Since I can’t seem to get my act together to finish any of the substantial blog pieces I’ve been writing this week, instead I’ll post links to a few recent reviews of Infoquake:
- Shara Saunsaucie reviews Infoquake on her LiveJournal. So it’s not entirely a positive review, but I don’t mind that. I tend to prefer reviews that really engage with the book in a serious way, and Shara (who frequently comments on my own blog under the moniker calico_reaction) seems to have done that. “Despite my nitpicks, I’m interested in the world, the situation, and where the story might be going,” says Shara. “No doubt, it’s complex, and while this volume has its own story arc, it does not even begin to answer every question raised. Which is why, of course, I’m looking forward to the sequel, to learn what’s really happening, even if some of it flies over my head. Boardroom SF, people. Who knew? I think Edelman has definitely made a splash in the genre, and I think those interested in the worlds and technologies found in Charles Stross’s works and Vernor Vinge’s… will be entertained by this book.”
- Jason Pettus reviews Infoquake on the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography website. This review is several months old, but the handy-dandy search in the upper right tells me that I never linked to it from the blog. So, no time like the present. Pettus gives the book a “6.8, or 9.3 for science-fiction fans,” and goes on to say: “Some of the ideas Edelman bandies about here are insanely great enough to make your head pop right off your neck… It’s a great novel to be sure, an infinitely smart page-turner that will have your brain spinning for days afterwards.”
- John A. M. Darnell’s 1-star Amazon review. I said back in my entry on Infoquake: The Bad Reviews that I was eager to read a “big ol’ kiss-off hatebomb of a review,” and this quickie on Amazon comes close to the mark. Writes Mr. Darnell: “All I can say is that twenty minutes into the book I said, ‘enough!’ loud enough to scare my cats, and tossed the book in the trash. Mr. Edelman will have to find someone else to support his scribblings because if this is a sample of future work, I’ll spend my hard-earned expendable income elsewhere.” I really must be deranged, because I broke out into a big grin when I read this. It’s a pity he “did not get past page 24,” because I really am curious to read a review from someone who really engaged with the book, and then broke off the engagement to run off with the book’s younger, hotter sister. If you’re reading this, John Darnell, I invite you to finish the book and e-mail me your impressions. I’ll publish ’em in their entirety on my blog, and send you a copy of MultiReal when it’s released. Really. (And while I’m at it, Mr. Darnell — really, denigrate my book all you want, but did you have to insult the noble stevedoring profession?)
This is also as good a place as any to publish my schedule this weekend at PhilCon 2007, in Philadelphia, PA:
- Fri 10:00 PM in Parlor B—The Obligatory Philip K. Dick Panel
Philip K. Dick: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Dick, but Were Afraid to Ask. Panelists: Diane Weinstein (mod), Michael Swanwick, David Louis Edelman, Rock Robertson, Jay Wile - Sat 1:00 PM in Parlor A—Promoting Yourself
Getting the word out, just short of tatooing your own forehead. ( What’s wrong with tatooing your own forehead?) Panelists: Hildy Silverman (mod), David Louis Edelman, Josepha Sherman, Jonathan Maberry, Nathan Lilly - Sat 3:00 PM in Freedom F—Why I Decided to Start a Blog
Authors explain why they decided to start blogging. Panelists: David Louis Edelman (mod), Jay Smith, Alyce Wilson, Tony Ruggiero, Michael Swanwick - Sat 5:00 PM in Freedom H—How to Sell your First Novel
Authors tell how they did it. Panelists: David Louis Edelman (mod), Linda Bushyager, L. Jagi Lamplighter, Jonathan Maberry, Joshua Bilmes
The PhilCon folks have also scheduled me for two panels on Sunday — one on nanotechnology at 11:00 AM, and one on “Building a Web Presence for Free” at noon — but unfortunately, I’m not going to be able to make these panels. Unless my friends whose wedding I’m attending Sunday choose to call the whole thing off because of a sudden and dramatic plague of locusts. Hey, the Bush Administration is still running things here in Washington, DC, so I’m not ruling anthing out.