<i>Ubik</i> by Philip K. Dick

I am having a very hard time writing about his book. It has been quite some time since I finished it and I am still not quite sue what to say about it other than I really liked it. Also, it is difficult to say too much about the story without giving things away, but there were two concepts that where particularly interesting.

The first is the ideas of psychic powers being in demand by companies to the point that those with opposing powers are employed by competing companies. The application of one person to look ahead (precog) against another who can change the future as a fundamental instrument in a capitalist battle between corporations is so naturally American.

The second is the concept of half-life, where if you can get some one on ice quick enough you can talk to them for a total of a couple days worth of time, with many people spreading that time out over years. It reminded me of a Max Headroom plot where people were supposedly placed into a similar state, but it turned out not to be true. AS Dick covers in the story, such a half-life state would add a whole level of complication to death and administering wills. In addition one might constantly have moral panics about whether it is worth waking some one up for an issue, thus using up the time left.

One last idea I really enjoyed was the coin-op everything (doorknob, toaster, coffee maker, fridge, etc.) in the low rent apartments. There is something frightening about the fact that you couldn't leave your apartment unless you had a nickel---left to die if you have no pocket change.

Overall, a great read that was hard to write about, and that I like better than Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

7/10

<i>Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?</i> by Philip K. Dick

I've seen Blade Runner once and had absolutely no idea what was going on. Now, I think I could watch it and be able to follow the plot. Though the androids were interesting, I thought the most compelling element was the electric animals and the level of regard that was given by humans to real animals due to the world's almost complete lack of them. It is an interesting thought experiment: Could humans become so compassionate toward animals on the whole that killing a spider would be a psychologically painful experience?Could we really feel complete and total empathy for all living things?

I'm not quite sure what to make of Mercer. In the end it sounds like a meme that keeps the human race going. One that always tells them to keep fighting, as one man's pain is something that all men feel.

This was also my first Dick book. I enjoyed it, though it is a bit pulpy and heavy handed in places. I'll be returning to him for sure for the next book I read and maybe for more in the future.

<i>Cryptonomican</i> by Neal Stephenson

My second Stephenson novel in six months. I am convinced that I like him. Though I really like this book, I had a hard time getting going with this write-up.

The first thing that may be tripping me up some is that this is the first fiction book set in a very defined time period (at least partially) that I've read in over a year (The Unbearable Lightness of Being being the last) and I may be a bit out of practice in thinking about such books. Additionally, what I have read of Stephenson so far (Diamond Age and Snow Crash), is clearly set in the future.

With all that said, there were some ideas, characters and directions in this book I really liked. I found it very easy to connect to the WWII stories---particularly those of Lawrence Waterhouse and Bobby Shaftoe. I had a much harder time connecting myself with Randy Waterhouse's part of the story, despite (or maybe because of) its present day setting. While I really *liked* the ideas Randy encountered---like the EMP to kill the computers, or the complicated methodology for distributing his Grandmother's possessions among the family---it possibly felt too much like dot-com stories we've heard over and over for the last ten or so years. In comparison the WWII portions felt fresh---maybe since so little time is generally spent on WWII crypto, U-boats and anything that happened in the Pacific other than the Batan Death March and the nukes hitting Japan in school.

I particularly liked, or found compelling, Bobby Shatoe's character and looked forward to getting back to his storyline. His rather human traits---morphine addiction, etc---somewhat balanced out his super-human abilities as a Marine. His most prized quality, in himself and found in others, as he told his son, was adaptability. He showed it himself through his varied positions throughout the war and at times when he wasn't directly involved in the fighting, such as in Sweden and when looking for his son. When plans went awry, he came up with a new plan and quickly enacted it. There was also a particularly great quote regarding the role of enlisted vs. officers, which echoed this:

The extreme formality with which he addresses these officers carries an important subtext: your problem, sir, is deciding what you want me to do, and my problem, sir is doing it. My gung-ho posture says that once you give the order I'm not going to bother you with any of the details---and your half of the bargain is you had better stay on your side of the line, sir and not bother me with any of the chickenshit politics you have to deal with for a living.

insomuch as his goal is to achieve his objective in any way possible.

Two other characters I enjoyed from Shaftoe's time and place were Enoch Root, who just continually seemed out of place (purposely so) and Lawrence Pritchard Waterhouse. Waterhouse was a lynch-pin of the story, but I found part to be most compelling up to when he was at Blechtley Park, then setting up Qwghlm. After that, his story fades too much to stay interesting.

A final plot point I want to mention is Goto's mine. The idea of it having different designs and goals known to different levels involved in the project was quite interesting. I may have to go back and read some of those sections again to get a full understanding of the structure. The diagrams Stephenson includes help, but a reread is definitely in order.

Overall, an excellent read, though some weak points existed in the modern portion of the story.

7/10