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SCarab's SciFi Novel Reviews
I've read very many sci-fi novels. I'm continuing to read more. I already had a review page for short stories, so I figured that I might as well start one for novels. I'm adding new reviews as I finish reading novels, so it'll probably take a while for this page to grow (unless I start adding reviews of some of my favorites).

Note that the "Comments" section is a one-line summary of my feelings about the novel. I've tried to make the reviews spoiler-free, so feel free to read them.

Anything with a rating of 6 or more is recommended

Title Author Rating Comments
The Difference Engine William Gibson and
Bruce Sterling
3.2 A neat concept, poorly executed.
Orphans of the Sky Robert A. Heinlein 5.5 Fun, fast reading, with quite a few problems.
Slaughterhouse Five Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. 5.7 Appropriately hollow, empty; dehumanized war.
The Fortunate Fall Raphael Carter 5.9 Decent cypberpunk story, some interesting characters.
Idoru William Gibson 8 Pretty good story that hits many of my interests.
A Canticle for Leibowitz Walter M. Miller, Jr. 4.8 The short story is better, though the ending of the novel is well done.
On A Pale Horse Piers Anthony 5.6 Neat world, neat premise, decent execution, but generally mediocre.
Gateway Frederik Pohl 6 Believable future, good science.
Cryptonomicon Neal Stephenson 9.8 Astoundingly ambitious, and well executed.
Dune: House Atreides Brian Herbert and
Kevin J. Anderson
6.3 A worthy prequel, though in some ways ordinary.
Dune: House Harkonnen Brian Herbert and
Kevin J. Anderson
6 Not much different from House Atreides.
Slapstick Kurt Vonnegut 4 Bizarre, blunt, not much of a novel.


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