Pages Tagged “Dystopia”

Reviews

Nomad of the Time Streams ★★★½☆ Michael Moorcock
A 19th-century British soldier in India is flung into three wildly different future wars, forcing him to reexamine the world he thought he was building.
Parable of the Sower ★★★★★ Octavia Butler
Hard to put down. And hard to pick up again. It’s certainly not a fun book, but it’s extremely engaging, despite the bleakness of the slow-apocalypse setting and story.
Ready Player One (Book) ★★★☆☆ Ernest Cline
Back when I read it, the nostalgia and scavenger hunt were enough for me. Now, not so much.
Ready Player One (Movie) ★★★★☆ Steven Spielberg
Better than I expected, having soured on the book by the time it came out. Not a straight adaptation so much as a rewrite of the same premise that’s more character-driven and yes, more cinematic. With Spielberg.
Star Wars: Andor - Season One ★★★★☆ A more serious take on Star Wars, with a bit more personal scope showing how oppression grinds people down, and what sacrifices rebellion can require.
The Time Machine ★★★★☆ H.G. Wells
A bit dry, but it draws you in, and if the plot is simple, it’s enough to wrap around some thought-provoking speculation about the future of humanity - and a critique of industrial society.

What’s in a Name? (1984 Edition)
I always find it weird when someone insists that 1984 is warning about socialism because of the party name.
(Jul 2019)