"Epic" by Conor Kostick Review 1

Book Response 1: #32 (LA)Compare the book to other texts with the same themes or from the same genre.


I found this book, Epic by Conor Kostick, to be very similar to works by Cory Doctorow such as For The Win. Both stories have a strong video game background, and I think video game enthusiasts of any kind will enjoy both books immensely, particularly those who like playing MMORPG's.

"Rim" by Alexander Besher Review 1

Cover art for Rim
by Alexander Besher

Book Response 1: #30(LA) If your book was a work of fiction are the main characters realistic or believable? Give evidence, using both real life and the book.




While I felt the majority of the plot line of the story did not carry much weight, the characters did. While it was not enough in my opinion to make up for the somewhat disappointing time line, it certainly helped carry the book along and make it more enjoyable.

I felt each had their own unique persona, that really gave the book a well rounded feel. Every time a new character was introduced, you wondered with eagerness as to what this new person would bring to the story, and to the fate of the main character. For example, my favorite character, Simon Chadwick, was a jolly fun english chap. Or so you thought. He stumbles into the main character at a hotel and stumbles out of the story just as pleasantly as he came. Until he comes back, with a somewhat more pronounced appearance, but not quite enough to tell you for sure if he was going to stick around or keep hopping in and out. I won't spoil his true nature or intentions, but he is definitely unforgettable. All in all I think the author did a great job of character development, and it definitely improved the book for me.

"Rim" by Alexander Besher Review 2

Cover art for Rim
by Alexander Besher

Book response 2: #25(G) Would this book make a good movie? Explain why or why not.

I think this book would make an excellent movie. I would usually pride myself on being able to visualize certain abstract concepts and pictures very well, especially anything on the "techie" side of things. But with this book I struggled to grasp a well rounded idea of what the author was trying to portray more than I have with any other story that has a strong focus on technology and the future. I do not necessarily attribute this fact to any judgment of mine about the author's writing skills; based upon the story he seems to have a firm base of what he wanted to express and and it would seem he articulated his points and concepts well, except I could not grasp them. It is more than likely this book requires another read-through for me at a slower pace, taking care to focus on the concepts I struggled with the first time. In any case, I think this book could be an incredibly visually stimulating film, where the futuristic and technological concepts could be represented beautifully. It might also be a more effective medium for those like me who struggled with visually representing aspects of the book in their head. Regardless, I think this book would make an excellent stand-alone movie, not necessarily to portray the books concepts in a different manner. 

"I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson Review 2

Book Response 1: #32 (LA) Compare the book to other texts with the same themes or from the same genre.

There is one thing in my mind that sets this book dramatically far apart from other works within the genre of post-apocalyptic novels and that is the lethargic, depressing tendencies of the main character. It could also be with the category of a horror title, leaning towards an end of the world type fear with nasty creatures involved. While this very classic human, especially American trait of the main character is very realistic, it is not common in the hero of the story in books of this genre. The survivors are meant to be tougher than steel, incredibly resourceful, and unimaginably lucky. While our character somewhat fulfills two of these traits, tough is not the word I would use at all to describe him. Perhaps numb to the pain of living with a couple glasses of whiskey in him (which is frequent), but most definitely not tough. Frequently smoking, he retains many of his normal suburban lifestyle habits, as if battling vampires is his 9 to 5 job.

He struggles with day to day necessities, with the exception of brushing his teeth. While he manages to get important jobs done, his does it with much hesitation and procrastination. Most things he tells himself will get done another day, perhaps a rainy day. Does that sound the ultimate survivor, battling the odds of natural selection? The only thing he truly manages to battle valiantly is his cavities.

"I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson Review 1

Cover art for
"I Am Legend"
by Richard Matheson

Book Response 1: #21(LA) Does this book raise questions about society as a whole or of a particular culture? What view of the world and/or human beings does the author seem to be expressing?

If I had to guess what view the author of "I Am Legend" is trying to express with this post-apocalyptic novel and describe his feelings on humanity in one word, it would be simple: stubborn. Stubborn to break habits, stubborn to deal with change, stubborn to ignore insanity when it is apparent. But most importantly, stubborn to survive.

"The Road" by Cormac McCarthy Review 2

Charlize Theron plays the mother
and wife in "The Road"

Book Response 1: #2 (LA) Write down one quote or short passage that you really loved, you reacted strongly to, or made you stop and think. Write your reaction to that passage.

//Insert blockquote here//

 If that doesn't give you the feeling of living in a black hole, your emotions could be comparable to that of a 1st year dentist anesthetizing his patient with what he thought was the correct dosage of Novocaine but in reality it could fool an elephant into thinking he was having a lethal stroke. 

Author Info: Cory Doctorow

Author info for Cory Doctorow