Book Reviews 2

This is our second set of compiled reviews.  The first tab was becoming rather difficult to modify, so it just seemed easier to start a second tab.

As with the previous tab, these reviews are in order of appearance on the blog.

The columns will be explained at the top: abbreviation below.

Review Link is as much of the real name as I thought I could fit with the link to the review.  Most reviews have a link to at least one place you can buy it online.

The author is obvious, although with either multiple authors, or authors with long names, they may be truncated.

Type is the time setting relative to the “event”, and also the general tone of the book.

Disasters are the main cause of the crises. 

+/- is whether I recommend the book.  It is the quick glimpse, because people seem to like the thumbs up and down routine.  I try not to make it completely based on personal preferences, but obviously they play a part. Y or Y+ are yes.  N or N- are no.  C means it is a classic of its type.  Maybe not the best of the class, but archetypical.  ~ = Ambivalence: usually there is something to like, about a novel a might not otherwise recommend.

Our numerical ratings are intended to be descriptive, not generally qualitative.  A low number is not necessarily bad, nor a high one good:  1 is low, 4 is in the middle, and 7 is high.

Real is short for Realism.  Realism early on was called grittiness.  It is a general calibration as to how close the events of the book could be viewed from our current reality.  The actual plausibility of the disaster is not factored in unless it causes ongoing problems with the novel.  This avoids endless discussions about whether a Solar Flare, or a viral Pandemic are more “realistic” without letting the Vampire and highly speculative Science Fiction novels off the hook.

Read is for readability.  It is literally how painless the book is to read.  Some people want very straightforward plot driven tales, other like lots of character development, and arcane symbolism and analogy.   A comic book, or an action driven page turner will tend toward the higher end of the scale.  A long introspective novel about somewhat unclear events with a confused timeline would be relatively low on the scale.


Review Link
Author
Type
Disaster
+/-
Real
Read
John S. Wilson
PA
EC
Y+
7
6
Matthew Mathers
AP
NP, EC
Y
7
5
Henry Baum
AP
NP, N
N
1
2
Nathaniel Rich
AP
GW
Y
3
5
Albert Brooks
AP
Sc
N
5
5
Simon Morden
AP
Dy, NP, N
Y
6
5
Ryan Henry
AP
P
Y
5
6
John Varley
AP
TR, PO
Y
7
5
Thomas Kolniar
AP
M
Y+
7
7
Stephen Graff
PA
GW
N
2
1
Paylee Roberts
AP
Ec
N
5
2
Cormac McCarthy
Dy
Sc
Y+
7
L6
Paul Auster
AP
EC, Sc
Y
5
L5
K.H. Koehler
AP, YA
Mn
Y
3
6
D. Robert Grixti
PA
N
N-
3
4
Lexi Revellian
PA
I
Y
5
5
David Longo
AP
EC
Y+
7
L6
George Turner
AP,C
GW
Y
5
L4
Dino Buzzati
Dy
Sc, W
Y
4
L5
Julian Cracq
Dy
Sc
Y
1
1
Bernard Beckett
PA,YA, SF
P
Y+
4
L6
Gillian Flynn
DY
EC
Y+
6
L7
Archer Garrett
EC, NP
EC, TR
~
4
6
K.W. Jeter
DY,SF
EC, NP
~
3
3
David Crawford
AP
EC
N
6
5
Rob Krabbe
PA
F
N
2
4
 

Abbreviations:
Type:

AP: Apocalypse-in-progress

PA: Post-Apocalyptic – the disaster occurs before most or all the action

C:  Collapsed.  Society collapsed some time ago, and adjustments have already been made

Dy:  Dystopian- things are crummy, but in this particular definition, there has been no “collapse”.

YA: Considered Young Adult

CH: Considered suitable for youngsters

SF: Science Fiction. I am looking more for tone, or voice, rather than literal definition here.

NoA:  Not Apocalyptic, nor particularly dystopian either.  These are usually novels out of genre.

NF:  Non-fiction- I only have one, because it is essays about a fiction writer.

Disaster

B= Biotechnology

E= EMP Electro Magnetic Pulse

EC= Economic Collapse (other than peak oil)

EQ= Earth Quake

F= Solar Flare

FL= Flooding

G= God or supernatural forces (anywhere from good to ambiguous in nature)

GW= Global Warming

I= Ice Age (popular in the pre-global warming days)

M= Meteor or Comet strike

Mn = Monsters

N= Nuclear (usually war, but accidents do happen)

NN= Nanotechnology

NP= Nefarious plotters trying to bring the world down

P= Pandemic Disease, was originally “D”

PO= Peak Oil

PD= Plant Disease

S= Demonic  Forces (supernatural clearly evil).  The “S” is for Satan of course

Sc= Sociological collapse – collapse from within

T= Technology fail

TR= Terrorists

V= Volcano (usually with secondary weather effects)

Vm- Vampires.  Volcanos got there first so they got the “V”

W= War

Wd= Weird Science
 

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