Great observations and musings! :)

Hello Bob this is a book series I am planning on getting into next year.

I found it to be a brilliant 600 page novel. The little mysteries that are sprung from the dense narrative that you can comb through and discover answers is fun. Adrian rewards the astute reader. I also enjoyed musing the subtext from Tchaikovskys’ writing that was spinning criticisms of human culture. From AI sentience, Dictatorships, Free Speech there’s a lot to ponder over with this novel. I loved it.

Gateway is an incredible book, and I can see it being an inspiration for many other operas who followed it. The concept is so good (especially the almost heroic nature of the travel to an unknown location with all the mechanics and uncertainties from the method of travel), the atmosphere is so good and authentic, and the critique on the capitalistic society is still as fresh as when the book was written, which is kinda depressing when you think about it... kinda sad that after 50 years it's still so relevant. Part of me would love to see a filmed adaptation, but I'm also scared in today's movie industry it would be butchered like they butchered Foundation, Halo, Rings of Power etc.

Having read the sequels, I would say let the first novel stand on its own. :) If you want something in the same universe read The Merchants of Venus which is a more conventional short story. It can be found at the Internet Archive in The Gold at the Starbow's End and also in Worlds of if (August 1972). If you do start down the path of the sequels, I think the last book is possibly the best of them, but none of them are anywhere near the level of the first.

Love OEB!!! Also, never seen these cover editions b4, utterly stunning!

Just finished the book myself and was equally floored, I was excited to find others who love it and found your channel through a search. Basically hit every note I felt, and excellent read on its themes. “Five years back, none of these warriors had seen such a forest. In their home stand sacred groves were called zuun mod, which means ‘one hundred trees,’ because one hundred were all the trees they thought might be gathered in one place.” Stunning. Entire histories and cultures and aspirations in the subtext of two beautiful sentences. And every vignette in the book is full of them. I’ve never felt such an expansive, boundless world from so few words than in this book, and without the nebulous descriptions triggering the reader’s wonder, that couldn’t exist in the scope it does. Looking forward to following your channel, cheers!

Hi Bob! I was just casually watching (and majorly enjoying) your video then I was surprised to see you tag me! Thanks for the tag :)) This will be a fun challenge... hehehe

Great vid and excellent presentation of this challenge! I really enjoyed your take and bookstore experience. I love the idea of the possibility of being exposed to something new that just might fit. My whole persona of my reading experience is finding something away from the groupie genre and popular title lists. This is an excellent challenge and I agree with you that it's more than just about reading and collecting more books.

Hey Bob, just stopping by to say thank you for this wonderfully thoughtful and insightful review of my book. Thank you for taking the time to dig so deeply into what Maxwell's is trying to do. Knowing that there are readers like you out there makes all the long years of writing worthwhile :)

Cool to see how this challenge went for you, I still have it on my docket to participate in. I’ve read Intensity and from what I recall, yes it does live up to what the title promises.

Have you read The Raw Shark Texts?

Well done. Respect for sharing your passion. I'm wary of the metafiction elements, but I guess I'll have to read the book to see for myself.

Such an amazing review Bob!

Well, the title alone would have caught my attention, but you've convinced me to give it a try. Thanks for the commentary, and have a good one.

Wow, what a review, must be an astounding read. I will search this one out - thanks for the spotlight.

Curious, what’s the website where you can paste a snippet of your own writing and it tells you what author you write like?

Foucault's Pendulum is the fun one of his works imo. Shouldn't feel initimidated at all. I think it's the one that has the least amount of 'literary skills required', and it's just a great story.

I really recommend Polostan. In pure Stephenson fashion, it's a crash course in pre-WWII history and it features his most badass character yet.

I like your content, my friend; you're going to enjoy the Waley translation of Journey to the West, even native Chinese speakers praise his ability to bring across the irreverent nature of Sun Wukong, so that's a very good acquisition! I make music here on KZbin but I've been considering trying my hand at BookTube lol so now you've got a new subscriber 😁

Awesome video!!! Your presentation and style rock! It is soo interesting to see everyone's picks! I have acquired a lot of Koontz but haven't read any yet and I too have been navigating near and around the Dresden Files but never committed.

Great answers

As someone who has now stumbled on the Wukong stories through the recent game and then research on KZbin, it's incredibly rich mythological storytelling. It might be a bit challenging for westerners as some core concepts are more commonplace in its respective culture. Great haul overall. A lot of good recommendations!

Still suggest checking out Voyage but unfortunately the hype might over sell it now 😅. I think for me it's fascinating to read these kinds of early sci-fi novels although today it might feel more like fantasy in a way. The psychological and philosophical explorations are what really sell it for me, especially for its time.

Gaddis has been one I've put off as well! 2025 is the plan!

Really enjoy your articulate & intelligent presence, a wonderful centre for book reviewing, thanks for the great videos. I haven't read any Calvino yet, I must rectify this, you have me very curious. I had a blast doing this tag also, so much affirmative fun, Pat is a marvel. Really enjoyed your video - thank you.

I'm about 90% through Pet Sematary (will finish sometime this week) and it's been a rollercoaster of emotions. Having kids/pets, this one really got to me. Great book!

Ah, I am about to launch into Stephen King, I am new to horror. Fellow BookTubers have inspired me to try it out, I'm currently reading Shirley Jackson, Henry James is next, & then Stephen King. I'm going to make a series of videos on this new adventure. This BookTube is a wonderful lark!

Really excited to have discovered your channel, I think we have a lot in common, & I look forward to following your bookish adventures. I've seen quite a few BookTubers do this tag now, so was keen to see what you might bring to the table, & I really enjoyed your video. Thanks for creating such an engaging & stimulating video. Your recommendations are great, & many are new to me, so thanks for that. I'm also a big Eco fan, but I also love his work on semiotics.

Wow, Gaddis, never heard of it…but your comment a “glimmer if judgement” from the book, i felt that brother! I have several books judging me 😊. Great take on this tag Bob. Stephenson scares me…never read him. And Pet Semetary, totally understandable given your situation. You speak so well, something to aspire to! Thanks for playing along and have a great week!

Great tag, Bob! This is a really impressive list of books waiting to be read. I definitely understand your putting Pet Sematary aside. I have recently discovered T. Kingfisher, and I love her. MJ at Reading This Life recommended A House With Good Bones to me during Horror Mayhem because I'm kind of scared of the horror genre, and I fell in love with her style and narrative voice. I went on from there to What Moves the Dead and then to What Feasts at Night and then The Hollow Places. I think The Twisted Ones will be next. You read so widely and diversely, Bob. I hope you have a great week, my friend.

Let me know what you think of Dean Kootnz, I haven't read alot of his stuff including the book you have but the stuff i have i havent been the biggest fan of.

You are so welcome! It was way too much fun exploring your tastes and interests in a new genre! I hope you enjoy these books as you dip into horror!

Great video my friend! Those books sound fantastic, and yes, cool cover art! Intensity is intense. Oh heck yea, definitely read Dresden, so good, especially after book 4! Enjoy those treasures Bob!

I'm in my used bookstore enough that I shouted them out in my first video and one of the employees keeps giving me constructive feedback on the videos I'm posting. I'm so curious about what they'd suggest for me if I just gave them money and asked them to surprise me. I really liked this video - I hope you like Wrede! I read Butcher back in the day but I admit that I know I wouldn't enjoy him now. (This is not a comment about if you should like him! I just don't really enjoy that style of novel anymore.) Please let us know how you feel about the cozy horror! I wonder if I could tolerate that.

I really enjoyed Intensity! This video sparked my interest in visiting a local used book store.

Sorry for the loss of your cat. I love your answers. Great tribute to Pat. I should read Project Hail Mary. I liked The Martian a lot

This novel lost me when the protagonist beats up his girlfriend and she forgives him. I guess I tend to want to actually like protagonists.

That sounds like a really fascinating read! I had never heard of this book - I'm so glad I watched your review.

Oh dear Bob, I am so sorry about your loss of your sweet cat. I loved hearing about him, and I'm so sorry that you and your wife are hurting now. Thank you so much for doing this tag and for saying such lovely things about me and about our friendship. I am so glad that you are here, and I hope that you know how much I treasure our friendship. I was also really happy to hear you talk in this video about John Scalzi. I think I may have discovered you and your channel in a video about a John Scalzi series some time last spring. I was simply awestruck by the depth of your review. Thank you, my friend, for the characteristically thoughtful and sincere way in which you did this tag. I am so grateful for you! And this video was exactly what I needed tonight as I have been feeling pretty anxiety-ridden all week, and I really just came back to BookTube today. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Fantastic video ❤

Bob - so sorry about your cat. Animals are family, without a doubt. Fantastic video Bob. Pat is a booktube community gem! Really enjoyed your book selections. Octavia Butler is one of those authors on my look out list! Thanks for the shoutout friend, i am sure that was a hard video to make. Take care!

This video is so sincere and lovely about the connections in BookTube. Also John Scalzi is a great Internet guy. I'm sorry to hear about Snakey Jake. It’s so hard when they leave and I can’t imagine how hard that was.

Gateway is marvellous. The first sequel is pretty good too!

Up the Reds!

“Grudgingly glad I stuck with it” - 100% agree👌🏼

Thanks for the recommendation, and I'm glad you can read Bob.

Love this book, completely blind purchase by me and was blown away.

People talking about good scifi books should get more views. Gateway is fantastic 👏

Sounds like a really interesting premise to tell the story. Nicely done Bob, as always!