Comments on Cowl -- Neal Asher

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Hey, star4you. Then let me set you up. The novel is Fahrenheir 451, not
450.  My blog is a play on that title, which is the temperature that book paper begins to burn.  Anyway, enter firemen in the next century whose job it is to burn books for the central government, now a totalitarian regime, because everything is made fire retardant.  Society is an entertainment-mad mess.  Our protagonist decides to steal one of the books he's supposed to burn, reads it, is found out, and becomes a wanted man.  He finds companionship in a hobo-like culture that memorizes books for posterity.  It's one of the greatest books ever written, star4you, and, given our current government, the rapid pace of technological innovations, and our easily distracted pop cultured populace, it is very prescient as well. 

posted by saul_relative on November 4, 2006 at 9:56 PM | link to this | reply

I read that farenheit 450 on class, but forgot the story

posted by star4sky5 on November 4, 2006 at 6:01 PM | link to this | reply

hey saul

posted by star4sky5 on November 4, 2006 at 6:00 PM | link to this | reply

Thanks!

posted by colbor1 on August 7, 2006 at 9:25 AM | link to this | reply

The great Orson Scott Card is definitely a master. Believe me, I am not a
great fan of time travel novels, but this one hooked me in the first several moments -- a scene that reminded me somewhat of Bladerunner, dark, mechanistic, socially dismal, and drug related.  But it doesn't stay there, in more ways than one.  Asher is fast-paced, his characters are real, his imagination unbound.  The weapons and technologies he uses are amazing and totally believable.

posted by saul_relative on July 27, 2006 at 10:48 AM | link to this | reply

Thanks for the review, Saul, I like the occasional sci fi novel, if it is
well written and  the dialog not stilted and overly cute. It sounds like this might be right up there with or even surpass Ender's Game. 

posted by Blanche. on July 25, 2006 at 11:51 PM | link to this | reply