Review - The Salmon of Doubt by Douglas Adams

The Salmon of Doubt by Douglas Adams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a thoughtful tribute to one of science fiction's most popular writers. The book is mostly a collection of essays and speeches by or interviews of Adams, from a wide variety of years. His thoughts on religion, technology, science fiction, and his own work were interesting and reminded me greatly of similar short works by another sci-fi luminary, Isaac Asimov. His writings also retain the characteristic humor of his well known sci-fi works. In addition, the collection ends with the assembled, partial manuscripts from what might have been another Dirk Gently or Hitchhikers book. (Fans of completed endings should be warned that these are partial... there's no conclusion to these stories.)

The Salmon of Doubt leaves you with the impression that Adams must have been great fun to talk to and that the world lost a luminary far too early. Perhaps most fitting, it ends with a heartfelt tribute from a man whom Adams clearly greatly admired, Richard Dawkins. Highly recommended for Adams many fans.

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Review - Starman Jones by Robert Heinlein

Starman Jones by Robert A. Heinlein
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was a blast (pun not intended). One of Heinlein's "juvenile" novels, it's easy to see why this story remains a perennial favorite amongst his fans. It's good enough that even though I missed the intended teenage window on my first reading, I still enjoyed it.

As a young adult space adventure novel, it's fantastic. A likeable protagonist, a sidekick redemption story, FTL ships, beating impossible odds with sheer skill... everything that such a story should be. I particularly enjoyed that the characters amongst the ship's crew displayed a full range of competence, arrogance, pride, and situational awareness. Heinlein was clearly aware of the power of working with a skilled group of people (even if his crew are, typically, all men) under inspired leadership.

One star docked because of Heinlein's usual assumption of continued gender inequality, which mars my enjoyment of the story. Otherwise, lots of fun. Recommended to fans of Heinlein, science fiction, adventure stories, and young adult novels.

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