a science fiction coming-of-age story, focused on a young girl named Nell, and set in a future world in which nanotechnology affects all aspects of life. The novel deals with themes of education, social class, ethnicity, and the nature of artificial intelligence.

Kā tiku pie šīs grāmatas?/How I got this book?

Lejuplādēju no www. Izvēlējos no Top 100 Sci-Fi Books grāmatu listes.

Vērtējums/Rating: 2.75/5

Mana recenzija (pārdomas)/My (thoughts) review

Lai gan sākums šķita potenciāli labs, jau apmēram no vidus grāmata sāka lejupslīdi, turklāt beigas neradīja pabeigtības sajūtu, un, ka kaut kas atrisinājumam pietrūkst.

Visvairāk ieinteresēja meitenītes Nelas piedzīvojumi, kuri lielākā daļa norit tādā kā interaktīvā pasaku grāmatā. Īpaša tā ar to, ka teksts un darbība attīstās to lasot un ir katram individuāla, kā arī šajā procesā piedalās aktieri kā citi tēli. Cik sapratu, pati Nela to neapzinās.

Šajā ziņā interesanti padomāt par virtuālajām realitātēm, bet drīzāk videospēļu aspektā, kur jau tagad tam ir labs potenciāls ar Oculus Rift, nekā grāmatu ziņā. Šaubos, vai literatūras pasaulē, kas tāds tuvākajā nākotnē varētu būt gaidāms.

Diemžēl no pārējā maz kas rūpēja. Bija sajūta, ka saliktas kopā tik daudz atšķirīgu ideju, ka kopā sanācis vien mikslis. Situāciju vēl vairāk sarežģī autora izdomātie termini un tehnoloģijas, kuras nereti netiek pienācīgi apskaidrotas.

Šī ir otrā Neal Stephenson grāmata, kuru noklausījos. Vai nu neesmu vēl atradis īstās, vai diemžēl autora stils nav man piemērots.

***************************************

Although the beginning was promising already the book started its nose-dive(?).  Plus the ending had a felt incomplete and unfinished.

The most interesting story line was about little Nell and her adventures as most of the time she interacts with her play book. The special thing is the text and action evolves as you read it and is different for everyone, also there are actors the play other characters. If I understood correctly, Nell doesn’t know that.

Considering this, good discussions could be about virtual realities but more likely thinking about video games and Oculus Rift than books. I doubt anything like that would be that soon also in literature and books.

Unfortunately the rest didn’t catch my interest that much. It seemed that bunch ideas are thrown together and what you have is just a bad mix. Everything gets even more confusing as all the new terminology and technologies are presented without much explanation.

This is the second book I have listened to by Neal Stephenson. Maybe I just haven’t found the right one or even that this author’s style isn’t for me.

Mary Shelley – Frankenstein (Audiobook)

15994485

Grāmatas apraksts no Goodreads/Synopsis from Goodreads:

Mary Shelley began writing Frankenstein when she was only eighteen. At once a Gothic thriller, a passionate romance, and a cautionary tale about the dangers of science, Frankenstein tells the story of committed science student Victor Frankenstein. Obsessed with discovering the cause of generation and life and bestowing animation upon lifeless matter, Frankenstein assembles a human being from stolen body parts but; upon bringing it to life, he recoils in horror at the creature’s hideousness. Tormented by isolation and loneliness, the once-innocent creature turns to evil and unleashes a campaign of murderous revenge against his creator, Frankenstein.

Frankenstein, an instant best-seller and an important ancestor of both the horror and science fiction genres, not only tells a terrifying story, but also raises profound, disturbing questions about the very nature of life and the place of humankind within the cosmos: What does it mean to be human? What responsibilities do we have to each other? How far can we go in tampering with Nature? In our age, filled with news of organ donation genetic engineering, and bio-terrorism, these questions are more relevant than ever.

Kā tiku pie šīs grāmatas?/How I got this book?

Lejuplādēju no www. Izvēlējos no Top 100 Sci-Fi Books grāmatu listes.

Vērtējums/Rating: 3.25/5

Mana recenzija (pārdomas)/My (thoughts) review

Beidzot saņēmos un noklausījos Frankenšteinu, pēc tam, kad bija redzēta ļoti laba teātra izrāde (mūzika vienkārši super!). Šķiet, man pagadījusies stipri saīsināta audio grāmatas versija, tāpēc, jāsaka godīgi, ka skaidrības un saprašanas par notiekošo būtu mazāka, bez jau pieminētās izrādes. Tādēļ laikam atvadīšanās no literārā Frankenšteina nesanāks, un vajadzēs šo darbu kaut kad izlasīt.

Tātad Viktors Frankenšteins tik ļoti vēlējās noskaidrot, kas ir dzīvības pamatā un atšķir mirušo no dzīvā, ka cītīgi nodevās medicīnas studēšanai un eksperimentiem. Diemžēl uzreiz pēc Radījuma atdzīvināšanas, Viktoru pārņem drausmīgas sajūtas par izdarīto un sevis radītā neglītumu, riebums pret to, bet, ko tad var gribēt, ja Radījums salikts no vairāku cilvēku ķermeņa daļām, nevis atdzīvināts viens vesels.

Protams, var ieslīgt tēmā, ka cilvēkiem nepatīk atšķirīgais un viņi nekautrējas uzbrukt tiem, kuri izceļas, izlec starp pārējiem vai ‘’normas’’, kas Radījuma gadījumā izraisa ļoti agresīvu pretreakciju. Noteikti tāda reakcija nav vienīgā iespējamā; tā vietā, lai atriebtos kādam, cits varbūt izšķirtos nodarīt pāri sev, vai pilnībā noslēgtos no apkārtējās pasaules.

Bez šaubām priekš sava laika pat ļoti labs darbs, no kura citi vēlāk smēlušies iedvesmu. Varētu pat teikt, ka Radījums ir tāds staigājošais mironis/zombijs.

***************************************

Finally I pushed myself to listen Frankenstein after I had seen the theatre play (music was fantastic!). I guess my audio book’s copy is a much shortened version of the book itself, so without seeing the mentioned play I think it would be harder for me to make sense of what did happen. Therefore I can’t say goodbye to Frankenstein yet!

So Victor Frankenstein wanted to find out what makes life and what detaches a dead thing from a living person that he dedicated himself to studying medicine and experiments. Unfortunately immediately after reviving the Creature Victor feels horribly about what he has done, the ugliness of it and feels disgusted, but what can you wish for if you put the Creature together from many human parts instead of reviving a whole person.

Of course you can discuss how people don’t like everything that’s different and that’s why they attack to those who stand out or aren’t the ‘’norm’’, which in the Creatures case creates a very aggressive opposite reaction. Definitely someone else instead of revenge might react by closing of from others and the world, or even hurting themselves.

Without doubt to its time this book is very good from which others later have inspired from. You might say that the Creature could be a living dead/zombie.

Robert A. Heinlein – The Door Into Summer (Audiobook)

348

Grāmatas apraksts no Goodreads/Synopsis from Goodreads:

It is 1970, and electronics engineer Dan Davis has finally made the invention of a lifetime: a household robot with extraordinary abilities, destined to dramatically change the landscape of everyday routine. Then, with wild success just within reach, Dan’s greedy partner and even greedier fiancée steal his work and leave him penniless, and trick him into taking the long sleep—suspended animation for thirty years.

They never imagine that the future time in which Dan awakens has a very limited form of time travel, just enough that Davis can travel back and recover his research. He then again undergoes suspended animation, and awakens again in the high-tech future of the year 2000, with his reputation, fortune, and his sweetheart.

Izdevniecība/Publisher: Blackstone Audio

Kā tiku pie šīs grāmatas?/How I got this book?

Lejuplādēju no www. Izvēlējos no Top 100 Sci-Fi Books grāmatu listes.

Vērtējums/Rating: 3.5/5

Mana recenzija (pārdomas)/My (thoughts) review

Dens Deiviss izgudro robotu, kas katrai mājsaimniece būtu kā sapņu piepildījums, bet viss saiet grīstē, kad viņu piekrāpj topošā līgava un biznesa partneris, bet vēl trakāk, ka pirms tam Dens bija viņai uzdāvinājis uzņēmuma akcijas, tā zaudējot balsu vairākumu. Kopā abi neģēļi dabū gatavu, ka Dens pārdomā un tomēr izvēlas doties 30 gadu garā miegā.

Jāatzīmē, ka 30 gadu tālā nākotne Denam ir 2000.gads. Autora iedomātajā pasaulē sastopamas tehnoloģijas, kuras pat mēs diez vai ieraudzītu pēc 30 gadiem. Tomēr, par laimi Denam, viss nav zaudēts, jo savos pirmsākumos ir patiesa ceļošana laikā, nevis vienkārši ilgāks miegs : ). Lielākais mīnuss – vēl nav iespējams kontrolēt, kurā virzienā tiksi nosūtīts, bet pluss, ir iespējams iestatīt precīzu laiku līdz nedēļai.

Bez Dena no atzīmējamiem tēliem noteikti var minēt kaķi Pītu. Kas atšķirībā no sava kolēģa grafiskajā Sāgā ir mazāks izmēros, bet vārdu apjoms gan plašāks.

Kopumā sižets labs, un pozitīvi, ka autors iztiek bez ierastajām ērmībām

***************************************

Dan Davis invents a robot that is a dream to every housewife but everything goes haywire when his fiancée and business partner cheats him not only with their relationship but also in the business. It’s even more bad because not long ago Dan gifted her some of firm’s stock and in so loosing the majority. Together both of them use dirty tricks to change Dan’s mind so he would use long sleep technology to wake up after 30 years.

I should add that when he wakes up the year is 2000, and that some technologies imagined by the author probably still won’t be around us after 30 years more. But luckily for Dan not everything is lost because the real time travel is in its beginning not just a long sleep. Only it has one big drawback, you can’t control if you’re going to end up in the future or past, but one the plus side you can choose a precise time.

Besides Dan another memorable character was a cat Pete. It’s funny that I just started Saga with another noticeable cat. Pete’s size matches a normal house cat, but his word count is a bit larger. : )

Overall the plot was good, and positively Heinlein manages to write this one without usual oddities.