future

I read Stephen King’s ‘The Dead Zone’ as book two of my honeymoon.

As you all know, I’m a massive King fanboy. I went through a phase in my teens/early twenties where I read nothing but King. Somehow, I managed to read every classic book of his except for ‘The Dead Zone’—I guess it slipped under the radar!

Anyway, I tore through this pretty hefty novel in no time. The old-school King style wrapped me in a warm blanket of nostalgia. I love all stages of King’s career, but—man—for a time in the seventies and eighties, he was untouchable.

The story follows John Smith, who has had a life plagued with bad luck. The poor chap conks his noggin as a kid and again as an adult. As a result, when he touches people, he gets a hint of their future. Of course, this labels Johnny as a pariah. I had no idea where the story would end up, and I won’t spoil it here. But let me say this: it’s unsettling how prescient King’s view of the future of America was.

If you still need to read ‘The Dead Zone’, go out and get a copy; it’s King at the height of his powers.

Martha Wells’s All Systems Red—gifted to me by my good friend, Leander, for Christmas—is my third read of the year.

At 150 pages long, All Systems Red (Murderbot Diaries #1) is a lean book. And boy, Wells makes use of those pages.

The series’ titular Murderbot is hilarious, enigmatic, and loveable. We learn on page one that this bot has hacked its governor module, gone rogue, and dubbed itself Murderbot. Yet, Murderbot is trying to pass under the radar, so it continues working for its assigned humans. But, of course, that’s only the setup.

Wells crams so much world-building and character development in this little book. She does more than some authors achieve in three times as many pages. Thus, I can give it an emphatic recommendation.

I will check out the next instalments of the Murderbot Diaries soon.

Tag: future

Book Review: ‘The Dead Zone’ by Stephen King

Book Review: “All Systems Red” by Martha Wells