This book was amusing but lacked any real depth. I read a review somewhere that described it as a love letter to NYC, and I guess in particular to those parts of NYC trafficked by the hip. I can’t remember her name, but the artist doing all that weird shit? That was a little too close to Burning Man for me, an experience which has still left me sensitive to anybody that does experimental art… I just want to get away.

If I wanted to be annoyed by kids from Brooklyn, I’d spend a day in Brooklyn. 3.0/5.0.

I’m not really sure what I feel regarding Among Others. Was it an enjoyable read? Yup. That the book explored what happened after a devastating magical event without ever really elaborating on what happened was frustrating, but I can see that the author wanted to explore what happens to a protagonist after the last battle.

That it won the Hugo is no surprise because the story would be steeped in nostalgia for anybody reading a fraction of the books that Mori mentions. Unfortunately, the book is so referential that I’m not sure somebody who did not already enjoy science fiction & fantasy and caught a handful of the references would enjoy it nearly as much / at all.

I wished the climax had been bigger, but I think that it just paled into comparison to the events surrounding the car accident which were only ever alluded to. I’d love to read a story exploring the lives of the twins leading up to the death.

4.0 / 5.0.

The author posted a list of all the stories referenced in the novel (compiled by a librarian that she met at a book signing). I’m reproducing all the science fiction / fantasy books here for later reference:

• Anthologies, magazines: Best of Galaxy. – Destinies. – Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine! – Ansible!
• Adams, Douglas: Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
• Anderson, Poul: The Broken Sword. – Ensign Flandry. – Guardians of Time
• Anthony, Piers – Chaining the Lady. – A Spell for Chameleon.
• Asimov, Isaac: The End of Eternity. – Guide to science. – The Left Hand of the Electron
• Boyd, John: Last Starship from Earth.
• Bradley, Marion Zimmer: The Spell Sword.
• Brooks, Terry: Sword of Shannara.
• Brunner, John: The Shockwave rider. – Stand on Zanzibar. – Times Without Number
• Cherryh, C.J.: Gate of Ivrel
• Clarke, Arthur C.: Childhood’s end. – Forgotten Enemy. – Imperial Earth. – 2001
• Coney, Michael: Charisma. – Hello Summer, Goodbye
• Cooper, Susan: The Dark is Rising (series) – The Grey King — Silver on the Tree.
• Delany, Samuel R.: Empire Star. – Triton. – Babel 17. – The Einstein Intersection
• Dick, Phillip K.: The Man in the High Castle
• Donaldson, Stephen: Lord Foul’s Bane.
• Engdahl, Sylvia: Beyond the Tomorrow Mountains. – Heritage of the Star
• Fisk, Nicholas: Space Hostages.
• Fowles, John: The Magus.
• Garner, Alan: Red Shift.
• Garrett, Randall: Lord Darcy (series) – Too many Magicians.
• Harrison, Harry: Make room! Make Room!.
• Heinlein, Robert A.: Glory road. – Have Spacesuit Will Travel. – The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. – The Number of the Beast. – Time Enough for Love. – Waldo and Magic Inc..
• Henderson, Zenna: Pilgrimage — The People: No Different Flesh.
• Herbert, Frank: Dune.
• Hughes, Ted: Crow.
• Huxley, Aldous: Brave New World.
• Le Guin, Ursula: City of Illusions. – The Dispossessed. – The Eye of the Heron. – The Farthest Shore. – Lathe of Heaven. – Tales of Earthsea. – The Wind’s Twelve Quarters. – Wizard of Earthsea. – The Word for World is Forest
• Lewis, C. S.: Mere Christianity. – Narnia (series) – Out of the Silent Planet.
• McCaffery, Anne: Dragonflight. – Dragonsinger — Dragonsong. – The White Dragon
• Miller, Walter M.: A Canticle for Leibowitz
• Moore, Ward: Bring the Jubilee.
• Niven, Larry and Pournelle, Jerry: The Mote in God’s Eye.
• Niven, Larry: The Flight of the Horse. – A Gift from Earth. – Ringworld. – World of Ptaavs.
• Priest, Christopher: A Dream of Wessex. – Inverted World
• Richards, Frank (Hamilton, Charles): Greyfriars (series).
• Roberts, Keith: Pavane.
• Robinson, Spider: Callahan’s Crosstime Saloon. – Telempath
• Silverberg, Robert: Born with the Dead. – Dying inside. – Stepsons of Terra. – Up the line. – Revolt on Alpha C (as “Voyage to Alpha Centauri”). – The World Inside…
• Simak, Clifford: City.
• Smith, Dodie: The Starlight Barking.
• Stewart, Mary: The Crystal Cave.
• Sturgeon, Theodore: Dangerous Visions “If all men were brothers, would you let one marry your sister?”– A Touch of Strange.
• Tey, Josephine: Brat Farrar. – Daughter of Time
• Tiptree, James Jr.: “And I Awoke and Found Me Here on the Cold Hill’s Side”, “Girl Who Was Plugged In”, “Love is the Plan, the Plan is Death”, “Houston, Houston, Do You Read?” – Warm Worlds and Otherwise
• Tolkien, J. R. R.: Hobbit. Lord of the Rings (trilogy) – Silmarillion. – The Adventures of Tom Bombadil…
• Vonnegut, Kurt: Breakfast of Champions. – Cat’s Cradle. – God Bless You Mr. Rosewater. – Sirens of Titan. – Welcome to the Monkey House…
• Wyndham, John: The Chrysalids.
• Zelazny, Roger: Creatures of Light and Darkness. – Doorways in the Sand. – The Dream Master. – The Guns of Avalon. – Isle of the Dead. – Nine Princes in Amber. –Roadmarks. – Sign of the Unicorn. – This Immortal