Whistler's Bones is a sprawling frontier adventure that tells the story of an absolute nugget of Australian history, Charlie Gaunt. Gaunt's adventures take him through a number of significant events in Australian and world history - a veritable Forrest Gump of his times. The book is a great read, and I think one of the author's finest.
The story of Gaunt, a real-life historical figure, represents a largely untapped vein although many of the people wrapped around that vein, including the Duracks and Nat Buchanan, are better known. As a young teen, Charlie Gaunt leaves his family and life in 1880s Bendigo to find what sort of life he can make for himself armed with little more than some potential as a horseman. Thus begins the story that takes him across Australia, and across the world.
The strength of this novel for me, aside from the enthralling story telling, lay with the unfiltered retelling of Gaunt's story. Although an interesting and intriguing character, he is abundantly flawed. Some of his actions are indefensible and deplorable. In Gaunt, Whistler's Bones delivers a boy-to-man character we can at times admire, at times sympathise with and at times despise.
The author's decision to focus primarily on Gaunt's early manhood, and retell the rest of his story in brief, underpins the fondest memories and greatest regrets that would stay with Gaunt for life. In resisting the temptation to lionise Gaunt and turn him into a champion of causes and rights that exist now but didn't then, Barron provides a near-as-possible to accurate rendering of the man and his times. And while I'm sure the author is uncomfortable with the terms used and attitudes towards aboriginal Australians at the time, they are present in the book in unvarnished detail because to modify them would be revisionism.
Having grown up in Goulburn and being educated at St Pat's, the story of the Durack family and their epic cattle drive across to the Kimberleys was known to me, but I have to admit not in such detail or breadth. Whistler's Bones is a worthy addition to Australian literature and is deserving of being included in Australian school curricula where Gaunt's choices, the treatment of indigenous Australians and frontier life in Australian would provoke informative discussions and perhaps a desire to read more of this era and better understand it. This painstakingly researched book has certainly sent me in that direction.
I've read a number of Greg's books, but enjoyed this the most. Barron is a fine author at the peak of his powers telling stories he is passionate about. Five stars.
It is the first part of a trilogy that picks up shortly after return of the Jedi and which fills in some of the gaps between that trilogy and The Force Awakens - first part of the third Star Wars trilogy.
The format is similar to the Return of the Jedi film - multiple strands that progressively quicken and come together in the end - and it introduces new characters on both sides of the republic/empire rift.
What I especially liked were the "interludes" that were essentially "meanwhile, elsewhere in the star wars universe" segments Through these we see what Leia, Han, Chewie, Mon Mothma and others are doing and even though that don't relate specifically to the central story, presumably these interludes will come together by book three.
The style is fun and Chuck Wendig seems to have slotted in nicely in picking up the tone used by Star Wars Universe writers. If you're a long time Star Wars fan, give it a crack. It's part of the new canon, so this series may well give some hints of what's to come. 3.5 stars.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, which is probably no huge surprise as a card-carrying Springsteen fan-boy.
Obviously I enjoyed finding out more about Bruce Springsteen, but I was also impressed by his writing technique. It's colourful and even poetic in places and Bruce really loves a comma. Why stop at one synonym when a shopping list of ten more can nail what you're striving to say that much better.
This autobiography not only seeks to provide a historical rendering of the Bruce Springsteen story but also an in depth analysis of his own psyche complete with revelations about the extent of his personal depression and his fears of following his father into more pronounced mental illness.
Having read the Peter Ames Carlin biography, some of the subject matter was already known to me but the two definitely aren't different gospels of the same story. Some matters that appear important don't exist in the other and (on a small number of occasions, such as the discussion of why he didn't appear at Woodstock, versions of the Bruce story differ significantly.
Fanboys will discover that Bruce had a lot of bands, a lot of girlfriends and a lot of houses. So many of each it can be hard to keep track.
On a strictly writing level, I found the introspective moments concerning what he was trying to achieve with music and hi life... or those about battling his inner demons... though artfully described were sometimes overly handled and overcooked until the point he started to make is lost in florid, if mostly impressive prose.
And in each case, he would return to those themes a number of times which had the effect of strengthening the points he was making but diluted the impact of what might otherwise have been poignant, definitive moments of storytelling.
In terms of content, I was already prepared to discover that Bruce, by his own admission in this (and that other biography... and maybe in others as well) was frequently self absorbed, a control freak, egotistical, prone to fits of anger, often disloyal to girlfriends (and even a wife... and, you could argue, to the E Street Band) and a perfectionist. He doesn't shy from these admissions in his attempts at being a truly honest, self-exposing artist. Will Carlin in his book nominated times Bruce had struck a girlfriend, this book doesn't describe that event but gives plenty of instances of behaviour that he agrees was boorish or plain unacceptable.
So it's MOSTLY a warts and all book, and despite the long list of flaws his most enduring positive traits are also on display... long term friendships, generosity and willingness to look inward among them. I admired his honesty in admitting he took up with Patti Scialfa while still married to Julianne Phillips, although not the act itself. I was however disappointed with the ease with which he cut the E Street Band adrift and then call them back together. But as Max Weinberg has said elsewhere, referring to the fact it's Bruce's band, "we're not the Beatles here."
Bruce makes no bones about it. He believed from early on, after stints with failed band democracies, that the only way to keep a band together was with a clear band leader who offered a benign dictatorship with clear rules. It was always his vision that came first, but he admits a great debt to his band mates without whom he agrees there would've been no BOSS.
In some ways it's a little like reading about John F Kennedy, such an inspirational man to many, but whose failings and foibles did much to undercut his legacy. Springsteen the artist stands in this book bare, admitting all of the faults he can see and saying to the public, this is it. It's who he is. The whole enchilada. And Springsteen the writer delivers the story in very engaging style.
They say you shouldn't meet your heroes. Through this book, I've met him a little more closely (and in 7 days will meet him much more closely in concert), and he remains a musical hero. A rock and rolling folk philosopher whose impact on me remains undiminished and accounts of his demons only serve to make the bond stronger.
Not a bad read. There are enough good science fiction concepts and questions - such as how do you communicate across a spread out fleet when relativistic speeds affect and delay communications; also the use of a .1 speed of light speed limit is a clever way to ensure there's no time dilation upon the fleets return to home.
Beyond that, the main character's incredibly overstated self doubt, the overuse of the co-president's questioning of his every move and the baffling formation descriptions that, even when provided, didn't help me with a mental picture - each reduced the enjoyment of a fun and intriguing bit of space opera. I'll probably try the next in the series but there'd need to be a lot less introspection and a bit more plot and character development to hold me beyond that.
Great story (and at 112 pages, a very quick read). I first ran into Ursula Le Guin back at school when I read the Earthsea Trilogy which was a showcase for her mastery of world building. Rocannon's World was her first novel and that world-building skill was already evident.
Protagonist Rocannon is a geographic surveyor putting together key details of all of the planets he visits... break down of types of sentient life forms, levels of intelligence, geographic specificities etc. He'd slot right into Star Trek's reconnaissance services or Hari Seldon's Encyclopedia Galactica.
He provides assistance to one particular world and then, thanks to time dilation from near-light-speed travel, visits them some decades later (only a handful of his own years) to find they're in need of his help from other races who DON'T respect Trek's Prime Directive.
I'll stop there... no spoilers... but it's a very clever story that effortlessly crosses over between sci-fi and fantasy with the life forms on said world analogous to several fantasy tropes.
The best science fiction stories ask "what if" questions and shows us worlds we have barely imagined. Le Guin, a bona fide grand master of science fiction, delivers in spades... weaving time dilation into the plot (one of the first stories to do so) and even inventing the "ansible" device which many subsequent SF writers have borrowed.
Rocannon's World was followed by another eight loosely-connected novels in the Hainish Cycle (including the award winning Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed) in addition to a bunch of short stories, so this is the perfect place to start. You can buy the first three novels in an omnibus edition - World's of Exile and Illusion. So do yourself a favour.
This is the first Cliff Hardy yarn I've read since my late teens/early twenties. The first time I went on an adventure with the private detective I was not long out of school and living in Sydney and it was the first time I'd read a book where the landscapes, streets and points of interest were all local. I clearly remember Cliff pelting down Anzac Parade trying to lose someone following him, and in my mind I was urging him to turn into High Street (where I lived in 84)... and he did. There's something engaging about finally reading a yarn where the addresses helped paint the picture unlike exotic but unfamiliar backdrops like Hollywood Boulevarde and Route 66 that I'd never seen and didn't help me picture a thing. So picking up another Cliff Hardy yarn - which I read entirely on a smartphone - was a bit of a walk down memory lane (another street address I'm familiar with).
Author Peter Corris is a bit minimalist on scene setting and character building but that works just fine for this world weary, ambivalent Aussie gumshoe. This yarn is a good one... short and direct with a plot and subplot that more or less come together in the end. The lead character is a former soldier and former insurance investigator and a half-decent fighter who seems to lose more fights than he wins. But the Harbour city, and the Harbour and Harbour Bridge, are characters themselves. And just what could tie together relatives of the original bridge makers? Corris' descriptions of parts of Sydney that Hardy visits aren't elaborate and the author probably relies a little too much on the readers ability to bring their own memories and knowledge of the areas to the table. But it's a good Aussie yarn and a good whodunnit.
In short, I want to get back into reading the adventures of Cliff Hardy. This one was first published in 1991 and there's a sizeable queue of other Cliff Hardy's waiting to be read. Unfortunately goodreads doesn't let us do half stars in our star ratings or I'd give this a solid 3.5 (or 7 on the ten scale) but have rounded down to fit the available stars.
They say you shouldn't meet your heroes, and that's one of the reasons I put off reading this Bruce Springsteen biography for a while. At the time it was printed in 2012, it was one of the first semi-authorised biographies about "the Boss". While it makes it clear that it isn't authorised in the sense of being commissioned by Bruce and co., it features comments and details from Bruce, most of his family members (except wife, Patti) all of the E Street Band, many former band member and all key management and production staff. Bruce's advice to the author is to write the truth... and that appears to be what he has done.
The book definitely doesn't fudge or hide Springsteen's flaws. At times he is shown to be selfish, brooding, self absorbed and controlling... it even has accounts of times when he raises not only his voice, but a hand to a former girlfriend. But the book also recounts tails of Bruce's generosity, loyalty, idealism and self-doubt. We hear about the people he has stood by through thick and thin, and some that he parted with seemingly at a whim (and then frequently re-invited them into his circle).
Is it warts and all? Who knows... maybe it skipped a few warts. But with multiple views provided of most events and incidents in the book it seems like a thorough attempt at triangualting the truth. The Bruce shown in this book is one who was emotionally stalled by the almost loveless relationship with his dad in his youth through to his early 20s (spoiler alert... it gets better) and who finds a way to deal with the many binary contradictions inside of him through therapy in later adulthood.
The author has built the story around key moments with more detail of the first half of Bruce's career than the latter, but functionally that works. It's where the most of the dramatic developments lie. Bruce's own autobiographt comes out in September this year, and this book (one of MANY Bruce biographies) is a pretty good ounterpoint to compare and contrast with. Personally I would have called it "Darkness on the edge of Bruce"... but it's a great read, especially if you're a fan boy like me, and discovering his flaws didn't in the end change my status as a fan.
End of an Era is a novel variation on a time travel yarn (although I guess every time travel yarn is a novel variation). Thanks to a vaguely described scientific principle and an even more vaguly described time travel macine, the central characters are thrown back 60 something million years to the Mesozoic period, complete with Tyrannosaurs, Triceratops, Brontosauruses et al. But when they get there, things are a bit different than history (or pre-history) had led them to believe. SLIGHT SPOILER: The dinosaurs may have had compay before our visitors.
This is the first Robert J Sawyer book I'd read. It's fairly short and reads like an extended short story. Like Asimov, he likes to get straight into the storytelling without a lot of character development or scene setting. After reading some lenghty yarns recently, I enjoyed the change of pace but it also limits the attachment you develop to the characters and therefore the story. It's a great "what if" with some clever scientific theories and a clever twist. I'm keen to read more by this author now. I'd give it three and half stars if the system allowed, but three stars since it doesn't.
Hmmmm.... a lot to say about this book. I didn't hate it, actually enjoyed it to an extent, but the book was burdened by two very powerful flaws. Firstly, it's a shameless copy of so many Tolkien elements and characters (which the author admits he was heavily influenced by). Secondly, the overuse of adjectives and descriptors, and frequent recapping inner monologs and introspection, combine to pad out this book so much it's at times a turgid chore to push through.
In terms of copying (homage?), there's Shea (Frodo/Bilbo), Sam (Flick), Allanon (Gandalf), Menion Leah (Aragorn), Balinor (Boromir), Stenmin (Grima), Hendel (Gimil), Eventine (Elrond), Skull bearers (Ringwraiths), Gnomes (orcs), Brona (Sauron), the Ring (the Sword) and a company (fellowship) of other humans, elves and dwarves to get the two main heroes from A to B.
At least Panamon Creel is original... unless you've seen the Prisoner of Zelda.
Having said that, Brooks takes the story in a number of new directions so that even Tolkien purists who think this is a dead set photocopy get a new adventure. Also (SPOILER ALERT), the author has set this story some thousand years into the future of our very own real life world in a post-apocalyptic Earth where Humans evolved into a range of species... Gnomes, Dwarves, Trolls, Druids (smart humans), and bog-ordinary humans. Elves had been here all along in hiding (who knew).
This is one of the author's first books and since he's knocked out 25 Shannara books now, presumably he has refined the somewhat bloated story telling he uses here. Brooks is revered by many in Fantasy fandom, but for mine this lacks the inventiveness and tight plotting of Raymond E Feist or the political intrigue and cleverness of George R R Martin.
So back to where I started. It's not a bad book and is mostly enjoyable, it just isn't terribly original and a bit prolix. Apparently the series gets better, more restrained and more original. You just may have to work to get to that point.
Very much enjoyed this first book in the series. The premise... there are millions of outher universes almost identical to ours (except only ours contains human life with all of it's trappings like buildings and technology), and if you know how, all you have to do is just "step" sideways to enter them. It also means, however, that people could step sideways near (for instance) parliament house, or ANYONE'S house, walk a few meters and "step" back into a private or secure area.
It contains enough clever sillyness to remind you that Terry Pratchett is involved and enough mind-opening, jaw-dropping concepts to remind you that Stephen Baxter was in the mix too. I haven't read any of Pratchett's stuff before - not to self, must fix that - but have read Baxter's Manifold series and loved it so this sounded worth the try. And it was.
The pairing of Pratchett (known predominantly for quirky fantasy) and Baxter (hard science fiction) might sound a bit odd but it works. I can't guarantee who wrote which bits but when you find a piece of implausiably logic or a dad joke passed off as a credible idea, I'm blaming Pratchett.
The thing that kept me readiung was finding out just what they'd find out in the most distant Earths and I liked it the idea that some species were running away from what was down towards the end of the line although I'm still a bit iffy about what they actually find. I assume the sequels will follow through with more info and I'm keen to see where it finishes up.
I enjoyed looking back at this book after many years. The device of having the initial cause of blindness (the comet, or whatever it was) and the subsequent danger of Triffids still seems clever, but despite the scifi danger of "the other" the book is more about exploring what we would do and how we'd survive if the fabric of civilisation breaks down. It's still a good examination of the sociological impact of these changes and adjusting to a world where much expertise, resource abilability and technology has been lost.
I found the dialog, especially between Bill and Josella, to fall somewhere between stilted and unlikely and I can't remember a book that inlcuded so many cigarette breaks. Sure, it was dialog of its time, but other works of the time have much more believable portrayals of relationships and crisper dialog. Also, Bill's single-minded determination to find Josella didn't gel with the short period of time they were initially together and his avowed status as an independent man without ties, but then it's not a book to read for it's relationships.
It was a very fresh take on response to a post-apocalyptic life. The ideas are clever and it does examine a number of different variants of how communities / groups / societies could reorient themselves. It probably deserves more than 3 stars, but the dialog and jerky movement from plotpoint to plotpoint pull it up. I did enjoy it though - 3.5 stars for mine (rounded up because goodreads doesn't do half stars).
After reading a bunch of PKD short stories before, it was enlightening to finally read one of his novels. There are few better "Ideas men" than PKD... A term he coined in this book by the way. His stories pose some of science fictions best "what if" scenarios, and that's probably why Hollywood is currently in love with him (Blade Runner, Adjustment Bureau, Next, Screamers, A Scanner Darkly, Paycheck, Minority Report And Total Recall are only half the movies made from his stories). Having said that, while he gets 10 out of 10 for concepts and plots, he doesn't always deserve top marks for story telling, dialogue and character development.
The Penultimate Truth is another dystopian yarn and is typically chock full of ideas and a clever plot. What if humanity was forced below ground to survive a nuclear war on the Earth's surface, but the whole thing ended many years ago and was being kept up as a sham with those below none the wiser? How was the lie perpetuated? And why, and who gains? Plot twists abound, and it's an engaging read. Without offering too many spoilers, he predicts voice recognition computers, CGI, and even The Transformers even though this was written 51 years ago.
One major flaw in this novel is PKD's penchant for drip feeding details about the technology and terminology he is describing. Normally that slow reveal exposition might be subtle storytelling but when understanding what the objects and processes he is talking about is crucial to understanding the novel, it just stalls comprehension and slows the reading.
Since some of his tech predictions have been superseded you can get bogged down in his prediction skills, but his themes ... Of trusting bureaucracy, the abuse of power, believing everything we are told and the heavy use of spin by governments in assembling a narrative... Are compelling and have echoes of 1984.
The ending is frustrating and the last chapter seemed as if the author wasn't entirely sure how to wrap it up (or Stephen King Syndrome as I prefer to call it). The time shift elements seemed unnecessary and I sufficiently explained and the conclusion left a lot of questions that weren't simply clever points to ponder. I'd prefer to give it a 3.5 star rating due to some of those flaws but if I have to choose between 3 and 4, I'll go with 4 for sheer invention and story cleverness.
Wednesday night Sydney saw a man once referred to as the future of rock and roll, and some forty years after Jon Landau wrote that now-famous line about Bruce Springsteen, the Boss is still setting the pace for others to follow.
Age has not wearied him, nor the legendary E Street Band who combined for a powerhouse performance that left fans yelling out for more (even after his customary three hour show) in a musical marathon not equalled by many younger leading acts.
And it was a performance crafted especially for Australia.
Outside drenching rain continued to fall on Homebush before and during the show, but it didn’t dampen the spirits of the thousands of fans who’d queued for hours to see Bruce for his one-night-only Sydney concert.
"I saw rock and roll future and its name is Bruce Springsteen,"
Jon Landau, March 22, 1974
The band took to the stage just before 8pm and kicked things off with Friday On My Mind… and straight away he owned the room. It was an inspired choice. The Easybeats classic was the first Aussie rock song to break it big in the UK and US, and was rated by APRA as the greatest Australian rock song of all time.
Next up was a seamless segue into Out In The Streets, a song which contains the lyrics “I’ve already got Friday on my mind.” Was it inspired by the Oz classic? Who knows, but it fit like a glove.
Now the show was picking up pace. Cadillac Ranch, a great rocker from The River, is next from a sign request and then tour favourite High Hopes, an adopted Aussie song given it was recorded in Australia, and Tom Morello's hectic and almost acrobatic guitar work stole the show.
From an honorary Aussie song, to the real deal… the Saints classic Just Like Fire Would. Stevie van Zandt, so much a part of not only the E Street Band but of Bruce’s youth, missed last year’s tour due to a conflicting filming schedule but wound back the clock as he shared the mic with Bruce like a couple of teenagers goofing off and embracing the moment.
Then it was Spirit in the Night, a song that Bruce traditionally uses to ask the audience: “Can you feel the spirit?”, although for Sydney it was modified with a unique toilet inspired intro. Only in Australia.
So we’re six songs in, and already the concert has stamped itself as an original, and not a carbon copy of anything he’s done before.
And then… AND THEN…. he announces he’s playing the entire Darkness On The Edge Of Town album from start to finish. That album is rated by Bruce purists as one of his two greatest albums (Born to Run being the other) and rated by many other rock and roll fans as one of the greatest of all time. It would be interesting to get an opinion on that from Glenn A Baker who was also at the concert.
This was the first time Darkness would be played in full in Australia, and indeed the first time Bruce had played ANY album from start to finish in Sydney.
The album runs through a gamut of moods and tempos … from the haunting melody and lyrics of Something In The Night and Racing In The Street, to the angst of Adam Raised a Cain, the pumping rock of Badlands, Candy’s Room and The Promised Land and the frustration and mixed emotions of Factory, Streets of Fire, Prove It All Night and Darkness on the Edge of Town. Racing in the Street has never sounded better.
As you’d expect, Bruce and the E Street Band belted out the album, but they weren’t alone as fans of all ages joined in on every lyric. Sweaty and seemingly spent, original members of the band who’d performed on the original album linked hands at the front and took a curtain call as sweaty and spent fans, unofficial backing singers in the E Street Band, cheered and hooted in response.
That album, and indeed the whole concert showcased the talent of the ever-growing E Street Band. In particular, when you have Bruce, Tom Morello, Nils Lofgren and Stevie van Zandt all tearing into their guitars you realise this is a band with FOUR lead guitarists, all of them grand-masters, all of them at the peak of their game.
So they played the album all the way through, and it was amazing, but the concert was just hitting the halfway mark.
Jumping across albums and eras, next we were treated to Darlington County, Shackled and Drawn (with Cindy Mizelle wailing up a storm in backing vocals), Waiting On A Sunny Day (complete with an impossibly cute little girl who nervously whispered her way through the chorus alongside Bruce to massive applause), and then it was time for the song new fans had come for, and old fans had loved for years, The Ghost Of Tom Joad. This version blended not only the vocal and guitar talents of Springsteen and Morello, but also the versions recorded by Rage Against the Machine and Bruce. Again, Morello’s insane guitar work bordered on performance art.
The main set finished with the gospel infused Land Of Hope and Dreams and the band grouped together, took their bows and the crowd screamed and screamed … but fans knew there was more to come. Two encores as a rule.
So we all knew there was an encore coming, but NO-ONE expected what we got. The four guitarists (not forgetting bass player Garry Talent, but he was off a bit to the right) lined up front and centre across the stage ready to share the lead. Bruce counted them in with a double count, and with the first few notes the crowd went NUTS as they realised Bruce was launching into the INXS signature tune, Don’t Change.
At this time, in that place, against the backdrop of the brilliant INXS mini-series which ended so poignantly with exactly that tune - he could've played the national anthem, Khe Sanh or any other song you like and he wouldn't have been met with a greater reaction or more love from the audience.
It was clear that this concert was a love letter to Australia.
It contained three Aussie songs: Friday on my mind, Just Like Fire Would and Don’t Change. In fact, Bruce's latest album contains two songs recorded in Australia, the only studio songs to be recorded outside of America, and both of those got played as well.
He certainly didn't need to throw in a handful of Aussie songs, it was a mark of respect and a thank you to his Aussie fans. And he had the room in the palm of his hand.
The big hits kept on coming. Don’t Change rolled into Born To Run, Dancing In The Dark, Tenth Avenue Freeze Out (with its tribute to the Big Man, Clarence Clemons) and finally Shout.
This time the E Street Band did leave the stage for good to more cheers and screams. The best rock and roll show band in the world? I'm fanboy enough to say yes, or to at least ask any other challengers to present their credentials.
"...the heart-stopping, pants-dropping, house-rocking, earth-quaking, booty-shaking, Viagra-taking, love-making – Legendary E Street Band!"
Bruce Springsteen, Sydney, Feb 19, 2014
Even with Jake Clemons unavailable due to a death in his family death that took him home to America, seasoned pro Ed Manion stepped up and belted out all the sax lines. If anything his experience and skill only added to the occasion and it was great to see a guy of such obvious talent get his moment in the spotlight.
They are, as Bruce describes them, the heart-stopping, pants-dropping, house-rocking, earth-quaking, booty-shaking, Viagra-taking, love-making – Legendary E Street Band!" So then it was just Bruce and us… all intimate like. He had two more songs up his sleeve.
Always full of surprises, he takes a birthday request off a sign and sings acoustically the little known but beautiful Surprise Surprise from the Working On A Dream Album. Few seemed to know the song as he started it, everyone was singing it by the end. And finally, after asking everyone to dig deep for Foodbank of NSW, a charity his tour is supporting, he closed the show with the gorgeous Dream Baby Dream that also closes the High Hopes Album.
Three hours after it started, the show was over. Bruce farewelled the audience and they made their steady way out of the Arena swapping show highlights.
Concerts are such personal things, predicated on the experience. On being there. That’s the bit you can’t adequately communicate. Try as you might, you can’t do them justice.
But I can say what I believe, and it's this. I saw the greatest rock and roll performer of all time deliver one of his greatest performances last night.
Before you question that description, name any performer you like … Elvis, the Stones, the Beatles… and make the comparisons.
Have they been actively gigging continuously for the last 50 years? Are their concerts still selling out, still rated the best in the world by Rolling Stone magazine and still filled with new material that is still chart-topping? Have they produced the number of studio and live albums Bruce has? Did they write their own music, or the sheer volume of songs he has written? Does their show go for 3 hours?
There’s still only one Boss, and on Wednesday night he dropped in to say hi and thanks.
(Originally published on the Goulburn Post website).
This is the only Frederick Pohl (and therefore only Heechee saga) book I've read, but I look forward to reading more. The plot device of discovering the technologies for interstellar travel is a handy way of bypassing explanations of faster than light travel and its development. It also adds the potential for further encounters with the alien race behind the technology.
This novel uses flashbacks for incrementally drip-feeding the eventual reveal the memory that the central character is struggling to remember/forget. One review likened this to the final episode of MASH... and there are some similarities, but the novel came first and the flashback story-telling technique wasn't so commonplace at the time of writing.
It's a clever yarn. Without spoiling the climax, the science behind the big reveal is on the money and provides for a jaw-dropping resolution. Characterisation was a little two-dimensional, but still it's a great concept and well told.
