the complete list

2001 Arthur C. Clarke ★★★★★ It's a classic for a reason. This was a great reading of a book every Sci-Fi fan should read. Certainly not the first incarnation of rogue AI, but definitely one of the most important early on. I… A Fire Upon the Deep Vernor Vinge ★★★★★ Couldn't. Even. Finish. I couldn't even get more than a few hours into it. And I tried twice to get into it. A.I. Apocalypse William Hertling ★★★★★ The premise here is awesome: a computer virus that goes sentient and grows so fast that it spawns entire ecosystems that fracture and fight each other. This was my favorite of the series, by far. My… Academ's Fury Jim Butcher ★★★★★ The story of Tavi moves from the countryside to the city, and new nemeses are introduced. It's a solid follow-on from the first. The main character is a likable kid who seems to have both… Agent to the Stars John Scalzi ★★★★★ This book is laugh-out-loud funny. Set in modern-day earth, the characters are well-written and the voice acting is fantastic (Wil Wheaton). It was Agent to the Stars that got me to revisit the Old… Altered Carbon Richard K. Morgan ★★★★★ I love this series and this book. It's a hard-boiled detective thriller with an awesome anti-hero protagonist. The tech of the future in this series is what I want from Sci-Fi: really advanced shit… The Amber Spyglass Philip Pullman ★★★★★ I didn't love the finish to the series. Like most final books, I thought it delved too deeply into a quasi-religious rant. However, I have heard the perspective of friends that they enjoyed that… Anathem Neal Stephenson ★★★★★ I was pretty stoked to read this because it came highly recommended from a friend, and it was a Neal Stephenson novel, author of Diamond Age, one of my all-time favorite stand-alone sci-fi books.… The Android's Dream John Scalzi ★★★★★ Books like this I wish I could rate 3.5 stars (my limitation is the plug-in I chose for doing these book reviews). John Scalzi comes up with amazing aliens in all of his books and this book is no… Army of One B.V. Larson ★★★★★ I had never read the Star Force series, so when Audible offered a free novella, I jumped on it to see if I'd like the series. I enjoyed the novella and decided to continue on with the series. Artemis Andy Weir ★★★★★ Andy Weir is best known for The Martian—which was also a decent movie—and seemingly writing hard sci-fi, a sub-genre that tries to adhere to the laws of physics as closely as possible. As I started… Avogadro Corp William Hertling ★★★★★ The premise of the book—and keep in mind it was published in 2012—is that someone within a company that very much resembles Google, creates an AI to predict what you want to say in an email. That AI… Barking up the Wrong Tree Eric Barker ★★★★★ What's great about this book is that the author examines both sides of common perceptions (often misconceptions) about success. He takes them to their logical extreme, digs in and finds research to… The Black Swan Nassim Nicholas Taleb ★★★★★ The point of the book is well worth knowing and understanding, though I think you could get the point with a very well made 10 minute video. Blink Malcolm Gladwell ★★★★★ I'm writing this review six years and one month after buying this audiobook—I started this project of reviewing my Audible library at Thanksgiving 2018, and I'm writing this review at Christmas… Broken Angels Richard K. Morgan ★★★★★ As much as I loved the far-future Earth, I welcomed the second book taking place on another planet in the far-flung universe of this series. The main character is still the flawed anti-hero, just in… Captain's Fury Jim Butcher ★★★★★ At this point, it's pretty obvious the books follow the same plot structure. But at the time I was reading these, I was grinding rep in WoW—and if you have no idea what that means then just know that… Catching Fire Suzanne Collins ★★★★★ The first book was young adult sci-fi that was bearable across the age gap. This one was so absolutely unbearable I couldn't even get through it. I'm not going to waste another movement of my time or… Chasm City Alastair Reynolds ★★★★★ I read this right after The Prefect, and to me it's the perfect follow-on novel. The absolute strangeness of Chasm City is magnificent. Though I normally prefer space operas that bounce from world to… Confessions of an Economic Hitman John Perkins ★★★★★ The recent history of America is fascinating, and this book will provide an interesting perspective on how USA waged economic war in the cold war era, and beyond. Conquest B.V. Larson ★★★★★ At this point in the series, the pattern to the plots become all too obvious. The travel between the worlds was interesting, as was the continual struggle for survival by the protagonist. But when… Consider Phlebas Iain M. Banks ★★★★★ This was my first Culture series book, and is so far is still my favorite. It's a far-reaching novel with a protagonist you really want to root for, even if you don't fully understand his… Count Zero William Gibson ★★★★★ By far, this is the best book in the Sprawl Trilogy. What's that trilogy, you ask? Why, it starts with Neuromancer. I bet you didn't know the cyberpunk classic had sequels. Now you know. And now you… Courageous Jack Campbell ★★★★★ I think I liked this one, too. So many books... they blend together. Read the series review for my less-than-unequivocal recommendation. the TL;DR: great space battles, well-written interpersonal… Crossing the Chasm Geoffrey A. Moore ★★★★★ It's hard to believe this was only released in 2012, because it instantly became part of the common language of tech startups everyone. It was brought up so frequently that by the time I read it in… Cursor's Fury Jim Butcher ★★★★★ At this point in the series, I was still enjoying the books but noticed the similarity in the plot between books two and three. It was an enjoyable read, if similar to the previous one. Daemon Daniel Suarez ★★★★★ Daemon rocked my world when I first read it, and still holds up to this day. Action-packed story that intertwines a number of character arcs as things just go off the rails in the modern world. It's… Dark Eden Chris Beckett ★★★★★ An interesting premise, with a world that is very well constructed sets the stage for a fascinating tale, but I still didn't want to continue with the series. It's a Swiss Family Robinson, but with a… Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger Stephen King ★★★★★ I hated this book. I can't believe it's being made into a movie, oh excuse me, a "major motion picture." The only reason I finished this was because it came highly recommended by one of my best… Dauntless Jack Campbell ★★★★★ There's a lot of ways to play with time-loss in Sci-Fi, but I can't think of any other that pulls a lost hero from a life pod. It's a unique angle and makes for a very enjoyable first book,… The Diamond Age Neal Stephenson ★★★★★ One of my favorite stand-alone sci-fi books. I don't love everything Stephenson writes, but I loved this one. It's a great look into the future. This book explores the possibilities of how technology… Do More Faster Brad Feld, David Cohen ★★★★★ Once upon a time, the idea of a startup accelerator was new, uncommon, even unique. YC and Techstars were the originators of this model. I moved to Boulder to be part of the tech startup world here,… Earth Afire Aaron Johnston, Orson Scott Card ★★★★★ Now we get to it. The battle for Earth and the Sol system begins in earnest. The book follows multiple story lines throughout with plenty of characters to root for or against. While the Earth gets… Earth Unaware Aaron Johnston, Orson Scott Card ★★★★★ When this came out I was glad the Enderverse was expanding to cover the events leading up to Ender's Game. The first in the series is a setup for the rest of the series. It's clear that the book was… Eisenhower in War and Peace Jean Edward Smith ★★★★★ I'm not super into biographies, but I really wanted to read about great leaders, and heard good things about this book. I enjoyed learning out Eisenhower, but when it got into his presidency it… Ender's Game Orson Scott Card ★★★★★ I consider Ender’s Game to be the single greatest leadership book ever written. Yet it’s sci-fi. And about children. WTF? Once upon a time I aspired to be a leader like Ender. After experimenting… Ender's Shadow Orson Scott Card ★★★★★ This is a really solid companion to the masterful work that is Ender's Game. I love the story told from another perspective inside of one of my favorite books of all time. It adds depth to the… Endymoin Dan Simmons ★★★★★ I think book three is my favorite of the series. They pay-off is well worth it as you travel down the river through all the worlds, bouncing from story to story and discovering how they're all… Escape from Cubicle Nation Pamela Slim ★★★★★ I don't remember anything about this book. To be fair, I'm writing this review in November of 2018, over nine years from when I read it. But some books stick with you for the impact they make on you,… Extinction B.V. Larson ★★★★★ Finding the first book in the series interesting, though not ground-breaking, I decided to continue on. The second book was neither bad nor good, and moved along fast enough to keep me interested. I… The Fall of Hyperion Dan Simmons ★★★★★ Book two of the series starts to dial in the main plot line, while still expanding the universe and taking you on a great ride. The first book is good, but this book is great. Fearless Jack Campbell ★★★★★ I think I liked this one, too. So many books in the series, they blend together. Read the series review for my less-than-unequivocal recommendation. the TL;DR: great space battles, well-written… First Lord's Fury Jim Butcher ★★★★★ I mean, at this point, I'm five books into the six-part series—might as well finish it, even if the plot follows the same damn outline. Again. And again. I was so burnt out on the series that I… Forever Odd Dean Koontz ★★★★★ The first book was so good, so unique, so unexpected that I had high hopes for the second. It was good, but not great. Since I don't normally read Fiction, even if it's slightly… The Founder's Dilemmas Noam Wasserman ★★★★★ I had the pleasure of seeing Noam speak at Techstars in Boulder, and I was deeply impressed by his research. If you are in the startup world, this is a must-read. Forget the link-bait articles and… Freakonomics [Revised Edition] Stephen J. Dubner, Steven D. Levitt ★★★★★ This is a great, easy read with some mind-bending research and conclusions. I highly recommend picking this book up for a fun read—and that's not something you'd like anyone would ever say about an… Freedom (TM) Daniel Suarez ★★★★★ Freedom (TM) and Daemon should really be sold together as a single book. There's no conclusion to the first book, you have to read the second. I still highly recommend Freedom (TM) as the action… Furies of Calderon Jim Butcher ★★★★★ I enjoyed the first book in this huge series. The unique take on magic, where humans interact with the elements through their "furies" was a refreshing break from the typical sorcery stuff of high… Galactic North Alastair Reynolds ★★★★★ A series of short stories in the Revelation Space universe, my recommendation is that you only read it after having read all the others in the series. The stories start back at the very beginning of… The Ghost Brigades John Scalzi ★★★★★ As short as these books are—at least for the sci-fi genre—they pack a punch. The thing that Scalzi does well is create interesting aliens that are truly... alien. At least to us. He also spreads out… The Golden Compass Philip Pullman ★★★★★ A very enjoyable, action-packed fantasy with a young main character set in an alternate-reality. It's not heavy swords & sorcery, which is a nice departure. It's a great start to the series. Great North Road Peter F. Hamilton ★★★★★ Peter F. Hamilton is one of the greatest sci-fi authors, in my opinion, and Great North Road exemplifies his work. This is an absolutely massive tome, but Hamilton does what he does best throughout… Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World Haruki Murakami ★★★★★ At one point I was burnt out on the sci-fi I was reading and searched out some different recommendations. "Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World" came up from someone. It's not sci-fi, it's… Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets J.K. Rowling ★★★★★ Book two teeters on the edge of Young Adult and... not YA, which I guess would be just mainline fantasy. Now that the Wizarding World has been established, the books start to have a lot more fun. And… Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows J.K. Rowling ★★★★★ At last we come to the end. Though this is the least Harry Potter-esque of all the books, it is a fantastic work of fantasy. One wild adventure leads to the next and the next and the next. Once it… Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire J.K. Rowling ★★★★★ In the summer of 2018, I re-read the entire series (the Stephen Fry version, not the Jim Dale reading on Audible). As I undertook the endeavor, I wondered what my favorite book would be. The "easy"… Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince J.K. Rowling ★★★★★ Book six has the strongest ending of the entire series. I could hardly wait to get through the book for the final few chapters. It is the last door to be knocked down before the final—and the… Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix J.K. Rowling ★★★★★ Fittingly, book four is the turning point for the series (and my favorite), and now we turn to dark times in the wizarding world. In this book, my hands-down favorite antagonist comes to roost in… Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban J.K. Rowling ★★★★★ The only thing that holds Book 3 back from being a five-star for me is the Malfoy-Snape-Potter story arc was growing wearisome for me. At a certain point, it became a distraction from the story,… Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Book 1 J.K. Rowling ★★★★★ Note: This review is for the Stephen Fry recording, not the Jim Dale version on Audible, the latter of which is complete shit.1 If you haven't read Harry Potter and you're over the age of 18, then… House of Suns Alastair Reynolds ★★★★★ John Lee narrating an Alastair Reynolds space opera sci-fi book. It doesn't get better than that. One of my all-time favorite stand-alone novels, I heartily recommend this to anyone. I've read this… The Human Division John Scalzi ★★★★★ One day I logged into Audible and they were offering a new short story by John Scalzi in the Old Man's War universe for free. It was the first of 13 such short stories. My library is a bit cluttered… The Hunger Games Suzanne Collins ★★★★★ Despite any misgivings you may have about the movie(s), or the next books in the series, the first book is a quick, enjoyable read. It is firmly in the Young Adult category, so just know what you're… Hyperion Dan Simmons ★★★★★ A Sci-Fi Canterbury Tales of sorts, this first book in an incredible series bears little resemblance to the next three books. Regardless, it's a good start, and I highly recommend the series overall. I'm Feeling Lucky Douglas Edwards ★★★★★ I've learned that I don't really go in for memoirs, but for whatever reason this one appealed to me. It was written by one of Google's first marketing people. It's a wild story that covers a lot of… The January Dancer Michael Flynn ★★★★★ I tried twice to get more than an hour or so into this book, and failed both times. I should have heeded the reviews. A book has to be pretty terrible to get below 4 stars on Audible. I'm not going… Judas Unchained Peter F. Hamilton ★★★★★ The conclusion and the reveal at the end of this book was so incredible, I couldn't wait to get and read it again. As I said in the review of the first book in the series, Pandora's Star, Hamilton… The Last Colony John Scalzi ★★★★★ To John Scalzi's credit, he neither delves into pseudo-religious rants nor repeat the same tired plotlines in his third book. However, he also doesn't even cross the ten-hour mark in the audiobook.… The Last Firewall William Hertling ★★★★★ I read this and honestly don't remember a thing about the characters, the plot, or the story in general. Granted, I'm writing the review over four years after finishing it, but I remember a lot of… Lock In John Scalzi ★★★★★ Hats off to John Scalzi and Audible for this great near-future sci-fi. As with all good sci-fi, there's an implicit social commentary built into the way the future world is shaped, and Lock In is no… The Long Tail Chris Anderson ★★★★★ Reading this in 2006 when it came out or even in 2009 when I picked it up, it felt like the inevitable future of the internet. "Mass Customization" was the trend of the day. I remember being… Mastery Robert Greene ★★★★★ I'm really torn on "Mastery" as to whether I loved it, hated it, or just liked it. The stories of everyone from Faraday to PG to Darwin and Franklin and dozens more are absolutely brilliant. I love… Measure What Matters John Doerr ★★★★★ I was all gung-ho on OKRs for a while and when this book came out, I picked it up right away. While the stories are great, I kind of wanted more out of it. Really what the book did for me was whet my… The Name of the Wind Patrick Rothfuss ★★★★★ I love this series so much I don't even know where to begin. Let's get one thing out of the way, the books are very long. This one clocks in at over 27 hours, however, it's more like two distinct… Neuromancer William Gibson ★★★★★ I had to go back and re-read this because I didn't remember much other than the Rastafarians in space. Though there are some anachronisms throughout the book, it's still so far ahead of its time.… Ninefox Gambit Yoon Ha Lee ★★★★★ You've never read anything like the books in this series. Though distinctly sci-fi with most of the action taking place on space ships and space stations, the technology seems more magical than… Odd Thomas Dean Koontz ★★★★★ I rarely read fiction, but this was a good exception. It's a great story about a quirky main character with an unusual special ability in a very, very small town. It's part of a series, too. If you… Off Armageddon Reef ★★★★★ I couldn't get through this book. It was so bad that I wrote a review on Audible to warn others off. Here's part of it: What it does do nicely is give a concise history of 17th & 18th century warfare… Off to Be the Wizard Scott Meyer ★★★★★ Laugh out loud funny. There are multiple parts of "Off to Be the Wizard" where I was literally laughing out loud. I distinctly remember being at the gym and having to stop to get through a… Old Man's War John Scalzi ★★★★★ When I first read this series, I didn't think much of it, but after coming back to re-read it, I found I truly enjoyed this book and the Old Man's War universe. I think part of my initial dislike was… On a Pale Horse Piers Anthony ★★★★★ In a modern world where Satan advertises on billboards and magic is part of everyday life, a complete loser becomes the next Death. It's a wild concept and makes for a good book. Truthfully, as I'm… On Basilisk Station David Weber ★★★★★ What's funny about this book is that I can never remember if I've read it. I always have to go back to my Audible library and check to see if it has the "finished" tag. It does. That's about all I… Pandora's Star Peter F. Hamilton ★★★★★ Peter F. Hamilton creates vast, imaginative worlds filled with well-written characters on seemingly separate paths and lives.... until they all come crashing together. His plots and subplots are so… Pathfinder Orson Scott Card ★★★★★ Orson Scott Card must have something with child protagonists. I guess with "Ender's Game" being his most famous and popular piece he decided to stick with what works? I'm just speculating. The… The Player of Games Iain M. Banks ★★★★★ Two books into the series, and I am absolutely loving this universe. As a mystery-thriller-drama, The Player of Games is a completely different book from the action-adventure of Consider… The Power of Habit Charles Duhigg ★★★★★ What's interesting about this book is that it's the why behind the how. If you want the "how" then read Hooked. But the "why" these things work, and why we have habits and what we do with or without… The Prefect Alastair Reynolds ★★★★★ The Revelation Space universe is outstanding. In this installment, we go to the "Glitter Band" time and place and follow a detective uncovering a system-threatening mystery. There are some incredible… Princep's Fury Jim Butcher ★★★★★ Yep. Same plot structure. Again. Still grinding rep in WoW, might as well power through the series, too. Raven Stratagem Yoon Ha Lee ★★★★★ Book two of Machineries of Empire is every bit as intriguing as book one, but this novel is even more focused on the characters than the first. The mathematics of the battles plays less of a role,… Reamde Neal Stephenson I'm not sure if this is sci-fi or an international spy thriller. Maybe both? Set in the present, it's an action-packed tale that moves fast, despite its 38+ hour book length. Let's pause there, if… Rebellion B.V. Larson ★★★★★ Though the second book was not as good as the first, it wasn't horrible and so I decided to pick up the third. Though there was no character growth from book one to book three, this one was… Relentless Jack Campbell ★★★★★ The series continues to drag. So many books… they blend together. Read the series review for my less-than-unequivocal recommendation. the TL;DR: great space battles, well-written interpersonal… Reminiscences of a Stock Operator Edwin Lefevre ★★★★★ I first read this book in 2000 when I was a day-trader. The stories were just as entertaining then as they were when I recently re-read it. And by entertaining, I mean entertaining to a finance nerd.… Revelation Space Alastair Reynolds ★★★★★ The Revelation Space universe is one of my favorite Sci-Fi universes. Alastair Reynolds is one of my favorite authors. And John Lee is hands-down my favorite narrator—he could read your grocery list… Revenant Gun Yoon Ha Lee ★★★★★ Go deeper into the Machineries of Empire saga to uncover Jedao's real goals and how he plans to achieve them. Or is it really Jedao? I love the conclusion to this series. All the crazy technology,… Revenger Alastair Reynolds ★★★★★ When I picked this up, I was expecting something along the lines of Reynolds' other books such as House of Suns (one of my all-time favorites) and the Revelation Space series. What I got was so… Rip-Off! Multiple authors ★★★★★ This was a fun book. Short story is an important form in sci-fi. Many of the greatest authors got their start by getting short stories published that caught the attention of book publishers. Giving… The Rise of Endymion Dan Simmons ★★★★★ Like most series, by the time you get to the last book the author has a platform to espouse some personal philosophical or quasi-religious BS. The final book in the Hyperion Cantos is not dissimilar… Ruins Orson Scott Card ★★★★★ Book one was interesting enough for me to continue with the series. And the cliffhanger at the end of this book should have been interesting enough for me to finish it out with the third book, but I… Screw It, Let's Do It Richard Branson ★★★★★ Richard Branson is one of those guys that everyone wants to be or wants to know. He does cool shit, does it his way, and doesn't seem to be a dick about it—from the limited I've read about him. I was… Series Review: Machineries of Empire Yoon Ha Lee ★★★★★ When I set out to catalog my library, I couldn't wait to write this series' review. This series is unlike anything you've ever read. It's 100% sci-fi but the technology almost seems magical in its… Series Review: Red Rising Pierce Brown ★★★★★ I've heard that when an author gets stuck, they should just make life harder for their protagonist. Pierce Brown has taken that to heart with Red Rising. Life just gets harder and harder, worse and… Series: Codex Alera Jim Butcher ★★★★★ I cannot recommend this series. The plot lines of books two through six are so similar that I burnt out on it and even after the final book came out, I debated whether or not to buy it for six… Series: Commonwealth Saga Peter F. Hamilton ★★★★★ Though this series is contains two massive tomes—and apparently a third that just came out in 2016—it is absolutely worth the read/listen. Peter F. Hamilton is one of my favorite authors, and John… Series: Daemon Daniel Suarez ★★★★★ If you play video games, you must read this series. Only two books long, but absolutely required reading for my fellow gaming geeks out there. It's a highly plausible future with great characters,… Series: Harry Potter J.K. Rowling ★★★★★ All of these reviews are for the Stephen Fry recording, not the Jim Dale version on Audible. That version on Audible is complete shit. I downloaded the Fry version years ago—around 2007—and recently… Series: Hyperion Cantos Dan Simmons ★★★★★ What starts out as a grouping of short stories in the first book evolves into one of the greatest space operas of contemporary Sci-Fi. Books two and three are the strongest, and book one is probably… Series: Old Man's War John Scalzi ★★★★★ The first review I wrote for this series was after finishing The Last Colony, and thinking the series was done. I didn't think much of it, partly due to the short book length, and party due to not… Series: Pathfinder Orson Scott Card ★★★★★ Though Orson Scott Card's big hit, Ender's Game, has a child main character, and is one of my all-time favorite books because Ender's character is so compelling, you'd think that would be a specialty… Series: Revenger Alastair Reynolds ★★★★★ If you're a fan of other Alastair Reynolds books and series such as the Revelation Space series, then you can appreciate his ability to create compelling characters, vast universes, and yet highly… Series: Star Force B.V. Larson ★★★★★ Formulaic plots, flimsy characters with zero growth, and dozen books in the series are all great reasons to pass on this entirely. There are interesting parts of the series and perhaps under a… Series: Takeshi Kovacs Richard K. Morgan ★★★★★ I can't say enough good things about this series. Each book is distinct and different, yet the threads between them are strong enough to weave a greater narrative. Takeshi is the ultimate anti-hero… Series: The Lost Fleet Jack Campbell ★★★★★ I recommend this series for the exquisitely detailed space battles. and the way the main character navigate the military-turned-bureaucracy politics. I can't rightfully give it my strongest… Sex at Dawn Allyson Johnson, Jonathan Davis ★★★★★ This entire book was a retort to another anthropology book, "Anatomy of Love" by Helen Fisher. I had read that book right after college and recalled being blown away by it. Somehow I stumbled across… Shadow Captain Alastair Reynolds ★★★★★ Wow. This series is so good. What other author but Alastair Reynolds can create a world that blends space travel with steampunk? OK, the habitats are not strictly steampunk (i.e. powered by steam)… Speaker for the Dead Orson Scott Card ★★★★★ I kept hoping this book would get better. It never did. Starswarm Jerry Pournelle ★★★★★ Starswarm is a unique stand-alone book with, what was at the time of its publication in 1998, a very far-fetched concept: an AI implant connected to the cloud. I enjoyed the book, and seem to recall… Start with Why Simon Sinek ★★★★★ An absolute must-read. There are very few non-fiction books I recommend unequivocally, and now that I think about it, this might be the only one that I recommend without preamble or qualification. I… Startup CEO Matt Blumberg ★★★★★ I really want to be able to strongly recommend this to most of the startups I work with on a daily basis, but it's not for early stage startups. I have to keep in mind that this series of startup… Startup Communities Brad Feld ★★★★★ Ah, the "Boulder Thesis". Startup Communities is essential reading for anyone in the startup world, especially if you're in the startup world outside of the Bay Area. I've read this book quite a few… Startup Life Amy Batchelor, Brad Feld ★★★★★ Juli and I listened to this on a few road trips. It provoked some very good discussion between us, and often enough that we would pause the book, talk about what we just heard, debate and discuss,… The Subtle Knife Philip Pullman ★★★★★ Book two of the series follows on strong with more adventure in this universe. It follows on strong from book one in an imaginative new world. Swarm B.V. Larson ★★★★★ After reading the novella, Army of One, I decided to pick up the first book in the series. It's a wild ride. But I'll save you the agony of having to decide if you want to start a 12-book series… The Algebraist Iain M. Banks ★★★★★ The Algebraist had been heartily recommended to me by a friend, and heartily recommended against by another. Naturally, I had to pick it up. My take: it's not at the top of my reco list, but it's not… The End of All Things John Scalzi ★★★★★ Solid finish to a solid series. John Scalzi does two things very well: 1) truly alien aliens 2) humor in the midst of otherwise serious books. I like the finish here because the story is told from… The Forever War Joe Haldeman ★★★★★ The beauty of this book is thinking through the implications of long distance space travel. There's neither hyperlight speed nor wormholes to make the trips from one solar system to the next fly by… The Humor Code Joel Warner, Peter McGraw ★★★★★ My friend Peter co-wrote this, and I was very glad to see it come out on Audible right away (I do hate to read books in the old-fashioned sense). It's outside of my normal genres of sci-fi, startup,… The Lean Startup Eric Ries ★★★★★ Reading this for the first time in 2013 felt like reading the secret code for how all businesses will be run in the future. And it is. It's a must-read for the startup world. It's such an important… The Martian Andy Weir ★★★★★ What do you think is better: the book or the movie? The movie offers great action and a condensed story with some hand-wavy science that you have to take as true. The book is longer (obviously) and… The Rise of The Creative Class Richard Florida I picked up this book because Brad Feld referenced it once or twice in Startup Communities. Five and a half years later, I'm trying to write a review for it. I vaguely recall nodding my head quite a… The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck Mark Manson ★★★★★ There were times during this book where I thought I was listening to a self-aggrandizing autobiography, and just as I was judging the author for a pointless diversion, BAM! He'd hit me upside the… The Way of Kings Brandon Sanderson ★★★★★ Kudos to Brandon Sanderson for writing a stellar fantasy novel without relying on the Tolkien fantasy tropes. This world is vast and varied. The races are unique, and the characters are complex. The… Thirteen Richard K. Morgan ★★★★★ Richard K. Morgan does it again. This time in a stand-alone sci-fi novel. This is another top reco from my reading list. It's an action thriller with another protagonist that's a bit hard-boiled. Not… The Tipping Point Malcolm Gladwell ★★★★★ The Tipping Point is research and stories about what happens after you follow the advice in Made to Stick. If you want the how, read the latter. For the "what" read the former. That's not a… Use of Weapons Iain M. Banks ★★★★★ There's something about "Use of Weapons" that I absolutely love, but can't quite put my finger on. Maybe it's the planet-hopping 007-super-agent? Or the ruthlessness the Culture's special agents… Valiant Jack Campbell ★★★★★ The series starts to drag a bit. So many books... they blend together. Read the series review for my less-than-unequivocal recommendation. the TL;DR: great space battles, well-written interpersonal… Venture Deals Brad Feld, Jason Mendelson ★★★★★ Note: this review is for an older edition of the book—they're on the third edition now. I don't offer many conditional reviews, but this review is predicated on the fact that you want to learn more… Victorious Jack Campbell ★★★★★ The finish is good, and worth the read just to close it out. Again, I like the whole series, I just don't love it. Read the series review for my less-than-unequivocal recommendation. the TL;DR: great… Who Stole the American Dream? Hedrick Smith ★★★★★ There are very few things in the world that have had such a profound impact on me as "Who Stole the American Dream?" I read this in 2014, after being hired by SoftLayer, a recent IBM acquisition.… The Windup Girl Paolo Bacigalupi ★★★★★ A fascinating dystopian Earth where calories are the currency and agricultural businesses rule the countries in a world with melted icecaps is not as far-fetched as it first sounds. It's also an… The Wise Man's Fear Patrick Rothfuss ★★★★★ As I said with "Name of the Wind" you have to treat this book, that clocks in at over 42 hours as separate books combined into one. In this case, it's three distinct stories that could have been… Woken Furies Richard K. Morgan ★★★★★ Most trilogies wind down in the third book, often times with some quasi-religious, half-assed philosophy being espoused by the author taking up too much of the last book. Not Woken Furies. It's still… Wyrms Orson Scott Card ★★★★★ For as much as I—and many others—absolutely love Ender's Game, I don't feel the same about Wyrms. Like Ender's Game, it's an easy read with a young main character, and Orson Scott Card tells the… Xenocide Orson Scott Card ★★★★★ I vaguely recall this being only slightly better than Speaker for the Dead. That I haven't re-read it in over a decade should say enough.