The Time Machine and the Future of Human Endeavor

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The Time MachineThe Time Machine by H.G. Wells

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

H. G. Wells was clearly a master of the genre. “The Time Machine” works through both science and sociology, examining the dangers of aristocracy and Marxism in a thought experiment on the distant future of 802,701 AD.

Wells uses pleasantly complex vocabulary, the allowance of which I envy. I wish I could write the words recondite, trammel, and fecundity in the first paragraph of a novel without alienating the vast majority of our modern, poorly educated audience. Alas, it cannot be so, lest I am already an established author with a profound influence that people will not simply ignore. Oh, well. Read more »

The 2010 Hugo Award Showcase; Or, How to Find Authors You Probably Won’t Read Again

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The Hugo Award ShowcaseThe Hugo Award Showcase: 2010 Volume, edited by Mary Robinette Kowal

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

One of the earliest things I noticed was that getting an author to edit an anthology is evidently a poor idea. Ms Kowal, throughout her additions and introductions, deeply needed an editor of her own.

The stories themselves varied. Since it is an anthology, reviewing it en masse seems inappropriate.

Instead, I shall offer brief thoughts on each story: Read more »