Books, books, books

I recently finished John Scalzi's The Ghost Brigades, a sequel to Old Man's War. The major sci-fi element of the series is the technology to transfer consciousness from body to super-enhanced military body, the most important feature of which is a computer enhancement to the brain humorously called a "BrainPal." The coolest tech-fantasy idea in the book is the integration of minds via the BrainPal. I mean, can you imagine having access to another persons mind or giving someone else access to yours? And then imagine this on a greater scale. Ridiculous! And so cool! The story's neat as well. I don't know what it is about sci-fi and war drama that go so well together but they do. Scalzi peppers the story with nice touches of angst, comedy, romance, and references to other popular sci-fi books and movies. Definitely recommended for a fun and pretty easy read.

Is it safe to comment on Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows yet? Well, I don't have too much to say anyways and no spoilers of course. It was largely what I expected. Quite enjoyable. The section with Harry walking into the woods was spectacular. At the same time, modern times have seen much better fantasy fiction from Britain in the His Dark Materials Trilogy. Hopefully the upcoming movie starring Nicole Kidman will raise interest.

I also picked up the first volume of The Astonishing X-Men written by Joss Whedon (of Buffy and Firefly fame). It was good but I expected more based on the great reviews. Maybe it's supposed to get better in future volumes.