Means of Control: How the Hidden Alliance of Tech and Government Is Creating a New American Surveillance State by Byron Tau

I am a subscriber to Reason magazine and have been since 2020. In the June issue is a review of this book. I am concerned about internet privacy so the review piqued my interest and I immediately requested a copy from my library.

This book outlines the history and growth of cooperation between technology companies and the government. The essential premise is that various levels of government are purchasing personal data of cell phones and the internet from tech companies. The level of privacy on this data would require a warrant if it was being requested directly from individuals. But because it is considered “digital exhaust” and therefore a product, governments can simply purchase it with no public oversight. This is deeply concerning to the author, a concern I share.

If you are wondering why we don’t have any federal laws that protect our digital privacy, this is why. Doing so would cut off their way around the Constitution, requiring them to have warrants to collect such data. Mass surveillance would become impossible because it would be illegal. The author has done extensive research into how this all came into being, who are the players, the whys and the hows. There is even an appendix written in plain English for things you can do to protect your own personal privacy while online. It is essential reading in our modern digital age.

My rating: 5/5

Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro

Another road trip, another audiobook. This time we drove to Nashville, TN for a weekend getaway that included attending a concert. My partner likes thrillers. I like science fiction. This was neither of those but somehow we ended up choosing it anyway.

The plot revolves around a tragedy that happens in the first chapter of the book. Teenagers, alcohol, and driving are involved. And not only are the teenagers affected, but their father also. The neighbors across the street get involved but have their own struggles they are dealing with. This book is mostly character driven. Perhaps that’s why neither of us really liked it all that much.

The characters really come to life. They are complex and realistic, struggling with their individual demons. It makes for a deeply emotional read even if it tends to be somewhat heavy on feelings. They aren’t particularly likable either. And one I downright detested most of the way. The book is a little on the slow side, too. It was an interesting exploration of dealing with emotional tragedy but wasn’t our best choice for a trip.

My rating: 3.5/5

Secondhand Souls by Christopher Moore

This book is the sequel to A Dirty Job by the same author. I enjoyed the first book in the series so much that I picked this one up right after. It was as much fun as the first.

The story picks up where the previous novel left off. The plot is actually very similar. Once again, it seems that the powers of darkness are trying to rise and take over. But this time, things don’t land solely on the shoulders of Charlie. Instead, this turns into much more of a team effort that in many ways is more satisfying than the lone savior feel of the first novel.

Once again, there is a high level of snark and sarcasm. This is combined with deeper looks into the relationships between the characters. And despite how opposite those things seem, the story holds it all together while propelling you through the adventure. Once again, a real hoot of a story. I can only hope there will be a third in the series.

My rating: 4/5

A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore

I learned of this book from an old friend of my partner. We went to his condo a few months ago to get together with some friends in the city that we last moved away from. He is a reader like me and showed me his bookshelves. This was one of his favorite books, and he recommended it to me. It sounded interesting so I added it to my list of books to read.

It is the first book of a two-part series called Grim Reaper. The story starts with Charlie Asher attending to his wife as she gives birth to their first child. Something very strange happens immediately after the birth and people start dying around him. Then he starts hearing voices in the sewers and starts to feel like he must have become Death himself. Things get more complicated, dangerous, and weird from there.

This is a very clever, quirky, and funny book. With its tongue in cheek tone and humor, it reminded me many times of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams or Redshirts by John Scalzi. It is also a heck of a ride. All kinds of funny and crazy things happen. There is mythology and a little social commentary. It has a little of everything if you like your adventure dark and funny. Look elsewhere for your literary novel. This one is just plain fun.

My rating: 4/5

Death Strikes: The Emperor of Atlantis by Dave Maass and Patrick Lay

My next read was one I found on Cory Doctorow’s blog. It is a graphic novel based on an opera whose authors were first part of a Nazi show piece ghetto in Prague who both later were murdered in a concentration camp. This novel is the expression of people going through the worst a human can experience. It is amazing.

The story takes place in an Atlantis that never sank. In it, Death goes on strike after becoming sick of the violence and hatred among humans at the behest of the emperor. But this means that people can no longer die, leading them to even question why they are fighting. It sounds maudlin as I write that, but the art and dialog really bring it to life.

I had a hard time getting into the book at first. I considered putting it aside a few times early on. It was feeling kind of common and uninteresting to me. But as my curiosity drove me to continue, the story came together in a way that really touched me. It is ultimately a story of the triumph over death and the evil in the world, even when those obstacles seem insurmountable. It is a triumph of the human spirit.

My rating: 4/5

In Ascension by Martin MacInnes

I have been a subscriber and reader of Locus Magazine for over a year now. It is the monthly magazine of science fiction, fantasy, and horror and includes numerous book reviews in each issue. The February issue included various reviewers’ best of 2023 books. One such favorite was this book. The book was also longlisted for the Booker Prize in 2023. The premise sounded interesting, so I gave it a go.

The review that interested me in this book states in part that “it serves as a technical demonstration of how to continue asking big science-fictional questions while starting from the world as it is, rather than as we’d like it to be.” The book is told in the first person and starts with a rather lengthy description of the main character’s childhood and eventual decision to study marine biology. She eventually gets the opportunity to go on a scientific expedition to a place in the mid-Atlantic where there is a trench much deeper than ever measured in the Atlantic before. Odd things start happening that begin to move the plot forward at a less slow pace.

This book is well-written and filled with thoughtful ideas. At times it reminded me of thoughtful science fiction books like Contact and 2001: A Space Odyssey. And while I enjoined both of those books and movies, I found this book to be way too much prose and not engaging enough with the story. Even the ideas are barely hinted at. I enjoyed the contemplation of the ideas raised in this book, but it was as much an exploration of childhood trauma and its affects on the main character’s future. Sometimes it felt that was the main point of the book rather than exploring the science fictional elements of the story. That may be what others want in their literary science fiction, but not me. Give me Rendezvous with Rama any day over this dry, almost pretentious, over literary book.

My rating: 2.5/5

The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein

I am a big fan of Cory Doctorow and regularly read his blog. There, he occasionally posts a review of a book that he’s loved reading recently. Back in May he posted a review of this book. His praise was high enough that I went right out and bought this book. I just finished it and wow!.

Doctorow does not give any plot summary. In fact, he says pretty much nothing about the story. He says that it is hard to peg to a single genre and it was recently republished by the author when the rights reverted back to her. If I had to put a genre label on it, I would call it fantasy, but that is only at the first layer. I will also give a very short plot summary. A steerswoman is researching the source of a mysterious gem that seems to be magical. That’s about all I can say without spoiling the mystery at the heart of this book that makes it so interesting.

The writing is thoughtful and engaging. I felt that I was right there along with the main characters engaged in the mystery and adventure. It is a book that explores ideas like one’s place in the world, integrity, the power and strength of truth, and coming together as a team. It is the kind of book that I find myself enjoying even more after having read it and thinking about it afterword. I’m looking forward to reading the sequel. In fact, I am off now to go buy and download the rest of the series!

My rating: 4.5/5

Funny Story by Emily Henry

After I finished reading Run by Blake Crouch, I needed a bit of a palette cleanser. That was a dark book, and I needed something lighter to balance it. I am a fan of Emily Henry and hadn’t read her latest yet, so I picked up and read Funny Story.

In it, a thirty-something woman is engaged to the man of her dreams. She has moved into a house he bought for them in his home town and is enjoying being part of his circle. A few months before their wedding, he decides he is in love with his childhood best friend and breaks off the wedding. Desperate for a place to live in a town far from her own friends and family, she moves in with her ex-fiancé’s ex-boyfriend. At first they keep their distance. Then they devise a plan that may unintentionally bring them closer together.

There wasn’t anything terribly new here. As with all romances, we know how this one will end. It isn’t about the ending, though. It’s about the journey. And the journey here is emotional, funny, and enjoyable. As is my experience with Emily Henry, the characters feel true to life and the plot deals with real human problems with a level of complexity that goes deeper than I would expect for a romance. That said, this is a romance novel. It is a quick read and doesn’t get too deep. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but is wasn’t as good as some of her other stuff I’ve read.

My rating: 3.5/5

Run by Blake Crouch

I recently watched on Apple TV+ the new series Dark Matter based on the book of the same name by Blake Crouch. I enjoyed it so much that I went looking to see if he had anything new coming out. I was excited to find on NetGalley, that he has a book coming out in the fall called simply Run. Turns out that this was originally self-published by the author in 2011. It is being published for the first time by Ballantine Books. It’s tentative release date is October 22. I read an advanced reader copy of the ebook provided by NetGalley.

Run is an apocalyptic thriller that takes place in essentially present times. An unexpected and (at first) unexplained pandemic has led many in Jack’s community of Albuquerque, NM to become randomly murderous. TV and radio are down except for the announcement of who those affected will be coming to kill next. When Jack hears his own name on the radio, he swiftly packs his family and camping gear into their SUV and run. The plot follows them as they head north toward Canada, doing their best to avoid those affected in order to stay together and alive.

This is a very dark novel. It is not as well-written as his more recent work, but there are glimpses of what is to come. The challenges and emotions of the family are the strength of this novel. The pace is unrelenting. There are no named chapters and no table of contents. This feels like a purposeful choice to keep you turning the pages. It works. Even the clipped writing, with regular incomplete sentences, feeds the urgency. As I read this book, I was reminded of other apocalyptic novels like The Stand by Stephen King and The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Unfortunately, this one does not rise to that level. It is much darker and more grim while not being as well-written. It was an interesting glimpse into Crouch’s early work, but if you are looking for an apocalyptic thriller, I recommend the others I mentioned. If you want to read Blake Crouch, you are better off starting with Dark Matter or Recursion.

My rating: 3/5

Haunt Sweet Home by Sarah Pinsker

I’ve read a lot of Sarah Pinsker’s fiction. This includes many short stories including “One Man’s Treasure” from last year which was nominated for both the Hugo and Locus awards for best novelette. I also thoroughly enjoyed her two novels, A Song for a New Day and We Are Satellites. Naturally, when I learned that she was soon to publish a new novella, I went looking for it at NetGalley. Many thanks to them for the advance reader copy they provided me in exchange for this unbiased review.

Haunt Sweet Home is the story of a young woman named Mara trying to find her way in the world. Her many attempts to complete college keep flaming out, much to her family’s disappointment. Her cousin is a very successful host of cable TV show that goes by the same name as the title of the book . It follows new home owners as they begin to renovate their homes and discover that they are haunted in some way. When this cousin offers Mara a job as a production assistant on the show she takes it not knowing how it will change her life.

This short book was a mixed bag for me. It is slow to start though entertaining throughout. The meat of the story doesn’t get going until around the mid-point of the story. One result for me was simply wishing that there was more to the story. In some ways, it feels like it ends just as it is getting the most interesting. Also, the main twist in the story has been used many times and was quite easy for me to see coming. But that is redeemed after the reveal as the details are unique and what the entire story is built to explore. Ultimately, this book is about coming of age, growing up, and learning for yourself who you really are. These are some of my favorite books themes. I just wish this novella was as good for me as her novels.

My rating: 3.5/5